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

What happens when you pair a botanical gin with fine craft chocolate? Crystal and Roger find out when they bring Castle & Key Roots of Ruin Gin to the table alongside Bissinger's Chocolate for one of the most specific and satisfying pairing experiments in Liquor Library history. Bottle Specs Spirit: Castle & Key Roots of Ruin Gin Distillery: Castle & Key Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky (est. 1887, restored 2016) Style: Garden-forward craft gin with botanical complexity ABV: 4

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,

Most distillery tours show you the shiny copper stills. Crystal and Roger went to Bardstown Bourbon Company for the real tour — behind the barrels, into the rick house, where the actual aging happens and where the character of bourbon is built over time. Episode Highlights Location: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Bardstown, Kentucky Type: Rick house tour — barrel aging facility Featured: Multiple expressions at various stages of aging Key theme: How barrel placement and warehouse

Part 2 of the Sorel conversation goes deeper — past the founding story and into the practical questions every drinker wants answered: How do you actually use Sorel? What does it mix with? What are the cocktails that show off its unique hibiscus and spice character? Jackie Summers delivers. Episode Highlights Guest: Jackie Summers — founder, Sorel Liqueur Spirit: Sorel Liqueur — hibiscus, sorrel, and warm spice Focus: How to drink Sorel — cocktail applications and pairings ABV

Jackie Summers didn't set out to create a cocktail ingredient. He set out to recreate a flavor he remembered from his Caribbean grandmother's kitchen — sorrel tea spiced with hibiscus, ginger, clove, and cinnamon. What he created was one of the most culturally resonant liqueurs in American spirits. Episode Highlights Guest: Jackie Summers — founder, Sorel Liqueur (Singani 63 partner) Spirit: Sorel Liqueur — hibiscus, West African sorrel, warming spices ABV: 15% Price: ~$30 Fo

Crystal and Roger take an unexpected turn and get hands-on with spirit production — specifically, the process of converting corn whiskey into what it needs to become bourbon. This deep dive into production education is one of the most instructive episodes in The Liquor Connoisseur's catalog. Episode Highlights Topic: Corn whiskey to bourbon — the production requirements Legal standard: Bourbon must be made from 51%+ corn in new charred oak The gap: What separates corn whiskey

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