Claim OwnershipBourbon Bytes Podcast
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Whiskey news & reviews with a gaming twist! Each week, Clifton McDaniel brings you the latest bourbon releases, industry stories, and ‘Byte-Sized’ tastings—alongside the hottest video game news and discussions. Cheers, and Game On!
73 Episodes
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This week, Clifton digs into one of the biggest questions in whiskey: Is the bourbon boom finally over? After years of price hikes, expansions, and dwindling enthusiasm from younger drinkers, the numbers might finally be catching up. In this episode, he breaks down why the boom may be slowing — and why that might actually be good for bourbon fans.
Then stick around for a Byte-Sized Review of a bottle he’s never tried before: the Ben Holladay 6-Year Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon. This Missouri-made BIB surprised him with dusty vintage notes, toasted sweetness, and a mash bill that might be one of the most exciting non-Kentucky profiles in years.
Plus: new whiskey releases from Buffalo Trace, Barrell Craft Spirits, Blade & Bow, and more.
This week, Clifton dives into the newest limited-edition release from the Lone Star State: the Garrison Brothers Sonora Bourbon, a seven-year, 108-proof expression finished in rye barrels. Crafted under the guidance of Samantha Olvera, Texas’s first female Latina distiller, Sonora is more than just a whiskey, it’s a celebration of women shaping the future of bourbon.
Plus, he covers the biggest whiskey headlines of the week, including:
🥃 The return of Michter’s 20-Year-Old Bourbon
🥃 Little Book Infinite Edition II – a blend of Beam family legacy
🎮 Call of Duty Black Ops 7 launch week
🎮 Indie spotlight on Videoverse and PS5-exclusive Code Violet
00:00 - Intro & Welcome Back
01:06 - Whiskey News: 2025 Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon
03:26 - Whiskey News: Little Book Infinite Edition II
05:02 - New Whiskeys from Still Austin, Castle & Key, Old Potrero, Paul John
08:55 - Woodford Reserve x Markarian 2025 Holiday Bottle
10:08 - Video Game News: Call of Duty Black Ops 7, Videoverse, Code Violet
13:02 - Byte-Sized Review: Garrison Brothers Sonora Bourbon
22:18 - Closing & Upcoming Live Stream Guests
This week, Clifton dives into one of the most talked-about limited releases of the year — the 2025 Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Bourbon. Is the $200 price tag justified, or is nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?
Plus, there’s a full flight of whiskey news, including:
Jack Daniel’s massive new 3-liter bottle
Glencairn Glass celebrating 25 years
Big new Scotch and single malt releases from Arran, Cutty Sark, and East London Liquor Company
Lost Lantern’s bold new American Single Malt collection
And in this week’s Byte-Sized Review, Clifton gives his honest first-crack take on Russell’s 13 — from the oak-heavy nose to the vanilla-bean palate and long, spicy finish.
Clifton closes out Bourbon Boos 2025 with a bang — and a cloud of smoke! 💨
This week’s spooky pour is Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch, a bold, affordable peated whisky that just might be the surprise of the series. For under $40, does it hold its own against bigger Islay names?
Plus, new whiskey announcements from around the world:
🥃 Heaven Hill’s Grain-to-Glass Specialty Barrel Series
🌴 The Glenlivet 12-Year Jamaica Edition Rum-Cask Finish
🪵 A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 13 and Old Overholt Cask Strength 12 Year
Tune in for peat, price talk, and one last Halloween pour that proves not every spooky bottle is a trick. 🎃
It’s another Bourbon Boos review, and this week Clifton braves one of the strangest bottles yet — Buchanan’s Pineapple “Spirit Drink.” 🥃🍍
Technically not even whisky, this scotch-based pineapple blend surprised him more than expected. Is it a tropical treat or a tiki bar tragedy? Tune in to find out!
Plus, this week’s whiskey news covers:
🔥 Elijah Craig Barrel-Proof Rye
💪 Russell’s Reserve’s Highest-Proof Bourbon Yet
🤖 The Rise of “Whiskey House” — A Fully Automated Distillery
Grab your glass (and maybe some ice) — it’s time to get spooky, sweet, and slightly skeptical.
This week’s Bourbon Boos review might be the scariest pour yet… Clifton cracks open a $16 bottle of King’s Creek Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, a bottom-shelf mystery brand with no known distillery and a whole lot of red flags. Does it surprise him, or haunt his palate forever?
But before the horrors begin, we’ve got MAJOR whiskey news:
✈️ Flaviar’s $270 “FlaviAIR” Advent Calendar takes flight
🔥 Kilchoman drops an 11-Year Sherry Cask Scotch
🥃 New American whiskey releases from Copperworks, Sagamore, Milam & Greene, and Pinhook
🦬 AND the full Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2025 lineup, featuring the first-ever E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond addition
Then it’s time for a truly frightening pour in this week’s Bourbon Boos Byte-Sized Review.
Spooky season has arrived, and Clifton’s diving into bottles he’s been too scared to try… starting with Dough Ball Cookie Dough Flavored Whiskey. 🥶
In this week’s episode of the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, we’re tasting a whiskey that’s more dessert than dram — plus, we’ve got big whiskey news:
🥃 Knob Creek 21-Year Bourbon is here
🍯 Forward Slash Incantation Vol. 2 is a mead-finished bourbon with serious Halloween vibes
❄️ A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 13 returns
🎸 And… fans call the Rock Band 4 delisting “a crime against gaming!”
