Canadian single malt remains one of the most underexplored corners of the whisky world, and Two Brewers — working out of the Yukon — continue to make a compelling case for why that needs to change. Release 41 is a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask finish bottled at 43% ABV, and it sits at a fascinating intersection: new-world distilling ambition dressed in old-world cask influence. At £90.25 for a NAS single malt, it asks a fair question of the drinker. My answer, after spending proper time with this one, is that it earns its price.
The PX finish is the headline here, and rightly so. Pedro Ximénez casks are among the most assertive finishing woods in the business — sticky-sweet, raisin-heavy, capable of overwhelming a spirit that lacks the backbone to stand up to them. The decision to bottle at 43% rather than pushing toward cask strength suggests a deliberate intent: accessibility over intensity. This is a whisky designed to welcome you in rather than challenge you at the door, and I respect that clarity of purpose.
What interests me most about the Two Brewers releases is the programme itself. Numbered releases, each with distinct cask treatments, each a small window into what the Yukon climate and their distillation approach can produce. Release 41 leans into richness through that PX influence, positioning itself firmly in the dessert-adjacent style of single malt that has found such favour among Scotch drinkers through distilleries like GlenDronach and Glenfarclas. The difference, of course, is terroir and tradition — this is Canadian grain, Canadian water, Canadian air. The spirit will carry its own character beneath that sherry sweetness.
Tasting Notes
I have not published detailed tasting notes for this release. What I can say is that the PX finish at 43% ABV signals a whisky that will lean toward dried fruit, sweetness, and a rounded mouthfeel. Expect warmth without burn, and a finish shaped more by the cask than the still. I would anticipate this drinks easier than many sherry-finished malts at this strength — approachable, generous, and straightforward in its pleasures.
The Verdict
At 7.9 out of 10, Release 41 is a genuinely good whisky and a strong entry point for anyone curious about what Canadian craft distilling can achieve. The PX finish provides immediate appeal and a flavour profile that will feel familiar to fans of sherried Scotch, while the provenance offers something different — a sense of place that is distinctly not Scottish, not Japanese, not American. It is its own thing. The price point is reasonable for a craft single malt with a quality cask finish, though I would have liked to see it bottled a touch higher in strength to let the spirit assert itself more fully against that PX influence. That is a minor quibble. This is a bottle I would happily recommend to anyone building a collection that looks beyond the usual suspects.
Best Served
Neat, at room temperature, in a Glencairn or tulip glass. Give it ten minutes to open after pouring. If you find the sweetness too forward, a few drops of water will help the malt character push through. This would also work beautifully in a simple Highball with good soda water on a warm evening — the PX richness holds up well with dilution and carbonation. Avoid ice; you will lose the subtlety that the finish brings.
