October 16, 2025 • 24 mins
This week’s Bourbon Boos review might be the scariest pour yet… Clifton cracks open a $16 bottle of King’s Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, a bottom-shelf mystery brand with no known distillery and a whole lot of red flags. Does it surprise him, or haunt his palate forever?
But before the horrors begin, we’ve got MAJOR whiskey news:
✈️ Flaviar’s $270 “FlaviAIR” Advent Calendar takes flight 🔥 Kilchoman drops an 11-Year Sherry Cask Scotch 🥃 New American whiskey releases from Copperworks, Sagamore, Milam & Greene, and Pinhook 🦬 AND the full Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2025 lineup, featuring the first-ever E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond addition
Then it’s time for a truly frightening pour in this week’s Bourbon Boos Byte-Sized Review.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Today on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, Flaviar is releasing their air travel themed advent calendar,
Kilchoman has a new 11 year old sherry cask matured scotch, plus we're looking at tons of
new American whiskey releases including bottles from Copperworks, Sagamore, Milam & Greene,
and of course the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Plus I'm continuing my
"Bourbon Boos" series with a review of King's Creek Sour Mash Whiskey.
(00:36):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Bourbon Bytes podcast. I'm your host Clifton,
and this is the week of Thursday, October 16th, 2025. This week I am continuing my series "Bourbon
Boos" where I try whiskeys that have scared me off for far too long, but I got to give them a try.
This week is no exception because we are drinking a bottom shelf store brand from one of the largest
(01:00):
big box liquor stores out there, and the lack of information about this whiskey and not just that,
the color alone make me frightened, but we're going to get to that in a bit because we have
some whiskey news to get to first. As with pretty much every podcast episode this month, there have
been lots of new releases being announced from across the bourbon and spirits industry. I try
(01:23):
to summarize as many as I can in one of these podcast episodes without making it too long,
but we got a lot to get through today, so I'm going to go ahead and dive right into these.
The first one isn't actually a whiskey, but it is a whiskey themed set. The Flaviar Advent
Calendar has been announced for 2025. Now, if you're not familiar, Flaviar is a subscription
based whiskey trial program. I've looked into it before. It's never really been something that I
(01:49):
think I would enjoy. I enjoy, you know, exploring spirits on my own, but it is a good way for people
who get into trying different spirits from around the world. Personally, I recommend my bourbon
terabyte membership on bourbonbytes.com, where I send you custom samples every month and I guide
you through those tastings. One, you get to try much better whiskeys than they're providing,
(02:11):
no offense, but two, it's just a great way to support the channel. So I just want to throw
that plug out there. If you are curious, you can go to bourbonbytes.com, check the Byte Club
membership tiers and see if that's something you're interested in. But yes, they do an annual
advent calendar, and this is their eighth year doing it. Inside this calendar are 24 curated 50
milliliter drams from seven different countries, including the US, Japan, Scotland, Ireland,
(02:35):
Finland, China, and France. Now they say some of these pours can cost upwards of $200 for a full
size bottle. We'll have to take them at their word for that. But these box sets, I will admit,
are really cool looking. So it does come with a collectible custom Glencairn. Actually, you get
two of them in this set and you get what they call a tasting passport, which allows you to
access video content like guided tastings for each of these pours in the set. Not only that,
(03:01):
but it includes their black level membership for 12 months, which is a $40 value. And you can pick
this up for $270 while supplies last. The cutoff date for orders is November 14th for a guaranteed
delivery in December. They give you a few of the pours that are going to be available on this press
release. It looks like there's a Bhakta Golden Age blend, Sir Davis American Rye Whiskey, which of
(03:25):
course is the Beyonce whiskey, Loch Lomond 12 year, which is a good whiskey. I do like that one. And
Chicken Cock small batch bourbon. Now these are what they say are some of the highlights. That
doesn't mean there's not going to be better whiskeys in there. Now the theme this year is
Flaviar Airlines or FlaviAIR as they're branding it. So it kind of takes you on a journey through
whiskeys from around the world. So definitely check that out if you're interested in it. If
(03:47):
you've done it, let me know what you think. I just feel like maybe there's other ways that
I would recommend exploring whiskey. Even if you, you know, don't have a large friend group that's
into whiskey, you may be better off just grabbing a bottle or two every now and then. But this is
always a fun thing to do. I would love to do it on the channel just for fun. But yeah, $270 is a bit
steep when I don't know what's really in it. And I have too much whiskey around here anyway. So
(04:12):
all right, well, onto some new releases. Just a few things to shout out here. I noticed that
Kilchoman is coming out with an 11-year-old Isla Sherry Cask Matured Scotch. This one is going to
be released at 50% ABV. It's 100% Isla Sherry Cask Matured and was distilled from 2011, 2012,
and 2013 barley harvests. Aged for a minimum of 11 years and ex Oloroso Sherry Casks. It is a
(04:37):
limited edition that is available now in the UK and Europe, but it's going to reach beyond that
eventually. As with other Kilchoman's, this one is no added color or chill filtration.
