Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

For a family get together, one of my brothers picked up this Northern Harvest and was raving about it from previous bottles. After he opened it and poured us all a glass, we all experienced whiskey face followed by stating our tasting notes of licking Crest toothpaste off a two by four and eating sidewalk chalk that was flavored with wintergreen. The bottle then came home with me to add to the liquor cabinet and sat in the back for months before @ctbeck11 was gracious enough to take it to allow precious bottle space. I took a sample of it to review and since @ctbeck11 shared his thoughts, why not add on mine. The nose is very welcoming with some butterscotch and winter spices then some light floral notes followed by fruits of poached pear and tangerine that fades to spices of wintergreen and pine with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with light caramel covered poached pears and tangerine then light vanilla floral followed by a mild spice that fades to wintergreen lifesaver and pine tree syrup with light ethanol burn. The finish is short and chalky with notes of sautéed apple, tangerine, butterscotch, wintergreen and burnt pine. This has drastically opened up since that first encounter that is fairly easy to drink with a mild and drying chalky finish. So, this is coming in right around average for me, but this is also a bottle that will only cost you $30 and I think that is a triumph. Honestly, this is an inexpensive bottle that you can pick up, enjoy and drink with friends and let everyone enjoy it mixed, neat or even jello shots. Hell, this is one of those drinks that you grab one to take to a Spring Break bender where you meet several girls, unfortunately yet very accurately named with stripper names, that tell you they only strip to pay for college, yet their parents are really picking up the tab, who decide a glencairn is a boring drinking style and shove your glassware to the side before filling their navels with the rye, instantly making this more of a 5-star dram. Yeah, it’s that style of drink in which you just have fun with it and once it’s emptied just buy another because it is good enough, inexpensive and readily available.

Nose - anise, caramel, apple, bubble gum, powdered sugar, mint, stale bread, clove, underripe banana, hay, orange blossom, black pepper, vanilla, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - clove, mint, anise, caramel, vanilla, apple, black pepper, lemon pith, chalky oak, banana, bubble gum, cocoa, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with anise, baking spice, and chalky oak flavors. I’ll admit that I haven’t enjoyed any Crown Royal product I’ve tried in the past, save for mixing with some Crown Peach, but I don’t think that counts. While they strike me as cloying and bland, this one looks more interesting. I’m hoping the rye component will dampen the usual sickliness I’ve found with their standard offerings. So the nose isn’t too sweet. We’re off to a good start. There’s no doubting this is a rye, as mint, anise, and clove aromas are front and center. Behind them come banana, fruity bubble gum, and unfortunately some moldy bread as well. The palate is sweet for a rye, too sweet for my liking. There’s more mint, baking spices, and banana leading to a short, chalky finish. So this is definitely my favorite Crown product I’ve tried so far, but that’s not saying much. Even at a higher proof and with a 90% rye mashbill, they can’t seem to escape that cloying, dosed profile. I don’t think it’s terrible. It’s just not for me. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for gifting me his bottle!

My foray into Canadian Whiskey continues. Being very selective here; not looking to waste my time with neutral grain spirits with flavor added. From what I’ve read, this expression seems to offer a purer distilling experience so I thought I would try it. Nose offers lemon poppy seed muffin, spearmint, pine, vanilla, apricot, and bubblegum. More ethanol than there should be for the proof. Palate brings much brightness in the form of honey, lemongrass, caraway seed, white pepper, mint, and rye cracker. Everything is very soft and delicate. Finish continues the soft approach but also kind of fizzles out; some clove, tea leaf, and a wood that tastes nothing like oak. Walnut maybe? Found myself waiting for a hit of spice that never materialized. Mouthfeel has some effervescence but is also a bit grainy. There are some nice elements here and while I do appreciate the gentle approach, I like my ryes rough, tumble, and high proof, so it’s no surprise that this isn’t my jam. That said, it’s not a bad product and at the price of $29 it’s almost in “steal” category. VERY hard to rate. Since I wouldn’t rebuy at $29, has to fall short of a 4, even if I recognize the value when compared to the overall market. Could easily be someone else’s 4.5 though.

The nose is nicely balanced, soft and sweet while equally spicy and lively. Maraschino cherries, red plums, apple blossoms, a dash of lemon zest, Demerara sugar, tootsie rolls, vanilla egg nog, pink pepper, unseeded soft rye bread, fresh dill, a hint of menthol, watermelon chewing gum, a touch of tobacco, a pinch of cloves, and mildly charred wood. The palate too is complex, sweet and spicy with brown sugar, lots of syrupy fruit in the form of Fruits of the Forest pie filling, more pepper, slightly sour apple skins, mandarin, some cayenne, and a pinch of cinnamon. The body is above average, with a silky mouthfeel. Proper legs take some time to develop after an initial quick run of veins down the wall of the glass. These tease as they develop into near perfection only to dissipate into a smattering of mist immediately thereafter. The finish is slightly dry, and not too intense though lasting, with plenty of sweet dark fruit leather balanced by semi bitter nuts, especially macadamias, herbs, tea, a drop of vanilla, and a whisper of oak. Nose: 9 Taste: 8 Body: 8 Finish: 8

I normally drink bourbon or rye. Never had Crown Royal but don’t want to try it now (since this scores higher than regular SKU and this isn’t my jam). This just tastes young and thin. Nose hints of apple and spice. Has some cinnamon spice up front and a decently long spicy finish but this just isn’t worth trying to make a sipper. Tastes very young. This is only good as a mixer, and you can get regular Crown - or different and less expensive stuff for that purpose. Instead of this for a sipper, get Lot 40 (a little more expensive) Canadian whiskey or Redemption or Bulliet rye (both less expensive and taste better). For high high bourbon, better tasting options include at least New Riff bourbon, Four Roses Small Batch bourbon, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Bulliet bourbon, or Redemption High Rye bourbon - all less expensive.

Let me start saying that even if i can accept that i have not tasted too many canadian whiskies, this is hands down the best one i have ever tasted from that country. Rye whiskies have grown in me, and this one is a great expression. Bottled at 45%abv, deep caramel color. On the nose, Sweet and spicy. Honey rye spices and red fruits. Coffee, Marshmallows, coconut and pork chops. After a first sip i got orange peel and brown sugar. On the palate, Sweet caramel with spices. Vanilla fudge, rye spices and oranges. Aftertaste is all about a rye finish. Lovely. Dry raw rice. Overall, this is a very enjoyable whisky. The higher Abv gives it an extra amount of flavor and aromas. Nice experience, i recommend it. My score for it is 86 over 100.