This week on Bourbon Bytes, I take a deep dive into the 2015 Parker’s Heritage 8-Year Malt Whiskey - a rare and experimental Heaven Hill release that was way ahead of its time. How does it hold up nearly a decade later, and why didn’t Heaven Hill continue down the malt path?
Also in whiskey news: 🥃 Booker’s The Reserves 2025 gets a bold tequila barrel finish 🌳 Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection “Sweet Oak” rolls out in rare chinquapin oak barrels 🌾 Heaven Hill Grain-to-Glass Wheated Bourbon with a unique mash bill 🏭 Angel’s Envy drops two distillery-only exclusives 🎟️ Buffalo Trace Elmer T. Lee Charity Sweepstakes offers an incredible behind-the-scenes prize
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Today on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we're highlighting several new bourbon releases
from across Kentucky, including the 2025 Booker's Reserves Tequila Cask Finish,
Heaven Hill's new Grain to Glass Whiskey, two distillery-only releases from Angel's Envy,
and a throwback review of the 2015 Parker's Heritage 8-Year Malt Whiskey.
(00:30):
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Bourbon Bytes podcast. I'm your host,
Clifton, and this is the week of Thursday, September 11th, 2025.
I know a lot of you are gearing up for Bourbon and Beyond that's starting today and going through
the weekend. I so wish I could make it out there. I've always wanted to go to one of these big
bourbon festivals out in Kentucky, but living in Southern California makes it a bit more of
(00:53):
a challenge. You know, you have the flight, you have the hotel, and all the transportation you
have to figure out. It makes it a little more difficult for me to make it out there. But
those of you that are there, enjoy some amazing bourbon, some amazing performances. I just wish
I could be there. It sounds like a great time. So cheers to Bourbon and Beyond of 2025.
But with that being said, we have a ton of news in the world of bourbon and whiskey that we need
(01:17):
to talk about this week. This might be the most whiskey announcements we've had in one podcast
episode this season, so I'll make sure to make it more of a byte-sized snippet of every news article
and every new release, and then maybe dive into them a bit later, especially if I get a chance
to try a sample of some of them. But we're going to start off with a new announcement from Booker's
Bourbon at Jim Beam. They are releasing the 2025 release of The Reserves, and it has a unique twist
(01:42):
that's never been done before at Jim Beam. So this is being labeled as an extra old bourbon,
with the youngest spirit age in it, 8 years, 10 months, and 11 days. It's going to be bottled
uncut and unfiltered at 123.3 proof. But here's where it gets even more interesting. This is going
to be finished for 6 months in tequila barrels. But these aren't just any tequila barrels,
(02:04):
these barrels previously held the whiskey used in the Booker's 30th Bourbon release,
which I was lucky enough to try a few years ago. They actually shipped these barrels from the
Booker's 30th release over to Jalisco and used it to age El Tesoro's tequila for their 85th
anniversary release, and now they're making their way back to Kentucky for this very special Booker's
release. They do say that the agave influences not just the palate, but the nose as well.
(02:29):
They're saying it's the typical nose rich in caramel and vanilla with a touch of agave spirit.
The palate is the Booker's you love, but the finish even comes back to that agave.
I'm really excited. I do love that, uh, especially mezcal and some, you know,
high-end tequilas have a bit of a black pepper finish, and I think that would complement bourbon
really, really well. So I would be curious to try this. I bet it's delicious, especially with it
(02:50):
being older aged Booker's. This one is, like I said, the youngest in it is about eight years old.
I've heard that this isn't as old as some of the previous The Reserve's releases. Those varied
between eight and 14 years old. So this one might have a little bit more of that eight-ish year old
distillate in there, but man, what an interesting twist on Booker's. I cannot wait to hear about
this one and see how that tequila influence impacts this bourbon. It's going to be limited
(03:13):
to about 20,000 bottles, and they're going to have limited quantities available at the distillery,
as well as a nationwide release starting this month. Suggested retail is $130, the same as last
year's batch, and I think that's a pretty fair price for a release like this. You know, you're
getting older Booker's, cask strength, unique finish. I mean, I think the price, you know,
seeing Booker's go up and up in price, it only makes sense that this is going to be a little
(03:37):
bit more than regular Booker's, but not so much that it makes you, you know, second-guess it.
I would definitely pick it up for the price to at least try it once. I typically love a wine finish,
but I've had some incredible rum finishes, so why not experiment with agave as well?