It is a combination of 16 individually selected first fill Oloroso Sherry Butts. So definitely a
big fan of Kilchoman and I don't think I've seen many age-dated products from them, at least in
(04:59):
their regular lineup. So definitely interested in checking this one out. Now in the world of
American whiskey, there are some new releases coming out soon, including a Pinhook Collaboration
Series Rye Whiskey. This is the fourth edition in their series. This was a collaboration with a New
Orleans restauranteur named Neil Bodenheimer. He is the owner of the James Beard award-winning
(05:20):
restaurant Cure. And this was part of a tasting event called Tales of the Cocktail. It was a live
blending session and comes in at six years old and cask strength. This one will retail for $79.99
and will be available at select retailers nationwide. I had a chance to try one of the
Collaboration series in the past. It was a Starward collaboration and really, really loved that
(05:45):
one. I went to a Pinhook tasting here in Southern California probably about a month or two ago and
had a chance to try that and other releases and just was really impressed with what they're putting
out in these series. So this one sounds really great. I love a good rye whiskey. Like I said,
it's blended minimum six years old, but there's probably a quite a bit of older rye whiskey in
there as well. So if you get a chance to try this, let me know how it is. Now here's an
(06:07):
interesting one coming out of Texas. This is the brand of Milam & Greene. They have a new Guadalupe
Bass bourbon. This is a collector's edition crafted from three seven-year-old barrel strength bourbons.
It is part of the coveted wildlife collection and each whiskey release explores how climate
shapes whiskey character. Now the Guadalupe bass is the official state fish of Texas and they say
(06:31):
this release is a commitment to both innovation and whiskey making and dedication to preserving
the state's natural heritage. Now remember the Guadalupe River is the one that flooded in Texas
earlier this year, caused some devastation around the area, not just for people but for wildlife and
it's great to see that they are paying tribute to that. A portion of the proceeds from this
will benefit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, which supports conservation across
(06:54):
the state. But let's talk more about the whiskey. So this one's actually was distilled in Kentucky
with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley, and was aged in both Kentucky
and Texas. And it's going to be bottled at 125.1 proof, so up there in proof. Now what's interesting
is this mash bill is a MGP mash bill. It's their 36% rye mash bill, but according to this article
(07:18):
on fredminnick.com, it is a Kentucky bourbon. So don't know if that's just a typo or if this is just
a Kentucky distillery that's doing that MGP mash bill. But interesting note there, there's a quote
from their Director of Distillery Operations, Rick Monroe, who says, with its high rye content,
this bourbon offers both spice and balance, thanks to the interplay of barrels aged under Texas's
intense heat and those with the more classic Kentucky profile. So again, I mentioned of
(07:42):
Kentucky. That's really interesting to see that mash bill in reference to Kentucky. I'm looking
at the bottle here, it just says straight bourbon whiskey. It doesn't say Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
So again, I don't know if this is just a typo or if this is indeed a non-traditional mash bill for
Kentucky. Now retail of this is going to be $149.99. It's going to be available on the Milam &
(08:02):
Greene website as well as distillery pickup. There will only be 454 bottles of this available. They
say previous releases in this series have sold out within minutes. So if you're interested,
definitely look into getting that. I don't see necessarily when this is going to go live,
but make sure to follow them on their website to see when that's going to be available.
Sounds like a fantastic pour. Now to keep the whiskey news rolling, there are two new
(08:25):
announcements from Sagamore. They actually are introducing their brand new master distiller,
Ryan Norwood. He's been on the team since 2016, but he has since risen to the role of master
distiller. And with that, they're going to be rolling out a 10 year old straight rye whiskey.
As far as I'm aware, this is the oldest spirit coming out of Sagamore, which is super exciting.
(08:45):
It's going to be bottled at 55.4%. Ryan says that this release reflects not only our deep
commitment to the legacy of Maryland rye, but also the high standards our fans expect. It's
a bottle not to be missed. This was going to come in at $79.99, which is a very fair price for a rye
whiskey, especially at that high of proof. They say it's going to be available at the distillery
(09:06):
in Baltimore, but a few select premium retailers nationwide. They say it is a limited edition
release and it won't last long. And I can imagine that. So I will be absolutely seeking out a
bottle of that. I love some older rye whiskeys. Some of my favorites come in around the 10 year
age statement. So that's one that I definitely want to seek out, especially for that price.
That's one of the better values and older rye whiskey. Now there's another distillery that
(09:29):
I've been talking a lot about, mainly because I just visited their distillery as well as featured
them on my channel. Copperworks Distilling out of Seattle has just announced an 11 year old whiskey
coming from their special release series. This was going to be drawn from a single cask,
the second cask they ever filled back in 2014. There'll be less than 200 bottles of it available,
(09:50):
but it's going to be their oldest whiskey ever released. This was distilled from pale
malted barley sourced from Great Western Malting and matured for over 11 years in a char number
three new American oak cask from Independent Stave Company. If you saw my live stream with them,
they really care about these malts they're using for this American malt whiskey. They're really
(10:10):
brewers become distillers. They have a fascination with the craft beer scene and have since turned
that into a fascination with a malted American whiskey. So 11 years old, that's pretty crazy.
I wish I would've had a chance to try this when I was at the distillery, but if I was in town,
I would absolutely pay up for a pour of this. Like I said, less than 200 bottles. It's going
(10:30):
be bottled at 52% ABV or 104 proof and available for $199.99, which compared to the pricing of
their other products, that's pretty much on par with that, especially with it being such a limited
release. This is available now for pre-order and they expect it to ship around November 14th. So
if you were interested, go to their website and act fast because like I said, only 200 bottles
(10:52):
available. All right, not to bury the lead, but there's one other big whiskey announcement that
we gotta talk about because everyone's talking about it, right? The Buffalo Trace Antique
Collection has just announced their full lineup for 2025. And it's going to be the first time
ever that there's going to be a Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond Bourbon included. It looks like it
(11:12):
has a yellow foil around the top of the bottle to make it stand out compared to the others.
And the chances of seeing it are probably just as slim as the rest of them, if not more,
because it's the first time it's coming out. So this one is going to be aged 15 years and
four months and bottled at 100 proof, which of course is the bottled in bond standard.
