Up next in 10
Shopping for the whiskey lover in your life can be tough, so I’ve created a list of the best gift-giving bottles to guide you in finding the perfect present for them this Holiday season. Plus, I'll be reviewing Smooth Ambler's Old Scout Port Cask Rye, talking about the Bardstown Collection of Limited Edition bourbons, and a brand new update to Grand Theft Auto Online: The Contract. Questions or comments? Reach me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) Chat about this week's episode on the Bourbon Bytes Whiskey & Gaming Lounge Discord server at http://www.BourbonBytes.com Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BourbonBytes Subscribe on YouTube for live streams and more: https://www.YouTube.com/BourbonBytes
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0:00
On today's episode of the Bourbon Bites Podcast, I'm reviewing Old Scout Pork Cask Finish Rye
0:05
talking about some major updates coming to GTA Online, and giving you a list of the best
0:10
bourbons to buy as gifts. Hello and welcome to the Bourbon Bites Podcast
0:26
I am your host, Clifton, and thanks for joining me. Today is a perfect day to sit and record a podcast. It's actually raining, which is very rare in Los Angeles
0:36
So I had to pull out something that would warm me up a bit. So today I'm going to be reviewing Old Scouts Port Cask Finish Rye Whiskey
0:44
So I actually bought this bottle a while back because it stood out to me on the shelf because Port Finish Rye is something that everyone associates with Midwinter's Night Dram, which has been very difficult to find this year
0:56
I mean, it's always been difficult to find, but this year particularly. So when I saw that Old Scout put out their rye whiskey and finished it in port cask and
1:04
sold it for only $50, I had to pick up a bottle and see how it compared
1:08
So if you're not familiar with Old Scout, it's actually a label by Smooth Ambler. And this is their sourced whiskey
1:14
You may be more familiar with their single barrel bourbon. That's usually from MGP
1:18
It's around five or six years old, also at around $50 price point. They also had a single barrel rye that came out earlier this year, and I loved both of
1:25
those releases. So I had to pick this one up. I mean, it seems like the perfect holiday whiskey, especially on a cold, rainy day like today
1:31
I figured it'd be a good time to let you guys know what I think of it. So let me go in and get that poured
1:38
So this whiskey actually doesn't have an age statement. It also isn't cast strength
1:42
So that's kind of what separates it from the single barrels that were coming out. It is 103 proof
1:48
So, you know, it's definitely a good proof point and it's non-chill filtered. So always good there
1:52
Let's go ahead and give it a nose. Oh man, right off the bat, that is obviously a pork cask finish
1:58
It has a lot of dried fruits like raisins or even plums bursting on the nose
2:03
And you're also hit up front with the obvious rye note. I mean, this is a high rye rye, likely MGP's 95.5 rye mash bill
2:11
So it's definitely spicy and a little bit minty at the front. But those nice like baked like fruit or even like berry notes at the end really, really shine on the nose at least
2:21
So I'm excited to go ahead and give it a try. Cheers, guys. Oh, man. Something about rye whiskey finished with port just checks all the boxes on what I want a holiday whiskey to taste like
2:32
This tastes like, you know, going home for the holidays. You're sitting by the fire. You're warming up
2:38
I know I say that about a lot of whiskeys, but I mean, this takes you right there. It's like it's like a berry pie kind of dessert on the finish of this
2:45
Man, this this is a hitter. Now, this I imagine this rye is pretty young
2:49
but I think the pairing with the port cask really makes this a standout and incredible whiskey for
2:56
I mean, I paid 50 for it. I've seen it go for around 60 at other stores, but I mean
3:00
if you can't find Midwinter's Night Dram, this is probably, dare I say, on par with that whiskey
3:06
Like I said, probably a little younger. So a little bit more of those dill, you know, brighter rye notes that I happen to love. I love young rye whiskey. So it's maybe a little less
3:14
mature but that port cast just really amplifies that berry kind of like dessert maybe even like
3:21
like a blueberry cobbler or something fruity and desserty on the finish this is a really great
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whiskey so i definitely recommend picking this up if you see it it's a great one to pull out for the
3:31
holidays especially if you have a sweet tooth like me um you want like a nice dessert whiskey
3:36
this is an absolute winner in my book and at 103 proof don't let that fool you i mean this
3:41
whiskey packs a punch. I think the rye, the younger rye usually tends to do that. It drinks a little
3:45
