Crown Royal Noble Collection Winter Wheat

Decent flavor, not too hot

I’ve been at least a moderate fan of the “Noble” series so far, so let’s see what this one has to offer…. Nose features red delicious apple, grains, brown sugar, maple, nutmeg, honey and clove, all in an ethanol free package. Very nice. Palate: uhh…what just happened? I’ve never had a whiskey deviate from the nose in such spectacular fashion. Tobacco, leather, malt (I’m aware that this is a wheat whiskey, but it’s what I’m getting), mild vanilla, and tea leaf. A hint of the apple from the nose. While it’s decently bold for the proof which I do appreciate, there’s a lot of weird herbaceous notes here that don’t mesh particularly well. Short finish is sharp with tannic oak, astringent alcohol, hay, more tea leaf (black tea), pepper, and mint. Mouthfeel is thinner and grainier than my tongue would like it to be. Definitely the worst of this series I have tried, and quite the disappointment. It’s hard to really find good things to say about it. At $79.99, this is a HARD avoid. I’d be hard pressed to recommend it at $40. Going to be a struggle to finish.

I tasted this blended Canadian whisky neat, with water, on ice, and in an Old Fashioned at 45%abv. in the evening. It is noticeably drier than the regular Crown Royal Deluxe with much more punch in the wheat and herbal notes. It succeeds in its balance and its ability to bring me to a remote Canadian wheat field. The palate is bright honey and a very long herbal finish. Superb! I would pair this with canoeing on a moose wearing snowshoes in a Mountie jacket.

Wow. Mellow as all get out, quite the pour.

Wonderful depth of flavour. Rich and complex. A joy to drink.