Crown Royal is a Canadian Whisky that was started in 1939. The XO is their newest addition to a venerable lineup. Made from a blend of roughly 50 different whiskies, this blend is finished in Limousin Oak Cognac casks. While there’s no word on where the cognac barrels used to finish this release come from (or how long the whisky spends in those barrels), our best guess is that they come from Hennessy, which Diageo has a distribution relationship with. Dark amber in color, Crown Royal XO has clearly picked up some additional color from its time in cognac barrels. The nose on the XO has many of the traditional Crown Royal aromas including caramel, vanilla (which is a little more shortbread cookie here), and oak, but the oak notes are much deeper and stronger.