Sixty Joyless De-Britished Uncrowned Commonpoor Years (1949-2009)

Elizabeth II Vice-Regal Saint: Remembering Paul Comtois (1895–1966), Lt.-Governor of Québec
Britannic Inheritance: Britain's proud legacy. What legacy will America leave?
English Debate: Daniel Hannan revels in making mince meat of Gordon Brown
Crazy Canucks: British MP banned from Canada on national security grounds
Happy St. Patrick's: Will Ireland ever return to the Commonwealth?
Voyage Through the Commonwealth: World cruise around the faded bits of pink.
No Queen for the Green: The Green Party of Canada votes to dispense with monarchy.
"Sir Edward Kennedy": The Queen has awarded the senator an honorary Knighthood.
President Obama: Hates Britain, but is keen to meet the Queen?
The Princess Royal: Princess Anne "outstanding" in Australia.
H.M.S. Victory: In 1744, 1000 sailors went down with a cargo of gold.
Queen's Commonwealth: Britain is letting the Commonwealth die.
Justice Kirby: His support for monarchy almost lost him appointment to High Court
Royal Military Academy: Sandhurst abolishes the Apostles' Creed.
Air Marshal Alec Maisner, R.I.P. Half Polish, half German and 100% British.
Cherie Blair: Not a vain, self regarding, shallow thinking viper after all.
Harry Potter: Celebrated rich kid thinks the Royals should not be celebrated
The Royal Jelly: A new king has been coronated, and his subjects are in a merry mood
Victoria Cross: Australian TROOPER MARK DONALDSON awarded the VC
Godless Buses: Royal Navy veteran, Ron Heather, refuses to drive his bus
Labour's Class War: To expunge those with the slightest pretensions to gentility
100 Top English Novels of All Time: The Essential Fictional Library
BIG BEN: Celebrating 150 Years of the Clock Tower

Friday 30 November 2007

Crown Royal

I'm about to head over to the Booze Emporium for some Crown Royal blended Canadian whisky (40% alcohol, 80 proof). I know the owner of this blog is loathe to have any corporate advertising pollute this space, but given the Crown and Royal in this particular product, perhaps he will permit me this one liberty.

The production of "Crown Royal" took off as a marketing sensation in 1939 coincident with the first Royal Tour of Canada by reigning monarchs King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. To mark this historic occasion, Samuel Bronfman, President of the Seagram Company, decided to create a quality whisky to be packaged in a crown-shaped bottle and dressed in a distinctive royal purple bag. Like the packaging, the name chosen for the product was intended to reflect the spirit of the age, a marketing concept that quickly caught consumer attention. Crown Royal became the number one selling Canadian whisky in North America.

Canada's Seagram was able to consolidate its position as the number one alcohol distribution company in North America thanks to American prohibition in the 1930s. But sadly, under Samuel Bronfman Jr. the family jewels went bust in Seagram's disasterous merger with Viacom in 2000, a move that soon enough saw Seagram get plundered for all its considerable worth. So much for the family business. For what it's worth, Seagram is dead, but its Crown Royal lives.

6 comments:

Kipling said...

It's beautiful.

Lord Best said...

I'm more of a cognac man myself, but that does look rather good.

The Monarchist said...

My Lord Tweedsmuir, how right you are that I am loathe to have those hoary google ads pollute this space. How wrong you are that I would be the least bit perturbed about Crown Royal though. Especially the melt in your mouth magnificence of this little promotion. I think you sold a couple of bottles tonight.

Anonymous said...

Vile stuff. Pass my my Edradour 10 year old now. I need to get the phantom taste out of my mouth.

Don

Shaftesbury said...

Despite my nationalist predilection, I am not a big fan of the stuff. Not much of a rye man, I'm afraid. Give me Glenmorangie any day ...

Anonymous said...

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les aristocrates on les pendra!
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