Crown Royal Black

Crown Royal's popularity seemingly knows no bounds, especially in North America. You'll be hard-pressed to find a back bar anywhere, from fine steakhouse to neighbourhood Chinese takeaway, that doesn't feature the distinctive bottle.

But as tastes have changed, the smooth and sweet whisky in the famous purple bag has been slowly losing market share. It now lines up next to increasingly premium releases but it was back in 2010 when the first big nod to flavour emerged for Manitoba's most famous export. 

Crown Royal Black, though far from a premium whisky, was designed to target the loud, oaky flavours of American rye and many bourbons. Like these American whiskies aged, by law, in charred new American oak casks, Crown Black is aged mainly in barrels with heavy char. It is also bottled at a meaningfully elevated 45%. 

These factors combine to bring what the label calls 'robust and full bodied' flavours. That description is apt; this bottle packs in as much flavour as its famous sibling Northern Harvest, if not more. It all comes at a price not much higher than the standard Crown bottling, which represents tremendous value for the amount of flavour and elevated strength. It will surely divide opinion, as whisky this big must necessarily do, but it promises a full-on experience for any drinker.

Crown Royal Black
45% alc./vol.
$35 at LCBO 

On the nose, sweet notes take the lead with vanilla, toffee, and lots of molasses-like cola. But there is plenty of spice too, with a crackling black pepper that rides above a dry hay note.

The palate continues with the big sweet and spicy profile, carried on a rich, oily body. There is immediately brittle, hot rye spice with an undercurrent of cola as well as a creamy butterscotch that is complimented well by the full mouthfeel. The flavours are integrated and it remains sippable, in spite of the heat.

On the finish, things turn up in a big way! White hot rye first punches and then barehandedly slaps you across the face in lavalike waves. That second wave is bone-dry, like licking a burning barrel. An absolute scorcher, the Prairie rye comes across like a much more ornery Alberta Springs 10 year. As the blaze calms down a little, sweet dried apple moves in to quell the fire, though warmth lingers on and on. As things fade, though, an unfortunate overripe grapefruit bitterness builds. That rancio note is a distraction that can only be corrected by another fiery sip.

Wow, lots to unpack after a taste of this. By design, the flavours are untamed; they eventually blow past the creamy body and explode into a supernova of heat on the finish. Although the flavours are big from top to bottom, the rye burst on the finish will divide drinkers more than any other aspect. 

If you particularly enjoy spicy rye, like me, you'll find as much as you can handle and then some. If you're looking for subtlety,  this was never the whisky for you. I quite enjoy the rye explosion, personally, and think it's right on target for this blend. But where the finish will let just about everyone down is the lingering bitter offnote that closes out. If Crown Royal could find a way to blend that out, this rye could be in Northern Harvest territory as one of the greats. 

Still, I'm very pleased with this purchase. The price point is simply fantastic for the elevated abv and unchained flavour. If you like the sweet, creamy aspect of Crown Royal but want something more interesting, Black dials up the flavour to 110 without sacrificing the mouthfeel. For American rye and bourbon drinkers drawn to the loud flavours of charred new oak, this is the Crown for you - and at a fraction of the cost of many American whiskies.

In sum, this bottle won't be everyone's favourite, but it will replace the purple bag as the go-to for millions who now crave bigger flavour. The offnote brings down the score but this is still a most intriguing, exciting, explosive whisky that will be a staple on my bar.

Score: 84
Category Score: 92
Characteristic: Spicy

Tawse Pinot Noir Finish

 Over the past week we've been looking at whiskies made from Ontario's Niagara wine country. We've featured two Forty Creek bottles guest reviewed by Melissa Bernais. Today, we have a guest tasting from Niagara College artisan distiller Lokesh Khismatrao. The writeup is mine, tasting notes are his but, until I have a taste myself, I've withheld the scores. Today's review is the first whisky release from the excellent Tawse Winery.

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When travelling through Niagara's luscious Beamsville Bench sub-appelation, one of the standout wineries is Tawse. Perched on the side of the Niagara Escarpment, the winery offers stunning architecture, views, and high end wines of global renown. In 2018, they began turning out spirits made from their Italian copper pot still. 

At the winery, though, you have to look a bit to find the still. The winery, which uses gravity flow, placed their still way up on the sixth floor - essentially the attic. Up there, they've churned out good grape spirits in the style of grappa, a lovely sweet vermouth, gin, and vodka, and they've been putting whisky to rest. Some years on, we see the first fruits of their labour with a blended appropriately finished in Pinot Noir casks. 

The cask finishing in this first batch was done for fifteen months on top of three years in ex-Bourbon barrels. After a day traipsing through wine country, or a visit to Dillon's distillery just down the hill, this scenic new spot for whisky is a welcome addition to the Bench. 

Tawse Canadian Whisky
40% alc./vol.
$40 at the winery

Tasting notes by Lokesh Khismatrao

Nose: Vanilla leads with dark chocolate, berries, and allspice. 

