Crown Royal is the best-selling Canadian whisky brand in the world, known for its exquisitely smooth blend and iconic purple velvet bag. The Crown Royal Signature range includes blended, rye, and high-proof whisky expressions, alongside the well-aged ‘Master’ series, flavored whiskies, and even canned cocktails. The brand’s enduring popularity is evidenced by sales of 7.7 million cases worldwide in 2023, making Crown Royal the 4th highest-selling world whisky brand.
If you’ve ever been curious about the Canadian whisky famously declared ‘Fit for a King’, this complete guide explores the brand’s history, production, tasting notes, and best serving suggestions, providing answers to all your key Crown Royal questions.
Is Crown Royal A Bourbon Or Canadian Whisky?
Crown Royal is a multi-grain blended Canadian whisky created using 50 different whiskies. While the majority of Canadian blended whiskies contain a large percentage of corn spirit, this differs from legal requirements for American bourbon, which specify the spirit must be produced using a grain mash mixture that is at least 51% corn.
In Canada, distillers often mash grains individually and then combine them as different whiskies. Canadian spirit regulations stipulate whisky must “be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada… aged in small wooden vessels for not less than 3 years” – there is no legal rule regarding grain quantities.
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Most Canadian whiskies are blends comprised of whiskies produced using a single grain, primarily corn, rye, or barley. Mash bills of multiple grains can be used to create flavoring whiskies, while single grain whiskies provide the base for blends.
What Is The History Behind The Brand?
Crown Royal was originally created by Seagram in 1939. It was first introduced by Samuel Bronfman, a Canadian spirits entrepreneur and president of the Seagram Company Ltd, in celebration of the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made history by becoming the first reigning monarchs to visit Canada for a royal tour, traveling across the country by train. Bronfman allegedly experimented with over 600 blends before presenting the royal couple with the first bottle of the future Crown Royal in a cut glass decanter, wrapped in a regal purple velvet bag decorated with gold stitching – quickly provoking rumors about a new unrivaled whisky which was ‘Fit for a King’.
The whisky was only available in Canada until 1964 when the brand was introduced to international markets including the United States, where it quickly became America’s best-selling Canadian whisky. When the Seagram portfolio was dissolved, the brand was purchased by Diageo in 2001.
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What Are The Different Varieties Of Crown Royal?
Since the launch of Crown Royal Deluxe in 1939, the brand’s range of expressions (all packed in different colored velvet bags) has expanded across three distinct bottling series, Signature, Masters, and Flavoured. Alongside Deluxe, the Signature Series includes the higher-proof and charred barrel matured ‘Black’ released in 2010 and the Northern Harvest Rye expression introduced in 2015. The Master Series features a combination of older whiskies aged between 18-31 years old, alongside limited-edition expressions including ‘Single Malt’, ‘Reserve Blend’, and the ‘XO’ Cognac cask finish. From 2016, the Flavour Series has introduced a range of flavored blended whiskies, including apple, vanilla, and peach, with limited-edition blackberry and salted caramel bottlings released in 2024.
How Is The Whisky Made?
The 50 Canadian whiskies used to create the blend are distilled at the Gimli distillery situated on the shores of Canada’s Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba. The production of Crown Royal uses rye, corn, and barley grains (sourcing approximately 80% from the local Manitoba region), combined with water which is naturally filtered through the limestone beneath Lake Winnipeg.
The Gimli distillery is equipped with twelve uniquely sized column stills and uses five different mash recipes to produce the 50 individual whiskies that comprise Crown Royal. Each whisky is aged for a minimum of three years before blending, in either new or re-use charred oak barrels. In Canada, a variety of casks can be used for maturation ranging from virgin oak, charred new oak, or re-used charred oak barrels, to Cognac and Cabernet Sauvignon casks.
What Does Crown Royal Taste Like?
Crown Royal is renowned for its distinctive smooth blend, with sweet flavors of vanilla, oak, and butterscotch. Official tasting notes for the original Crown Royal Deluxe expression can be found below:
Nose: Rich and robust, with slight hints of vanilla and fruit.
Palate: Delicately smooth and creamy with hints of oak and the sweet flavor of vanilla.
Finish: Long and lingering.
What Is The Price Range For The Whiskies?
On Wine-Searcher, the average price range for Crown Royal products starts at $7 for premixed canned drinks and up to $1720 for the discontinued ‘XR Red’ expression. The majority of the brand’s popular expressions including Crown Royal Deluxe, Black, North Harvest Rye, and the Flavoured series currently have an average price range of $30-$35 for a 750ml bottle in the United States on Wine-Searcher.
Is Crown Royal Considered A Good Whisky?
Crown Royal is the world’s bestselling Canadian whisky, evidenced by record sales of 7.9 million cases worldwide in 2019, which earned the brand the award of the World Whisky Brand Champion 2020. In 2023, Crown Royal was named the 4th bestselling world whisky brand with global sales of 7.7 million cases.
The core expression Deluxe has been awarded five gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions between 2005-2012. Crown Royal’s Northern Harvest Rye expression, which is made with 90% rye, became the first Canadian whisky to be awarded World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2016.
Serving Suggestions
Crown Royal is a versatile whisky, with a distinctive smoothness and balanced flavour profile, making it ideal to be enjoyed neat, over ice, or as the perfect base for any cocktail. The brand’s website features a library of cocktail recipes that can be created with each Crown Royal expression, including signature versions of classics such as the Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, and Whisky Sour. First released in 2024, the Black Cherry Whisky Sour comes bottled as a ready-to-serve cocktail.
What Mixers Go Well With Crown Royal?
The brand’s recipe library suggests mixers ranging from lemonade, cola, and ginger ale to pineapple or cranberry juice can be ideally combined with different brand expressions. In March 2021, Crown Royal launched a range of canned whisky mixer drinks, including a variety of Whisky & Lemonade flavors, Whisky & Cola, and Washington Apple.
Where Can I Find Crown Royal XR Or Other Rare Editions?
Rare and discontinued Crown Royal limited-edition bottlings including ‘XR Red’ and ‘XR Blue’ can be located at select retailers via Wine-Searcher. Crown Royal XR Red Extra Rare is the brand’s most sought-after rare edition, combining 50 different whiskies aged for a minimum of 40 years, including the final batch of whisky from Canada’s legendary Waterloo distillery. The ‘XR Red’ expression currently has an average price of $1720 on Wine-Searcher, although the best place to purchase is California’s TK Wine in Torrance for $1079.
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