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Seagrams V.O.

Price

$20.62/750ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

Ahh, Seagrams V.O., the third member of the Rye Whisky trinity, along with Crown Royal and Canadian Club. It was the second Rye I ever tried, after Canadian Club, bought at a friend's request for the new year celebration of 2005--- over two years ago already--- a celebration in which we were destined to kill this bottle as well as many other unfortunate containers. This Rye really opened me up to the world of Ryes and is for that reason member of my personal Pantheon of sentimental first drinks, along with Jameson's and Grants.

V.O. exudes a pleasant and light fragrance of flowers and oak with perhaps the slightest shadow of berries and vanilla, unlike countless Ryes which lay it so thick you feel you might drown in it, no ripe bananas or mortuary here, but the soft smell of a country lane at dusk. The taste starts mildly flowery with whiffs of the previously mentioned vanilla, it then gets sweeter and creamier as it hits the tongue gaining a freshness not unlike that of a watercourse in the process. The sweetness could prove too much, if unchecked, but it is promptly mitigated by the entrance of the oak, which plies its bitterness to that effect, thus leading to a pleasantly balanced, slightly grassy finish. These characteristics make V.O. one of the most refreshing Ryes out there, one which the casual and serious Rye drinker alike are bound to enjoy. Its slight sweetness, light-heartedness and balance often remind me of blended Irish Whiskies, as do most of the better Ryes I have tasted. Definitely one of my favourites, and dangerously easy-drinking.

[/Whisky/Rye] permanent link

Jameson's (12 years)

Price

Approx. $40/750ML

Bought at

S.A.Q (Montreal)

If you happen to have read my review on Jameson's Irish Whisky, you
probably know that I am no fan of it, despite what sentimental
attachment I might still have towards it. It is perhaps because of
this attachment, or just to give it the old sporting try, that I decided to
follow someone's recommendation and pick
a bottle of the twelve year matured version during a recent, hectic
visit to Montreal. My first reaction upon opening the bottle was a
dismayed It smells just like Jameson's! And so it does, dark and
foreboding, with ripe bananas and just that hint of nail polish to make the drinker
nervous. It is therefore with a slight tremor that I took the first
tentative sip. The taste is at first much like the old Jameson, heavy,
flowery, and very faintly musky; it is slightly mellower and richer,
however, which makes the experience more enjoyable. The huge
surprise comes when the liquor travels towards mid-palate, the point
where most whiskies blossom out; there, the darkness is dissipated,
the taste lightens, and a great dawn comes, radiant with dew-sparkled
sunlight, as fruits and oak drift into sight. All these pyrotechnic
effects lead to a finish much more alike to Bushmills than to the
regular Jameson, which, especially when not expected, does leave the
drinker breathless. This is a good and interesting drink, certainly
miles above its younger counterpart, and its bipolar characteristics
do make it a unique member of the Irish Whisky family. This said,
one would have to be a great fan of the type to go and spend $40 on
it over such fine Whiskies as Bushmills, Black_Bush, or Tyrconnell. Just
five dollars off the price and it would be worth any one's while; in
the meantime, don't turn a glass of it down if it is offered you, it
is worth tasting.

[/Whisky/Irish] permanent link