Crown Royal Brings New Rye Whiskey To American Drinkers

With the renaissance in rye whiskey here in the United States ongoing, it is no wonder we are seeing Canadian distilleries increasingly dropping more of their own brand name ryes into the domestic market. We saw that very recently with Alberta Distillers’ Alberta Rye Dark Batch, and now just starting to pop up on store shelves is Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye descends from a lineage of rye whisky that is “one of the component parts” that make up what goes into Crown Royal Deluxe, which is considered the flagship offering for this Canadian brand. This new offering is a 90 percent rye whisky, bottled at 90 proof. The grain in this whisky is said to be “planted in the fall, sprouting until it’s covered by a blanket of soft winter snow. Once this snow melts, the rye completes its growth, maturing over the spring and summer.”

Official tasting notes for this new rye whisky are presented below from some info found over at the Wirtz Beverage Group website. As for pricing, I’m seeing it online at Binny’s for around $30. It joins a range of more recent releases in the last year or so from Crown Royal, including Coffey Rye Single Barrel and XO.

• Nose: Baked apple, cereal, light wood spices
• Palate: Custard creaminess, candy sweetness, oak spice, vanilla
• Finish: Smooth and creamy