The first edition of Crown Royal XR contained the final batch of aged whiskies from the legendary Waterloo distillery and is a very rare find – it is no longer in production.
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stats:Kirkland Signature: Blended Canadian Whisky, 6 years old, 40%, $20 (1.75 liter)Crown Royal: Blended Canadian Whisky, no age statement, 40%, $26 (750 ml)
While visiting my parents for the holiday weekend, I came across a few interesting whiskies to taste; a vintage Crown Royal bottle dating back to the early 1980’s, and the Kirkland Signature Blended Canadian Whiskey. You may recall from my Kirkland Signature Bourbon review that it is Costco’s private label brand.
I searched around online quite a bit, but could not come up with a definitive answer for the source of the Kirkland Canadian Whisky. The list of possible answers is not very long though. And only three have a real likelihood of being the source; Canadian Club in Windsor, Ontario, Canadian Mist is Collingwood, Ontario, and Crown Royal in Gimli, Manitoba.The source might not be disclosed, but the Kirkland label definitely has a very Crown Royal-esque look to it. The purple colorway, the cursive font, the standing lion logos; it’s all too similar for there not to have been a lawsuit if it was done without permission. And I can’t see why Crown Royal would give them permission for such a thing if there wasn’t a deal for the purchase and bottling of whisky between the two.Of course, that doesn’t mean the Kirkland has to be exactly the same as what goes into a bottle of Crown Royal. Five different whiskies are blended together to make Crown Royal; two base whiskies and three flavoring whiskies. The Kirkland Canadian could certainly be a proprietary blend, using different proportions of the five, or maybe even just three or four of them.Following up on the Kirkland website, they list the composition for this whisky as 95% corn, 2% rye, 2% barley and 1% sherry. In the greater whisky world, seeing the word “sherry” usually implies sherry cask maturation. But, according to the Canadian regulations, other spirits or wine, up to 9.09% of the total composition, can be added to Canadian whisky. So, in this case it’s likely that they actually do add sherry as a flavoring. Since this whisky is a blend of an unknown number of component whiskies, the formula listed above doesn’t really provide any additional insight as to who the distiller might be.color – Golden amber.nose – Clean. Fruit and baked goods, a hint of spice and a bit of a vegetal element.palate – Sugar cookies, peppermint and subtle teaberry. A little punchy on the mid palate, but not too wild. finish – Smooth. Warming spice notes, with a biscuit like background and decent lengthoverall – Approachable. Has the mild-mannered Canadian personality overall, but a decent amount of character for the style.
As for the vintage Crown Royal, dating such things can be a little tricky. If you are lucky, a two digit year of manufacture will be stamped in the bottom of the glass bottle. Neither bottle producers nor distillers sit on their inventory of empty bottles for very long, so that number will usually tell you the year that the whisky was bottled. In this case, I only see a “7” and a “6”, but there’s too much space between them for it to be a 76. I’ll have to use some alternative dating methods.The first two clues tell me that the bottle predates 1990. The alcohol level is shown only as a “proof”, not and “alcohol by volume”. The requirement to have abv shown on the label started right around 1990. Also, there is no government warning on the label; a requirement which went into effect late in 1989.The next clue is the lack of a UPC code. Their use was slowly phased in during the late 70’s and early 80’s. Looking at the size of the bottle, it is given in metric units. The transition from standard measurements (pint, quart, gallon) began in the late 70’s and was completed by 1980/1981.The last clue is the tax stamp. Well, there are no tax stamps on this bottle, but looking at pictures of older Crown Royal bottles I saw examples which had two tax stamps crisscrossed over the screw top. Looking at this bottle, I can see adhesive residue on the neck in four spots where tax stamps would have been affixed. The use of tax stamps on liquor bottles was discontinued in 1985.That means this bottle dates to somewhere between 1980 and 1985, and that makes it interesting for two reasons. First, the early 1980’s were the peak of the whisky glut. The industry overproduced in the 1970’s as sales were falling and they went into the next decade with way too much inventory. That meant that the whisky going into the bottles got older (older than their age statements, or older than they had traditionally been), without prices going up. Second, Crown Royal was still being produced at their Waterloo, Ontario distillery which was lost to fire in 1992. That was in addition to the Gimli, Manitoba plant which continues to operate today.color – The same golden amber, but a few shades darker.nose – Sharp. A bit of a chemical-like quality, but there are some more respectable notes behind that (baking pies, subtle middle eastern spices).palate – More weight. Darker in character. Spiced baked goods (apple pie crust with cinnamon), just enough fruity sweetness to add balance.finish – Warming and pleasantly spicy, with a tree root-like character to it .
overall – I see a common thread between the two. This one has slightly better continuity and more depth overall.
