Though officially a ‘Canadian whisky’ the blend of the flagship Crown Royal brand is of a mash bill more closely resembling bourbon than your typical (read: Very high rye mash) Canadian whisky.
According to lore, a whisky entrepreneur, upon hearing news of the impending visit, set out to distill and produce a batch of whisky fit for royalty and, long story short– Crown Royal was born. In doing so, he became the first sitting monarch in history to visit not only Canada, but the entire North American continent. He ascended to the throne in 1936 in the heat-up to WWII when his older brother and heir apparent Prince Edward abdicated his claim so he could go marry a saucy American dame (the cheekiness here is all mine).Īs the story goes, George VI and his wife visited mainland Canada in May and June of 1939, less than six months before England (and all members of the Commonwealth) would declare war on Germany. The ‘Noble Edition’ was originally launched in part to pay tribute to England’s King George VI, a figure who looms large in the Crown Royal mythology. The seventh expression in the limited release ‘Noble Collection’, the ‘Barley Edition’ represents Crown Royal’s final entry in their series of annual special releases begun in 2016. In fact, when you consider that Crown Royal, long the standard-bearer (and best selling) of mid-tier Canadian whisky, has also gotten into the game by releasing the ‘Barley Edition’ of its award-winning ‘Noble Collection’ series, it’s safe to say the whiskey industry at large sees great potential for continued growth in the category.
Not long after the classic ‘Old Fashioned’ cocktail took over the vodka & tonic as the most ordered call at your local bar, large swaths of the population seemingly decided concurrently that rye whiskey was the superior whiskey of choice.īarrel-proof whiskey soon got its spin in the limelight, then Japanese whisky got so big so astronomically fast it actually led to a worldwide shortage, causing prices to positively skyrocket.Īs we have intimated in this space before if the last few years of sales figures are any indicator, it would appear we are in the nascent stages of American barley whiskey taking its turn behind the wheel driving the next big sub-genre boom. One of the collateral phenomenons of the great whiskey resurgence of the 21st century has been the periodic (seemingly organic….?) eruption of micro-crazes surrounding sub-genres in the overall world of whisk(e)y. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. One of Manitoba’s natural beauties, the town of Gimli hugs the western shoreline of one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes, with sandy beaches, an active harbor and the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland.Editor’s Note: This whisky was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Nestled on the edge of Lake Winnipeg, Crown Royal’s distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, is home to 1.5 million barrels of delicious whisky that sit patiently waiting to be shared with the world. Palate: Caramel and butterscotch with red grapes and fermented grape leaves.įinish: Wood tannins: spice with anise and clove. Nose: Heavy fruit and butterscotch: black currant, cove, with dried blueberry. Crown Royal Noble Collection Wine Barrel Finished Blended Canadian WhiskyTasting Notes The result is an intriguing new character that is still unmistakably Crown Royal. Crown Royal Wine Barrel Finished, the second expression in the Crown Royal Noble Collection showcases our Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Whiskey, the standard of excellence for Canadian Whiskey, finished in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels.