CanadianWhisky

Crown Royal Launches Premium "Black"

Filed under: Spirits

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

Colorado Whiskey Joins Scotland and Kentucky For Malt Advocates' Best

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The Malt Advocate released its picks for Best Whiskies of The Year" in its new Spring issue. Like many of these rankings, there is a little to go around for everyone to argue about, as well as a surprise or two.

Top of the list for pleasant surprises is Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. This young distillery, opened in 2004, has been a stand out since getting started, but it is also up against dozens of emerging micro-distilleries popping up all around the U.S. It used to distill from beer wash obtained from Flying Dog Brewery, but is now making its own. batch 49, honored by Malt Advocate, contains whiskey as young as two years old, but no older than five. At $55 a bottle, it's a buy, with an eye toward putting one away for future auctions. On the palate, you should find notes of English toffee, maple, roasted chestnuts and a bit of tobacco.

"Best Buy" of the Year went to The MacPhail's Collection; 8-year old expressions of Highland Park, Glenrothes and Tamdhu. At $30-$35, it was a solid choice. It's hard to find age stated whiskies this good, and nicely packaged. All are aged in refill Sherry casks. There are whiskies I like as much at the lower end of the range: Ardmore 'Traditional Cask" comes to mind, but for a few dollars more. That makes The MacPhails a worthy winner.

The American Whiskey of the Year went to Parker's Heritage Collection "Golden Anniversary." This expression was developed to mark Parker Beam's fifty years of service at Heaven Hill Distilleries. The blend was created from whiskies from the last five decades. With so many ages mingles, its not surprising to find a very complex, layered taste: vanilla and cocoa, but with very definite notes of citrus and cinnamon. At $150.00, I'd have to say it's right priced.

The Canadian Whisky of the Year is Crown Royal Cask No. 16. This is not surprising, but perhaps a little disappointing. No. 16 is a fine whisky to be sure. But the choice is disturbingly predictable because of the seeming lack of innovation coming out of Canada compared with the U.S. and Scotland. A close competitor in my tasting book would be Canadian Club 30 Year, at $200.00. To be eligible for Malt Advocate's ranking, the whisky has to have been sold in the U.S. in the previous year. The problem with some of the better, smaller volume Canadian whiskies is that they are not sold in the U.S., and they are often priced lower than they deserve, making comparisons with high-end Crown Royals and Canadian Clubs difficult for many taste testers.

Gallery: Whiskies of The Year