Crown Royal Reserve Receives a Dapper New Look

Crown Royal re-launches special reserve brand with new name, elegant new appearance.

03/10/08 Diageo, the makers of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky, America's number one selling super-premium whisky brand, has re-launched its Crown Royal Special  Reserve whisky as Crown Royal Reserve. Along with the name change, the spirits leader is elevating the appeal to whisky lovers with an all-new gold-foil embossed premium packaging design. While the name and packaging have changed, Crown Royal Reserve is the same rich combination of fine whiskies as the previously named Special Reserve, each individually selected by Master Blender Andrew MacKay.

"My signature appears on every package of Crown Royal Reserve, symbolizing the personal pride I have for this special blend," said Andrew MacKay, Master Blender, Crown Royal. "I've personally scrutinized and handpicked the whiskies and barrels that go into making Reserve, and I consider this a genuine labor of love."

Not only are the whiskies chosen by MacKay, but less than 1% of the Crown Royal whisky stocks are selected to provide the body and taste needed for achieving the exceptional depth of character and unique taste of the final product. The rye whisky in Crown Royal Reserve gives it sharper clove and cinnamon top notes than other Crown Royal blends. As with all Crown Royal whiskies, Crown Royal Reserve is about quality, not quantity. The distinct flavor can be enjoyed responsibly as a classic brown-spirit cocktail or its own over ice.

"Though the new Crown Royal Reserve has the same outstanding blend that our consumers have always enjoyed, the new look and feel honors the precise attention that is put into these carefully aged whiskies," said Ami-Lynn Bakshi, vice president, Crown Royal.

The Crown Royal Reserve bottle is adorned in a faceted 750ml decanter-style bottle, presented in a micro-suede gold bag that is enclosed in a gold-foil  embossed package. The purple interior also includes a personalized message from MacKay. This variant has a suggested retail price of $45.00.

Crown Royal Reserve is part of a whisky group of uncompromised quality that includes Crown Royal Deluxe, Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and Crown Royal XR. The re-launch of Reserve is the third consecutive year the brand has enhanced its portfolio. Last fall, Crown Royal Cask No. 16 was released, offering a sublime meeting of two noble spirits -- Crown Royal and cognac.

Made with over 50 blended and individually aged whiskies in cognac barrels made of fine oak from France, the result is a perfect balance of the grain characters of whisky and the fruity oakiness found in Cognac. In 2006, Crown Royal XR was launched, which is a limited-release blend of Crown Royal made from the last remaining whiskies from the Waterloo distillery that burned down in 1993.