That's pretty crazy for a 15 year old bottled in bond product. I don't think I've ever seen
(11:34):
anything that old that fits that requirement. They say this is crafted from their sour mash recipe
and the bottle features E.H. Taylor's signature logo. So it is different because, you know,
every bottle of E.H. Taylor kind of looks the same. So this is the first time doing a bit of
a rebranding sort of thing with it. I think it looks nice. I think it fits in with the collection.
I don't think it looks that different than the other BTAC bottles, but it is something cool to
(11:57):
see added this year. Now we also have the other bottles in the lineup, which are just as exciting,
if not more exciting. Eagle Rare 17 Years Old, comes in at 101 proof. This one was matured
for 18 years and four months. So it's even older than the age statement leads on. I remember last
year that Eagle Rare was a lot of people's favorite. So definitely keeping my eye on that
one this year. Now, of course, there's a new release of George T. Stagg. This one's coming
(12:21):
in at 15 years and four months. Interestingly enough, the same age statement as E.H. Taylor
Bottled in Bond Bourbon. Not quite sure why they went with that. I've seen some debate online,
like, is this the same, you know, whiskey that they're starting with as a source?
And then the Stagg is being released at cask strength. I don't know. They haven't really commented on it
as far as I'm aware. But this one is going to be one of the strongest releases ever because it's
(12:42):
going to be bottled at 142.8 proof. So, yes, we are getting another hazmat George T. Stagg,
which is very exciting. I had an opportunity to try the last hazmat release and was blown away
by how delicious that was. Huge shout out to Chris and Lil from Australia,
who allowed me a chance to try that. And of course, we have our two rye whiskies that are
included in the Antique Collection. Sazerac 18 year old, which this year is a 18 year,
(13:07):
five month rye whiskey bottled at 90 proof. And Thomas H. Handy rye whiskey, which is aged over
six years and bottled at 129.8 proof, which is an increase in proof from last year's release.
Honestly, the Sazerac 18 is the only Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottle that I've never
had a chance to try. I love the Thomas H. Handy releases, but those are usually younger and higher
(13:30):
proof. I think I would like to try something older and lower proof just to kind of do the contrast
there. So if anyone has a sample of any of the previous or this year's releases of Sazerac 18,
I'd love to try it. I'm happy to swap a Thomas H. Handy sample with you so to see how those compare.
And last but not least, one of my favorite parts of the antique collection, William Larue Weller
(13:50):
Kentucky straight bourbon. And this one is going to be released at 129 proof and aged for 14 years.
That just sounds so amazing. Like I said, this was one of my favorite. This is a wheated bourbon,
but a very nicely aged high proof wheated bourbon. Always one of the standouts for me as well.
So I will be hunting for the Antique Collection this year as with all years. Will I get a chance
(14:12):
to try all of them? Most definitely not. Will I get a chance to try maybe one or two of them?
We'll see. I'm always on the lookout this time of year for lotteries and limited edition drops
in my area. And especially this year, because like I said, I'm dedicating this year of the
podcast and the YouTube channel to buying things that I wouldn't normally buy, but
think that are worth reviewing here on the platform. Speaking of which, we got to get into
(14:35):
our Bourbon Boos Byte-Sized Review. All right, well, unlike the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection,
I am not excited for this week's byte-sized review. As I mentioned last week, I'm going to be
(14:56):
reviewing whiskeys that have scared me for far too long, but I'm going to give them a shot and
give them a fair chance at a legit review here on the channel. Last week, of course, I did the Dough Ball
cookie dough whiskey, which is a little more of a joke. But this time I kind of wanted to try
something that I didn't expect to like, but wanted to give it a fair shot. And it's a legit whiskey.
(15:16):
Now, legit is I hesitate to say legit because, well, there's a few things, but I'll get into that
in a second. This is King's Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. This is their Black Label product.
It's aged for four years, bottled at 80 proof, and has been through the Lincoln County process
where it's been charcoal mellowed. Now, in terms of information, that's about where it ends. So
(15:39):
what's funny is the side of this bottle says that it was bottled by Universal Brands out of Princeton,
Minnesota, which after doing some digging doesn't lead me to too much information.
This was created as a white label whiskey product for store brands like Total Wine
at a place called the USDP, which is the United States Distilled Products Company. Now, like I
(16:00):
said, not only do they create their own brands, but they also produce whiskeys like this for big
box retailers. But what's interesting is this is labeled as a Tennessee whiskey. So my guess is
this manufacturer of spirits sourced this non-disclosed Tennessee whiskey and bottled it
themselves. We don't know where this is from. We can only just assume it's from one of the larger
(16:23):
contract distillers out of Tennessee. Now, pricing wise, this is a bottom shelf pour.
This is a $16.49 per 750 milliliter bottle. You can also get a handle for $32 if that's more your jam.
But let's see what this is all about. This week on my live stream, I'm going to be trying a bunch of
other Total Wine branded whiskeys. So I thought why not also bring it over to the podcast here
(16:48):
for my Bourbon Boos series. Now, there's a chance this could be from George Dickel,
which is not known to be one of my favorite distilleries, but one that does produce a lot
of Tennessee whiskey. There's also a few producers that aren't making their house labels. I think
one was literally called Tennessee Distilling Company, if I remember correctly. But yeah,
no idea where this is from. So not sure if I mentioned it, but this is a sour mash whiskey,
(17:12):
which is just part of the process of their fermentation. Not sure if that gives us any
made, but a lot of Tennessee whiskey is sour mash. So it kind of aligns with that,
you know, going for that Jack Daniels-esque, you know, flavor profile, I guess. Speaking of which,
it's pretty obvious this label was inspired by Jack Daniels. Although the bottle shape is not
like a typical Jack ripoff. It's more of a flask shaped bottle. All right, let's give this
(17:37):
King's Creek Black label a nose. All right, well, very, very sweet. It kind of is a very heavily
creamed corn sweetness, for sure, on the nose. Now, as with bourbons, Tennessee whiskies need
to be at least 51% corn. We don't know the mash bill of this one, but I'm guessing there's probably
quite a bit more corn in that. Really, really sweet though, almost. And I was almost going to
(17:59):
say banana, but I feel like maybe I'm just being influenced by the fact that it's similar to a Jack
Daniels. If there is banana, it's very, very slight. It's almost like a banana pudding,
but like not a homemade one, like a store-bought vanilla wafer, like super sweet processed banana
pudding, but very, very light with the banana notes. Definitely more vanilla, sweet corn.
