Crown Royal is the best-selling Canadian whisky brand in the world, and this is partly because most of their main expressions are relatively cheap. However, there are also some Crown Royal whiskies that are actually very high priced. Here’s a list of the ten most expensive Crown Royal whiskies – so far.
1. Crown Royal XO & Crown Royal Reserve – $50
As mentioned, most of the main Crown Royal expressions are relatively cheap, however, two of them are more expensive than the others. The following table shows the approximate prices of the main Crown Royal whiskies:
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Crown Royal Deluxe | $31 |
| Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye | $33 |
| Crown Royal Black | $33 |
| Crown Royal Blenders’ Mash | $32 |
| Crown Royal XO | $50 |
| Crown Royal Reserve | $50 |
As you can see, while most of the main Crown Royal whiskies are around $30, both the Crown Royal XO and the Crown Royal Reserve, at $50, are somewhat more expensive.
Of course, they’re both worth the extra expense. The Crown Royal XO is Crown Royal whisky finished in cognac casks, which give it more complexity and smoothness. And the Crown Royal Reserve is blended from their best whiskies (less than 1% of them) that have been aged for longer.
You can buy a bottle of Crown Royal XO at TIPXY.com here
and a bottle of Crown Royal Reserve at Saucey.com here.
2. Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel – $389.99
Usually, Crown Royal whiskies are a blend of over 50 of their whiskies from different barrels. However, as the name suggests, the Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel, comes from only one.
And the one whisky this expression is made from is their most famous – the whisky that’s at the heart of the Crown Royal blends – the Coffey Rye (so called because Canadians call whisky rye – not because it’s made from rye, and because it’s distilled in a Coffey or column still).
It’s bottled straight from one of several of their best barrels that were set aside to make a limited supply of this whisky, at 103 proof or 51.5%ABV – so it’s substantially more potent than most of the brand’s other expressions which are usually 40%ABV.
No wonder it can cost $389.99 – although you can buy it for less at Saucey.com, here.
3. Crown Royal Noble Collection French Oak – $599
The Crown Royal Noble Collection is a series of limited annual releases that celebrate the skilled craftsmanship of the Crown Royal master blender. The French Oak Cask Finished is the second in the series and it’s the Crown Royal Deluxe whisky finished in French Oak barrels for extra complexity.
All of the whiskies in the Noble Collection are sold at various prices, the range of which can extend well into the hundreds of dollars, but – so far, the French Oak Cask Finished has the highest range, reaching $599.99. Once again, you can buy it for less at Saucey.com, here.
4. Crown Royal 18 Years Extra Rare – $599.99
The Crown Royal 18 Year Old Extra Rare is a blend of three of Crown Royal’s rarest and most exceptional whiskies, each of which were aged individually in a combination of new, charred, American Oak barrels and used, American Oak barrels for at least 18 years, before being blended into the final product.
This is another limited Crown Royal whisky so it’s going to be expensive. And while it’s certainly possible to find one for cheaper if you look hard enough (for example at TIPXY.com, here), some bottles of the 18 Year Old Extra Rare are being sold for as much as $599.99.
5. Crown Royal Deluxe Bottled in 1970 – $619.99
As mentioned above, a bottle of Crown Royal Deluxe is relatively cheap and will cost you around $30. But a bottle of Crown Royal Deluxe that was made in 1970 can (today) cost you almost $600 more. Check it out at thewhiskeyexchange.com, here.
Of course, being an older bottle, the seal has probably deteriorated and let air get to the whisky causing it to oxidize. This means that if you do ever decide to buy a Crown Royal Deluxe whisky that was bottled in 1970, it’s probably best that you don’t drink it.
6. Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary – $999.99
Crown Royal was first created in 1939 when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth became the first reigning monarchs to visit Canada, which they travelled across by train. This led Samuel Bronfman to make a whisky fit for royalty, which he placed in a cut-glass decanter and regal purple bag with gold stitching.
He presented the first edition of Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whisky to the King and Queen, and although it’s not clear whether they liked it or not, what is clear is that the train they were travelling across Canada on, was stocked with ten cases of it.
In 2014 the Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary was created to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the 1939 royal visit that inspired the brand’s creation.
The most expensive price for a bottle of the Monarch 75th Anniversary is $999.99, although you can buy it for less at Saucey.com, here.
7. Crown Royal XR Blue LaSalle Edition – $1,299.99
There are a few Crown Royal XR Extra Rare Editions, but the common denominator between them is that they’re a blend of Crown Royal’s rarest whiskies – hence the XR Extra Rare in the name.
What’s special about the XR Blue LaSalle Edition is that the rare whiskies include one of the final batches of whiskies from the renowned LaSalle distillery – the first distillery opened by the Bronfman family (who created the Crown Royal brand) which closed in 2003. That means this is a true one-off, unrepeatable bottling.
The bottle comes in a luxurious deep blue box and a soft blue case. And while you might be able to buy one of the remaining bottles for cheaper (check out all the prices at wine-searcher.com, here), the most expensive price it sells for is $1,299.99.
8. Crown Royal Cask No 16 – $1,999.99
The Crown Royal Cask No 16 is a special edition that’s now discontinued. Like the Crown Royal Deluxe it’s made from the usual blend of fifty Canadian whiskies, but it’s finished in casks made from Limousin Oak that were previously used to age Cognac. This unique barrel finishing imparts notes of vanilla and stone fruit, which complements the standard Crown Royal spicy flavor profile.
Once again, you might be able to buy one of the remaining bottles for less (once again, check out all the prices at wine-searcher.com, here), but the most expensive price it sells for is $1,999.99.
9. Crown Royal XR Red Waterloo Edition – $3,204.99
The Crown Royal XR Red Waterloo Edition was actually the first of the Extra Rare Editions that’s now one of their rarest bottles and very hard to find. It was made using the last batch of rare whiskies distilled at the famous Waterloo Distillery – a distillery which the Bronfman family took control of in 1928. Fire destroyed much of the distilling complex in 1993, which is why this whisky is another true one-off, unrepeatable bottling.
When this whisky was first released in 2006 it only cost about $130. Now a bottle costs at least $1,000 – although the most expensive it sells for is $3,204.99. Check out all its prices at wine-searcher.com, here.
10. Crown Royal Extra Rare Heritage Blend – $10,000
To commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s visit to the Kentucky Derby in 2007, Crown Royal bottled what was left from the barrels they used to create a 1939 (the year the brand was created) blend. Louisville Glassworks made a special bottle with gold lettering and the whisky was given to the Queen as a gift.
Since the Crown Royal Extra Rare Heritage Blend was a personal, one-of-a-kind gift to the Queen, it’s unlikely to ever be sold, so we’ll never know how much it could fetch at auction. However, some have valued it as being worth $10,000.
