Alright, to start off, I’m not a huge fan of Rye being the main flavor in whiskey. All whiskies are not equal to me, and the mash has a lot to do with that personal preference. My bottle of Crown Royal Rye, in this case, was a gift from someone who picked it up thinking it was the regular Canadian Whisky and was “disgusted” when he tasted it. Realizing his mistake (in his opinion) he gave it to me saying it’d just sit in his cupboard. So again, bias out of the way, I prefer, in this order per the mash, Wheat, Corn, Barley, Rye. I love them all, but love some more. Just like your parents if you have siblings, it’s only natural preference. By the way, if you don’t believe your parents have a favorite, you ain’t it. The Rye hits me like a freight train immediately on both smell and taste. It’s fairly overpowering in comparison to something like Bulleit Rye, which is a bit easier to dissect and isn’t so “all at once” to me. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of drinking this one straight, unless there’s a royal amount of ice. It’s pretty good with a splash of coke, or ginger ale if you prefer; the ginger ale being more interesting to me because upon adding about an ounce of that I get hits of almost kiwi of all things. I’m likely crazy-wrong about that considering that even when mixing, and especially before I get the soda in there, the nose is like walnuts, spices, and sweat-socks. I’m thinking it’s a bit of the sour notes that come out to play when the sweet dryness of the ginger ale kind of mutes the woody pepper and almost “Raisin Bran” smells. All in all Rye isn’t my favorite to begin with, and Crown Royal Rye isn’t my favorite Rye. However, if you’re looking for something to clear your chest out with fire, this stuff is great, considering it's a ninety percent Rye blend. I love the feeling of Rye going down, it to me is a stark contrast to how my body reacts to bourbon or wheat whiskey, where those are the most pleasant internal warm hug, this and most Ryes I’ve had usually range from the smoother “You’re a witch and will be dealt with as such,” to the life-reevaluating “Infernal Purification in the 7th Circle.”
Though it’s not really for me, I have several friends who, just like the regular Crown just about everybody knows, love this Rye. As well, there’s tons of four and five star reviews on google for it, so they’re clearly doing something right and making people happy with it. A "2016 Whisky of the Year" award can't hurt either. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Crown Royal Distillery, Gimli, Manitoba, Canada %90 Rye %45 Alc/Vol www.crownroyal.com Please Drink Responsibly. Image Credit: www.caskcartel.com
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