Bourbon Bytes Podcast

Dragon's Milk Origin Blue Dragon 2026 Review: Is a $165 Dungeons & Dragons bourbon actually worth buying, or are you paying for the collectible bottle?

It's game night on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast! This week, whiskey brands are going all-in on tabletop gaming collaborations, and I'm reviewing the brand-new Dragon's Milk x Dungeons & Dragons Origin Mead Cask: Blue Dragon Edition from New Holland.

But first, we've got some big whiskey news.

Old Forester just unveiled its new Tribute Series Decanter, a 12-year-old, 115-proof bourbon in a gorgeous collectible bottle for $300. Booker's is also back with Southern Thunder, a 127.3-proof release honoring Booker Noe's legendary voice.

And in one of the biggest industry announcements of the week, MGP Ingredients is changing its name to Sempreon, with a new NASDAQ ticker symbol: CASK.

Old Elk also announced a special blended American whiskey supporting Folds of Honor scholarships for military and first responder families.

Then it's time for GAME NIGHT. 🎲

Old Fitzgerald x Jonathan Adler has a $425 luxury backgammon set, while Bib & Tucker x Monopoly is bringing collectible bourbon-themed game pieces to a classic board game for just $30.

Finally, it's time for this week's Byte-Sized Review of Dragon's Milk Origin Mead Cask: Blue Dragon Edition (2026).

This limited-edition Dungeons & Dragons collaboration features New Holland's high-malt, pot-distilled bourbon finished in barrels previously used for house-made mead (fermented honey wine).

🥃 The specs:

100 proof (50% ABV)

High-malt bourbon, pot-distilled

Finished in mead casks

No disclosed age statement

$164.99 collectible gift set, including a Blue Dragon pour spout

Online release scheduled for October 23, 2026

The tasting was genuinely different from what I expected. Sweet apricot, caramel, molasses, white wine, honeycomb, and an earthy finish that reminded me more of fermented honey wine than a typical honey-finished bourbon.

It's unusual without being overly sweet, and the mead finish definitely takes center stage.

Final score: 8/10.

But that score considers the entire experience, including the D&D presentation and the collectible pour spout. Would I feel the same way about spending $165 if I weren't such a nerd?

That's what we're getting into this week.

Also in this episode: Old Forester Tribute Series, Booker's Southern Thunder, MGP becoming Sempreon, Old Elk Folds of Honor, Old Fitzgerald backgammon, and Bib & Tucker Monopoly.

Which would you bring to game night: the Old Fitzgerald backgammon set, Bib & Tucker Monopoly, or Dragon's Milk Blue Dragon Bourbon?

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Thanks to New Holland for providing the bottle for review.

Find more Bourbon Bytes livestreams, podcast episodes, Discord, and Byte Club membership at BourbonBytes.com.

Cheers and game on!

Is the 2026 Russell’s Reserve 13 worth $200? This week, I’m tasting the release celebrating Eddie Russell’s 45 years at Wild Turkey and looking back at what I loved about the original and 2025 bottles.

Brown sugar Pop-Tarts on the nose and cherry cola on the palate? That’s where this pour takes me, but there are a couple of things I miss from earlier releases. I share my first impressions, final score, and what I’d actually pay for a bottle.

Also this week:

Which Russell’s 13 release is your favorite? And what’s your limit on a bottle?

Thanks to my friend Brandon for sharing the review sample.

Find more reviews, livestreams, and Byte Club membership at https://bourbonbytes.com.

Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 2 Review: Is this $80 whiskey worth buying if you don't smoke cigars? This week I'm finding out by tasting Penelope's latest collaboration with Alec Bradley Cigars both on its own and paired with an Alec Bradley Black Market cigar.

But first, we're talking about something I don't get to say very often in whiskey news: older, higher-proof whiskey is actually getting more affordable.

Copper & Cask just announced X Bourbon, a permanent 10-year barrel-proof release made from 10–12-year-old Indiana whiskey for just $70.

