Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel

The first thing to note about this whisky is the fact where you are depends on what barrel you get. On each box is a sticker that says "Bottled exclusively for __________" Mine I picked up when I was traveling through "The Bull City: Durham NC". And with every single barrel selection, the notes I give will not be indicative of say New York, Idaho, Texas, or even city to city with in North Carolina. A few underlying notes should be similar but each barrel should have its own character as well. As stated above this is the Durham release which is bottled at 51.5%, 103 Proof. Resting neat in a small brandy glass. Nose: Strong, spice (cinnamon and basil) and burlap, ethanol and rye, a bit of sweet maltyness in the back, a touch of citrus. Pallet: Oily, Bitter, burlap and leather, drying, sweetness develops honey, and burned suger, spice builds in after quite quickly, rye, and cinnamon, very hot. Finish: Charred wood, malt, dark chocolate, black pepper on the cheeks, leather, medium long finish. I would love to know where the bottles people reviewing this are from. Edit: after a few glasses of this whisky I can see where "mango" and other fresh fruits are coming from. The more I drink this whisky the more complex it becomes it. This will not change my score but will underline how impressive this whisky is.

I bought this bottle on a whim, and I'm very, very glad I did. Normally I work my way up a particular product line, starting in the mid-range and going up until the price increases don't match the quality or flavor increases. (I also work my way down, but that's another story). The only CR products I'd ever had are the original, and CR Black. Based on those alone, I never would have thought this was going to be as good as it is. Include the Northern Harvest Rye, which is a decent dram, and I still wouldn't have thought this would be as good as it is. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have bought it, and then I'd not know how good it is, and that would just be sad all around. Anyway...the review: This smells of a winter morning bakery; French toast, cinnamon rolls, vanilla icing...if you're getting sweet, you're on the right track. The palate continues the sugar-overload, but instead of the breadiness you'd expect from the smell, you get warm and rich, caramel, butterscotch and toffee in a very thick, very rich, mouth-coating drink. A hint of baking spices closes this one out, fading to a pleasant sweet alcohol burn that lingers for a few minutes. Did I mention that it's rich? And creamy? And rich? I'm amazed this came out of Canada, and even more amazed that it's Crown Royal. Incredible. Well done Diageo. Now don't screw it up.

Hand selected for Trevor’s, Scottsdale AZ. I know what you are thinking: “Canadian Whisky? Fafnir187, say it isn’t so!” But the thing is, I heard this one isn’t just light whiskey with flavoring whiskies and artificial flavoring or colorings added, but rather distilled and aged in a similar manner to bourbon so I decided to give it a try. Let’s go! Nose is very light with vanilla, caramel, white cake frosting, and the faintest hint of generic woodiness. Palate is a straight up vanilla BOMB. Deep, rich French vanilla. A little red delicious apple, butterscotch, graham cracker, maple, and a hint of tartness (lemon zest?) that is very welcome and helps keep the massive vanilla from becoming cloying. That said, it is very sweet and calling it complex would be misleading. But what’s here is quite tasty. Finish is short and clean with white pepper, nutmeg, and oak, but the palate carries through so more of a continuation of the road than a sharp left turn. Mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy, which fits the flavor profile perfectly. (Honestly, grainy would have ruined it) My first serious foray in Canadian Whisk(e)y, and while I know they aren’t all like this, so far we have a winner. At $50, it’s a solid value in today’s market. Simple, but effective. Would rebuy.

Barrel pick by NC ABC Open 8 months Nose - Spicy honey, butterscotch, golden raisins, brandy, hints of chalk and brine, medium ethanol. Palate - Light honey and vanilla up front, strong mead with a hint of brandy, sweet grain, artificial cherry, honey-roasted peanuts. Medium finish that disappears quicker than expected, dry oak comes out, spicy and ethanolic with hints of honey. My experience with Crown Royal has been tepid at best, but a $50 "single barrel" at 103 proof was too intriguing to pass up. Considering how pricey and low proof Crown Royal products are, the pricing on this is befuddling but obviously welcome. This is surprisingly good, but I've had it for 8 months so it's not something I reach for consistently. It honestly reminds me of a Highland malt finished in mead and brandy casks. The closest comparison at the moment is either a 15% mead spiked with brandy, or the excellent John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend. If that sounds appealing I say go for it, the value is pretty good with this one. An additional note, this is a fantastic bottle in presentation and build quality. I love the rugged screw cap, definitely a keeper to reuse. Why can't more companies use burly screw caps like this and Japanese whiskey bottles?

I have usually overlooked Crown Royal products partly due to lack of interest but mainly because of my limited exposure and perception that most Canadian whiskies are uninteresting (i.e. Canadian Club) and only good for mixing. Then, through a sample kindly provided by Pranay, I have been pleasantly surprised and found a quality Canadian whiskey and one that I will look to add to my collection. The nose of this dram is is what you find at a country breakfast: Frosted Flakes, Brioche French Toast with confectioners sugar, maple syrup with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. It arrives in a rich body, slightly hot, which delivers butterscotch and baking spices. Finishes almost as it arrives, sweet and spice with a touch of oak, Add a small amount of water and that initial burn is softened and the sweetness is enhanced. The palate, however, is slightly bitter. A dram that suits well, in my mind, during the fall season as an after dinner sipper to finish of a good Sunday meal. [Dry glass: caramel and marshmallows][91/100][Tasted: 9/25/16]

I thought crown royal was kind of whisky that no one drank other than college kids or old men who “only drink crown”. I thought there was no serious bottles in the lineup as the original is laughable, black was rancid, reserve being mid at best as well as xo. but its only until i had this bottle that i was floored. Right off the bat there is a rush of vanilla and maple, sweet brown sugars and a nice oakiness. You get some apple and lighter berry notes as well. Apple pie crust. the finish is semi dry, warming with alot of gentle but prevalent spice. I think the higher proof and more legitimate mashbill made this so much better, Its a very flavorful and rich candian that is also gentle enough for all kinds of enjoyment. all in all i think this is so far my favorite canadian whisky, and ill be honest ive never had a canadian that floored me but this would be it.