The Crown Royal French Oak Finish is the latest in the Crown Royal Noble Collection. This collection is one of their lines of limited, annual, releases. The most notable of which is the Crown Royal Blender’s Mash, which was originally called the Bourbon Mash, but was forced to change due to the use of the word Bourbon. Setting aside the controversy, it was a really good whisky.
To make the this, the folks at CR started with their usual Crown Royal Whisky which is then finished for 3-4 months in French Oak that’s been toasted rather than charred. The oak used comes from the Vosges forest in France, the same kind of barrels used to finish the Heaven’s Door Rye.
I’m not a huge fan of standard Crown and it doesn’t seem like a whole lot was done with the whiskey, so I’m not expecting a ton of change. But who knows, maybe it transformed it into something unique and amazing. Only one way to find out: the Canadian Whisky review below.
Crown Royal French Oak Finish Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Famous for its forests and long history of meticulously manicured oak trees, the Vosges region provides the ideal climate to create the straightest and tightest grain. Once harvested, the oak is open-air seasoned for two years to transform the wood and set the state for the final two-step fire toasting.
The precise toasting process allows our barrels to impart our iconic blended Canadian whisky with rich, dark notes of caramel, vanilla and fruit. This highly anticipated whisky is best served neat to enjoy its full depth and flavor.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Canada
Distiller: Crown Royal
Mash Bill: Corn, Rye and Malted Barl
Cask: ex-Bourbon, French Oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $65*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Raw wood, caramel syrup, fruit, spice and orange peels.
PALATE
Raw wood, fruit, caramel syrup, spice, orange zest and waxy vanilla frosting.
FINISH
Med-short -> Raw wood and fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, light body and a watery feel.
Crown Royal French Oak Finish Review: Overall and Score
It smells and tastes like a lot of young craft whiskeys here in the USA. The Aroma is light and is dominated with a raw, sawdust-like, wood sitting paired with an odd sweetness; Palate is a bit fruitier and the sweetness takes on a vanilla frosting quality, but that “craft oak” profile is again quite prominent; Finish is woody and fruity and reminds me of dozens of young craft bourbons.
It’s no secret I’m not the biggest fan of Crown Royal, but I’ve enjoyed some of the CR releases (like the Bourbon Mash/Blenders Mash), but unfortunately, this is not one of them. It reminds me way too much of some of the poorer craft whiskeys with that raw wood quality sitting so upfront. On the whole, the Crown Royal French Oak Finish feels raw and not cohesive.
SCORE: 76/100 (C)
*Disclosure: This Crown Royal French Oak Finish sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Crown Royal French Oak Finish Review $65
- Nose - 76
- Palate - 76
- Finish - 76
- Balance, Body & Feel - 76
Crown Royal French Oak Finish Review Summary
Crown Royal French Oak Finish comes across like a young craft American Whiskey. If that’s what they were going for they achieved it. If not… they missed.
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