A Canadian Whisky is the Best in the World

The just-released Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye took top spot in the most recent edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

Crown Royal drives me a little nuts. Like everyone else, I grew up using one of their iconic purple velvet sacks to house my marbles and Hot Wheels collection, and their core expression Canadian Whisky should occupy a place in whatever Canada’s version of the Smithsonian is. And it’s not just nostalgia either—at $24, the “standard” Crown Royal is hands down one of the best values for any whisky in any country (try plunking down $24 for a bottle of Scotch and see what sort of monstrosity you’re rewarded with). But no brand can survive with just one bottling, so in recent years there’s been a tonne of different expressions and they’ve ranged from the sublime—the $59 XO, the $28.50 Black—to ones I’d like forget (the $26.50 Crown Royal Apple springs to mind as does the too sweet $26.50 Maple).So when they recently released the Northern Expression Rye, I didn’t exactly to take the day off work to go grab a bottle, but maybe I should have. It’s just been named the world’s top whisky by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, which is well, like the bible for whisky drinkers. It’s the first time a Canadian whisky has won (past winners include 2015 Yamazaki Sherry Cask, 2014 Glenmorangie Ealanta, 2013 Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye) and it puts it immediately in the class of must-have bottles. And it’s $30—for now.To be frank, I’m heading out shortly to snag a few bottles, and you should do the same.