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Review #4: Crown Royal Fine De Luxe
For many folks around the world, Crown Royal is Canadian whisky and Canadian whisky is Crown Royal. There is some truth to this, beyond the base fact that it’s made here; the brand’s origin is rooted in something that sets us apart from our nearest neighbour: our constitutional monarchy. The first Crown Royal was created to commemorate the 1939 royal tour of Canada of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). It was a blend of fifty whiskies, which is also true of today’s Fine De Luxe expression, the subject of today’s review.
Fifty whiskies. Past experience has shown me the challenge of incorporating so many components, as the resultant blend always seems to end up rather muddled. The website implies that the core of this whisky is a Coffey distilled rye. Let’s try to pick out those spicy notes, from grain and from barrel, to see if this has the character befitting of what we here generically term “rye.”
Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Gimli Manitoba Blended Age: NAS ABV: 40%
Price paid (MLCC): $32.92 Reviewed: 2023-07-12
Colour: Dark amber.
Nose: Lavender and mingled fruitiness; red and honeycrisp apple, a bit of apricot and cherry. Toffee, hints of bubblegum and baking spice.
Palate: Creamy toffee and rye spice; oak. Red apple and nectarine. Pear and a bit of maple.
Finish: Honeycrisp. Oak and rye spices, quickly fading. Toffee remains longer. Pear closes out.
The mingled fruitiness above is quite well integrated, and it should be noted that the exact notes I get for that characteristic are variable between sittings. This is an intriguing pour in that regard. There’s good variety here too; about the only things holding it back are the relative lack of strength of flavour and somewhat insubstantial mouthfeel.
Score: 3 out of 5
Fine De Luxe could serve as a decent benchmark to measure other Canadian whiskies against. It has something for everyone, in quantities that do not dominate but rather harmonize.
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.
Review #5: Crown Royal Black
In my previous review in the Crown Royal core range, I looked at Fine De Luxe, finding it to be a mediocre if inoffensive whisky. Tonight’s review is a look at the next step up the ladder: Black. Ordinarily this step up would come with a corresponding trivial increase in price ($1.69 at the time of writing); however I was able to get this on sale, and at a time when the prices had greater distance between them, and so I ended up paying less for this than for Fine De Luxe.
So what sets Black apart? In terms of what matters -- what is given to us -- the maturation was conducted in charred oak barrels. That’s it. The theory, and indeed the promise on the back of the bottle, is that this will give us some bourbon notes to enjoy; bourbon production uses charred new American oak barrels (sometimes heavily charred). Oh, and it’s at a somewhat respectable strength. What else distinguishes this whisky? … I’m not seeing anything obvious here. On to the review!
Crown Royal Black Gimli Manitoba Blended Age: NAS ABV: 45%
Price paid (MLCC): $29.50 Reviewed: 2023-07-19
Colour: Brown.
Nose: Watered down cola, oak spice and dry oak, dark fruit (perhaps plums). Caramel. Ethanol intrudes every so often.
Palate: Cola briefly, followed by a burst of bitter green apple and bitter wood. Some spice, some vanilla and caramel. More ethanol.
Finish: A hint of barbecue sauce, strangely burnt, behind ethanol. Slight caramel sweetness. Leaves behind nothing but bitterness.
This starts off so faint and muddled. The enjoyable notes remain fairly faint and inarticulate, but the bad (especially the bitterness and ethanol) only magnify to dominate the experience. If anyone says this is like bourbon, I’d hate to have what they’re drinking.
Score: 1 out of 5 Better in Brand: Fine De Luxe
So why this? I suspect Crown saw an opportunity to get rid of whisky that wouldn’t otherwise have measured up, by maturing it in charred oak to hopefully round out the rough edges. All that’s really done is smother what good there was, while amplifying the bitterness to excessive levels. And the colour? It’s just absurd, probably meant to attract customers for the sheer novelty and peculiarity of it. As things stand this is just gross.
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.
