Espolon's Flor de Oro Marigold Reposado is a Día de los Muertos seasonal release that brings the cultural significance of the holiday into the bottle through marigold flower infusion. Crystal and Roger evaluate whether this celebration-inspired tequila delivers on both the story and the liquid. Bottle Specs Spirit: Espolon Flor de Oro Marigold Reposado Tequila Brand: Espolon (Campari Group) Category: Reposado Tequila — seasonal/limited release Infusion: Marigold flower (cempa

Fundador is the oldest Spanish brandy — founded in 1874 and still going strong. Crystal and Roger bring this Sherry Solera expression to the library to evaluate whether 150 years of tradition has produced something worth drinking today. Bottle Specs Spirit: Fundador Sherry Solera Brandy de Jerez Origin: Jerez, Spain — Brandy de Jerez DO Founded: 1874 — oldest Spanish brandy producer Aging: Solera system with sherry cask influence ABV: ~36% Price: ~$25–30 Category: Brandy de J

Brown-Forman — the parent company behind Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester — doesn't talk about Coopers' Craft nearly enough. Crystal and Roger bring this Barrel Reserve expression to the spotlight it deserves. Bottle Specs Spirit: Coopers' Craft Barrel Reserve Bourbon Distillery: Brown-Forman, Louisville, Kentucky Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aging: Barrel Reserve — filtered through beech and birch charcoal ABV: ~50% (100 proof) Price: ~$35–45

John Lee Hooker was one of the most influential blues musicians in American history. Boogie Chillen Bourbon uses his legacy as its foundation — and Crystal and Roger evaluate whether the liquid in the bottle honors the name on the label. Bottle Specs Spirit: Boogie Chillen Bourbon Namesake: John Lee Hooker — legendary Delta blues musician Category: American Straight Bourbon Whiskey ABV: ~45% Price: ~$35–45 Character: Heritage brand celebrating Black American musical legacy Th

Old Forester's '1NCE AGAIN' is a Taste Select — a single barrel release chosen specifically for the Liquor Connoisseur. Crystal and Roger open the bottle that bears their brand's selection and evaluate what store picks mean when the people doing the picking actually know what they're looking for. Bottle Specs Spirit: Old Forester '1NCE AGAIN' Single Barrel Cask Strength Distillery: Old Forester Distillery, Louisville, Kentucky (est. 1870) Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon W

Penelope Toasted Bourbon offers something rare in accessible bourbon: a genuine head-to-head comparison between the standard release and a single barrel store pick from the same expression. Crystal and Roger taste both and explain what barrel selection actually does to a well-made four-grain bourbon. Bottle Specs Spirit: Penelope Toasted Bourbon — Standard Release vs. Single Barrel Store Pick Distillery: MGP Indiana production for Penelope Bourbon Category: Kentucky Straight

J. Rieger & Co. is one of the great American distillery revival stories — a Kansas City pre-Prohibition institution that closed in 1919 and reopened in 2014. Crystal and Roger bring their Premium Wheat Vodka to the library and evaluate whether the revival is living up to the legacy. Bottle Specs Spirit: J. Rieger & Co. Premium Wheat Vodka Distillery: J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City, Missouri (est. 1887, revived 2014) Category: American Craft Wheat Vodka Base grain: Winter wheat

Jura Seven Wood is one of the most ambitious finishing experiments in Scotch whisky — seven different cask types, each contributing a different layer to a single malt that starts in the same place every year. Crystal and Roger unwrap the complexity and evaluate whether seven is better than one. Bottle Specs Spirit: Jura Seven Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery: Jura Distillery, Isle of Jura, Scotland Age: No age statement (NAS) — finished in seven wood types Cask types

Loft & Bear is a Black-owned Los Angeles craft distillery making a bold claim: their artisanal vodka is better than Grey Goose. Crystal and Roger take that claim seriously and taste with fresh, unbiased palates. Bottle Specs Spirit: Loft & Bear Artisanal Vodka Distillery: Loft & Bear Distillery, Los Angeles, California Ownership: Black-owned and operated Category: American Craft Vodka Base: Grain (winter wheat) ABV: 40% Price: ~$30–35 The comparison claim: Better than Grey Go

WhistlePig 12-Year World Rye arrives with a staggering pedigree — aged 12 years, finished in three different wine casks, and priced to match. Crystal and Roger ask the question that $125 demands: does this rye earn every dollar? Bottle Specs Spirit: WhistlePig 12-Year Old World Rye Distillery: WhistlePig Farm, Vermont (sourced Canadian rye, finished Vermont) Category: Straight Rye Whiskey — triple cask finish Age: 12 years Finish: Sauternes, Madeira, and Armagnac casks ABV: 4

