September 18, 2025 • 19 mins
This week on Bourbon Bytes, Clifton reviews the 2025 Weller Full Proof Bourbon — a rich, wheated Buffalo Trace release bursting with fall bakery notes, buttery pie crust, and toasted vanilla. Does it live up to its hype (and price tag) compared to Weller 107 and other wheated bourbons? Tune in for the full breakdown and rating.
Also in whiskey & gaming news: 🥃 Buffalo Trace unveils the 2025 Pappy Van Winkle Collection (including a one-of-a-kind 25-year-old bottle) 🔥 Elijah Craig drops its youngest barrel proof batch ever at just 9 years old 🎮 The September Nintendo Direct delivers huge announcements: Super Mario Galaxy movie & bundle, a new Yoshi game, and Pokémon Pokopia — the cozy Pokémon life sim we never knew we needed!
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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, Buffalo Trace announces their 2025
Pappy Van Winkle collection, Elijah Craig releases their youngest barrel-proof batch yet,
and I recap the September Nintendo Direct with all the biggest announcements,
plus I review a new bottle of Weller Full Proof bourbon.
(00:30):
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Bourbon Bytes Podcast. This is the week of Thursday,
September 18th, 2025, and I have some whiskey and video game news for you. If you're new here,
welcome. My name is Clifton. This is the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, a whiskey podcast with a gaming
twist. Thank you for joining me this week because we have some of the biggest news in bourbon of all
(00:53):
2025 to talk about today, and that is the Pappy Van Winkle 2025 collection that was just announced.
This year, they're rolling out six expressions, Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year, Van Winkle Special
Reserve 12 year, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye at 13 years, Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20, and 23 year
(01:13):
as usual, but they are also releasing one bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25 years old that was
recently discovered, as they say, and will be included in the National Bourbon Heritage Month
auction. And yes, you heard that right. There is literally one bottle of this release. And while
only one lucky person will get their hands on this bottle, only a select few will get their hands on
(01:38):
the other bottles as well. But it does make a new statement in the world of Pappy. There's been some
special one-off releases in the past, usually released for special occasions or auctions like
this, but it adds just another blip on the radar of bourbons I'll never see in the wild. But we
always still get excited about it every year. Same with the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
(01:58):
They're bottles that you want to seek out, and maybe in a lottery you'll have a chance to buy
one of them, or maybe two of them. But just don't get your hopes up unless you got big bucks to
spend. But we might as well talk about their retail prices, because, you know, why not? The
Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon, the 10 year old, is $149.99. The Van Winkle Special Reserve bourbon
(02:21):
is $169.99. The Family Reserve Rye 13 year is $229.99. The Pappy 15 is $239.99. Pappy 20 is $359.99.
And of course, Pappy Van Winkle 23 comes in at the highest price, $499.99. Now, will you find any of
(02:45):
under $500? Absolutely not. But we like to talk about retail. You know, like I said,
if you have a chance to buy something in the lottery, there's a chance you can buy it at MSRP.
And actually, even though it's far, far down the lineup from Buffalo Trace, I did buy today's
bottle that I'm reviewing on my Byte-Sized Review at MSRP because, well, it was a leftover from the
(03:07):
Total Wine Grand Reserve Lottery. And I didn't get picked for it, but they're like, hey, we have a
few extra bottles of this if you want it at retail. So I had a chance to buy it. So we'll get
into that later. But I wanted to review it because it is relevant to the Buffalo Trace Limited Edition
releases. Now, this is the season where we're going to expect to see the Buffalo Trace Antique
Collection as well. We talked about it a few months ago, about the new releases, the new
(03:31):
E.H. Taylor inclusion in it. I don't think we have details yet as to the exact proofs and everything
going into the 2025 release. We just know that the E.H. Taylor is going to be a new inclusion in
the lineup. So stay tuned for that. I will report on that as soon as I have an update. I will try
my best to get a sample of any slash all of these Buffalo Trace Limited Edition releases, but I want
(03:54):
you guys to at least know about them, you know, know they exist out there in case you hadn't heard.
Now, one quick mention of Bourbon News, only quickly mentioning it because I'll probably
review it in the very near future. Elijah Craig has just announced their C Batch of Elijah Craig
Barrel Proof, and it's actually the youngest ECBP yet. This one's actually only coming in at nine
years and one month old. Now, it is coming at 129 proof, so it's still a relatively high proof
(04:19):
release, but this is kind of what people feared when it came to Elijah Craig Barrel Proof losing
the age statement. Now, they have been including the age statement on each batch, but everything
used to be at least 12 years old. There's been some variation, there's been some younger, there's
been some older releases, but nothing's come quite as young, at least for the batch releases,
as nine years, one month. I know quite a few single barrels have come in close to that or
(04:41):
even younger at eight years, and you know, there's a place for them, but it does hurt my heart just a
little bit to see a lower proof batch, but I'm going to give it a shot as I do with every Elijah
Craig Barrel Proof, and especially since this is the last one of the year, I'm going to try to get
my hands on it so I can do a blind flight for A-Batch, B-Batch, and C-Batch, because when we do
it blind, we don't know how old it is, and maybe there's a chance it's the best tasting batch yet.