Clifton shares his honest take on Dough Ball’s melted chocolate and toasted cookie flavors. Does it actually deliver, or belong in a candy shop instead of your whiskey shelf?
Whiskey heists, billion-dollar gaming buyouts, and a rare single malt review? This week’s episode of the Bourbon Bytes Podcast covers it all. Clifton dives into the jaw-dropping $1 million Westland Distillery heist, breaks down the shocking $55B buyout of Electronic Arts, and closes things out with a Byte-Sized Review of Single Cask Nation’s Westland American Single Malt. It’s whiskey news, gaming drama, and one of the fruitiest American single malts I’ve ever tasted. Cheers, and Game On! 🥃🎮
This week on Bourbon Bytes, Clifton reviews the Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon — recently crowned World’s Best Bourbon at the 2025 IWSC. At 100 proof and $70 retail, does this sleek decanter hold a whiskey worthy of the title, or is transparency (or lack thereof) its biggest flaw? Tune in for a full breakdown, tasting notes, and final score.
Also in whiskey & gaming news:
🏎 Jim Beam teams up with Cadillac’s F1 Team for 2026
🍁 Canada drops retaliatory tariffs on Kentucky bourbon
🎮 Civilization 7 dev Firaxis hit by layoffs after launch
🎵 Daft Punk enters Fortnite with a 31-song experience
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!
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
This week on Bourbon Bytes, I dive into the world of Scotch with a review of Compass Box’s Transatlanticism (2024 release) — a limited-edition blend crafted with help from whiskey reviewer T8ke and industry veteran Will Schragis. How does this $199 bottle stack up against Compass Box favorites like Orchard House and Glasgow Blend?
Plus:
🥃 Woodford Reserve surprises with its first-ever 12-Year American Single Malt
🏆 Michter’s named “Most Admired Whiskey in the World” (again)
🐉 Catoctin Creek goes full fantasy with DracoMalt, a dragon-inspired American single malt collab
🎮 And in gaming: Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launches + a stacked September of new releases!
This week on Bourbon Bytes, I review the brand-new 2025 High West Bourye, the annual limited release blending straight bourbon and rye whiskey. How does this year’s edition stack up against past favorites, and is it worth the hunt? Plus, big whiskey headlines: Maker’s Mark brings back its Cellar Aged Bourbon, High West launches its first Bottled-in-Bond release aged at 4,000 ft, and Penelope Bourbon reveals a premium 2025 Estate Collection.
Clifton dives into some of the hottest whiskey news of the year: Old Forester shakes things up with a sweet mash Birthday Bourbon, Four Roses unveils its 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch, and Elijah Craig tees off with the PGA Quail Hollow Championship Edition. How does this commemorative release stack up against past special collaborations? Plus, we celebrate the end of the SAG-AFTRA video game strike and what it means for the future of gaming.
It’s a head-to-head battle of Michter’s 2025 Legacy Series releases — the sweet and delicate Shenk’s Homestead (91.2 proof) vs. the bold and oaky Bomberger’s Declaration (108 proof). I break down their unique cask choices, share full nose/palate impressions, and crown my pick for the better buy. Plus, two distilleries step up big to support flood relief in Kentucky and Texas — proof that good bourbon can do good in the world.
Clifton breaks down one of the boldest store picks he's tried in a while: a 128-proof Knob Creek Cask Strength Single Barrel from K&L Wine Merchants. Along the way, he dives into hot whiskey news, including the experimental 2025 Parker’s Heritage release, a Hungarian oak-aged "bourbon" from A. Smith Bowman, and legendary game developer Hideo Kojima’s critique of the modern video game industry. Plus, a listener call-in asks what releases Clifton’s most excited for in the second half of the year.
This week on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, Clifton takes you behind the blue wax to review the Maker’s Mark Champion Selection, handpicked by the Los Angeles Dodgers to celebrate their 2024 World Series win. He dives into hot whiskey headlines—Buffalo Trace's bold Weller 18 release, heirloom corn making waves at craft distilleries, and Old Forester’s 1910 Extra Extra Old. Plus, find out which distillery just dominated the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition.
This week on Bourbon Bytes, Clifton dives into some of the hottest headlines in the whiskey world—from Buffalo Trace’s surprising new 100-proof Sazerac Rye to their bold move into sustainable distilling. Plus, Hidden Barn adds a new Master Taster to their team. But the star of the show? Clifton’s first-ever sip of TINCUP 6-Year American Whiskey—a bold, oak-forward blend of bourbon and Colorado single malt that left a lasting impression.
In this jam-packed episode, Clifton dives into the latest bourbon headlines — from Buffalo Trace’s mysterious E.H. Taylor Jr. Distiller's Council release to A. Smith Bowman’s award-winning rye and Starlight’s 10-Year debut. But the main event? A first sip of the brand-new Louisiana Senator Bourbon, a bold 8-year whiskey from the creators of Kentucky Senator, crafted in collaboration with Potter Jane Distillery.
Is this small batch release the next cult classic? Tune in for a Byte-Sized Review and find out what makes this one unforgettable.
This week on Bourbon Bytes, Clifton is diving deep into high-proof territory with a first-time review of Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel — the most elusive (and explosive) bottle in the Blanton’s lineup. How does it hold up to the hype, and is it worth chasing down?
Also on the table: three six-year bourbons you need to know — a Single Barrel Selection from New Riff, Castle & Key’s Small Batch Six-Year Bourbon, and Garrison Brother's 2025 Guadalupe Bourbon supporting Texas conservation. Whether you’re all about barrel strength or on the hunt for value, this episode’s got you covered.
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