With so much attention paid to Canadian whiskies the last couple years, it was bound to happen. Whisky enthusiast Jim Murray anointed Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye the 2016 World Whisky of the Year for the latest edition of his Whisky Bible.

To be sure, it is a winner. In a year when rye is all the rage again, it sports a high-rye content (90%) that's offset with 10% other matured base whiskies. (Crown Royal produces at least 50 different base whiskies that are blended into their many expressions.)

Produced at Crown Royal's Gimli, Manitoba plant, Northern Harvest Rye doesn't knock you over the head with spicy rye, instead opting for a more balanced but still rye-forward approach. It's beautifully round and easy-drinking, with some tart cherry on the nose that's balanced with dry, buttery notes. Across the palate, it's delicately soft and spicy, with light zing; still very much Crown Royal but somehow elevated—less sweet, and pleasantly spicy, gentle, and warm across the finish.

So—is Northern Harvest Rye the best new whisk(e)y the world produced this year? There's no way to answer that question, obviously, but what CR Northern Harvest Rye does achieve is that rarest of feats: It's a spirit that's as solid for drinking neat as it is for mixing; a strong boxer in a cocktail that punches through with a ton of spicy flavor but is balanced enough to not overpower the drink. Beautiful manhattans, perfect old-fashioneds, definitely easy for taking straight—and for under $30, it's a hard one to beat.