Up next in 10
I'm back from a short break and kicking off the new year with a packed episode of the Bourbon Bytes Podcast! This week we're catching up on the biggest whiskey stories you may have missed — including a brand new Old Fitzgerald from Heaven Hill, a cask strength release from High West, and a look at the highs and lows of Irish whiskey through the end of 2025. But the star of the show is a very special viewer-sent sample: Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B. I finally sit down to give this legendary bourbon an honest review — no hype, no pressure, just my genuine thoughts on whether Lot B still earns its place in the modern bourbon world. Navigate the full episode below using the chapter markers! 00:00 – Episode Teaser: Bourbon News + Lot B Review 00:33 – Welcome Back from the Mid-Season Break 01:39 – Whiskey News #1: Old Fitzgerald Fall 2025 (11 Year BIB) 03:18 – Whiskey News #2: High West Cask Strength Bourbon Announced 05:21 – Whiskey News #3: Frey Ranch 100% Barley Whiskey 07:28 – Whiskey News #4: Wyoming Whiskey National Parks #5 – The Tetons 09:52 – Irish Whiskey Boom vs Teeling’s 91% Profit Drop 13:20 – Van Winkle Lot B Bourbon (Byte-Sized Review) 22:03 – Final Score: Van Winkle Lot B 22:55 – Outro: Thanks, How to Listen, and Share Bourbon Bytes
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Today on the Bourbon Bites Podcast, I'm back from a mini hiatus and telling you all the bourbon and whiskey news you missed, including a new Old Fitzgerald release from Heaven Hill, a cast-trend High West, and the highs and lows of Irish whiskey through 2025
0:15
Plus, I have a very special bite-sized review of Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B Bourbon Whiskey
0:30
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Bourbon Bites podcast. I'm your host, Clifton, and this is the week of January 15th, 2026
0:42
Happy Thursday. Thank you all so much for allowing me a couple weeks off to travel for the holidays, do a little bit of a reset
0:51
And now I am very much back in action with the Bourbon Bites podcast, a whiskey podcast with a gaming twist
0:58
If you're new here, hi, welcome. This is kind of the return from a mid-season break
1:04
I didn't consider it a full end of the second season just because I felt like I still had quite a bit more content to do
1:10
before we wrapped up what I like to call a season, but I did take a little break
1:15
so I appreciate those of you that stuck with me through it. I have a very special bite-sized review sent in to me from one of my viewers that we're going to do later on on the podcast
1:25
But we do have some whiskey news to talk about because it's been a few weeks, so there's been a lot happening out there
1:31
Not necessarily a lot in terms of new releases, but there's just been a lot going on in the world in general
1:37
So let's get into it. I think one of the first announcements I have is one of the biggest distilleries, one of my favorite distilleries
1:44
Heaven Hill has announced their Bottle & Bond Old Fitzgerald Bourbon for fall 2025
1:50
A little bit of a late announcement, it came out towards the middle of December
1:55
This is going to be an 11-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, and it's going to be released at a MSRP of $160
2:04
This is going to be a relatively old one. You know, we've been seeing some younger 9, 10-year-old releases in the past couple of these old fits
2:12
So I'm glad to see an at least 11-year-old age statement. Now, as with all these old Fitzgerald decanters, this one comes in at 100 proof, bottled in Bond
2:21
and they say this one is accompanied by notes of bourbon sweetness, leather, oak, and baking
2:26
spices as well as plums, peaches, and figs. Sounds like all my kind of favorite notes
2:32
I've always been a fan of this mash bill. I most recently had a chance to try it with the
2:36
Bottle and Bonds 7-year Old Fitzgerald that is more of a shelf-stable, you know
2:41
regular release that actually made my top 10 whiskeys of the year, by the way. Newest
2:47
published video on the channel other than the live streams. I did a countdown on my top
2:51
10 whiskeys of 2025. If you missed it, go check it out. YouTube.com slash bourbon bites. You will
2:57
see that old fits seven year on that list, along with quite a few other new American whiskeys that
3:03
came out last year, or I tried for the first time last year. So check that out. Make sure to subscribe
3:08
I go live every Thursday evening. And yeah, if you're looking for something new to subscribe to
3:14
in the new year, check out bourbon bites on YouTube. Well, since we're talking about new
3:18
releases there's another one from one of my favorite craft rye distilleries high west they
3:23
are actually releasing a cast strength release of their bourbon so they haven't actually done this
3:28
in the past they've done some individual single barrels but they are having a new addition to the
3:32
lineup called cast strength bourbon it started january 12th so just a few days ago and the retail
3:39
price on it is about 70 now they actually give us a little more detail than i thought we were going
3:44
of see about this release. They say that this is a small batch bourbon that is a blend of five
3:49