Starlight Distillery is also releasing a 7-year, 110.8-proof estate-grown bourbon for $60, while newcomer Whisky Craft is offering a 21-year Highland single malt Scotch matured in first-fill bourbon barrels for just £85.

We also have an important update on the devastating fire at Glenns Creek Distillery, which destroyed several historic structures at the former Old Crow site. Thankfully, nobody was injured, no bourbon was lost, and the distillery has reopened to visitors.

Then The Dalmore is getting into the cigar-pairing conversation with its new 18-year Cigar Malt Signature Reserve, a premium Scotch designed to complement a good cigar.

Which brings us to this week's Byte-Sized Review.

Penelope Cigar Sessions: Chapter 2 was developed in collaboration with Alec Bradley Cigars, specifically to complement medium-to-full-bodied cigars.

🥃 The specs:

6 years old

117.4 proof

69% corn, 19% rye, 12% malted barley

$79.99 MSRP

Paired with an Alec Bradley Black Market cigar

I spent an evening out on my patio trying the combination before coming back to review the whiskey on its own.

And the difference genuinely surprised me.

On its own, Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 2 delivers cinnamon, cardamom, brown sugar, vanilla cream, strawberry, chocolate, and a sweet dessert-like profile.

But paired with the cigar, the brighter fruit notes really come alive against the darker tobacco flavors.

It's enjoyable on its own, but at $80, I think the pairing is where this release really proves itself.

Also in this episode: Copper & Cask X Bourbon, Starlight's new estate bourbon, Whisky Craft First Light 21 Year Scotch, the Glenns Creek Distillery fire update, and The Dalmore 18 Year Cigar Malt.

Would you pay $80 for a whiskey specifically designed to go with a cigar? And what's your favorite whiskey and cigar pairing?

Whiskey and cigar samples were provided by Penelope and Alec Bradley for review.

Find more Bourbon Bytes, join the Byte Club, and hang out in Discord at BourbonBytes.com.

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Bulleit ’87 Review: Bulleit just added a $30 bourbon-and-rye blend to its permanent lineup — and I did not expect to like it this much.

Before we get to the review, this week’s Bourbon Bytes is packed with seriously interesting whiskey news.

Dark Arts Whiskey House is releasing a massive 19-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished for seven years in Japanese Mizunara oak. The six-barrel Chief Alchemist Reserve comes in at 115 proof and a staggering $500.

Jim Beam is also bringing back Baker’s 13 Year Single Barrel for 2026. It’s bottled at 107 proof and priced at $150, giving Beam fans another well-aged option alongside Knob Creek and Booker’s.

Then Willett takes one of its most recognizable — and most divisive — bottles and gives it a serious upgrade. Willett Pot Still Reserve Cask Strength is coming nationwide for around $67, which might finally convince some skeptics to give the famous bottle another chance.

And this might be the most Bourbon Bytes story of the week:

A new Lord of the Rings whiskey is coming from New Zealand.

Pōkeno Ringbearer celebrates the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings with whiskey matured across first-fill bourbon, virgin oak, Muscat, and Manuka honey casks. At around $109, it might be one of the coolest nerd-culture whiskey releases of the year.

Copperworks also celebrates Craft Malt Month with a high-proof American single malt supporting the Craft Maltsters Guild, while Pursuit Spirits and Shortbarrel team up for a spooky-season bourbon-and-rye blend called Found Footage.

Then it’s time for this week’s Byte-Sized Review: Bulleit ’87.

This new core release blends Kentucky bourbon and Indiana rye whiskey, with both components aged at least four years before being finished with toasted American and French oak staves.

It’s bottled at 90 proof and costs just $30.

Expect sweet corn, marshmallow fluff, vanilla, orange citrus, baking spice, toasted oak, and enough rye spice to keep everything from becoming overly sweet.

For the money, this might be one of the strongest new everyday American whiskey releases I’ve tried this year.