(18:21):
Honestly, not complex, but not bad. Let's go for a taste. Cheers.
Mmm. Okay. Yeah, that's very different. Not what I expected. It has a bit of a sour thing going on
here. It goes a very different direction than the nose, at least on first sip. It almost is like,
(18:45):
reminds me as if something has gone off here, which I know it hasn't because it's just whiskey.
Whiskey doesn't really go bad. But that was a bit of an unpleasant kind of first impression.
Let me give it a second sip because that caught me off guard. Let's go again.
Yeah, it's got a little bit of a melted plastic kind of thing going on.
(19:07):
I was saying sour at first because it's so contrasting to the sweetness that this thing
gave me on the nose. It goes back sweet on the end of the palate, but finish-wise,
it disappears just as quickly as it arrived. It really does not stick around at all. Probably
one of the shortest finishes I've ever had on a whiskey that I've reviewed on this channel.
There's still a bit of banana, and instead of like banana pudding, it's a little bit more of
(19:30):
like a banana bread, but again, not like a really decadent banana bread, just more of like a banana
Twinkie, if that's a thing. Just like very overly processed, you know. Yeah, I mean, that's a tough
palate to describe. I don't think I've ever given Twinkie as a note before. And you know what? I
(19:52):
it's just a little bit more of like a over-processed kind of like vanilla cake,
just like way too sweet. That corn is still there, and you know, as much as I would like to
say that it's helping it, it's not. It's just coming across more of like a generic sweetness
at this point. I was hoping for maybe a little bit of like a cornbread or something like that,
but it really doesn't go that direction at all. It doesn't really go any direction. I mean, even
(20:14):
compared to like 100% corn whiskey, like Mellow Corn, I mean, this lacks the character that
something like that would have. It just really falls flat. Best case scenario for a whiskey like
this, I think is maybe just to kind of down a shot, you know, like a little bit of pre-gaming
because this one isn't one that I want to sit on and enjoy pretty much ever. I know it sounds like
I'm being harsh, but listen, I have no problem with bottom shelf whiskeys and bourbons. I drink
(20:40):
a lot of them. One of my favorites is Evan Williams, even just the black label, I think
similar price to this, but a lot more character. If I'm going to splurge a little bit, I'll get
Evan Williams white label or single barrel. I'm also a huge fan of Wild Turkey 101, which is also
another, you know, not quite bottom shelf, but near bottom shelf pour. So I wanted to give this a shot
and I really didn't go into it expecting much. How much cheaper is it than Jack Daniels? That's
(21:05):
what I want to know. So like I said, a 750 milliliter bottle of this is $16.49. At Total Wine,
Jack Daniels black label is $17.99. So for $1.50 more, you can get a well-known trusted household
name, Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. I'm not like someone that seeks out, you know, brand names by
(21:26):
any means. But when it comes to whiskey, I think saving money isn't always better because the more
you spend, likely the better whiskey you're going to get in some cases. Now, of course, that doesn't
always apply. But in this case of King's Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, yeah, it's definitely
not good. I'll just say it outright. It's not good. It's nowhere near as good as Jack Daniel's,
(21:51):
even just the black label. I was sipping on some of the Jack Daniel's Bonded right before this,
which is also a four-year age-dated product. Of course, it's 100 proof and a little bit more
pricey, but the flavor of that knocked this out of the park so, so much. So yeah, this King's Creek,
to give it a rating, which, you know, I have to do, out of 10, I would probably give this a
(22:11):
two and a half out of 10. Like, that's really bad, but like, there's nothing really going for it. Like,
the nose was the only thing that I thought was relatively decent, but even that was, you know,
not great. I'll have one last sip of it just to maybe lock that in. You know what? I'll bump it up
a bit. I'll bump it up to a three only because it doesn't make me immediately want to spit it out.
Like, you know, it's not bad necessarily. It does have that kind of a weird sour kind of
(22:36):
plasticky note, but that's kind of what you expect with a lot of bottom shelf
pours. So I'll give it a three out of 10 just because I didn't immediately spit it out of my
mouth. But this is an absolute pass for me. I think, you know, even Jack Daniel's Black Label,
which is not one of my favorite whiskeys ever, is far, far superior than King's Creek Tennessee
whiskey. So thank you guys for humoring me and letting me do this review. Listen, I love reviewing
(23:02):
whiskeys in all categories. It's not always about the limited editions or allocated releases.
Sometimes it's about just your everyday pours. And you know, a lot of you guys I know aren't
going out seeking the BTAC's or the Pappy's, although I'm sure a lot of you are. You just
want something good to sip on and have a great time with. And this Kings Creek is not that. So
that's about it for this week's episode. Thank you guys so much for listening. If you have any
(23:26):
suggestions for whiskey to do for next week's "Bourbon Boos", let me know. Like I said, this
Thursday night, I'm doing a live stream on YouTube where I'm going to be comparing other Total Wine
House brand bourbons and whiskeys. Should be a good time. If you're not yet following me on YouTube,
youtube.com/bourbonbytes. You can also follow me at bourbonbytes.com, my home for
everything on the web. But until next time, this has been the Bourbon Bytes podcast, a whiskey
(23:49):
podcast with a gaming twist. Cheers, and I'll talk to you guys next episode.
