The history of Seagram as a company started in Canada. Established in 1883, it took until the 1930s for the company to start its business in the US. And it was in the US that Seagram's Gin was first produced, and it has been ever since.
One of the principal features of Seagram's Gin is that the spirit matures in oak barrels. In the history of Gin, they're one of the first brands to use barrel-aging for Gin to smoothen the taste. However, over the last decades, the aging time was reduced repeatedly. Since the early 2000s, it is such a short time, it is barely worth mentioning, and the once golden hue turned into a faint yellowish tinge.
One of the most famous fans of Seagram's Gin is Hip Hop legend Snoop Dogg. He's known to pair the Gin with juice which he even states in the lyrics of his 1993 song "Gin and Juice".
And even though Snoop Dogg isn't known for his trained palate for alcohol, he isn't actually wrong for using this combination. Here's our in-depth Guide to Seagram's Gin.
Quick Facts
- Produced by: Pernod Ricard
- Distilled at: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
- Style: Dry Gin
- ABV: 40%
- Spirit base: Neutral grain spirit
- Taste: Angelica, pine, juniper, and candied orange
- Best served: In long drinks like a Gin and Tonic, Gin and Juice
Botanicals
Seagram's Gin is distilled at comparably low temperatures using a vacuum distillation process. The botanicals known to be part of the Gin are juniper, sweet orange, bitter orange, angelica, cassia, coriander, and cardamom.
For some botanicals, Seagram doesn't use fresh products but essences. That doesn't strongly affect the taste of the spirit but is one reason it falls short compared to other established Gin brands.
Taste
The nose is dominated by citrus and angelica with hints of juniper and candied orange. The palate starts quite junipery but quickly changes to candied orange. The finish is relatively spicy with significant heat.
Overall the spirit tastes quite harsh despite the aging, which theoretically should smoothen the alcoholic bite. Also, even though the Gin is labeled as "Extra Dry", there's definitely notable sweetness in there - probably intended to cover up the harsh notes.
Different expressions of Seagram's Gin
The original expression of Seagram's Gin was THE American Gin for a very long time. Since more and more Gins from the UK and Europe entered the market, Seagrams is falling behind a bit.
To counteract this development, Seagram has also come up with new varieties to survive in the highly competitive Gin market. Here's an overview of the current selection of Gins produced by Seagram.
Seagram's Extra Dry Gin
Promoted as smooth and mellow, the original Seagram's Gin is alright for simple drinks like a Gin and Juice or Gin & Tonic. Unfortunately, due to the reduced aging time, the Gin has lost some of its appeal. After all, aged Gins are more popular than ever.
Seagram's Distiller's Reserve Gin
The Distiller's Reserve expression is much better than the standard Extra Dry Gin. This upscale Gin is not only bolder in flavor but also contains more alcohol (47% ABV) which definitely helps the overall taste. It also has a nice citrus-laden flavor profile with lots of lemon and orange notes.
Seagram's Twisted Gin flavors
Seagram sells a huge variety of fruit-flavored Gins, marketing them as "twisted". The concept behind these bottles is always the same - only the fruit changes.
Here's the current selection of Seagram's twisted Gins:
- Watermelon Twisted Gin
- Peach Twisted Gin
- Red Berry Twisted Gin
- Pineapple Twisted Gin
- Lime Twisted Gin
- Melon Twisted Gin
- Apple Twisted Gin
- Grape Twisted Gin
How much is Seagram's Gin?
The standard bottle of Seagram's Gin is comparably cheap and sells for $13 PER 750ml bottle. That's slightly less than competitors like Tanqueray, Beefeater, and Gordon's Gin. Here's a complete overview of prices for Seagram's Gin.
| Gin Type | Size | ABV | Proof | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seagram's Extra Dry Gin | 750ml | 40% | 80 | $13 |
| Seagram's Distiller's Reserve | 750ml | 47% | 94 | $15 |
| Seagram's Watermelon Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Peach Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Red Berry Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Pineapple Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Lime Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Melon Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Apple Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
| Seagram's Grape Twisted Gin | 750ml | 35% | 70 | $12 |
How to drink
We tried Seagram's in classic cocktails like Gin Sour, Gin Fizz, Dry Martini, Gin & Tonic, and as a base in simple mixed drinks like Gin and juice. It's certainly not an ideal mixing Gin as it brings quite an untypical flavor to those classic drinks - I totally did not like it in a classic Martini.
However, in combination with a single mixer, Seagram's Gin works quite well. It tastes good when mixed with juice, and also the G&T wasn't bad. We tried pairing it with things like grapefruit soda or bitter lemon and got some decent long drinks as well.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend it as a mixing Gin for craft cocktails, but it is an affordable choice if you want to mix it with a sweet ingredient.
FAQs
It's not bad in a Gin Tonic, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. I prefer other classics like Tanqueray or Beefeater.
Seagram's Extra Dry Gin contains 40% ABV which equals 80 proof. The Distiller's Reserve contains slightly more at 47% (94 proof), and the twisted Gins have a bit less at 35% (70 proof).
Seagram ages their Gin in ex-Whiskey barrels made from oak. That makes the Gin more mellow in flavor and adds the faint yellow shade to the spirit's otherwise translucent look.