Seagram's VO Gold

These days, Bombardier is Quebec's fallen star, a global titan ravaged by mismanagement now a shell of its former self. But before Bombardier, another Quebecois company turned its back on its home and overextended itself to the brink. 

Unlike Bombardier, when distilling megabrand Seagram's began to founder, it didn't eventually catch itself, though the name still graces the shelves of bottle shops around the world. 

The Seagram Company can trace its lineage to 1857, when it was a distillery in Waterloo, Ontario. During American Prohibition, the Montreal-based Distillers Corporation acquired the distillery and used it as a base for a rum running operation, which only led to further success when the American market reopened in the '30s. At the same time, Distillers Corporation, run by Samuel Bronfman, bought the shuttered Greenbriar Distillery in Tennessee, dismantled it, and had it reassembled in LaSalle, Quebec. 

From here, the Seagram brand flourished, growing to hundreds of products that were exported all over the world. Seagram produced Crown Royal and VO, two of the most popular whisky brands on Earth. Even today, rare Crown Royal bottlings made from Waterloo and LaSalle casks fetch hundreds of dollars. 

However, all was not destined to end well. When New York-based heir Edgar Bronfman, Jr took over the family business, he aggresively diversified, investing in oil, entertainment, and myriad other properties. This drove Seagram into debt until, by 2000, the company was being sold off left and right. The beverage division ended up going to conglomerate Diageo. An Indiana-based distillery was sold to MGP, today known as the source of whisky for dozens of American producers large and small. 

Today, Seagram's whiskies are still produced, though not by the Bronfman family. Diageo moved Seagram's brands to the nearby Valleyfield Distillery in Sallaberry-de-Valleyfield, just west of Montreal. The distillery produces a sweet corn distillate and rye distilled elsewhere is blended into Valleyfield's whiskies. 

Seagram's VO  ('Very Own,' likely) produced here remains wildly popular as a cheap mixer, especially in the States. The Gold offering is an extension for VO fans looking for a richer, slightly more upscale blend. So far as I've been able to tell, it's only available as an export, so Canadians will have to travel to the States to find this on the shelf. 

It comes in an attractive bottle with a distinctive ribbon and a statement proclaiming it as the signature blend of Arthur Peterson, veteran Master Blender. A good effort went into making this look like and feel like a premium bottling. All this despite a bargain price, though it would probably be more mid-range if it were sold in tax-mad Canadian bottle shops. It does, notably, carry an 8 year age statement - extremely rare at this price point. It's an interesting mixer in an attractive bottle at an even more attractive price point. It achieves exactly what was intended here and, though it won't win any awards as a sipper, it is the star of many a cocktail. And it offers more than you might expect on its own. Bartenders both at home and professional should be glad the Seagram story continues in whisky form. 

Seagram's VO Gold

40% ABV

USD$18.94 (C$26.80 at time of writing) found at Total Wine and More, Florida

The first whiff of VO Gold brings peach and linalool (Fruit Loop-y) sweetness quite strongly, moving into caramel and a restrained oaky rye spice. There's a little ethanol heat but its not overpowering. Citrus comes through as well, and is that coriander? I dare say the nose suggests a floral London Dry gin (Hayman's, perhaps) as much as rye whisky. It's pleasant, though, and surprisingly complex; a testament to what eight years can do to the sweetness of corn distillate. 

On the palate, sweet, floral tastes lead off. That distinctive coriander is there alongside those sweet double distilled corn notes you'll find in cheaper mixers. Caramel, a little maple, and peach give way to a dry, oaky rye spice with bitter grapefruit rind.

The finish is medium-length and led by oak and bitter grapefruit. Plum and dark fruit follow before a wave of oily, spicy rye washes over all and closes out this surprisingly complex whisky. 

There's no doubt about it, VO is a mixing whisky and it's Gold brother is built from the same stuff. Those who stear clear of sweet whiskies ought avoid this bottle, but it checks all the boxes as a liquid dessert. As sipping whiskies go, there are obviously better out there, but that's not why this whisky exists. It does deserve to be sipped and will reward the drinker who pours it neat, but VO Gold is best as a valuable asset for the cocktailer looking to add more than just vanilla or dry rye spice. The bitter citrus part of this whisky simply begs for a slice of orange and some ice.

Its a sweet whisky, but in the totality of that descriptor. It's longer aging time bequeaths a complexity that makes this a great exploration of corn as a whisky grain, and it's highly demonstrative of the Valleyfield style. For a surprisingly complex bottle that looks great on a bar, at a terrific price, VO Gold is a truly solid choice. 

Heatseeker Score: 84

Category Score: 91

Characteristic: Sweet