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?

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re turning up the proof with hazmat brandy, cask-strength rye, coconut-inspired Scotch, a potentially huge win for retro gamers, and a throwback review of one of the best Canadian whiskies I’ve ever tasted.

Copper & Kings is making several former distillery exclusives available online, including a 10-year rum-finished apple brandy at 147.6 proof, a 9-year apple brandy at 145.4 proof, and a 12-year American brandy at 119.2 proof.

Old Overholt is also back with a new 11-year Cask Strength Rye. The 2026 release comes in at 125.6 proof, making it notably stronger than the previous 11-year edition.

Then The Macallan closes out its Harmony Collection with two coconut-inspired releases: Inspired by Fresh Coconut and Inspired by Toasted Coconut. They are not flavored whiskies, but their tasting profiles promise coconut milk, lime, tropical fruit, crème caramel, white chocolate, charred pineapple, and frangipane.

On the gaming side, a leaked Xbox plan could be a major win for physical media collectors. The rumored disc-to-digital program would let players register physical Xbox One games as digital copies, with Xbox 360 support potentially following later.

Finally, it’s time for a throwback Byte-Sized Review of J.P. Wiser’s 23 Year Old Cask Strength Canadian Whisky.

Originally released in 2019, this blend of 23-year-old corn and rye whiskies was bottled at a massive 128.6 proof and originally sold for around $149 Canadian—approximately $106 US at the time.

Seven years later, it still delivers bright citrus, blueberry, caramel, vanilla, rye bread, syrupy honey texture, cinnamon-roll sweetness, subtle oak, vintage tobacco, and an exceptionally long finish.

Is this still one of the best Canadian whiskies ever released?

🥃 Topics covered:

Copper & Kings hazmat apple brandies

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye

The Macallan Harmony Collection coconut releases

Xbox’s rumored disc-to-digital game program

J.P. Wiser’s 23 Year Cask Strength review

How the whisky holds up seven years later

Final score and whether anything comparable exists today

What older bottle would you most like to revisit with your current palate?

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This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re wrapping up July with a shorter episode packed with whiskey news, AI controversy, celebrity whiskey moves, and a bourbon review with a meaningful story behind it.

The 15-month U.S. tariff on Scotch is officially over, but will bottle prices actually come back down? Then we look at CASKD AI, a new whiskey-focused artificial intelligence tool built for Scotch enthusiasts, collectors, market valuations, and bottle research.

Beyoncé is also making a major move in the whiskey world by taking full ownership of SirDavis American Whisky after originally launching the brand with Moët Hennessy. Does this mean more SirDavis releases are coming?

We also cover new releases from Bib & Tucker, Dancing Goat Distillery, and Bulleit, including a bottled-in-bond bourbon, older MGP-sourced whiskey, American single malt, and the new Bulleit ’87 bourbon-and-rye blend.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of Locke + Co Big Blaze Bourbon.

This Colorado-finished Kentucky bourbon supports firefighters and first responders, with 10% of sales benefiting Grand County, Colorado. The whiskey is finished with charred Aspen discs sourced from the East Troublesome Fire area, creating a story-driven bottle with toasted oak, vanilla, muscadine grape, bitter chocolate, and sweet vanilla finish.

Small correction: I accidentally refer to the brand as “Locke + Key” in the audio, but the correct name is Locke + Co.

🥃 Topics covered:

Scotch tariffs officially ending

CASKD AI and whiskey research

Beyoncé taking full ownership of SirDavis Whisky

Bib & Tucker 8 Year Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Dancing Goat 10 Year Bourbon and American Single Malt

Bulleit ’87 Bourbon + Rye Blend

Locke + Co Big Blaze Bourbon review

Would you use AI to research whiskey, or would you rather trust reviewers and your own palate?

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re diving into a packed lineup of new whiskey releases before revisiting one of my favorite barrel-strength rye whiskeys of all time: Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye.

New Riff is releasing its oldest Headliner blend yet, featuring 10+ year components including malted rye bourbon, rye, and Balboa rye. Bardstown Bourbon Company is getting tropical with Victoria Pineapple Finished Whiskey, a bourbon and rye blend finished in pineapple rum casks with fresh pineapple added to the barrel. Yellowstone is back with a limited edition finished in ruby and tawny port casks, and Heaven Hill is unveiling a first-of-its-kind Double Mash Bottled-in-Bond bourbon that blends its traditional bourbon mash bill with its wheated bourbon mash bill.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye.