All right, well, keeping the new releases rolling, Woodford Reserve just announced
their 2025 Master's Collection. It is called Sweet Oak Bourbon. It is aged in rare chinquapin
(04:01):
oak barrels. Now, if you've been following the podcast, you know chinquapin's coming up
quite a bit lately, most recently in the Bomberger's release from Michter's, their limited
edition annual release. Well, Woodford took a note out of their book with this bourbon. It's
going to be bottled at 110.4 proof. There doesn't seem to be an age statement here,
but we do know the MSRP of it is about $180 for a 700 milliliter bottle. Now, this is available
(04:26):
now at the distillery and select Kentucky retailers in very limited quantities,
as well as available on their website at shop.woodfordreserve.com. These Woodford Reserve
Master's Collections, I feel like have been kind of hit or miss, at least so I've heard. I
haven't had a chance to try very many of them. I do wish we had a little bit more info in terms
of the age of the whiskey here. $180 is a bit tough for something that's non-age stated. Of
(04:48):
course, it is 110.4 proof, which is nice. So I think this one would be a pass for me personally,
but if you had a chance to try it, let me know. Is it worth the price? Because that is,
that is a spendy bottle of Woodford. I have reached out to the brand for a sample, so my
opinion may change if I get a chance to try it. So stay tuned, make sure to follow me on your
favorite podcast platform. Now, another new release is the 2025 edition of Heaven Hill's
(05:11):
Grain to Glass bourbon. This one is a straight wheated bourbon whiskey, but it's not their
typical high wheat mash bill. This is actually even higher with 35% wheat, 52% corn, and 13%
malted barley. They use a specific corn varietal in this that is from a family owned farm,
Peterson Farms in Nelson County. And it reflects the distillery's dedication to sourcing local,
(05:35):
carefully chosen grain. We do know this is aged over six years old at the Cox Creek Rick House,
bottled at barrel proof, which is 106.6 proof. Have you guys had these Grain to Glass releases?
I see them here and there, but I would love to try them all together before I make a judgment
on which one's worth buying, which one's not worth buying. This one though, the retail on it
is $100, same with these other Grain to Glass releases, at least the ones that I've seen
(05:58):
here in Southern California. Last year's wheated bourbon, you know, won so many awards. So it's
interesting to see that this one is a different mash bill, a different corn variety. I would love
to do a little side-by-side between those two. All right, we only have two more new whiskies that
I want to tell you about. These are distillery only releases of Angel's Envy. The first of which is a
two grain bourbon, and it's made up of a mash bill of 90% corn and 10% malted barley. Now this is very
(06:24):
different from the usual Angel's Envy mash bill. That's 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley.
This whiskey was also aged in new charred barrels from Kelvin Cooperage and has been bottled at 112
proof. The second of these is called the Peated Cask Rye. So this is a rye whiskey that's been
finished in scotch barrels to bring bold rye flavor with Islay's signature peat smoke. It's
(06:48):
aged six years and finished for another year in scotch casks and is bottled at 100 proof. I always
love seeing a scotch cask finish whiskey. I think Doc Swinson's was one of the first ones I had, and
it brings a lot of layers with it. You know, not just the smoke. You think Islay, you think peat,
you think smoke, which is true. But when you combine that with the flavors of a big, strong,
(07:09):
bold bourbon or rye whiskey, you get some really incredible blending of cultures and flavors and
different fruitiness, smokiness. It's so much fun. So of the two, that one sounds the most
interesting to me. Now, like I said, these are distillery only. They're going to be bottled in
375 milliliter bottles, retail for about $55 each. So pretty fair price for something that's a
(07:29):
distillery exclusive. If you are stopping by the distillery, I bet they'll have a tasting of these
too. If you try them, let me know which one's your favorite, but they do sound really fun.
And if you had a chance to try them, I would love to hear how they are. All right, last piece of
whiskey news. This is an announcement from Buffalo Trace. Actually, they are announcing the Elmer T.
Lee Charity Sweepstakes. So they are partnering with St. Jude Children's Hospital and they are
(07:52):
doing a fundraiser slash sweepstakes. Last year, they raised over a million dollars with this.
Now, this is part of the Sazerac Barrel Select program, but this time they are releasing an Elmer
T. Lee Barrel Selection Experience. Now, this runs through September 30th of this year.
Every $100 donation is an entry. So it sounds like if you donate more, you'll get more entries.
(08:13):
And one winner will be selected for the grand prize, which includes a one night stay in Stagg
Lodge and a VIP behind the scenes tour and private catered lunch at Buffalo Trace with the winner and
up to seven guests. They can then do a private barrel selection experience to thief taste and
select their barrel of Elmer T. Lee alongside master distiller Harlen Wheatley. And they'll
(08:34):
also get an $18,000 cash prize, which may be used to purchase the bottles from the selected barrel
with personalized medallions. So it sounds like you don't have to necessarily buy the bottles,
but you could with that cash prize. So really fun opportunity definitely goes to a good cause.