Review #6: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Previously in this series we reviewed Crown Royal Black and found it wanting. Next up, and last in the Signature Series from Crown Royal is Northern Harvest Rye. As the name would suggest, this is the high rye-content offering from a brand that ordinarily puts out predominantly corn-dominant products. How high of rye? The back of the bottle states that this is a blend of ninety per cent rye grain whiskies. That’s a good deal of rye!
We welcome this nugget of information about what constitutes this whisky. Also welcomed is the ABV, coming to us at a respectable forty-five per cent alcohol. It’s not quite full proof, but anything above the bare minimum forty shows a degree of thought beyond “what’s the least we can give ‘em, for the most we can take from ‘em.” Review time!
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Gimli Manitoba Blended Rye Age: NAS ABV: 45%
Price paid (MLCC): CA$41.43 Reviewed: 2023-10-07
Colour: Dark gold.
Nose: Dill, wintergreen; baking, rye spice. Opens up into fruit; cherry, nectarine, and juicy pear. Strong note of pink bubble gum, blends in. Spice articulates into cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Sweet with vanilla and toffee. Dusty oak, bit of walnut later on.
Palate: Pear candy, bubble gum, and a big burst of cinnamon red hots. Dill and cardamom; wintergreen and licorice. Good hit of oak, somewhat drying. Nectarine, red apples and creamy vanilla toffee. Rye spice in abundance.
Finish: Caramel and pear, oak. Licorice. Rye spice lingers long thereafter.
It starts off strong, with good depth and breadth of flavour, and remains strong throughout. This is as authentic of a rye as one can get, with big spice and herbal notes. It’s not anemic in any way, being quite full-bodied. A must-have and a must-restock.
Score: 4 out of 5 Worse in Brand: Fine De Luxe, Black
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.
Review #7: Crown Royal Reserve
Last week we looked at Northern Harvest Rye, finding it to be a good offering in the Crown Royal core range. This review will be evaluating Reserve, the first expression in the Master range of whiskies in the Crown Royal line. It’s a step up in price range, which will hopefully be met with a corresponding increase in quality.
As far as Reserve goes, we know little of its makeup; the box tells us the whiskies that go into this blend are “hand selected,” comprising no more than one per cent of Crown’s total output. With 1.5 million barrels, that’s still an awful lot of whisky. This is supposed to be a “gift to Crown Royal enthusiasts;” tonight I take one more step to finding out if I am one of those.
Crown Royal Reserve Gimli Manitoba Blended Age: NAS ABV: 40%
Price paid (MLCC): CA$70.55 Reviewed: 2023-10-11
Colour: Dark copper.
Nose: Opens quite floral, with bubble gum and dark fruits. Walnut, praline. Rye spice: cinnamon and nutmeg. Pear and apple. Vanilla and creamy toffee. Nectarine. Oak spice.
Palate: Mingled fruits: pear, fig, and red apple stand out. Hint of bubble gum, strengthens with time. Toffee. Rye and oak spice, grows in intensity. Dry oak, bittering.
Finish: Baking spice and toffee apple. Oak bitterness closes out.
Well, this is a bit disappointing. In my previous sessions with Reserve, I developed high hopes for this whisky. Unfortunately, what’s there is somewhat weak in flavour, with the overall experience marred by a youthful ethanol note that persistently and recurrently jumps out. There’s little evolution throughout the course of the tasting, fatiguing the nose and palate.
Score: 3 out of 5 Better in Brand: Northern Harvest Rye Worse in Brand: Fine De Luxe, Black
Reserve is a marginal improvement over the baseline exhibited by Fine De Luxe. What condemns it is the not-so-marginal price increase (114 %) to gain such a small increase in quality.
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.
Review #8: Crown Royal XO
Previously, we reviewed Crown Royal Reserve, the first of the Master range of whiskies from that archetypal Canadian whisky blender. Next up is something a little bit different in the whisky world: a whisky finished in cognac casks. It’s Crown Royal XO (the “XO” here giving no actual indication as to age). And that’s about all we know from the box and bottle; the website adds that it’s actually a blend of fifty of their finest whiskies that get finished in the casks.
