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Heaven Hill Strike Ends, ECBP C921 Review, & Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Remastered Release
May 23, 2026
After six weeks of its employees on strike, the Heaven Hill Distillery has reached an agreement with a local labor union. I'll be telling you what you need to know about this decision and how it relates to the 'Bourbon Boom'. I'll also be tasting and reviewing Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921 while discussing Rockstar Games announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition releasing November 11th. Discuss this week's episode on the Bourbon Bytes Whiskey & Gaming Lounge Discord Server at http://www.BourbonBytes.com Support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/BourbonBytes Subscribe on YouTube for live streams and more at https://www.YouTube.com/BourbonBytes
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0:00
Hey guys, before we get started, I just want to let you know that there was an update to the Heaven Hill strike situation right after I finished recording this podcast
0:08
So you'll hear a moment where I will jump in as future Cliffy to give you my thoughts once that update happens
0:14
But for now, enjoy the episode. hello and welcome to the second episode of the bourbon bites podcast i'm your host clifton and
0:31
first of all i just want to say thank you so much for all the support i've gotten since launching
0:36
this on friday i was a little bit nervous i knew i i wasn't sure if i was going to keep up the
0:41
podcast, but the support has been overwhelming. The feedback has been fantastic. Some of your
0:47
suggestions were to improve the audio quality a bit. I've upgraded my mic setup. Hopefully my audio
0:54
is just a little bit better this episode. So I'm actually recording this on Saturday, October 23rd
1:00
which if you've been following anything about the Heaven Hill Strike, you know today's the day that
1:04
they are voting on a tentative agreement to hopefully resolve that and end that situation
1:09
I do have a few news feeds pulled up. So at any point when I'm recording this podcast, that news comes through
1:16
I'm going to give you an update on how that went. So I know a lot of people have been following the story very, very closely
1:22
To me, I was aware of it, but I didn't really know the details for the strike itself
1:28
So I thought it'd be kind of nice to go through what's all been going on, because it is a
1:32
really important moment in Bourbon history, especially in the labor force during the Bourbon boom
1:37
I think it's something we need to talk about. So for the past six weeks or so, there have been over 400 workers at Heaven Hill that have been striking
1:46
And those are union workers. They are upset about some changes that are being made with health care and with scheduling
1:54
So I think previously weekend scheduling was separate from people that work during the week
1:59
But it sounds like they're kind of wanting more people to work weekends. And the union's like, no
2:05
So there's definitely some disagreement there. But there's also other issues outside of that
2:10
Those are just the two big points that people are striking and causing this movement right now
2:17
As some of you may know, I am a big fan of Heaven Hills whiskey
2:21
I'm actually about to pour some Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921. I just recorded a full review of this
2:27
I've done it in a blind flight. But I feel like this whiskey is not getting enough attention or maybe it's just not out there enough yet
2:33
So I thought it was relevant to pour. I know it's a little controversial. Some people are saying, you know, don't buy Heaven Hill
2:38
I will say this bottle was sent to me by the brand to review, so I did not purchase it
2:44
But I don't think, you know, the work that went to this 12-year-old bourbon really doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what's going on now
2:53
Not to say that those employees did not contribute to this bottling. I'm sure they did
2:57
But I feel like just dismissing this annual release that everyone looks forward to because of the strike would be, I guess, as a whiskey podcaster now
3:07
I guess I can call myself that. a bit of a disservice to you guys because I know a lot of you out there are also fans of Elijah
3:12
Craig Barrel Proof um so let me go ahead and open this up this will be my third time trying it
3:16
I'm putting out a video um I think probably either today or tomorrow depending on when you're
3:22
listening to this I'm hopefully uploading this podcast on Monday I think it's going to be a
3:26
Monday thing I don't know maybe I'll I'm alternating between Mondays and Fridays so
3:30
if you have any opinions on when you would rather listen to new episodes of the podcast
3:34
please let me know it's either one of those two days um i'm open to all options but so that video
3:40
is coming out this week um but i also wanted to you know go a little bit deeper you know had this
3:45
throughout this whole recording session maybe spent a little longer on it than i did with the
3:49
full review so let's go ahead and pop that cork now at this point i'm about halfway through the
3:56
