Crown Royal XO Canadian Whisky

This whisky was introduced last year, and Crafted from over 50 whiskies, finished in cognac casks. It basically replaces Cask no. 16, which is still to be found in Canada but is going out of production. The cognac barrels are French Oak, from the Limousin forest.

Nose: A hefty bit of rye comes through the nose, interestingly enough because that wasn't my first impression with Cask no. 16, which I assumed this would emulate. Not so, this is a bit darker and less fruity. Maple syrup is quite prominent, and, especially with some of the grains coming through - it keeps reminding me of an overly crisp waffle soaked in maple syrup. Vanilla comes through, and a bit of orange - overall it's a bit of a dense nose. There's are interesting spicy notes - green cardamom (quite prominent), cinnamon, ginger, and toasted black pepper - indicative of the French Oak which the cognac casks were made from. There's also some nice light grape notes which tend to go quite well with Crown Royal. 90%

Taste: After the pretty dense and dark nose I was surprised to find a light-feeling and delicate whisky enter my mouth. Starts off with some rye emphasis before some light fruit and vanilla come through with some bourbon notes before the end turns to oak and spice. A very interesting movement in this whisky is that it seems to start off quite light before upping both in flavour and feel until the end which feels quite dense and a bit dry. Towards the end there's a bit of an oxidized sherry-type flavour too. Very nice, I must say - the main knack is that it is just a bit too dry, I think, without something to counteract it. 92%

Finish: Mainly spices - ginger and green cardamom, with some cinnamon mixed in too. There's a bit of oak in the background and a light orange citrusy background as well, and a bit of nuttiness. Nicely done. It's slightly dry, but not too dry, and I like finishes that are a bit on the dry side. 87%

Intrigue: I quite enjoy this, and I like this a fair bit more than the Cask no. 16 bottlings that I've tried. It's perhaps most surprising to me how rye-forward the profile is - I expected a bit more of a hybrid with this one. However, on some successive tastings this character seemed to lighten up. The fruit, spiciness, and complexity certainly do good work in this one. 90%

Weighting the nose 25%, taste 35%, Finish 15%, and Intrigue 25% the overall grade is 91.

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