Up next in 10
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 geographic protection for Japanese whisky and what that could mean for consumers.
Maker's Mark also announced Cellar Aged 2026, blending 11-, 12-, and 14-year-old bourbons at 112.1 proof, while Bardstown Bourbon Company revealed two new fall releases: Lochs of Jura Barrel Finish and the latest Discovery Series, finished in Garryana oak.
And on the gaming side: if you've been thinking about buying a Nintendo Switch 2, you may want to move quickly. The console is getting a $50 price increase to $499.99 on September 1.
Then it's time for a Byte-Sized Review of Onyx & Amber 8 Year Single Barrel Bourbon, selected by fellow Whiskeytuber @IndpndntJoe in collaboration with The Barrel Tap.
The bottle lists an undisclosed Bardstown distillery, but in the episode I identify the distillate as Willett. It's 8 years old, 119.6 proof, aged in Colorado, and originally sold for just $95.
Expect dark brown sugar, caramel, vanilla-bean ice cream, cinnamon, oak, tobacco, sweet cherry, muscadine grape, and a long, evolving finish.
At that price, this one seriously impressed me.
Topics covered:
• Mr. Sam Tribute Whiskey Batch 4
• Japanese whisky GI protections
• Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2026
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Today, on the Bourbon Bites Podcast, Maker's Mark drops the 2026 edition of Cellar Age
0:06
Zazerac unleashes a 131-proof cross-border blend, and Nintendo gives us a two-week warning
0:11
on a massive Switch 2 price hike. Plus, I'm pouring up a bite-sized review of Onyx & Amber Bourbon Whiskey
0:30
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Bourbon Bites podcast. I'm your host, Clifton, and this is the week of Thursday, August 20th, 2026, and we are starting to get our allocated whiskey drops of the year
0:42
So I have a few of them to tease here tonight on the podcast, but stay tuned to future episodes because it's getting that time of year where we're going to have tons of these to talk about
0:51
One of which is a whiskey that I've heard amazing things about but haven't had a chance to try myself
0:55
This is the Mr. Sam Tribute Whiskey, and I've seen this bottle before
1:00
I had no idea it was associated with Sazerac, but this is an allocated blend of whiskey that combines American whiskey and Canadian whiskey
1:09
Not only that, but it's bottled at 131.08 proof for this batch number four, and it comes in at a retail price of $299.99
1:21
So you can see why I've kind of not really followed the story of it
1:25
Sazerac does do Canadian whiskey. I mean we see the Caribou Crossing single barrel that looks very
1:30
similar to Blanton's but I really didn't know details about this release other than the label
1:34
itself. Apparently it's a tribute to Mr. Sam Bronfman who is the leader of Seagram's and it's
1:41
been blended by Drew Mayville who is the former final master blender of Seagram's. Now while
1:46
details about what actually went into this blend are scarce we do know that this tasting profile
1:51
is leaning towards the dark fruits and rich toffee notes. If you listen to a recent podcast, you know I'm starting to enjoy
1:57
cast strength Canadian whiskey even more. So this is something I'd be very interested in
2:02
if I knew a little bit more about what went into it. You know, I think this would be a fantastic product
2:07
if they did kind of like what Remus does and shows you the percentage breakdown of what went in it
2:13
Of course, Barstone Bourbon Company does the same with their releases. I just feel like Sazerac is kind of pulling a Sazerac
2:19
where like, we don't have to tell you this, you'll buy it anyways. But for me, not so much
2:24
I feel like it sounds like it's probably a pretty fantastic whiskey. But for 300 bucks, that's definitely a try before I buy type situation
2:31
Now, looking back on other websites, these previous batches rate extremely highly
2:36
I'm looking at the bourbonculture.com and they've given the past two batches a perfect score of 10 out of 10
2:42
So there's obviously a huge market for these. And again, it's definitely one I would love a chance to try
2:47
But if you've tried any of these releases, let me know how they are. Well, speaking of international whiskey, I did want to highlight this one talking point that I saw about Japanese whiskey GI protection
2:58
