Sports player, set-taught chef and revered brand ambassador Mulunda Kombo is not your regular boy next door. The lifestyle connoisseur is Monkey Shoulder’s newest brand ambassador, and he lets Capital Lifestyle in on what the role entails, the brand’s history and the latest old fashioned campaign.

We start off our chat with an icebreaker, with this editor seeking to understand what the difference is between going to culinary school and being set-taught. “When you’re self-taught, you’re your own lecturer, library..the works! Starting out, it was an interesting evolution trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. I was not sure what kind of chef I wanted to be, I just knew that I loved to cook. I eventually narrowed down to the art of cooking with fire,” explains Kombo, setting the tone for the conversation.

What exactly does it take the perfect brand ambassador for Monkey Shoulder? “I do not know that the perfect brand ambassador exists for anything. There are many of us around the world, all with different traits and personalities. In a nutshell, passion plays a significant part in being a brand ambassador. It takes a deep understanding of the industry and curiosity around the products in question. We are constantly reinventing the space that we play in,” says Kombo.

Inspiration Behind Monkey Shoulder

Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whiskey. It is made from a combination of 3 Scottish single malts, being blended together. The raw is obviously barley – which has to go through malting. Malting is essentially exposing the barley to moisture for it to germinate. This helps capture the complex carbohydrates – which is 100% barley. The malt-men have to constantly manually keep turning the barley on these large malting floors so they can germinate at an equal rate. The physical soreness derived from this exercise was as such dubbed “monkey shoulder” as it felt like shoulders were drooping down. The reason behind the 3 monkeys is because of the 3 single malts used in production.

What sets Monkey Shoulder apart from its contemporaries?

“The first aspect would be the thought process behind the creation Monkey Shoulder. We always to make it easily accessible – thus breaking the stereotypes around whiskey. We decided to reach out to a group of bartenders and mixologists as they are key-players in the dissemination chain. Moreover, we do not compromise on the malts that we use when we are blending. So, the liquid credentials are of extremely high quality. We typically select from around 24 malt whiskeys around Scotland,” the multi-hyphenate expertly explains.

Made for Mixing

Monkey Shoulder is made for mixing. The brand is made for the urban maximalist – somebody who’s hellbent on pushing the envelope, trying new things, experiment and break glass ceilings. “This month, our focal point is Monkey Shoulder Fashioned with a twist. If you will be drinking Monkey Shoulder, try it with a cocktail and treat yourself to those orange and vanilla notes contribute to the cocktail. At least 150 bartenders from around the world contributed to the creation of Monkey Shoulder,” adds Kombo.

The “Old Fashioned Month” campaign runs through the course of April 2026 in Nairobi, featuring a citywide cocktail experience at top bars to make whisky more accessible to a new generation. The campaign highlights the versatile, smooth blend of Monkey Shoulder in a “Classic with a Twist” format, showcasing signature serves like the “Lazy Old Fashioned” at spots like Hero, The Roof (Ibis Styles), and About Thyme. 

Supported by EatOut Kenya, the campaign the campaign aims to position Monkey Shoulder as a fun, premium brand designed for mixing, expanding its appeal to both new and seasoned drinkers.