Canadian whisky brand Crown Royal has released a new flavor expression, Crown Royal Vanilla. The Diageo brand celebrated the line extension with launch party on Oct. 5 at The London Penthouse in New York featuring Crown Royal national brand ambassador Stephen Wilson and actor/comedian J.B. Smoove (shown above).
Smoove, of Saturday Night Live and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, stars in a series of Crown Royal Vanilla commercials that premiered the following week. The product launch will be supported through an integrated marketing campaign featuring the tagline, “Vanilla So Good.”
Vanilla Spice Punch
Wilson and Smoove and led attendees in a tasting of the new product. Several specialty cocktails were served as well, including Vanilla Spice Punch, with Crown Royal Vanilla, apple cinnamon tea, demerara syrup, fresh lemon juice, pear juice, Angostura bitters and grated nutmeg, and a Vanilla Old Fashioned, with Crown Royal, simple syrup, Angostura and orange bitters and an orange peel twist. A shot of the vanilla whisky offered with a pumpkin ale made for a seasonal, flavorful twist on a Boilermaker.
The 70-proof, 35% product is blend of Crown Royal whiskies is infused with Madagascar bourbon vanilla flavors. Wilson said that the Crown Royal distillers and blenders were proud of the final result, and that reaction to the vanilla whisky so far has been “off the charts.” Crown Royal Vanilla, a Diageo brand, joins the whisky’s Maple, Honey and Regal Apple flavors and retails for $24.99 for a 750-ml. bottle.