So GI is a geographic indication status for Japanese whiskey. And the Japan Spirits and Liquor Makers Association is pushing a new initiative to secure this, similar to how bourbon and champagne are protected by international law
3:13
So they want to push back against brands labeling things as Japanese style whiskey that wasn't actually produced in Japan
3:19
And I think this is great. You know, one of my favorite things about bourbon is how strict they are with what is considered a bourbon
3:27
Even further, things like bottled and bond bourbon have even stricter regulations. So I think this is fantastic for the overall industry, right
3:35
Like we want to know what's going in the bottle, kind of like what I just said about the Mr. Sam's
3:39
But I think having more protections in place by specific wording on the bottle is just better for the consumer
3:44
Now, with bourbon, of course, there's things about listing age statement if it's younger than a certain amount
3:48
I'm not sure if they're going to go that deep, but they want to very much protect the fact that something is actually made in Japan
3:54
I know American single malt just recently got a definition given to them by the TTB, which was a big win for the industry
4:01
I think people are looking for those certifications to be able to say, hey, this is what we're making here
4:06
They're protecting their mark on the spirits industry. People aren't just claiming they're making American single malt and importing it in from Scotland
4:13
So I think more definitions and regulations actually do help the consumer more than anyone
4:20
But curious to hear what you guys think about that. Well, while Japan is protecting its heritage, two of Kentucky's biggest names are pushing the boundaries of aging and barrel finishing
4:29
So I got to talk about these next. The first of which is the latest release from the Maker Mark Seller Age Collection They just announced it this week and this is the 2026 edition It combines a 49 of an 11 33 of a 12 and 18 of a 14 bourbons
4:48
These are then blended and bottled at cast strength, or 112.1 proof, and it's going to hit shelves this September for a suggested retail price of $175
4:57
Now, me in particular, I'm very much looking forward to this release because I've actually collected samples of the past three releases of this
5:04
I think I have the 23, 24 and 25. So I would love to do a head to head of all of those versus the
5:09
2026. So if any of you happen to have a lead on this new one, please let me know. I'd love to
5:14
you know, swap samples with you so I can get a chance to try it. I've been holding off on doing
5:18
this. I think I did a smaller stream when I did the seller aged up to 2025. But I still have those
5:24
samples available to do a 2026 version of that. So check out the YouTube channel youtube.com slash
5:29
bourbon bites and subscribe to be notified when that comes out because it's definitely one I'm
5:34
planning to do once I get my hands on it. Unfortunately, the seller age is really hard to
5:38
find, at least in my area. I see a lot of the other specialty releases like the Keepers release
5:42
and the Stewards release and the Heart release, but I never really see seller age, at least in my
5:46
local retailers. So you guys got to let me know where you're getting that because I never find
5:50
bottles. I always just get samples of it from friends, which is great, but I'd love to find a
5:54
bottle of it. All right. And lastly, Bardstown Bourbon Company has just announced their new
5:59
fall releases. And they're doing a lot of experimenting here this year. One of the releases
6:04
is called Locks of Jura Barrel Finish Whiskey. So they say that this one is a blend of straight
6:09
bourbon and rye whiskeys that have spent an additional 32 months in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry
6:15
casks that have been sourced from Scotland's remote island of Jura. Now I've heard of Jura
6:20
whiskey, but I don't know if I've had a chance to try it. I don't have any in my collection, but I do love whiskey from the islands of Scotland. So I would be curious to see how
6:28
much of an impact these ex-bourbon and ex-shari casks have had from that single malt scotch that's
6:33
been aging in it. Now, according to them, they say the cask contributes layers of ripe fruit
6:38
soft malt, subtle smoke, and a maritime character while preserving the American whiskey's rich
6:43
bourbon foundation. So that's really exciting to see. Listen, I love when we see rye whiskeys and
6:48