And it's something that I've just never seen done before, at least with Elmer T. Lee. So
definitely check that out. You can enter the sweepstakes on their website,
(08:56):
Sazerac Barrel Select dot com. They have all the details there, including the rules and all
the terms and all that stuff. But check it out. It's really cool to see them giving back this way.
All right. That was a mouthful, but I think that does it for the news this week.
No video game news because we talked so much about whiskey news that I want to, you know,
overwhelm your brain. But we do have a very, very exciting throwback Byte Sized review.
(09:27):
All right. So like I said, we are going back to 2015 with this review. Gosh,
that was only 10 years ago. But why does it feel like it was way longer than that? I mean,
life was so different back then, at least for me. I was just graduating college,
still living in South Carolina, still had hope for the future. And now look where we're at.
Just kidding. I won't go down that rabbit hole. Instead, I'm going to review
(09:49):
this Parker's Heritage release. It is an eight year old malt whiskey bottled at 108 proof.
Now, this is my first time trying this release. I've had this sample for ages, I feel like. And
I think, you know, when I first got it, I wasn't that experienced with American malt whiskey.
And I think that was part of the reason why I put it off. I wanted to hold out until
(10:11):
I've had more experience with it. You know, I felt like I deserved to give it a fair review
after trying a lot more malts, especially American single malts.
So when digging through samples, looking for things to review for today's episode,
I found it. And I thought it was very relevant because if you remember last week,
I talked about the Woodford Reserve 12 year single malt that was coming out. And I was like,
(10:32):
that's crazy. I didn't know anyone was doing malt for that long.
Come to find out Parker's Heritage released a eight year old malt whiskey in 2015. Now,
this was a little bit different. It's a Kentucky straight malt whiskey. It's not a single malt.
It's actually 65 percent malted barley, 35 percent corn. But still, this is some
highly aged malt whiskey available to us from 2015. That's pretty crazy.
(10:56):
Now, retail on this was one hundred dollars when it first came out. Of course, secondary markets
have skyrocketed, especially with older releases like this. So I could see this going for four to
five hundred dollars. So I don't remember who actually gave me the sample. It's an old label.
It could have been Patrick and Heather. I don't recognize the handwriting, but whoever sent me
the sample at least five years or so ago, thank you. I'm excited to finally try it now that I know
(11:18):
what I'm talking about, because I was mostly just a purely bourbon and some rye whiskey guy,
probably, you know, back then. And now I have experienced a whole world of whiskey beyond just
bourbon and rye going to Scotland, going to Ireland, Japan, all these incredible world whiskies.
So I think I now have a fair opinion on malt whiskey and I'm going to reveal it for you guys
(11:40):
tonight. So it's interesting looking back at articles about this. You know, a lot of them
are saying that you really don't see much American malt whiskey. And that kind of was the the way it
was back then. I mean, Stranahan's was already doing their thing. Balcones were doing some
experiments with malt. But really, it was all coming from these craft distilleries and not
major American distilleries. So it was pretty groundbreaking for Heaven Hill to release this
(12:03):
as their, you know, not just a standard release, but their Parker's Heritage release for the year.
They must have felt very strongly about this being an exceptional whiskey. Let's go and get
it poured. Now, even though I'm pulling up articles about it, I don't want to read any
reviews or get anyone's opinions, mainly because, like I said, the landscape of American whiskey has
changed. I think it was definitely a shock to those that were fans of Parker's Heritage.
(12:25):
So I think it's one that I'm going to approach with a 2025 palate, but a 2015 mindset, because
I don't think it's fair to compare it against some of the single malts we have today, because again,
it was relatively new and unheard of. Let's go ahead and give it a nose.
Oh, yeah. You know, what's funny is it does have a lot of malt character to it,
but it's pretty clearly Heaven Hill distillate. I think, you know, they have an overall flavor
(12:47):
profile that I love across their lineup, whether it's their bourbon or their wheated bourbon.
I just get some baked good notes, like walking into a bake shop, a dessert shop.
