Gooderham & Worts - Four Grain Whisky
Gooderham & Worts celebrates the history behind a Toronto grist mill and distillery which first produced whisky in 1837. It closed in 1990, but at its height was producing over 2 million liters of whisky a year, which at the time was half the production in the whole of Canada. This whisky was first released in the late 90’s as part of the failed Canadian Whisky Guild Series along with Lot 40 and Pike Creek. It’s back! This bottling was distilled by Corby Distillers and production was overseen by Dr. Don Livermore. The four grains blended are corn, wheat, rye, and barley.
On the nose: There’s sweetness at first with brown sugar and caramel, followed by some surprisingly assertive rye spice (cinnamon and cloves mostly). Given a few minutes to breathe, there’s some fruitiness coming through; pears at first followed by peaches and apricots. There’s also a touch of mint hanging around on the outskirts.
In the mouth: This whisky is rich. Let’s call it medium-bodied. The rye bread flavours come through first and quickly turn to cinnamon and cloves, followed by over-steeped black tea. The fruitiness is still present albeit more subdued than on the nose. The finish is medium length with the spicy cinnamon and cloves cutting through the sweetness and the oak tannins contributing a slight drying effect.