Crown Royal Launches Premium "Black"

by David Kiley (RSS feed)
Mar 29th 2010 at 4:01PM

Crown Royal Canadian Whisky has just released a new expression, Crown Royal Black. Darker in color and deeper in body, the Canadian whisky is bended at 90 proof and takes aging from charred oak barrels, which gives it both the added depth and color.

The price is about $30 per bottle, which represents a slight premium over the flagship Crown Royal expression. In my opinion, Crown Royal, owned by spirits giant Diageo, could get a bit more for Crown Royal Black. Canadian Whisky, however, struggles to earn higher prices for its spirits because of sub-par marketing around the whole industry in Canada. I would not chalk this problem up to Diageo, but rather Canada and the industry as a whole.

I tasted Black alongside the flagship, and if I had my way the new Black would become the new flagship product. While Crown Royal has always been a nice smooth blend, I have long felt that it suffers a bit in the marketplace for over familiarity and questionable merchandising. It's hard to put my finger on it, but when I see mini bottles of Crown Royal dumped into a fishbowl at the counter at a liquor store, I don't think premium. And that is an all-too frequent sight. I do like the velvet bag, though.

So, this is good news for whisky drinkers, or course. I think the Crown Royal Black product tastes more like a $40 whisky, but it is selling for about $30. The taste notes of maple and caramel are deeper, and longer without turning the expression into something a whole lot different from the signature Crown Royal taste and finish. A nice job was done here of making the good things in Crown Royal better and more distinct. It was overdue, as well, since many brands like Johnnie Walker and Jameson's have long been in the "Black" premium expression business.

Tags: Canadian Whisky, CanadianWhisky, Crown Royal, Crown Royal Black, CrownRoyal, CrownRoyalBlack, Johnnie Walker, JohnnieWalker, spirits, whisky

Filed under: Spirits

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ibgone Mar 30th 2010 2:40AM

Ok, this is the oddest review ever. It just doesn’t make sense.

Flagship means, best of breed, highest quality. Not most commercially successful.

What is 'Flagship Crown Royal Expression'???

So was it tasted against the flagship Crown Royal XR or Pedestrian Crown Royal?

Crown Royal retails for about $23-$26 (here in AZ)
Crown Royal Reserve about $45 - $55
Crown Royal Cask no16 about $60 - $70
Crown Royal XR about $170 - $180

And chance in heck I'll ever get my hands on:
Crown Royal XR Heritage Edition (free to the British Crown, $10,000+ for us commoners)

And Jonnie Walker Black is also the not the 'Premium Expression.' While it is not the cheapest. Johnny Walker Red is, but that is made only for mixed drinks. Johnny Black is the common form of Johnny Walker, where the Johnny Blue is considered the premium.

Dave Mar 30th 2010 9:54AM

Flagship does not mean best of breed or highest quality when used to speak about a product (in my experience). Perhaps when refering to a flagship store, but when dealing with a product a flagship product is most importantly the biggest product - that which the brand uses to define itself. Crown Royal, though they make significantly nicer and pricier options, uses the basic Crown Royal as its flagship product.

Same thing with Johnny Walker - if I order it somewhere straight, I assume I will be getting black, and would be annoyed to see them pouring me Red - and surprised to see them pouring me any of the others (and scared for my wallet).

Mike Mar 30th 2010 10:58AM

I tried some of this yet-to-be-released liquid at a recent trade show, and I must say it's turned me into a believer. There was a flight of Crown Royal marks, along with the base, special reserve, Cask 16, and XR. Black was definitely the boldest, and most distinct in its expression. Velvety layers of caramel and chocolate extend to spicy undertones and a bold, unadulterated finish.

Definitely not for the timid, this is more of a masculine drink at 90 proof.

christherabbit Apr 2nd 2010 1:01PM

hope this is better than Diageos last attempt at a "black". Anyone remember Cuervo black? is this a true innovation or just a rehash of a gimmick. lets hope whisky drinkers are too dumb to remember

Cor Apr 1st 2010 5:16PM

I tried Crown Royal Black for the first time. My local store had it for the exact same price as the standard Crown Royal. And all I can say is WOW. Smooth, dark and creamy. It's not as rich as the XR but comes pretty close to the reserve (my old favorite). Now I don't see a reason to pay extra to get the reserve.

I would have no problem if this replaced the new standard crown royal.

Gil Solnin Apr 5th 2010 11:38AM

Your point that Crown Royal Black should replace the flagship should be disturbing for Diageo. Diageo has been rapidle line-extending Crown Royal in different directions and could cause confusion to loyal Crown Royal drinkers. I also agree that the price is too low for a product like this and could just add to confusion among the different line extensions. It is one thing to strive to maintain interest in among a consumer franchise, but it quite another to throw brand versions at them without them clearly understanding where they fit and make sense.

