Up next in 10
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 145.4 proof, and a 12-year American brandy at 119.2 proof.
Old Overholt is also back with a new 11-year Cask Strength Rye. The 2026 release comes in at 125.6 proof, making it notably stronger than the previous 11-year edition.
Then The Macallan closes out its Harmony Collection with two coconut-inspired releases: Inspired by Fresh Coconut and Inspired by Toasted Coconut. They are not flavored whiskies, but their tasting profiles promise coconut milk, lime, tropical fruit, crème caramel, white chocolate, charred pineapple, and frangipane.
On the gaming side, a leaked Xbox plan could be a major win for physical media collectors. The rumored disc-to-digital program would let players register physical Xbox One games as digital copies, with Xbox 360 support potentially following later.
Finally, it's time for a throwback Byte-Sized Review of J.P. Wiser's 23 Year Old Cask Strength Canadian Whisky.
Originally released in 2019, this blend of 23-year-old corn and rye whiskies was bottled at a massive 128.6 proof and originally sold for around $149 Canadian-approximately $106 US at the time.
Seven years later, it still delivers bright citrus, blueberry, caramel, vanilla, rye bread, syrupy honey texture, cinnamon-roll sweetness, subtle oak, vintage tobacco, and an exceptionally long finish.
Is this still one of the best Canadian whiskies ever released?
Topics covered:
• Copper & Kings hazmat apple brandies
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0:00
Today on the Bourbon Bites Podcast, Copper and Kings drops a face-melting hazmat brandy
0:06
Old Overholt releases its boldest cast strength yet, and a leak from Xbox suggests a massive win for retro game collectors
0:13
Plus, I'm pouring up a throwback review of cast strength Canadian 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 6th, 2026
0:39
And as the days get hotter, so is the whiskey in our glass, because we have some news about some high-proof whiskey
0:45
plus a little throwback review to one of my favorite Canadian whiskeys of all time
0:50
We got a lot of news to cover in both whiskey and video games, so tune in and pour yourself a glass
0:56
The first of which is not a whiskey, but a brandy announcement. This is coming to us from Copper and Kings out of Kentucky, and they are opening up first access to some of their exclusive bottles online
1:09
So previously, these were distillery exclusives, so you couldn't find them anywhere outside of Kentucky
1:14
But now they're putting out some of their highest proof and oldest brandies online for everyone
1:19
And I gotta say, these are very tempting. The one that's the first listed in this email is a 10-year hazmat apple brandy that's been finished in rum casks
1:28
This one comes in at 147.6 proof. So it's natural barrel strength
1:34
It says the rum that was in here was previously held for 23 years
1:38
It's a Nicaraguan rum. So that's pretty incredible. And it's only $110
1:44
I think that's what it surprises me the most about this Kentucky-made brandy is it's just as good, if not better, than a lot of Kentucky-made bourbon
1:51
based on my experience at Copper & Kings. You know, I've had quite a bit of their stuff
1:54
and it comes in at a ridiculously reasonable price for what it is. In addition to this
1:59
they also have a nine-year hazmat apple brandy that comes in at 145.4 proof. That one uses a
2:06
former bourbon barrel for aging, also coming in at $110. And if that's a little bit too much proof
2:11
for you, they also have a 12-year American brandy, a little bit more approachable at 119.2 proof
2:18
That one comes in at just $90. So I'm really excited to see these previously distillery
2:23
exclusive options available for us to purchase online. I will definitely be placing an order
2:28
I'm not sure what I'm going to get yet, but those hazmat exclusives sound pretty delicious
2:32
Now, of course, you can buy their other spirits on their website as well, like their King's Proof
2:36
Bourbon, their Revival American Brandy, and their other regular releases. But I wanted to point out
2:41
these previously distillery exclusive options are now available, so check it out. All right
2:47
Well, speaking of now available, there is a new edition of Old Overholt Cast Strength
2:52
And when I found out about this, I was kind of caught off guard because I always say I love the original 10-year Cast Strength release that came out back in 2023
3:00
And I really like the 12-year one that came out back in 2025. So I associated the 11-year with the 2024 release, which just to me wasn't my favorite of these Old Overholt Cast Strengths
3:11
But now to hear that there's going to be a new version of the 11-year, I'm going to have to start checking those shelves a little more closely
3:16
because I'm willing to give it another shot. Again, I just think that was my least favorite of the three previous releases
3:22