bit hotter than its proof point. But the port cast gives it a nice balance and it kind of evens out
3:51
that like abrupt rye spice and it gives it a nice sweet finish. Oh yeah, that definitely warmed me up
3:56
So good way to get into the podcast. I do want to give some news for both whiskey and gaming before
4:01
we get to our holiday gift guide. So in bourbon news, we got more details on the Bardstown collection
4:08
So News of This broke earlier this year. It's basically a collaboration with five different distilleries in Bardstown
4:15
And those are Heaven Hill Preservation Distillery, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Logstill Distillery, and of course, Gembeam
4:22
So there's going to be five different bottles, one from each distillery. And the proceeds are going to go towards Main Street Association, which helps the hospitality industry as well as first responders in Bardstown
4:33
So Bourbon Pursuit actually did a full interview and discussion of this. I listened to a little bit of it before this, but it's really exciting
4:40
And Bardstown Bourbon Company just posted a photo of the five bottles and they look great
4:46
Pricing should be mentioned. These are pretty, pretty pricey bottles. They are coming in at around $159 to $249 each
4:55
So, and these will only be released at the actual gift shops. So Bardstown Bourbon Company also shared a schedule of the different releases
5:02
So these actually start on Thursday, January 13th. The first one's coming out at Heaven Hill, then Preservation, then Log Still
5:09
And then on Friday, January 14th, there's going to be the Jim Beam release, followed by the Bardstown Bourbon Company release
5:15
So if you were planning a trip to Bardstown in early January or mid-January
5:20
definitely hit up these distilleries because these are going to go fast, I imagine. So the photo that Bardstown Bourbon Company actually shared on Instagram this morning
5:26
that I'm recording this, you can actually zoom in and sort of see some details on these bottles
5:30
I haven seen a press release with the actual you know broken down what each of these bottles are But we going to do a little bit of enhancing and see what we can see So the first one in this picture is the one from Jim Beam It appears to be a 15 109 proof bourbon
5:46
So that's exciting. I'm a big fan of Jim Beam. As a lot of you guys know, I'm a big fan of Knob Creek, especially the older single barrel releases
5:53
They did have the Knob Creek 15 that came out, I think it was out last year
5:57
And I wasn't the biggest fan of that one. So I'm wondering with this at the 109 proof, you know, it's going to be a little bit higher proof
6:02
a little bit closer to what those single barrels were back in the day when those were available. So I'm very, very excited to see how that one is. I think that's probably the one that I'm
6:09
most excited for in this lineup. Next up, we have Log Still Distillery, which is one that I don't
6:14
really know much about, but it looks like they are putting out a high proof whiskey. I don't see an
6:19
age statement. Now, it's really hard to make this one out. It's definitely 60% ABV plus, so it almost
6:25
looks like it says 127.8 proof, but don't quote me on that because I'm just looking at a photo here
6:30
So that's going to be a high proof one. And I haven't tried much from Logs stills. So I'm very curious to see how that would be
6:36
Next up, we have Heaven Hill, which I'm also a big fan of. That one looks to be 120 proof and nine years old
6:42
So it's going to be, you know, similar proof to some Elijah Craig barrel proofs you may
6:46
have tried. Nine years, so a little bit younger than that. But there's about the same age as some of the single barrel Elijah Craig barrel proofs
6:53
I'm hoping that's going to be on the lower end of the prices. I would imagine, hopefully, that's going to be around the 150 price point
6:59
I imagine the Jim Beam one that I mentioned earlier is going to be going for a good bit more, I think
7:04
So probably, honestly, I'm probably not going to get my hands on any of these, but I'm just kind of speculating what I would like to grab if I had the opportunity
7:10
So next up is the Bardstown Bourbon Company whiskey. Again, you can't really see many details about this
7:15
It does look to be high proof. It looks around 122.7. Again, this is all hard to go off of because I'm looking at a little tiny Instagram picture
7:25
And the same with the preservation that's next up on the list. They're all over 60% ABV
7:29
I just can't make out the details. I think the preservation looks to be around 122.3
7:35
So all high proof here. I'm a big fan that they're releasing these at cast strength, except I guess maybe Jim Beam
7:41
I don't know. Jim Beam 109 proof. That may not be cast strength, but everything else appears to be cast strength
7:46
So yeah, I'll keep you guys updated on these as more details come out
7:49
