"What Whiskey Will Not Cure, There is No Cure For" - Irish Proverb



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Hokus Pokus, you've done it again.  Another Thursday, another tasting, another fun evening.

This go round, the liquor of sample was Crown Royal whiskey.

Now, I'm not a girl who is particular about alcohol.  I like beer.  I like wine.  I like rum, tequila, vodka.  I do not like gin.  But I LOVE whiskey.  Irish, Canadian, Bourbon, Scotch...I don't care, just give it to me.

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Actually, I do prefer Bourbon.  Specifically, Makers Mark.  Maker's Mark, if you are reading, I am open to a corporate sponsorship.

Here is how the tasting went down:

Crown Royal Original - $23.99

I skipped this one since I've had Crown Original like 1000 times and I don't love it and I had 4 others to taste and I'm a light weight and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. 

Crown Black - $26.99



The rep explained this one as Crown's answer to a bourbon, comparable to Jack Daniel's.  I know Jack well, and this was no Jack.  I liked it better than the original, but still not my cup of tea.

Crown Reserve - $41.99





This one is aged a little longer than the previous two.  Well, some of it is.  Crown is a blended whiskey, so they don't actually put an age on it.  Some portitons of the blend may be older than other portions.  In order to keep the taste consistent from batch to batch, they are constantly reformulating the blend.

It was good, in an  "if someone gave it to me as a gift I would drink it" way, not an "I will go out and purchase this for myself" way.



Crown Cask 16 - $71.99



It is aged in French cognac barrels. The 16 is not the age (see above note about blending and not defining age), but a number that is on all French cognac barrels.  It smelled like cherries and I definitely tasted the cherry, also.  It was sweet and very rich tasting, but still not something I would drink on a regular basis.


Crown Royal XR - $109.99

The Crowning jewel.  (<---pun! haha.)  It, well, some of it (once again, see above note on blending) was aged in Waterloo barrels that were destoryed in a fire and are no longer available.  Therefore, once it is all consumed, it is gone forver.

I appreciated the opportunity to taste it, since it is a little piece of liquor history.

Smooth is the only word to describe it.  It was so easy to drink.  Still, I just wasn't into the flavor.  For $110, I would rather drink a nice scotch.

Overall, the tasting was very educational.  Crown is just not my brand of choice.  I'll leave it for the Canadians and stick to my American made bourbon.

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I did pick up some Shiner Cheer for after my 10 mile run on Saturday.

What would you guess this beer taste like?  Cinnamon?  Nope.  Spice?  Nope.  Evergreen? Nope.  Peppermint?  Nope.

It's peach and pecan and WONDERFUL!  I have no idea why Shiner chose this blend  as their Christmas beer.  It doesn't really taste like Christmas to me.  But it does taste delightful.

What is your favorite specialty beer?  If you don't like beer, what is your favorite cocktail?