Crown Royal: Like Drinking with Royalty
Written: Mar 15 '06 (Updated Aug 08 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smooth, rich yet mellow flavor; Good with many drinks
Cons: High price could spoil your party
The Bottom Line: This is a tasty blended whiskey and is one of my all time favorite whiskies from Canada
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Crown Royal Whisky |
Whiskey ranks among my favorite types of liquor and I try to keep a few small bottles of different brands/blends available in my liquor cabinet when the taste for a specific brand or style hits me and wont let go. Generally, I prefer American whiskies but there are a few from other countries that I enjoy as well. One of my favorites from Canada is Crown Royal, a blended rye whiskey sold in the famous crown shaped bottle.
Basic Characteristics of This Liquor:
Crown Royal is light tan/golden on color and it has an aroma that combines wood, alcohol, sweet grains, and a touch of apple. The liquid is thin, but it offers enough viscosity to form legs on the side of a glass if taken straight.
This whiskey offers some nice flavors. There are hints of smoke, oak, vanilla, caramel, and even a little bit of cherry and apple hiding beneath the taste of alcohol. This whiskey is more direct; smooth and drinkable, with flavor profile that goes from sweet to slightly harsh and sour in the finish then back to sweet in the aftertaste.
This whiskey is 80- proof (40 percent alcohol by volume). As far as the basic nutritional facts go, it has 97 calories per 1.5 ounce serving (45 ml) and there are no carbohydrates or fat.
Drinks Made with This Liquor:
Crown Royal can be used in any drink calling for whiskey but I have found it best in a few specific drinks. Here are some of my favorite Crown beverages:
Manhattan
1.5 oz. Crown Royal
.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
This classic cocktail is made by shaking the above ingredients with ice and then straining into a cocktail glass. Add a maraschino cherry for a garnish.
Crown and Coke
1.5 oz. Crown Royal
6 oz. Coca Cola
Pour Crown Royal over ice in a tall highball glass. Pour Coke over the Crown and ice.
Crown and Dr. Pepper
1.5 oz. Crown Royal
6 oz. Dr. Pepper
Pour Crown Royal over ice in a highball glass. Pour the Dr. Pepper soda on top of the mixture and serve.
And if you want some more unusual or adventurous drink ideas for this whiskey, consider these:
Buttery Crown
1 oz. Crown Royal
1 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
Pour Crown Royal into a shot glass or small cup and then layer the butterscotch schnapps on top.
Red Frog
1 oz. Crown Royal
1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. Raspberry Liqueur
2 oz. cranberry Juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and then strain into a highball glass
Royal Peaches and Cream
1 oz. Crown Royal
1.5 oz. Peach Schnapps
.5 oz. Orange Liqueur
1.5 oz. Heavy Cream
2 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a hurricane glass.
Final Thoughts:
Crown Royal is one of Canadas premiere whiskeys. This company is a fully owned subsidiary of Diageo of North America and it is distilled in Gimli, Canada at a distillery located on the shores of Lake Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba. It was created to celebrate a 1939 visit from the King and Queen of England and it has been thrilling lovers of blended whiskey ever since.
Crown Royal is one of the best known, if not the best known name in Canadian whiskey. This whiskey is popular for many reasons that go beyond its taste. First, the packaging of this whiskey is very distinctive. The bottle itself is elegant, formed in the shape of a crown with markings all around that make it look like a product associated with royalty.
The taste of this whiskey is its other strong point. It has a flavor that is mostly sweet, even though there is a little bit of sourness and a slight alcohol burn in the finish to try to break things up. Still, the overall flavor profile is sweeter and it makes this whiskey a good choice for mixing with sweet beverages like Coca- Cola, Dr. Pepper, Seven Up, and other popular drinks.
Even though I enjoy Crown Royal as a mixer, I prefer to drink it on the rocks or mixed with a small amount of club soda. I like to sip on this whiskey and enjoy the rich yet mellow flavor profile. With a small amount of club soda added, the flavor profile is still tasty even if it is a little diluted by the water. This is the way I recommend drinking Crown Royal at least once in a while. It is good to drink it with a small amount of club soda or water so that you can appreciate the subtle flavors in each sip, untainted by the flavors of other mixers.
Crown Royal is a little more costly than other whiskey. This product sells for about $21 for a 750 ml bottle; $26 for a 1 liter bottle; and $42 for a 1.75 liter bottle. With prices like this, Crown Royal is obviously not the type of whiskey you purchase for casual drinking. People usually buy it for special occasions and as gifts. I often get bottles of this and give bottles of this during the Christmas season.
Overall, Crown Royal is a very good brand of whiskey from our friends to the north. I enjoy sipping on this whiskey, consuming it as a shot, and drinking it in certain mixed drinks. It is mellow yet striking in its own unique way, making it one of my favorite blended whiskies from Canada or any country.
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Recommended:
Yes
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