Crown Royal Golden Apple 23 Year 750ML

Crown Royal Golden Apple 23 Year 750ML is a 40% ABV flavored Canadian whisky built on a blend of 23-year-aged whiskies finished with the essence of Golden Delicious apples. It stands apart as one of the oldest age-stated flavored whiskies commercially available, a category where most expressions rely on base spirits aged only a few years.

Quick Facts: ABV: 40% (80 Proof)  |  Origin: Manitoba, Canada  |  Age Statement: 23 Years  |  Distillery: Crown Royal

Production & Heritage

Crown Royal, Canada's best-known whisky brand, was originally created in 1939 to commemorate the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada. The Golden Apple 23 Year expression draws from a selection of rare, long-aged whiskies from Crown Royal's storied distillery operations in Gimli, Manitoba. After blending these mature stocks—each aged a minimum of 23 years—the liquid is finished with the flavor profile of Golden Delicious apples, creating an unusual intersection of premium aged whisky and fruit-forward character. The exact mashbill remains undisclosed, consistent with Crown Royal's broader portfolio.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Bright green apple leads immediately, followed by layers of caramel and light oak. Subtle baking spice—cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg—rounds out the nose.

Taste: The palate opens smooth and rich, with baked golden apple and creamy vanilla at the entry. Toasted oak and light cinnamon-nutmeg warmth develop through the mid-palate. A soft sweetness reminiscent of maple syrup and brown sugar fills out the back end without veering into cloying territory.

Finish: Medium to long, with apple peel and warm oak lingering alongside gentle spice. Residual notes of caramel and baking spice slowly fade into a soft, sweet close.

How to Drink Golden Apple 23 Year

Given the 23-year age statement, tasting neat or over a single large ice cube lets the interplay between mature oak and apple character speak most clearly. A few drops of water can open up additional caramel sweetness.

Apple Old Fashioned: The built-in apple note replaces flavored syrups while the aged complexity adds depth a standard flavored whisky cannot deliver. Whisky Sour: Lemon juice and simple syrup balance the residual sweetness, with the apple coming through as a complementary accent. Highball: Sparkling water or ginger ale stretches the apple and spice notes into a refreshing long drink suitable for warm-weather sipping.

Best For

• Gifting a whisky collector who values unusual age-stated releases
• Side-by-side tasting with Crown Royal Regal Apple to explore how age transforms a flavored whisky
• After-dinner sipping as a dessert-course alternative
• Adding a conversation piece to a home bar with a curated limited-release shelf

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Golden Apple 23 Year taste like? It delivers baked Golden Delicious apple and creamy vanilla over a foundation of toasted oak, light cinnamon-nutmeg spice, and soft maple sweetness. The 23-year maturation gives it noticeably more oak depth than typical flavored whiskies.

How does Golden Apple 23 Year compare to Crown Royal Regal Apple? Regal Apple uses a younger, lighter base whisky and leans heavily on bright green-apple sweetness, while the Golden Apple 23 Year builds its apple character on top of a significantly more mature, oak-driven blend. The 23-year expression is considerably more expensive and positioned as a limited premium release, whereas Regal Apple sits in the everyday-drinking tier.

Is Golden Apple 23 Year good for sipping neat? Yes—the 23 years of maturation provide enough oak structure and complexity to reward neat sipping, though the apple flavoring means it drinks quite differently from a traditional aged Canadian whisky.

Where is Golden Apple 23 Year made? It is produced by Crown Royal at their distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, situated on the shores of Lake Winnipeg—one of the largest whisky production facilities in North America.

What foods pair well with Golden Apple 23 Year? Aged cheddar, where the sharpness contrasts the apple sweetness; pork tenderloin with an apple glaze, which echoes the core fruit note; pecan pie, whose toasty nut character mirrors the oak; crème brûlée, complementing the caramel and vanilla; and blue cheese, whose salt and funk balance the residual sweetness.

What sizes does Golden Apple 23 Year come in? Golden Apple 23 Year is available in the standard 750ml bottle size.

Is Golden Apple 23 Year worth the price? It positions firmly in the ultra-premium tier for flavored whisky, priced far above standard flavored expressions due to the 23-year age statement. Value depends largely on whether a drinker prizes the novelty of significant age in a flavored category—traditional whisky purists may find the apple addition divisive, while collectors of rare Crown Royal releases will appreciate the uniqueness of the offering.

Why Golden Apple 23 Year?

The central argument for this whisky is simple: nothing else in the flavored whisky category carries a 23-year age statement. That alone makes it a genuine outlier. The lengthy maturation delivers a noticeable oak backbone and spice complexity that separates it from the dozens of apple-flavored whiskies built on young, neutral-leaning spirits. Whether that marriage of aged whisky and fruit flavoring works for every palate is a matter of personal taste—Drinkhacker rated it a C+, reflecting the polarizing nature of the concept—but as a category experiment backed by genuinely old stock, Golden Apple 23 Year occupies a lane entirely its own.