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Reviewing Louisiana Senator Bourbon: Denny Potter & Jane Bowie's Latest Collaboration
May 4, 2026
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.
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0:00
Today on the Bourbon Bites Podcast, Buffalo Trace releases an E.H. Taylor Special Edition that's been in the works since 1996
0:07
A. Smith Bowman wins big as IWC's top American whiskey, and Starlight releases their first ever 10-year bourbon
0:14
Plus, I have a bite-sized review of Louisiana Senator Bourbon. Hello everyone and welcome to the Bourbon Bites podcast. My name is Clifton and today is the week
0:35
of Thursday, July 17th. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode
0:41
We have a lot of fun news coming to us from across the bourbon industry, including a review of a
0:47
whiskey that is the first of its kind. So I'm really excited for today's episode. But before
0:52
I get into it, I did want to make a comment regarding something I said during last week's
0:57
podcast that was pointed out to me by none other than Tony Bagadonuts, who is, of course, a longtime
1:04
viewer and listener of the show. And I just wanted to address it because I realized that I probably
1:09
should have done a little more research before commenting on the Guadalupe release from Garrison
1:14
Brothers. Of course, this is named after a river in Texas, as I mentioned, and I mentioned that it is
1:20
considered one of Texas's most beautiful rivers. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it was
1:26
actually one of the ones that was most affected by the record flooding that's happening in Texas
1:31
right now. Of course, I did mention the flooding, but I realized it could have came off a little bit
1:35
out of touch by saying, oh, it's so beautiful, and then not immediately mentioning the flooding after
1:40
So sorry about that. I'm sorry I'm not super familiar with my Texas geography, but as I
1:46
mentioned last week, the sales of that bottle do go towards a good cause, helping an organization
1:52
that's dedicated to the conservation of the Gulf Coast. And I'm sure they have a huge part in what's
1:58
happening with the relief efforts there right now. So yeah, just wanted to address that just in case
2:03
that came across as a bit insensitive. It was more of just a lack of knowledge of the geography of the
2:09
state of Texas. But that doesn't mean we don't have more news this week, including a brand new release
2:15
from Buffalo Trace. I know we all get a little excited and we immediately get let down when we
2:20
realize that we probably won't ever see it in our lifetimes. But this is the release of Colonel E.H
2:25
Taylor Jr. Distillers Council. It's a limited edition, ultra premium Kentucky straight bourbon
2:32
whiskey. And this one's really exciting because it's their attempt at recreating what bourbon
2:37
was most likely like during the 19th century. So this story goes back to 1996 when they had a group
2:45
of bourbon visionaries, as they call them, and retired George T. Stagg distillery craftsmen
2:50
they met up to create the world's best whiskey. They tried a sampling of more than 30 whiskeys
2:56
across a range of ages, mash bills, and proofs, but one of them cut through the others. And
3:02
throughout this, they were looking to kind of find the flavor profile that they most associated with
3:07
the way that history has shaped bourbon, especially at their distillery. Now, they're a bit vague with
3:14
how they achieved this, which I guess is probably intentional, but they do say that the production
3:19
process remains nearly identical to that of the 1880s, both with the grains in the mashup and the
3:25
fermentation process. Now, as with all E.H. Taylor products, this is bottled at 100 proof, but it does
3:31
come in a really cool decanter that's modeled after a 1950s era old Taylor glass. Now, this is going to
3:37
be a national release, of course, in limited quantities, but it's available nationwide at retail
3:42
stores, restaurants, and bars starting this month. Now, the suggested retail price on this is $1,499.99
3:51
Now, there's not any info here necessarily regarding age. It does say that this was, of course
3:57
crafted back in 1996, so I'm assuming it's that old. It's really hard to tell based on this
4:04
information, and like I said, it's probably intentionally vague. I don't know whether they
4:09
they distilled it back in 96 or they maybe vatted this release from back then I don't really know
4:15
the full story of it I would love to learn more and know more about it um unfortunately I'm probably
4:20
not gonna get my hands on a bottle uh but I just thought it was cool to see a new release this
4:25
actually marks the 14th release um in the E.H. Taylor lineup joining things like the infamous
4:31
warehouse C tornado surviving bottle the foregrain warehouse C all these fun releases that um yeah
4:38
are rarely available but there is an interesting piece of information here at the end it does say
4:42
in fall of this year e.h taylor will join the um buffalo trace antique collection um as the
4:49
collection first bottled and bond product now i don know is that knowledge is that common knowledge i recall there being discussions of like a to the VTAC line but I can remember it being E Taylor Maybe I just misremembering but it will be Bottle Bonds
5:03
so that makes me think it's going to be an older-aged E.H. Taylor. I don't think it's going to be this release
