Last night I tried Crown Royal Cask No. 16 for the first time. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant, as I’m no fan of Crown Royal. Sure it comes wrapped in purple velvet that feels great against my beard, but you can’t hide mediocre whiskey behind purple velvet.
Crown Royal Cask No. 16 keeps the velvet but trades purple for black and ups the flavor ante over its flagship friend. Cask No. 16 is a blend of more than 50 whiskies aged in French oak cognac casks. The oak casks impart some sweet vanilla and fruit notes that are pretty pleasant. Drank neat it goes down very smoothly, but much of the rye bite you expect from a Canadian blend is lost. Although, during the long finish it ditches some of that sweetness for a bit more rye.
All in all, I liked the stuff and might order a glass after a nice dinner, but I don’t plan on plunking down $100 for a bottle any time soon. Call me old fashioned, but I like my whiskies to assert themselves and growl at me a bit as they go down.
Have you tried it? Let me know your thoughts below.
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Admittedly, I like Crown to begin with. Starting there, I love Cask #16. I don’t intend on buying it too often, given the price, but I hope to always have it on my liquor cabinet for special occasions. Perfectly rounded, not sweet but vanilla-ish. Worth $99/bottle? Hard to say. But it’s great.
I call myself the Will Rogers of whiskey – I never met one I didn’t like. But, I usually prefer hanging out with those that have a bit more personality than most Canadians have. Having said that, it’s hard to not like Cask #16. The flavor is swirls of sherry and vanilla. The finish is oh so smooth, and then quietly fades away. If bourbon is a rowdy friend, then Cask #16 is a beautiful woman. The only problem is, I prefer cheaper dates.
Robert, Cheaper dates will get you herpies…….
I have been a neat whiskey drinker for 25 years and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the great taste and smooth finish. I have tried many whiskeys but this is the best I have tasted so far also the most expensive. I feel the price wasn’t out of line and would recommend it.
I have drank alot of whiskeys but crown 16 taste the best
Well as a Crown Royal Special Reserve and Remy Martin VSOP fan I was hesistant in buying a $45 350ml bottle of whiskey. So I gave it a shot and three bottles later I can’t keep enough of it in the house. I normally drink all my whiskey’s and cognac’s with coke (I know most people think I should be shot, but I am paying for it so I don’t care) and was shocked at the blend of Whiskey and other flavors. It is like someone took Reserve and VSOP and poured them into a bottle and called it Cask 16. I should take out some stock in the company because this is really good stuff.
I like the Crown Reserve, then I tried the XR, that is a very, very smooth drink. I like both with coke. I am going to try the cask 16.
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