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

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?   Chapter Markers: 00:00 Intro – Hazmat Brandy, Old Overholt, Xbox & J.P. Wiser’s 00:34 Welcome + Episode Setup 00:56 Copper & Kings Hazmat Brandy Releases 02:48 Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye 03:48 The Macallan’s Coconut-Inspired Whiskies 06:01 Xbox Disc-to-Digital Leak 08:39 Throwback Review – J.P. Wiser’s 23 Year Cask Strength 16:27 No Livestream This Week + Outro