Crown Royal

CanadaCanadianBest-seller

Launched1939

DistilleryGimli · Manitoba

OwnerDiageo

StyleCanadian Blended

SymbolPurple velvet bag

CoreDeluxe · Black · Northern Harvest Rye · XR

Canada's flagship whisky in its purple velvet bag — created for the 1939 royal visit to Canada.

Crown Royal was created in 1939 to mark the Canadian visit of King George VI and his queen. The bottle still comes in that purple velvet bag, and it captures the whisky well: a showy exterior, and a smoothness that goes down easy for anyone.

Canadian whisky often gets called "bland." Light and slick, it's used so much as a cocktail base that the impression stuck. Half true — but that lightness is also drinkability, which tends to be underrated. With cola or ginger ale, there's little to beat it.

That said, the whisky that most directly shook the "Canadian whisky has no character" cliché also came from Crown Royal. Northern Harvest Rye, with its rye dialled way up, was named World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray's 2016 Whisky Bible — and people took a second look at Canadian whisky.

My suggestion: reach for the Deluxe for an easy everyday highball, and if you're curious about the real spicy side of Canadian whisky, grab a bottle of Northern Harvest. It's an inexpensive way to have your impression rearranged.

Flavourofficial / critical

VanillaCaramelLight rye spiceFruitOakSoft grain

Glossaryfor beginners

Canadian whiskyWhisky made in Canada. Often built by blending separately made grain whiskies; generally light and smooth.

Blended (Canadian)The Canadian tradition of distilling and ageing grain whiskies — corn, rye and so on — separately, then blending them.

Rye whiskyAn expression weighted to rye. Northern Harvest Rye is the standard-bearer, with clear spice.

Velvet bagThe purple velvet pouch around the bottle — a symbol since the 1939 launch.

Range & Collections

DeluxeThe purple-bag flagship. Soft and sweet, the base for cola and ginger-ale mixing.

BlackA richer expression with higher proof and more cask character.

Northern Harvest RyeA rye-weighted line — Jim Murray's 2015 World Whisky of the Year.

XR · ReservePremium lines using rare stocks.

Apple · flavouredMainstream flavoured lines with apple and the like.

ValueData-based2026.6 as of

DeluxeFlagship · mixing~£30

Northern Harvest RyeAward line~£40

XRPremium · rare stock~£150+

★ Northern Harvest RyeWorld Whisky of the Year · Whisky Bible 2016~£40

Crown Royal is the best-selling whisky in Canada, created in 1939 to mark King George VI's visit. Its value lies in commanding share and the iconic purple velvet bag rather than scarcity. Still, Northern Harvest Rye earned critical attention as Jim Murray's 2016 World Whisky of the Year, and premium lines like XR fill the upper tier.

Rating — Jim Murray's Whisky Bible (2016) · Prices are approximate retail · Not a personal tasting score

How It’s Made

Crown Royal is made in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. In the Canadian blended manner, grain whiskies — corn, rye and so on — are distilled and aged separately, then married, for a soft, light texture. The Deluxe is sweet and round, the base for mixing, while rye-weighted expressions like Northern Harvest Rye carry clearer spice.

Canada's best-sellerOne of the most popular whiskies in North America, and the face of Canadian whisky.

For a royal visit (1939)Created to mark the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, which gave it its name and crown logo.

The velvet bagThe purple velvet pouch around the bottle has been a symbol since launch, and the brand's face.

Northern Harvest RyeThis rye-weighted line was named World Whisky of the Year for 2016.

History

In 1939, Samuel Bronfman of Seagram created it to mark the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada. The name, the crown logo and the purple velvet bag all came from that royal visit, and became the brand's enduring symbols. Today, under Diageo, it holds its place as North America's best-selling Canadian.

How It’s Drunk

In Korea, Crown Royal is not yet a common name, but in North America it is one of the most popular whiskies of all. Soft and sweet, it is taken as a whisky to mix with cola or ginger ale or to sip lightly over ice. Its strengths are easy, everywhere drinkability and the symbol of the purple bag, rather than a deep nose to explore.

◆The Right GlassSignature

Soft and sweet, it suits cola or ginger-ale mixing and the rocks, where a tall glass or tumbler fits. Spice-forward lines like Northern Harvest Rye and premium expressions like XR show clearer rye grain and oak neat in a Glencairn.

→ The on-the-rocks glass → Whisky mixers around the world