SHĀNG Baijiu Whiskey Review: A Wild New Whiskey Category?

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Today on the Bourbon Bites podcast, Barton's 1792 drops its oldest bourbon ever, a whiskey
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podcast officially joins the Kentucky bourbon trail, and Microsoft announces the biggest
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restructure in Xbox history. Plus, I have a double bite-sized review of a brand new, first-of-its-kind Baiju whiskey
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Bourbon Bites podcast. I'm your host, Clifton, and this is the week of Thursday, July 9th, 2026
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I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th weekend and got up to no good
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But while this month just got started, there have been some crazy news and shakeups across both the bourbon and video game industry
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So I'm here to tell you about some of those hottest topics and share my thoughts
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The first of which is a huge announcement from Barton 1792. They're actually coming out with two whiskeys
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One is a first of its kind and the second is the oldest of its kind
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1792 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, which is the first ever straight rye whiskey and permanent addition to the 1792 lineup
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and 1792 XV or 15, a 15-year-old bourbon that marks both the oldest age-dated expression
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and the first cast-strength unfiltered release in the brand's history. So 1792 is mostly known for their foolproof, their bottle and bond, their small batch
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You see them all over the shelves, right? But they are now venturing into the world of rye
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And while we've had barton rye from other non-distilling producers, this is the first time it's been bottled under the 1792 line. Now it's starting out in select
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markets but the good thing is it's going to be a very affordable bottle. It's going to come in at
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a price of $39.99 per 750 milliliter bottle which is pretty in line with most of their lower end
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1792 bottlings. I'm really excited to see how this new edition does. Now it's not age dated
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but it is bottled at 100 proof which is really great to see especially with it being their first
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edition I like that they're not just starting with a low proof rye. It seems like they're really
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targeting their current whiskey drinking market with this release. They said they felt that the
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rye reached its peak at 100 proof. They say it showcases a seamless integration of rye spice
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oak, and yeast influence. I think 1792 is very much a people pleaser's whiskey and knowing how
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good their bourbon is from like I said the bottle and bond to the foolproof I'm excited to see how
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this rye does. Maybe in the future they'll release a foolproof rye. I would definitely want to get my
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hands on that. So stay tuned. As soon as I get my hands on that bottle, I will give you a review of
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the new rye. Now the other one I might not be able to get my hands on quite as quickly. So this is the
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1792 XV. Of course, XV are the Roman numerals for 15. And this is a 15-year-old cask strength
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addition to the 1792 portfolio. Of course, it's aged and virgin charred American oaks for 15 years
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and then uncut and unfiltered, bottled at 124.2 proof. They say that they selected exceptional barrels
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sampling and measuring each to reveal its distinct proof and character. They said they tried a few different blend integrations
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and ended up on this one that accentuates the bourbon's maturity and intricate flavor profile
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I bet this is delicious. I have had the 12-year-old 1792, but that one's bottled at 93.7 proof
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So we're going full uncut unfiltered with this release, and that makes me really excited
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I think personally, the 1792 full proofs have been my favorite. So getting old age plus high proof is a win-win situation in my book
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Now, the problem with this one is it's going to be a one liter release, and it's going to be available right now as a global travel retail exclusive
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They're starting at airports like LAX, which is close to me, San Francisco International Airport, and South Korea's International Airport
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Suggested retail on its $250, which I think is a bit up there, but when you look at other 15-year-old foolproof bourbons like Russell's 15, it's pretty similarly priced
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So I'm not upset about that, especially in a one-liter bottle. but it being a travel exclusive means very few people are going to get a chance to get their
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hands on it unless they are flying out of the country and have a chance to bring the bottle
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back so I'll let you know if I have any plans upcoming to do that I've considered it before
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because I like to take short trips to Mexico so I could always pick up a bottle at LAX bring it to
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Mexico and then bring it back but haven't quite done that yet but maybe this will be the bottle
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that convinces me to start doing that more often all right there's more big news from the Kentucky
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Bourbon Trail, they've actually added four new destinations to it, and one of which is probably
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pretty familiar if you follow other bourbon podcasts. I'm talking about, of course, Pursuit
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Spirits or Pursuit United. Now, they're joining Uncle Bougie out of Louisville, Cave City Distilling
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out of Cave City, and Purple Toad Winery and Distillery out of Bowling Green. So, these four
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new destinations have been added to the official bourbon trail, and I just think it's really cool
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to see a brand like Pursuit Spirits who started as a podcast grew to be this incredible independent bottler and then now their own distillery They are doing some incredible stuff I had a chance to visit their Whiskey Row location back in November of last year
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Enjoyed the experience immensely. Really cool location. And it just gives hope to little guys like me
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You know, we just hit 100 episodes. They've hit over 1,200 episodes
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So maybe in 12 years you'll see me on the Whiskey Row as well