That is prevalent even on the nose here, even though it's not their standard bourbon or rye
mash bill. And I almost want to attribute that to some of the barrels they're using,
because it always brings out that same kind of like toasted pie crust note, no matter what I'm
(13:11):
drinking from them. So it could be the distillate, it could be the barrels. But the only thing I've
seen consistently across these is the barrel. So that's just that's just a guess there. And
the oak expresses itself beautifully here. Like I said, there is that malted barley element to it,
but you're getting a lot of oak. I mean, I would definitely tell that there's some age on this,
especially when you think of malted American whiskeys back then because they were just,
(13:32):
you know, relatively new to the market. But this one being eight years old, I mean,
that is very obvious on the nose. This is a very well aged whiskey. All right,
let's go to give it a taste. Cheers. Oh, wow. OK, different. Yeah. I mean,
that kind of is reminiscent of kind of how I felt about some of the early American single
malts on the market. It does have a craft quality to it. And I think that's just the
(13:55):
malted barley is reacting, especially with those barrels. Now, I don't know for sure,
but I'm guessing they probably did use new charred oak barrels here. I know a lot of
American distilleries do that because that's just what they're used to. This is a lot of that like
heavy, strong wood element, but it interacts with that malted barley in a way that makes the barley
feel more grain forward and a little more, I would say, less refined. And I don't necessarily
(14:18):
mean that in like a way to say that this is a bad whiskey. It's just when I see malted barley and
new charred oak barrels, a lot of times that does kind of have a bit of an imbalance. But it's good
to see that they are blending some corn here. There's still part of corn in the mash bill.
It's bringing a bit more creaminess, a little bit more sweetness that I associate with that.
It's not all that craft kind of tannic note. It's definitely more mellow with that corn.
(14:42):
On second sip, it kind of continues what I'm feeling. It feels a little bit more rounded now
that I've kind of acclimated myself with not only the proof, but the mash bill as well.
It really is just a very complex whiskey. And that's kind of what I look for in Parker's
Heritage. I like them to be, you know, experimental takes on what they're already doing well.
This may have been way out left field for them at the time, but I don't think it takes away from
(15:04):
the impact of this being an exceptional whiskey. I think it's, you know, fitting for the Parker's
name. It feels limited edition. It feels rare. It feels experimental. It feels fun. And it blows
my mind that even, you know, 10 years ago, Heaven Hill was putting out great malted whiskey. Finish
almost goes a bit savory. It still has that toasted oak element that I got on the nose, palate, all the
(15:24):
way through, but it goes savory and a little bit like a bitter, dark chocolate on the end of the
finish. Really long finish for, you know, something 108 proof. Now, would I say this is my favorite
Parker's Heritage release? Absolutely not. I've loved their heavily charred bourbon, heavily
charred rye, as well as some of the other more recent releases. But knowing this came out 10
years ago and was doing this well at malt whiskey. And it makes me wonder, why haven't they done
(15:49):
more with malt whiskey? I mean, there have been some Heaven Hill Select Stock releases
that have malt whiskey in it, but it really isn't a part of their core lineup. You know,
they're doing their bourbon, their rye bourbon, their wheated bourbon, their rye whiskey. We don't
see like a malt whiskey coming from Heaven Hill. And I'm wondering why that is. I wonder if maybe
this one just didn't perform well, or they've done some experiments and just found it wasn't for them.
(16:09):
I'd be very curious to know why they didn't continue this. Maybe they'll start picking it
back up now that Woodford Reserve is coming in there with a 12-year-old American single malt.
Maybe they're going to say, okay, there's some room for us here in Kentucky. Let's give it a try.
But yeah, overall, that's a really solid Parker's Heritage. All things considered, knowing that,
you know, you probably won't be able to find a bottle of it today. I'm going to give it a score
based on price at time of release. Based on the nose, the palate, the finish, the price.
(16:35):
This one actually gets a solid 9 out of 10 for me. I think it was groundbreaking in the world
of malt whiskey in America. It was ahead of its time, I would say. Maybe that's why it didn't
do as well. Maybe, you know, people weren't ready for it yet. But I guarantee you, if Heaven Hill
released this today, people would be a lot more excited about it, especially if they put it out
at the $100 price point. I think the only thing that would make this, you know, a 10 out of 10
(16:58):
for me is, one, they still made it today. Two, maybe a bit higher proof. You know, 108 is not
bad at all, but I think I would love to see how this shines at higher proof. Also, eight years
is a solid age, but I would love to see it at, you know, 10 to 12. That's where I think a lot
of whiskey shines, especially malt whiskey. So, you know, a little bit more age, a little bit more
availability, and maybe a little bit more proof would give it a 10 out of 10 for me. But this is
(17:20):
pretty dang close. A 9 out of 10. Wow. I can't wait to see if they do something like this again. If
they do, I'm going to hold on to the rest of this sample and do a little comparison. It'd be really
cool to see what they do, you know, compared back to 2015, you know, whether they release it next
year or the year after. I'd love to have a way to compare it to where they started. So, cheers to
that. That was a lot of fun. Thank you so much for whoever, again, sent me the sample. All right,
(17:43):
well, that does it for this week. Thank you guys so much for listening. Hopefully those news stories
were interesting to you. This has been Bourbon Bytes Whiskey Reviews with a Gaming Twist.
