Canadian

Crown Royal Vanilla Review

Crown Royal's vanilla expression delivers exactly what it promises - loads of vanilla with notes of cream soda and ice cream, balanced by unexpected gentle spice. While delicious neat, its use in cocktails seems limited compared to regular Crown Royal.

OVERALL RATING

6
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Tasting Notes

About:

Classic Crown Royal spirit that has been balanced with Madagascan vanilla.
Appearance:
Burnt Orange
Nose:
Cream Soda! That takes me back to being a kid. Vanilla ice cream, naturally, wafer biscuits, this could be a connotations things, but I also get some raspberry sauce and some mint from this, too. Loads of vanilla, exactly what is said it would be.
Palate:
Syrupy start but with a little welcome spice at the beginning, unsure where that comes from but it’s a nice inclusion. Reminds me of nutmeg or spiced honey. More cream soda, ice cream and even a note of coffee kicking around in the back of it.
Finish:
Vanilla syrup and vanilla essence. The finish is even more potent with the stuff than the original aroma in the glass. Vanilla isn’t something that I’d ever class as spicy but this has some very nice, gentle spiciness to it. Again, this just adds more to it than it just being about sweet vanilla – but it also has that in bucketloads, too.
Comments:
I can’t really see a lot of use for this in the world of mixed drinks.

Perhaps in an Old Fashioned or a Canadian twist on a classic cocktail, or just something that need more sweetness without adding in more sugar, but it seems a little lost in the world of flavoured whiskies.

Coca-Cola works really well with vanilla lead products, so it could easily work here, but would people swap out the regular Crown Royal for this? I don’t think so.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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