Almost all whiskey drinkers have heard of Crown Royal, the Canadian Whisky that comes in a purple bag inside a purple box. Our review for today is Crown Royal XO, which also comes in a nice bag inside a nice box. Strangely, neither the bottle nor their website explains what the XO stands for. After looking online, it seems most people think it stands for extra aging. That makes sense; from their site: “Crown Royal XO is a skillfully blended Crown Royal Whisky finished in cognac casks.” So they are taking regular Crown and adding some additional aging in old cognac barrels.
XO is a blend of over 50 barrels, sells for around $40, is 80 proof, comes in the aforementioned nice bottle that has a screw top. We could not find an age statement or a mash bill. As far as availability, right now, it seems easy to find here in the Indpls area, but a few online sites state that they have discontinued production, which would make it harder and harder to get.
As any reader of ours knows, we are not huge fans of Canadian whisky. There are some positives, low price points, and a very smooth taste, but they all seem to lack the complexity that you need if drinking neat or on the rocks. Let’s see if XO bucks that trend.
NOSE
Frank: Caramel and apple hit me first with a touch of some wood that I cannot identify. Ice kills the nose. Can barely tell it is a whiskey.
Todd: Nice smooth aroma with no primary scents. Getting a little cedar, rye, caramel, maple syrup, honey, and spice. Also, picking up a very slight smell of barley and orange. Ice brings out more caramel.
Matt: Common aromas from a well-balanced Canadian Whisky that include honey, malt, rye, vanilla, and a little nuttiness. Secondary scents include leather, apple, and maple syrup. Ice takes everything but the sweet smells away.
TASTE
Frank: Like the nose, getting a lot of caramel and apple. Behind that is a taste that reminds me of some kind of nut, maybe cashews. Ice mutes the fruit and brings out a butter like taste,
Todd: Smooth, which I guess comes with the 80 proof. Caramel is still the big winner, with some wood, barley, maple syrup, and spice right below. I am getting the orange that I had on the nose as well. I agree with Frank; Ice gives it a slight butter taste.
Matt: Maple syrup, vanilla, caramel, and apple all upfront, with honey coming hard on the back end. Hot Toddy, anyone? The taste after adding ice reminded me of buttered popcorn.
FINISH
Frank: Medium with a taste that reminds me of eating a caramel candy.
Todd: Medium with not much going on.
Matt: Medium with some sweetness as well as rye.
OVERALL
Frank: Not bad for $40.
Todd: I would buy a bottle even though the taste is not overly complex.
Matt: While probably not the best Canadian Whiskey I have had, it is the best Crown that I have tasted.
Nose 3.5 out of 5
Taste 6.5 out of 10
Finish 3 out of 5
Total score: 13 out of 20 barrels.
Seems like the new Crown is very similar to the old Crown, even though the new Crown is older than the old Crown, regarding the aging that is. It is smooth but does lack a measure of complexity. To be sure, XO is better and more complex than Crown Royal, and for our money, it is a better buy. Strange, we all got butter after adding ice.
We also made an old fashion with XO, and it was very good. If you tend to like your juice to be smoother and not so hot, this is a good choice for you. If you want a simple yet somewhat deep drink that you can enjoy on the rocks at a good price, this is a good choice for you. Also, Crown, like a lot of bottles we have mentioned here, has a pretty big following, so if a guest asks for Crown Royal, maybe you can introduce them to Crown Royal XO.