Cheers, and I'll talk to you next episode.
Today on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we're highlighting several new bourbon releases
from across Kentucky, including the 2025 Booker's Reserves Tequila Cask Finish,
Heaven Hill's new Grain to Glass Whiskey, two distillery-only releases from Angel's Envy,
and a throwback review of the 2015 Parker's Heritage 8-Year Malt Whiskey.
(00:30):
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Bourbon Bytes podcast. I'm your host,
Clifton, and this is the week of Thursday, September 11th, 2025.
I know a lot of you are gearing up for Bourbon and Beyond that's starting today and going through
the weekend. I so wish I could make it out there. I've always wanted to go to one of these big
bourbon festivals out in Kentucky, but living in Southern California makes it a bit more of
(00:53):
a challenge. You know, you have the flight, you have the hotel, and all the transportation you
have to figure out. It makes it a little more difficult for me to make it out there. But
those of you that are there, enjoy some amazing bourbon, some amazing performances. I just wish
I could be there. It sounds like a great time. So cheers to Bourbon and Beyond of 2025.
But with that being said, we have a ton of news in the world of bourbon and whiskey that we need
(01:17):
to talk about this week. This might be the most whiskey announcements we've had in one podcast
episode this season, so I'll make sure to make it more of a byte-sized snippet of every news article
and every new release, and then maybe dive into them a bit later, especially if I get a chance
to try a sample of some of them. But we're going to start off with a new announcement from Booker's
Bourbon at Jim Beam. They are releasing the 2025 release of The Reserves, and it has a unique twist
(01:42):
that's never been done before at Jim Beam. So this is being labeled as an extra old bourbon,
with the youngest spirit age in it, 8 years, 10 months, and 11 days. It's going to be bottled
uncut and unfiltered at 123.3 proof. But here's where it gets even more interesting. This is going
to be finished for 6 months in tequila barrels. But these aren't just any tequila barrels,
(02:04):
these barrels previously held the whiskey used in the Booker's 30th Bourbon release,
which I was lucky enough to try a few years ago. They actually shipped these barrels from the
Booker's 30th release over to Jalisco and used it to age El Tesoro's tequila for their 85th
anniversary release, and now they're making their way back to Kentucky for this very special Booker's
release. They do say that the agave influences not just the palate, but the nose as well.
(02:29):
They're saying it's the typical nose rich in caramel and vanilla with a touch of agave spirit.
The palate is the Booker's you love, but the finish even comes back to that agave.
I'm really excited. I do love that, uh, especially mezcal and some, you know,
high-end tequilas have a bit of a black pepper finish, and I think that would complement bourbon
really, really well. So I would be curious to try this. I bet it's delicious, especially with it
(02:50):
being older aged Booker's. This one is, like I said, the youngest in it is about eight years old.
I've heard that this isn't as old as some of the previous The Reserve's releases. Those varied
between eight and 14 years old. So this one might have a little bit more of that eight-ish year old
distillate in there, but man, what an interesting twist on Booker's. I cannot wait to hear about
this one and see how that tequila influence impacts this bourbon. It's going to be limited
(03:13):
to about 20,000 bottles, and they're going to have limited quantities available at the distillery,
as well as a nationwide release starting this month. Suggested retail is $130, the same as last
year's batch, and I think that's a pretty fair price for a release like this. You know, you're
getting older Booker's, cask strength, unique finish. I mean, I think the price, you know,
seeing Booker's go up and up in price, it only makes sense that this is going to be a little
(03:37):
bit more than regular Booker's, but not so much that it makes you, you know, second-guess it.
I would definitely pick it up for the price to at least try it once. I typically love a wine finish,
but I've had some incredible rum finishes, so why not experiment with agave as well?
