The Bottles That Defined Our Year

Behind the Pour

At the end of every year, Crystal and Roger sit down with the bottles that mattered most and account for the ones that actually changed something — the ones they finished and bought again, the ones they are still thinking about, the ones that introduced them to a category or a producer they had not taken seriously enough before. This year-end episode is not a ranking. It is a memory exercise: here is what we reached for, here is what surprised us, and here is what we think you should go find.

What You'll Discover

• New Dawn 10-Year Wheated Cask Strength: The bottle they bought twice because they finished the first one. Roger was drinking it as his 'bedtime whiskey' during an illness — making hot toddies and getting better. Cask strength, ten-year wheated whiskey at full barrel proof. When a bottle becomes your go-to for daily sipping at cask strength, something is working.
• Yéyo Rosado Reposado — agave at its most transparent: Crystal's section, naturally. The Rosado reposado finishes in three different cask types including wine barrels, carries agave character front and center, and earns the distinction of genuinely tasting like what it is. Crystal notes they serenade the tequila during fermentation, which is a choice that says something about a brand's philosophy.
• Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations Cognac: Roger's cognac of the year, found at a local liquor store after not having a cognac in a while. The 10 Generations carries 185 years of the Ferrand family's approach — minimal sweetening, Grande Champagne terroir, production transparency that most cognac houses don't offer.
• The bottles you finish are the real list: Crystal and Roger rarely finish bottles completely — a larger collection means you rotate rather than empty. When they finish something and immediately buy another, that is the data point that matters more than any review score.

A Moment of Pourspective

The bottle you finish is a more honest review than any score. You can appreciate something you don't finish. You only go back for more when something is genuinely, repeatedly right.

Explore the Conversation

Year-end episodes are where Crystal and Roger's methodology becomes visible. They do not choose the most impressive bottles — the highest-rated, the most allocated, the ones with the best press. They choose the ones they actually drank. The New Dawn 10-year appears not because it won a competition but because it became Roger's sick-day companion and bedtime pour — and then they emptied the bottle and bought another one. Crystal's tequila representation in every year-end list is consistent and deserved. She has the agave shelf, the single-minded focus, and the palate built on years of specific attention to that category. The Yéyo Rosado Reposado's appearance reflects both brand quality and Crystal's ongoing case that great agave spirits deserve the same respect as allocated bourbon. Roger's cognac pick is a recurring pattern in his year-end contributions — he consistently returns to the brandy categories that most of TLC's audience overlooks. Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations is not the most famous cognac. It is the one he found, bought, and finished thinking about.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is New Dawn 10-Year? New Dawn Distilling produces a 10-year wheated cask strength whiskey. Crystal and Roger have reviewed it previously — this episode marks the year it became a regular purchase rather than a special bottle.
• What does it mean that Yéyo serenades the tequila during fermentation? Yéyo plays music near their fermentation tanks during the fermentation process. There is some evidence that sound vibration affects yeast activity and fermentation character, though it remains debated. It is a signal of the brand's philosophy — they think every variable matters.
• Where do I find Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations? It is available at specialty spirits retailers. Roger found his at a local liquor store, which is worth noting: these Ferrand expressions move quietly through normal retail channels without the scarcity theater of allocated bourbon.
• How often does TLC do a year-end episode? It appears to be an annual tradition — a chance for Crystal and Roger to step back from individual reviews and assess what actually stood out.

Episode at a Glance

• Hosts: Crystal and Roger
• Runtime: approximately 20 minutes
• Category: Spirits Education
• Format: Year-end roundup — three bottles, three categories, two perspectives