Review: Crown Royal 32 Years Old

Crown Royal‘s Extra Rare offerings have been getting older and older — how much well-aged whisky does this distillery have sitting around? — with the new high-water mark for the line now hitting 32 years of age. This expression comes in the snazziest, be-tassled velvet bag I’ve seen from the brand to date and is in turn stored inside a gold cardboard box with double doors in front.

These extremely old Crown Royal expressions haven’t been overly dazzling in the last few years, but we’re happy to keep giving them the old college try. How’s the new oldest Crown Royal ever? Let’s dig in.

Crown Royal 32 Years Old Review

Going in with a fresh bottle and an open mind, the whisky certainly feels more refined and interesting this year. There is still plenty of austerity on the nose — I don’t see that going away, of course — with notes of candied orange peel, menthol, black pepper, and flowery saffron all dominant — and perhaps a bit scattered. Over time, the lattermost begins to take over, as the nose gets increasingly floral as it sits in glass. Best of all, that hoary asphalt and creosote character I’ve seen with other Crown Royal releases of this general age level is mercifully absent (or at least extremely muted).

The palate is shorter and sharper than the rather sweet nose suggests, those orange peel notes punctuated and peppery, offering something of a holiday feel. The sweetness settles down slowly as it reaches into notes of rum raisin and cinnamon toast, then gets just a bit more brooding with a gently leathery character, increasingly nutty as it develops. The finish is surprisingly clean but big with coconut and chocolate notes that seem to come from nowhere, lightly peppery on the fade-out. Definitely the best of the ultra-aged Crowns to date. (Somehow.)

92 proof.

A- / $750 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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