The Whiskey Gorilla is back. Christopher Ritch of Rare Character returns six months after e. 17, and he brought the box he promised us at the Oviedo Bourbon Club.

In the glass: Black Maple Hill Small Batch (the red label), Black Maple Hill 16 Year (the black label), both at 95 proof, and Old Cassidy batch A025, made from Wild Turkey distillate and named for the Russell family. Chris tells the Black Maple Hill story, from Julian Van Winkle to Willett to Rare Character's relaunch this summer. He also tells us how Pablo rebuilt the old profile with older whiskey. The table splits: the Small Batch has the nose, and Old Cassidy has the finish.

Chris also catches us up on the encore hazmat from Oviedo, Pablo's espresso Manhattan, and new single barrel codes. He gives us a first look at two holiday Publix labels, and explains why Rare Character has outgrown its bottling line.

Men's Mental Health picks up where e. 17 left off, going from imposter syndrome to burnout. We talk about what happens when a hobby or a job you love starts to run your life, and why your friends usually see burnout before you do. Then a reminder to check in with your brothers. If you or someone you know is struggling, call, text or chat 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's there 24 hours a day. We need you here talking shit today.

Then AITA: a drunk party guest breaks a $175 bottle, a gift to the host's wife from her dad, and promises to replace it. A year later he says he never planned to. His name is Rick. The verdict isn't close.

Follow Chris on Instagram at @whiskeygorilla. Follow us at @talkingshittoday on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and send your AITA stories to talkingshittoday@gmail.com. Subscribe, share it with a friend, and drink responsibly. 21+.

Bottles provided by Christopher Ritch of Rare Character.

Chapters:
0:00 Cold open: Lumpy's mic tries to kill him
0:54 Welcome back, Whiskey Gorilla
1:29 The Oviedo Bourbon Club and the encore hazmat
5:20 Water, ice, and Pablo's espresso Manhattan
9:53 What Rare Character has been up to
14:34 A first look at the holiday Publix labels
19:27 What's in the Glass: Black Maple Hill Small Batch
31:20 Black Maple Hill 16 Year
37:11 Old Cassidy
50:29 Picking a favorite
53:50 Outgrowing the bottling line
58:06 Men's Mental Health: from imposter syndrome to burnout
1:22:58 AITA: the Oscars party bottle
1:32:50 Closing toasts

e. 30, the Dirty Thirty. General X, Lumpy, and Big Red crack a Seelbach's Private Reserve 21 Year cask strength American light whiskey at 145.4 proof and run it through the TST scale. It's a 99% corn Indiana barrel that noses like dessert and drinks like dragon's breath. Overall verdict: Banger.

Our first-ever bonus episode, recorded live at the Old Dominick Florida release party at Forward Slash Distillery & Blending House in Winter Park, FL. Companion to Episode 29.

Stephen Lowery of Old Dominick sits down to talk Memphis's only distillery, the Huling Station story, what makes Tennessee whiskey its own category, Memphis's thirsty angels, and where to find Old Dom in Central Florida. Then we get into MGP putting its own name on the bottle, NDPs, and bourbon prices finally coming back down to earth.

Cass, brand ambassador at Forward Slash, pours the new Threshold bourbon and Convergence rye, blended from Frey Ranch, Oregon Spirits, Finger Lakes, J. Henry & Sons and Brooklyn, plus a sneak peek at the Mizunara-finished cryptid series. Our new friend Bones the skeleton supervised.

Old Dominick, Forward Slash, Tennessee whiskey, bourbon podcast, Winter Park, Orlando whiskey.

General X, Lumpy, and Big Red crack the 2026 Old Dominick 8 Year Reserve Bourbon. It went in the barrel at 110 and came out at 100 proof, with cream soda on the nose and a mouthfeel you have to chew. The guys hype their first ever live bonus episode at the official Florida launch party for Old Dominick, hosted by Forward Slash in Winter Park. Then they pick up where the last two episodes left off and get into what asking for help actually looks like, with two role played first sessions: one with a therapist and one with a veteran counselor. They close it out with an AITA about a guy who brought his mom on a first date.

This episode includes discussion of suicide.

We officially kick off year two of Talking Shit Today, and we're switching things up. No bourbon on the table this week. Instead, X, Lumpy, and Red welcome Josh Marcott of Grove and Grain Distillery out of Brooksville, FL, a gin and rum maker with a mission to put Florida spirits on the map.

The fellas push back on the "no bourbon" premise right out of the gate (what are we doing here, exactly), but Josh makes the case for why gin and rum deserve a seat at the table too. Expect the usual chaos: a cleaning-product mix-up, some good-natured ribbing about the show's evolution, and a real conversation about what it takes to build a spirits brand in a state most people don't associate with distilling.

New guest, new categories, same shit-talking energy. Welcome back, fellas.

One Year of Talking Shit 🥃 (feat. Whiskey Odin & Whiskey Witch)

Episode 25 — one shy of the one-year mark — and X and Lumpy bring back Corey Allender (Cracked Skull Podcast) alongside first-timer Seth, aka OhioBourbonBro, for a barrel pick they're genuinely proud of: the Cracked Skull Rye, a 10-year MGP barrel proof stunner they picked together. The guys break down the pick, the friendship behind it, and why TikTok is great for connection but garbage for marketing.

Then it's Am I the Asshole: a dad asks his 19-year-old, self-described "child-free" daughter to help babysit her newly-orphaned 4-year-old cousin — or start paying rent. The room does not hold back.

Mental health check this week: "divorce core," the internet's new dad aesthetic, and what it actually means to normalize starting over.

In this episode:

• What's in the Glass: Cracked Skull Rye (10yr MGP, barrel proof, unfiltered) — unanimous Banger
• The story behind the pick and the friendship with Hanger 1 Distillery
• Corey & Seth on building community over competition in the bourbon space
• AITA: "Babysit or Pay Rent" — a genuinely split verdict
• Men's Mental Health: unpacking "divorce core" and normalizing the next chapter
• A giveaway tease and a toast to close it out

Connect with Cracked Skull Podcast and OhioBourbonBro on all socials.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available by call, text, or chat at 988. You are needed here.

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