different straight bourbon whiskeys aged between six years and 20 years old, sourced from distilleries
3:56
in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. So the only one on there that kind of worries me is the Tennessee
4:01
You know, I don't know where they're sourcing from in Tennessee. There's a chance it might have
4:05
that George Dickel kind of note that some of those releases do. Not that I'm totally opposed
4:10
to George Dickel. It's just sometimes when those are in a blend, it tends to overwhelm it. That's
4:15
how I felt about certain Bardstown bourbon company releases in the past. So that makes me a little
4:21
hesitant. But for a price tag of $70, having up to a 20 year old bourbon in that blend does excite
4:27
me. So this is going to be one that I'm going to keep an eye out. It's going to be limited quantities
4:31
but this is supposed to go nationwide starting this month. And I am pretty excited. Like I said
4:38
high west is known for their rye whiskey i think they excel at rye whiskey so their bourbon i'm a
4:43
little bit more iffy about but at cast strength with a pretty darn nice range of ages in the
4:49
bottle i would definitely give it a try for 70 so again as with the heaven hill i will pick it up if
4:55
i see it and give it a review for you guys so stay tuned there's a lot of new whiskeys coming out this
5:00
year that I want a chance to try. I tried tons last year but 2026 I think at least based on the
5:08
rumors I've been hearing there's going to be some good releases coming out this year so I got my
5:12
eyes peeled and make sure to have your ears peeled or or perked or whatever you do. Listen just just
5:18
listen in. Well since we were branching out from Kentucky bourbon there is another craft distillery
5:24
that I know and love Frey Ranch Distillery out of Nevada. They are releasing a 100% barley whiskey
5:30
This one's going to come in at four years and eight months old and bottled at 110 proof
5:35
Relatively young for a barley whiskey. I am curious to try it
5:40
I do love Frey Ranch. I think I'm more drawn to their rye whiskeys more so than I guess their bourbon
5:46
But I mean, I've not tried 100% barley whiskey from then. So I be curious to see how it does They say it will definitely appeal to bourbon lovers But anyone interested in trying something new in the world of American whiskey should give this a try as well So it seems like maybe they going for a bourbon lover palate which I too tend to enjoy
6:04
They say it is made from two-row unmalted barley. So that's a key thing. It's made from unmalted barley
6:11
So it's going to be quite a bit different from some traditional, you know, malted barley things like scotch
6:17
So I'm excited to check it out. A little hesitant, but I think, you know
6:22
Frey Ranch tends to do things that are aged very well and, you know, high quality
6:26
They say this is going to be a limited quantity release available at their online shop as part of a bundle
6:32
So unfortunately, you do have to buy this as a bundle. They're going to do a Whiskey Lovers 2-pack bundle for $99
6:37
that includes this 100% barley whiskey plus their malted four-grain bourbon. Or you can do a bourbon and barley 2-pack for the same price
6:45
where you can get their four grain bourbon plus the 100% barley whiskey. So that's one that I would
6:52
definitely want to either try before I buy or wait till I see some reviews on it. But it is
6:57
interesting to see a new release from them. I'll give them that. And again, Frey Ranch continues to
7:00
be one of my favorite craft distilleries. So we'll see. We'll see how they're, I guess this counts as
7:04
an American single malt, even though it is unmalted. Wait, oh, would it be a single malt
7:10
Wait, that's confusing. Okay, maybe I'm very ignorant. It would be a single grain from the barley, but since it's not a malted barley, is it a single malt
7:19
I don't know. You guys let me know. Leave a comment or shoot me a message on Discord if this would count as a single malt
7:26
All right, well, one more new release. This one actually was announced back in November, but it's been a minute since I've done the podcast, so I'm going to call it out as well
7:34
Wyoming Whiskey is releasing their fifth National Parks expression. They've been doing this for the past few years now, and this year is a tribute to the Tetons
7:42
So they release a whiskey based on different national parks across the U.S
7:48
In the past, they've done Yellowstone and Acadia National Park, and actually the Grand Tetons they've featured in the past
7:54
So this is a second partnership with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation
7:59
And it's supposed to be a bourbon that furthers the foundation's ongoing efforts to preserve the park's natural resources
8:04
That seems to be a big focus of what Wyoming Whiskey has been doing, and they say the cornerstone of our commitment is the support of our national parks
8:12
Over the last four years, we have made donations to Yellowstone Forever, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, and Friends of Acadia, the philanthropic partners of each park
8:22
With National Park No. 5, we feature Grand Teton with a historic image by Thomas Moran titled The Three Tetons
8:29