bottle so I've definitely been enjoying this one. So in addition to the actual news and facts about
4:05
this strike I did kind of want to share some of my thoughts on it. I know I'm not in the industry
4:10
necessarily. I don't know the struggles that these employees and the union's been going through
4:14
so I'm speaking as an outsider looking in so please take my my words that I say today as just
4:21
a bourbon fan, a Heaven Hill fan, and not a relative or anyone related to the actual
4:27
industry in terms of the production of bourbon So just want to make that clear So as a lot of us know the bourbon industry is definitely booming right now There are so many bourbon fans out there
4:40
And then distilleries are struggling to keep up because in the past, you know, five years
4:44
or so, there's been a growing interest and demand for bourbon, something that has kind
4:50
of been unprecedented. So, of course, distilleries are, you know, building new rickhouses, hiring new employees
4:56
you know, doing everything they can to keep up with the demand. And I know sometimes that does
5:02
weigh a lot on the employees, which is what we're seeing here. You know, Heaven Hill's wanting
5:07
you know, more hours, weekend hours that weren't traditionally expected from these employees
5:13
They're wanting them to work more, which I understand being upset about that. So I do
5:18
fully support the union. I trust that the workers know what's going on. A lot of times, you know
5:25
Even me being a Heaven Hill fan, I have opinions. I'm like, surely they wouldn't be harmful to their workers
5:31
but you really never know unless you're working for them. So again, I'm not speaking on the specifics on taking sides necessarily
5:38
I'm just saying I understand the struggle on both ends. I understand Heaven Hill needs to keep up with demand
5:42
but I also understand these workers have lives outside of making bourbon
5:47
I think that's very important. I'm one person to value work-life balance
5:51
That's something that's really, really important to me. It's always been important to me. so that's why I understand you know that side as well there was a bit of an issue that happened on
6:00
October 13th where a truck actually flipped over so I don't know if you heard about that but it's
6:07
basically because the driver was making what they say a threatening gesture towards a striking
6:12
worker so there was a bit of you know a bit of aggression there I'm not sure you know who
6:17
initiated or whatever fortunately you know no one was hurt but it is it just shows that there are
6:23
tensions on both sides, both with the people that are striking and those that are not
6:28
And tensions even rose higher this past Monday when Heaven Hill said, you know, hey, if we
6:33
can't reach an agreement, we're just going to hire new employees to replace these people
6:39
that have been here for, you know, their families have been working for Heaven Hill for, gosh
6:43
I mean, generations in some cases. So there were tensions were very, very high earlier this week
6:48
And I think on Friday, there was a resolution that was kind of put forward that seems like it benefits both sides
6:55
Again, I don't know the details. People have reached out for details, have not gotten anything on that
6:59
So today is the day that they're actually voting on that. So either the result basically end of today is the strike is over
7:05
Everyone's, you know, I wouldn't say everyone's happy, but everyone is satisfied or they decide, you know, we're not going to vote for this
7:13
This is not what we want. And it's going to go on. So like I said, I'm going to let you know if that comes through while I'm recording this
7:19
Hopefully so. I would like to give you more of an update versus just talking about it when we don't know what's going to happen
7:25
Hey, future Cliffy here. So I actually just finished recording the podcast and literally 15 minutes later, I got an update
7:33
So it sounds like they voted to end the six-week strike. An agreement was met under a new five-year union contract
7:42
The president of the local 23D, I guess that's the union itself, Matt Aubrey, he released the following statement
7:50
This new Heaven Hill contract is a strong reminder of what is possible when Kentucky workers stand together to protect the good jobs that keep our economy growing and our communities and families strong
8:02
With the strong support of the Bardstown community, including many local businesses and community leaders, these hardworking men and women at Heaven Hill courageously stood up to fight for what all Kentucky families want
8:13
Good jobs, affordable health care, and to be treated right by the company they made a success
8:18
Together, these hardworking Kentuckians preserve the affordable health care, overtime pay, and fair scheduling that enables them to balance work with supporting their families
8:27
So I'm so glad to hear that an achievement or an agreement, rather, was made
8:33
I think this is such an important moment. I'm glad that, you know, they stepped out of their comfort zone and they spoke out about this issue
8:40
And yeah, that's actually great timing because this is maybe a bit of a news update for you guys rather than just, you know, me ranting and giving my opinion
8:47