Gil Solnin Apr 9th 2010 1:51PM

Regarding another Crown Royal line extension, I was having a business lunch and while waiting at the bar for a table I thought I had seen Crown Royal Special Reserve on the back bar but it looked different. I could not read what was ont he label at all. It was Crown Royal Cask 16 which resembles Crown Royal Special Reserve. From the distance of the bar the label should be legable enough to read.

badvegan Apr 9th 2010 3:21AM

Crown Royal is to whiskey what Mc Donalds is to food. This new offering of Crown Black tastes suspiciously like regular Crown with chemicals added. The only black i care for however is a Kentucky bourbon, Jim Beam Black, however it is usually a tad tricky to find. I agree with the above commenter that Cuervo Black was disgusting, i bought 6 bottles from our friendly liquor rep and finally ended up pushing it at $1.00 a shot on karaoke night. But honestly Crown has a problem in that they strive to not rock the boat and be the whiskey your non drinking man drinks. I personally believe that it probably sees a huge majority of its sales during the holiday season when many gift boxes are bought as presents and people that normally dont have parties buy what they believe to be good whiskey. It however has been a strategy that has worked well for them for many years. Here in Lubbock Texas a 750 sells for $27.95 however liquor is usually high here. I personally will be shelving this in the mids and charging $4.50 a drink, however we dont sell much canadian and with Jack, Jim, Jim Black, and Bernheim's at the same price i doubt it will move much. As to the OP i am very confused with your comparison with Johnny Walker and Jameson's as one is a Scotch and the other an Irish. In my personal experience a person is as likely to switch from a Scotch or an Irish to a Canadian Whiskey as they are to kiss a pigs rear end as many people do not care for the more mellow flavor of Canadians. It might just be that i dont understand the terms "flagship" and "expression" both of which were used a lot in this article and being a dumb bar owner of 34 years i dont usually get a chance to be all literary.

Gil Solnin Apr 9th 2010 2:19PM

“Crown Royal is to whiskey what McDonalds is to food.”
Can you please explain that comparison?

You’re from Lubbock Texas and you said: “many people do not care for the more mellow flavor of Canadians.”
I would certainly understand that statement if you were from New York or Los Angeles, but from the heart of Texas?

First I certainly wouldn’t repeat that at too many gatherings in Texas considering what a dominant brand Crown Royal is there in sales and loyalty for decades.

Also, nationally, Crown Royal is the most profitable brand of spirits and I believe is one of the top 5 or 6 brands in sales. Since the late 1980’s Crown Royal has experienced a dramatic and sustained growth across the country. Based on results, it certainly is a drinking man’s drink.

badvegan Apr 10th 2010 7:21PM

Actually Crown is not very dominate here in Texas in bar sales. I believe that one of the problems lies in the price point, and the other with the very repugnant image that people have of crown drinkers.

At the same mid shelf there are many single malts and designer whiskeys that take away the scene and trendy market. In the local dive bars bourbon is king. The college bars of course sell mostly well with the kids mainly prefering the Jager, Rumple, and midshelf tequila shots when they order anything more then the cheap stuff. At my hotel bar i do keep it stocked (as do most places i guess) for the business traveler who is not a bar regular. I sell more than a case of Jim Beam to a bottle of Crown though i do push Jim monday through thursday by making it my well at $2.50.

I personally believe that one of the main problems with Crown is Diageo's rather unskillful marketing. Im not sure if Diageo just doesnt understand the current bar market or if they are content with having huge brand recognition yet a very specific and often looked down on customer base. For example i will give the other things i stock from Diageo and how well it sells: With beer the only Diageo product i move with any regularity is Guiness (it has a definate clientale and i personally believe that it is being marketed extremely well.) On the scotch front you have Johnny Walker (i carry red and black) which i dont sell a whole lot of, but oddly i do move more Oban than most places i know (and it is a personal favorite.) My Hennessy moves in spurts and has a definite clientele, but people that really like Hen will drink little else. I guess what im really getting at is yes as the above commenter noted i live in Texas and not New York or LA. The market for drinks here is much different than in most huge metropolitan locations, however it is very flawed logic to think that people here believe that they are in any way less sophisticated or less influenced by current marketing trends. I live in a market where many women drink bourbon, in NY or LA you would likely pour a lot more vodka soda's. Those metropolitan women are completely out of Diageo's reach with the paltry offerings of Cirroc, Kettle One, or Smirnoff. However here in Texas a strong branding of a new flavorful Canadian or a good attempt at reinventing the Crown image as something other than a drink for people so out of touch they dont know better would likely bring tons of business. Crown suffers too much from the same has been marketing strategies that killed zima and has american sales of Heineken on life support, it is a drink that you would not be caught dead ordering. So i guess in conclusion i still stand by my orriginal stance that Crown Royal is to whiskey what McDonald's is to food, however i would also have to add that it has all the reputation of having an amateur following and a clientale so out of touch they are still comfortable in their Member's only jackets and fanny packs.

Gil Solnin Apr 11th 2010 10:27AM

“is not very dominate here in Texas in bar sales”

That is surprising, because it used to be for its price point.

“the very repugnant image that people have of crown drinkers”
What people? Considering that factually Crown drinkers far outnumber Beam and Jack drinkers I don’t think that matters. If you are talking about the high end vodka and scotch drinkers in Texas, I would agree but they are not in the majority.

“At my hotel bar”

I am not surprised that business travelers will drink whatever they typically drink based on where they come from and certainly does not reflect the state of Texas.

“Diageo just doesnt understand the current bar market or if they are content with having huge brand recognition yet a very specific and often looked down on customer base.”

As you know Crown Royal was created by the old Seagram Company. Diageo acquired the brand when Seagram went out of the beverage business. Diageo is a mammoth British company who now own the largest collection of big name spirits brands. Your statement is dead on in many respects. The consumer market in the U.S. is far different than any other country, but is not seen that way by companies like Diageo. Crown used to have a heavy focus with on-premise but that has changed.

Brian May 6th 2010 5:27PM

BadVegan is posting the same thing on every review of Crown Royal Black on the internet. What's your deal man? Do you really dislike Diageo products or are you a mole for a rival company?