even bourbons that have been finished in ex-scotch casks. I think it brings a lot of nuance and
6:53
flavor, especially smoke when we're dealing with some of those peated scotch whiskeys. I would be
6:58
really curious to see how this affects a blend. I usually think that rye whiskey takes on way more
7:03
character from a finish, but with this being Barsenow Bourbon Company, they're nothing less
7:07
than excellent when it comes to blending and really letting those casts shine. So this is
7:12
what I'm absolutely going to be on the lookout for. Now another one they just announced was the
7:16
2026 release of the Discovery Series. It's a blend of 7, 10, and 11 year old bourbons, and they say
7:23
that these high floor barrels were selected for their balance of fruit and oak, making them perfect
7:28
to take on the extra structure and sugar of double barreling. It says a four-month finishing
7:33
period in custom-made garyana oak barrels add subtle layers of spice and structure. Now this
7:39
one's coming in at 112.8 proof and it's the second Bardstown Bourbon Company release to explore
7:44
garyana oak, referencing the distillery reserve Cascadia that came out earlier this year
7:50
I reviewed that release and it was one of my most favorite Bardstown Bourbon Company releases
7:55
of all time. So if this is anywhere near as good as that Cascadia release is, we are in for a treat
8:02
I actually still saved that bottle because I'm going to consider it one of my top whiskeys of
8:06
the year. But if I get a chance to try this new Discovery Series, I'm going to have to do them
8:10
side by side because as much as I love that Gariana, a lot of people are hesitant about it
8:15
especially when they think it might overtake the flavor, not as much as some of the other
8:18
experimental wood casks, but it still does have a distinct flavor. But I think with the blend of
8:23
different whiskeys and, you know, just a four month finish, it might actually be pretty subtle
8:28
So I'd be very curious to give that a try. Now, both the Discovery 2026 and the locks of Jura
8:33
barrel finish will be available nationwide in limited quantities beginning this weekend and
8:39
offered at a suggested retail price of $139.99 for each bottle. So both ones that I would absolutely
8:45
buy if I saw on the shelves, particularly that Discovery series, because I really like that
8:50
Cascadia release from earlier this year. So keep an eye out for those two. All right, well, before
8:55
we get into our bite-sized review, I do have a little bit of a public service announcement when
8:59
it comes to video games. The Nintendo Switch 2 is about to increase in price. So if you've been
9:04
thinking about getting one, make sure to do so before September 1st. It's going to get a $50
9:09
price height bringing it up to Now of course this is due to the shortage of components the price of storage going up We seeing it across the board from PlayStation xbox tips pc i just bought a very expensive gaming pc that was way more expensive than it would have been a year or two ago so if you have had the switch to on your list and you
9:30
been debating whether you pick it up or not maybe you're waiting on certain games to come out if you
9:34
don't want to take on that price hike make sure to get it ordered before september 1st fortunately
9:39
we've had one for a while and we do enjoy the heck out of it so i just want to give you that psa
9:44
Grab one if you've been thinking about it. All right, well, that does it for this week's news
9:48
Now it's time to get into our bite-sized review. All right, well, today we have a very special bite-sized review because this bottle was
10:04
actually picked by my good friend and fellow whiskey tuber, Independent Joe
10:09
So this was a collaboration he did with the Barrel Tap, and it's a single barrel straight bourbon whiskey from Onyx and Amber
10:18
Now, this is a brand that I've actually never heard of, so I had to do a little bit of digging about where they're from and what they're all about
10:24
So they're actually based out of Colorado, but what they do is they source some pretty incredible single barrels and bottle them for different brands or retailers
10:32
And they have a really cool system of showing you, you know, what each single barrel is all about
10:36
If you go to their website and you click on our whiskey and then click single barrel formation
10:41
it tells you how to decode their single barrel formation. So you can see where the whiskey is sourced from, the type of whiskey, the run, and the barrel number
