Crown Royal Bourbon Mash Canadian Whisky

The United States has strict laws in place over what can be labeled as Bourbon Whiskey. Recently released, Crown Royal has a new “Bourbon Mash” whiskey that is available (for somewhere around the price $30). Some confusion over this new release is apparent, and we would like to talk about this new Canadian Whisky. (Because this is still a Canadian Whisky, not a Bourbon whiskey. We have a guide here for the laws on what the different whiskeys are here.)

First and foremost we would like to clear one thing one up: Crown Royal Bourbon Mash is not a Bourbon Whiskey. It is still a blended Canadian Whiskey. When Crown Royal produces their regular blend, they use a bourbon-style mash in the whiskey. The Crown Royal Bourbon Mash puts this part of the blend front and center, making it the focal point of the flavors. They also age this in a mix of New American Oak barrels and previously used bourbon casks. The Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) allowed Crown Royal a  Certificate of Label approval (COLA) to have the word Bourbon on the label, even though by their own standards, the word bourbon can only be used if the whiskey follows the strict standards they set, including that the whiskey must be produced in the US.
(As a side note, the folks over the Whiskey Wash have a terrific article about this particular misstep by the TTB, and we highly encourage you to read it over on their page. )

Here is our thoughts on the product itself:

Color: Light amber/copper.

Nose: Sweet vanilla and oak comes through, but it is an off smell, like too much char or something not quite balanced. Not uninviting, but not a good start.

Palate: Went into this expecting a whiskey that was lighter and softer than your typical bourbon. What we got was something that was not good. A burnt taste comes through, which really coats the mouth and overpowers any other flavors. The bourbon mash notes are there, some sweet corn seeps through, and the bourbon barrels are apparent, with vanilla, caramel and hints of brown sugar all showing a small presence, to be overridden by the overpowering oak char flavors. A real odd move coming out of what I would usually consider a strong producer. ( While I am not a fan of the flavored Crowns, the regular Crown Royal is a solid everyday Canadian Whisky. )

Finish: The burnt notes follow through the entire sip and leave a lingering, unpleasant  taste in the mouth.

Rating:
Zach: 20/100
Angie: Did not taste
Overall: 20/100

Notes: This is far and away my least favorite whiskey I have tried to date. Crown Royal is usually able to produce a solid product, their regular Canadian is a very solid Canadian whiskey. I am not sure how they came up with this miss of a whiskey, but our recommendation is to go ahead and pass on this one. For $30 you can find yourself a much better Bourbon or Canadian whiskey.