Flor de Caña's sustainability story is one of the most compelling in the spirits industry — carbon neutral, fair trade certified, and aged at the base of an active volcano in Nicaragua. Crystal and Roger evaluate whether the story improves the rum or if the rum improves the story. Bottle Specs Spirit: Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum Distillery: Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, Chichigalpa Category: Aged Caribbean/Central American Rum Age: 7 years Aging: Volcano base — unique temperatu

Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations Cognac is named for a family commitment that spans centuries — ten generations of Ferrand family involvement in the Cognac trade. Crystal and Roger taste through this expression and evaluate whether a family legacy makes a better brandy. Bottle Specs Spirit: Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations Cognac House: Pierre Ferrand (Alexandre Gabriel, Cognac House) Region: Grande Champagne, Cognac, France (premier cru) Category: Grande Champagne Cognac — no age

Dingle Single Malt Batch No. 5 is a limited Irish whiskey that challenges your assumptions about what Irish whiskey can be. Crystal and Roger unwrap a spirit that opens like one thing on the nose and delivers something entirely different on the palate. Bottle Specs Spirit: Dingle Single Malt Irish Whiskey — Batch No. 5 Distillery: Dingle Distillery, County Kerry, Ireland (est. 2012) Category: Single Malt Irish Whiskey — limited batch release Cask: Triple distilled, matured in

Michter's has been named the World's Most Admired Whiskey brand multiple times. Crystal and Roger open this single barrel straight rye to evaluate whether the world's most admired bottle lives up to its recognition. Bottle Specs Spirit: Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Distillery: Michter's Distillery, Louisville, Kentucky Category: American Single Barrel Straight Rye Barrel entry proof: Maximum 103 — below federal maximum Bottling proof: 42.4% (84.8 proof) P

Redbreast 12 is the Irish whiskey that converts whiskey drinkers from every other category. Crystal and Roger open this iconic single pot still Irish whiskey and investigate the redemption arc that the name 'Redbreast' has had over the last two decades. Bottle Specs Spirit: Redbreast 12 Year Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Distillery: Midleton Distillery, County Cork, Ireland Category: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey — the most distinctly Irish style Age: 12 years Casks: Americ

Mount Gay Black Barrel is positioned as the rum for whiskey drinkers — a Caribbean rum finished in American whiskey barrels to bridge the two categories. Crystal and Roger evaluate whether the bridge works. Bottle Specs Spirit: Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum Distillery: Mount Gay Distilleries, Barbados (est. 1703 — oldest rum distillery in continuous operation) Category: Premium Aged Rum — whiskey barrel finish Aging: Pot and column still blend, finished in charred American whisk

Bhakta 1928 contains spirits from the year 1928 — blended with other aged Armagnac and Cognac to create something extraordinary at a price that seems impossible given the age of the liquid. Crystal and Roger investigate how a 100-year-old blend comes in at $75. Bottle Specs Spirit: Bhakta 1928 Armagnac & Cognac Blend Founder: Raj Bhakta — founder of WhistlePig, now Bhakta Spirits Category: Aged Brandy Blend — Armagnac and Cognac Vintage component: Contains actual 1928 vintage

Every episode of The Liquor Connoisseur Podcast is on Spotify. All 127 episodes are listed below — click any link to listen. Follow the show so you never miss a new episode. 🆕 2025–2026: Latest Episodes EP127: The Industry Shakeout — https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-liquor-connoisseur/episodes/The-Industry-Shakeout-Brown-Forman--Pernod-Ricard-MERGER---The-Uncle-Nearest-Receivership-Saga-e3hepdm | EP126: Bhakta 1928 Review — https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/

✍️ About The Liquor Connoisseur Blog Welcome to The Liquor Connoisseur Blog — the written companion to our podcast and the home base for our ongoing spirits education mission. Whether you found us through an episode, a Google search, or a friend who wouldn't stop talking about a bottle we reviewed, we're glad you're here. Who We Are Crystal and Roger are OKC-based spirit enthusiasts, educators, and the hosts of The Liquor Connoisseur Podcast. Since launching in 2023, we've pu

🌿 SPIRIT 101: GIN Gin is the most botanically diverse spirit in the world. Whether you're a gin lover or gin-skeptic, understanding how it's made and the range of styles available will completely change how you approach the category. What Makes It Gin? Gin starts with a neutral grain spirit (usually wheat or rye) that is redistilled or infused with botanicals. The only legal requirement is that juniper berries must be the predominant flavor. Beyond that, distillers have near