Gooderham & Worts 1832 Decanter (1948 Tax Stamp)

I bought this at the same Waddington's / LCBO auction I got the Carleton Tower. Distilled at the long-closed Gooderham & Worts distillery (once the largest distillery in the world, it's now a mixed use site with condos, shops and restaurants with much of the original buildings and cobblestones intact), this is called the 1832 Decanter to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the distillery (I presume it was bottled in 1958). According to the inside of the box the decanter rests in, G&W won gold medals in Paris (1878) and Antwerp (1885). The gorgeous decanter is modelled on 19th century glassware, and has a red tassel around the neck (apologies for the poor photo). The tax stamp says 1948; presumably that is the year of distillation of the youngest spirit in the bottle (the insert says the youngest spirt is 10 years old, while some whiskies blended in are as old as 35 years!) No ABV is given. Unfortunately, half the cork disintegrated when I opened it! Guess I'll have to quaff the rest tonight, mixing it with Coke (um, just kidding).

The colour is a medium amber. Deep, rich oak on the nose, with vegetal notes (wet forest floor, cooked cauliflower), mint, marzipan, dark chocolate, cinnamon and plums. Big charred wood smoke. Like a very old single grain scotch. A tiny drop of water brings out more herbs and rye grain. Full of age in barrel, and age in bottle, I could nose this all night. Stupendous complexity and blending craft.

Similar notes on the palate, with more chocolate (milk this time), blueberry, wet campfire, dark caramel, vanilla pods and baking spices. Thick mouthfeel. Creamy. Those vegetal notes on the nose are here as well in perfect balance with the sweetness and spice. Unbelievably rich. Water ups the volume on the spice and rye. Seriously, I'm dying here.

The medium-length finish is chalky with oak, dark rye bread and light balsamic. No joke, this is one of the greatest whiskies I have ever tasted in my life. It's classically Canadian, but each note is so elegant and in perfect harmony with every other note. I swear, this will absolutely knock you off your feet. Extremely old and rare when it was bottled, it is of course even harder to find now.