Crown Royal Single Malt

Reviewed by: zSolaris

Distillery: Valleyfield.

Bottler: Crown Royal.

Region: Canada.

Age: NAS.

Cask Type: New charred white oak barrels.

ABV: 45.0%.

Price: $46.99 at Costco in Omaha, Nebraska.

Color: 0.7, Amber.

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Nose: Red berries are the major note here, dried cranberries in particular comes to mind the most. There’s also a bit of boozey, zesty, and citrusy note that reminds me a lot of orange bitters.

Palate: Palate is very similar to the nose. It’s a bit dark and heavy on the red berry notes with the dried cranberries being pretty prominent. Some cherry comes through as well before you get some of spice from the oak.

Finish: Medium-to-short in length. A bit warm, but a pleasant warmth. Cherry liqueur is the dominant note.

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Conclusion: While I’m far from matching /u/demireticent‘s enthusiasm for single malts distilled in North America, I am always intrigued to see what’s being done outside of the more traditional single malt makers. Seeing this bottle from Crown Royal, their first ever single malt (they’ve released 100% barley whisky before, but it used a blend of malted and unmalted barley), I couldn’t help but be drawn to it. For what it is? I’d say this is pretty nice. It has a lot of fruit notes with those dried cranberries, cherries, and orange and is pleasant to drink. It isn’t the most complex thing, sure, but that certainly wasn’t the expectation. I was a little surprised at how much it reminded me of Cut Spike Nebraska Single Malt only with cranberry notes, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Would I buy another bottle? I’ll certainly consider it whenever I need a whisky to drink without thinking too much about it.

Rating: 79.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.