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A room that used to hide barrels now hides something better: a city’s heartbeat. We slide behind The Wine Garden into a bar that feels like a password, pour a round, and meet the people turning cocktails into community for veterans who deserve more than a thank‑you. The night hums with games, laughter, and a serious purpose as Crown Royal’s hand‑painted single barrels tour Detroit, raising funds and awareness alongside care‑bag drives.

Jim—26 years across the Army and Navy—pulls back the curtain on Mission Roll Call’s model: connect locally, amplify nationally, and keep veteran issues on the desks that matter. He walks us through how the Detroit art scene brought twenty barrels to life, why each event invites guests to donate nonperishables, and where you can see and bid on the pieces that might redefine your home bar. We share the stops, the links, and the easy ways to get involved right now.

Between sips, we explore mindful options with Little Saints’ zero‑proof line, including Saint Oak’s old fashioned profile built on lion’s mane, reishi, and Damiana—rich flavor without the alcohol. Then we dive into the cocktail program that makes this hidden room sing: Smoke and Mirrors, a smoked old fashioned with Bulleit 10 Year, fig, orange, and bitters; Code Black, weaving Johnnie Walker Black with espresso and amaro; and Classified, a crisp, layered blend of vodka and aromatized wines with Meyer lemon. Tony’s vision anchors it all—a back bar curated over years, multiple expressions for true tasting flights, branded garnishes, and a QR‑driven list that turns curiosity into discovery.

Come for the secret bar. Stay for the veterans it uplifts. Tap play, share with a friend who loves Detroit, whiskey, or good causes, and drop a review so more people can find the show. Then tell us: which cocktail—or barrel—would you claim for your own?

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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August Gitschlag @rawgusto

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A brown bag, a number on the cap, and a chorus of guesses—there’s something electric about a blind pour. We crack open day one of a whiskey advent exchange and let the senses lead: orange peel peeks out, a warm glide crawls across the palate, and debate kicks off about proof, finish, and whether banana means Jack or something sneakier. The best part isn’t being right; it’s how a room full of notes sharpens your own.

From there, we move into holiday-hosting reality. Picture a house that’s seen forty-plus at dinner, a bar that has to move fast, and a menu that keeps guests happy without burying you in prep. We road-test a Grand Marnier Old Fashioned—bourbon split with orange cognac liqueur, bitters riding shotgun, a Luxardo cherry when you want depth over peel—and dial the ratios so the bourbon still sings. Pair it with one bright spritz and you’ve got a complete, flexible playbook that turns a busy day into effortless hospitality.

Along the way we get honest about collecting and taste: why high-proof bottles are fun to try but not always the bottles you live with, how to build a shelf you actually pour from, and what makes a drink memorable: balance, intention, and a table that welcomes everyone. We also zoom out to creative work: keeping a podcast consistent, defining goals before gear, and curating an Irish music stream that respects real artists in an age of AI shortcuts. It’s all connected—taste, trust, and the communities we build around them.

Raise a glass with us, steal a cocktail idea, and join the conversation. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves bourbon, and leave a quick review to help more whiskey fans find us. Cheers.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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August Gitschlag @rawgusto

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Rare pours belong in glasses, not on pedestals. We sat down with Jerry from Neat Or Stir to unpack how a Detroit-area bourbon club turns the chase into a craft: buying whole barrels, tasting blind, and building real relationships with stores to secure bottles worth opening. If you’ve ever felt burned by Michigan pricing or baffled by allocations, this conversation maps a smarter path from shelf envy to satisfying sips.

We start with the local reality—tight distribution and wild price swings across the Ohio line—then explore why club barrel picks deliver more value than camping for drops. Jerry walks us through the group’s process: 20-plus barrels a year, private blind flights, and a priority system that rewards participation without becoming elitist. Along the way we taste through an eight-year Old Louisville (Bardstown distillate) packed with brown sugar and spice, a Four Roses OBSV with high-rye bite and fruit-forward lift, and a standout Stagg single barrel that converted a skeptic. The crescendo is a generous pour of the 2025 George T. Stagg at 142.8 proof—dense cocoa, dried fruit, and an absurdly long finish with no nose-burn theatrics.

Expect practical wisdom you can use right away: how temperature and glass size change viscosity and aroma, why blind tasting beats label worship, what Four Roses recipes actually signal on the palate, and how to be the kind of customer stores want to call for special picks. More than anything, it’s a reminder that the best bottle is the one you share. When community meets curation, even hazmat-proof whiskey becomes welcoming.

