What, you thought this Canadian whisky blog could ignore the one in the purple bag? Yes, as it turns out, for about a month. And, as it also turns out, revisiting Crown has been a pleasant surprise. It's time to give this ubiquitous staple it's due; the purple sack is good for quite a bit more than just holding crokinole chips.
Created in 1939 by Seagram's, this whisky comes by its Royal bonafides honestly. It was first released to commemorate a Canadian visit that year from King George IV and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. It didn't take long for Crown Royal to attain the status it has today as a genuine Canadian icon.
Though some of it's siblings (like the intense Northern Harvest bottling) get lots of critical attention, the standard De Luxe bottling is actually a remarkable blending achievement. It consists of no less than fifty individual whiskies! For context, most blends rarely exceed four or five different grain and cask combinations. Even if the differences are exceedingly subtle between component whiskies, blending fifty of them to achieve a consistent flavour profile is truly a miraculous achievement.
What's also miraculous is the runaway popularity of Crown since it's introduction to the United States in the Sixties. Consistently among the most popular spirits in every state, the vast majority of Crown Royal's sales are to American customers. In any case, Crown is probably the first real drink tried by millions of North Americans each year, something unlikely to change any time soon.
Over the years, Crown Royal has been distilled in Quebec and Ontario, with the (many, many) last barrels from the LaSalle and Waterloo distilleries comprising parts of Crown's XR releases. Today, Crown Royal is distilled by Diageo at their sprawling facility in Gimli, Manitoba.
Numerous flavoured bottlings have emerged from here in recent years as have smaller batch, more upscale releases, but the standard Crown Royal bottle remains wildly popular in Canada and abroad, and remains the flagbearer for whisky from this country. Its also a bottle worth revisiting if you've moved, like many, to deeper explorations of rye. It's versatile, balanced, and yes, smooth. It really is enjoyable, and I'm glad to have finally returned to this staple of just about every bar in North America and beyond.
Crown Royal De Luxe
40% alc./vol.
$31 at LCBO
The Crown Royal tasting experience begins with lightly sweet caramel and apricot on the nose. There's an oaky vanilla and not a touch of ethanol burn with heat coming from just a touch of cinnamon.
The palate is actually reminiscent of sherry finishing. Lots of sweet dried fruit like apricot and some prune. Vanilla is also present alongside brown sugar. A dry, woody rye spice grows slowly toward the finish. The body is fairly viscous and the flavours are well integrated throughout, progressing from sweet to slightly spicy in an orderly procession.
The medium finish brings brown sugar sweetness and still no ethanol heat to speak of. Smooth is the word often used to describe Crown Royal and that's not wrong.
Not overly complex despite the mindboggling number of whiskies in this blend, it's a recipe that's clearly been refined after so many million bottles. This is a whisky that can just as easily be sipped as mixed or shot straight.
Some of Crown Royal's high end bottles offer more to the connoisseur but the one in the purple bag didn't attain this much success without doing something right. Crown Royal is one of very few whiskies to be found universally on any bar and it will always be at the core of world whisky. Those who've enjoyed more complex drams may not get terribly excited by this bottle, but it's worth revisiting yourself when your friends inevitably ask for a pour. It's a straightforward but easily enjoyable whisky that has stood the test of time.
Heatseeker Score: 83
Category Score: 87
Characteristic: Sweet
Me like that whisky, only thing me drinking sweet and spicy
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