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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - DECEMBER 2014
CROWN ROYAL
and caps, before cloaking the final
product in a purple bag to represent
the purple robe of royalty and, fit-
tingly, calling the whisky blend Crown
Royal.”
The whisky was a hit, and word
spread of its excellence. Crown Royal
has made a lasting footprint on Cana-
dian soil. Today, the whiskies blended
into Crown Royal are distilled in
Gimli, Manitoba at a distillery on the
shores of Lake Winnipeg. Crown Royal
is bottled on lines in Amhertsburg,
Ontario and Valleyfield, Quebec. The
original LaSalle Distillery in Quebec
ceased distilling but Crown Royal
warehouses some of its whiskies there,
which is also where its Master Blend-
ers work from. Crown Royal bottles,
labels and purple bags for Crown Roy-
al are also produced in Canada.
QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY
When CIO asked Alistair Kidd,
Senior Brand Manager, Whisky, Dia-
geo Canada, about why the brand has
never wavered in popularity, he said it
is primarily because “it is a consistent
product.”
“
Canadians know when they get
Crown Royal and share it with friends,
they are getting a consistently high
quality product,” he explains. Crown
Royal is made from milled corn, rye
and malted barley, and distilled to the
highest standards, and has edged over
the competition constantly since it was
first made.
Crown Royal whiskies are aged
in both seasoned and new white oak
barrels and selected at their optimum
maturity to create the Crown Royal®
blend.
“
It is such a recognizable brand in
Canada, and we have such a passion-
ate team and customer base who loves
Crown Royal,” Kidd notes. Not only is
the product distinct, but packaging has
contributed to successful marketing
over the years.
“
We have now released our lim-
ited edition but for many years, the
signature purple Crown Royal bag has
made the brand very recognizable.
Canadians have continued to use the
purple bags, and we have engaged
people to find out how they’ve used
them as part of our celebration of 75
years,” he continues.