If you love whiskey stories, crave better barrel picks, or want a clearer path through the allocation maze, you’ll feel right at home here. Hit follow, share this with a bourbon friend, and leave a review with your favorite single barrel of the year—we might feature it on a future tasting. Cheers.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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A quiet Monday at a local brewery turns electric when a homebrew guild pulls up chairs and starts pouring stories. We begin with two teachers who fell for British cask ales, came home to stovetops and driveway boils, and helped fuel a club where curiosity ferments into craft. The thread runs through every glass we raise: the right community turns “someday” into batches, medals, and the kind of know-how you can taste.

Live from Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. https://kbrewery.com/

We ride the arc from origin tales to technique. Water chemistry becomes a secret weapon, revealing why southeast Michigan’s tap water is a dream for brewing and how salts and profiles shape style. Then the pours arrive: a wild, 18-year-old cherry farmhouse ale that over-carbonated itself into legend; a meticulous Belgian golden strong dry enough to pair with food, yet sneaky at 9.5%; and a velvet American barleywine hopped with El Dorado, all malt depth and quiet power. The mead table steals a scene, too: a fire cider sizer crafted from cider reduced over 18 hours and dosed with fireweed honey, plus a macadamia blossom bochet kissed by Amburana wood that delivers natural baking spice without a single clove. Along the way we unpack staves vs chips, surface area, aging time, and the real economics of scaling niche styles.

What ties it all together is the guild itself. First-Monday meetings mix social flights with pro-caliber education, from hops and IPAs to yeast behavior and carbonation targets. Members bring clean American lagers that chase consistency, herb-lifted basil wits that perfume the room from a half ounce of leaves, and fresh-hopped pale ales picked one day and brewed the next. Some alumni go pro, others just brew better, but everyone learns faster through honest feedback and shared palates.

Pour a glass and come hang with us as we celebrate the science, bravery, and joy inside every fermenter. If you love craft beer, mead, cider, or just a great story that starts with a hand-pulled pint, this one’s for you. Hit follow, share with a friend who brews or wants to, and leave a review telling us the one style you’re craving next. Cheers.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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August Gitschlag @rawgusto

Merch www.WearingFunny.com

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A brewery story that starts with nuts and bolts and ends with medals and cult beers is worth a pint and a half. We set up at Kuhnhenn Brewing and talk with brothers Eric and Bret about how a family hardware store in Warren became a fiercely independent microbrewery known for high-gravity ales that still drink refreshingly clean. The path wasn’t smooth—paperwork delays, a sparse early Detroit beer map, and a lot of trial batches—but the lesson from Belgium changed everything: strength means nothing without quaffability.

Live from Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. https://kbrewery.com/

Hear how DRIPA, their double rice IPA, flipped expectations by using rice not as a shortcut but as a precision tool to dry out the body and let hops sing. The result is a 9.5% IPA that sips like something far lighter, showcasing Mosaic, Simcoe, and classic hop notes without a sticky finish. We also dive into 4th Dementia, their award-winning old ale, where stressed yeast and careful fermentation build layers of fig, toffee, and spice that unfold as the beer warms. For barrel-aged variants, they blend across Heaven Hill and other cooperages, explaining why beer often thrives in barrels that aren’t overly old and how blending achieves consistent, nuanced character.

It’s not just malt and oak. The team shares how their cider program won top marks with clean, unsulfury ferments and balanced acidity, plus why they tinker with sake and eye icebock for future releases. Along the way we talk independence, scale, and the practical reality that DRIPA keeps the lights on while limited bottles build legend. If you love craft beer, bourbon barrels, and the art of making big flavors drinkable, this conversation pours out hard-won wisdom from two brewers who never stopped learning.

If this story made you thirsty, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves strong yet smooth beers, and drop a review so others can find us. Cheers.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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August Gitschlag @rawgusto

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Ever stared at a Four Roses label and wondered what those letters actually taste like? We pulled on the baseball tees, poured a mystery single barrel at 100 proof, and put our palates to the test—no hints, just noses, notes, and a friendly wager. What started as happy hour turned into a crash course on mash bills, yeast strains, and how recipe codes like OBSF, OESO, and OESK map to real flavor in the glass.

