Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

The nose is nicely balanced, soft and sweet while equally spicy and lively. Maraschino cherries, red plums, apple blossoms, a dash of lemon zest, Demerara sugar, tootsie rolls, vanilla egg nog, pink pepper, unseeded soft rye bread, fresh dill, a hint of menthol, watermelon chewing gum, a touch of tobacco, a pinch of cloves, and mildly charred wood. The palate too is complex, sweet and spicy with brown sugar, lots of syrupy fruit in the form of Fruits of the Forest pie filling, more pepper, slightly sour apple skins, mandarin, some cayenne, and a pinch of cinnamon. The body is above average, with a silky mouthfeel. Proper legs take some time to develop after an initial quick run of veins down the wall of the glass. These tease as they develop into near perfection only to dissipate into a smattering of mist immediately thereafter. The finish is slightly dry, and not too intense though lasting, with plenty of sweet dark fruit leather balanced by semi bitter nuts, especially macadamias, herbs, tea, a drop of vanilla, and a whisper of oak. Nose: 9 Taste: 8 Body: 8 Finish: 8

Amazing value!

A delightful boquet of apple blossoms, lilac, and toasted oak. The palate is rich and fruity, like strawberries. The finish is warm and peppery. This is very good! And uncharacteristic for the usually peppery rye. Its very smooth. I would consider adding this to my permanent collection — if I had one!

My foray into Canadian Whiskey continues. Being very selective here; not looking to waste my time with neutral grain spirits with flavor added. From what I’ve read, this expression seems to offer a purer distilling experience so I thought I would try it. Nose offers lemon poppy seed muffin, spearmint, pine, vanilla, apricot, and bubblegum. More ethanol than there should be for the proof. Palate brings much brightness in the form of honey, lemongrass, caraway seed, white pepper, mint, and rye cracker. Everything is very soft and delicate. Finish continues the soft approach but also kind of fizzles out; some clove, tea leaf, and a wood that tastes nothing like oak. Walnut maybe? Found myself waiting for a hit of spice that never materialized. Mouthfeel has some effervescence but is also a bit grainy. There are some nice elements here and while I do appreciate the gentle approach, I like my ryes rough, tumble, and high proof, so it’s no surprise that this isn’t my jam. That said, it’s not a bad product and at the price of $29 it’s almost in “steal” category. VERY hard to rate. Since I wouldn’t rebuy at $29, has to fall short of a 4, even if I recognize the value when compared to the overall market. Could easily be someone else’s 4.5 though.