Once again in honor of Father’s day, we have another week of Whiskey on a Monday (the name of our Bukowski themed only-covers band). While we were not sent a full bottle of this like Cascade, we understand because this Crown Royal is nobler than that, and with a price to match. The quality though – well let’s just say there’s a reason we put this after the actual day we were asked to recommend it for.
If you were to ask us what the difference between an American and French oak tree is aside from the sarcastic answer we’d have little to tell you – and it sure wouldn’t be us using a dirty word like terroir. Regardless of the tree, they did put way too much of said tree into this whiskey, and it sadly loses that smooth smoky and almost cognac-like flavorful whiskey in the original.
What they Say: “Crown Royal French Oak Cask Finished is the latest expression in the Crown Royal Noble Collection showcasing the standard of excellence for Canadian Whiskey. The result is an intriguing character that is still unmistakably Crown Royal.”
Taste: 6.0 – You get some of that Crown Royal almost cognac-like flavor. It’s like a burst of flavor and then gone as the oak kicks in.
Aftertaste: 4.5 – That is a pervasive oaky aftertaste, it’s all-consuming. There’s a bit of sweet aftertaste from the taste bleeding through, but so little.
Burn/Smooth: 3.0 – That does have some burn to it, and it’s not a smooth sipping whiskey when neat for multiple reasons.
Aroma: 6.5 – It lacks the depth or complexity as it’s mostly been overridden by the oak finishing. Overall it’s nice enough, the sweetness really doing nicely here.
Honesty: 7.5 – The noble collection is intriguing, adding some unique casks to the standard Crown Royal, they don’t pontificate too much either. The looks are spot on for something called noble and well done here.
Mixability: 4.5
W/ Rocks: 4.0 – It softens both the harshness, but also the enjoyable bits – making it a wash.
Whiskey and Coke: 5.0 – It makes about as average a whiskey and coke as you could possibly make.
Value: 2.5 – You pay double the price and it’s overall near as makes no difference? Piss off. What used to be an acceptable value is utter terrible here.
Google Shop Average: $60
Website: http://www.crownroyal.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 4.0
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Metric Score: 34.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.93 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.0
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Final Thoughts: We were gifted this and the Cascade to recommend for Dad on his special day, and if you’ve somehow messed up and are trying to buy a consolation gift – get the Cascade. Although if you’re a day late, why not do the right thing and go for something like a Lagavulin, or Chivas?