We break the code in plain English. “B” or “E” tells you the corn and rye balance, the final letter reveals the yeast’s aromatic fingerprint, and together they shape everything from apple and cocoa to baking spice and mellow oak. As the glass opens, we talk through ethanol on the nose, how sweetness and spice trade places between sip two and three, and why color rarely gives away the profile. One taster locks on apple, another gets a bright rye lift, and the reveal proves how yeast and mash bill can be heard if you know where to listen.

Then comes the question every bourbon fan asks: is the $100 single barrel really better than the beloved Four Roses Small Batch you can actually find? We compare structure, finish, and versatility, and we’re honest about price-to-pleasure. Along the way, we share practical tips—how to taste smarter at home, why bar markups on staples like Sazerac Rye change the calculus, and which salty snacks dial up sweetness while taming heat. It’s whiskey nerdery without the pretense, wrapped in laughs and a clear takeaway you can use on your next store run.

If you love decoding labels, exploring mash bills and yeast strains, or just want a reliable guide to Four Roses single barrels, this pour is for you. Hit play, taste along, and tell us your pick. Enjoying the show? Tap follow, drop a review, and share this with a friend who thinks they can guess the code by nose alone.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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Merch www.WearingFunny.com

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A glass can change a night, and sometimes a cause. We’re clinking through Detroit’s dining glow-up, tasting everything from a zero-proof old fashioned that actually satisfies to a small-lot Mount Veeder Cabernet with the kind of structure that makes bourbon fans nod. Along the way, we spotlight Uncork for a Cure—the 10th-anniversary gala rallying chefs, sommeliers, and guests to fund breast cancer research—and why a modern event now pours exquisite wines alongside serious non-alcoholic cocktails.

We start with Little Saints, a smart take on NA drinking built around botanicals like reishi and damiana for calm focus and lifted mood. Then we pop Champagne Andre Clouet 1911, a true Champagne with deep reserves that opens from tight and steely to vinous and layered as it warms. For sweater weather, we dig into Amador County Zinfandel—the right kind of jammy, with raspberry and bramble framed by dryness that plays beautifully with lamb, smoked pork, and game. Finally, we Coravin a limited Mount Veeder Cabernet, showing mountain fruit, French oak spice, and a firm, late-arriving grip that begs for a decanter and a slow evening.

Between pours, we map Detroit’s restaurant scene: Mabel Gray, SheWolf, Chartreuse, and more raising standards with craft bar programs and thoughtful wine lists. We share practical buying tips for mulling wine without the headache, a quick primer on decanting and sediment, and a handful of Michigan wine stops that prove the state’s cool-climate whites and leaner reds deserve a spot at your table. It’s a tour of taste, technique, and community, wrapped around a night that uses hospitality to do real good.

If you enjoyed the ride, follow the show, share with a friend who loves great pours, and drop a review with your favorite fall pairing—we’d love to feature it next time. Cheers.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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Merch www.WearingFunny.com

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What makes a simple promise the most significant gift you could ever give someone? For Freddie Johnson, Buffalo Trace Distillery's beloved ambassador, keeping his word literally saved his life.

Sitting in what he calls "the ultimate man cave," Freddie shares the rich tapestry of his family's deep connection to Kentucky bourbon. As the third generation to walk the grounds of Buffalo Trace, Freddie's stories transport us through time—from his grandfather throwing rocks with Colonel Blanton along the riverbank to his father's 47-year partnership with legendary master distiller Elmer T. Lee. These aren't just family anecdotes; they're living lessons about what truly matters.

"The product in the bottle is just the byproduct of a good relationship," Freddie explains, revealing a philosophy that extends far beyond distilling. Through what he calls "memory moments," Freddie illustrates how seemingly ordinary encounters—like meeting the speakeasy's owner Tony years ago—can become foundational turning points in our lives. His most powerful story recounts how honoring a promise to care for his ailing father ultimately placed him in Kentucky instead of beneath the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001—a profound example of how "promises made, promises kept" can alter destinies.

Beyond his ambassadorial role, Freddie channels his passion into a 501(c)(3) charity that restores historical cemetery sites. Using cutting-edge technology, his team has identified thousands of forgotten graves, preserving crucial chapters of American history that might otherwise disappear. A dollar from every case of his namesake root beer and soda line directly funds these restoration efforts.

Whether you're a bourbon enthusiast or simply someone who values authentic human connection, Freddie's perspective on creating "lifetime memory moments" will transform how you think about the choices we make every day. As he reminds us, it's not about what could have been, but what should be—and the courage to choose wisely when those moments arrive.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

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Merch www.WearingFunny.com