Enjoying a tour of some of the brands I haven't touched in years for whatever reason. The journey continues with Crown Royal, this taste coming from a 50ml nip that came complete with a little purple bag. I love it! Tasted neat from a glencairn. The light amber pour has some sheeting and clingly legs after a swirl. The nose is immediately off-putting with sharp ethanol and traces of acetone right up front. I'm going to give it a good 10 minutes to sit before evaluating. After a good, long wait elements of caramel and faint vanilla make an appearance. Most of the chemical/alcohol notes faded away. What's left is the opposite of complex. The first sip reveals a sweeter taste with a creamier mouthfeel than the nose advertised. The upfront is actually pretty good, but the follow through is choppy and disconnected. There's a bitter finish that makes me not want another sip. And then comes a rather interesting lemony bit that makes me wonder if I'd taste it again on another sip. Wash, rinse, repeat. Cloying introduction, sour departure. I'll drink this on the rocks, or mixed, anyplace where this is the best choice I have. It's not horrible for a fully mainstream, mass market name brand delivered in a plastic bottle. That does't mean I want it in my cabinet. It is, at it's best. wholly average. My scale of 1 to 5 places the peak of the bell curve at 2.5. Most competent, but unremarkable, whiskies will be found between 2 and 3 on this scale. Hard pass on buying a bottle.