Details Bottled at 103-proof. No age statement. Thought to be made of 64% corn, 31.5% rye, and 4.5% barley. Aroma Earthly, butterscotch, spearmint, fruity with some mango and pineapples. Flavor Mild and sweet. Lots of bananas, brown sugar. Cinnamon. Vanilla. Oatmeal and maple syrup.
Sawdust. Grapefruit. Overall, In short, Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel seems like breakfast in a whiskey glass. This isnt a big bold whiskey and Id guess its either not aged very long and/or aged gently in cold Canadian climate. Also, if I were to guess, Id say Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel drinks below its 103-proof both in flavor and strength. On the backend it has some heat, but generally is pretty mild and enjoyable.
So, Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel isnt going to blow you away in flavor and punch, but its a unique offering. Its an interesting example of whats being made in Diageos Gimli, Manitoba distillery and also pull out the more flavorful components going into the widely popular Crown Royal. Im more of a Bourbon drinker and Im not fully on the bandwagon of Canadian rye whiskey.
If you prefer rye and enjoy other whiskey coming from Canada, Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel should be in your wheels house. For me, however, the price seems high to be a regular bottle. Im happy with the purchase and learning about Coffey Rye, but I probably wont be going back for more.
