Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Blended Canadian Whisky Review

Mention Canadian whisky to someone (spell it without the “e,” like Scotch whisky), and one brand likely comes to mind: Crown Royal. There’s a good reason for this. It outsells other competing Canadian whisky brands by a wide margin, and has done so for years.

But many people who drink Crown Royal might not be familiar with what's actually inside a bottle of Fine De Luxe Blended Canadian Whisky, the core expression that comes inside an instantly recognizable purple bag. Often referred to as just Crown Royal or De Luxe, the flagship bottle is a blended whisky, a marriage of three different mash bills aged in different types of barrels for varying amounts of time, and there can be more than 50 different components in every bottle.

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That meticulous blending process results in a drinkable, approachable, and dare I say “smooth” whisky that veers toward the sweeter side with just a hint of baking spice on the palate. This, along with the fact that it’s an affordable buy at around $30 per bottle, helps to explain the brand’s popularity.

There are many other expressions in the Crown Royal portfolio, and some of these are much older, more interesting, and quite frankly better versions of De Luxe, or entirely different whiskies altogether. But if you’re looking for a subtle sipper that can be used in pretty much any whisky cocktail you can think of, Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Blended Canadian Whisky is worth considering.

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If you're interested in learning about other special bottles, check out our Maker's Mark 46, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and Wild Turkey 101 reviews.

Related: Best Canadian Whiskies of 2024 to Drink, Collect, and Gift

Crown Royal at a Glance

• Bottom Line: Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Canadian Whisky is an affordable and approachable bottle that's widely available and appealing to newcomers to the category.

• Type: Canadian whisky

• Casks: New oak, ex-bourbon

• Still: Column and kettle stills

• ABV: 40 percent (80 proof)

• Age: No age statement

• Appearance: Light copper color

• Nose: Vanilla, apple, brown sugar

• Mouthfeel: Light and thin

• Taste: Caramel, vanilla, red berries, brown sugar, honey

• Finish: Quick fade, with notes of molasses and custard

Pros and Cons of Crown Royal

Crown Royal Review

My first real experience with Crown Royal was, appropriately enough, on a trip to Canada. About 15 years ago, I set out to Vancouver Island to hike the West Coast Trail, a 75km trek along the coast that involves, among other things, a series of intimidating ladders and pulleys to scale cliffs and cross rivers.

When the hike was over, we decamped to the little surfing town of Tofino, and a buddy and I decided to decompress over a bottle of Crown Royal. We discovered that the rumors were true—this was an appealing if unchallenging sipper, the "crushable beer" version of whisky. We finished the entire bottle over the course of a few nights.

I turned to Canadian whisky expert and the author of Canadian Whisky: The Essential Portable Expert, Davin de Kergommeaux, to find out more about Crown Royal.

“[It] is the most successful Canadian whisky ever,” he told me. “Year after year, it sells more than the next six Canadian whiskies combined. It also is the most successful in maintaining consistent flavor. Of brands with a range of bottlings, Crown Royal De Luxe is also the most flavorful entry-level whisky, easily competing with mid-range bottlings from other brands.”

How to Drink Crown Royal

As with any whisky, there is no right or wrong way to drink Crown Royal, and you should enjoy it however you choose. But I recommend trying a neat pour first to familiarize yourself with its character. There's no reason to be intimidated by an unadulterated sip. Add a bit of ice if you’d like, although at 80 proof you run the risk of the whisky becoming thin and overly diluted if you let it sit for too long.

Crown Royal also works well in a wide variety of cocktails. According to Crown Royal director of whisky engagement Stephen Wilson, approachability and versatility are the defining factors that make De Luxe a great choice for mixing.

“Whether it’s neat, on the rocks, or in your favorite whisky cocktail, there’s a Crown Royal whisky for every palate and occasion,” he says. “Crown Royal Fine De Luxe can be used in trendy cocktails like an espresso martini or classic whisky cocktails like a whisky sour and old fashioned.”

History of Crown Royal

There’s a good reason why this whisky is called Crown Royal. It was created in 1939 by Samuel Bronfman, the head of spirits conglomerate Seagram, as a tribute to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. They were the first monarchs to visit Canada, which had become part of the British Commonwealth just a few years prior.

The whisky was only available in Canada for decades before finally reaching the U.S. in the 1960s, and it slowly but surely became a bestseller.

Diageo acquired Crown Royal in 2000 and is now building a new carbon-neutral distillery to support the brand in Ontario. There are many other expressions to try in the lineup, including the Cognac-finished XO and the fan favorite Northern Harvest Rye, which intrigued the whisky world when it was first released nearly a decade ago.

“We pride ourselves in developing new offerings that maintain the premium-ness we're known for, without compromising the quality of our whisky,” says Wilson. “With the ever-changing palates of consumers throughout North America, we’re always excited to develop new and exciting flavors.”

How Crown Royal Is Made

Crown Royal De Luxe is a blend of more than 50 different whiskies, a fact that makes it stand out in the category. The whisky is produced at a massive distillery on the shore of Lake Winnipeg in Gimli, Manitoba (there's another Crown Royal distillery in Quebec), and there are about 1.5 million barrels aging in the warehouses in the surrounding area.

The majority of its grains (corn, rye, and barley) are grown in Manitoba or nearby provinces, and these are combined into three different mash bills that are distilled in multiple stills to produce five styles of whisky. The new make spirit is then matured in new and used oak barrels before blending.

“When the individual whiskies reach their peak of perfection, however long that takes, the Crown Royal blenders carefully select the perfect combination to create depth and balance, while ensuring each blend remains consistent and meets the Crown Royal standard,” says Wilson.

“Authentic whisky flavor is prime for Crown Royal’s whiskies, so they do not compromise on maturation and use a large number of component whiskies,” adds de Kergommeaux. “They adjust these as the flavors change from year to year to maintain complexity of flavor. They are the clear leaders in blending for consistency.”

If You Like Crown Royal You’ll Also Like…

Alberta Premium

If you’re looking for a solid Canadian whisky that isn’t a blend, give Alberta Premium, an affordable and tasty bottle, a try. It’s a 100 percent rye whisky that is aged for a minimum of five years. There are notes of black pepper, honey, vanilla, and dried fruit on the palate, but it’s unlike any American rye whiskey you might have tried. This is a great option to use in a Manhattan, and is easy to find in liquor stores across the country.

Canadian Club 12

Canadian Club 12 is a blended whisky that's aged much longer than the industry standard (Canadian whisky must be aged for at least three years). That gives it a mellow, slightly dusty character, which doesn’t obscure the notes of milk chocolate, molasses, ripe cherry, and vanilla custard on the palate. Sip this whisky neat, or maybe over a big ice cube, and see how it compares to a younger blend.

Pendleton Midnight

Pendleton is a Canadian whisky through and through, but every bottle is proofed with glacial water from Mt. Hood in Oregon. The brand’s Midnight expression gets a special cask finish—a portion of the blend is aged for more than six years in American brandy barrels. That gives the whisky a fruity, spicy layer that overlaps the notes of oak, banana, spiced nuts, and espresso on the palate.

Why You Should Trust Me

I've written about spirits for numerous publications for nearly a decade. Throughout that time, I've sampled thousands of bottles in every category of spirits, visited distilleries across the world to see how the juice is made, and honed my palate and nose. I also judge two spirits competitions, John Barleycorn Awards and the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, for which I blind taste hundreds of spirits to determine what stands out based on flavor, mouthfeel, color, and aroma.

For this review, I sampled Crown Royal neat, over ice, and in cocktails, and talked to a Canadian whisky expert to provide some insight and context about the brand.

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