Crown Royal not so special anymore

The word "special" has been removed from the Crown Royal Special Reserve brand.

However, owner Diageo says the recipe for the top-selling Canadian whisky in the world has not been modified. Only the name and the packaging, as part of a new marketing push.

"While the name and packaging have changed, Crown Royal Reserve is the same rich combination of fine whiskies as the previously named Special Reserve, each individually selected by Master Blender Andrew MacKay," Diageo said in a statement.

Crown Royal Reserve, one of the biggest selling premium whiskies in the US, is made with more than 50 blended and individually aged whiskies in French Cognac barrels, Diageo said. It has a suggested retail price of $45.

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Tullamore Dew fills its own gap

Tullamore Dew is shipping 900 cases of a new Irish whiskey label to the U.S. this winter.

The limited-release blend, Tullamore Dew 10 Years Old Reserve, will fit between the standard and 12-year-old versions. The suggested retail price is $35. The existing Dews each go for $23 and $39 each. The new blend uses a mix of pot-stilled spirits aged in Spanish and American oak casks.

Tullamore Dew dates to 1829, when it was born in west central Ireland, in Tullamore, Count Offaly. The whiskey is now made by Midleton Distillery in County Cork.

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