Just when you thought that “Black Label Marketing” had been beaten to death with a stick, a familiar spirit reminds you that it will never die. Crown Royals latest addition to its collection is the darker, deeper bodied, more robust “Crown Royal Black”, aged in charred black oak barrels, and blended at 90 proof. The goal here was to create a bolder tasting Crown Royal spirit with the continued smoothness that CR has been known to have. I had the pleasure of experiencing “Black” at a recent Crown Royal sponsored event. The strength of the whiskey immediately hits you reminding you less of traditional Canadian whiskey and more of bourbon which I believe is what CR was originally going for. This is a whiskey that is meant to be sipped on the rocks or neat, but mixes just as well with your favorite mixer. All in all I would say this is a definite winner for the Canadian franchise expanding it’s drink-ability by inviting bourbon fans to give it a try. At a price tag of about 28.99 per 750 ml, its not a bad buy at all for the upscale bourbon drinker to experiment with, nor for the average CR fan to give it a try. Below are a couple different ways for you to enjoy CR Black.
Black Manhattan
- 1 oz CR Black
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1/4 oz bitters
- Garnish with a Cherry
Black Apple
- 1 1/2 oz CR Black
- 1/2 oz Green Apple Vodka
Crown and Ginger (Classic)
- 1 oz CR Black
- 3 oz Ginger Alw
- Garnish w/Lime