The straight bourbon whiskey is five years old, bottled at 96 proof, and I must say, hitting all the right notes with the flavor profile
8:37
Now, this is coming to us from the co-founder of Wyoming Whiskey, David DeFazio
8:41
But this is the first time I'm hearing of this National Park series. As someone that is a huge supporter of our national parks across the nation, my goal is to go to as many of them as possible
8:51
I love this cause. I love seeing brands giving back to, you know, not just their local communities
8:56
but these great treasures we have across the U.S., which are our national parks or even more local state parks and county parks
9:03
All of this is really important to me. So when I see a whiskey that's supporting a cause I care about, it makes me just a little more interested in the whiskey
9:11
Retail on this is going to be about $75 and it's going to be available across Wyoming as well as online for national delivery at wyomingwhiskey.com starting last month
9:22
$5 from every bottle is going to be donated to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, up to $50,000
9:29
So I think it's a significant part for a $75 bottle, $5 of it
9:33
You know, a lot of that goes into the overhead cost of making whiskey, especially craft whiskey
9:37
So I don't know. I think it is a great cause and I can't wait to give it a try
9:42
whether it's on a live stream or picking up a bottle locally. So let me know if you tried it, let me know how it is, and let me know if I should reach out
9:49
all right well last topic i kind of just want to mention because it's it's relevant to the world of
9:54
whiskey internationally so i saw two articles come out and it's funny because they almost if you if
10:01
you glance over them they're going to look like they contradict each other so there is an article
10:04
put out in december of 2025 how irish whiskey is booming people are more excited than ever for
10:11
irish whiskey they're saying their numbers of visitors are up nationwide across ireland their
10:17
exports rose 13 percent in value last year and their exports by volume were up 3.6 percent
10:23
Not just that but the number of tourists visiting Ireland has returned to more than 1 million
10:28
visitors per year to explore their whiskey distilleries. Now this data is based on the
10:34
first six months of 2025. Now unfortunately all these numbers are coming out ahead of when the
10:40
U.S. introduced tariffs on whiskey internationally so that probably does have some effect so these
10:45
numbers are just based on up to June 2025. But what's interesting is another article came out
10:51
just less than a month later and it's about Teeling specifically. Teeling by the way is one
10:57
of my favorite Irish whiskey brands. I buy their standard small batch just for cocktails and of
11:02
course their higher end stuff does great on its own. But I saw this article pop up on the Spirits
11:08
business in January 6th, actually. And they say Teeling's profits freefall 91% in 2025
11:18
So their post-tax profits plummeted by 91%. So falling from 3.4 million euros in 2024 to 295,000
11:28
euros for 2025. So that's a drastic drop in profits. So it kind of counteracts what we were
11:36
just saying about Irish whiskey being you know kind of hitting its stride and catching on especially
11:41
in the US and in the UK they said that the Irish whiskey sector endured a challenging period during
11:47
the financial year of 2025 caused in large part to growing input and labor cost as well as overstocking issues which was also exacerbated by trade restrictions Again these numbers were before the imposed 15 tariff on Irish whiskey in the U
12:04
so that isn't taken into account here. This is just a general update from year over year
12:10
But they did say that their sales didn't just fall in the U.S., but across their markets
12:15
They also saw sales shrinking in Europe as well as other regions that they were exporting to
12:20
They do say that they are confident in the future, though. They say that their visitor center just welcomed their one millionth visitor to the distillery in May of 2025
12:29
So they seem to have a hopeful outlook on it. But man, 91% down in their profits
12:34
That's concerning. I mean, maybe it could mean that they're just investing. You know, they're expanding
12:39
They're making more whiskey. I don't know. That's a pretty massive number
12:43
I hope the best for Teeling. Like I said, they're one of my favorite Irish whiskey distilleries
12:47
So hopefully they can come back from this and continue producing the amazing whiskey that I know them for
12:53
So curious to hear what you guys think about that. I know some of their older stocks is still from Cooley, like the 13 year that I have is a Cooley distillate
13:00
But they are making their own whiskey now. So maybe they're investing in their future or hopefully they can build back up from this shortcoming of 2025
13:10
Trust me, that's what we're all hoping for in 2026, right? Like recover from the mistakes of last year
13:15
All right. Well, that does it for our new segment of the podcast. I think it's about time we get into a very exciting bite-sized review
13:31
All right. Well, since I am making a big return to the podcast after a little break, I thought I
13:37