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Maybe not. But really congrats to those guys. If you guys don't follow Kenny and Ryan over at the Bourbon Pursuit podcast, go give them a listen
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They are the OGs when it comes to whiskey podcasts. But not only that, they make some incredible whiskey over at Pursuit Spirit
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So congrats to them and as well to the rest of the other three distilleries that joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
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Gives me more of a reason to go back and revisit to try these new destinations
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Now, there's just one more piece of news because, like I said, I have a double review today
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So I want to leave enough time for that. this one's a bit of a disheartening news. It's coming to us from Microsoft. They've had a pretty
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significant reduction in their workforce, especially for their Xbox team. They're cutting
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jobs by 3,200 people. 1,600 of these roles were eliminated earlier this week, with the rest to
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follow through 2027. Their reasoning for it is a little unclear. They say this is the most
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significant restructuring in Xbox history. It's going to be a massive shift in their strategy
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and they're planning to scale back their aggressive studio acquisition that they've
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been doing a lot of lately. They say that our business today is not healthy. We are operating
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at margins that are three to ten times lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses
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In a simple year, we lost 64 cents for every dollar we invested. So they give you the numbers
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so they don't necessarily tell you what caused this. I do know there was a phase where Xbox and Microsoft
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were buying up a bunch of smaller game studios and incorporating them into the Xbox Studios portfolio
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So they kind of were eating up these little indie developers, and it sounds like that didn't pay off for them, unfortunately
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I'm really sad to see this. I mean, I think any kind of layoffs in the tech industry
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whether it be film or video games or streaming, is just especially hurtful in today's day and age
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One, because I'm in the industry. But two, you know, like there's always worries about things like AI and, you know, these new workarounds of hiring talent that it's just I again, I'm not accusing AI to be the reason of Microsoft's lowering of the workforce
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But I'm just saying it's a fear we all kind of have. And it's just I hate to see these news every time it happens
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I know it happened at Epic Games a few months ago. It's happened at quite a few different studios
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And I want to see the market turn around significantly. I think, you know, there's so many talented people, many of which have now just entered
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the job market, maybe for the first time in a while. And I'm really hopeful people are hiring these incredible talented people because being laid
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off doesn't mean a person is lacking any talents or skills. It actually means they may have gained more than you realize
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So I encourage you if you are a small business or another developer, or if you're, you know
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in the film or streaming industry, look at these people who have been laid off, look
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at their experience and their actual work. you're going to see that they are going to be some of the most talented people on the market right now
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So I'm hoping for the best, but really, again, my heart goes out to those people affected by the layoffs
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Now, enough with the sad news. Let's get into our doubleheader bite-sized review
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Well, like I said, I'm very excited for today's review because it's not just one
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but two new additions and an entirely new category of world whiskey
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This is coming to us from Shang and they are creating a new whiskey category that they are
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calling Zhongxiong Whiskey. Now, what's interesting is this is Baiju, which is a
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sauce aroma liqueur based out of China. I've had a chance to try it once or twice before
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but I'm not that experienced with it. So what makes this new category of whiskey unique is
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they're taking this red sorghum from China and then they're fermenting it to create the baiju
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but they're then redistilling it into a whiskey base and putting it into oak barrels and aging it
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in Kentucky. So they're essentially redistilling this sorghum distillate and making it into a
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white dog to age in American oak. So it's really interesting. I'm very curious to see how this is
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going to taste. Now there's two expressions, both of which were sent to me by the brand for review
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So shout out to the folks at Xiong. The first of which is called Don Ya, which is their first
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expression. It is rested in charred American oak barrels from one month to just under one year. So
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very very young in terms of age of whiskey but definitely a you know experimental release so I'm
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very curious to see how that's going to taste. The next of which is the Xiong East Plus West
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Kentucky blend which marries the Xiong Xiong Baiju from China with a proprietary red sorghum
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whiskey from America and they blend them together and age them in Kentucky. Now this doesn't say how
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long it's been blended or aged but it's an interesting different take on it so we're gonna
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get both of these poured and we're gonna see how they taste by the way the don ya which is the
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first release is going to be bottled at 50 abv and available for 65 dollars for a 500 milliliter bottle and then the east plus west blend is going to be bottled at 46 ABV and available for a retail price of for a 500 milliliter bottle So very affordable
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I love to see it. You know, this seems like something that if it were much higher price
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it would be one that maybe a lot of people would price out in terms of it just being a new category
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You know, you don't want to spend that much money. You definitely like to try before you buy. But at that price point, that's almost like a blind buy for me. I would love to pick something
