Canadian Whisky? Yes, Canadian Whisky!

The weather continues to pummel us here in the DC area, but we have been graced with a slight reprieve this Sunday with slightly milder temperatures (only the high 80s!) and less humidity.  Which means I can actually pour a dram and really bask in its aromas and flavors, rather than throwing some ice in a glass and enjoying a cool drink.

Mark Gillespie interviewed Andrew Mackay of Crown Royal earlier this summer (episode 375, available here) about his newest edition of Crown Royal Extra Rare, which is the second edition of this blend of rare and old whiskies.  For those who have an image of Canadian whiskies as light, clean, and, well, mostly made for mixing cheaply with whatever will get it down your throat, this XR (as it's called) is the furthest thing from that.  Turns out my local retailer doesn't have the new XR yet, but he did have a few bottles of the first edition, made with some of the last whiskies to be distilled at the old Waterloo Distillery.  And at about $80 a bottle, it hardly makes this an outrageous indulgence (compared to a bottle of Macallan 18 year old, for instance, that retails for $140 and up).

The whisky itself comes in a luxury display box, complete with royal red coloring and gold letters.  The bottle is presented in a drawstring red bag with the Crown Royal crown stitched on the front.  The bottle is rather elegant (though not fine crystal, naturally), sitting in a bed of gold-colored cloth.  It's actually quite a display for the money, though I don't tend to be one to care all that much for what the box looks like (just give me the darn whisky!).

Now to the whisky (finally!).  It has a pleasing copper color that is one of the first hints (if the packaging wasn't enough hint already) that this whisky is not your father's Seagrams or Canadian Club (no offense to those fine daily drams).  The nose at first is a bit closed, though it unmistakably betrays itself as a Canadian whisky and not something else.  It has that slightly antiseptic, medicinal smell as well as some twiggyness, or green leaves.  Bottled at 40% abv, this is not a blow-your-head-off whisky.  I dug my nose right into the glass and nary a prickle came back.  The first sip is oily and fulsome, ever so slightly spicy, but predominantly smooth, rich and pleasing.  It is not a rich whisky, nor is it a light-weight.

Adding water opens up the spice from the rye quite a bit.  There's more play going on here.  The honey notes fight back after a few seconds, followed by saltwater taffy and rose petals.  Or maybe a lighter flower.  The mouthfeel is little changed from before, except for some additional spice at the back of the throat and, strangely enough, a little bit of burn going down that wasn't there when served neat.  I get some tannic quality there, similar to your mouth after a good rinse of mouthwash.  Tingly, dry, and mouthwatering.  Hmm, some toffee or something like it has come in with another sip.  A very well-crafted whisky that certainly makes me realize the potential of Canadian whiskies.