5:08
I think it's going to be a new release that's going to come out as part of the regular antique collection line
5:12
So very curious to see what that is. Like I said, I would love to learn more about this release
5:17
If you guys know anything else about it, maybe things like age and things like that, uh feel free to leave a comment on the podcast or shoot me a message on discord um very curious
5:25
love the look of the bottle it's gorgeous but I just I feel like they're being intentionally vague
5:31
with the press release on what actually is in the bottle but they know it's going to sell because
5:34
right it's buffalo trace everything sells speaking of things selling um the 2025 international whiskey
5:42
competition just named their top whiskey of the year um I actually have family members reaching
5:48
out to me about this asking if I had a chance to try it. I have not. I have tried a product from
5:52
this distillery, but not this particular release. But man, do I want to. Of course, this whiskey was
5:58
A. Smith Bowman's Cask Strength Rye, batch number four. It is the top American whiskey in its
6:05
category with a score of 97.01 points. Now, this is a limited edition release produced by Virginia's
6:12
oldest operational distillery, this bold uncut whiskey came within 0.03 points of winning whiskey
6:18
of the year. So it was the top American whiskey. And it seems likely that I would have felt
6:25
similarly because this comes in at nearly 140 proof. It's 139.7 proof. So almost considered
6:32
hazmat. The bottles technically only around $100. Now it's available mostly via lottery or, you know
6:39
if you just know someone to get it. Unfortunately, it's not out here in Southern California, at least
6:43
that I can see. I see a few resellers that have a bottle, but especially with it winning the top
6:47
American whiskey, it's not gonna be available anytime soon. But I do love seeing a rye winning
6:53
this, especially one from a distillery that's not, you know, the standard. It's about time that
6:57
something new hit those hit those marks. So congratulations to the folks at A. Smith Bowman
7:04
I've only tried their bourbon. I didn't know they even had a rye, honestly. So this is only batch
7:08
four of it so maybe there's other batches I can keep an eye out for but man that sounds fantastic
7:12
at that high proof. I'm sure it's not going to be for everyone being you know nearly hazmat but
7:17
it definitely sounds like a bottle that I'd love to get my hands on. You know what I also want to
7:22
get my hands on? Starlight Distillery's first ever 10 year old bourbon. This is launching later this
7:28
month on July 26th. It's going to be their inaugural release aged in Napa Cooperage barrels
7:33
and it's matured in the warmest warehouse section supposedly bringing out the most amplified
7:38
aroma and body. They're hosting an event at the distillery on the 26th. They say this isn't just
7:44
another bourbon. It's a reflection of our family's legacy and the land we've farmed for over 180
7:48
years. That's coming from Christian Huber, who is the seventh generation distiller at Starlight
7:53
Distillery. Starlight's one of those brands that I feel like I hear pop up every now and then
7:59
but they're not that available, at least in my area. I looked to see which ones we have in at
8:05
least my local stores and I saw they have like a honey barrel release where they do a honey finish
8:09
but Starlight just in general is not something I see out here and I'm wondering if it's maybe just
8:13
more of a regional thing I'm curious what you guys see in your areas because I'm looking right
8:18
now just to see if maybe certain other stores have it I see that you can buy it at Sealbox
8:22
which does ship around the country so there are places to get it but it's just not I don't see it
8:27
on the shelves out here at least in Los Angeles in my area but it seems like they have a ton of
8:32
releases i'm looking at uh seal box and it looks like they have like a bottle and bond bourbon some
8:37
barrel strength releases um some picks not bad pricing either around like 60 or to 70 dollars for
8:43
their um picks most of those are finished so that's kind of why they're a little bit higher um priced
8:49
i see that they have their regular uh napa cabernet barrel finished at 70 that one's coming at six
8:56
years old um as part of their collaboration series i imagine it's probably similar to this special
9:01
release, just quite a bit younger than the 10-year age statement that we're seeing at the distillery
9:06
only release. Now if you are in the area, this is going to go on sale starting at 10 a.m. on July 26th
9:13
at their distillery in Borden, Indiana. That's something I feel like I miss out the most on by
9:18
living in Southern California is there's all these really cool product release events in Kentucky and
9:25
unfortunately I'm not able to make them so I have to rely on the kindness of viewers of the channel
9:29
or listeners to the podcast to say, ever try samples of these
9:34
But I do appreciate this community. You know, I got a comment on one of my older podcast episodes
9:39
just the other day. And they're saying like, why would you live in California? Like, I think I was complaining
9:44
It was during an episode I was talking about the rolling blackouts when we had wildfires out here
9:48