Palate: The allspice continues as does the vanilla. The berry note takes on a candied character before earthy notes move in. Rich cloves round it out. 

Finish: A warming spice on the medium finish with a smooth, not bitter departure. 

Characteristic: Baking spices

Forty Creek Resolve

Melissa Bernais is back with another guest review of a 2020 Forty Creek limited release. A fellow Niagara College distilling grad and experienced Forty Creek-er, she also contributed a review of Three Grain. I haven't tried either of these bottles yet (tragically), so no scores for now but I'll be sure to add them when I finally get my hands on some.
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Tasting Resolve alongside Three Grain, the line from then to now is impossible to miss! Fruit forward, lush spice...it's all here, but is also absolutely a unique thing unto itself.

Resolve is the 14th annual limited edition release for Forty Creek, and the final installment in Master Distiller Bill Ashburn's triptych exploring the effects of barrel finishes. Unity (2018) was finished with mocha-forward staves, Victory (2019) showcased the effects of vanilla-toned oak, while Resolve absolutely doubles down on spice. Like Unity and Victory, Resolve also includes a small measure of aged starboard wine - a fortified red, similar to port - that Bill made back in 1999, tying the three bottles together in an unmistakable way. 

Hands down, this bottle is my fav Forty Creek limited release (sorry, Confederation Oak!). While showcasing spice, the baking spice and pepper-heat are in no way overwhelming - they're complex and assertive, showcased and tempered by sweet, lush elements that make this bottle intensely sippable. I seriously would've sold a butt tonne of this to anyone walking through the door - and it's probably better that I'm not there anymore, because this is where all my tip money would go!

Forty Creek Resolve
43% alc./vol.
$80 at LCBO

Nose: Barley and barley.  Did I say barley? There's a lot of sweet cereal on that first sniff. It's quickly followed by a tonne of gorgeous, complex notes: Raisin and ripe plum. Vanilla, a little bit of cocoa, and caramelized sugar. Nutmeg and cinnamon. And more delightfully, a complex undernote of barrel char. 

Palate: Following its nose, the first expression here is a lush sweet cereal grain, followed quickly by peppery heat and baking spices. A deep, red wine lives in the heart of this sip, bringing lovely round, jammy notes. Vanilla asserts itself, with a nice little explosion of cinnamon, and a hot, complex spiciness that lingers, and swings back to say HELLO! again, just so you don't forget it (how could you, really, though?)

Yep, these two bottles. They're very, very good. You need them. Trust.

Characteristic: Spicy and Fruity

Man, I need to try this one! -Robbie

Forty Creek Three Grain (20th Anniversary Edition)

For today's review, we have a throwback release from the always-inventive Forty Creek team. And to share this buzzy bottling, we have a guest review from Melissa Bernais, a fellow Niagara College distilling grad and experienced Forty Creek-er. She's written today's review and will be back again with another 2020 special edition; Resolve. I haven't tried these bottles yet (tragically), so no scores for now but I'll be sure to add them when I finally get my hands on some.
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The past nine months have been a flurry of releases for Forty Creek; The Forager, Nanaimo Cream, and these two lovely little bottles here - Three Grain 2020 edition, and Resolve, the distillery's 14th annual limited edition release. Dang, that's busy! 

And having once been on the inside of it all - full disclosure, while enrolled at Niagara College's Artisan Distilling course, I worked at the Forty Creek retail store, walking customers through tastings and tours, and later on the bottling line - I couldn't be more delighted at the concepts and flavours finding a place on their shelves! Back in 2020, Forty Creek entered the whisky market with two offerings - Three Grain and Barrel Select. At that time, Canadian Whisky fans leaned heavily into the Barrel Select side of the family, leading the distillery to relegate Three Grain to the benches. Over the past two decades, it's made a guest appearance here and there in special, limited releases. 

The 2020 release will be Three Grain's final bow, 20 years after its first appearance on store shelves, in celebration of the place in the whisky market that Forty Creek has made for itself - and other Canadian disitlleries - in the world. Three Grain is a lush, barley-rich blend that stands up against new whiskies released to the delight of modern palates today. At the same time, it is, without a doubt, a Forty Creek whisky, with a delightfully fruit-forward aspect to it's flavour profile. It is nuanced and balanced, with lovely, surprising depths that make me wish consumers had been ready for it when it first came on the scene. I'm gonna hate to see this bottle emptied, knowing that there won't be anything coming along to replace it.

Forty Creek Three Grain (2020 bottling)
40% alc./vol.
$60 at LCBO

Nose: Sweet corn, warm barley, peppery rye. Vanilla and cinnamon. Ripe stone fruit.

Palate: Barley and rye ride throughout this sip, tying together sweet cereal notes with spicy pepper. A sweet, ripe cherry, and spiced milk chocolate heart. Vanilla, caramel and baking spices give live on the edges in your glass.

Characteristic: Fruity and Grain-forward