Whether or not you’re typically a Canadian whisky lover, there are two names you should keep in your whiskey mind this month: Gooderham and Worts. The good news is, both names will lead you to the same new, delicious bottle.
Gooderham & Worts Four Grain Canadian Whisky is arriving in the U.S. this month, already heavy with medals and accolades. It was awarded 94 points by Jim Murray in 2018; it took a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and two best of categories from other competitions in 2017. Most importantly though, it’s here and it’s tasty.
Four grain whiskies are a tough thing to nail. The idea is that you want to taste the impact of each grain in the whisky you’re drinking; that’s what makes for a great one. More often than not, one grain tends to overshadow another. And unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of muddy whiskeys, where it’s tough to tell what’s what.
Not so here.
And the flavor really is dialed in with this rye-forward whisky. Deceptively smooth at first, Four Grain leads with corn sweetness and wheat softness on the palate, but it’s quickly fortified by a spicy hit of rye and an earthy foundation of maltiness. Brioche and vanilla quickly make room for baking spices and toasty, dry oak, before a finish of ripe red apple and dark, buttered rye toast.
The Gooderham & Worts name likely isn’t the first to come to mind, even for fans of Canadian whisky, but it’s a heritage brand with a deep history. The company of the same name started in milling, before adding whiskey to their production in the 1830s. Toronto-based G&W was allegedly the largest distillery in the world in 1900, though these days this whisky is produced at Ontario-based Hiram Walker Distillery.
Canadian blends are not much different from American straight whiskeys, and this four grain is no exception. It uses a blend of wheat, rye, corn, and malt whiskeys, which are distilled separately, as opposed to American bourbon or rye whiskeys, where the grains are distilled together.
What this means for Canadian whisky makers is that they have a higher degree of control over what goes into the final bottle; they can dial up or down certain flavors, tweak ratios, and refine the taste they’re looking for to compensate for things like variation in their supply. It makes for the opportunity to really nail bottles like this one—which they did.
Gooderham & Worts Four Grain is on shelves now, starting around $45. At 88.8 proof it’s a mellow neat sipper, or an upscale frontrunner for the best Manhattan you can make this weekend. With a price under $50, you might as well try both.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/3c7TXmn
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