Bourbon Bytes Podcast

An Islay Rye?! Bruichladdich Laddie Rye Review + Big Whiskey & Gaming News

This week, Clifton covers some of the final big whiskey drops of 2025, including new releases from Clyde May’s, Central Waters’ new Great Blue line, State Line Distillery’s debut 5-year rye, and the dramatic relaunch of Copper & Kings under new ownership. Then it’s time for one of the most surprising pours of the year: Bruichladdich Laddie Rye — a 100-proof, 7-year Islay-grown rye-and-barley hybrid that tastes like nothing else on the market.
Plus: Palmer Luckey’s newest retro console — the ModRetro M64 — might be the most exciting gaming hardware of the year.

Best 2025 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Whiskey Deals + Town Branch Imperium Bourbon Review

It’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Week, and I’m sharing the best whiskey deals, distillery sales, merch discounts, and bottle drops worth your money this season. Whether you’re stocking your bar or shopping for bourbon lovers, I’ve got the highlights you need so you don’t have to scan every mailing list yourself.
Then, I crack open the 2025 Town Branch Imperium Bourbon — a 105-proof, wheated bourbon blend with notes of dark chocolate–covered cherry, caramel, and cedar-driven oak tannin. Is it worth the $120 price tag? I share my honest verdict.
Episode includes:🥃 Dark Arts Cellar Sale details🥃 Deanston 15 Year Tequila Cask Black Friday Drop🥃 Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam & High West Merch Discounts📘 Whiskey Advocate 2-Year Subscription Deal🔥 Byte-Sized Review: Town Branch Imperium Bourbon (MMXXV)

Is the Bourbon Boom REALLY Over? + Ben Holladay BIB Review

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.

Garrison Brothers Sonora Review + Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon Returns

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 Back01:06 - Whiskey News: 2025 Michter’s 20 Year Bourbon03:26 - Whiskey News: Little Book Infinite Edition II05:02 - New Whiskeys from Still Austin, Castle & Key, Old Potrero, Paul John08:55 - Woodford Reserve x Markarian 2025 Holiday Bottle10:08 - Video Game News: Call of Duty Black Ops 7, Videoverse, Code Violet13:02 - Byte-Sized Review: Garrison Brothers Sonora Bourbon22:18 - Closing & Upcoming Live Stream Guests

2025 Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Bourbon Review & BIG News from Jack Daniel's

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.

Bourbon Boos Finale 💀: The Smokiest Surprise Yet - Smokehead Single Malt Scotch Review

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. 🎃

Pineapple in My Scotch? Buchanan's Made Me Do It

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.

Bourbon Boos: $16 Tennessee Whiskey Terror & BTAC 2025 Bombshells

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.

👻 Bourbon Boos: Dough Ball Cookie Dough Flavored Whiskey 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?

The $1 Million Whiskey Heist & A Single Cask Nation Westland Review

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! 🥃🎮