(05:05):
Now, I will mention Elijah Craig normally sends me a sample of every single Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
for the past several years. Now, this is the only one that I haven't received a sample of yet. Now,
that doesn't mean it's not coming, but it almost makes me wonder, like, maybe they didn't want to
send it to the guy who's reviewed every single batch, just in case, you know, it doesn't hold
up, but we'll see. You'll be seeing that on my YouTube channel once I get my hands on it. Like
(05:27):
I said, I always do an end-of-year blind flight of all the batches that year. I sometimes put them
head-to-head against my favorite batch of last year. If you're curious about that and you want
to see it, make sure to check out my YouTube channel, youtube.com/bourbonbytes. I go
live every Thursday night at 7 p.m. Pacific, 10 p.m. Eastern. That's always one of the favorites
of the year for me and for you guys, so really looking forward to doing that. Now, as I mentioned
(05:50):
on last week's podcast, Nintendo was due for a Nintendo Direct this month, and it happened,
and there were some huge announcements that I want to tell you guys about. The first of which,
I have to acknowledge being the retro gamer that I am, this is the 40th anniversary of Super Mario
Bros. I've been a lifelong fan of this franchise. Growing up with Super Mario World and things like
(06:12):
that, I just always have a special place in my heart for the classic Mario games. And to celebrate,
they're actually doing a special light display at the Kyoto Nintendo Museum starting this December,
and they'll be also sponsoring the Kyoto Marathon in February with special Nintendo race bibs.
I love to see such a historic moment being recognized and celebrated. I wish we could
(06:34):
do a little bit more for it here in the U.S., but that was only the start of the Nintendo Direct
because there were so many announcements. I'm only going to highlight some of my favorites.
You can go watch the replay. It's about an hour long, but here are a few of my favorite things
that were announced. While we're talking about Mario, the Super Mario Galaxy movie is coming
out in April of 2026. Did you guys see the Super Mario Bros. movie that came out? I think it was,
(06:56):
was it last year or the year before? I actually thought it was pretty dang good. I don't know
what my expectations were. You know, usually video game movies, you're kind of like about,
but I think coming off the heels of Detective Pikachu, which I thought was a fantastic film,
I was really excited and I think the Super Mario movie held up. So I'm excited to see the Super
Mario Galaxy movie coming next year. Speaking of Super Mario Galaxy, they are releasing a
(07:19):
two-parter release. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are going to be bundled and
released on October 2nd for Nintendo Switch. Now, even though this is coming out on Nintendo Switch,
it's going to be playable on Switch 2, and of course, enhanced to being the resolution up to
4K on that platform, as well as a few extra features specifically for the Switch 2 edition.
(07:39):
Now, another game that was announced that's part of a very familiar IP is Yoshi and the Mysterious
Book. This is a brand new game in the Yoshi universe, and in this game, a mysterious book
falls from the sky known as Mr. E. Get it? Mystery? And throughout the game, you'll be meeting all
these new creatures, and it seems like a lot of fun. It seems like these new creatures that you
(08:00):
discover introduce different ways to play the game, whether they help you break rocks or help
you fly across water. It looks like a lot of fun and a lot of discovery to be had in this game. So
it's definitely one I'm interested in picking up. I just think Yoshi is one of my favorite
Nintendo characters and always love to see a new Yoshi game. Now, there were quite a few other
things announced, including some DLC to Donkey Kong Bonanza, a new Fire Emblem game was announced
(08:24):
at the end of the game, and a new Metroid Prime 4 release coming out this December,
but there was one game that caught my eye more than all the others. If you know me and you know
my type of games, you know how excited I am for Pokemon Pokopia. So this is a life sim, farming
sim type game, but with Pokemon. It's everything I've wanted since I was a child. It's basically,
(08:47):
from what I can tell in the announcement video, Animal Crossing, but with Pokemon. It's very
Minecraft inspired, kind of like how Animal Crossing is, but instead of villagers, you have
Pokemon that can move into your town, and you can specialize certain areas for them, you can build
homes for them, and it's featuring some of my favorite classic Pokemon. The reveal trailer, of
(09:08):
course, started with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, but I'm sure there are a ton more
Pokemon to discover in the game. But what I think is the most unique part is your character, or the
player's character, is actually a Ditto. So Ditto takes on a human form, whether it's a boy or a girl,
depending on who you would like to play as, and you can actually communicate with the Pokemon.