All right, well, keeping the new releases rolling, Woodford Reserve just announced
their 2025 Master's Collection. It is called Sweet Oak Bourbon. It is aged in rare chinquapin
(04:01):
oak barrels. Now, if you've been following the podcast, you know chinquapin's coming up
quite a bit lately, most recently in the Bomberger's release from Michter's, their limited
edition annual release. Well, Woodford took a note out of their book with this bourbon. It's
going to be bottled at 110.4 proof. There doesn't seem to be an age statement here,
but we do know the MSRP of it is about $180 for a 700 milliliter bottle. Now, this is available
(04:26):
now at the distillery and select Kentucky retailers in very limited quantities,
as well as available on their website at shop.woodfordreserve.com. These Woodford Reserve
Master's Collections, I feel like have been kind of hit or miss, at least so I've heard. I
haven't had a chance to try very many of them. I do wish we had a little bit more info in terms
of the age of the whiskey here. $180 is a bit tough for something that's non-age stated. Of
(04:48):
course, it is 110.4 proof, which is nice. So I think this one would be a pass for me personally,
but if you had a chance to try it, let me know. Is it worth the price? Because that is,
that is a spendy bottle of Woodford. I have reached out to the brand for a sample, so my
opinion may change if I get a chance to try it. So stay tuned, make sure to follow me on your
favorite podcast platform. Now, another new release is the 2025 edition of Heaven Hill's
(05:11):
Grain to Glass bourbon. This one is a straight wheated bourbon whiskey, but it's not their
typical high wheat mash bill. This is actually even higher with 35% wheat, 52% corn, and 13%
malted barley. They use a specific corn varietal in this that is from a family owned farm,
Peterson Farms in Nelson County. And it reflects the distillery's dedication to sourcing local,
(05:35):
carefully chosen grain. We do know this is aged over six years old at the Cox Creek Rick House,
bottled at barrel proof, which is 106.6 proof. Have you guys had these Grain to Glass releases?
I see them here and there, but I would love to try them all together before I make a judgment
on which one's worth buying, which one's not worth buying. This one though, the retail on it
is $100, same with these other Grain to Glass releases, at least the ones that I've seen
(05:58):
here in Southern California. Last year's wheated bourbon, you know, won so many awards. So it's
interesting to see that this one is a different mash bill, a different corn variety. I would love
to do a little side-by-side between those two. All right, we only have two more new whiskies that
I want to tell you about. These are distillery only releases of Angel's Envy. The first of which is a
two grain bourbon, and it's made up of a mash bill of 90% corn and 10% malted barley. Now this is very
(06:24):
different from the usual Angel's Envy mash bill. That's 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley.
This whiskey was also aged in new charred barrels from Kelvin Cooperage and has been bottled at 112
proof. The second of these is called the Peated Cask Rye. So this is a rye whiskey that's been
finished in scotch barrels to bring bold rye flavor with Islay's signature peat smoke. It's
(06:48):
aged six years and finished for another year in scotch casks and is bottled at 100 proof. I always
love seeing a scotch cask finish whiskey. I think Doc Swinson's was one of the first ones I had, and
it brings a lot of layers with it. You know, not just the smoke. You think Islay, you think peat,
you think smoke, which is true. But when you combine that with the flavors of a big, strong,
(07:09):
bold bourbon or rye whiskey, you get some really incredible blending of cultures and flavors and
different fruitiness, smokiness. It's so much fun. So of the two, that one sounds the most
interesting to me. Now, like I said, these are distillery only. They're going to be bottled in
375 milliliter bottles, retail for about $55 each. So pretty fair price for something that's a
(07:29):
distillery exclusive. If you are stopping by the distillery, I bet they'll have a tasting of these
too. If you try them, let me know which one's your favorite, but they do sound really fun.
And if you had a chance to try them, I would love to hear how they are. All right, last piece of
whiskey news. This is an announcement from Buffalo Trace. Actually, they are announcing the Elmer T.
Lee Charity Sweepstakes. So they are partnering with St. Jude Children's Hospital and they are
(07:52):
doing a fundraiser slash sweepstakes. Last year, they raised over a million dollars with this.
Now, this is part of the Sazerac Barrel Select program, but this time they are releasing an Elmer
T. Lee Barrel Selection Experience. Now, this runs through September 30th of this year.
Every $100 donation is an entry. So it sounds like if you donate more, you'll get more entries.
(08:13):
And one winner will be selected for the grand prize, which includes a one night stay in Stagg
Lodge and a VIP behind the scenes tour and private catered lunch at Buffalo Trace with the winner and
up to seven guests. They can then do a private barrel selection experience to thief taste and
select their barrel of Elmer T. Lee alongside master distiller Harlen Wheatley. And they'll
(08:34):
also get an $18,000 cash prize, which may be used to purchase the bottles from the selected barrel
with personalized medallions. So it sounds like you don't have to necessarily buy the bottles,
but you could with that cash prize. So really fun opportunity definitely goes to a good cause.
And it's something that I've just never seen done before, at least with Elmer T. Lee. So
definitely check that out. You can enter the sweepstakes on their website,
(08:56):
Sazerac Barrel Select dot com. They have all the details there, including the rules and all
the terms and all that stuff. But check it out. It's really cool to see them giving back this way.
