I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, but it's as reasonable of a guess as any. I think I remember seeing a scotch thread in gadgets and gear once, but my google-fu is not strong enough to find it. I hereby offer my hearty thanks to any mod who has a better idea where to stick this.
I know that this is pretty off topic for a knife forum, but this is the only forum I currently frequent and I get in a postey mood when I've been drinking. On with the review!
Seagram's Extra Dry Gin
I decided to give this gin a try tonight. This is a classic. It outsells all of its competitors by an astonishing margin (something like double the next best seller). It's available practically anywhere at very reasonable prices. I've been drinking it for the past couple hours. Don't be fooled by my (hopefully) correct spelling and grammar; I'm having to edit this quite a bit as I go.
Summary: This gin is simple and cheap. It lacks the subtleties and brilliant side flavors that you can expect from any of the best gins, but this is not a bad gin. It might offend gin purists, but the simple fact is anyone who thinks poorly of it must surely have the good fortune of never having tried a truly bad gin. While it is not perfectly suitable for drinking straight it mixes quite well. Most booze within this price range is a false economy (barbaric and unpalatable shit), but Seagram's gin is a good buy.
Smell: This gin does not smell good. A truly great gin such as Tanqueray is full of rich tones pleasing to my nose. By comparison Seagram's smells like a bland mush of alcohol and ugly medicinal something (no, I can't think of the right way to word that). It doesn't have a very strong juniper presence. The smell does not strike me as repulsive and it's not very powerful. No marks for excellence here, but nothing that I consider a problem. It's not like a bottle of crappy tequila that as soon as you open it your dog on the other side of the room pukes. There's nothing shameful about an inexpensive spirit smelling modest and unnoteworthy.
The bottle: Normally it irritates me when people discuss the bottle in drink reviews, but Seagram's really nailed this one. What you can't see from the front is that the sides of the bottle are comfortably grooved inwards. This allows a good secure hold on the bottle from any angle. The texture of the bottle is pleasing both to my eyes and hands. The entire bottle is round (no tight corners anywhere except at the bottom). The bottle's dimensions (height, width, etc) are perfect for my grip, although larger men might prefer something stockier.
Taste: This is unusually smooth for its price. It's not any harsher than its more expensive cousins. It has too great of a lack of flavors and subtleties to stand on its own, but it blends seamlessly with just about anything. For those of you who don't know what gin tastes like it's easier to imagine than most kinds of booze. Imagine the smell of evergreen needles. Yes, the pleasing bouquet of crushed spruce and pine needles fresh from the forest. Now imagine something that tastes exactly like that. That's what gin is. It's like sucking on a christmas tree.
Retainability: If you're unused to hard spirits you might have a hard time keeping too much of this down. If you can stomach budget vodka it won't upset you unless you guzzle a quart of it straight. I'm feeling good for now, but if that changes I'll update this.
Drink #1: Mixed with ginger ale and a little lime juice
This combination is a winner. If you prepare this as a gin-heavy drink the ginger ale and lime mellow the gin out very efficiently. A little bit goes a long ways. If you prepare this with a little bit of gin (such as 1:6) you'll have a well balanced drink that presents the best qualities of all three ingredients. This is the tastiest way to serve this gin that I have tried.
Drink #2: Mixed with generic lemon lime soda and a little lemon juice
This worked reasonably well, but it was nothing special. This mixture works very well with gins that can present strong and clear citrus accents, but Seagram's does not fall into this category. Seagram's is mildly citrusy, but not enough to make this drink noteworthy. This handicap could be greatly reduced if I had some more real lemons here with which to add pulp. Overall this is a satisfying drink. It's a fun change of pace and it lets me share ingredients with my hennessy mixing friend.
Drink #3: Gin and tonic, plain and with lime juice
This didn't work as well as I had hoped. If you want a good gin and tonic you'll probably want to start with a better gin. This is a drink where the subtleties and finest qualities of the ingredients can shine clearly, and Seagram's is a bit weak in this department. If you do decide to make a Seagram's G&T my advice is to be heavy with the gin and add more citrus juice than you would with a more expensive gin. Might as well get shitfaced if you can't make a perfectly delicate drink with these ingredients.
Conclusions: Untouchable value for the money. If you're accustomed to top shelf gins you might find this bland and uninspiring. This drink is not unpleasant, but it is kinda unremarkable. This is not usually a problem when mixing. Seagram's is well known as a smooth drink and I assure you this reputation is entirely deserved.