You heard my opinion. I'm not going to change anything I said, but I'm very, very glad to hear that they have
8:53
reached an agreement. So that's that. Let's go ahead and get on to this Elijah Craig C921 review because it sounds like things
8:59
are good again. So I'm happy to share my thoughts with this year's release
9:03
Coming in at 120 proof this one actually of course 12 years old which they kept the age statement thankfully Non filtered And like I said this one slowly making its way out there
9:17
I think I have not seen very many people have been able to find this on the shelves
9:22
I've not seen it locally. I'm still just now seeing B521 showing up at some shops
9:27
So I'm excited to hopefully see this around. Spoiler alert, if you haven't seen my Blind Flight or my review of this yet, definitely check out those first
9:38
But that's just spoiler alert. This one was my absolute favorite of the year
9:44
I think this is just an exceptional expression of a larger crack barrel proof
9:48
It's everything I want it to be. So let's go ahead and give that a nose. And just to note, I'm actually drinking this out of a Kentucky Bourbon Trail glass this time
9:55
When I did my review on my Blind Flight, I had it in a Glencairn glass. but I want to do it you know when I'm just sipping casually these are the glasses I reach for the
10:03
most they're just so much easier to drink from and also they're a little little less snobbish
10:07
let's be real the nose is very very different from what I experienced with the Glencairn
10:12
so to me this one is a lot sweeter on the nose there's a lot of those alcohol notes it's very
10:18
obviously a barrel proof based on the nose kind of hard to stick your nose in there because it's
10:22
so strong but there's a really nice layer of oakiness I think the the age itself shows on
10:28
the nose so well. You can tell that this is a very well-aged bourbon. So let's go ahead and dive in
10:33
and give it a taste. Cheers. Man, I can see why I picked that as my favorite. It's just, if you've
10:40
ever had a Ledger Craig Barrel Proof before, and you feel like certain releases lately have not
10:44
stood up to what it used to be. Now, granted, I am speaking, I haven't had any ones before
10:50
late 2018. Actually, no, sorry about that. The first, the first Ledger Craig Barrel Proof I ever
10:56
had was a1 18 which was the january 2018 release so i know the old pirate barrel is very very popular
11:03
um but i have not had that one so i don't know for sure what it was like way back then um but i do
11:09
know that this is one of my favorites lately um if you may know i constantly compare all of these to
11:17
c918 which is what i always said was my favorite batch however that one's lost in a few blind
11:21
flights i did not compare this one to that one but if y'all are curious to see you know what my
11:26
favorite one from three years ago compared to this one let me know so i'll definitely do it
11:30
maybe that'd be a good podcast episode um but i just gotta say that of all the 2021 releases this
11:35
is hands down my favorite the b batch was you know lower proof than ever before the a batch was you
11:41
know it was fine i didn't love the a batch i thought it was a little harsh um but the c batch
11:45
just goes right back into that territory that i absolutely love about a logic egg barrel proof i
11:50
I got to give a second sip. Oh, yeah, that's like really rich, dark baking spices, even baked bread notes
11:58
Like sometimes like a crust on a bread that got a little burnt. But there's also like a really bright sweetness there
12:04
So it's like it's a combination of two types of crust. So like a little bit of a burnt crust on a pastry, but also like a creme brulee crust
12:12
like the layer that's on top of a creme brulee that's got the char
12:15
Of course, whether you're using the flamethrower or however you want to do it
12:19
torch I guess is the proper word flamethrower might be a little extreme um but yeah it has that
12:24
like that little burnt sugar kind of note as well but it also has I guess it's like a burnt note but
12:29
like maybe that's a barrel char I'm not sure exactly what's giving me that note but it's a
12:32
very very pleasant note and this whiskey is just so well-rounded it's mouth filling it sticks to
12:38
the sides of your tongue I mean I'm so sad that I'm over halfway through this bottle now I really
12:42
want more of it it's it's just a quintessential example of a logic barrel proof yes the price
12:47
has gone up a little bit. I think it's around, man, it's probably up at 70-ish now. But I mean
12:53
I think, I still think this is one of the best bottles of bourbon under $100 that you can get
12:57
and I stand by that. I do want to talk a little bit of some gaming news that made me very
13:03
very excited to read the other day. Rockstar Games announced the Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy
13:08
Definitive Edition, which is a remastering of Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto Vice City
13:15
and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. These games were so important to my childhood
13:21
and I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous because you're like, Clifton, why were you playing Grand Theft Auto as a child
13:26
Look, I went to a Christian school. I had to have some kind of release
