A Selection of Product Bottles.
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A Selection of Product Bottles. View Image Notes in New Window |
 Bottle, Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1910; 82.6.18. View Image Notes in New Window |
White Wheat whisky was an early product of the Seagram distillery. As the name indicates, the primary grain in this spirit was wheat. The attractive label undoubtedly made this brand a popular choice among customers.
 Bottle, Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1913; 82.6.26. |
To celebrate the acquisition of the company, Seagram distilled a new whisky called Seagram's 1883 (later labelled No. 83 and then '83) which was sold for the first time in 1887. Under Seagram's leadership, exports increased and by the 1890s large quantities of Seagram's No. 83 were making their way to the United States. It became one of the most popular whiskies in the U.S. market. This successful entry into the American market supplemented the growing success that this Seagram product enjoyed in Canada.
 Label, Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1939. |
In 1953, Seagram's introduced a King's Plate whisky to the Canadian market. Its bottle label incorporated an illustration by A. H. Hider done in 1906 to commemorate the victorious Seagram stables. A special King's Plate label was released for the King and Queen's visit to Canada in 1939.
 "5 Star" Medallions, Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1970; 96.1.4 1-6. View Image Notes in New Window |
Seagram's Five Star Whisky was produced by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Waterloo. There is a discrepancy as to when the product originated. In 1960, it was pre-tested as "Five Star Special". In 1961, it was labelled "Five Star Special" and in 1962 the named changed to "Five Star". It was successful very quickly, and was the first brand in Canada to reach 1,000,000 cases in 1974. Features of the package included a star with a "5" on it. It is a four year old blended whisky (the extra star designates extra quality). In 1975, they changed to a five-year-old whisky. This was the first brand to ever be pre-tested by consumers across Canada under the supervision of a leading research organization before it was marketed for sales.
 Bottle, Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1950; B85.1.83. |
In 1964 Joseph E. Seagram & Sons announced that the Waterloo plant had been chosen to manufacture the world's most famous brand of London Dry Gin. Tanqueray, Gordon & Co. Ltd. of London makers of the famous Gordon's Gin, set up their Canadian subsidiary distillery in an unused building at the plant. When the gin was finished it was turned over to Seagram's for distribution and sale across the country. Seagram's had a happy partnership with the Tanqueray company for a quarter of a century. The reason for dissolving the partnership came when Tanqueray of London was taken over by a conglomerate and the decision was made to move the production to the U.S.A.
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