You can talk to them, you can understand them, and I think that brings a whole new level of
(09:32):
falling in love with your favorite Pokemon. Just getting to know their personalities,
getting to know what they like, what they dislike, it just makes the inner child of me so excited to
see something like this. Now, whether or not it's going to kind of be a flop, and it kind of just,
you know, is very, very basic, or if it's going to live on as a classic, we have yet to see,
but it is probably the most excited I've been for a new Nintendo game in a long time, and that
(09:55):
even includes Pokemon Legends. I'm actually more excited for this than those games, even though
that game looks like a lot of fun. I saw they announced the new Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu
Y, which is fun and all, but I love my cozy little farming life sim games. Judge me, I don't care.
So we don't have a specific release date for this game, but it will be coming out in 2026.
(10:17):
Usually that probably means later in the year, but I'm excited to follow this one and see how
they continue to develop it, and make it more exciting, because I'm already very, very intrigued,
and I will be absolutely picking up a copy of this game. Alright, well that does it for this
week's whiskey and gaming news, but we do have a very special Byte-Sized review.
(10:43):
Alright, well as I teased earlier in the review, I managed to get my hands on a new bottle of
Weller Full Proof at MSRP. So according to the laser code, this appears to be a 2025 batch,
and that excites me because I haven't had any one of these since they first came out.
Funny enough, a lot of Full Proof store picks became available here in Southern California
more than the standard release, so I had the opportunity to try several of those back when
(11:07):
that first came out, but I only tried the Full Proof regular edition once. I only had one bottle of it,
and that's long, long gone. So when I got the email from Total Wine that there were a few of
these left over at the store from the lottery, I knew I couldn't pass it up. I paid $74.99 for it,
which seems fair. I'm not sure if MSRP has changed. I know originally it was closer to $50,
(11:30):
but again, it's been several years, so I was willing to pay a bit of an increase even if
that wasn't necessarily MSRP. Now as with all Weller Full Proof releases, this is 114 proof,
so it's technically not cask strength. It's just what they're labeling as Full Proof
compared to their Weller 107, which I actually have been drinking throughout this podcast just
to kind of refamiliarize myself with the palate. I love 107. It's always been one of my favorite
(11:53):
Weller releases, but I've had some fantastic Full Proof, so I'm excited to see how this
compares. Now, of course, this is the same wheated bourbon mash bill that they used in the Pappy Van
Winkle collection. Of course, a lot more available than that, and also certainly not nearly as old.
We don't know how old, but we assume this is between 6 to 7 years old based on what Buffalo
(12:13):
Trace has told folks, and that would make sense because Weller 12 is, you know, of course,
advertised as the older brother of these releases. So, you know, I think 6 to 8 sounds about right to
me. It would be great if these did have an age statement on them though. Alright, well, let's
go in and get this Weller Full Proof poured and a fresh bottle crack for us here. This is the
first time I've tried this this year. I always get nervous doing a Weller review because I know
(12:37):
people have a lot of thoughts on it. I really haven't seen it much lately. I used to could find
107 at least a couple times a year, but I can't tell you the last time I saw a bottle of it.
I've seen Special Reserve here and there, and then the 12 Year is something that I've surprisingly
seen a couple times this year, but it's not one of my favorites. I do have a bottle that I
recently revisited, and I still feel kind of the same way as I have always felt about that one.
(13:00):
Just the 12 Year never hits right for me. 107 is where it's at for me. Always a fantastic bottle.
Full Proof has been, you know, sometimes better, sometimes equal to, sometimes not as good in my
opinion, but I'm going to reserve all those previous judgments and hold them back for this
2025 Weller Full Proof release. Let's go ahead and give that one a nose.
(13:21):
Oh, yummy. Yeah, that's kind of what I expected with the nose. I mean, it's kind of what I always
get on a wheated Buffalo Trace. It is a dessert shot, but specifically a fall bakery note. It's
straight up pie season. I'm getting apple pie, maybe a little bit of mixed berries there as well,
some toasted vanilla, and just the right amount of oak that it's not overpowering. I think the
(13:41):
dessert notes are first and foremost what I'm getting on this whiskey, on the nose at least.
I think this gives you a really fantastic just down home country fall bake shop note. There's
a little bit of baking spice there too. I'm thinking more along the lines of nutmeg compared
to cinnamon. Not really spicy like cinnamon. It's definitely a very mellow approachable nose.
(14:02):
All right, I could nose this all day, but we got to go in for a taste. So let's try this 2025
Weller Full Proof. Cheers! Mmm, yeah, that stays the course. The first thing I get is that
pie crust note. This one is strangely enough giving me the very specific type of pie crust
for like a chicken pot pie, which is crazy. It doesn't have any of the savory chicken pot pie
(14:24):
notes, but it does have that flaky buttery kind of pie crust note that you get on top of one of those
and a little bit of char. You know, sometimes when you have a chicken pot pie, the edges are a little
bit more charred than the fluffy, buttery center. This is definitely both of those combined.