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light this up just to give it a try and see how it does, because who doesn't like trying new things
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So we're going to pour the Don Ya Whiskey first, which is the 50% ABV, and it's the one made
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exclusively of the Chinese Zhongshan Baiju Whiskey, but it's been aged, of course, in American oak
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I will say, for it only being one month to one year old, it's got a lot of color on it. It's a bit of
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a pale yellow, for sure. Definitely not something in, like, the bourbon territory, but I'm quite
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surprised by how much color is on this bottle for just being relatively young in terms of a whiskey
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Let's give it a nose. Oh, okay. Very different. Very unusual. I will say the nose immediately
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strikes me as something similar to a poutine from Ireland. So that's kind of their version
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of Moonshine. It's just kind of the local spirit, the unaged white dog as we call it here in the US
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It has a very sweet aroma to it and I'm getting some very similar characteristics here from this
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Now, as someone that's only had Baiju once or twice, Sorghum is not something I'm very familiar with in terms of a flavor profile
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It does have a bit of like an umami character or a bit of like a savory
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almost a little bit of salty kind of nose. I think I remember getting that on the Baiju as well
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I think that's kind of one of the characteristics that you get from it. It's sweet on the nose, like it's definitely youthful and sugary
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But at the same time, it has a bit of an earthy quality, a bit of a richness that I think is just associated with the Baiju itself
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So let's go ahead and give this a taste. Cheers, y'all. Oh, wow. Whoa, that's cool. What a what a flavor journey
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You know, I love when a whiskey takes you on a flavor journey, and this is no exception. I'll tell you what I experienced as someone completely new to this type of spirit
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at first it hits you with a bit of a sweet um earthiness that is more similar to like a mezcal
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from mexico to me it has a bit of that note and i did notice that this is actually before it's
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redistilled it is um distilled and aged in traditional clay pots in china which is probably
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why i'm getting some of those elements that i get on a mezcal because those are also you know
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cooked in clay pots so maybe it's that clay influence that's hitting the front of the palate
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But then it gets mid-palate and it gets this interesting kind of like almost like a peated element to it
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There's a little bit of smoke, but again, very different than like a smoky mezcal
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It's definitely more of like a meaty kind of smoke, almost like something you would get from Islay out of Scotland
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I dig it. Listen, I'm a barbecue lover. OK, it definitely leans in the territory of barbecue a little bit more, maybe closer to a beef jerky than like a barbecue, like a brisket or anything like that
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But it has kind of those elements of like this really intense, strong, almost savory, salty smokiness that's actually really nice on a whiskey
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But what's the craziest part overall is the finish. So once you get through that cloud of smoke on the mid palate, it finishes very, very sweet and distinctly honey
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I mean, this is like straight up like I just had a spoonful of honey just like go down my throat
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It's that sweet of a honey flavor on the finish. this is incredible with the journey it's taking me on. I mean, I would have never expected anything
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like this. I really like it. I think this is something that's completely new to me, but
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something that's working really, really well. And I'm excited to see this category just expand even
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further. And we're about to do so with our second pour, because this next one, like I said, is the
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East plus West whiskey. So it's basically a combination of what we just had in that first
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release, but they also added in some American sorghum whiskey to it and blended it a little
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bit lower proof. I will say color wise, this one is a little bit darker. So they didn't say an age
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statement on this, but what I'm thinking is maybe this is aged a little bit longer or maybe that
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the American sorghum whiskey they used in this was already aged before they blended it. I'm not
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entirely sure what the details are on that, but after trying that first one, I am more than excited
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to try this second release. Let's give this one a nose. Oh, huh. Interesting. It's funny because
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it's pretty similar, but there are some unique differences I'm getting just on nose alone
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First of all, the original one, the Don Yaw whiskey, that one to me was a lot sweeter on the
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nose. Definitely more crisp and bright. This other one leans a little bit more towards a darker note
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on the nose. Well, I think both of them have some of that, like I said, umami, the salty
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savory kind of thing going on. This one honestly though is more of like a darker fruit versus the
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bright, you know, a little bit floral of the first one. This East plus West whiskey definitely leans
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more into like the stone fruit category. Maybe a little bit of orchard fruit. I'm getting a little
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bit of pear on that nose, but other than that, it tends to go a little bit darker and richer than the
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original one. And I think this one also has a little bit more of the oak influence on it
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at least on the nose I getting quite a bit of that barrel char that kind of rounding it out a bit You know it taking what I saw as bright and crisp from the first one and really just kind of mellowing it out a bit I say the original one more like a Blanco tequila or maybe like a very lightly aged Reposado whereas this one is
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definitely more like a Reposado, maybe a little bit Añejo, not quite that rich, not quite that
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oaky, but somewhere a little closer to the darker end of a tequila. Again, I'm using terms I'm
