Bourbon Bytes Podcast

Is the 2026 Russell’s Reserve 13 worth $200? This week, I’m tasting the release celebrating Eddie Russell’s 45 years at Wild Turkey and looking back at what I loved about the original and 2025 bottles.

Brown sugar Pop-Tarts on the nose and cherry cola on the palate? That’s where this pour takes me, but there are a couple of things I miss from earlier releases. I share my first impressions, final score, and w...

Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 2 Review: Is this $80 whiskey worth buying if you don't smoke cigars? This week I'm finding out by tasting Penelope's latest collaboration with Alec Bradley Cigars both on its own and paired with an Alec Bradley Black Market cigar.

But first, we're talking about something I don't get to say very often in whiskey news: older, higher-proof whiskey is actually getting more affordable.

Copper & Cask ...

Bulleit ’87 Review: Bulleit just added a $30 bourbon-and-rye blend to its permanent lineup — and I did not expect to like it this much.

Before we get to the review, this week’s Bourbon Bytes is packed with seriously interesting whiskey news.

Dark Arts Whiskey House is releasing a massive 19-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished for seven years in Japanese Mizunara oak. The six-barrel Chief Alchemist Reserve comes in ...

Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Review: This week I’m tasting the brand-new Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Volume 1, a cask-strength bourbon finished in wild cherry wood from France — but first, the whiskey world somehow gets even weirder.

Beam has two major releases on the way. The second-ever Booker’s rye takes things in a completely unexpected direction with apple brandy cask finishing and cinnamon infusion, while Littl...

Redwood Empire 'The Hyperion' Whiskey Review: I’m getting an early taste of Batch 001, one of Redwood Empire’s most ambitious releases yet — but first, Pappy season is officially here and the whiskey news gets weird.

The Van Winkle family has announced the 2026 Pappy lineup, with six expressions ranging from Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year all the way up to Pappy Van Wi...

Bourbon Heritage Month is officially heating up, and this week’s Bourbon Bytes is packed with limited-edition whiskey news, a huge Nintendo surprise, and a fall-ready Elijah Craig review.

Heaven Hill kicks things off with the 20th Parker’s Heritage Collection: a 14-year Kentucky straight bourbon made using rye backset during fermentation. Bottled at 118 proof and limited to just 100 barrels, this is one of the releases ...

Beautiful bottles and brilliant blends are the unofficial theme of this week’s Bourbon Bytes Podcast.

Jim Beam is bringing back one of its most collectible pieces of bourbon history with the Ten-Pin Decanter. Inspired by the bowling-pin bottles that date back to the 1950s, the new release holds 10-year-old, 100-proof Jim Beam bourbon and will be available in limited quantities at the...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, allocated whiskey season is heating up — and I’m reviewing an 8-year Willett-distilled single barrel that somehow sold for under $100.

Sazerac kicks things off with Mr. Sam Tribute Whiskey Batch 4, a 131.08-proof blend of American and Canadian whiskey honoring Seagram legend Sam Bronfman. Then we look at Japan’s push for stronger ge...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, Buffalo Trace has one of the most talked-about releases of the year on the way — and I finally got my hands on a Weller bottle I’ve somehow never reviewed.

Garrison Brothers kicks things off with its 2026 Cowboy Bourbon, an 8+ year Texas bourbon bottled at a massive 141 proof, along with the first cask-strength single-barrel version of Laguna Madre.

Then Buffalo Trace brings the h...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re turning up the proof with hazmat brandy, cask-strength rye, coconut-inspired Scotch, a potentially huge win for retro gamers, and a throwback review of one of the best Canadian whiskies I’ve ever tasted.

Copper & Kings is making several former distillery exclusives available online, including a 10-year rum-finished apple brandy at 147.6 proof, a 9-year apple brandy at 14...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re wrapping up July with a shorter episode packed with whiskey news, AI controversy, celebrity whiskey moves, and a bourbon review with a meaningful story behind it.

The 15-month U.S. tariff on Scotch is officially over, but will bottle prices actually come back down? Then we look at CASKD AI, a new whiskey-focused artificial intelligence tool built for Scotch enthusiasts, collectors...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re diving into a packed lineup of new whiskey releases before revisiting one of my favorite barrel-strength rye whiskeys of all time: Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye.

New Riff is releasing its oldest Headliner blend yet, featuring 10+ year components including malted rye bourbon, rye, and Balboa rye. Bardstown Bourbon Company is getting tropical with Victoria Pineapple Finished W...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast...

Kavalan shocked the whiskey world at the 2026 International Whisky Competition, taking three of the top five spots with Taiwanese single malt releases including the Peatist Oloroso Sherry Cask, Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength, and Solist Madeira Cask.

Then Buffalo Trace announced Camp Buffalo Trace, a new 21+ summer camp-style experience featuring bourbon education, blind tastings, s...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re talking about major whiskey and gaming news before diving into a double Byte-Sized Review of SHĀNG whiskey — a first-of-its-kind fusion of Chinese baijiu tradition and Kentucky whiskey aging.

Barton 1792 just announced two major releases: its first-ever 1792 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and 1792 XV, a 15-year-old cask-strength, unfiltered bourbon that marks the oldest age-s...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re heading into July 4th weekend with a packed lineup of whiskey and gaming news before reviewing one of Maker’s Mark’s biggest experiments yet: Star Hill Farm 2026.

Bulleit just announced its oldest rye ever: a 20-year-old, 137-proof release limited to 1,776 bottles for America’s 250th anniversary. Redwood Empire is also back with Colonel Armstrong Wheated Bourbon,...

It’s the 100th episode of the Bourbon Bytes podcast!

This week, I’m celebrating the milestone with a packed whiskey news lineup and a special Byte-Sized Review of Little Book The Infinite: Edition II from Jim Beam.

Willett filled the first barrel at its new Springfield distillery, Bacardi is taking full ownership of Teeling Irish Whiskey, Four Roses officially announced its first Experimental Series release finished in ...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re covering one of the most ambitious American whiskey projects ever attempted before diving into a smoky, double-barreled Kentucky bourbon.

Booker’s is back with the new Milkshake Batch, inspired by Booker Noe’s love of bourbon-spiked chocolate malted milkshakes. Green River has announced its oldest bourbon yet: an 8-year Distillery Select Toasted Double Oak release bott...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, we’re breaking down a packed lineup of whiskey and gaming news before diving into a Byte-Sized Review of the new Maker’s Mark Steward’s Release.

Old Forester announced its 2026 President’s Choice Bourbon and Rye, Barrell Craft Spirits revealed a limited Toasted Seagrass release, and Penelope is flipping its usual playbook with a new Classic Series bourbon and rye.

On t...

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re kicking off June with a packed lineup of whiskey news and one of the most surprising reviews of the year.

Four Roses just announced the start of its new Anthology Series, launching with a 21-year-old OBSF barrel-strength bourbon called The Origin. Russell’s Reserve 13 is back for Spring 2026 with a new release celebrating Eddie Russell’s 45 years of whiskey-making mast...