Definitely more in the buttery territory, but there's some hints of that toasted pie crust
(14:45):
note that just is, it makes my mouth water. And right alongside that is some vanilla. I mean,
if you combine those two notes, it kind of is almost in the realm of Crème Brûlée,
like a little bit of like a toasted sugar and vanilla note there as well. I'm sure you can
have it on other pies too, but in my experience, that's where I've experienced it the most,
just delicious buttery crust. Again, there's that baking spice. It's not cinnamon. It's
(15:06):
not spicy at all. It's just a little bit, maybe more like clove or like I said earlier,
nutmeg or all spice. Can't quite pinpoint it, but it definitely goes kind of fall,
but not quite cinnamon. I know I said this is like a fall whiskey or a fall bake shop,
but I'm missing some of those really spicy cinnamon notes that you would get on something
that I would consider a holiday whiskey. I think a fall whiskey and a holiday whiskey
(15:28):
are close, but not exactly the same. This one's leaning more towards just the sweet,
the delicate, the almost like toasted marshmallow element of fall. It's just overall sweet vanilla,
toasted oak pie crusts. I mean, this is a flavor profile that it would be hard to not like if you
are a fan of bourbon, especially if you're a fan of wheated bourbon. You're not seeking out that
(15:50):
really spicy rye that I sometimes love, but sometimes I like to settle in with a bourbon
that's high proof. Like I said, 114 is nothing to turn your nose up at, but does not drink that
high proof and just is very approachable, easy, great mouthfeel. Finish wise is probably a medium
finish. It's not super short, but it doesn't linger too long. It doesn't overstay its welcome,
(16:11):
I guess I would say. But overall, just experience wise, it's hard to fault this bourbon.
Now when we think bang for your buck, of course, I'm thinking of this as a $75 bourbon,
which is what I bought it for. I think it's a great bourbon anywhere up to $100. I think it's,
you know, unique. It's a great expression of what Buffalo Trace can do with a full proof
(16:32):
wheated mash bill. Now if you see the Weller 107 at the same price, there's some debate whether
which one is better. I sometimes prefer the 107, but I say you do you. If you have a chance to
buy them both, definitely do at $100. And I think it stands toe to toe with other wheated bourbons at
similar proof. I mean, I really love the Maker's Mark Private Selects that have the different
(16:53):
oak stave finishes on them. Those are definitely a bit more in the spicy territory. This one is a
lot more approachable, a little more nuanced with that sweet, you know, fall pie element.
It's hard to say which one I prefer just because I really do like Maker's Mark, those high proof
releases. But this one is always got a place on my shelf. It's just a really good, approachable,
(17:14):
delicious bourbon whiskey. Now, in terms of rating, which I've been trying to do more on
these podcast reviews, you know, I didn't know what to expect going into this. I haven't had it
in years. My experience from them have gone from great to good to a little bit subpar. But this one
is probably between good and great. I mean, it's not the best Weller I've ever had, but it really
(17:36):
is holding its ground here. And at $75, I don't regret this purchase at all. I think I would
absolutely buy another if I had a chance to at the same price. So with that being said, of course,
not considering the prices that some people pay on secondary, I gave this a solid eight and a
half out of 10. I would love to see an age statement on it. I would love to have a little
bit more of a finish there. But just as a standalone Full Proof Weller wheated bourbon
(17:59):
release, I mean, there's not much I can complain about. I'm a big fan of it. So, yes, you may
consider me a tater, but I don't think it's being a tater just giving something a fair review after
paying retail for it. I think if I would have spent several hundred dollars on this and then
I gave it a raving review, that would be a whole different scenario. There are people that do that.
And you know what? More power to them. But I am someone that treats all bourbon fairly. I review
(18:20):
them based on retail. And if you are able to get it retail, what rating would I give it? So that's
my thoughts on this bourbon. I think it's a must buy at under $100. I would love to get a more
recent 107. The one I'm drinking is a pick from several years ago, actually have not
seen 107 hit my area in a long, long time. So I will keep an eye out. I will hold on
(18:41):
to the rest of this Weller Full Proof to do a comparison. Maybe I'll do another Weller full
lineup review. I've done that in the past on YouTube. If you've been curious, check it out.
YouTube.com/bourbonbytes. I'm promoting the YouTube channel a lot as podcast. It's not
intentional, but that's kind of my second home on the Internet. It's the podcast and the YouTube
channel. You can find all of it bourbonbytes.com and get a link to our Discord server and our
Byte Club membership. But yeah, that's usually where you'll find me, YouTube or the podcast.
(19:04):
So yeah, there's plenty of Buffalo Trace content between the two. All right, well,
that does it for this week's episode. Thank you all so much for listening. Don't forget that you
can leave a rating on your favorite podcast platform. You can also call into the show and
leave your questions or comments. You can reach me at 916-64-BYTES. That voicemail inbox is still
open. Of course, you can also send a text or post a message on Discord. But I'd like to hear your
(19:27):
voice. I'd love to feature you on the next episode. So give me a call or shoot me a message.
