A few weeks ago a box showed up with no notes attached, just five sample bottles of a whiskey I’d never heard of. Now, I’m not one to begrudge whiskey showing up I didn’t pay for, but I figured there was probably some reason for these samples to be here. Figuring that meant I had some work to do, I checked on my marching orders and got down to business.
At this point I could have researched the company or read any of the other articles fellow writers had written about Seven Seals. Instead, I decided to go into this completely blind with nothing to color my reviews. I’ve found that it’s all too easy to let stories, or labels on bottles impact your taste buds. Plus, if you’ve ever done a whiskey tasting in a group you know that the second someone says, “Ahhh I’m getting over ripe banana on the nose,” you suddenly smell bananas. Same thing happens if you read a description before you try it! So, I grabbed a few glasses, poured an ounce or so of each one and proceeded to dig in.
Oh, and reader, please be sure to read to the end. I was entirely unaware of what exactly made Seven Seals Whisky different until AFTER I tasted it. Let me tell you, I was left surprised.
Sample 1 – Amarone Finish
Being a sherry hound, amarone isn’t something I usually seek out. While they’re both red wines, the methods used to make them are very different and they end up with different profiles. There’s a wealth of information on the internet that I’d encourage you to read on just what makes amarone different. I poured this one not really knowing what to expect.
Nose: Instantly notice the sweetness on the nose, almost pastry-like. There’s some kind of berry that’s maybe approaching strawberry. Just a bit of cinnamon lingering.
Palate: Fruity right up front and noticeable. Then there’s a bit of a bitterness leaning towards mocha or chocolate. Not an unpleasant bitterness, but like an unsweetened chocolate with those hints of fruit or berries.
Finish: The bitter chocolate lingers into a hint of cinnamon
Sample 2 – Port Finish
Ah former port casks, how I love thee. Just seeing port on the label I kind of have an idea what to expect, but I wonder how well they incorporate the big bold port flavors into their base distillate.
Nose: There it is, the bold red berry nose I associate with port. Maybe a bit of grape in there? Then more of a milk or sweet chocolate note with cream.
Palate: Oh yea, no doubting this is port influenced. The chocolate goes more to dark chocolate on the palate, but not overly bitter. What’s this? A hint of smoke? I haven’t even gotten to the peated cask yet and that was a pleasant surprise. It’s not anything Islay… it makes Highland Park look tame… Just a little plume of smoke I walked by with my mouth open.
Finish: It’s like a cinnamon hot chocolate being enjoyed 50-yards away from a camp fire.
Sample 3 – Sherry
While I love port finishes, sherry is my happy place. I’m expecting sweet, nutty deliciousness. It doesn’t specify which kind of sherry so I’m not sure whether I’m going to get PX or Oloroso here. My preferences lean towards Oloroso but PX will work too.
Nose: Definitely sweet, maybe headed towards brown sugar. There’s some baking spice going on here, along with some nuttiness I can’t quite place on a specific nut.
Palate: Sherry sweetness similar to what I’d expect with a PX I think. There’s that nuttiness there, but now I’m getting citrus tones as well that I didn’t get on the nose. Orange maybe?
Finish: This one fades quicker than I’d like because it’s a nice light and sweet lingering flavor with a bit of those baking spices just hanging out in the background. I bet this would be amazing at a higher proof.
Sample 4 – Peated Port Cask
Ok Mr. Peated Port Cask, I’m not sure what you’ve got in store for me because your friend Port Cask already was a bit smoky. Are we headed towards Ardbeg territory or more Highland Park?
Let’s find out.
Nose: Ah, some industrial peaty notes. There’s a bit of that Islay-style antiseptic iodine thing going on here. (Ok, ya peaty loving folks, you’re going to love this.) Sticking my nose deeper in the glass and getting around the smokiness I am able to pull out some sweet notes and a little berry. It seems the peat has swallowed up some of the port I expect to get on the nose
Palate: Well ok… I must have sucked up most of the smoke in my nose, or I’ve just been adjusting to the world of peated whiskey a bit better than expected. It’s fruit, some mild sweetness (honey maybe?) but now I’m only getting a bit of smoke and none of the iodine I got on the nose. It’s much tamer than I was expecting from nose alone, but in a good way. It’s a beautiful balance of peat and sweet that is approachable by someone new to peat, while not being so wimpy as to be disregarded by smoke fiends.
Finish: I’m licking the honey from the beehive as the beekeeper gets their smoke pot out. That honey flavor is sticking to my tongue with just a whiff of smoke.
Sample 5 – Peated Double Wood
Ok, maybe I should have done a little research because the “double wood” presented a bit of a mystery. Drawing on my experience, my only reference is a different brand where it’s done with both ex-bourbon and sherry. Considering they have a port-peated already, I’m kinda hoping it’s the same concept here. Looking at the sample bottle I realize something else. This is the only one of the bunch at cask strength. Now we’re talking!
Nose: Oh, the smoke is having a hard time competing with the sweetness on the nose with this one. It’s there but I’m picking up caramel and some raisins hanging out in the campfire. Immediately I’m sensing the depth you get from cask strength whiskey. Just from smell alone I’m thinking this is likely bourbon-cask-to-sherry-cask type scenario.
Palate: Not as much of that raisin here. It’s smoky cereal and malty deliciousness. That proof is providing some nice cinnamon spice riding on top of it. After my cinnamon spiced hot chocolate by the campfire, now I’m having a bowl of sweetened cereal for the second course.
Finish: This one finishes a bit drier than the other peated with that lingering spiciness, thanks to the higher proof. Sweet smoke lingers a bit longer.
The winner? Me! I got to try five very different whisky options, and not a dud in the bunch. I’ve been working around peated options until very recently, but these were enjoyable for me. If I was forced to pick an absolute favorite, it would be a toss up between the sherry and port. It’s one of those things that would depend on my mood on any given day.
Taste testing completed, it was time to fire up my browser, see how my notes compared, and read up on what Seven Seals was all about. One of the things I’d noticed when looking at their labels was that there was no age statement. While I’m far from an expert, I’ve had enough brown fire water to get an idea of age, based on what I’m tasting. Everything in this line up seemed on par with the 10-12 year age statements you get from the big distilleries. Long enough to round off the sharp edges, but not having the depth and complexity you get from 15+ years in a barrel.
Imagine my surprise when I read that the biggest thing setting Seven Seals apart from the rest of the whiskey world (other than being Swiss) is their unique (and patented) method of maturation. Everything in my lineup was apparently a three year base distillate that was then run through their proprietary process that added weeks, not years.
Weeks. Not Years.
Look… I’m a skeptic at heart. Had I read it before I tried these, I would have turned my nose up at the very concept. Admittedly, I am now curious to find out if they can replicate what I get in a 20+ year single malt. I’m down to try anything they send my way that claims to compete with it, because these easily go toe-to-toe with the core daily drinking offerings of any of the big distilleries.