But that doesn't mean that the 11 year for 2026 isn't going to be my favorite of them all
3:26
So I'm looking forward to trying that. Again, I'm a huge fan of these cast strength old overholtz
3:31
For the price and the proof, it's really one of the best deals in American whiskey
3:35
And I just really love their stuff. By the way, the way to tell about this new release is the fact that it is 125.6 proof
3:42
whereas the 2024 release was 117.4. So just something to keep in mind
3:48
Another new announcement comes to us from the Macallan. They're releasing their final Harmony Collection whiskeys
3:54
And this kind of surprised me because the big leading headline is these were coconut inspired whiskeys
4:00
So I was like, wait, is Macallan out here releasing coconut flavored whiskeys? No, that's not the case
4:05
But they are inspired by different coconut flavor profiles. So these are just launched this Tuesday
4:11
And there two different releases the first of which is called Inspired by Fresh Coconut and it bottled at 46 ABV Now they saying this flavor profile reveals fresh coconut citrus and tropical fruits with a palette of coconut milk zesty lime
4:26
and a soft sweetness, leading to a bright floral finish. Very different than what I would expect
4:31
a Macallan to taste like. I mean, I get the brightness, but coconut is such a unique note
4:35
I don't know if I've ever gotten that on a scotch. So I'm curious, not convinced, but curious
4:40
The other one is they're inspired by toasted coconut, and this one's going to be available at their global travel retail partners
4:48
They say this one is described as a toasted coconut and creme caramel flavor with white chocolate on the nose, a palette of coconut truffle and charred pineapple and frangipane
4:58
I guess frangipane, is that similar to marzipan? I've never heard that word. Apparently they're both sweet almond mixtures, but marzipan is a firm clay-like candy dough, while frangipane, or pan, is a soft, spreadable custard cream used as a bakery filling
5:12
The more you know. These are coming in at £140 each, which is in line with McAllen's pricing
5:19
I'm not saying anything about age statement here. It doesn't necessarily say on this press release how old the whiskeys are that are in here
5:26
They do have distinct labels. They're over a black background. The one that is the fresh coconut is a bit of like a purpley pink font over black
5:35
And then the toasted one is a white font over black. So keep an eye out for those when you are traveling
5:40
I would be very curious to try them. I do like a coconut dessert
5:44
Weirdly enough, I think I'm like slightly allergic to coconut. And I feel like I've said this before, but I always get these like really weird, like
5:50
tingling, itchy feelings in the back of my throat when I have coconut. So it's a mild allergy
5:54
I don't think the McAllen is going to give it to me, but you know, got to be careful. All right
5:59
Well, before we get into our bite size review, there is one piece of video game news that I wanted to mention
6:04
So this is actually not confirmed by Microsoft, but there is a leaked email that they're going to start introducing disk to digital for their older games
6:13
And this is a huge deal for physical media collectors. I mean, we're seeing disk drives go away on these consoles, most notably the PS5 Pro that doesn't even have a disk drive unless you add external hardware to it
6:23
And I think this is a good move by Microsoft to really protect those that have invested in these games
6:30
Again, it's not officially announced. It sounds like it's in beta starting last month
6:35
I don't know the full details, but I do know that it's rumored to launch this October for Xbox One games
6:41
So if you have a physical copy of an Xbox One game, you can put it inside your console
6:45
It'll register a digital copy. And then if you decide to trade that physical copy, you can transfer ownership of that digital copy as well
6:52
So it's not like duplicating your copy. You can't just like put in your physical copy and then sell it and then, you know, get your money back. They are tracking it based on the disc itself. Microsoft says they're putting this into plan themselves. They're not relying on the developers to do it. So it sounds like it's a very hands off approach. And I think, you know, honestly, it's better than nothing. Right. I think a lot of people, you know, the debate over physical discs versus digital copies is a big one right now in the world of video games
7:19
As a PC gamer, I've been digital only for many, many years
7:23
But I do know the appeal of collecting physical media. I mean, I collect physical movies myself, so I totally understand that
7:30
But I also have a digital library of movies. So this kind of sounds like the same thing
7:34
You can upload your existing games and have a digital copy of it for you to have forever unless you decide to sell it
7:41
