Crown Royal is a blended
Canadian whiskyCanadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles...
, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by
DiageoDiageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
, who purchased it when the
SeagramThe Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States.
History
The reigning
monarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
King George VIGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, and his wife,
Queen ElizabethElizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, visited Canada in 1939. Crown Royal was introduced that year by Seagram as a tribute to the royal visit. It was available only in Canada until 1964.
Production
Today, Crown Royal is produced solely at the Crown Royal distillery at Gimli, on the shores of
Lake WinnipegLake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
,
ManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was also produced in
Waterloo, OntarioWaterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
until the plant there closed in 1992. Daily production of Crown Royal uses 10,000 bushels of grain and requires 750000 imp gal (3,409,567.5 l; 900,712.4 US gal) of water. The whisky produced at the Manitoba distillery is stored in 2 million
barrelA barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
s, stored in 46 warehouses, over 5 acres (2 ha) of land. The whisky is then blended and bottled in Amherstburg,
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
2006 sales of Crown Royal amounted to over US $500M.
In January 2007, production of Crown Royal was nearly interrupted as a result of a labour dispute at the Gimli distillery. Fifty-two of the 53 workers at the Manitoba distillery, members of United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Local 200D, voted on January 23 to strike as soon as February 1.
However, subsequent negotiations resulted in approval by nearly 75 percent of the workers, the night before the strike deadline, of a new three-year contract.
Brand variations
Crown Royal Special Reserve was introduced in 1992. The finest young whiskies are chosen and aged for a longer period than the original. Once mature enough they are then blended to produce Special Reserve. Oct 2008 Crown Royal Special Reserve was re-launched as Crown Royal Reserve using the same bottle as the Special Reserve with a new label and packaging.
In 2006,
Crown Royal XR (Extra Rare) was introduced in the US by allocation and the Canadian market (initially, only in
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
). Available in
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
since January 2008. This limited-release special blend of Crown Royal is sold in numbered bottles, and is made from the last batch of whiskey distilled at the Waterloo distillery. After mothballing in 1992, the Waterloo distillery burned down in 1993, with only a small amount of whisky being left behind. It received a 7¼ and 7¾ from Whisky Magazine critics.
Crown Royal Cask No. 16 was introduced late 2007. It is made from over fifty blended and individually aged whiskies in 12 year old cognac barrels. These barrels are made of oak from the
LimousinLimousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
forest in
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The whiskies are designed to have a cognac type of finish with notes of rye, grain, and fruit.
The newest variation is
Crown Royal Black. Launched in April 2010, the drink consists of a higher alcohol content (90 proof) as well as a darker, thicker liquid, while still retaining smoothness. This new variation is, on average, US$5 more than the signature Crown Royal "De Luxe".
The suggested retail prices for Crown Royal products, as of 2010, are: US$25 for Crown Royal "De Luxe", US$30 for Crown Royal "Black", US$45 for Crown Royal "Reserve", US$80 for Crown Royal "Cask No. 16", and US$129 for Crown Royal "XR".
Ratings
Crown Royal offerings have generally performed well at international
spirit ratingsWith a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions. For example, the basic Canadian Whisky was awarded a string gold medal at the 2005-2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competitions.
The Special Reserve received an editors choice gold award from Whisky Magazine and received ratings from 7¾ to 8¾ from three of the critics.
Consumption
Crown Royal is often mixed with another, usually non-alcoholic, beverage for added flavour such as
ginger aleGinger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger. Dr. Thomas Cantrell, an American apothecary and surgeon, claimed to have invented ginger ale and marketed it with beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company. Grattan embossed the slogan "The Original Makers of Ginger Ale" on its bottles...
and
colaCola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...
. Common names of these beverages include: Black Tooth Grin, Crown Sidecar, Crown & Soda, Crown & Coke (rye and coke), Crown Lemon-Lime, Crown & Ginger Ale (rye and ginger), and Crown Fizz.
Dimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
, the lead guitarist of the
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
PanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, popularized the name "Black Tooth Grin," taking the name from a line in the
MegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
song
Sweating Bullets"Sweating Bullets" is a song by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released in 1993 as the third single from their fifth album, Countdown to Extinction. The song charted at #29 on the US Mainstream Rock chart and at #26 in the UK....
. A mixture made with Royal Crown Cola is called a Royal Wedding, an RCCR (Royal Crown Crown Royal), or a Pair of Kings (Pair of Queens if served with a maraschino cherry). Another mixed drink made with Crown Royal is to drop a shot of Crown into a glass of Red Bull energy drink; this is known as a LeBomb James, Chili Bomb or Bouncing Betty; a variation of this consists of half Crown Royal and a flavored schnapps in the shot, called a Vegas Bomb.
Crown Royal can also be mixed in equal parts with banana liqueur to make a "King Kong" (Crown Royal being the "King" and banana liqueur being the "Kong"). The King Kong can be served as a shooter or "on the rocks."
Very common in the U.S., Crown Royal is also enjoyed "on the rocks" or blended with 7-Up or sour (Squirt, Graf's 50/50, etc..)
In the US South, Crown Royal may be served with Sun Drop, a southern tradition known as "making Sundrop dark".
In the James Bond novel Carte Blanche, by Jeffery Deaver, Bond orders a cocktail made with Crown Royal. From Chapter 18: "Bond decided on a cocktail. 'Crown Royal, ice, a double, please. Add a half-measure of triple sec, two dashes of bitters (later specified as Angostura) and a twist of orange peel.'"
Advertising
Among its advertising venues, Crown Royal advertises in various motor sports events and cars. Crown Royal sponsors the #17
FordFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
of
Matt KensethMatthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
, and the Crown Royal 400 race in
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
.
Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is a sponsor of the
Grand American Road Racing AssociationGRAND-AM Road Racing or GRAND-AM is an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America...
's
Rolex Sports Car SeriesThe Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
. In 2010, Crown Royal XR also began sponsoring the #60
Daytona PrototypeA Daytona Prototype is a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, replacing contemporary open cockpit sports cars, specifically Sports Racing Prototypes...
car of Michael Shank Racing in the
Rolex Sports Car SeriesThe Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
.
From 2004 until 2006, Crown Royal was the title sponsor of the
International Race of ChampionsInternational Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
. Crown Royal was a primary sponsor of the Washington International Horse Show for severals years in the 1990s and since 1995 has sponsored the
Crown Royal American Turf StakesThe American Turf Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It is currently a Grade II race run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on turf. The American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the race to its current Grade...
, a
Thoroughbred horse raceThoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
run annually at
Churchill DownsChurchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
.
Crown Royal is the official shot of the Sunset Bay Beach Club, in
Irving, New YorkIrving is a hamlet located in Chautauqua County, New York, USA. It is located near the east town line and the eastern county line in the Town of Hanover. US Route 20 and New York State Route 5 pass through the hamlet, which is also next to Cattaraugus Creek; New York State Route 438 terminates just...
.
Crown Royal is product-placed in the music video for
Big BoiAntwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
's 2010 single
Shutterbugg"Shutterbugg" is the debut solo single by American rapper Big Boi. It is the first single released in promotion of his debut solo album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The song features singer Cutty on the song's chorus. The song was co-produced by Scott Storch and Big Boi himself...
, as well in the 2011
J-LoJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
promo video for the single
On The Floor, the latter of which also contained product-placement for
SwarovskiSwarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
and
BMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
.
External links