I'd love to hear from you. But until next time, this has been Bourbon Bytes,
a whiskey podcast with a gaming twist. Cheers. And I'll talk to you guys next episode. Bye!
Today on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, Buffalo Trace announces their 2025
Pappy Van Winkle collection, Elijah Craig releases their youngest barrel-proof batch yet,
and I recap the September Nintendo Direct with all the biggest announcements,
plus I review a new bottle of Weller Full Proof bourbon.
(00:30):
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Bourbon Bytes Podcast. This is the week of Thursday,
September 18th, 2025, and I have some whiskey and video game news for you. If you're new here,
welcome. My name is Clifton. This is the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, a whiskey podcast with a gaming
twist. Thank you for joining me this week because we have some of the biggest news in bourbon of all
(00:53):
2025 to talk about today, and that is the Pappy Van Winkle 2025 collection that was just announced.
This year, they're rolling out six expressions, Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year, Van Winkle Special
Reserve 12 year, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye at 13 years, Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20, and 23 year
(01:13):
as usual, but they are also releasing one bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25 years old that was
recently discovered, as they say, and will be included in the National Bourbon Heritage Month
auction. And yes, you heard that right. There is literally one bottle of this release. And while
only one lucky person will get their hands on this bottle, only a select few will get their hands on
(01:38):
the other bottles as well. But it does make a new statement in the world of Pappy. There's been some
special one-off releases in the past, usually released for special occasions or auctions like
this, but it adds just another blip on the radar of bourbons I'll never see in the wild. But we
always still get excited about it every year. Same with the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
(01:58):
They're bottles that you want to seek out, and maybe in a lottery you'll have a chance to buy
one of them, or maybe two of them. But just don't get your hopes up unless you got big bucks to
spend. But we might as well talk about their retail prices, because, you know, why not? The
Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon, the 10 year old, is $149.99. The Van Winkle Special Reserve bourbon
(02:21):
is $169.99. The Family Reserve Rye 13 year is $229.99. The Pappy 15 is $239.99. Pappy 20 is $359.99.
And of course, Pappy Van Winkle 23 comes in at the highest price, $499.99. Now, will you find any of
(02:45):
under $500? Absolutely not. But we like to talk about retail. You know, like I said,
if you have a chance to buy something in the lottery, there's a chance you can buy it at MSRP.
And actually, even though it's far, far down the lineup from Buffalo Trace, I did buy today's
bottle that I'm reviewing on my Byte-Sized Review at MSRP because, well, it was a leftover from the
(03:07):
Total Wine Grand Reserve Lottery. And I didn't get picked for it, but they're like, hey, we have a
few extra bottles of this if you want it at retail. So I had a chance to buy it. So we'll get
into that later. But I wanted to review it because it is relevant to the Buffalo Trace Limited Edition
releases. Now, this is the season where we're going to expect to see the Buffalo Trace Antique
Collection as well. We talked about it a few months ago, about the new releases, the new
(03:31):
E.H. Taylor inclusion in it. I don't think we have details yet as to the exact proofs and everything
going into the 2025 release. We just know that the E.H. Taylor is going to be a new inclusion in
the lineup. So stay tuned for that. I will report on that as soon as I have an update. I will try
my best to get a sample of any slash all of these Buffalo Trace Limited Edition releases, but I want
(03:54):
you guys to at least know about them, you know, know they exist out there in case you hadn't heard.
Now, one quick mention of Bourbon News, only quickly mentioning it because I'll probably
review it in the very near future. Elijah Craig has just announced their C Batch of Elijah Craig
Barrel Proof, and it's actually the youngest ECBP yet. This one's actually only coming in at nine
years and one month old. Now, it is coming at 129 proof, so it's still a relatively high proof
(04:19):
release, but this is kind of what people feared when it came to Elijah Craig Barrel Proof losing
the age statement. Now, they have been including the age statement on each batch, but everything
used to be at least 12 years old. There's been some variation, there's been some younger, there's
been some older releases, but nothing's come quite as young, at least for the batch releases,
as nine years, one month. I know quite a few single barrels have come in close to that or
(04:41):
even younger at eight years, and you know, there's a place for them, but it does hurt my heart just a
little bit to see a lower proof batch, but I'm going to give it a shot as I do with every Elijah
Craig Barrel Proof, and especially since this is the last one of the year, I'm going to try to get
my hands on it so I can do a blind flight for A-Batch, B-Batch, and C-Batch, because when we do
it blind, we don't know how old it is, and maybe there's a chance it's the best tasting batch yet.
