Country: USA
Brand:
Seagram’s Seven Crown
Type:
Blended American Whiskey
Age:
NAS (Probably 3-4 years)
Alcohol:
40%
Colour:
Golden
Nose:
The harsh Alcohol does not come as a surprise anymore. Almost all young (grain)
whiskies suffer from that. It’s difficult to get anything else at first. In
this case unfortunately there hardly is
anything of importance in the first place. After a while I get some (Charred) Wood, Vanilla,
Rubber, Paint Thinner, Margarine, Maple Syrup and cheap Sweet Apricot Marmalade.
You will have to Nose this dram from various angles, not forgetting the edge of
the glass. In the middle of the glass you will mostly get young Wood and harsh
Alcohol.
Taste:
Thin and Sugary Sweet with an immediate Alcohol Attack. It tastes more like
rubbing Alcohol or cheap Gin than Whiskey. In the background some toast with
Margarine and the Apricot Marmalade from the Nose.
Finish:
Harsh, Sugary Sweet and not at all pleasant. Thank God it’s very short!
I
added a couple of drops of Water and that helps suppressing the harsh Alcohol.
The Apricot and Margarine become a bit more present. The Nose certainly
benefits from a few drops. On the Palate it all mellows down a bit as well. The
Finish remains non-existent and off-putting. If you must drink this neat, than
I advise you to add a few drops of water.
Rating: 68
Nose: 18 – Taste: 17 – Finish: 16 – Overall: 17
General
Remarks: Seagram’s Seven Crown was originally a Canadian Whisky Brand that was very popular all around the world in the late Sixties and Seventies until Vodka
and Rum took over. The American Soldiers in Vietnam mixed it with Seven-Up and
called it 7&7. Seagram’s beverage division was bought in 2000 by Diageo,
Pernod-Ricard and Coca Cola. Today, the Seven Crown or Seven as it’s also called is blended and bottled by the Seven Crown Distilling Company, Norwalk
(CT), part of the Diageo Group. It’s a Blend of American Whiskeys, a spirit
produced by law in the USA from a fermented mash of Cereal Grain(s). The
whiskies used in this Blend aged in new – and used charred White Oak Barrels.
Oh yes, it costs around US$ 13 a bottle and the name Seven Crown refers to the seven crowns on the label!
Drinking
Experience Neat: Below Average
Conclusion:
Although the Nose is not really horrible once you are able to trick out the wafts
of Alcohol, this whiskey is not good enough to drink neat. It does not provide any
pleasure whatsoever. The American soldiers in Vietnam were right about this
stuff. The only thing sensible to do is to drown it in 7-Up. Or something like
that!
Jan
van den Ende October 11, 2012
My experience with whiskycocktails is: the better the whisky, the better the Mix! Usually I prefere to drink my malt neat. But a few years ago, I commited a whisky-crime: I poured an dram of an 1989 Bowmore into my glas fo Coke and filled it up with a lot of icecubes. I almost felt a little unpleasant, but it was the best Whiskycoke than ever ran dowm my throat.
ReplyDeleteSo I will keep my dram neat in general, but when it must be a Cocktail once a year, then the Malt will definitely be state of the art ;-)
I'm not a fan of cocktails (or even long-drinks) myself. I do like the occasional Caipirinha! But you are right of course.If you want to make a good cocktail, you have to start with good ingredients.
ReplyDelete7&7 is just wonderful. Seagrams 7 was never meant to be consumed "neat"
ReplyDeleteHi there, thanks for commenting. Would be nice if you leave your name next time around. If you love 7&7 in your mixes that's perfectly fine. Your opinion is as good as mine. Still I believe that standard Bourbons or Whiskey are better options if you like to mix! Cheers!
DeleteJan
Hi there, thanks! I'm afraid I don't know the answer as well. Sorry!Cheers, Jan.
ReplyDelete