10:49
So I think that's pretty incredible. I love how transparent they are, especially because they're sourcing from so many different distilleries
10:56
It sounds like normally they source from MGP, Middle West, Wild Turkey, and Kentucky Artisan Distillery
11:02
However, this single barrel from the Barrel Tap and Independent Joe is actually a Willett single barrel
11:10
Now, of course, they don't label that on the website. They say it's an undisclosed Bardstown distillery
11:14
But if you know, you know, this is actually Willett distillate. Not only that, but it's an eight year single barrel bourbon at 119.6 proof
11:25
So that's probably the oldest Willett bourbon I've seen on the market outside of the Purple Top
11:29
you know, the exclusive limited releases from the brand. Now, this one surprisingly only went for $95
11:36
on their website. Unfortunately, it sold out as of now. Shout out to Joe who gave me a heads up
11:42
that this was coming soon. But this was available to his patrons and his community. So I'm really
11:49
excited to give it a try, not only because I love Joe and everything he does with his channel
11:53
but also I've not had a chance to try Will It 8 Year Bourbon before. So I'm very, very excited
11:59
to give this a try and first impression review for you guys. Now, if you remember earlier this year
12:04
Willett announced their four-year-old Bourbon to their family estate line. That one was 125 proof
12:10
and $70. So for this one, we're getting it also at cast strength, a little bit more money. Like I
12:16
said, closer to $95, but still, I think that's pretty incredible. Looking back at my review of
12:22
the four-year Willett, I give it an okay score of about six out of 10. I reviewed it on the podcast
12:27
about eight months ago. So I'm really excited to see what this tastes like at twice the age
12:32
Let's go in and give this onyx and amber a nose. Okay, yeah, that's nice. There's definitely not
12:39
that funky thing that Will It sometimes give me. It's really rich and, you know, dark sugars on the
12:45
nose. Quite a bit of caramel, brown sugar for sure. It's definitely like a darker, richer type
12:52
of sweetness, not like a confectionary sugar or anything like that. It definitely goes deep with
12:56
those notes but it's it's sweet nevertheless there's quite a bit of vanilla there as well
13:01
like vanilla bean ice cream like natural hand-churned ice cream really really sweet and
13:06
desserty on the nose again something i'm not super familiar with with a will it flavor profile so
13:11
that's exciting there's some spiciness happening i don't know exactly the mash bill they're using
13:16
for this but i assume it's probably a high rye mash bill really beautiful nose i mean that's
13:21
exactly what i want a bourbon to smell like let's see how it tastes cheers
13:26
Hmm, okay. Yeah, that's a little more in line with what I'm used to with like the Will It flavor
13:31
profile. Quite a bit more oagie than I remember the four-year-old being, which is great. I think
13:37
you know, Will It has this particular flavor profile to me that is a bit nuanced. It's quite
13:41
a bit different than any other Bardstown bourbon whiskey distilleries, because I'm a fan of almost
13:46
all the ones that are based in that region. But Will It always has a distinct flavor profile to it
13:51
This one doesn't have as much of like the malty flavor that sometimes they give off, especially on their rye whiskey but it does have a unique aspect that I think is very uniquely Will It It got a lot of cinnamon spice on the palate I mean it not nearly as sweet as it is on the nose
14:07
but it actually goes even darker than the sweetness of the nose. So I'm getting some darker little bit of tobacco notes here as well
14:15
Again, this age is really, really great for this bottle. I think it's a huge improvement on what I've tasted from younger Willett
14:22
I'm starting to see the hype behind some of those purple top bottles that go for the several hundred dollars. I mean, if they're anywhere as close to this, I see why
14:30
those are so hyped because this is such an elevated bourbon than their family estate line
14:35
Of course, like I said, this is a single barrel, so you're not going to always find something like
14:39
this. You know, what's interesting is there's a bit of a sherry note on the finish. I almost had
14:45