would pour something special for today's bite-sized review. if you saw the title of this podcast and the thumbnail you already know what this is but this
13:46
is Pappy Van Winkle special reserve 12 year old lot b so this is a bourbon I've never tried and I
13:55
want to give a huge shout out to bite club member Tony Bagadonuts who provided this sample as a part
14:02
of a Christmas gift so thank you again for this Tony I've already texted him and thanked him and
14:07
made sure I was allowed to review this and not save it for a special group pour or something like
14:12
that. So really really excited to finally try this. I have only tried Pappy 15 and the Van Winkle Rye
14:20
from the Pappy lineup. So even though this one isn't technically labeled as a Pappy it is a Van
14:26
Winkle Reserve. So I'm really really excited. I've been prepping my palette with a pour of Weller 12
14:33
which I've reviewed previously on the podcast is actually not one of my favorite Weller releases
14:39
Check out that podcast to find out why but I've kind of set my pal with this because spec wise
14:44
this is pretty darn close. So of course Weller 12 is 12 years old and 90 proof. Well Van Linkle
14:50
Special Reserve is also 12 years old and also 90.4 proof. So close enough. Now the one I'm trying
14:59
right now is the 2023 release. I'm not sure how it compares to the other ones but I think being
15:04
lucky enough to try this is it doesn't matter what year it is. It's going to be a special pour
15:09
Now retail on Van Winkle Special Reserve is $150. If you ever see it for that buy it for me and send
15:18
me all of it. Of course this on the secondary market goes for much much more than that. I did
15:24
a quick little google search to see what it's going for now. It looks to be around $1,000 on
15:29
secondary. I saw some listings closer to $500 but you know there's a lot of scammy scummy people out
15:36
there. So I'm just going to say around $1,000 secondary but either way we're going to be
15:40
reviewing it as if it's a $150 whiskey and considering that Weather 12 retail is around $50
15:46
we're going to see if this Lot B is worth the premium over Weather 12. Now this isn't going to
15:53
be a full comparison. I'm not going to re-review the Weller 12, but I did want to have it on my
15:57
palette before I went into this review just to make sure I was familiar with what to expect from
16:02
a 12-year-old weeded bourbon from Buffalo Trace. By the way, a little bit of info about this release
16:07
because I honestly didn't know too much. I'd heard the name. I'd always seen it referred to as kind of
16:13
the lesser of the Van Winkle lineup. I think that's just inherent from the fact that it's called Lot B
16:19
assuming there's a lot A somewhere that's the premium product. I don't know if that's the case
16:23
I think this is just a younger version of what they would consider to be you know like a Pappy 15
16:28
This might just not be at that age yet but it's at a point where they are ready to release it
16:33
Of course old Rip Van Winkle comes in at 10 years so this kind of sits perfectly in the middle of
16:37
that one and the Pappy 15. So I think that's more the reason it's just not as old as Pappy 15
16:43
not that it's like a lesser stock but we'll find out now as with other buffalo trace weeded bourbons
16:50
we don't know the mash bill there's rumors that it's around 20 percent wheat and then 75 76 percent
16:55
corn with the rest being malted barley but we don't know a mash bill unfortunately but we do
17:00
know it is their weeded mash bill let's go ahead and give the van winkle special reserve a nose
17:06
oh wow that's much more off the nose than i thought i would get especially compared to the
17:11
Weller 12. It's a similar nose but the Weller 12 I had to dive in really deep into the glass
17:16
to be able to get some nosing notes. The Van Wekel Reserve is definitely working its way out of the
17:21
glass much much easier. The nose is just really really intense and I love it and there's a lot of
17:28
oak and it smells like a really nicely balanced between the sweetness and the lightness of the
17:35
weeded bourbon and the oak backbone that it gives it. It definitely has a little bit of like a
17:40
brightness almost like a green tea I get black tea on a lot of bourbons but this
17:44
is brighter it it feels more I guess earthy so it a little bit like a matcha or a green tea I mean on nose alone you can tell that this is a special bourbon It smells so good I just want to give it a taste
17:57
so don't mind if I do. Cheers y'all. Oh wow yeah very different from that Weller 12. I mean
18:07
flavor wise they're they're not even comparable. I mean side by side Weller 12 almost feels like a
18:14
watered down version of this even though they're very similar proof. Yeah I think we're moving out
18:19
of the Weller 12 territory and moving into the Pappy territory because this is a fantastic first
18:27
sip. Wow that impressed me way more than I thought it was. I guess I just thought it would kind of be
18:31
just a slightly better Weller 12 but that first sip just tells me that that opinion is completely
18:37
wrong. This has so much going for it that I think that the Weller 12 just doesn't hold up to in
18:43
comparison. This is a very, very well-aged bourbon. I mean, 12 years old and bourbon is relatively old