🥃 Topics covered:

Dark Arts 19 Year Mizunara Bourbon

Baker’s 13 Year Single Barrel 2026

Willett Pot Still Reserve Cask Strength

Pōkeno Ringbearer Lord of the Rings Whiskey

Copperworks Craft Malt Month release

Pursuit x Shortbarrel Found Footage

Bulleit ’87 bourbon-and-rye blend

Would you give Bulleit ’87 a shot at $30?

00:00 Intro – $500 Bourbon, Willett & Lord of the Rings Whiskey

Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Review: This week I’m tasting the brand-new Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Volume 1, a cask-strength bourbon finished in wild cherry wood from France — but first, the whiskey world somehow gets even weirder.

Beam has two major releases on the way. The second-ever Booker’s rye takes things in a completely unexpected direction with apple brandy cask finishing and cinnamon infusion, while Little Book The Infinite Edition III continues Freddie Noe’s infinity experiment with whiskey including a 23-year-old Knob Creek component originally distilled under Booker Noe.

Chicken Cock is also celebrating its 170th anniversary with an 8-year, 115-proof bourbon and a seriously cool vintage-inspired ceramic rooster decanter.

Then we get to one of the strangest whiskey stories I’ve covered all year: Tamworth Distilling’s Deerslayer Whiskey, a venison-flavored whiskey made with red deer meat.

Yes. Actual venison.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired partnered with Northside Distilling on a limited Braille Bourbon featuring a tactile Braille label and raising money to support people adapting to vision loss.

Blue Note also announced wider distribution for its Honey Bourbon Cask and Honey Rye Cask releases, which leads perfectly into this week’s Byte-Sized Review.

Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Volume 1 is a 119.4-proof, unfiltered bourbon finished for four months in wild cherry wood casks sourced from the Jura region of eastern France.

And an important distinction: these barrels didn’t contain cherries. The flavor is coming from the cherry wood itself.

The result genuinely surprised me.

Expect bright red fruit, cherry and red apple skin, fresh oak, vanilla, caramel, sweetness, spice, and a finish strong enough that it almost gives me Manhattan vibes without actually tasting artificially flavored.

At about $65, this ended up being one of my favorite finished bourbons I’ve had in quite a while.

On the gaming side, I also break down Microsoft’s latest Xbox restructuring, Activision taking a larger role with Halo, and Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT moving from PlayStation publishing to Xbox.

🥃 Topics covered:

Booker’s 2026 rye release

Little Book The Infinite Edition III

Chicken Cock 170th Anniversary

Tamworth Deerslayer Venison Whiskey

Braille Bourbon

Blue Note Honey Bourbon and Honey Rye

Xbox restructuring and Halo

Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT

Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Volume 1 review

Would you try cherry wood-finished bourbon — and would you EVER drink whiskey made with venison?

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Redwood Empire 'The Hyperion' Whiskey Review: I’m getting an early taste of Batch 001, one of Redwood Empire’s most ambitious releases yet — but first, Pappy season is officially here and the whiskey news gets weird.

The Van Winkle family has announced the 2026 Pappy lineup, with six expressions ranging from Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year all the way up to Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year and the 13 Year Family Reserve Rye. Retail prices continue to creep upward, but they’re still nowhere near what these bottles command on the secondary market.

Then MGP steps out from behind the curtain with Chapter One: Out of the Shadows, its first whiskey ever released under the MGP name. It’s a 10-year, 111-proof bourbon aged in Lawrenceburg, Indiana — and at just $70, it might be one of the most interesting values of LE season.

Neeley Family Distillery also debuts PaPaw’s Legacy Reserve, a 10-year cask-strength wheated bourbon with a unique Solera-style story and a much more intimidating $300 price tag.

We’ve also got 2XO Rapper’s Delight, a collaboration between Dixon Dedman and The Sugarhill Gang, plus one of the strangest releases of the year: WhistlePig Boss Hog XIII: The Golden Pharaoh, finished with Egyptian black honey and tiger nuts.

