New City of Waterloo Museum exhibit features Seagram’s V.O.

(Waterloo, Ont. – Oct. 7, 2013) The City of Waterloo Museum’s latest exhibit, Initial success: 100 years of V.O. Whisky, showcases the product’s 100-year-old history.

What:  Initial success: 100 years of V.O. Whisky    

Where: City of Waterloo Museum, located at Conestoga Mall (near the food court)

When: Oct. 2, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014 

There is a mystery surrounding the origins and naming of Seagram’s V.O., one of the most well-known whiskies produced at the former Waterloo distillery. Family tradition states that “V.O.” stands for “Very Own,” as this was a whisky blend created for the nuptials of Joseph E. Seagram’s son Thomas to Dorothy Pearson in 1913. Others claim that the initials stand for “Very Old” in keeping with the distiller’s assertion that it was a blend of very old Canadian whiskies.

Initial success: 100 Years of V.O. Whisky traces the product’s 100 year old history, with highlights into the life of Thomas and Dorothy, its production, packaging and marketing while trying to demystify the origins of the initials. Throughout the exhibition, the integral relationship of Seagram’s V.O. with Waterloo is highlighted. Of particular interest are photographs and artifacts from the production and bottling stages at the former Seagram Waterloo Distillery.

No matter what the facts, this famous Canadian whisky is still “honoured the world over” as “only V.O. is V.O.”

The City of Waterloo Museum is open Wednesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission for all.

Information on this exhibit is available by visiting www.waterloo.ca/museum.