Crown Royal Cask No 16

Nose: The winey notes on the nose are unmistakable, with a good dollop of oak (maybe a little too much?) - but all in all the entire nose is very subtle, very clean and very pleasant.

Taste: Oh yeah, that characteristic Canadian rye bite is there, but much more subtle than your standard Canadian. The cognac has done a good job of taming the rye.

First you get hit with a fruit-sugar sweetness - followed by the bite. Complexity? Medium, but often complexity is lost in favor of smoothness. And Cask No. 16 is very smooth. Most of the complexity is contained in the finish.

Finish: The rye comes back in a long finish with which turns slightly bitter at the very end. Late finish is very much like cognac or a dry white. Wait a second. What's that? Irish Soda bread!?! Yeah that's it. I get the dryness and sweetness (and occasional raisin) one gets in a bite of Irish Soda Bread. Damn it, I love Irish Soda Bread!

All in all, this is an excellent premium whisky and Crown Royal gets a fair shake from the cognac finish.