World Whiskey Review #26: Crown Royal XR (LaSalle Edition)

Distillery: Blend “which includes the last stocks of whiskies distilled at the famous LaSalle Distillery, which was shuttered in 1993”

Bottler: Diageo

Region: Canada

Price: $12.75 for a 1oz pour during Happy Hour at Proof in Omaha.

ABV: 40%

Age: NAS

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry.

Nose: Fairly sweet. I picked up caramel apples and a bit of maple syrup.

Palate: Mouthfeel is slightly on the thin side. It’s a really fresh and bright dram right out of the gate. There’s a bit of menthol up front that’s cooling. It’s followed by loads and loads of vanilla, caramel, and a trace bit of maple syrup. There’s a bit of nuttiness and some drying oak.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s a bit of cinnamon and other spices along with a hit of tobacco. More vanilla pops up as it finishes on a slightly drier note.

Conclusion: I had a chance to try this whisky the other day at the Omaha Whiskey Festival. I enjoyed it then and I wanted to try it again to make sure I’d actually liked it and not just half-drunk liked it. And the verdict is, it’s pretty good. The nose is inviting with bits of sweetness. The palate starts of with a cooling menthol note before getting sweet and then nutty. The finish is great with the spices. Would I buy a bottle? If a bottle was closer to $100 than $150, maybe.

Final Score: 80.

World Whiskey Review #26, Canadian Whisky Review #2, Blended Whiskey Review #14, Whisky Network Review #218

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.