(05:05):
Now, I will mention Elijah Craig normally sends me a sample of every single Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
for the past several years. Now, this is the only one that I haven't received a sample of yet. Now,
that doesn't mean it's not coming, but it almost makes me wonder, like, maybe they didn't want to
send it to the guy who's reviewed every single batch, just in case, you know, it doesn't hold
up, but we'll see. You'll be seeing that on my YouTube channel once I get my hands on it. Like
(05:27):
I said, I always do an end-of-year blind flight of all the batches that year. I sometimes put them
head-to-head against my favorite batch of last year. If you're curious about that and you want
to see it, make sure to check out my YouTube channel, youtube.com/bourbonbytes. I go
live every Thursday night at 7 p.m. Pacific, 10 p.m. Eastern. That's always one of the favorites
of the year for me and for you guys, so really looking forward to doing that. Now, as I mentioned
(05:50):
on last week's podcast, Nintendo was due for a Nintendo Direct this month, and it happened,
and there were some huge announcements that I want to tell you guys about. The first of which,
I have to acknowledge being the retro gamer that I am, this is the 40th anniversary of Super Mario
Bros. I've been a lifelong fan of this franchise. Growing up with Super Mario World and things like
(06:12):
that, I just always have a special place in my heart for the classic Mario games. And to celebrate,
they're actually doing a special light display at the Kyoto Nintendo Museum starting this December,
and they'll be also sponsoring the Kyoto Marathon in February with special Nintendo race bibs.
I love to see such a historic moment being recognized and celebrated. I wish we could
(06:34):
do a little bit more for it here in the U.S., but that was only the start of the Nintendo Direct
because there were so many announcements. I'm only going to highlight some of my favorites.
You can go watch the replay. It's about an hour long, but here are a few of my favorite things
that were announced. While we're talking about Mario, the Super Mario Galaxy movie is coming
out in April of 2026. Did you guys see the Super Mario Bros. movie that came out? I think it was,
(06:56):
was it last year or the year before? I actually thought it was pretty dang good. I don't know
what my expectations were. You know, usually video game movies, you're kind of like about,
but I think coming off the heels of Detective Pikachu, which I thought was a fantastic film,
I was really excited and I think the Super Mario movie held up. So I'm excited to see the Super
Mario Galaxy movie coming next year. Speaking of Super Mario Galaxy, they are releasing a
(07:19):
two-parter release. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are going to be bundled and
released on October 2nd for Nintendo Switch. Now, even though this is coming out on Nintendo Switch,
it's going to be playable on Switch 2, and of course, enhanced to being the resolution up to
4K on that platform, as well as a few extra features specifically for the Switch 2 edition.
(07:39):
Now, another game that was announced that's part of a very familiar IP is Yoshi and the Mysterious
Book. This is a brand new game in the Yoshi universe, and in this game, a mysterious book
falls from the sky known as Mr. E. Get it? Mystery? And throughout the game, you'll be meeting all
these new creatures, and it seems like a lot of fun. It seems like these new creatures that you
(08:00):
discover introduce different ways to play the game, whether they help you break rocks or help
you fly across water. It looks like a lot of fun and a lot of discovery to be had in this game. So
it's definitely one I'm interested in picking up. I just think Yoshi is one of my favorite
Nintendo characters and always love to see a new Yoshi game. Now, there were quite a few other
things announced, including some DLC to Donkey Kong Bonanza, a new Fire Emblem game was announced
(08:24):
at the end of the game, and a new Metroid Prime 4 release coming out this December,
but there was one game that caught my eye more than all the others. If you know me and you know
my type of games, you know how excited I am for Pokemon Pokopia. So this is a life sim, farming
sim type game, but with Pokemon. It's everything I've wanted since I was a child. It's basically,
(08:47):
from what I can tell in the announcement video, Animal Crossing, but with Pokemon. It's very
Minecraft inspired, kind of like how Animal Crossing is, but instead of villagers, you have
Pokemon that can move into your town, and you can specialize certain areas for them, you can build
homes for them, and it's featuring some of my favorite classic Pokemon. The reveal trailer, of
(09:08):
course, started with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, but I'm sure there are a ton more
Pokemon to discover in the game. But what I think is the most unique part is your character, or the
player's character, is actually a Ditto. So Ditto takes on a human form, whether it's a boy or a girl,
depending on who you would like to play as, and you can actually communicate with the Pokemon.
You can talk to them, you can understand them, and I think that brings a whole new level of
(09:32):
falling in love with your favorite Pokemon. Just getting to know their personalities,
getting to know what they like, what they dislike, it just makes the inner child of me so excited to
see something like this. Now, whether or not it's going to kind of be a flop, and it kind of just,
you know, is very, very basic, or if it's going to live on as a classic, we have yet to see,
but it is probably the most excited I've been for a new Nintendo game in a long time, and that
(09:55):
even includes Pokemon Legends. I'm actually more excited for this than those games, even though
that game looks like a lot of fun. I saw they announced the new Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu
Y, which is fun and all, but I love my cozy little farming life sim games. Judge me, I don't care.
