J.P. Wiser's 23 Year Cask Strength Review: Still One of Canada's Best?

Today on the Bourbon Bites podcast, Copper and Kings drops a face-melting hazmat brandy, Old Overhaul releases its boldest cast strength yet, and a leak from Xbox suggests a massive win for retro game collectors. Plus, I'm pouring up a throwback review of cast strength Canadian whiskey. Hello everyone and welcome to the Bourbon Bites podcast. I'm your host Clifton, and this is the week of Thursday, August 6th, 2026. And as the days get hotter, so is the whiskey in our glass because we have some news about some high-proof whiskey, plus a little throwback review to one of my favorite Canadian whiskeys of all time. We got a lot of news to cover in both whiskey and video games, so tune in and pour yourself a glass. The first of which is not a whiskey but a brandy announcement. This is coming to us from Copper and Kings out of Kentucky, and they are opening up first access to some of their exclusive bottles online. So previously these were distillery exclusives, so you couldn't find them anywhere outside of Kentucky, but now they're putting out some of their highest proof and oldest brandies online for everyone. And I gotta say, these are very tempting. The one that's the first listed in this email is a 10-year hazmat apple brandy that's been finished in rum casks. This one comes in at 147.6 proof, so it's natural barrel strength. It says the rum that was in here was previously held for 23 years. It's a Nicaraguan rum, so that's pretty incredible. And it's only $110. I think that's what surprises me the most about this Kentucky-made brandy is it's just as good, if not better, than a lot of Kentucky-made bourbon based on my experience at Copper and Kings. You know, I've had quite a bit of their stuff, and it comes in at a ridiculously reasonable price for what it is. In addition to this, they also have a nine-year hazmat apple brandy that comes in at 145.4 proof. That one uses a former bourbon barrel for aging. Also coming in at $110. And if that's a little bit too much proof for you, they also have a 12-year American brandy, a little bit more approachable, at 119.2 proof. That one comes in at just $90, so I'm really excited to see these previously distillery exclusive options available for us to purchase online. I will definitely be placing an order. I'm not sure what I'm going to get yet, but those hazmat exclusives sound pretty delicious. Now, of course, you can buy their other spirits on their website as well, like their Kings Proof Bourbon, their Revival American Brandy, and their other regular releases. But I wanted to point out these previously distillery exclusive options are now available, so check it out. All right. Well, speaking of now available, there is a new edition of Old Overholt Cast Strength. And when I found out about this, I was kind of caught off guard because I always say I love the original 10-year Cast Strength release that came out back in 2023. And I really like the 12-year one that came out back in 2025. So I associated the 11-year with the 2024 release, which just to me, wasn't my favorite of these Old Overholt Cast Strengths. But now to hear that there's going to be a new version of the 11-year, I'm going to have to start checking those shelves a little more closely because I'm willing to give it another shot. Again, I just think that was my least favorite of the three previous releases, but that doesn't mean that the 11-year for 2026 isn't going to be my favorite of them all. So I'm looking forward to trying that. Again, I'm a huge fan of these Cast Strength Old Overholts for the price and the proof. It's really one of the best deals in American whiskey, and I just really love their stuff. By the way, the way to tell about this new release is the fact that it is 125.6 proof, whereas the 2024 release was 117.4. So just something to keep in mind. Another new announcement comes to us from the Macallan. They're releasing their final Harmony Collection whiskeys, and this kind of surprised me because the big leading headline is these were coconut-inspired whiskeys. So I was like, wait, is Macallan out here releasing coconut-flavored whiskeys? No, that's not the case. But they are inspired by different coconut flavor profiles. So these are just launched this Tuesday, and there's two different releases. The first of which is called Inspired by Fresh Coconut, and it's bottled at 46.3% ABV. Now, they're saying this flavor profile reveals fresh coconut, citrus, and tropical fruits with a palette of coconut milk, zesty lime, and a soft sweetness leading to a bright floral finish. Very different than what I would expect a Macallan to taste like. I mean, I get the brightness, but coconut is such a unique note. I don't know if I've ever gotten that on a scotch. So I'm curious, not convinced, but curious. The other one is they're Inspired by Toasted Coconut, and this one's going to be available at their Global Travel Retail Partners. They say this one is described as a toasted coconut and