Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

This was on my "to try" list before it was named whiskey of the year, but Mr. Murray bumped it to the top of my list. Picked up a 375ml on my last ABC excursion. This pours in the glass with a light golden straw color. Nose is pleasantly sweet, but alcohol heavy, with a definite rye note. Neat it enters thin and hot with none of the sweet transferring from the nose. Rye bread with a dill pickle note. Dry & Bitter, citrus peel, astringent finish that coats and unpleasantly lingers. It reminds me of my first (and last) taste of a small microbrewery IPA. A splash or a cube or two of ice does bring a touch of sweetness to the mix and reduces, but does not eliminate, the bitter citrus finish. Tried it in an Old Fashioned thinking maybe it would shine as a mixer but the bitter finish is still an issue. I definitely don't feel this is Whiskey of the year material. Glad I only bought the 375ml.

This is honestly a disappointing whisky. I cannot believe it was claimed to be the best whisky in the world by the whisky bible. Nose is overly sweet, typical rye. Palate follows the nose. Finish is alcohol forward and zero depth in complexity. Save your money and don't waste your time.

I'm not a big rye person, so I may be biased. I work in a liquor store, and we did a tasting. No one was impressed, although we all agreed it was a decent rye.