Crown Royal Maple Finished...

Crown Royal Maple Finished (%40.0): First things first: I think naming this product as "Crown Royal Maple Finished" aims nothing but purposefully trying to mislead the customer, to trick so to speak. It is not a "finished" whisky as we know in the industry... In other words, the whisky didn't get transferred to a cask which once held maple syrup (like Hudson Maple Cask Rye) or to a cask made by maple staves (like Woodford Reserve Master's Collection). Maybe it is "finished in maple-toasted oak" indeed (whatever that means) like it is written in the press release but this doesn't change the fact that the blend is simply a flavored alcoholic beverage created by adding maple syrup flavoring to Crown Royal whisky. I have to say that it is kinda worrisome that Diageo deliberately trying to blur the truth about what the liquid in the bottle is. Anyways, enough talk for now. Let's pour it and taste... Color: Medium amber, maple syrup (duh...) with nice visible legs around the glass. Nose: Gosh, I don't even have to bring my nose anywhere near to the glass. I can smell it from four feet away... The room is filled right away with intense Aunt Jemima maple syrup aromas. I better wait for the first burst of aromas to fade out and settle a little... After allowing it to air quite some time it lets me to bring my nose closer: Some burnt sugar (in an unpleasant way), fudge&brittle and oozing caramel pudding. Palate: Incredibly sweet... Like a cheap maple syrup forgotten in front of the kitchen window under the sun for the entire summer. Artificial sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pipe tobacco, fudge and caramel toffee drops. It is so sweet, that it dried out everything in my mouth. Finish: The real finish is pretty quick but that artificial sweet taste would last till next morning if I didn't drink a glass of water right after. Overall: Well, I did it again... Every time I try to taste a flavored product I swear to God not to do it ever again but after a few months somehow miraculously I forget what it feels like and here we go... Sorry but definitely not my cup of tea, very very very sweet... The way my fingers got sticky with a few drops spilled is kinda scary actually. Maybe in the hands of a very talented bartender or a baker it can be used for a better purpose but I have to admit it is not possible to drink neat, with ice cubes or with water for me. I couldn't even finish the half of this 5cl bottle.

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