The Kilinga Bacanora series reaches its most personal chapter. In Part 3, Crystal and Roger learn the multigenerational family story behind Kilinga — a Bacanora legacy rooted in Sonora, Mexico, and a deep belief that this spirit holds the power to heal, connect, and honor what came before. Episode Highlights Spirit featured: Kilinga Bacanora (Sonora, Mexico) Agave: Pacifica agave, wild-harvested Category: Bacanora — a protected designation of origin spirit Theme: Family legac

Part 2 of the Kilinga Bacanora series moves from origin story to liquid education. Crystal and Roger explore the three core expressions — Blanco, Silvestre, and Reposado — and break down what makes each one distinct, how the Pacifica agave expresses itself differently across these styles, and what tasting Bacanora teaches you about agave spirits as a category. Spirits Covered Kilinga Bacanora Blanco — unaged, pure agave expression Kilinga Bacanora Silvestre — made from wild-h

The Tyree Williams series concludes with its biggest question: how did American spirits come to dominate the global market, and where does the industry go from here? Crystal and Roger bring their sharpest questions to this final conversation, and Tyree delivers with a perspective shaped by years working inside the spirits industry. Episode Highlights Guest: Tyree Williams — spirits industry strategist and educator Topic: America's outsized influence on global spirits Focus: B

If Part 1 explained why spirits brands fail, Part 2 goes deep on the single biggest obstacle every producer faces after making a great product: getting it on a shelf. Crystal and Roger continue their conversation with Tyree Williams on the American three-tier distribution system and what it actually takes to move a bottle from distillery to consumer. Episode Highlights Guest: Tyree Williams — spirits industry educator and strategist Topic: The three-tier distribution system e

Before Crystal and Roger could understand Kilinga's liquid, they needed to understand Bacanora itself. In Part 1 of this three-episode series, they sit down with the Kilinga team to learn about a spirit most people have never heard of — one that's been made in Sonora, Mexico for centuries, was illegal for decades, and is now fighting for its place on the global stage. Spirit Overview Spirit: Bacanora — Mexico's third Denomination of Origin spirit after Tequila and Mezcal Regi

Crystal and Roger sit down with Tyree Williams for a conversation every spirits entrepreneur and serious drinker needs to hear. Why do most new spirits brands fail within five years — and what do the survivors do differently? Tyree brings the data, the experience, and the candor to answer that question without sugarcoating it. Episode Highlights Guest: Tyree Williams — spirits industry educator, strategist, and advisor Topic: Why new spirits brands fail and what winning brand

Dan Abel Jr. has been thinking seriously about the intersection of fine chocolate and craft spirits for years. Crystal and Roger bring him into the conversation to break down the science and sensory logic behind spirit-and-chocolate pairings — and walk away with a framework that changes how they approach both. Episode Highlights Guest: Dan Abel Jr. — Bissinger's Chocolatiers (founded 1845) Topic: Pairing craft spirits with fine chocolate Key question: What makes a spirit-choc

Most cocktail books are either too basic or too precious. The Barrister's Book of Old Fashioneds and Other Cocktails is neither. Crystal and Roger dig into this standout volume and discover a reference work genuinely worth adding to your bar shelf — one that treats the Old Fashioned as the canonical cocktail it deserves to be. Book Highlights Title: The Barrister's Book of Old Fashioneds & Other Cocktails Format: Cocktail reference and guide Emphasis: The Old Fashioned as a c

The cocktail mixer category has been stuck in a rut for decades — high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors that have nothing to do with the fruit on the label. Fresh Victor's Ken MacKenzie is changing that, and Crystal and Roger bring him to The Liquor Connoisseur to explain how. Episode Highlights Guest: Ken MacKenzie — Fresh Victor Cocktail Mixers Company: Fresh Victor — premium, natural cocktail mixers Products: Cold-pressed citrus and botanical mixer concentra

The green fairy doesn't exist. Neither does the hallucination-inducing mystique that surrounded absinthe for a century. Crystal and Roger bring in Absinthia — the founder of Absinthia Spirits — to debunk every myth and reveal what absinthe actually is, why it was banned, and why it deserves a second look from serious spirits drinkers. Episode Highlights Guest: Absinthia Vermut — founder, Absinthia Spirits Spirit: Absinthe — botanical spirit with Grand Wormwood (Artemisia absi

