Gooderham & Worts Eleven Souls

The nose is velvety and soft that begins with a mix of orange creamsicle, candied fennel seeds and vanilla cupcake then chocolate covered toasted almonds along with light notes of honeysuckle and forest floors followed by canned peaches, dehydrated apricots and candied lemon peel that transitions to spearmint, light rye and a mild black pepper spice with no ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with orange creamsicle that quickly veers towards a moderate peppery rye spice that slowly fades to chocolate covered toasted marshmallow and almonds then honeysuckle, light minerality and forest floors followed by canned peaches, dehydrated apricots and candied lemon peel that transitions to spearmint, cloves and a mild black pepper spice with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charred pine cones, dark chocolate covered almonds, peaches, spearmint and a moderate black pepper spice. As a huge fan of Canadian whiskey, I was really excited to dive into this one with 11 different whisky components that were blended together. The nose is light and welcoming with soft notes of citrus, rye, nuts, florals and forest earthiness that carries over to the palate but has a slightly higher spice to start than I'd prefer before fading to those soft notes found on the nose before the finish that leans on the earthy rye spice flavors with mild fruits. These appear to cost under $100, but seem to be hard to find now based on a quick internet search. If someone does happen to stumble on a bottle, I'd highly recommend it as it's a fun one to explore. Thanks @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous sample.

Sobey’s (a liquor store in Western Canada) ordered a lot of Eleven Souls when they opened last year and it is not selling here. It appears that this market isn’t ready to spend C$99 for a Canadian whisky but this has to be a case of buyers not knowing what they are missing. For reference, The Glenlivet 12 is about C$60 and The Glenlivet 18 is C$180 (C$100 = US$70) here. Eleven Souls is a Canadian twist on a Speyside and it is far better than the Glenlivets. My preference is peated. Eleven Souls, even at 49%, is easier to drink and more complex than a peated whisky. It is one of the best I have had. Silky smooth, fruit, toasted oak, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon. The finish is the star of the show. The finish slowly builds with warmth and spice and then lasts a very long time. Wood spice opens on the sides, and rolls to the middle of your tongue. Sweet, slightly drying. More spice than a Talisker 10. My only negative comment is the Gooderham and Worts 49 Wellington might be a tiny bit better. That’s not really a negative, more of a comment on how good these bottles are. Fantastic, Canadian whisky is not just Crown Royal, this is a special whisky.

I never thought I would pay this much for a Canadian whiskey, but after so many positive reviews and people telling me “oh you liked the 4 grain, you need to try 11”.. here we are. Nose is velvety like many from this country; vanilla, almond and caramel covered hay bales are the dominant notes here. Try as you might you won’t get any ethanol.. mash your face in the dram and you get more sugary notes mixed with some vegetation. Definitely enough here to keep it interesting. Palate kicks off with sweetness initially, but then shifts into all that grainy goodness from its namesake. I won’t pretend to know all the varietals that exist in it, but it’s like someone was having a potluck at the distillery and asked all the farmers to bring a dish. Smooth wheat, fruity corn, malty barley and a hint of spicy rye. The mash is the star here, and it doesn’t try to hide it. Finish is medium and fruity, with stone fruits bringing up the front and some dry but (not bitter) oak rounding it out. Is it worth 110 CAD? No probably not, but is it the best Canadian I’ve had so far? Yup. It’s not syrupy sweet and actually tastes like distilled grain… get a bottle if you can.

Damn Canadians. Generally, Canadians are the nicest people in the world. But, when it comes to their whiskey, they’re hoarding all good stuff!! They have great free healthcare , a leader so good looking that would make me reconsider my sexual orientation , and now this!!?? I was sent a pour of this by my buddy up the I-80 just a bit northeast of me in NJ, @Richard-ModernDrinking . This is really good stuff...with an interesting history and recipe. It’s made by using 5 grains, 2 distillations methods, and 2 woods. Some permutation there resulted in eleven distinct whiskeys which were blended together. Eleven was also the number of children the founder had adopted, hence Eleven Souls. This is buttery smooth, with flavors of bright cherries, toasted bread, and almonds...with a hint of rye spice in the background. If you ever visit Canada, this has to be on your buy list. Meanwhile...my dear neighbor to the north: please stop sending the likes of Canadian Mist, Crown Royal, Seagram’s, and Canadian Club. Send this instead. Thanks @Richard-ModernDrinking for the pour!

On the nose I get egg nog, waxy honey, sweet cinnamon, creamy vanilla, dried apricots, golden raisins, maraschino cherries, bran cereal, toasted almonds, oak, floral rye grain, candied orange peel, milk chocolate, hints of herbal mint, and soft black licorice. - To the palate it is very dense and flavour packed. Caramel corn, floral honey, rye spice, cinnamon, clove, toasted oak, vanilla custard, butter, candied orange peel, cherry lozenges, golden raisins, hints of milk chocolate and subtle mint. - In the finish is rich and coating with toasted oak and complex grains lingering on the palate. — With water it is more floral and citrus on the nose, more sweet and savory to the palate, and spicier in the finish. —//— Grain Mark: 91 —//— It’s a very complex whisky. I’m going to need a lot more time to fully explore the range of flavours from this grain blend.

I really enjoyed the Northern Borders collection of Canadian whisky released in 2017 so when I visited Toronto for work this week I made time to track down this bottle, which was hailed at one of the standouts from the 2018 series. I’m glad I did. The nose starts out like a high-rye bourbon but quickly evolves into something more complex. Waves of cream oscillate with the spicy aromas of fennel and cardomon seeds. The interplay between cream and spice continues in the mouth and peak in a finish that is long and yeasty, like a crumpet or Indian appam pancake. It reminds me in many ways of the recent Michter’s 10 yr rye and although this one doesn’t carry an age statement it’s three-quarters of the price. While that’s still ambitious by the historic standards of Canadian whisky, it’s hard to complain about the quality. A winner.