I'm sure they will. I'm just, like I said, looking at a photo that was posted five hours ago, but it's got
7:54
me excited for it. So definitely more for like the locals who can make the trip there that Thursday and Friday
7:59
But if you guys get a chance to buy them, let me know what you think over on our whiskey and gaming lounge discord server, which you can find at bourbonbytes.com
8:06
That's where we do all of our hangouts. We do some gaming sessions and we just, you know, share our photos of our pets
8:11
Like what more do you do on a discord than that? But seriously, it's such a great community there and I'm loving all the new members that
8:18
are showing up. So thank you guys for joining. And if you haven't yet, come check it out. Trust me, we're very welcoming there
8:23
okay and just one gaming update i feel like i always talk about grand theft auto but y'all
8:28
know i'm a big fan of the series they just announced a new online dlc but it actually
8:33
expands on the story mode or the characters from the story mode we're getting to see franklin who
8:38
is one of the main characters after the story of gta 5 so this is the first major storyline update
8:44
that they've released on gta online it's coming out on december 15th it's called the contract
8:50
and it seems to be set a few years after the main game single player campaign finishes
8:55
and you're seeing franklin working for a company that seems to solve problems for celebrities
9:01
in particular dr dre who makes an appearance here he was in the game previously on another
9:06
gta online mission but this is definitely a more full-fledged inclusion of him as a character
9:10
so you see a lot of new and familiar faces in this update honestly a lot of people were kind
9:15
of upset because it seems almost like a sequel like the making of a sequel of grand theft auto 5
9:20
so got people excited for GTA 6 however this is still in the world of GTA 5 it's just kind of like
9:26
what happens next for Franklin it's kind of cool to see he's got you know all this money he's got
9:31
this company it's it's actually you know warms my heart a little bit to see Franklin doing so well
9:35
although the trailer reveals that he is missing a bit of the uh the life of the streets so I'm
9:41
definitely excited for that one I haven't played a lot of the GTA online um the new additions
9:46
lately. But this one's got me really excited. I'll definitely be booting up that game to play that
9:50
and see what Rockstar has in store for us there. All right. So now it's time to get to what I like
9:56
to call my list of gift giving bourbons. So whether you're listening to this because you are looking
10:03
for a gift to give the bourbon lover in your life, or you are the bourbon lover and you want to give
10:08
a guide to someone to, you know, not buy you the same, you know, crappy whiskey that you always get
10:14
year to year. There's two different parts to this. So I've broken the list up to, you know
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focus on people that are new to whiskey. Maybe they're just starting their journey and you want
10:22
to get them a bottle that kind of expands their knowledge. And people like, you know, myself that
10:27
are very experienced that have tried a lot of different whiskeys. What whiskeys could you gift
10:32
them that they will be very, very happy to have in their collection? So the actual inspiration
10:36
behind this episode was Beryl's new gold label bourbon, which is a $500 bourbon. It's at least
10:43
16 years old. They actually sent me a sample of it, which I was going to review in this episode
10:49
However, I feel like that's deserving of a whole video review on YouTube. So if you want to hear
10:53
what I think of a $500 bourbon, definitely subscribe over on YouTube, youtube.com slash
10:59
bourbon bites. Haven't recorded that video yet, but I have had a little taste of it and I got to say
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holy crap is all I got to say about that. Stay tuned on YouTube for a full review
11:08
So that's definitely, you know, $500 is something that you're going to give someone that's, you know, a major milestone maybe their 50th birthday maybe you know a retirement gift So that like next level So obviously that makes the list of best gift giving bourbons If you have the money to spend definitely gift that one But I wanted to make a more approachable list
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for the beginner and the more experienced whiskey drinker in your life. So the most important piece
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of information to find out when you are shopping for someone in your life that happens to partake
11:34
in whiskey is to find out which whiskey genre, I guess you could say, which region of whiskey they
11:41
actually prefer so do they like american whiskeys like bourbons and rice do they like scotch irish
11:46