So we don't have a specific release date for this game, but it will be coming out in 2026.
(10:17):
Usually that probably means later in the year, but I'm excited to follow this one and see how
they continue to develop it, and make it more exciting, because I'm already very, very intrigued,
and I will be absolutely picking up a copy of this game. Alright, well that does it for this
week's whiskey and gaming news, but we do have a very special Byte-Sized review.
(10:43):
Alright, well as I teased earlier in the review, I managed to get my hands on a new bottle of
Weller Full Proof at MSRP. So according to the laser code, this appears to be a 2025 batch,
and that excites me because I haven't had any one of these since they first came out.
Funny enough, a lot of Full Proof store picks became available here in Southern California
more than the standard release, so I had the opportunity to try several of those back when
(11:07):
that first came out, but I only tried the Full Proof regular edition once. I only had one bottle of it,
and that's long, long gone. So when I got the email from Total Wine that there were a few of
these left over at the store from the lottery, I knew I couldn't pass it up. I paid $74.99 for it,
which seems fair. I'm not sure if MSRP has changed. I know originally it was closer to $50,
(11:30):
but again, it's been several years, so I was willing to pay a bit of an increase even if
that wasn't necessarily MSRP. Now as with all Weller Full Proof releases, this is 114 proof,
so it's technically not cask strength. It's just what they're labeling as Full Proof
compared to their Weller 107, which I actually have been drinking throughout this podcast just
to kind of refamiliarize myself with the palate. I love 107. It's always been one of my favorite
(11:53):
Weller releases, but I've had some fantastic Full Proof, so I'm excited to see how this
compares. Now, of course, this is the same wheated bourbon mash bill that they used in the Pappy Van
Winkle collection. Of course, a lot more available than that, and also certainly not nearly as old.
We don't know how old, but we assume this is between 6 to 7 years old based on what Buffalo
(12:13):
Trace has told folks, and that would make sense because Weller 12 is, you know, of course,
advertised as the older brother of these releases. So, you know, I think 6 to 8 sounds about right to
me. It would be great if these did have an age statement on them though. Alright, well, let's
go in and get this Weller Full Proof poured and a fresh bottle crack for us here. This is the
first time I've tried this this year. I always get nervous doing a Weller review because I know
(12:37):
people have a lot of thoughts on it. I really haven't seen it much lately. I used to could find
107 at least a couple times a year, but I can't tell you the last time I saw a bottle of it.
I've seen Special Reserve here and there, and then the 12 Year is something that I've surprisingly
seen a couple times this year, but it's not one of my favorites. I do have a bottle that I
recently revisited, and I still feel kind of the same way as I have always felt about that one.
(13:00):
Just the 12 Year never hits right for me. 107 is where it's at for me. Always a fantastic bottle.
Full Proof has been, you know, sometimes better, sometimes equal to, sometimes not as good in my
opinion, but I'm going to reserve all those previous judgments and hold them back for this
2025 Weller Full Proof release. Let's go ahead and give that one a nose.
(13:21):
Oh, yummy. Yeah, that's kind of what I expected with the nose. I mean, it's kind of what I always
get on a wheated Buffalo Trace. It is a dessert shot, but specifically a fall bakery note. It's
straight up pie season. I'm getting apple pie, maybe a little bit of mixed berries there as well,
some toasted vanilla, and just the right amount of oak that it's not overpowering. I think the
(13:41):
dessert notes are first and foremost what I'm getting on this whiskey, on the nose at least.
I think this gives you a really fantastic just down home country fall bake shop note. There's
a little bit of baking spice there too. I'm thinking more along the lines of nutmeg compared
to cinnamon. Not really spicy like cinnamon. It's definitely a very mellow approachable nose.
(14:02):
All right, I could nose this all day, but we got to go in for a taste. So let's try this 2025
Weller Full Proof. Cheers! Mmm, yeah, that stays the course. The first thing I get is that
pie crust note. This one is strangely enough giving me the very specific type of pie crust
for like a chicken pot pie, which is crazy. It doesn't have any of the savory chicken pot pie
(14:24):
notes, but it does have that flaky buttery kind of pie crust note that you get on top of one of those
and a little bit of char. You know, sometimes when you have a chicken pot pie, the edges are a little
bit more charred than the fluffy, buttery center. This is definitely both of those combined.