The Kirkland Signature is only available in the 1.75 liter size, so that is the price listed above. For the Crown Royal, I listed the current standard retail price for a 750 ml bottle. The large format Crown bottles run about $46, making the Kirkland Signature a tremendous value. I’ll try to follow up in a few weeks with a recent bottle of Crown Royal to see how it compares.
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One bottle with a black label and another bottle with an ornate bottle in a velvety bag. Drinkers of one are more likely to mix with cola and watch football or Nascar. Drinkers of the other are likely to have a neat pour while cheering on their favorite hockey team.
Are these two groups of drinkers actually so different? Above are the stereotypes of the typical Jack Daniel’s and Crown Royal drinkers but they are actually both enjoyed by many types of consumers around the globe.
The thing they have in common is a love of Whiskey or is it Whisky?
Jack Daniel vs Crown Royal
Jack Daniel’s vs Crown Royal? There are some obvious differences like the country of origin, product line, and history. Beyond that they are both some form of Whiskey, right? Are they that different?
We’ll help you decipher anything and everything you would ever want to know about Jack Daniel’s and Crown Royal.
Crown Royal is a blended Canadian Whisky that was born in 1939 thanks to a visit from royalty. Samuel Bronfman, the founder of Crown Royal, came up with the iconic spirit, fancy bottle, and regal purple velvet bag as a gift for Queen Elizabeth and King George VI.
Crown Royal uses Canadian grains in its production and blends the aged whisky from barrels. The result is an exceptionally sweet and smooth drinking experience.
For the first few decades, Crown Royal was only available in Canada but they went worldwide in the 1960s. Crown Royal is still produced in Canada but has been acquired by the British beverage company Diageo.
Jack Daniel’s was launched in Tennessee in 1875 by a guy named Jack Daniel. Jack learned the art of distilling from a moonshiner and took that knowledge and started his own distillery.
There have been some ups and downs in the years since 1875 but ultimately Jack Daniel’s brand has endured and prospered. Some notable ups and downs are a Gold Medal for finest Whiskey at the 1904 World’s Fair and the temperance movement and prohibition posing a major threat.
Jack Daniel’s has a warm, sweet, and smoky taste that works well mixed with cola or in other cocktails. Jack Daniel’s is still made in Tennessee but has since been taken over by the Kentucky-based spirit company Brown-Forman.
How Are They Made?
Both Jack Daniel’s and Crown Royal are in the Whiskey family so their production has some elements in common but also some distinctions.
Whiskey (or Whisky as it’s spelled in Scotland, Japan, and Canada) is a distilled alcohol made from grain and aged in wooden barrels.
The process of making Jack Daniel’s starts by creating a mash out of grains, yeast, and water. The mixture is heated and then given time to ferment. Jack Daniel’s is a sour mash which means that some spent mash from a previous batch is also added to the new mash.
Once ready the soon-to-be Whiskey is distilled in copper stills and sent to be filtered through sugar maple charcoal. This process, called mellowing, is unique to Jack Daniel’s and adds to its distinct taste.
Once properly mellowed the liquid rests in oak barrels for a minimum of four years before being bottled and shipped off.
The process to make Crown Royal may now sound familiar. The major differences are the removal of the mellowing step and the use of some blending techniques at the end.
The Crown Royal grain bill is combined with water and yeast, heated, and fermented. After fermentation, the mixture is distilled and then added to charred oak barrels.
The Whisky is aged for at least three years and then the master blender gets their hands on it. The blender takes Whisky from multiple barrels and blends them until perfect smoothness is achieved.
What Are They Made Of?