This 2016 release is one of the earlier batches of Michter’s barrel-strength rye, likely around 113–114 proof, and it gave me a very different experience than I remembered from later releases. Expect an herbaceous rye nose, mint, citrus, vintage copper notes, brown sugar, burnt sugar, oak, plum, cinnamon, clove, and a long holiday-spice finish.

I used to think of Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye as one of my favorite rye whiskeys ever — but does this older bottle still hold up in 2026?

🥃 Topics covered:

New Riff 2026 Headliner Blend

Bardstown Bourbon Company Victoria Pineapple Finished Whiskey

Yellowstone Limited Edition Bourbon

Heaven Hill Double Mash Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye review

How older Michter’s releases compare to modern bottles

Final score and whether vintage bottles are worth hunting

Would you rather try Bardstown’s pineapple-finished whiskey or hunt down an older Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye?

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00:00 Intro – New Riff, Bardstown, Heaven Hill & Michter’s Rye

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast...

Kavalan shocked the whiskey world at the 2026 International Whisky Competition, taking three of the top five spots with Taiwanese single malt releases including the Peatist Oloroso Sherry Cask, Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength, and Solist Madeira Cask.

Then Buffalo Trace announced Camp Buffalo Trace, a new 21+ summer camp-style experience featuring bourbon education, blind tastings, single barrel challenges, barrel stave workshops, and even overnight luxury camping at the distillery.

Buffalo Trace also quietly revealed a new Bourbon Lemonade canned cocktail, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon and real lemon juice, available at the distillery this summer.

Then it’s time for a Byte-Sized Review of a Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Store Pick from K&L Wine and Spirits.

This 9 year, 2 month Buffalo Trace store pick was bottled in a 1.75L handle for around $65, making it one of the best values I’ve found from Buffalo Trace in a while. It brings classic Buffalo Trace character with extra age, oak, brown sugar pastry, candied apple, cherry, caramel, chocolate, and a surprisingly solid finish for 90 proof.

Is this the best way to drink Buffalo Trace?

🥃 Topics covered:

Kavalan’s massive International Whisky Competition sweep

Camp Buffalo Trace luxury bourbon camping

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Lemonade canned cocktail

What makes Buffalo Trace store picks different

K&L Wine and Spirits Buffalo Trace single barrel review

Final score and whether store picks are worth hunting

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00:00 Intro – Kavalan, Camp Buffalo Trace & Store Pick Review

Would you grab a Buffalo Trace store pick over the standard bottle?

This week on the Bourbon Bytes podcast, we’re talking about major whiskey and gaming news before diving into a double Byte-Sized Review of SHĀNG whiskey — a first-of-its-kind fusion of Chinese baijiu tradition and Kentucky whiskey aging.

Barton 1792 just announced two major releases: its first-ever 1792 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and 1792 XV, a 15-year-old cask-strength, unfiltered bourbon that marks the oldest age-stated expression in the brand’s history.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail also added four new destinations, including Pursuit Spirits, giving a major milestone moment to a brand that started as a whiskey podcast.

On the gaming side, Microsoft announced one of the biggest restructures in Xbox history, including thousands of job cuts and a major shift in strategy.

Then it’s time for the main event: a double review of SHĀNG’s new jiàngxiāng whiskey releases.

First up is SHĀNG Dàn Yǎ, made from Chinese sauce-aroma baijiu that is redistilled and aged in charred American oak in Kentucky. Then I review SHĀNG East + West Kentucky Blend, which combines that baijiu-based whiskey with American red sorghum whiskey.

These are unlike anything I’ve reviewed before: sweet, earthy, savory, smoky, honeyed, mezcal-like, Islay-adjacent, and completely unique.

🥃 Topics covered:

1792 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

1792 XV 15 Year Cask Strength Bourbon

Kentucky Bourbon Trail adds Pursuit Spirits

Microsoft and Xbox restructuring

What is SHĀNG jiàngxiāng whiskey?

SHĀNG Dàn Yǎ review

SHĀNG East + West Kentucky Blend review

Final scores and which bottle I’d recommend first

Would you try baijiu whiskey, or is this too far outside traditional American whiskey?

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