Having been (voluntarily) out of the whisky loop for the past several months, I missed this when it was originally announced, but apparently Crown Royal is in the early stages of launching a new whisky: Bourbon Mash
As is perhaps to be expected, with a name like that they encountered a bit of controversy, since the whisky inside cannot legally be called bourbon. Not that they are calling it that, they're just describing the mash, but the word "bourbon" on the label is quite prominent so I suppose I can see why some folks think there would be confusion. Especially amongst less savvy consumers.
TTB initially approved the label, and Diageo shipped a bunch of bottles to retailers, but after some complaints TTB reneged and the label now have to be changed. Diageo has a year to do so, giving them some time to sell the bottles they already shipped, and starting in 2019 "Bourbon Mash" will be known as "Blender's Mash." In the U.S. that is, in Canada (and presumably everywhere else they sell it) it will continue to be known as Bourbon Mash. Should the expression sell well enough to warrant being kept around, that is.
As a fan of both Canadian whisky and bourbon, I'm definitely curious about this release. But at only 40% ABV I'm a little suspicious that it'll be a might thin. I would be more hopeful if they had kept it at 45% like their recent Ontario exclusive Blender's Select.
Having been (voluntarily) out of the whisky loop for the past several months, I missed this when it was originally announced, but apparently Crown Royal is in the early stages of launching a new whisky: Bourbon Mash
As is perhaps to be expected, with a name like that they encountered a bit of controversy, since the whisky inside cannot legally be called bourbon. Not that they are calling it that, they're just describing the mash, but the word "bourbon" on the label is quite prominent so I suppose I can see why some folks think there would be confusion. Especially amongst less savvy consumers.
TTB initially approved the label, and Diageo shipped a bunch of bottles to retailers, but after some complaints TTB reneged and the label now have to be changed. Diageo has a year to do so, giving them some time to sell the bottles they already shipped, and starting in 2019 "Bourbon Mash" will be known as "Blender's Mash." In the U.S. that is, in Canada (and presumably everywhere else they sell it) it will continue to be known as Bourbon Mash. Should the expression sell well enough to warrant being kept around, that is.
As a fan of both Canadian whisky and bourbon, I'm definitely curious about this release. But at only 40% ABV I'm a little suspicious that it'll be a might thin. I would be more hopeful if they had kept it at 45% like their recent Ontario exclusive Blender's Select.
Here's some relevant links:
thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/…
canadianwhisky.org/reviews/…
www.youtube.com/watch