The Crown Royal Capture The Crown expedition continues. Our first day treated us to a grand tasting of Crown Royal’s different Whisky variants paired with a delicious dinner. Day two was even more eventful with the kickoff to the #CaptureTheCrown scavenger hunt, a visit to the historic Crown Royal Brickyard 400 and an overtop dinner reception to this year’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” campaign winner Jeff Kyle.

In the morning the entire crew was whisked away to the Crown Royal Brickyard 400 raceway. We were greeted with a buffet breakfast spread. But that was just the start.

Also on site was a Crown Royal VIP stagecoach that served as a great suite for all the guests to hang out and enjoy more cocktails. We stayed with our favorite selection which is the Crown Royal Northern Rye on the rocks.

At that point we were formally introduced to Jeff Kyle. Even though he was very humble about the award, there was a mystique about him that could not be missed.

We also got our credentials to tour the facility right before the actual scavenger hunt began which involved several trivia questions, picture hunting and other cool tasks all related to the Crown Royal brand.

Things got kicked up when were treated to get a test drive in an Crown Royal branded Impala pace care. This beauty moved fast but the ride was so smooth.

From there we saw the sites throughout the facility which included several commemorative vehicles.

Throughout the day we could really feel that this is more than a traditional sponsorship for Crown Royal but more of a true partnership. The Canadian Whisky hosted a meet and greet under the banner of their Heroes Project campaign.

After a day out at the track we were taken back for a dinner reception for Jeff Kyle. Hosted at Forty Five Degrees, we were treated to what seemed to be a never ending spread of Japanese fusion.

Of course the Crown Royal signature cocktails were in effect. We made sure to enjoy each recipe but I felt that the The King’s Tea was the stand out.

The King’s Tea:

• Crown Royal Deluxe
• Sweet Tea
• Pineapple Juice
• Orange Juice
• Lemonade
• Mint

Combine Crown Royal Deluxe, juices, lemonade and tea in shaker. Add ice. Shake well. Strain into highball glass. Garnish with mint sprigs.

And while the drinks and food were impressive my personal highlight of the evening was when the nominees for the next “Your Hero’s Name Here” award were presented to the crowd.

To hear a bit of each of their individual stories was very inspiring. Kudos to Crown Royal for quarterbacking such an important cause.

After more libations and great conversation we headed back to the hotel to rest up as day 3 awaits.

#CaptureTheCrown

Cheers!