All right. That was a mouthful, but I think that does it for the news this week.
No video game news because we talked so much about whiskey news that I want to, you know,
overwhelm your brain. But we do have a very, very exciting throwback Byte Sized review.
(09:27):
All right. So like I said, we are going back to 2015 with this review. Gosh,
that was only 10 years ago. But why does it feel like it was way longer than that? I mean,
life was so different back then, at least for me. I was just graduating college,
still living in South Carolina, still had hope for the future. And now look where we're at.
Just kidding. I won't go down that rabbit hole. Instead, I'm going to review
(09:49):
this Parker's Heritage release. It is an eight year old malt whiskey bottled at 108 proof.
Now, this is my first time trying this release. I've had this sample for ages, I feel like. And
I think, you know, when I first got it, I wasn't that experienced with American malt whiskey.
And I think that was part of the reason why I put it off. I wanted to hold out until
(10:11):
I've had more experience with it. You know, I felt like I deserved to give it a fair review
after trying a lot more malts, especially American single malts.
So when digging through samples, looking for things to review for today's episode,
I found it. And I thought it was very relevant because if you remember last week,
I talked about the Woodford Reserve 12 year single malt that was coming out. And I was like,
(10:32):
that's crazy. I didn't know anyone was doing malt for that long.
Come to find out Parker's Heritage released a eight year old malt whiskey in 2015. Now,
this was a little bit different. It's a Kentucky straight malt whiskey. It's not a single malt.
It's actually 65 percent malted barley, 35 percent corn. But still, this is some
highly aged malt whiskey available to us from 2015. That's pretty crazy.
(10:56):
Now, retail on this was one hundred dollars when it first came out. Of course, secondary markets
have skyrocketed, especially with older releases like this. So I could see this going for four to
five hundred dollars. So I don't remember who actually gave me the sample. It's an old label.
It could have been Patrick and Heather. I don't recognize the handwriting, but whoever sent me
the sample at least five years or so ago, thank you. I'm excited to finally try it now that I know
(11:18):
what I'm talking about, because I was mostly just a purely bourbon and some rye whiskey guy,
probably, you know, back then. And now I have experienced a whole world of whiskey beyond just
bourbon and rye going to Scotland, going to Ireland, Japan, all these incredible world whiskies.
So I think I now have a fair opinion on malt whiskey and I'm going to reveal it for you guys
(11:40):
tonight. So it's interesting looking back at articles about this. You know, a lot of them
are saying that you really don't see much American malt whiskey. And that kind of was the the way it
was back then. I mean, Stranahan's was already doing their thing. Balcones were doing some
experiments with malt. But really, it was all coming from these craft distilleries and not
major American distilleries. So it was pretty groundbreaking for Heaven Hill to release this
(12:03):
as their, you know, not just a standard release, but their Parker's Heritage release for the year.
They must have felt very strongly about this being an exceptional whiskey. Let's go and get
it poured. Now, even though I'm pulling up articles about it, I don't want to read any
reviews or get anyone's opinions, mainly because, like I said, the landscape of American whiskey has
changed. I think it was definitely a shock to those that were fans of Parker's Heritage.
(12:25):
So I think it's one that I'm going to approach with a 2025 palate, but a 2015 mindset, because
I don't think it's fair to compare it against some of the single malts we have today, because again,
it was relatively new and unheard of. Let's go ahead and give it a nose.
Oh, yeah. You know, what's funny is it does have a lot of malt character to it,
but it's pretty clearly Heaven Hill distillate. I think, you know, they have an overall flavor
(12:47):
profile that I love across their lineup, whether it's their bourbon or their wheated bourbon.
I just get some baked good notes, like walking into a bake shop, a dessert shop.