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familiar with because that's the closest thing I can compare this to based on my experience
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With all that being said, let's go ahead and give the East plus West Kentucky blend a taste. Cheers
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Oh, hmm. Okay. That one's a lot more similar to the nose than the other one. So this one's way
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more approachable. I will say this is the traditional vanilla toasted oak, a little bit
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of spice there as well. I mean, this is definitely more in the realm of what a whiskey drinker would
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expect. And I think that's the point here, right? This is kind of to ease us into that flavor profile
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you still get some of those notes but not nearly as interesting to me personally as the original
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one the original one to me is such a distinct unique spirit that that's going to be the one
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that I'm going to reach for you know it's kind of like I say all the time when I was first getting
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into scotch I don't want a scotch that tastes like bourbon you know a lot of people said oh this is a
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bourbon drinker scotch I don't want a bourbon drinker scotch I want something completely different
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I want a whole different journey and that's where this Zhong Chong whiskey does I think that's
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definitely my favorite. It's a little bit more pricey of the two, but I think, you know, if you're
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a little scared and intimidated by that, but you want to try the brand, definitely consider this
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East Plus West whiskey. A little bit lower proof, a little bit less different or distinct, and just
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overall smoother and easier drinker. I think overall, these are both incredible new additions
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to the world of whiskey. I love that they're taking something as special as Baiju, something
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that's been made for thousands and thousands of years and bringing it to a more traditional
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whiskey lover's palette, at least here in America. So I'm pretty excited about what's to come from this brand
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I'm going to give my ratings for both of these. Again, on the Bite Size Review, we keep it simple
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We give a score 1 through 10 based on all things considered from price, proof, availability
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nose, palette, finish, all things considered. And these are going to be a little bit different for me based on who I think they're for
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We're going to start with the first one. The first one that I think was the most unique, it took me on that journey
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It went from sweet a little bit like a mezcal to a smoke bomb like a peated scotch, all
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the way to a honey liqueur finish. I loved that journey. That was really fun
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As someone that loves a good experimental whiskey, I am a big fan of this
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However, I think a lot of whiskey drinkers might be intimidated by that flavor profile
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So I don't want that to fully affect my score because my score is, you know, my score
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It's the Bourbonvite score. It's what I personally feel about this. And for a $65 bottle, 500 milliliters, 100 proof, something totally unique and unlike
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anything I've ever had before, this is really, really special. So I'm going to give the Don Ya Zhongshiong whiskey, which is the first one, I'm going
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to give it a 7.5 out of 10. I think this is really fun
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Honestly, this is really fun. It's definitely something that I would pick up on my own
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It's a fun journey. It's something cool to share with friends. And honestly, I like where it's going
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And I like that they are really embracing the uniqueness of the spirit here
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So I really, really like that one. Now, the next, which is the East Plus West
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Again, it's a little bit cheaper. It's lower proof. It's definitely more in line with what a typical whiskey lover wants
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And for me personally, that's great. But it's also, you know, a little less interesting to me
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And while I think this might be the better pickup for someone that's a little hesitant to dive off the deep end in terms of flavors, especially if they don't drink any other spirits besides whiskey, it's definitely going to be the one that you want to try first if you're hesitant
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But for me personally, I'm going to give this a 7 out of 10. You know, I don't think it's quite as unique or interesting as the original one
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And I think it's for someone that's kind of wanted to ease their way in versus jumping off the deep end, like I said
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So but both very, very good. Huge shout out to the folks at Xiong who sent these along
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I'm really excited to see what becomes of this brand. I'm excited to see more sorghum whiskey because apparently it's fantastic
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Both the one that was distilled from Baiju from China and the one that was already an American sorghum whiskey
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Both of which are really fun, really interesting additions to now my experience of whiskey
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So well done to those folks. But I'm curious to hear what you guys think about this idea
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Are you interested? Would you try it? especially for the price. I think it's a very affordable, fun wild card whiskey to pull out
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on a day that you want to try something different. So that does it for this week's episode. Thank you
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all so much for listening. This has been really fun. I'm going to keep the news rolling next week
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I'm sure there'll be some new stuff coming in. Hopefully some more positive news in video games
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because, you know, that Xbox news story is a little bit of a downer, but at least we got to
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try some incredible new whiskeys and we're expanding our palates. We're seeing the Kentucky
21:42
bourbon trail expand and hopefully uh things are on the up across the board so until next time this
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has been the bourbon bites podcast a whiskey podcast with a gaming twist cheers and i'll talk
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to you guys next episode

SHĀNG Baijiu Whiskey Review: A Wild New Whiskey Category?

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SHĀNG Baijiu Whiskey Review: A Wild New Whiskey Category?

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