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Crown Royal Whisky Reviews: Crown Royal whiskey
Diageo has owned the blended Canadian whisky brand Crown Royal, formerly known as Seagram’s Crown Royal, since 2000. Crown Royal is produced in Gimli, Manitoba, and the whisky is blended and bottled in a plant in Amherstburg, Ontario.
Samuel Bronfman introduced whisky in 1939 for the Canadian royal trip. The whisky was sold only in Canada until the 1960s, when it was first introduced to international markets. In the US, it is the most popular brand of Canadian whisky.
How Crown Royal Whisky Originated
Crown Royal was created in 1939 by Samuel Bronfman, president of Seagram, as a tribute to the 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, the first visit of a reigning royalty to Canada. It was accessible only in Canada until 1964, being introduced to the United States in the 1960s.
Production Process
Only the company’s distillery in Gimli, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, produces Crown Royal. Crown Royal requires 750,000 imperial gallons (3,400,000 L; 900,000 US gal) of water that is naturally filtered via the limestone beneath the lake, as well as 10,000 bushels of rye, maize, and barley per day, all of which are derived from Manitoba and the neighboring provinces. 56 warehouses spread across 5 acres of land accommodate 1.7 million barrels of whisky. In Amherstburg, Ontario, it is subsequently mixed and bottled.
Prior to their closure in the early 1990s, Crown Royal was also made at the Waterloo distillery in Ontario and the LaSalle distillery in Montreal.
Crown Royal Flavors
- Crown Royal was introduced in 1939 and is the original version of the brand. It was available only in Canada until 1964. Crown Royal comes in a purple felt-like bag with a gold tasseled drawstring.
- Crown Royal Reserve was introduced in 1992. The whiskies are aged for a longer period than the original. Crown Royal Reserve comes in a tan, velvet-like bag with coarse gold drawstrings.
- Crown Royal Black was introduced in 2010, and is a darker, higher alcohol (90 proof) whisky. Comes in a black felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal XO was introduced in January 2014. It is a blend of 50 whiskies that is then finished in Cognac casks from the French Limousin forest. It is packaged in a bag with grey and gold embroidery accents.
- Crown Royal Regal Apple was introduced in November 2014. It is a blend of Crown Royal with apple flavour. Sold in a green felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye was introduced in May 2015, and is packaged in an off-white felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal Vanilla was introduced in 2016 and comes in a tan felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal Salted Caramel Comes in a burnt-orange felt-like bag. (winter seasonal)
- Crown Royal Peach was introduced in early 2019 and comes in a peach felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal Blackberry was introduced in early 2024 and comes in a dark purple bag with red accents.
- Crown Royal Single Malt Whisky was introduced in June 2024 as their first single malt whisky ever.
THE WHISKIES THAT GO INTO CROWN ROYAL BLENDED CANADIAN WHISKY ARE EXPERTLY BLENDED AND PATIENTLY AGED
Discontinued variations of Crown Royal Whiskey
- Crown Royal XR (Red) The first edition of Crown Royal XR contained the final batch of aged whiskies from the Waterloo distillery and is a very rare find – no longer in production.
- Crown Royal XR (Extra Rare) was introduced in 2006. This limited-release version was sold in numbered bottles and was originally made from the last batches of whiskey distilled at the now-closed Waterloo, Ontario, distillery; it now features whisky from the also now-closed Lasalle, Quebec, distillery. It received a 7¼ and 7¾ from Whisky Magazine critics. The LaSalle-based Crown Royal XR features a blue colour scheme to distinguish it from the red scheme of the original Waterloo-based version.
- Crown Royal Cask No. 16 was introduced late 2007. It was made from over fifty blended and individually aged whiskies in 12-year-old cognac barrels. These barrels were made of oak from the Limousin forest in France. The whiskies were designed to have a cognac type of finish with notes of rye, grain, and fruit. Cask No. 16 comes in a black felt-like bag embroidered with the logo and name “CASK No 16”. This blend was discontinued in late 2012.
- Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary Blend was created in 2014 to commemorate the 1939 royal visit that inspired the brand and was prepared as a gift for the royal family.
- Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel was introduced in May 2015, and is a single barrel rye that is produced from the brand’s Coffey rye still, the only one of its kind in North America. Selected retailers will be able to purchase an entire cask to dispense to their customers.
- Crown Royal Texas Mesquite was introduced in 2018 and came in a blue felt-like bag.
- Crown Royal Honey was introduced in 2016.
- Crown Royal Maple Finished
Ratings of Crown Royal Whiskey
In international spirit ratings competitions, Crown Royal products have generally done well. For instance, the basic Canadian whisky won five gold medals in a row at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions between 2005 and 2012. Whisky Magazine gave the Special Reserve an editors’ choice gold award, and three critics gave it ratings between 7¾ and 8¾. Jim Murray’s “Whisky Bible” named Crown Royal’s Northern Harvest Rye the 2016 World Whisky of the Year.
Advertising Crown Royal Whiskey
Crown Royal advertises in motor sports, horse shows, and horse racing. It sponsored the No. 17 Ford Fusion of Matt Kenseth from 2010 to 2011 and the No. 26 Ford Fusion of Jamie McMurray from 2006 to 2009. It has sponsored NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races since 2006. From 2004 until 2006, Crown Royal was the title sponsor of the International Race of Champions.
The Grand American Road Racing Association’s Rolex Sports Car Series is sponsored by Crown Royal. Additionally, it started supporting Michael Shank Racing’s #60 Daytona Prototype vehicle in the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2010.
The company sponsored the Crown Royal American Turf Stakes, a thoroughbred horse race held at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, from 1995 to 2008 and was a major sponsor of the Washington International Horse Show for a number of years in the 1990s.
