crown royal

Six Lovely Whiskies To Buy For Valentine's Day

Filed under: Spirits

Whiskey for Valentine's Day? Why not.

It's not there aren't any female whiskey aficionados. But I will say most of these suggestions seem to me to be much more appropriate for men than women. After all, how many really great Valentine's Day gifts are there for men? Jewelry? Sure, for the right man, who wants a new ring or cuff-links. Bracelets? Not so much. Please.

But whiskey, special whiskies, for the whiskey loving man? That's a can't miss present. But not just any whiskey. Given the nature of the day, look for a whisky that is lush, special, characteristics. Deep amber colors, nice age, finishes of chocolate and marzipan. To do it right, think "sex in a glass."

Here are six suggestions that fit the bill. And they all should be available at better liquor stores with a decent whiskey selection.

Glenmorangie 18-year old: Price $100.00
Once it has spent 15 years maturing in American white oak casks approximately 30% is transferred into Spanish Oloroso casks to spend a further three years maturing. Then, when both have reached 18 years, it is blended back together to create a whisky with a rich bouquet and full, rounded flavor. The taste is balanced between honey, malt and flowery scents. Dates and figs emerge in the background with a hint of wood smoke. Think of Glenmorangie 18-year old like having candy, flowers and a wood fire all in the one glass.

Amrut Fusion: $50-$65.00
Introduce your mate to a whisky he or she has probably never tried. This whisky, from India, is one of the best in the world, especially under $100. Combining Indian malt and peated Scottish malt, it has a sweet side, but not too sweet. The taste includes vanilla custard, peat, dried pineapple. It will be unexpected, like a good gift should be.

Tags: amrut fusion, ardbeg corryvrecken, crown royal, Glenmorangie 18, Parkers Heritage Collection, Valentines Day gifts, whiskey, whisky

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Crown Royal Sending Special Camo Gift Bags to Troops Overseas

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Charity

Crown Royal's iconic purple velour bags have become a symbol unto themselves, but they're getting a dose of the camouflage treatment this year to honor our troops stationed overseas. The initiative will see the Canadian rye whisky distillers sending as many as 10,000 gift packages to American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq (amongst other global positions).

The packages include such personal items such as a toothbrush, razor and sunscreen, snacks and phone cards, all packed inside specially-designed purple camo versions of the iconic pouches. We're guessing that military procedures precluded them from sending actual bottles of whisky, which would undoubtedly be more thoroughly enjoyed, but the public can take part in the campaign – spearheaded by football coach and brand spokesman Jimmy Johnson – by buying bottles of the rye whisky packaged in the special purple-camo bags from their local liquor stores across the United States.

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Tags: afghanistan, canadian whisky, crown royal, gift package, iraq, military, purple bag, rye whiskey, rye whisky, soldiers, support our troops, troops, whisky

Crown Royal Launches Premium "Black"

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

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

Crown Royal Cask No. 16

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Aging whisky in casks used to age other liquor has become a big trend lately. Crown Royal has created a new whisky with a cognac finish. The Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is Canadian whisky aged in cognac casks made of oak from the renowned Limousin Forest in France. Crown Royal is a blend of more than 50 different individually aged whiskies which are then placed in the casks which give the blend a fruity and spicy finish. The whisky sells for $59.99.

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Tags: canadian whisky, cognac, crown royal, spirits, whisky

Crown Royal XR Whisky For The Queen

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

In order to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the 2007 Kentucky Derby, Crown Royal has created the most expensive version of their whisky. The original Crown Royal Canadian Blended Whisky was made for the Queen's parents in 1939 to commemorate their Grand Tour of Canada. Crown Royal has a created a new version of the whisky that uses remaining barrels of the original whisky. The Crown Royal XR Extra Rare Heritage Blend is not for sale but a suggested retail price would likely begin at $10,000. Diageo commissioned Casey Hyland, a master glass designer at Louisville's Glassworks, to create a custom glass decanter, etched with 24 K gold leaf.

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Tags: crown royal, CrownRoyal, queen elizabeth, scotch, spirits, whisky