What happens when a category's success leads to its demise? Tequila is the fastest-growing spirit in the world, yet its popularity has put it on a path to extinction. In this episode, David Suro joins us to discuss the world of agave spirits, from smuggling tequila into the U.S. for tastings in the 1980s to the rise of industrialized production methods that he believes have put the entire category at risk of disappearing overnight.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Founding ‘Tequilas’ (3:34)

Americanized Mexican Cuisine (10:27)

The Low Cabinet: Secret Bottles (15:19)

Origins of Agave Spirits (21:01)

Tequilas Boom and Bust (30:50)

Mescal vs Tequila (41:32)

Tequila’s Monoculture (47:32)

Process vs Aging (1:07:35)

Transparency in Tequila (1:16:46)

RELATED LINKS:

Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals

Siembra Spirits

Tequilas Casa Mexicana

The Tequila Inerchange Project

Siembra Suro Foundation

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Who decides which wines make it to wine shop shelves and restaurant lists? For decades, importers like Ronnie Sanders have quietly helped shape the way we drink wine. As the founder of Vine Street Imports, Ronnie has spent the last two decades building a reputation for finding overlooked winemakers long before the rest of the industry. In this episode, Ronnie and Eli dig into emerging wine trends, his take on ‘the death of wine’, and explore what actually makes a bottle worth drinking.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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Vine Street Imports

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Ronnie’s Australian Connection (3:37)

Getting Into Wine (6:11)

Bordeaux and Ronnie’s Father (17:34)

Sourcing Australian Wine (22:20)

The Jakarta Story (30:44)

What's Hot In Wine (45:00)

Australian Pinot Noir And Chardonnay (48:49)

What is Value? (49:59)

Emerging Wine Trends (58:49)

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Bûcheron (French for “lumberjack”) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2025. Last month, Jonathan Ellsworth had the opportunity to attend a Bûcheron dinner, and today, he talks with owners Jeanie and Adam Ritter about their unconventional backgrounds; how they and their team created a restaurant that earned one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world; and what life has been like since.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

TOPICS & TIMES:

What is Bucheron? (3:18)

Minnesota French (5:05)

Jeanie’s Background (7:41)

Adam’s Background (14:47)

Michelin & James Beard (25:10)

Travel & Learning (29:24)

Boucheron's Methodology (31:09)

Cooking in Unfamiliar Places (36:41)

Opening Bucheron (42:58)

Winning the James Beard Award (46:51)

Advice for Success (51:54)

Minneapolis and ICE (56:19)

The Bear (1:03:02)

Eating at Home (1:05:07)

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Bucheron

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