Today on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, Flaviar is releasing their air travel themed advent calendar,
Kilchoman has a new 11 year old sherry cask matured scotch, plus we're looking at tons of
new American whiskey releases including bottles from Copperworks, Sagamore, Milam & Greene,
and of course the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Plus I'm continuing my
"Bourbon Boos" series with a review of King's Creek Sour Mash Whiskey.
(00:36):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Bourbon Bytes podcast. I'm your host Clifton,
and this is the week of Thursday, October 16th, 2025. This week I am continuing my series "Bourbon
Boos" where I try whiskeys that have scared me off for far too long, but I got to give them a try.
This week is no exception because we are drinking a bottom shelf store brand from one of the largest
(01:00):
big box liquor stores out there, and the lack of information about this whiskey and not just that,
the color alone make me frightened, but we're going to get to that in a bit because we have
some whiskey news to get to first. As with pretty much every podcast episode this month, there have
been lots of new releases being announced from across the bourbon and spirits industry. I try
(01:23):
to summarize as many as I can in one of these podcast episodes without making it too long,
but we got a lot to get through today, so I'm going to go ahead and dive right into these.
The first one isn't actually a whiskey, but it is a whiskey themed set. The Flaviar Advent
Calendar has been announced for 2025. Now, if you're not familiar, Flaviar is a subscription
based whiskey trial program. I've looked into it before. It's never really been something that I
(01:49):
think I would enjoy. I enjoy, you know, exploring spirits on my own, but it is a good way for people
who get into trying different spirits from around the world. Personally, I recommend my bourbon
terabyte membership on bourbonbytes.com, where I send you custom samples every month and I guide
you through those tastings. One, you get to try much better whiskeys than they're providing,
(02:11):
no offense, but two, it's just a great way to support the channel. So I just want to throw
that plug out there. If you are curious, you can go to bourbonbytes.com, check the Byte Club
membership tiers and see if that's something you're interested in. But yes, they do an annual
advent calendar, and this is their eighth year doing it. Inside this calendar are 24 curated 50
milliliter drams from seven different countries, including the US, Japan, Scotland, Ireland,
(02:35):
Finland, China, and France. Now they say some of these pours can cost upwards of $200 for a full
size bottle. We'll have to take them at their word for that. But these box sets, I will admit,
are really cool looking. So it does come with a collectible custom Glencairn. Actually, you get
two of them in this set and you get what they call a tasting passport, which allows you to
access video content like guided tastings for each of these pours in the set. Not only that,
(03:01):
but it includes their black level membership for 12 months, which is a $40 value. And you can pick
this up for $270 while supplies last. The cutoff date for orders is November 14th for a guaranteed
delivery in December. They give you a few of the pours that are going to be available on this press
release. It looks like there's a Bhakta Golden Age blend, Sir Davis American Rye Whiskey, which of
(03:25):
course is the Beyonce whiskey, Loch Lomond 12 year, which is a good whiskey. I do like that one. And
Chicken Cock small batch bourbon. Now these are what they say are some of the highlights. That
doesn't mean there's not going to be better whiskeys in there. Now the theme this year is
Flaviar Airlines or FlaviAIR as they're branding it. So it kind of takes you on a journey through
whiskeys from around the world. So definitely check that out if you're interested in it. If
(03:47):
you've done it, let me know what you think. I just feel like maybe there's other ways that
I would recommend exploring whiskey. Even if you, you know, don't have a large friend group that's
into whiskey, you may be better off just grabbing a bottle or two every now and then. But this is
always a fun thing to do. I would love to do it on the channel just for fun. But yeah, $270 is a bit
steep when I don't know what's really in it. And I have too much whiskey around here anyway. So
(04:12):
all right, well, onto some new releases. Just a few things to shout out here. I noticed that
Kilchoman is coming out with an 11-year-old Isla Sherry Cask Matured Scotch. This one is going to
be released at 50% ABV. It's 100% Isla Sherry Cask Matured and was distilled from 2011, 2012,
and 2013 barley harvests. Aged for a minimum of 11 years and ex Oloroso Sherry Casks. It is a
(04:37):
limited edition that is available now in the UK and Europe, but it's going to reach beyond that
eventually. As with other Kilchoman's, this one is no added color or chill filtration.
It is a combination of 16 individually selected first fill Oloroso Sherry Butts. So definitely a
big fan of Kilchoman and I don't think I've seen many age-dated products from them, at least in
(04:59):
their regular lineup. So definitely interested in checking this one out. Now in the world of
American whiskey, there are some new releases coming out soon, including a Pinhook Collaboration
Series Rye Whiskey. This is the fourth edition in their series. This was a collaboration with a New
Orleans restauranteur named Neil Bodenheimer. He is the owner of the James Beard award-winning
(05:20):
restaurant Cure. And this was part of a tasting event called Tales of the Cocktail. It was a live
blending session and comes in at six years old and cask strength. This one will retail for $79.99
and will be available at select retailers nationwide. I had a chance to try one of the
Collaboration series in the past. It was a Starward collaboration and really, really loved that
(05:45):
one. I went to a Pinhook tasting here in Southern California probably about a month or two ago and
had a chance to try that and other releases and just was really impressed with what they're putting
out in these series. So this one sounds really great. I love a good rye whiskey. Like I said,
it's blended minimum six years old, but there's probably a quite a bit of older rye whiskey in
there as well. So if you get a chance to try this, let me know how it is. Now here's an
(06:07):
interesting one coming out of Texas. This is the brand of Milam & Greene. They have a new Guadalupe
Bass bourbon. This is a collector's edition crafted from three seven-year-old barrel strength bourbons.
