Crown Royal - Hand Selected Barrel - Canadian Whiskey
$55
Crown Royal – Hand Selected Barrel – Canadian Whiskey
Collection: Hand Selected – MegaBev
Proof: 103
Age: NAS
Distillery: Crown Royal
Type: Canadian Whiskey
Mash: Unknown
Website: Crown Royal
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Light upfront. Sweet Apple, Fresh Oak, Mild Vanilla, Butterscotch, Floral Rose Petal and a little bit of Baking Spices. You can pick up the alcohol on the nose but overall it’s mild for a 103 proof. Definitely has more kick vs a standard Crown Royal offering.
Taste/Palate: Creamy and Floral on the palate. The Rose Petal pops up again. Toasted Oak, Honey, Lemon Grass, Vanilla Bean, and once again some healthy Rye Spice.
Finish: The 103 proof finally shows up in the finish. The mouth and tongue tingle settles in while the Floral and Spice fade there’s a transition to some Toasted Oak, Caramel, Dark Fruits – Cherries & Red Grapes. The finish is medium to long.
Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised. It has a good price point and is strong from the Nose to the Finish. For the sake of comparison I put this up against the Crown Royal 18 Year that I previously reviewed and I think I like this one just as much, but even more so since the price is substantially lower. Buyers beware tough, this is a single barrel from a single store. I haven’t had the pleasure of sampling multiple versions (from other barrels / stores) so I can’t speak to it’s consistency.
The Story: I was visiting a liquor store and saw a Crown Royal “Hand Selected Barrel”. I already had what I was looking for in my hand (Barrel Bourbon – New Year) so I decided to pass it up. I was out again a week later at a different location, and there was another one for this store – once again wasn’t on my radar so I passed it by. Third Time’s a charm. I knew it was there and grabbed one. I was intrigued by the proof behind this one especially for Crown Royal. To me 100-107 is a sweet spot and I wanted to try something Canadian in that proof range. Here we are today.
This Hand Selected Barrel bottle shares the same looks and bottle as the Crown Royal “Reserve” but it’s no where near the same proof. If I was a betting man, this is a single barrel, barrel strength of the reserve series, but I can’t confirm. Per the Crown Royal website, the reserve series represents 1% of all of the whiskies, aged longer, for a reserve grade blend. Obviously since this is a single barrel it’s not blended.
The Distillery’s Story: Crown Royal started with the Royal Monarchs were visiting Canada in 1939. A Canadian Entrepreneur blended the finest of Canadian whiskies fit for a king and queen and developed the best of the best Canadian blend. There were approx. 50 different whiskies to create this Royal blend that was place in an etched glass decanter and wrapped in a purple bag. The blend was from then on known as Crown Royal.
Crown Royal distillery resides in Manitoba Canada. They blend 5 different Mash Bills through 12 different distillation columns to create their unique blends.
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Solid. It hit all of what’s expected.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Reviewer: David S
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