Company: Diageo – Seagram’s
Distillery: Gimli Distillery
Region: Lake Winnipeg, Gimli, Manitoba
Aging: 5 Years
ABV: 45% ABV
Proof: 90 Proof
Mash Bill: 85% Unmalted Barley, 15% Malted Barley
Non-Chill Filtered: No
MSRP Price: $80
The History of Crown Royal’s Noble Collection
The Crown Royal Noble Collection was created to be a series of limited releases that celebrate the specific mash bills, ingredients, and finishes that create the Crown Royal whisky experience.
The description on the back of the packaging describes:
“The Crown Royal Noble Collection is a series of limited releases that celebrates the skilled craftsmanship of our distillers and blenders – and their dedication to the art of creating extraordinary whiskies.
This seventh expression in the Noble Collection is a limited release of the Barley Edition, a blended Canadian whisky, distilled from unmalted and malted barley grains, specifically selected to produce an exceptional liquid. Carefully aged in American white oak barrels to enhance the unique taste of barley and bring to life a complexity of flavors. This remarkably balanced and delicious whisky is hand selected from our reserve stock, revealing its noble roots with every sip.
Carefully crafted for a one-of-a-kind experience, this whisky reveals spicy notes of toasted oak and sweet caramel while complemented by an aroma of creamy vanilla and fruity green apple, with a well-rounded, lasting finish.
We are honored to share this exceptional whisky and we hope you enjoy it. We certainly had fun creating it.”
So with that being said, let’s find out whether the whisky lives up to that description.
Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition Tasting Notes
Appearance: Amber
Nose: Very sweet honey, oak, light fruits, crisp green apple, grain, citrus zest
Palate: Grain forward, sweet honey, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, toasted oak and barley, light fruits, citrus, malt, vanilla
Finish: Medium finish that leaves you with a grain-forward flavor profile rounded out with sweetness and fruit with a lingering spice
* Side Note: When I cracked the cork of this bottle, it had one of the best cork sounds of any bottle I’ve ever opened #bonuspoints
Is Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition an Approachable Whisky?
Crown Royal Barley Edition is an easy whisky to drink, but it has flavors not everyone will be used to.
Since it is all barley in the mash bill, you get a much stronger grain flavor profile than you might be used to with Crown Royal.
Is Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition Complex?
This Barley Edition of the Crown Royal Noble Collection delivers a lot of complexity.
Since it is all barley, you can certainly sense the grain-heavy mash bill.
On the nose, it has an extremely pleasant sweetness and light fruit notes to it.
It is almost completely opposite what I was expecting to smell for some reason, but I am pleasantly surprised.
On the palate, you get a lot more of the grain like you would expect from a 100% barley mash bill.
But despite the heavy grain notes, it is extremely well balanced in delivering lovely light fruit notes, a honey and caramel sweetness, toasted oak and barley, and finishes out with nice vanilla and baking spice notes.
It also has a nice mouthfeel that allows you to enjoy the flavors well after you have swallowed each sip.
What are Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Crown Royal’s Barley Edition’s strongest attribute is how well it balances so many flavors.
When I see a 100% Barley mash bill on a whiskey, I don’t expect a wide array of flavors ranging from crisp light fruits and sweet caramel to toasted oak, vanilla, and cinnamon.
It’s quite a nice surprise for me.
Is Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition a go-to whisky?
This bottle of Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition is a huge surprise to me and could actually be a nice go-to whiskey.
I expected at the $80 price point for a 100% Barley whisky that I wouldn’t be a fan, but I was wrong.
I could drink this all the time.
Is Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition priced accurately to its quality?
This Barley Edition of Crown Royal’s Noble Collection certainly delivers on its price tag.
I remember walking through the store with my dad and considering purchasing this bottle and initially passing on it.
After a little bit, I decided to double back and pick the bottle up and hope for the best.
I’m certainly glad I did because it’s a winner for me.
Not only is it delicious, but it really offers a unique flavor profile that you won’t find in many whiskeys.
Conclusion for Crown Royal Noble Collection – Barley Edition
I’m a big fan of this Crown Royal Barley Edition.
As I’m sure you can tell, I wasn’t expecting much from this one so it’s a really nice surprise to sit down with a brand-new bottle and experience something better than expected.
I will say that the special edition bottle presentation and boxing certainly worked on me this time.
As you walk by this bottle on the shelf, it’s hard to miss the bright purple packaging on this one.
It even comes with the nice fancy purple bag for the bottle.
I’d say do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you see it on the shelf.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
If you decide to give this bottle a shot, please let me know on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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