Crown Royal Bourbon Mash
A different style of Canadian
4 483
Review by @Megawatt
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall83
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Distribution of ratings for this:
- Brand: Crown Royal
- Type: Canadian
- Region:
- ABV: 40%
- Batch: Bottle 032359
This one surprised me on the shelf with its eye-catching box. I'd never heard of it before and the description was hardly off-putting. Basically this is a blend consisting of a (presumably) high proportion of the "bourbon mash" whisky which is a key component of the Crown Royal Deluxe blend. Aged in charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon barrels.
Nose: quite rich with caramel corn and lots of toasted oak. A slightly pungent note lurks in the background but doesn't detract from the overall impression.
Taste: packs a nice punch considering 40% alc/vol. Not as sweet as your typical bourbon, leaning more toward a spicy/oaky character.
Finish: a bit of sweetness and a lot of drying oak and grain.
Balance: could use just a tad more sweetness to balance all that oak. Nonetheless, an enjoyable and versatile whisky which sips well neat or on the rocks and will certainly do well in classic cocktails. A worthy companion to the distinctly enjoyable Northern Harvest Rye. Whether bourbon lovers will accept it for what it is, I have no idea but I've already been reading some backlash on the Web for Diageo's audacious naming scheme. For myself, a repeat buy.
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@Megawatt, a nice tight review. I tried this one recently and was surprised at how it held its ground at 40% abv. This is a nice whiskey, bit I think they've missed the boat on this one.
I've also tried this at 60% abv. It sang to me, a song so sweet and lovely, I could not think of another 10 YO whisky that left such an impression with me. My immediate reaction was WINNER! OMG! UFB!...sweet meat, papaya, ginger on the nose and hot ginger, vanilla, toffee on the tongue. Excellent balance! A good long finish, peppery with wood and burnt orange HOME RUN!...A SHAME IT'S NOT AVAILABLE AT RETAIL.
C'mon Diageo, man up and bottle something with a punch-you-in-the-face abv!!!