Yes, tiger nuts.

Then it’s time for the main event: my review of Redwood Empire The Hyperion Batch 001.

This new annual limited edition combines FOUR different categories of whiskey:

🥃 32% Bourbon Whiskey

The blend pulls together more than 10 mash bills, whiskey aged from 7 to 14 years, and distillate from multiple states before being re-barreled in freshly toasted char #3 barrels.

At 110 proof and $99 MSRP, it sounds incredibly ambitious.

But does it actually work?

Would you rather spend $100 on an experimental blend like Hyperion, or stick with a traditional limited-edition bourbon?

00:00 Intro – Pappy, MGP, WhistlePig & Hyperion

Bourbon Heritage Month is officially heating up, and this week’s Bourbon Bytes is packed with limited-edition whiskey news, a huge Nintendo surprise, and a fall-ready Elijah Craig review.

Heaven Hill kicks things off with the 20th Parker’s Heritage Collection: a 14-year Kentucky straight bourbon made using rye backset during fermentation. Bottled at 118 proof and limited to just 100 barrels, this is one of the releases I’m most excited to hunt this fall.

Brown-Forman is also bringing Kentucky Boy Bourbon back from the dead for a special release honoring master distiller Chris Morris’ 50-year career, while Four Roses is blending a massive 23-year-old OESK component into its 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch.

Then Woodinville finally reaches double-digit age with its first 10 Year Bourbon, and Ardbeg adds a new permanent 15-year-old expression, Trudernish, to its core lineup.

On the gaming side, Nintendo dropped one of the biggest nostalgia bombs of the year: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting a full Nintendo Switch 2 remake.

We’re talking modernized visuals, fully voiced cutscenes, expanded dialogue, orchestral music, and a November 5 release date. As someone who grew up with classic Nintendo, this one hit me right in the nostalgia.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of the 2025 Elijah Craig Ryder Cup Limited Edition.

This 94-proof bourbon takes classic Elijah Craig and finishes it with toasted sugar maple and applewood staves as a nod to the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.

The result surprised me.

Expect oak, brown sugar, caramel pie crust, cinnamon, baked apple, maple sweetness, and a rich dessert-like profile that immediately made me think of warm apple pie at Thanksgiving.

Originally released around $70 and now showing up in some markets for considerably less, is this forgotten Ryder Cup bottle actually worth grabbing?

🥃 Topics covered:

Parker’s Heritage 14 Year Bourbon

Kentucky Boy Bourbon returns

Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch

Woodinville 10 Year Bourbon

Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Year

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake

Nintendo Switch 2

Elijah Craig 2025 Ryder Cup Limited Edition review

Is this the best Elijah Craig Ryder Cup release yet?

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00:00 Intro – Parker’s Heritage, Zelda & Elijah Craig

Beautiful bottles and brilliant blends are the unofficial theme of this week’s Bourbon Bytes Podcast.

Jim Beam is bringing back one of its most collectible pieces of bourbon history with the Ten-Pin Decanter. Inspired by the bowling-pin bottles that date back to the 1950s, the new release holds 10-year-old, 100-proof Jim Beam bourbon and will be available in limited quantities at the American Outpost in Clermont.

Brough Brothers is also celebrating Louisville history with two new bottles created in partnership with the Belle of Louisville, the world’s oldest operating Mississippi River steamboat. The 96-proof Captain’s Cut and 118-proof Cask Strength releases feature commemorative artwork, with proceeds helping support preservation of the historic ship.

Then things get experimental.

Redwood Empire The Hyperion Batch 001 combines four different styles of whiskey — bourbon, rye, wheat whiskey, and single malt — using more than 10 mash bills and whiskey ranging from 7 to 14 years old.

And Cedar Ridge’s 2026 Anniversary Edition takes finishing to another level, combining bourbon finished in Madeira, Napa Cabernet, PX Sherry, Tawny Port, and Tokaji casks.