Every year Crystal and Roger do the research so you don't have to. The Liquor Connoisseur Holiday Gift Guide cuts through the noise and delivers specific, honest recommendations for the spirit lover in your life — organized by budget, occasion, and how well you actually know the person you're shopping for. Gift Guide Overview Coverage: Bourbon, Scotch, Tequila, Rum, Gin, Vodka, and Mezcal Budget tiers: $25–50, $50–100, $100+ Occasion types: Casual gifting, serious collectors,

The flavored whiskey category exists largely to make people forget they're drinking whiskey. Frisky Whiskey is different — it's using flavor to enhance the spirit, not hide it. Crystal and Roger make the case that it's time to put down the Crown Royal apple and pay attention to what this category can actually be. Bottle Specs Spirit: Frisky Whiskey Premium Flavored Whiskey Distillery: Oklahoma-produced Category: Flavored American Whiskey Key flavors: Natural flavoring profile

Before the Liquor Connoisseur became what it is today, Crystal and Roger had to figure out what it was going to be. This episode pulls back the curtain on the process of building a spirits review and education brand from scratch — the decisions, the failures, the framework, and the mindset that made the podcast what it is. Episode Highlights Topic: Building a spirit review and education podcast from the ground up Hosts: Crystal & Roger — founders of The Liquor Connoisseur The

Crystal and Roger take The Liquor Connoisseur on the road to The Catnip Cabin — a unique venue setting that pairs up spirits appreciation with live music from Roger Cline and The Peacemakers. It's one of the most personal and joyful episodes in the catalog. Episode Highlights Location: The Catnip Cabin — unique event venue experience Music: Roger Cline and The Peacemakers (featured performers) Hosts: Crystal & Roger (personal connection to the event) Theme: The intersection o

Days 2 and 3 of the Taste of Black Spirits festival bring Crystal and Roger deeper into one of the most important events in the spirits calendar — The Liquid Forum, a series of industry conversations, and the Tasting of Greats, where access to rare and significant bottles is the main event. Event Highlights Event: Taste of Black Spirits — Days 2 & 3 Features: The Liquid Forum (industry conversations) + Tasting of Greats Location: Brooklyn, New York Focus: Black-owned and Blac

The Taste of Black Spirits festival brought Crystal and Roger to Brooklyn for one of the most important events in the spirits world — a three-day celebration of Black ownership, Black creativity, and Black excellence in the spirits industry. Day 1 sets the stage for everything that follows. Event Highlights Event: Taste of Black Spirits — Day 1 Location: Brooklyn, New York Purpose: Celebrating and supporting Black-owned and Black-founded spirits brands Format: Industry event

Fawn Weaver's 'Love & Whiskey' tells the story of Uncle Nearest — the enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey, and whose legacy was erased for over a century. Crystal and Roger review the book right after its release and share why it's required reading for anyone who takes American whiskey seriously. Book Highlights Title: Love & Whiskey by Fawn Weaver Author: Fawn Weaver — founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Subject: Nathan 'Nearest' Green — the

The Hochatown Distilling story gets deeper in Part 2 — Crystal and Roger go further into what makes this southeastern Oklahoma distillery special, exploring more of the operation, tasting through more expressions, and understanding the long-term vision Tommy has for the brand. Episode Highlights Distillery: Hochatown Distilling Co., Broken Bow, Oklahoma Format: Distillery tour continuation — Part 2 of 2 Focus: Production depth, additional expressions, long-term brand vision L

Hochatown Distilling Company is hidden in the forests of southeastern Oklahoma, but what they're building isn't hidden at all — it's one of the most interesting craft distillery stories in the region. Crystal and Roger sit down with founder Tommy for the first of a two-part exploration of a distillery that's doing things right. Episode Highlights Distillery: Hochatown Distilling Co., Broken Bow, Oklahoma Founder: Tommy (owner and head distiller) Location: Broken Bow, McCurtai

The 3,000-bottle vault reaches its grand finale — the bottles that were held back for last, the pours that tested Crystal and Roger's descriptive vocabulary, and the closing verdict on one of the most memorable experiences in Liquor Connoisseur history. Episode Highlights Series: Holy Grail of Whiskey — 3,000-Bottle Vault | Part 4 of 4 Vault owner: Private collector (identity held by host) Bottles featured: Final, highest-tier expressions from the vault Theme: Completion of a