whiskey canadian whiskey that's a very easy question to ask them you don't have to reveal
11:51
that you're buying them anything you could always just be like oh oh i've been thinking about getting
11:55
into whiskey what what are your favorites you know very simple question we're happy to answer
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you know some options a lot of people don't have a favorite whiskey so don't just be like you know
12:02
what's your favorite whiskey because a lot of us that that do this you know not for a living but
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people that do this for you know enjoyment and a passion and a hobby we have a lot of favorites so
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just finding out the general region of what they like this guide here is going to be focused on
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american whiskey and bourbon but i'm sure there's similar guides out there for like scotch and
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different regions so if they answer american whiskey for that question that sets you up for success already so if you have someone that you're buying for that is kind of new to whiskey they
12:29
dabble in whiskey dare i say i think some great gifts for them are gift sets which you will find
12:35
at a lot of like stores like Total Wine. It's basically, there's two different ways that they
12:39
can do this. They can either be a bunch of mini bottles where you get to try like four expressions
12:44
from the same distillery. I know Compass Box does one. I know Glenlivet does one. Heaven's Door has
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a gift set like that. I think that is always a great gift because even if they've had one or two
12:54
in the collection, it's kind of rare that they would have had everything in that sample set
12:59
I even buy these for myself a lot of the time. I think it's a great way, especially when you're
13:03
doing live streams is a great way to like have content right there you have the samples prepared
13:07
for you um but just even just someone that's new to us here or even the more experienced person i
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think given one of these i mean they're always going to find something they enjoy in it the other
13:15
type of gift set that i think is a fantastic gift is a gift set with like a nice little extra bonus
13:21
like sometimes there's like t-shirts sometimes there is glassware one of my favorite gift sets
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i've ever gotten was a woodford reserve gift set which comes with a crystal glass it's a rocks glass
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but it's made by the Glencairn company that makes, you know, Glencairn whiskey glasses
13:37
And it's just absolutely gorgeous. It has like a W on the front that has the Woodford logo
13:41
It's just a beautiful, beautiful glass. I actually bought a second gift set to get a second one of those glasses
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That's how much I love that. Of course, some of these are even more gimmicky. You know, they can come with like a recipe card or even some of them come with like the
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things to make a cocktail. So it can come with a little bottle of vermouth or something like that
13:57
So those are always fun gift sets, even if it's a whiskey that's, you know, a more basic
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one, like a Knob Creek or a Woodford Reserve. those extras as long as they're not whiskey stones don't please stop buying your friends whiskey
14:06
stones we we either have them or we don't use them so that's i guess that should have been up top
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don't don't buy whiskey stones for your friends so in the same vein is that if you are someone
14:16
that already has a very you know significant whiskey collection why not give them samples
14:21
of stuff from your collection i think you know that's something that a lot of people don't think of but i mean if you already have a lot of special bottles that are open in your collection
14:28
whiskey lovers love trying new stuff my patrons and i often exchange samples all the time
14:33
so i get to try some of the stuff they bought and they're excited about and vice versa so that's
14:38
absolutely a great way it's a great way to not only just give them a chance to try something new
14:41
but also it can build your friendship and you guys can bond over whiskeys that you like that
14:45
are in common i always say that one of my favorite things about whiskey is sharing the whiskey it's
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not just you know collecting and drinking it all myself i love going to meetups and sharing bottles