On the gaming side, I’m also breaking down some of my favorite announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live, including RollerCoaster Tycoon: Wonderworks, Age Twisters, new Mega Man and Rayman games, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and a free Witcher 3 remaster upgrade.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

This new collaboration between Stetson, Green River Distilling Co., and Bardstown Bourbon Company is a 100-proof high-rye bourbon blended by Dan Calloway after a three-year sourcing and tasting process. The whiskey carries a reported average age of seven years and comes in one of the most striking bottles I’ve seen all year.

But does the bourbon inside live up to the presentation?

Expect milk chocolate, caramel, fudge, peanut butter, oak, dark red fruit, baking spice, and a sweet candy-shop profile that stays impressively balanced at 100 proof.

🥃 Topics covered:

What matters more to you: a beautiful bottle, or what’s actually inside it?

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This week on the Bourbon Bytes Podcast, allocated whiskey season is heating up — and I’m reviewing an 8-year Willett-distilled single barrel that somehow sold for under $100.

Sazerac kicks things off with Mr. Sam Tribute Whiskey Batch 4, a 131.08-proof blend of American and Canadian whiskey honoring Seagram legend Sam Bronfman. Then we look at Japan’s push for stronger geographic protection for Japanese whisky and what that could mean for consumers.

Maker’s Mark also announced Cellar Aged 2026, blending 11-, 12-, and 14-year-old bourbons at 112.1 proof, while Bardstown Bourbon Company revealed two new fall releases: Lochs of Jura Barrel Finish and the latest Discovery Series, finished in Garryana oak.

And on the gaming side: if you’ve been thinking about buying a Nintendo Switch 2, you may want to move quickly. The console is getting a $50 price increase to $499.99 on September 1.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of Onyx & Amber 8 Year Single Barrel Bourbon, selected by fellow Whiskeytuber Indpndnt Joe in collaboration with The Barrel Tap.

The bottle lists an undisclosed Bardstown distillery, but in the episode I identify the distillate as Willett. It’s 8 years old, 119.6 proof, aged in Colorado, and originally sold for just $95.

Expect dark brown sugar, caramel, vanilla-bean ice cream, cinnamon, oak, tobacco, sweet cherry, muscadine grape, and a long, evolving finish.

At that price, this one seriously impressed me.

🥃 Topics covered:

Would you pay $95 for an 8-year cask-strength Willett single barrel?

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00:00 Intro – Maker’s Mark, Mr. Sam, Switch 2 & Willett

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, Buffalo Trace has one of the most talked-about releases of the year on the way — and I finally got my hands on a Weller bottle I’ve somehow never reviewed.

Garrison Brothers kicks things off with its 2026 Cowboy Bourbon, an 8+ year Texas bourbon bottled at a massive 141 proof, along with the first cask-strength single-barrel version of Laguna Madre.

Then Buffalo Trace brings the heat with the Elmer T. Lee 40th Anniversary Cask Strength, an uncut and unfiltered 127.8-proof release using Mash Bill #2 — putting it in very rare company alongside Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel.

Jameson is also expanding its U.S. lineup with Distiller’s Batch, matured across five different oak types and arriving this September.

And because Bourbon Bytes is whiskey news with a gaming twist, I’m also running through some of the biggest August game releases, including Big Walk, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on Switch 2, Grounded 2, and the very Star Fox-inspired Wild Blue Skies.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of Weller Single Barrel Bourbon — the elusive orange-label Weller.

I finally found one at retail for about $69. At 97 proof, this single-barrel wheated bourbon surprised me with considerably more oak than expected, plus honey-coated oatmeal, vanilla, dried fruit, caramel, brown sugar, and a profile that reminded me of an older, proofed-down Weller Antique 107.

But rarity doesn’t automatically make a whiskey worth chasing.

🥃 Topics covered:

Would you buy Weller Single Barrel at retail — and how much is too much for the orange label?