Crown Royal Single Malt

This bottle is listed as Single Malt from Crown Royal, with Massachusetts, United States given as its origin. The listing doesn't give an age, ABV, cask type or official tasting notes, so what follows describes what single malt whiskey typically offers and how to get the most from it. Check the label for the specifics. Single malt means a spirit made from malted barley at one distillery. Styles like this usually lead with cereal and biscuit notes from the malt, then add vanilla, toasted oak and a baking-spice finish from cask maturation. Expect a fuller, rounder body than a blended whiskey, and sweetness that reads as honey, caramel or dried fruit rather than sugar. Smoke is only present if the malt was peated, and the listing doesn't say that it was. Pour the first measure neat and give it a minute in the glass. A Glencairn is the best vessel for this, because the tapered bowl gathers the aromas of malt, oak and fruit. Then add a few drops of room-temperature water, which often loosens the aroma and softens the alcohol edge. If you'd rather sip it slowly over time, use a rocks glass with one large cube. The cold will tighten the sweetness and dull some of the finer aromatics, so ice is a matter of preference more than a requirement. In cocktails, a malt-forward whiskey works well in an Old Fashioned, where a sugar cube, two dashes of Angostura and an orange peel complement the grain and oak without covering them. A Manhattan with sweet vermouth gives a softer, rounder result than the usual rye version. For a long drink, a highball of two ounces of whiskey over ice, topped with cold soda water and a lemon twist, keeps the malt character light and easy to drink. A Whiskey Sour with fresh lemon and a little egg white also works, though a bottle like this is better suited to the simpler drinks. For food, try it alongside aged cheddar, roasted nuts or dark chocolate.