I know that this is pretty off topic for a knife forum, but this is the only forum I currently frequent and I get in a postey mood when I've been drinking. On with the review!
Seagram's Extra Dry Gin
I decided to give this gin a try tonight. This is a classic. It outsells all of its competitors by an astonishing margin (something like double the next best seller). It's available practically anywhere at very reasonable prices. I've been drinking it for the past couple hours. Don't be fooled by my (hopefully) correct spelling and grammar; I'm having to edit this quite a bit as I go.
Summary: This gin is simple and cheap. It lacks the subtleties and brilliant side flavors that you can expect from any of the best gins, but this is not a bad gin. It might offend gin purists, but the simple fact is anyone who thinks poorly of it must surely have the good fortune of never having tried a truly bad gin. While it is not perfectly suitable for drinking straight it mixes quite well. Most booze within this price range is a false economy (barbaric and unpalatable shit), but Seagram's gin is a good buy.
Smell: This gin does not smell good. A truly great gin such as Tanqueray is full of rich tones pleasing to my nose. By comparison Seagram's smells like a bland mush of alcohol and ugly medicinal something (no, I can't think of the right way to word that). It doesn't have a very strong juniper presence. The smell does not strike me as repulsive and it's not very powerful. No marks for excellence here, but nothing that I consider a problem. It's not like a bottle of crappy tequila that as soon as you open it your dog on the other side of the room pukes. There's nothing shameful about an inexpensive spirit smelling modest and unnoteworthy.
The bottle: Normally it irritates me when people discuss the bottle in drink reviews, but Seagram's really nailed this one. What you can't see from the front is that the sides of the bottle are comfortably grooved inwards. This allows a good secure hold on the bottle from any angle. The texture of the bottle is pleasing both to my eyes and hands. The entire bottle is round (no tight corners anywhere except at the bottom). The bottle's dimensions (height, width, etc) are perfect for my grip, although larger men might prefer something stockier.
Taste: This is unusually smooth for its price. It's not any harsher than its more expensive cousins. It has too great of a lack of flavors and subtleties to stand on its own, but it blends seamlessly with just about anything. For those of you who don't know what gin tastes like it's easier to imagine than most kinds of booze. Imagine the smell of evergreen needles. Yes, the pleasing bouquet of crushed spruce and pine needles fresh from the forest. Now imagine something that tastes exactly like that. That's what gin is. It's like sucking on a christmas tree.
Retainability: If you're unused to hard spirits you might have a hard time keeping too much of this down. If you can stomach budget vodka it won't upset you unless you guzzle a quart of it straight. I'm feeling good for now, but if that changes I'll update this.
Drink #1: Mixed with ginger ale and a little lime juice
This combination is a winner. If you prepare this as a gin-heavy drink the ginger ale and lime mellow the gin out very efficiently. A little bit goes a long ways. If you prepare this with a little bit of gin (such as 1:6) you'll have a well balanced drink that presents the best qualities of all three ingredients. This is the tastiest way to serve this gin that I have tried.
Drink #2: Mixed with generic lemon lime soda and a little lemon juice
This worked reasonably well, but it was nothing special. This mixture works very well with gins that can present strong and clear citrus accents, but Seagram's does not fall into this category. Seagram's is mildly citrusy, but not enough to make this drink noteworthy. This handicap could be greatly reduced if I had some more real lemons here with which to add pulp. Overall this is a satisfying drink. It's a fun change of pace and it lets me share ingredients with my hennessy mixing friend.
Drink #3: Gin and tonic, plain and with lime juice
This didn't work as well as I had hoped. If you want a good gin and tonic you'll probably want to start with a better gin. This is a drink where the subtleties and finest qualities of the ingredients can shine clearly, and Seagram's is a bit weak in this department. If you do decide to make a Seagram's G&T my advice is to be heavy with the gin and add more citrus juice than you would with a more expensive gin. Might as well get shitfaced if you can't make a perfectly delicate drink with these ingredients.
Conclusions: Untouchable value for the money. If you're accustomed to top shelf gins you might find this bland and uninspiring. This drink is not unpleasant, but it is kinda unremarkable. This is not usually a problem when mixing. Seagram's is well known as a smooth drink and I assure you this reputation is entirely deserved.