It is part of the coveted wildlife collection and each whiskey release explores how climate
shapes whiskey character. Now the Guadalupe bass is the official state fish of Texas and they say
(06:31):
this release is a commitment to both innovation and whiskey making and dedication to preserving
the state's natural heritage. Now remember the Guadalupe River is the one that flooded in Texas
earlier this year, caused some devastation around the area, not just for people but for wildlife and
it's great to see that they are paying tribute to that. A portion of the proceeds from this
will benefit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, which supports conservation across
(06:54):
the state. But let's talk more about the whiskey. So this one's actually was distilled in Kentucky
with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley, and was aged in both Kentucky
and Texas. And it's going to be bottled at 125.1 proof, so up there in proof. Now what's interesting
is this mash bill is a MGP mash bill. It's their 36% rye mash bill, but according to this article
(07:18):
on fredminnick.com, it is a Kentucky bourbon. So don't know if that's just a typo or if this is just
a Kentucky distillery that's doing that MGP mash bill. But interesting note there, there's a quote
from their Director of Distillery Operations, Rick Monroe, who says, with its high rye content,
this bourbon offers both spice and balance, thanks to the interplay of barrels aged under Texas's
intense heat and those with the more classic Kentucky profile. So again, I mentioned of
(07:42):
Kentucky. That's really interesting to see that mash bill in reference to Kentucky. I'm looking
at the bottle here, it just says straight bourbon whiskey. It doesn't say Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
So again, I don't know if this is just a typo or if this is indeed a non-traditional mash bill for
Kentucky. Now retail of this is going to be $149.99. It's going to be available on the Milam &
(08:02):
Greene website as well as distillery pickup. There will only be 454 bottles of this available. They
say previous releases in this series have sold out within minutes. So if you're interested,
definitely look into getting that. I don't see necessarily when this is going to go live,
but make sure to follow them on their website to see when that's going to be available.
Sounds like a fantastic pour. Now to keep the whiskey news rolling, there are two new
(08:25):
announcements from Sagamore. They actually are introducing their brand new master distiller,
Ryan Norwood. He's been on the team since 2016, but he has since risen to the role of master
distiller. And with that, they're going to be rolling out a 10 year old straight rye whiskey.
As far as I'm aware, this is the oldest spirit coming out of Sagamore, which is super exciting.
(08:45):
It's going to be bottled at 55.4%. Ryan says that this release reflects not only our deep
commitment to the legacy of Maryland rye, but also the high standards our fans expect. It's
a bottle not to be missed. This was going to come in at $79.99, which is a very fair price for a rye
whiskey, especially at that high of proof. They say it's going to be available at the distillery
(09:06):
in Baltimore, but a few select premium retailers nationwide. They say it is a limited edition
release and it won't last long. And I can imagine that. So I will be absolutely seeking out a
bottle of that. I love some older rye whiskeys. Some of my favorites come in around the 10 year
age statement. So that's one that I definitely want to seek out, especially for that price.
That's one of the better values and older rye whiskey. Now there's another distillery that
(09:29):
I've been talking a lot about, mainly because I just visited their distillery as well as featured
them on my channel. Copperworks Distilling out of Seattle has just announced an 11 year old whiskey
coming from their special release series. This was going to be drawn from a single cask,
the second cask they ever filled back in 2014. There'll be less than 200 bottles of it available,
(09:50):
but it's going to be their oldest whiskey ever released. This was distilled from pale
malted barley sourced from Great Western Malting and matured for over 11 years in a char number
three new American oak cask from Independent Stave Company. If you saw my live stream with them,
they really care about these malts they're using for this American malt whiskey. They're really
(10:10):
brewers become distillers. They have a fascination with the craft beer scene and have since turned
that into a fascination with a malted American whiskey. So 11 years old, that's pretty crazy.
I wish I would've had a chance to try this when I was at the distillery, but if I was in town,
I would absolutely pay up for a pour of this. Like I said, less than 200 bottles. It's going
(10:30):
be bottled at 52% ABV or 104 proof and available for $199.99, which compared to the pricing of
their other products, that's pretty much on par with that, especially with it being such a limited
release. This is available now for pre-order and they expect it to ship around November 14th. So
if you were interested, go to their website and act fast because like I said, only 200 bottles
(10:52):
available. All right, not to bury the lead, but there's one other big whiskey announcement that
we gotta talk about because everyone's talking about it, right? The Buffalo Trace Antique
Collection has just announced their full lineup for 2025. And it's going to be the first time
ever that there's going to be a Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond Bourbon included. It looks like it
(11:12):
has a yellow foil around the top of the bottle to make it stand out compared to the others.
And the chances of seeing it are probably just as slim as the rest of them, if not more,
because it's the first time it's coming out. So this one is going to be aged 15 years and
four months and bottled at 100 proof, which of course is the bottled in bond standard.
That's pretty crazy for a 15 year old bottled in bond product. I don't think I've ever seen
(11:34):
anything that old that fits that requirement. They say this is crafted from their sour mash recipe
and the bottle features E.H. Taylor's signature logo. So it is different because, you know,
every bottle of E.H. Taylor kind of looks the same. So this is the first time doing a bit of
a rebranding sort of thing with it. I think it looks nice. I think it fits in with the collection.