13:31
and Grand Theft Auto was my, I guess, release into what the real world was actually like
13:37
So I started playing Grand Theft Auto 2 way too young definitely not meeting that rating on that game when I was a child but I just absolutely fell in love with the franchise with that release and I been playing
13:48
it ever since. I've been such an adamant fan of Rockstar. I think they put so much effort into
13:53
their games. They continue to support their games for years and years and years after their release
13:59
I mean, look at Grand Theft Auto 5. That came out, I think, in 2013, and they are still putting out
14:03
updates for that game it's been almost a decade oh man so i i am just a huge fan of rockstar games
14:09
so when i saw this announcement i i i got so excited now i do already own these games i own
14:14
the standard edition on pc um i think i bought it on sale there's like a sale at one point where
14:18
they're like seven dollars or something like that under ten dollars for all three of them it was a
14:23
crazy it was a while back but um this new new remastered release is going to be 60 um 59.99
14:31
and it's launching digitally on November 11th and then launching, there's gonna be physical releases on December 7th
14:38
So it's gonna be released digitally and physically on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5
14:45
Xbox One, which also the new Series X and Series S consoles and PC
14:50
which is obviously what I will be buying it on. And apparently they're launching on iOS and Android
14:54
in the first half of 2022. So that's really another exciting thing about this
14:59
And you may be wondering what happens when you remaster a game that's 20 years old. But it sounds like they are giving these
15:04
a complete overhaul. I think most important, the most important note to know about these remasters
15:10
is they are upgrading the controls to match with the more modern control system
15:16
So it's going to be very similar camera controls, driving controls, as the latest release, Grand Theft Auto V
15:23
They're also updating the targeting and lock-on aiming, their weapon, radio station wheels
15:28
mini maps and enhanced navigation so it's going to make it a lot easier to play these games because
15:33
i know some of the early ones that was kind of uh definitely when you're revisiting you're like oh
15:37
man these controls suck so it's so nice to see they're getting more modern controls but not only
15:42
that but they're also redoing the entire lighting system they're using a new graphics engine to
15:47
build the game so totally new lighting that the skies are going to be completely you know change
15:52
improved shadows, weather, reflections, upgraded character models, and vehicle models, along with just overall higher resolution textures
16:00
across the game. So I'm really, really excited to see there's going to be new foliage
16:05
So some places that might be a little barren in the other releases, they're actually going to be upgrading that
16:09
and they're going to have more plants, you know, more trees, and of course, better draw distance
16:14
because that's always a struggle, right? When you're playing an older game, the draw distance is just not that far
16:19
You can tell the limits of it, Whereas modern games, they try to hide that it's not rendering all these graphics
16:26
I'm really excited to revisit Liberty City, Vice City, San Andreas in full
16:32
Not necessarily, they're not remaking it. Let's also be clear. It's not like it's a totally new game
16:37
It's not going to look like Grand Theft Auto 6. But from the trailer they released, you can check that out on the Rockstar Games YouTube channel
16:44
There are some very, very significant upgrades. And I'm so excited for those
16:48
I can't wait. I've already set a reminder to pre-order this. because yes, $60, yes, I'm buying the games again
16:54
but you can tell a lot of work went into this thanks to the Rockstar team. So let me know
16:59
Are y'all excited for that as I am? Because I guess I'm just a Grand Theft Auto fanatic. Hey, Future Cliffy here again
17:05
Since the resolution was made in the Heaven Hill Strike, since I recorded my outro
17:10
I'm just going to do this little intro here. Intro to the outro, is that what it is? I guess that makes sense
17:14
Thank y'all so much for listening to the second episode of the podcast. I absolutely love to just sit down
17:19
have a glass of bourbon with you, and just share my thoughts for, you know, 20-ish minutes or so
17:24
So have a wonderful week. I will see you either next Monday or next Friday
17:30
Like I said, I want to do it once a week, just haven't quite decided on a time yet
17:34
So if you want to give some feedback on this, of course, you can always email me, contact at bourbonbites.com
17:38
You can call me at 818-660-5782, or you can visit our Whiskey and Gaming Lounge Discord server at bourbonbites.com
17:48
love to hear your feedback and suggestions for episodes if there's any games coming out that you
17:52
want me to talk about please let me know but until next time this has been bourbon bite twisty reviews
17:57
with the gaming twist i'm clifton cheers and i'll talk to y'all next podcast
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