Gooderham & Worts Eleven Souls

Neck Pour Nose: Malty, sweet cereal. Nutmeg and cocoa. Palate: Baking spice, dark chocolate and blackberry. Oaky. A faint rancid baby puke note (E150 or the oak perhaps). Finish: Anise. Lingering. Mouth coating.

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.

this is lovely.....like a slightly spicy vanilla, maple fudge...delicious with a bit of water.

Sweet and smooth. Complex, but it works. Almost too sweet, though. Pairs well with rosemary-scented gamey meats.

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.

My current favorite bourbon, it's a complex mix of flavors heavily based on vanilla.

Fantastic! Smooth, with lots of flavour and a long finish. Flavours of vanilla, toasted grains, apple, caramel and spices. Pairs really well with mincemeat pie.

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.