to double check to see if this was a finished bourbon, but I'm not seeing anywhere on the bottle
14:49
that it was, but it does have a very distinctive bright fruitiness on the back end of the palate
14:55
Almost like a muscadine grape. It's very juicy and very sweet. But it's not finished
15:00
It just says it's distilled in Kentucky, aged in Colorado, and aged in new charred oak
15:05
So maybe it's the Colorado climate that's impacting that fruitiness on it
15:10
But I mean, this drinks like a delicious pour. It does have some of those nuanced flavors and those sweet
15:16
I guess maybe I almost want to say cherry, but it's not like a sour tart cherry
15:21
It's like a sweeter cherry. That's why I kind of went toward like the muscadine wine
15:25
but really, really flavorful and long finish. I do like the finish on this
15:30
It's distinct from the nose and the palate. And I love when a whiskey takes me on a journey
15:33
You know, the nose on this one is like those dark brown sugars. The palate is a little bit of that oak, that cinnamon, a little bit tobacco
15:40
And then, of course, that finish. I get that fruitiness, like that muscadine grape thing
15:44
Just like a really long finish. Really, really nice. I am a big fan of this
15:50
Wow. Of course, I already knew that Joe had an amazing palate, so I didn't doubt this in any capacity
15:54
but for the price of what you're getting here for like a hundred dollars or less
15:59
I mean this is pretty incredible I don't know how often you come across a deal like this so here on
16:06
the bourbon bites podcast I like to just give one review you know I understand not everyone can get
16:10
their hands on this bottle and I do know that it's sold out at the moment but I'm going to give
16:14
a review based on my experience with it tonight and that being said this is incredible for the
16:20
price. I mean, I think I'm going to give this a solid 9 out of 10. Not only is it a distillery
16:25
that you don't get often some nicer single barrels at an older age, but it's a new label for me and
16:31
something entirely new for me to try altogether. So with that being said, this is a solid 9 out of
16:36
10 for me. This is really, really great. Of course, I'd probably bump that up to a 10 if it was
16:40
something I could readily get on the shelves or if it's something that was, you know, not just like
16:44
a one-off pick. If it were like a everyday pick where you could just go to the store and grab any
16:48
bottle of this then that would be maybe a 10 out of 10 but for a single barrel select of will it
16:53
this is a solid 9 out of 10. if you are sensitive to the little bit of will it funk is what i like
16:59
to call it it's still there but i think it's complemented by so many nice flavors like the
17:03
oak and like i said that raisin grape thing it really doesn't distract from this being a really
17:09
good whiskey it's not like an everyday drinker for me it's definitely a unique flavor profile
17:13
but it delivers on everything I think it it should so yeah nine out of ten well done to Joe and the
17:21
folks over at the barrel tap this is a fantastic single barrel pick and I will be on the lookout
17:25
for more not just from independent Joe but from the barrel tap because they need some good stuff
17:30
this is pretty awesome now like I said normally Onyx and Amber bottles whiskey from Wild Turkey
17:35
Middle West and MGP but maybe they're always changing that up and getting new barrels so
17:41
I'm going to follow them. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for their single barrel pick
17:44
program. If y'all ever want to see a Bourbon Bites pick, maybe this would be the place to go through
17:49
because this is pretty damn impressive. All right. Well, that does it for this week's podcast. Thank
17:55
you all so much for listening. If you're listening the day this comes out, make sure to tune into the
17:59
live stream tonight. I'm doing a fun Heaven Hill flight where I compare the new Bottled and Bond
18:03
Double Mash to the original Bottled and Bond Bourbon and the Old Fit 7-Year. So it should be a good
18:08
time make sure to tune in if you listen to this in the future thank you for coming there's a lot
18:13
more episodes where this came from make sure to follow give me a like on your favorite podcast
18:17
platform and until next time this has been the bourbon bites podcast a whiskey podcast
18:21
with a gaming twist cheers and i'll talk to you next episode
18:38
you
#Food & Drink
#food