Review: Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt – Special Finishes   (87.5/100)
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted On November 21, 2017  

In 2009, the folks at Yukon Brewing decided that it was time to expand their horizons, and so they formed a sister company called Yukon Spirits, grabbed a still and began to make whisky. My understanding is that they make three basic expressions, a Classic Single Malt Whisky, a Peated Single Malt Whisky, and what they call their Two Brewers Single Malt Whisky (Special Finishes). Each expression will apparently vary over time as their whisky barrels season and are re-used.

This is the review for the Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt (Special Finishes). It carries no age statement and is bottled at 46 % alcohol by volume. I encountered this whisky when performing my duties as a judge for the 2017 Canadian Whisky Awards. From the tasting notes and scores I generated (a blind series of tastings where I knew the sample as only a number), as well as from a final tasting session after the reveal, I cobbled this review.

In the Bottle 4.5/5

As you can see from the bottle shot to the left, the folks at Yukon Spirits do a fine job with their whisky presentation, A corked bottle with a mid-length neck (for easy pouring) and a fine-looking stubby bottle. The labeling looks smart and attractive, and rudimentary tasting notes are right there on the green band. Well Done!

(Note: Bottled at 46 % abv.)

In the Glass 8.5/10

When poured into my glencairn, the whisky displays itself as an amber spirit which when tilted and twirled in my glass deposits a slightly thickened liquid sheen on the inside which slowly releases a multitude of leglets which turn to slender legs which run back down to the whisky at the bottom of the glass

My brief notes from the blind tasting sessions for the spirit in the glass were as follows:

Nose: Robust grain, cedar and oak with vanilla and baking spices.

The only thing holding the score back is a light alcohol astringency rising into the air alongside the luscious whisky notes. There is a warning in the breezes that sipping will be a challenge.

In the Mouth 53/60

The whisky hold up better across the palate than I thought it would. The spirit brings the heat; but I am able to sip without discomfort. My tasting notes from the blind tasting sessions were as follows:

Flavour : Yummy melding of oak, cedar and maple with vanilla, tobacco and bits of sweet and sour fruit.

Again, I want just a little lower proof as some youthful exuberance within the whisky threatens to derail the experience. A cube of ice works wonders and causes both sweet milk chocolate and bitter-sweet dark chocolate impressions to form. I think I taste just a drop of aged rum too.

In the Throat 13/15

Finish: Yummy! Maple combined with the bitterness of rye and orange pith with touches cinnamon and wood spice.

Just a touch too much heat in the finish, but I can easily overlook that as the exit leaves my palate wanting more.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

Yummy is the key word in my tasting notes! And that yummy flavour is robust and complex. This whisky places Yukon Spirits firmly into Canada’s whisky fabric.

You may read some of my other Whiskey Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74   Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79   You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84   We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89   Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94   Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+        I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)