I don't think it looks that different than the other BTAC bottles, but it is something cool to
(11:57):
see added this year. Now we also have the other bottles in the lineup, which are just as exciting,
if not more exciting. Eagle Rare 17 Years Old, comes in at 101 proof. This one was matured
for 18 years and four months. So it's even older than the age statement leads on. I remember last
year that Eagle Rare was a lot of people's favorite. So definitely keeping my eye on that
one this year. Now, of course, there's a new release of George T. Stagg. This one's coming
(12:21):
in at 15 years and four months. Interestingly enough, the same age statement as E.H. Taylor
Bottled in Bond Bourbon. Not quite sure why they went with that. I've seen some debate online,
like, is this the same, you know, whiskey that they're starting with as a source?
And then the Stagg is being released at cask strength. I don't know. They haven't really commented on it
as far as I'm aware. But this one is going to be one of the strongest releases ever because it's
(12:42):
going to be bottled at 142.8 proof. So, yes, we are getting another hazmat George T. Stagg,
which is very exciting. I had an opportunity to try the last hazmat release and was blown away
by how delicious that was. Huge shout out to Chris and Lil from Australia,
who allowed me a chance to try that. And of course, we have our two rye whiskies that are
included in the Antique Collection. Sazerac 18 year old, which this year is a 18 year,
(13:07):
five month rye whiskey bottled at 90 proof. And Thomas H. Handy rye whiskey, which is aged over
six years and bottled at 129.8 proof, which is an increase in proof from last year's release.
Honestly, the Sazerac 18 is the only Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottle that I've never
had a chance to try. I love the Thomas H. Handy releases, but those are usually younger and higher
(13:30):
proof. I think I would like to try something older and lower proof just to kind of do the contrast
there. So if anyone has a sample of any of the previous or this year's releases of Sazerac 18,
I'd love to try it. I'm happy to swap a Thomas H. Handy sample with you so to see how those compare.
And last but not least, one of my favorite parts of the antique collection, William Larue Weller
(13:50):
Kentucky straight bourbon. And this one is going to be released at 129 proof and aged for 14 years.
That just sounds so amazing. Like I said, this was one of my favorite. This is a wheated bourbon,
but a very nicely aged high proof wheated bourbon. Always one of the standouts for me as well.
So I will be hunting for the Antique Collection this year as with all years. Will I get a chance
(14:12):
to try all of them? Most definitely not. Will I get a chance to try maybe one or two of them?
We'll see. I'm always on the lookout this time of year for lotteries and limited edition drops
in my area. And especially this year, because like I said, I'm dedicating this year of the
podcast and the YouTube channel to buying things that I wouldn't normally buy, but
think that are worth reviewing here on the platform. Speaking of which, we got to get into
(14:35):
our Bourbon Boos Byte-Sized Review. All right, well, unlike the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection,
I am not excited for this week's byte-sized review. As I mentioned last week, I'm going to be
(14:56):
reviewing whiskeys that have scared me for far too long, but I'm going to give them a shot and
give them a fair chance at a legit review here on the channel. Last week, of course, I did the Dough Ball
cookie dough whiskey, which is a little more of a joke. But this time I kind of wanted to try
something that I didn't expect to like, but wanted to give it a fair shot. And it's a legit whiskey.
(15:16):
Now, legit is I hesitate to say legit because, well, there's a few things, but I'll get into that
in a second. This is King's Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. This is their Black Label product.
It's aged for four years, bottled at 80 proof, and has been through the Lincoln County process
where it's been charcoal mellowed. Now, in terms of information, that's about where it ends. So
(15:39):
what's funny is the side of this bottle says that it was bottled by Universal Brands out of Princeton,
Minnesota, which after doing some digging doesn't lead me to too much information.
This was created as a white label whiskey product for store brands like Total Wine
at a place called the USDP, which is the United States Distilled Products Company. Now, like I
(16:00):
said, not only do they create their own brands, but they also produce whiskeys like this for big
box retailers. But what's interesting is this is labeled as a Tennessee whiskey. So my guess is
this manufacturer of spirits sourced this non-disclosed Tennessee whiskey and bottled it
themselves. We don't know where this is from. We can only just assume it's from one of the larger
(16:23):
contract distillers out of Tennessee. Now, pricing wise, this is a bottom shelf pour.
This is a $16.49 per 750 milliliter bottle. You can also get a handle for $32 if that's more your jam.
But let's see what this is all about. This week on my live stream, I'm going to be trying a bunch of
other Total Wine branded whiskeys. So I thought why not also bring it over to the podcast here
(16:48):
for my Bourbon Boos series. Now, there's a chance this could be from George Dickel,
which is not known to be one of my favorite distilleries, but one that does produce a lot
of Tennessee whiskey. There's also a few producers that aren't making their house labels. I think
one was literally called Tennessee Distilling Company, if I remember correctly. But yeah,
no idea where this is from. So not sure if I mentioned it, but this is a sour mash whiskey,
(17:12):
which is just part of the process of their fermentation. Not sure if that gives us any
made, but a lot of Tennessee whiskey is sour mash. So it kind of aligns with that,
you know, going for that Jack Daniels-esque, you know, flavor profile, I guess. Speaking of which,
it's pretty obvious this label was inspired by Jack Daniels. Although the bottle shape is not
like a typical Jack ripoff. It's more of a flask shaped bottle. All right, let's give this
(17:37):
King's Creek Black label a nose. All right, well, very, very sweet. It kind of is a very heavily
creamed corn sweetness, for sure, on the nose. Now, as with bourbons, Tennessee whiskies need
to be at least 51% corn. We don't know the mash bill of this one, but I'm guessing there's probably
quite a bit more corn in that. Really, really sweet though, almost. And I was almost going to
(17:59):
say banana, but I feel like maybe I'm just being influenced by the fact that it's similar to a Jack
Daniels. If there is banana, it's very, very slight. It's almost like a banana pudding,
but like not a homemade one, like a store-bought vanilla wafer, like super sweet processed banana
pudding, but very, very light with the banana notes. Definitely more vanilla, sweet corn.