So that's cool. But it gets even cooler because there are rumors that starting in 2027, they're going to allow Xbox 360 games to be uploaded
7:50
So not only will you be able to play these Xbox One games that are currently available, you will be able to play your retro games
7:56
Now, nothing's been said about Xbox, like the original Xbox games, but I have a feeling that they're probably going to do something similar
8:02
I think this is a big win for Xbox because PlayStation has kind of shot themselves in the foot a little bit by going digital only
8:10
so not to say they're not going to follow up and copy each other they they always end up doing that
8:14
right like when playstation has a big win xbox comes in like oh by the way we're doing it too
8:18
and vice versa it tends to always happen but i just wanted to mention this because if you are
8:23
someone that is a physical media collector especially for video games you now will have
8:26
a way to preserve your copies and playability across you know all platforms and i think that's
8:32
really cool and it a big win for us retro gamers all right well that does it for this week news Let get into a throwback bite review
8:48
Alright, well like I said, this is a throwback review because this is a whiskey that came out
8:53
back in 2019. And I'm pretty sure I reviewed it or won like it, but I thought I would revisit this
9:00
one seven years later and share my thoughts on it. Especially because back then I was less
9:05
experienced with cast strength whiskey, especially something as high as 128.6 proof. So that's why I'm
9:12
very excited to revisit this JP Weiser's 23 year old Canadian blend whiskey. Now blended whiskey
9:20
means something different in Canada compared to America and Scotland. Typically JP Weiser's makes
9:26
a blend of high proof corn whiskey and then add in some lower proof single column distilled rye
9:32
whiskey for flavoring. But in this case, it's made up of both corn and rye whiskey matured for a full
9:38
23 years and then blended together at cask strength. So this one comes in at 64.3% ABV or 128.6 proof
9:49
So not only are we getting a highly aged whiskey, we are getting a high proof whiskey. And as someone
9:56
that loves high proof bourbon and American whiskey, I'm very excited to try high proof
10:00
Canadian whiskey once again. By the way, the pricing on this was about $149 Canadian when it
10:06
first came out, which is close to about $106 US. So very affordable for a 23 year old cast strength
10:14
whiskey. Now the difference between a highly aged bourbon and a highly aged Canadian whiskey is
10:19
usually in Canadian whiskey making, they use refilled casks, so they're not using new charred
10:24
oak so it's going to avoid some of those heavy oak balm notes that I love in bourbon but maybe
10:31
not in a 23 year old bourbon I mean I've yet to have pappy 23 so I can't I can't speak on that one
10:36
but I think that's pushing it in terms of age on a bourbon but in a Canadian whiskey it could
10:41
actually still be very approachable let's go in and give this one a nose oh wow surprisingly bright
10:50
I wasn't expecting that on the nose. It's got a lot of like citrus fruit, almost like orange zest
10:57
or lemon peel. I mean, it really reminds me of the garnish on like an old fashioned or a Manhattan
11:03
There's almost a little bit of blueberry there too. I mean, man, I was not expecting this to be
11:07
so bright. Now going deeper in the nose, you do find some of those more typical notes like the
11:12
caramel and the vanilla, not necessarily screaming rye. Like I said, this is a blend of corn and rye
11:17
So while there's a little bit of maybe rye bread, just a bit, there's these other like really dominant sweet, bright citrusy notes that kind of stand out on top of it
11:29
It's almost a little perfumey in a way, but not in a bad way. It just wasn't what I expected this to be on the nose
11:34
I'm very curious to see how it holds up on the palate. Let's go for a taste
11:39
Cheers. Oh, wow. I mean, the first thing I get is the mouthfeel, right
11:45
Like that is an extremely like mouth coating whiskey. It almost feels like a syrupy, like a honey element to it
11:53
Now, of course, this isn't actually as thick as honey, but it kind of reminds you of after
11:57
you've had a sip or like a teaspoon of honey, the kind of way it lingers on your mouth
12:01
That's happening here in the glass, too. And what's interesting is the palate is very different from the nose
12:07
So the palate definitely leads into that like baked good cinnamon, vanilla, caramel thing
12:12
I mean, I'm almost thinking like Cinnabon, right? Like it's got a little bit of that like vanilla cream icing on top, but it has a nice like
12:20
cinnamon spice rather than the rice spice I'm used to getting. Not quite as sweet as like an iced Cinnabon roll, but still in that territory
12:30
I mean, it's still a really rich, complex whiskey. Once you get past that sweet bakery note, you get this nice back end of like spices
12:39