In the past I’ve not been one for cask finishes, not in Canadian whisky nor in scotch. I’m curious to see how this shakes out.
Crown Royal XO Gimli Manitoba Blended Age: NAS ABV: 40%
Price paid (MLCC): $83.99 Reviewed: 2023-11-14
Colour: Dark copper.
Nose: Rich icing sugar and dark fruits, lavender. Plum, date, and fig. Nutty with baking spice. Toffee apple, a little Crown bubble gum; pear and sour grape. Overall quite gentle.
Palate: Creamy vanilla toffee, white grapes and fig; bitter oak comes suddenly. Somewhat spicy, somewhat herbal. Sour grapes. Nuttiness arises then falls back. Perhaps a little milk chocolate. Very drying.
Finish: Old, dry oak wood and spice; red apple and dried raisins. Hint of evergreen. Spice fades.
This is one where some time in the opened bottle does wonders; when I first got this, I was not all that impressed, but now… The nose is very pleasant, each component being well articulated. But the real star is the palate: the evolution in experience here is really quite intriguing. At first, the astringency just about dominates; then, as your palate acclimates to the bitterness, it grows sweeter and really unfolds.
Score: 4 out of 5 Better in Brand: Northern Harvest Rye Worse in Brand: Reserve, Fine De Luxe, Black
This is just slightly outdone by Northern Harvest Rye. As much of a sucker as I am for a whisky that takes me on a journey, where XO goes is not quite as tantalizing as the full force rye punch that Northern Harvest Rye has to offer. Nevertheless, the two are on a level with each other, and both are rather good.
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.
Review #9: Crown Royal Extra Rare
Here we come to the end of the Master series of whiskies, and the end of our exploration of Crown Royal’s core range. A significant step up price-wise, Crown Royal Extra Rare demands much; but does it give much in return? Certainly, it provides us with a little more information: this is the only whisky in the range with an age statement, a respectable eighteen years; and as far as composition goes, we’re told it’s a blend of no more than three of their most exceptional whiskies. I’ve got high hopes going into this one, so let’s see how it shakes out.
Crown Royal Extra Rare Gimli Manitoba Blended Age: 18 ABV: 40%
Price paid (MLCC): $218.39 Reviewed: 2023-11-28
Colour: Reddish copper.
Nose: Lavender, vanilla toffee, and red fruits. Stone fruits: apricot, nectarine, hint of plum. Sugar cookie, walnut, and baking spices; orange zest. Wintergreen and bubble gum. Gentle oak wood and spice; anise.
Palate: Honeycrisp apple, toffee and wintergreen; orange peel. Mingled fruits with red apple, date. Lavender and pear. Rush of rye and oak spice. Chocolate and oak.
Finish: Juicy red apple and pear, into baking spice and wintergreen. Toffee and oak close.
Well, this one doesn’t disappoint. Extra Rare takes you on a journey throughout a tasting, and is never exactly the same across pours. Really, it’s a testament to the blender’s craft, and the quality of casks, that this is so richly flavoured despite the weak ABV.
Score: 5 out of 5 Worse in Brand: Northern Harvest Rye, XO, Reserve, Fine De Luxe, Black
This is the very pinnacle of Crown Royal’s offerings. So, is this a buy again bottle? At the price they’re asking… probably not. (I’m just not that much of a Crown fan.) Instead it’s a bottle to be savoured and enjoyed only on special occasions. What’s here though is a superb whisky.
Next series of reviews will take us to a relative newcomer to the Canadian whisky scene, from a distillery in Niagara. See you then!
Scoring Guide 1 out of 5: Terrible; no redeeming qualities, just say no. 2 out of 5: Poor; possesses qualities that detract, fodder for mixers. 3 out of 5: Mediocre; middle-of-the-road whisky, sippable but perhaps better in a cocktail. 4 out of 5: Good; a solid pour, enjoyable neat and outstanding in a cocktail. 5 out of 5: Superb; continues to surprise and delight, something to cherish.