(18:21):
Honestly, not complex, but not bad. Let's go for a taste. Cheers.
Mmm. Okay. Yeah, that's very different. Not what I expected. It has a bit of a sour thing going on
here. It goes a very different direction than the nose, at least on first sip. It almost is like,
(18:45):
reminds me as if something has gone off here, which I know it hasn't because it's just whiskey.
Whiskey doesn't really go bad. But that was a bit of an unpleasant kind of first impression.
Let me give it a second sip because that caught me off guard. Let's go again.
Yeah, it's got a little bit of a melted plastic kind of thing going on.
(19:07):
I was saying sour at first because it's so contrasting to the sweetness that this thing
gave me on the nose. It goes back sweet on the end of the palate, but finish-wise,
it disappears just as quickly as it arrived. It really does not stick around at all. Probably
one of the shortest finishes I've ever had on a whiskey that I've reviewed on this channel.
There's still a bit of banana, and instead of like banana pudding, it's a little bit more of
(19:30):
like a banana bread, but again, not like a really decadent banana bread, just more of like a banana
Twinkie, if that's a thing. Just like very overly processed, you know. Yeah, I mean, that's a tough
palate to describe. I don't think I've ever given Twinkie as a note before. And you know what? I
(19:52):
it's just a little bit more of like a over-processed kind of like vanilla cake,
just like way too sweet. That corn is still there, and you know, as much as I would like to
say that it's helping it, it's not. It's just coming across more of like a generic sweetness
at this point. I was hoping for maybe a little bit of like a cornbread or something like that,
but it really doesn't go that direction at all. It doesn't really go any direction. I mean, even
(20:14):
compared to like 100% corn whiskey, like Mellow Corn, I mean, this lacks the character that
something like that would have. It just really falls flat. Best case scenario for a whiskey like
this, I think is maybe just to kind of down a shot, you know, like a little bit of pre-gaming
because this one isn't one that I want to sit on and enjoy pretty much ever. I know it sounds like
I'm being harsh, but listen, I have no problem with bottom shelf whiskeys and bourbons. I drink
(20:40):
a lot of them. One of my favorites is Evan Williams, even just the black label, I think
similar price to this, but a lot more character. If I'm going to splurge a little bit, I'll get
Evan Williams white label or single barrel. I'm also a huge fan of Wild Turkey 101, which is also
another, you know, not quite bottom shelf, but near bottom shelf pour. So I wanted to give this a shot
and I really didn't go into it expecting much. How much cheaper is it than Jack Daniels? That's
(21:05):
what I want to know. So like I said, a 750 milliliter bottle of this is $16.49. At Total Wine,
Jack Daniels black label is $17.99. So for $1.50 more, you can get a well-known trusted household
name, Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. I'm not like someone that seeks out, you know, brand names by
(21:26):
any means. But when it comes to whiskey, I think saving money isn't always better because the more
you spend, likely the better whiskey you're going to get in some cases. Now, of course, that doesn't
always apply. But in this case of King's Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, yeah, it's definitely
not good. I'll just say it outright. It's not good. It's nowhere near as good as Jack Daniel's,
(21:51):
even just the black label. I was sipping on some of the Jack Daniel's Bonded right before this,
which is also a four-year age-dated product. Of course, it's 100 proof and a little bit more
pricey, but the flavor of that knocked this out of the park so, so much. So yeah, this King's Creek,
to give it a rating, which, you know, I have to do, out of 10, I would probably give this a
(22:11):
two and a half out of 10. Like, that's really bad, but like, there's nothing really going for it. Like,
the nose was the only thing that I thought was relatively decent, but even that was, you know,
not great. I'll have one last sip of it just to maybe lock that in. You know what? I'll bump it up
a bit. I'll bump it up to a three only because it doesn't make me immediately want to spit it out.
Like, you know, it's not bad necessarily. It does have that kind of a weird sour kind of
(22:36):
plasticky note, but that's kind of what you expect with a lot of bottom shelf
pours. So I'll give it a three out of 10 just because I didn't immediately spit it out of my
mouth. But this is an absolute pass for me. I think, you know, even Jack Daniel's Black Label,
which is not one of my favorite whiskeys ever, is far, far superior than King's Creek Tennessee
whiskey. So thank you guys for humoring me and letting me do this review. Listen, I love reviewing
(23:02):
whiskeys in all categories. It's not always about the limited editions or allocated releases.
Sometimes it's about just your everyday pours. And you know, a lot of you guys I know aren't
going out seeking the BTAC's or the Pappy's, although I'm sure a lot of you are. You just
want something good to sip on and have a great time with. And this Kings Creek is not that. So
that's about it for this week's episode. Thank you guys so much for listening. If you have any
(23:26):
suggestions for whiskey to do for next week's "Bourbon Boos", let me know. Like I said, this
Thursday night, I'm doing a live stream on YouTube where I'm going to be comparing other Total Wine
House brand bourbons and whiskeys. Should be a good time. If you're not yet following me on YouTube,
youtube.com/bourbonbytes. You can also follow me at bourbonbytes.com, my home for
everything on the web. But until next time, this has been the Bourbon Bytes podcast, a whiskey
(23:49):
podcast with a gaming twist. Cheers, and I'll talk to you guys next episode.
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