18:50
these days, and you can taste every single year that went into that. I mean, this oak is surrounding
18:57
this kind of sweet, soft, approachable flavor profile, but it's giving it a very robust
19:05
just kind of effervescence of that oak. It really highlights what meticulous aging can do
19:11
for a bourbon. You know, I assume this is probably some of their best picks they had at the age
19:17
There's almost a little bit of like a mulled wine kind of flavor going as well. It's kind of in the
19:22
background of that oak, but there's a little bit of like a cinnamon, maybe a little bit of like
19:27
apple. I can't tell if it's like an apple brandy kind of note or just a tart apple
19:33
but there's definitely some apple and cinnamon going on there. Almost like apple cinnamon oatmeal
19:37
if you want to compare it to something. I mean, the number one thing I can say about this bourbon
19:42
is it's incredibly balanced. It doesn't get spiked in any direction, which sometimes I look for those
19:47
spikes. You know, I like the really hard hitting or like the nutty ones. This one doesn't really
19:52
hit that. It's very, like I said, it's surrounded by that oak that kind of mellows everything out
19:56
with it being a weeded bourbon. That makes sense as well. It's not spicy like a rye. I mean, this is
20:01
a very approachable bourbon, which sounds crazy because we're talking about a $150 bourbon here
20:06
with a much higher secondary rate. But really flavor-wise, I mean, this is what I expect a lot of people to find as the perfect
20:14
bourbon, and I find it hard to fault in terms of flavor, of course, not availability
20:20
Finish-wise, I would say it's medium to long. It's not overstaying its welcome, and you wouldn't expect a 90.4 proof bourbon to do
20:28
that, but it does linger with that oak a bit on the back end. The sweetness dissipates quicker than the oak, so you're kind of just left with like
20:35
a dry oak on the finish which I actually really enjoy that's something a flavor profile that I
20:40
seek out on a lot of bourbons and you can't really find it that often without going 12 plus years old
20:46
because otherwise you're going to get more of a bitter tannic maybe a little bit younger oak
20:50
this one is just really mellow and uh very enjoyable I don't want to even say this is like
20:56
a better version of Weller 12 this is a to me a very different product this is a premium bourbon
21:02
this drinks like the premium that it is if you could find it for $150 hands down recommend
21:08
all time and get it every single time you see it but of course we know that's not the case here
21:13
with this but you know what when it comes to my score I'm going to rate it based on price that
21:18
it's at and you know I do consider availability which I know a lot of people are going to say
21:22
like oh it's not available you know that your score might seem a bit high because of that but
21:26
I'm just going to base this on the fact that I'll probably not have a chance to try it again
21:31
without amazing friends like Tony. So I'm going to say all things considered, nose, price, flavor
21:39
Unfortunately, I throw availability in there as well, which is going to be the only thing that hinders this score because I think it absolutely justifies the $150 price. Would I pay much more
21:48
than that? Maybe because, you know, it's like a once in a lifetime kind of thing. But if this was
21:53
just a shelf bottle for $150, I would not hesitate to pick it up. So all that being said, I'm going
21:59
to give Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-Year-Old Bourbon Lot B a score of 9 out of 10. Listen
22:08
I have to dock at one point for availability. I think that's the only thing holding this whiskey
22:12
about from being a perfect score. And again, this isn't in comparison to, you know, Pappy 15, 20
22:18
23. This is on its own. If I was doing a comparison and a ranking, that would maybe affect score
22:24
but I like reviewing whiskeys based on just by themselves. So while I did enjoy comparing this to
22:29
the weller 12 i think on its own this sits at a solid 9 out of 10 it's delicious retail is a great
22:35
price i just think the only thing holding it back is availability and and scarcity which i'm hoping
22:42
the buffalo trace works on in the near future we know they are expanding their warehouses
22:46
significantly their supply may ultimately uh catch up with the demand we'll see what happens
22:52
it's a new year right we'll see what happens for buffalo trace but for this podcast i want to say
22:57
Thank you again for everyone that was excited for me to come back. I enjoyed the couple of weeks off and I'm excited to get back to making great content
23:06
So if you want to follow me, you can find me on whatever platform you get your podcast
23:10
You can also go to bourbonbites.com and listen there. Make sure to share with your friends
23:15
Hey, you're looking for something new to listen to in the new year. Well, here's a cool bourbon podcast that does whiskey reviews and news in under 30 minutes
23:24
Usually I try to aim for that. All right. Well, thank you guys for listening
23:27
cheers and i'll talk to you guys next episode bye
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