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I'm excited about. And maybe if you've never done that before, who knows, I could start a new, you know, weekly thing, you know, you're swapping samples and getting to know someone. I think that's
15:02
always a great gift idea. And one other thing to mention for people that are new to whiskey
15:06
be careful when you are shopping for bourbons, especially when you're not familiar with the
15:11
brand. A lot of times, you know, no offense, we love our, we love our retail employees at the big
15:16
box stores. Not necessarily don't listen to the guy at the local liquor store, but a lot of times
15:21
just do some research in advance especially when it comes to a brand that you're not familiar with
15:26
and also when it comes to pricing I think that's the biggest mistake people make when they're
15:30
buying gifts for people they don't know what they should be paying for a Blanton's you know and
15:34
Blanton's is one of the most popular gift giving whiskeys out there it's actually on my list and I
15:39
guess I'll mention it now that's a great gift for the more beginner person because I guarantee
15:44
usually people that are more into whiskey have already had Blanton's they either love it or you
15:47
know it's not really for them but yeah blanton's at retail around 65 is a fantastic bottle to give
15:53
someone however some stores have it for like 150 200 please don't pay that go to your favorite
15:58
whiskey reviewer whether it's on youtube a podcast or even like a blog and look at their review of a
16:03
certain whiskey they almost always list the price that it should be and just double check that before
16:08
you pick up a bottle because you may see a bottle that you really want to buy for someone but there's
16:12
no point paying you know two or three times what it's actually worth just because it has a pretty
16:16
horsey on top. And finally for newbies, kind of in the same world of Blanton's, you want to give
16:21
them a bottle that looks nice on the shelf. So another one that was actually recommended over
16:24
on Discord is 1792. They have a line of like Bottle and Bond, Sweet Wheat, Foolproof. They
16:31
have just come in these absolutely beautiful bottles. They look way more expensive than they
16:35
are. They're usually, most of the releases are under $50. It's just a really solid bourbon and
16:41
it comes with a beautiful bottle. What more can you want as a gift? So next up, let's say you're
16:45
shopping for someone that you know is more experienced with whiskey they may be even more
16:49
experienced than you with whiskey they may have hundreds of bottles in their collection those people are definitely harder to shop for now the ideas from earlier are all great ideas maybe not the blantons you know skip that one but you know maybe gift sets or some samples from your collection are always still good ideas for the more experienced person however this is when i feel like it does pay to be a bit more granular when finding out what they
17:10
like you definitely don't want to give someone something that they're not going to appreciate or they've you know had before and they don't like so just i mean honestly just ask them what
17:17
are their favorite distilleries you know not necessarily what is your favorite bottle of
17:20
bourbon but what's your favorite distillery that's a lot more granular than you know do you like bourbon or scotch. Let's say they say Gembeam. Well, they're like, great. There's a lot of Gembeam
17:28
products at a bunch of different price points, depending on what your budget is, that you can give them. And they're always going to be happy with that, even if they've had it before. I
17:34
guarantee you, if you find something from their favorite distillery, they're going to be very, very happy with that bottle. Another thing to do when you're shopping for someone that you think
17:41
has already had or tried everything is get them a local store pick from a liquor store in your area
17:47
especially if you don't live in the same area. So store picks are when the store actually hand selects a barrel or you know with covid people have been just been sent samples and picking out
17:55
of like three or four samples but still you get a real personal touch on a bottle of bourbon if you
18:01
know that the person that works at that store actually picked it a lot of different brands have store picks too knob creek store picks are fantastic there's some makers mark private selects
18:09
there's some elijah craig picks there are so many different store picks out there that you can choose
18:13
from jack daniel's single barrel barrel proof store picks are fantastic and only around 60 this
18:19
This is a good way to give them something that they are 99% of the time have not had. Now, if y'all live in the same city, then obviously they may have tried it before
18:25
But if you're coming from out of state, you know, bringing them a store pick is always going to be enjoyed
