Liquor Review: Seagram’s Seven Crown

     Seagram’s Seven Crown Blended Whiskey is one of the best-known secrets of the liquor community. It’s one of those underground popular liquors and for good reason.  It has all the bark of any other 80-proof whiskey but none of the bite.  This is one unusual whiskey.  Now is that a good or bad thingj?  I’m really not sure, but, I do know a way to find out: a good old fashion BoozeBasher review.

     In 2003, Seven Crown was one of the most recognized whiskeys to order and was the number one-selling US spirit of all time.  Seagram’s 7 is a light and mild whiskey that is easy to mix and easy to order.  There isn’t a bartender in the world that could mess up a drink as simple as a 7 & 7.  There’s not much information on how this whiskey is made, so I won’t even bother with those details; I’ll just get to the important stuff.

     Alone, Seven Crown has a really unpleasant alcohol smell.  It has a charred wood, apricot flavor that wouldn’t be so bad if the taste of the alcohol didn’t quickly overpower it.  The flavor tastes like a weak rubbing alcohol with hints of good whiskey.  Just as quickly as the burning feeling in your mouth appears, it vanishes after swallowing.  The flavor, the burn, everything is gone.  All that is left is a really horrible cotton-mouth feeling and an aftertaste that will make you think you have been chewing styrofoam.  Out of all of the many types of whiskey I have tasted, this is the first (or at least the first that I can remember) that has this horrible burn and run taste.  By now, you should be able to see that this isn’t a stand-alone whiskey like Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam.  Seven Crown seems more fitted for the mixed world.  So mix is what I did.

     When Seven is mixed, the taste is completely different from its solo taste.  My choice for testing the mixabilty of Seagram’s is the obvious one, 7 & 7.  This mix is really simple and really delicious.  It gives the 7up™ a kind of weak whiskey flavor.  It’s just like a sweet, carbonated whiskey, and it tastes great.  When mixed, all 80-proof of this one goes down smoothly.  With all the burning eliminated, you can pick up that whiskey barrel taste.  Unfortunately, it still leaves that cotton-mouth feeling after sipping.  Of course, there is an easy fix for that; just take another taste.

     As for getting you drunk, Seagram’s 7 really lets you down.  It got me to the point where I felt that if I had one more drink, that I would be wasted.  It got me there quickly, but three drinks later, I was still saying, “if  just had one more drink…”  Seagram’s Seven never pushed me past that line into a state of drunkeness that I need at one o’clock in the afternoon on a weekday.  Luckily, I was able to wake up bright and early for the next day of work because the hangover was no worse than drinking the drink itself.  I had a little cotton-mouth that was remedied by simply brushing my teeth.  Seagram’s Seven Crown makes a good lunchtime liquor.  Finally, you have a whiskey to drink at your desk without any of your co-workers being the wiser.

     I found Seagram’s Seven Crown for the low price of $14 for a 750ml bottle, which makes it a good whiskey to buy if you don’t have enough for a better whiskey like Jack.  You can mix this one at work or easily get it deliciously made into a mixed drink at the bar.  It’s probably not going to be your favorite whiskey, but it is something worth drinking.  I’m not going to tell you to go buy a bottle, but it wouldn’t be a bad one  to have for the home bar.  Go out and enjoy some Seagram’s Seven at your next social outing, lunch, office meeting, dentist appointment, or whatever business you have to take care of during the day.

Sipability - 5.5

Mixability - 6.0

Drunkability - 6.0

Hangover-ability - 7.0

Bang for the Buck - 10

Overall - 6.0  

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