That is prevalent even on the nose here, even though it's not their standard bourbon or rye
mash bill. And I almost want to attribute that to some of the barrels they're using,
because it always brings out that same kind of like toasted pie crust note, no matter what I'm
(13:11):
drinking from them. So it could be the distillate, it could be the barrels. But the only thing I've
seen consistently across these is the barrel. So that's just that's just a guess there. And
the oak expresses itself beautifully here. Like I said, there is that malted barley element to it,
but you're getting a lot of oak. I mean, I would definitely tell that there's some age on this,
especially when you think of malted American whiskeys back then because they were just,
(13:32):
you know, relatively new to the market. But this one being eight years old, I mean,
that is very obvious on the nose. This is a very well aged whiskey. All right,
let's go to give it a taste. Cheers. Oh, wow. OK, different. Yeah. I mean,
that kind of is reminiscent of kind of how I felt about some of the early American single
malts on the market. It does have a craft quality to it. And I think that's just the
(13:55):
malted barley is reacting, especially with those barrels. Now, I don't know for sure,
but I'm guessing they probably did use new charred oak barrels here. I know a lot of
American distilleries do that because that's just what they're used to. This is a lot of that like
heavy, strong wood element, but it interacts with that malted barley in a way that makes the barley
feel more grain forward and a little more, I would say, less refined. And I don't necessarily
(14:18):
mean that in like a way to say that this is a bad whiskey. It's just when I see malted barley and
new charred oak barrels, a lot of times that does kind of have a bit of an imbalance. But it's good
to see that they are blending some corn here. There's still part of corn in the mash bill.
It's bringing a bit more creaminess, a little bit more sweetness that I associate with that.
It's not all that craft kind of tannic note. It's definitely more mellow with that corn.
(14:42):
On second sip, it kind of continues what I'm feeling. It feels a little bit more rounded now
that I've kind of acclimated myself with not only the proof, but the mash bill as well.
It really is just a very complex whiskey. And that's kind of what I look for in Parker's
Heritage. I like them to be, you know, experimental takes on what they're already doing well.
This may have been way out left field for them at the time, but I don't think it takes away from
(15:04):
the impact of this being an exceptional whiskey. I think it's, you know, fitting for the Parker's
name. It feels limited edition. It feels rare. It feels experimental. It feels fun. And it blows
my mind that even, you know, 10 years ago, Heaven Hill was putting out great malted whiskey. Finish
almost goes a bit savory. It still has that toasted oak element that I got on the nose, palate, all the
(15:24):
way through, but it goes savory and a little bit like a bitter, dark chocolate on the end of the
finish. Really long finish for, you know, something 108 proof. Now, would I say this is my favorite
Parker's Heritage release? Absolutely not. I've loved their heavily charred bourbon, heavily
charred rye, as well as some of the other more recent releases. But knowing this came out 10
years ago and was doing this well at malt whiskey. And it makes me wonder, why haven't they done
(15:49):
more with malt whiskey? I mean, there have been some Heaven Hill Select Stock releases
that have malt whiskey in it, but it really isn't a part of their core lineup. You know,
they're doing their bourbon, their rye bourbon, their wheated bourbon, their rye whiskey. We don't
see like a malt whiskey coming from Heaven Hill. And I'm wondering why that is. I wonder if maybe
this one just didn't perform well, or they've done some experiments and just found it wasn't for them.
(16:09):
I'd be very curious to know why they didn't continue this. Maybe they'll start picking it
back up now that Woodford Reserve is coming in there with a 12-year-old American single malt.
Maybe they're going to say, okay, there's some room for us here in Kentucky. Let's give it a try.
But yeah, overall, that's a really solid Parker's Heritage. All things considered, knowing that,
you know, you probably won't be able to find a bottle of it today. I'm going to give it a score
based on price at time of release. Based on the nose, the palate, the finish, the price.
(16:35):
This one actually gets a solid 9 out of 10 for me. I think it was groundbreaking in the world
of malt whiskey in America. It was ahead of its time, I would say. Maybe that's why it didn't
do as well. Maybe, you know, people weren't ready for it yet. But I guarantee you, if Heaven Hill
released this today, people would be a lot more excited about it, especially if they put it out
at the $100 price point. I think the only thing that would make this, you know, a 10 out of 10
(16:58):
for me is, one, they still made it today. Two, maybe a bit higher proof. You know, 108 is not
bad at all, but I think I would love to see how this shines at higher proof. Also, eight years
is a solid age, but I would love to see it at, you know, 10 to 12. That's where I think a lot
of whiskey shines, especially malt whiskey. So, you know, a little bit more age, a little bit more
availability, and maybe a little bit more proof would give it a 10 out of 10 for me. But this is
(17:20):
pretty dang close. A 9 out of 10. Wow. I can't wait to see if they do something like this again. If
they do, I'm going to hold on to the rest of this sample and do a little comparison. It'd be really
cool to see what they do, you know, compared back to 2015, you know, whether they release it next
year or the year after. I'd love to have a way to compare it to where they started. So, cheers to
that. That was a lot of fun. Thank you so much for whoever, again, sent me the sample. All right,
(17:43):
well, that does it for this week. Thank you guys so much for listening. Hopefully those news stories
were interesting to you. This has been Bourbon Bytes Whiskey Reviews with a Gaming Twist.
Cheers, and I'll talk to you next episode.
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