America is absolutely obsessed with Crown Royal. Released to the southern whisky drinkers in 1960, it has steadily become a fixture in bars, restaurants, liquor cabinets, golf outings, barbecues, camping trips, tailgate parties etc. across the U.S. So much so, it is now the second highest selling whisk(e)y in the United States (behind Jack Daniels). Thus, also proving Jack & Coke is more popular than Crown & Coke in America.
‘Merica!
Crown Royal was introduced 1939 by then Seagram’s President, Sam Bronfman. True to its name, the spirit was created to commemorate the first visit of the monarch, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to Canadian soil. Thank you, sir for the visit! Can I have your purple felt bag?!
What kind of whisky is fit for a King? One that includes a blend of 50 whiskies, made from 5 different recipes, and produced in 12 different column stills. The whisky is then aged in a combination of new and used barrels to create its unique flavor profile.
The dominant grain in the recipe is corn. Although it is often referenced as a rye whisky as rye brings a punch of flavor. The rye reference has a different meaning in Canada than the U.S. (U.S.: rye whiskey is at least 51% of the mash bill).
Notable Crown Portfolio Includes:
Deluxe – the most common bottle, purple bag!
Special Reserve – a blend selection of gracefully aged barrels.
XO – Deluxe caliber whiskey finished in Cognac
XR Black – higher proof option.
Northern Harvest Rye – highly acclaimed spirit.
Blender’s Mash – a Canadian’s attempt…
Flavored whiskies: Maple, Regal Apple, Honey, Salted Caramel, Vanilla. Self-explanatory.
The Crown distillery has over 1.5 million barrels, aging in 50 warehouses across 5 acres. Do you think they have a no smoking policy? That’s enough aging whisky to provide 11 bottles (that's over 400 million sweet purple felts bags!) to every Canadian. If you were stack each barrel end-to-end it would extend 885 miles…roughly distance from Raleigh, NC to New Orleans, LA!
Boom! Another shot of knowledge!