Crown Royal Wine Barrel Finished Debuts as New High End Canadian Whisky

The new Crown Royal Wine Barrel Finished, according to the distillery, takes some variant of your standard Crown Royal and then finishes it in freshly emptied, medium toast Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from the Paso Robles region of California for a full six months. The end result is a whisky that’s golden ruby color and of rich flavor (limited tasting notes are at the end of this article).

Plans call for this whisky to be made available in limited amounts at a price point of nearly $60 a bottle. It is bottled at 81 proof and housed inside a bottle with a smooth, elegant shape, cut crystal base and sturdy wooden top. This bottle in turn comes presented in a velvety purple bag with gold accents and an iridescent purple canister.

This new Crown Royal, it should be noted, recently won a silver medal at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“With Crown Royal Wine Barrel Finished, our distillers and blenders are honored to carry the storied legacy passed down by those who came before, while adding their own unique facet,” said Jim Ruane, Director of Crown Royal, in a prepared statement. “We experimented with a number of different wines and oak provenances – but ultimately American oak Cabernet Sauvignon best complemented Crown Royal’s signature red fruit notes and velvety mouthfeel for a taste that both whisky and wine connoisseurs will love.”

The whisky tastes of caramel and butterscotch, with red grapes notes and layers of spice and vanilla imparted by the secondary maturation step.  The finish is long, with notes of anise and clove.