Crown Royal is made with barley, corn, and rye grains all from Canada. They also have some flavored variants that use apple, vanilla, peach, or caramel flavoring. Depending on the version the Whisky is aged in charred oak barrels, Cognac casks, or Wine barrels.
Jack Daniel’s uses 80% corn, 8% barley, and 12% rye in the mash bill. They make their own charcoal out of sugar maple for mellowing.
Jack Daniel’s also makes their own toasted and charred oak barrels. Some variants also contain apple, honey, or cinnamon flavors.
How Are They Similar?
Jack Daniel’s and Crown Royal have a lot in common. They are both similar but different types of Whiskey. One is a blended Whisky and the other is a Tennessee Whiskey (that is very similar to Bourbon).
They are both made with corn, rye, and barley. They are aged in charred oak barrels and they each also offer some flavored variants.
Price, Size, Color, Alcohol Percentage Comparison
The original Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey is very affordable. Once you start getting into the limited edition products the price will start going up based on more aging, special barrels, and single barrels.
Jack Daniel’s offers a range of sizes from 50 ml single-serve to much larger bottles. The most common sizes are 375 ml, 750 ml, and 1.75 L. All varieties of Jack are some version of a golden brown that ranges from light amber to dark copper.
Jack Daniel’s is a high-proof spirit at 80 Proof. The rest of Jack Daniel’s collection ranges from 70 Proof to 148 Proof for some of the special releases.
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and Non-Flavored variants:
- Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey – 80 Proof
- Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye – 90 Proof
- Gentleman Jack – Double Mellowed – 80 Proof
- Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel
- Single Barrel Select – 94 Proof
- Single Barrel Barrel Proof – 90 Proof
- Single Barrel Rye – 90 Proof
- Jack Daniel’s Flavored variants – Tennessee Apple, Tennessee Honey, and Tennessee Fire
- 70 Proof
Crown Royal also has an extensive product line with some low-priced bottles and some high prices once you enter the old and rare part of the collection.
The size, color, and strength of Crown Royal also closely follow the pattern seen in Jack Daniel’s line. The original Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whisky is 80 Proof, the flavored varieties are 70 Proof, and a few variants go up to 90 Proof.
The Crown Royal product line is broken up into the Signature Series, Flavor Series, and Master Series.
Signature Series
- Crown Royal Deluxe Blended Canadian Whisky
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye – 90 Proof
- Crown Royal Black – 90 Proof
- Crown Royal Blender’s Mash
Flavor Series – Apple, Peach, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel
Master Series – Top Shelf Collection
- Crown Royal Aged 18 Years Extra Rare Blended Canadian Whisky
- Crown Royal XR Extra Rare Blended Canadian Whisky
- Royal Crown Reserve Canadian Whisky
How to Drink?
Both Crown Royal and Jack Daniel’s are very versatile. They can be sipped neat or on the rocks, mixed with cola, or mixed into a more complex cocktail. Here are a couple of outstanding cocktails to try out:
Royal Crown Manhattan
- 1 oz Crown Royal
- ½ oz Sweet Vermouth
- 3 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
- Orange Twist (for Garnish)
Stir all liquid ingredients, strain into a glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
Jack Old Fashioned
- 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Old No.7
- ½ oz Simple Syrup
- 2 Dashes Bitters
- Orange & Cherry (for Garnish)
Fill a rocks glass with ice, pour in the Jack Daniel’s, add the simple syrup and bitters and stir. Garnish with an orange twist and cherry.
Alternatives
A fine alternative to Jack Daniel’s is George Dickel Tennessee Rye Whiskey which is another Tennessee Whiskey. A couple of other options are Bourbons like Evan Williams and Jim Beam.
There are quite a few other Blended Canadian Whisky brands out there although you could argue most are not at the level of Royal Crown. Some excellent but lower-priced alternatives are Seagram’s VO Canadian Whisky and Black Velvet.
Jack Daniel’s vs Crown Royal FAQs
Which came first?
Jack Daniel’s has been around since the late 1800s which is a few decades before Crown Royal in 1939.
Which is more popular?
Both are very popular but Jack Daniel’s has the edge for bottles sold.
Which is stronger?
Some rare versions of Jack Daniel’s are very strong but otherwise, both brands are similar in strength.