Gooderham and Worts. That’s quite the name, isn’t it? And if you aren’t familiar with whisky history, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is just one more non-distiller producer who is bringing back an old brand in order to make a quick buck. When you dig into the backstories of the brands on US shelves, it feels like about half the brands on the shelf are of this variety.
But while Gooderham and Worts is an old brand, having had many owners over the years, this is not some fly-by-night operation to make a quick buck. No the story for Gooderham and Worts starts back in the 1830s in a town that would one day grow up to be Toronto. It all started with two brothers-in-law (I bet you can’t guess their names) and a flour mill on the banks of Lake Ontario. Over the years, that flour mill would grow into the largest distillery in Canada (and, by some reports, the world). The story includes hardships, entrepreneurs, business dealings, and more than one interesting character. Today the brand resides in the care of Pernod Ricard by way of Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd.
But I’m not going to tell you any more of that story. Everything I know of the story came from Canadian Whisky’s foremost expert, Davin De Kergommeaux via his wonderful book on the history of Canadian Whisky: Canadian Whiskey, the New Portable Expert (Second Edition). It would be a shame for me to steal Davin’s thunder on this. If you want to know more, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Davin’s book. I read the book initially when the first edition came out back in 2012. That copy still sits on a shelf in my office for easy reference. And I’ve referenced it enough over the years that I made sure to get the second edition when it was released back in 2017. It is a fantastic read.
Of course, if you just want to know about tonight’s whisky instead of the history—first, how dare you? and second—let’s dig into that next. Gooderham and Worts 49 Wellington is a 19-year-old four-grain whisky. As is the case with most Canadian Whiskies, each grain was distilled and aged individually, and blended after the fact. It was produced by Dr. Don Livermore, the Master Blender of Hiram Walker & Sons Limited in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He’s the guy who brought us Lot 40, Pike Creek, the Wiser’s line-up, and of course, the standard Gooderham and Worts Four Grain. It was released back in 2019 and I may have gotten lucky in finding a bottle just sitting on the shelf at Total Wine.
According to our friends at Whisky.buzz:
“Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington is a tribute to the historic flat iron building on Wellington Street in Toronto that was built by the Gooderham family. Red oak inserts (they provide an intense spicy cedar note) are used in homage to the signature red bricks of the building. The 49% ABV comes from the address (49 Wellington Street). The blend is primarily J.P. Wiser’s Red Letter whisky that was discontinued a few years ago. While Gooderham & Worts Four Grain is available all-year-around, 49 Wellington is a unique blend available as part of the Northern Border Collection in the 2019 Edition.”
I was a massive fan of the Wiser’s Red Letter, so this is an exciting find for me personally. Let's dig in and see how it tastes.
Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington
Purchase Info: $85.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink: $5.73
Details: 49% ABV. 19 years old.
Nose: Floral mint, almond, light cinnamon, and cotton candy.
Mouth: Delicate at first with a blossoming of spice after a few moments. Almond and cotton candy notes arrive first and then transition to notes of cinnamon red hots and caramel.
Finish: On the shorter side of medium length with notes of almond, cotton candy, baking spice, and oak.
Thoughts: This is a delicious Canadian Whisky. It has a very nice, silky mouthfeel that plays very nicely with the spicy notes. I enjoy the cherry/almond notes and cotton candy sweetness as well. It's a splurge at $90, but one that is probably worth it if you like a good Canadian Whisky as I do. In fact, I enjoy it enough that I may have to see if Total Wine has another bottle. There are days that I only want a really good Canadian Whiskey. And this is certainly that.
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