I want to say a little bit more of like wood spices. It has a little bit of that oak tannin flavor, but not in an overwhelming way
12:46
It's very subtle there on the back end. It goes a little bit woody a little bit like not quite like tobacco smoke but a little bit more just like the raw tobacco itself the leaves but ones that have been stored in a cigar box for many many years I mean you can tell that this has some age on it Not just in the fact that the whiskey just is this flavorful and well
13:06
It just has that vintage kind of note to it that you only get on really old distillate
13:12
And finish-wise, I mean, I'm pretty darn impressed. I mean, I knew it was high-proof, so I knew it was going to be a little bit longer than normal
13:17
But that lingers, and I think it comes with that mouthfeel. It really does stick on the tongue and the throat, and it just keeps on going
13:25
I mean, I finished my sip probably 30-45 seconds ago, and I'm still enjoying that delicious finish on this whiskey
13:32
Now, I've heard a lot of people say this is one of the best Canadian whiskeys ever made
13:36
and I'm not going to argue that, because out of the ones I've had, this one is up there
13:40
It's probably at least in my top three that I've ever had. It's complex, it's nuanced, it's unique, and it's actually quite enjoyable
13:47
I honestly would probably typically enjoy this over ice versus neat. Usually when I have a higher proof whiskey, I like adding some ice to bring out some of those more subtle flavors here
13:57
But doing this neat, I mean, I am really impressed by how good this whiskey stands up
14:02
especially compared to whiskeys today, because I find it hard to find this incredible just blend of flavors all in one cask
14:10
especially for around 100 bucks. I mean, that's almost unheard of in today's market
14:15
I actually did a live stream of it four years ago. I just looked it up on the channel with support of the channel, Donald Rance
14:22
He's been a Bite Club member for many, many years. And he's a resident Irish and Canadian whiskey expert
14:28
So if you missed that, just look up Bourbon Bites, JP Weiser's
14:32
and you'll see my initial review of this along with the 15, 18, and 35-year releases
14:38
But this 23-year-old cast strength is just iconic on its own. And I think revisiting it versus being part of a full lineup has made me appreciate it even more because, I mean, really, it's such a unique, nuanced flavor that I don't get an American whiskey
14:54
And I love it for that. So here on the Bourbon Bites podcast, I like to give just one score
14:59
I don't break it down by Noah's Palette or anything like that. We're keeping it simple for the bite-sized review
15:03
And for this one, this being a, you know, 2019 release, it's not available anymore, unfortunately
15:09
This is an exceptional whiskey. and I think it deserves high praise. So I'm going to give this a 9 out of 10 on the Bourbon
15:18
Bite scale. It's just an amazingly good whiskey for an astonishingly low price. Now in terms of
15:24
what's available now, I haven't heard of any new releases on this caliber from the brand. I know
15:30
they've entered in the 2026 Canadian Whiskey Awards and they've done really well. They had a 24 year
15:36
Decades series that came out for that, but I have no idea if that's available in the States as of
15:41
now. I also see in May of this year they released a Master Blender series which combined a bunch of
15:46
different finishes but I'm not seeing anything about the age. It says it was released for 90 bucks
15:51
so really affordable price but that one was not bottled at Cast Strength. So I don't know if
15:56
they've done anything quite like this since. I'll have to ask our Canadian whiskey aficionados here
16:01
our listeners on the podcast. Let me know if there's been any new exciting Cast Strength
16:06
Canadian whiskey releases, because I would love to try it, you know, what a 2026 version of this
16:11
tastes like. So well done to the folks at JP Weisers. This is indeed an incredible once in a
16:18
lifetime whiskey. I mean, it's really been the best thing I've ever had from the brand. So
16:21
I dig it. Nine out of 10 for me. All right. Well, that does it for this week's podcast
16:27
Thank you all so much for listening. If you are listening live, I won't be going live this
16:32
Thursday I have a bit of a happy hour thing happening with my day job so I'm gonna go hang
16:36
out with those folks at a local brewery here but stay tuned I have a fun one coming up where I bought
16:42
a bunch of Scotch Malt Whiskey Society releases three of which actually I just picked up from
16:47
their store and I'm excited to give those a review for you guys so that'll likely be next week's
16:52
live stream but until then this has been the Bourbon Bites podcast a whiskey podcast with
16:57
the gaming twist cheers and I'll talk to you guys next episode Thank you
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