Crown Royal Noble Collection 16 Year Rye Review

About – “The fifth expression in the Noble Collection is a rare stock of our Canadian Rye crafted from 90% rye mash whisky. Carefully aged in charred American white oak barrels for no less than 16 years. The aging process intensifies the complexity while also mellowing the finish. This remarkably smooth and layered whisky is hand selected from our reserve stock, revealing its noble roots with every sip.” This 16 year rye is bottled at 90 proof and is available nationally for around $55.

Nose – Soft, sweet stone fruits and vanilla are followed by the typical spearmint that you get from high rye mashbills. There is a bit of spice that lingers in the nose beyond that.

Palate – A big splash of juicy fruit greets you on the palate. A really solid and well developed oak structure is there backing everything up. The rye spice picks up as it hangs around on the palate leading into a medium finish that shifts from rye spice to oak and spearmint.

Score – A

Verdict – This is just a phenomenal rye. The juicy fruit splash on the front end just makes me happy. This is one instance where a whiskey being proofed down doesn’t come across as a negative. If there is anything negative to say, it doesn’t have a huge level of complexity. That being said, the flavors here are outstanding and come across in a big way. If you told me this was from Crown Royal there is no way I would believe it. I highly recommend putting your Crown bias aside and picking up a bottle of this stuff while it is still around.