18:30
Now, this next one actually comes with another warning. I think it's always fun to try different local craft distilleries
18:38
So whether it's, you know, from your town or from your state, definitely check them out
18:43
See what their offerings are. that the warning is just be careful because a lot of times small craft distilleries
18:49
will be sourcing from other distilleries. So even though it may look like a Nebraska whiskey, it's actually sourced from Indiana
18:58
which there's nothing wrong with that. If they're transparent about it, you know, more power to them. But it's a lot more special when you're trying something that's actually distilled
19:04
from where you're at or maybe a place that's special to the person, you know
19:08
maybe where they went to college. Oh, this is a distillery that opened in your hometown. You know, try that
19:12
It's always fun to try new things, and I think with craft distilleries, there's so many of them out there, there's a good chance they have not had that whiskey
19:19
So, of course, do some research. Again, you know, sometimes craft whiskey is a little young and not great
19:25
So read some reviews online, and if people seem to like it, that's always a fun gift
19:29
And one of the same tips that applies for newbies is pretty-looking bottles
19:34
Now, the more experienced whiskey drink in your life is going to be a little more discerning when it comes to that
19:38
they're not going to be fooled by like a gaudy bottle that's just you know crap whiskey but a
19:43
pretty bottle um so again do a little bit of research but some great examples of beautiful
19:48
bottles of whiskey are barrel bourbon i mentioned a little bit earlier they have so many different
19:52
private um barrels they're a little pricey they're around 90 ish dollars each they do unique finishes
19:58
they do different um fun things with the whiskey those are so unique that you know there's a good
20:03
chance they haven't had a specific barrel product so maybe get some recommendations from your store
20:07
owner like, hey, which of these do you prefer? But barrel is just, they're just killing it with
20:11
special releases, including the $500 gold label. Another great presentation whiskey that's a little
20:17
more pricey as a gift, it's worth giving is Booker's, which is a whiskey from Jim Beam. It
20:22
comes in a nice, usually comes with a nice wooden box. Now these have gone up in price a little bit
20:27
They're closer to $70 or $80 now. They used to be a little bit more affordable. But if I got a
20:31
Booker's as a gift, I would absolutely love it. Especially if you're a Jim Beam fanatic like
20:35
myself. Like I said, find out their favorite distilleries and go from there. And lastly
20:40
on the holiday gift guide for the bourbon lover in your life, I think the best gift overall is
20:47
a gift card. I know it sounds like a cop out. Trust me, trust me. But first of all, make sure
20:53
that the gift card is for a store that they can actually get to. Like don't buy something for a
20:56
local store that they have to travel four hours to get to. But giving them a gift card gives them
21:01
the freedom of choice. And I know if I got a gift card, I would buy a bottle and I would
21:06
hold that bottle as if the person gave me the bottle itself. So I don't know, maybe I'm just
21:11
a little sentimental, but if you give me a $50 gift card, I'm going to go buy something special
21:15
with that $50 that I know I'll love or I haven't tried before. And I'll be like, oh yeah, that's
21:19
my friend's bottle that he bought for me. I mean, to me, it's about the same as gifting a bottle
21:24
but you know they'll get something that they enjoy or something that they'll associate with
21:28
you and positively, not negatively. Better yet, go to the liquor store with them and tell them
21:33
okay, anything up to $100 is yours. I know I'm like daydreaming here, but I mean, I know a lot
21:39
of whiskey drinkers tend to be picky and I'm no exception. So giving them the freedom of choice
21:45
with a gift card is probably the best gift you can give the whiskey drinker in your life if you
21:50
don't know specifically already what they like. So I know this was short, but hopefully it helped
21:55
you come up with some new ideas for bourbons to buy people in your life if you're planning to if
22:00
you haven't already I know it's getting close to Christmas but if you guys have any other
22:04
suggestions please let me know on discord I'm always looking for new ideas my family's always
22:09
asking like what do I buy you so if you guys have other suggestions for gift giving bourbons let me
22:14
know you can also email me at contact at bourbonbites.com with your suggestions so thank y'all
22:19
for listening this has been bourbon bites a whiskey podcast with a gaming twist cheers and I'll talk to
22:24
you guys next episode
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