And they were like no other state in the country has rolling blackouts And like I wanted to like leave with smart ass response But at the same time I get it like if you if you don live out here you may just see all the you know the fires on the news and you hear about these things about blackouts well first of all that
10:02
didn't happen i i've not lived through one of those and i've lived out here since 2018 there's
10:06
just always the possibility that if they're trying to conserve energy to put out fires
10:10
there may be um without power for you know a short while um to me i i get it i understand but
10:16
I think there's so many more benefits to living in California than to let that be the reason that you're like, why would you live in California
10:23
And it's not even like that. There aren't other natural disasters that happen in every other state of the country
10:29
Yes, we may get wildfires and blackouts, but I mean, at least we don't deal with, you know, tornadoes or hurricanes, at least as often as other parts of the country
10:37
Not to compare, but it's like every every area has their natural disasters
10:41
We have earthquakes out here too. But yeah, asking why would I choose to live in California
10:46
Because it's amazing weather 99% of the year. It's where my industry is, my day job
10:53
I could go on and on about why I love living in California. A lot of people say West Coast
10:57
Best Coast. Growing up on the East Coast, I will say I do miss the warmer waters swimming on the
11:03
East Coast, but I will say the beaches out here are beautiful. The seafood, the culture, the people
11:08
man, I just there's so much to love about California. And to let something like the
11:12
rolling blackouts be your reason to question why I would live in this state is a bit crazy. So
11:17
that's my response to that question. I could have gone on a whole tangent about it. But
11:22
yeah, I'll leave it at that. I do love living in California, but I do miss out on some of these
11:27
limited edition bourbon releases in Kentucky. So I guess that's one reason not to live in California
11:32
but I'll live with it. All right. Well, that does it with the main news stories for this week
11:37
There is one more that I'm associating with this review that I'm about to do. It's a new product that just came out, so I'll be sharing the news about it and giving it a bite-sized review
11:54
So I'm really excited about this bourbon. It's an expansion of a brand that I've kind of grown to love over recent years
12:02
Previously, Kentucky Senator has made its spot on many of my top whiskey lists of the year
12:07
It is a very small team based in Kentucky. One of the co-founders is Damon Thayer, who is a former Kentucky Senator, hence the name
12:15
But they have a new product, and they're calling this Louisiana Senator. It's funny, it's kind of an expansion beyond the typical releases
12:22
Now, this still is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey that's just named after Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long
12:29
And he actually was Louisiana's governor from 1928 through 1932 and a U.S. senator from 1932 until he was assassinated in 1935
12:38
Now, this is the first in a three-part vertical series coming out over the next two years
12:43
This will feature an eight-year, a nine-year, and a 10-year-old bourbon. It's coming in at 107 proof with a mash bill of 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9% malted barley
12:53
This is going to be a limited release of just 1,000 bottles, including both a small batch and a single barrel option
12:59
And the one that they actually sent me today for this review is the small batch release. So shout out to Kentucky Senator Spirits, or shall we say Louisiana Senator, and I'm excited to give this a try
13:10
Now, as with the Kentucky Senator releases, we don't necessarily know the distillery. This is from the Mashville. You can kind of do some research and kind of see that there's a good chance it may be associated with a very famous nutty Kentucky distillery
13:24
But no confirmation there. We just know that it is a small batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
13:30
I recently reviewed the newest Kentucky Senator release, I think, on my YouTube channel, if I remember correctly
13:36
So I'll probably need to do a side by side at some point of Louisiana Senator versus Kentucky Senator
13:40
But today's going to be a first impression review where I just give my initial thoughts
13:45
Let's go in and get that poured. Now, what I think is the most exciting part of this particular release is it was a collaboration with Denny Potter and Jane Bowie of Potter Jane Distillery in Springfield, Kentucky
13:58
Now, this is a relatively new distillery, but with a lot of history behind the two names
14:03
Both Denny and Jane left Makers Mart previously back in 2022. Jane was the head of blending and Denny Potter was the master distiller and they started their
14:13
own company so this is the first time I'm actually hearing of something that they've been working on
14:17
I know they've been up to a lot of fun things over the past couple years I know my friend Todd Cooper
14:22
who is a bike club member and supporter of the channel went to their panel at the New Orleans
14:26
Bourbon Festival last year and really enjoyed it so I haven't had a chance to meet them but it does
14:32
sound like a really fun new venture for them and this is the first time I'm trying something that
14:37
that I think that they've had a hand in. So that's why I'm most excited for this one
14:41