Definitely more in the buttery territory, but there's some hints of that toasted pie crust
(14:45):
note that just is, it makes my mouth water. And right alongside that is some vanilla. I mean,
if you combine those two notes, it kind of is almost in the realm of Crème Brûlée,
like a little bit of like a toasted sugar and vanilla note there as well. I'm sure you can
have it on other pies too, but in my experience, that's where I've experienced it the most,
just delicious buttery crust. Again, there's that baking spice. It's not cinnamon. It's
(15:06):
not spicy at all. It's just a little bit, maybe more like clove or like I said earlier,
nutmeg or all spice. Can't quite pinpoint it, but it definitely goes kind of fall,
but not quite cinnamon. I know I said this is like a fall whiskey or a fall bake shop,
but I'm missing some of those really spicy cinnamon notes that you would get on something
that I would consider a holiday whiskey. I think a fall whiskey and a holiday whiskey
(15:28):
are close, but not exactly the same. This one's leaning more towards just the sweet,
the delicate, the almost like toasted marshmallow element of fall. It's just overall sweet vanilla,
toasted oak pie crusts. I mean, this is a flavor profile that it would be hard to not like if you
are a fan of bourbon, especially if you're a fan of wheated bourbon. You're not seeking out that
(15:50):
really spicy rye that I sometimes love, but sometimes I like to settle in with a bourbon
that's high proof. Like I said, 114 is nothing to turn your nose up at, but does not drink that
high proof and just is very approachable, easy, great mouthfeel. Finish wise is probably a medium
finish. It's not super short, but it doesn't linger too long. It doesn't overstay its welcome,
(16:11):
I guess I would say. But overall, just experience wise, it's hard to fault this bourbon.
Now when we think bang for your buck, of course, I'm thinking of this as a $75 bourbon,
which is what I bought it for. I think it's a great bourbon anywhere up to $100. I think it's,
you know, unique. It's a great expression of what Buffalo Trace can do with a full proof
(16:32):
wheated mash bill. Now if you see the Weller 107 at the same price, there's some debate whether
which one is better. I sometimes prefer the 107, but I say you do you. If you have a chance to
buy them both, definitely do at $100. And I think it stands toe to toe with other wheated bourbons at
similar proof. I mean, I really love the Maker's Mark Private Selects that have the different
(16:53):
oak stave finishes on them. Those are definitely a bit more in the spicy territory. This one is a
lot more approachable, a little more nuanced with that sweet, you know, fall pie element.
It's hard to say which one I prefer just because I really do like Maker's Mark, those high proof
releases. But this one is always got a place on my shelf. It's just a really good, approachable,
(17:14):
delicious bourbon whiskey. Now, in terms of rating, which I've been trying to do more on
these podcast reviews, you know, I didn't know what to expect going into this. I haven't had it
in years. My experience from them have gone from great to good to a little bit subpar. But this one
is probably between good and great. I mean, it's not the best Weller I've ever had, but it really
(17:36):
is holding its ground here. And at $75, I don't regret this purchase at all. I think I would
absolutely buy another if I had a chance to at the same price. So with that being said, of course,
not considering the prices that some people pay on secondary, I gave this a solid eight and a
half out of 10. I would love to see an age statement on it. I would love to have a little
bit more of a finish there. But just as a standalone Full Proof Weller wheated bourbon
(17:59):
release, I mean, there's not much I can complain about. I'm a big fan of it. So, yes, you may
consider me a tater, but I don't think it's being a tater just giving something a fair review after
paying retail for it. I think if I would have spent several hundred dollars on this and then
I gave it a raving review, that would be a whole different scenario. There are people that do that.
And you know what? More power to them. But I am someone that treats all bourbon fairly. I review
(18:20):
them based on retail. And if you are able to get it retail, what rating would I give it? So that's
my thoughts on this bourbon. I think it's a must buy at under $100. I would love to get a more
recent 107. The one I'm drinking is a pick from several years ago, actually have not
seen 107 hit my area in a long, long time. So I will keep an eye out. I will hold on
(18:41):
to the rest of this Weller Full Proof to do a comparison. Maybe I'll do another Weller full
lineup review. I've done that in the past on YouTube. If you've been curious, check it out.
YouTube.com/bourbonbytes. I'm promoting the YouTube channel a lot as podcast. It's not
intentional, but that's kind of my second home on the Internet. It's the podcast and the YouTube
channel. You can find all of it bourbonbytes.com and get a link to our Discord server and our
Byte Club membership. But yeah, that's usually where you'll find me, YouTube or the podcast.
(19:04):
So yeah, there's plenty of Buffalo Trace content between the two. All right, well,
that does it for this week's episode. Thank you all so much for listening. Don't forget that you
can leave a rating on your favorite podcast platform. You can also call into the show and
leave your questions or comments. You can reach me at 916-64-BYTES. That voicemail inbox is still
open. Of course, you can also send a text or post a message on Discord. But I'd like to hear your
(19:27):
voice. I'd love to feature you on the next episode. So give me a call or shoot me a message.
I'd love to hear from you. But until next time, this has been Bourbon Bytes,
a whiskey podcast with a gaming twist. Cheers. And I'll talk to you guys next episode. Bye!
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