Let's give it a nose. Oh, wow, that is a really dark
14:45
I mean it very oaky up front but there a bit of a nuttiness to it kind of like I hinted at before but it definitely not a really sweet peanut or anything It definitely really dark and rich
14:59
almost like an almond. I think almonds is more of a darker note, at least on the nose
15:03
Now, they say that this whiskey was named after Senator Long because he was bold, unapologetic
15:08
and unforgettable, just like this bourbon. And based on the nose, I definitely get it. It's
15:11
definitely more intense, at least that I remember the Kentucky Senator being that. I don't remember
15:15
it being this really dark, dark note. But again, I have to do it side by side to really do a
15:21
comparison. I also got to say I love the gold and purple on the bottle. It definitely screams
15:26
Louisiana. Just a nice tribute there. Nice change from the Kentucky Senator traditional colors
15:31
Now, in addition to it being so dark and rich on the nose, there is something that's kind of
15:35
making me think it's going to have a bit of like a butter element to it. I don't know if it's more
15:39
of like a kind of like a savory note or just I guess something that's implying that it's going
15:43
to be creamy um so many things to make my mouth water i'm gonna have to go in for a taste cheers
15:48
oh interesting definitely unique hmm that's a that's a flavor profile i feel like i haven't
15:55
gotten in a while or ever it is indeed nutty you know the first thing that comes to mind
16:00
is um like a boston baked bean the candy um which is like a peanut with like a sugar coating but
16:06
it's not sweet that's what's interesting it's like it has some tasting note elements of like
16:10
a candy um like like a candy um covering of something but not the sweetness which is kind of
16:16
interesting to say but it does have the flavor profile of the boston baked bean candy and i'm
16:22
looking at what flavor those are supposed to be because i've just always associated them with just
16:25
you know tastes like boston baked beans um it says they're just made of sugar peanuts and corn syrup
16:30
so very similar it is a roasted peanut though so maybe that's what i'm getting with that darkness
16:34
it's like a roasted nuttiness to it so that's kind of what's um standing out to me the most
16:39
but there's a hint of like that candy coating but not in a sweet way. I don't really know how
16:43
to describe it I guess it's just like a hint of like a vanilla just like a little bit of vanilla but again not sweet very dry on the palate and you can tell that there's some age on this bourbon
16:53
I mean it's eight years old it does taste like an eight-year-old bourbon I would guess even older
16:57
now that is the minimum age in this it is a small batch blend so there's a good chance there's some
17:02
older bourbon in here as well. I can see the standing up really well in like an old fashion
17:06
I think, you know, combining with some simple serve and some bitters will really bring out that darkness to it and kind of enhance it even further
17:13
What a unique bourbon. It makes me really excited for, of course, other Kentucky and Louisiana Senator releases
17:20
But not only that, just other releases from the Potter Jane Distillery. Now, it's exciting to see that they're going to continue working on Kentucky Senator Bourbon and future releases of Louisiana Senator
17:29
It's a multi-year collaboration between that distillery and Kentucky Senator Bourbon. and it's one that I'm very, very excited to see
17:36
Now, also on the website, you can find even more information about each of the senators featured on these bottles
17:42
I'm seeing that one cool thing about Huey P. Long is he used to hand out free school books by the truckload while he was senator
17:49
as well as had a part in building the nation's tallest state capitol. So lots of fun history facts
17:54
If you're a history buff, I mean, you're going to love this brand. They really do highlight these figures throughout history
17:59
But not just that, they also produce amazing bourbon. So check them out, KYSenatorBourbon.com
18:07
You can also follow them on Instagram at KentuckySenatorBourbon. All right. Well, that does it for this week's episode
18:13
Thank you all so much for listening in. Always fun to share the latest and greatest whiskey news with you all
18:18
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18:24
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18:29
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18:34
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18:39
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18:42
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18:46
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18:51
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18:57
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19:03
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19:08
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19:14
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19:18
Seriously, all this really does help out the channel, and maybe you can help negate some of those comments like the ones that ask why I live in California. But thank you all so much for
19:25
listening this has been the bourbon bites podcast a whiskey podcast with an 80s twist
19:29
i'm clifton cheers and i'll talk to you guys next episode
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