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A bourbon bottle can be just glass and marketing, or it can be a doorway into a place most people have never been taught to remember. We sit down with John Joubert, founder of Iconic Spirits, to taste Black Eden 1912 and unpack why the name points back to Idlewild, Michigan, a historic African American resort community founded in 1912 during an era when Black travelers needed safe destinations of their own.

https://blackeden1912bourbon.com/

https://www.ikonicspirits.biz/

John shares his Detroit roots, his path through basketball and a career in entertainment, and the moment during COVID that pushed him to build something lasting in his mother’s honor. That journey starts with Phyllis Wines, then scales into whiskey with a clear goal: create a premium Black-owned bourbon brand that carries history without sacrificing quality.

We also get nerdy in the best way. Black Eden 1912 is a straight bourbon whiskey at 90 proof with a 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley mash bill, aged four years. We talk sourcing and blending (including MGP), why consistency is an art, and what we taste in the glass, from a sweet nose to cherry and sugar-cookie notes. Then we break down the “shelf appeal” side: the Kingston bottle shape, screen-printed design, real cork, and the packaging decisions that make this look as good as it pours.

You’ll hear how John grows distribution market by market, why he still shows up for tastings himself, where you can find the bottle, and what’s coming next, including older barrels, a potential tasting room, and events like the Metro Detroit Bourbon Festival. If you like bourbon with a story you can verify, hit play, subscribe, share this with a whiskey friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

Matt Fox @fox_beazlefox

August Gitschlag @rawgusto

Merch www.WearingFunny.com

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Opening Day in Detroit has a way of turning grown adults into planners, philosophers, and absolute chaos goblins before lunchtime. We’re gearing up for Detroit Tigers Opening Day and spring break energy at the same time, so the talk goes straight to what actually matters: where people gather downtown, how the day flows, and why Greektown becomes the gravitational pull for anyone chasing the full experience.

Tony from Firebird Tavern joins us to break down what Opening Day looks like from the inside. We get into the tent setup, the early doors, the DJ, big video walls, and the behind-the-scenes realities of serving a packed crowd when the city is buzzing. We also talk about building a bar culture that works in downtown Detroit and in Troy, because consistency matters more than hype when the pressure is on.

From there, we do what we always do and follow the drinks wherever they lead. That includes whiskey tasting stories, shelf staples like Woodford, the fun and pain of chasing better expressions, plus how barrel picks actually happen when you’re choosing between multiple barrels. Then we swing into tequila: what it’s like visiting producers in Mexico, why the hacienda mindset feels different, and the bottles we reach for when we want something worth sipping.

If you love Detroit bar culture, whiskey and bourbon talk, tequila recommendations, and the messy beauty of sports traditions, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who never misses Opening Day, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

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https://linktr.ee/ManCaveHappyHour

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Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

Matt Fox @fox_beazlefox

August Gitschlag @rawgusto

Merch www.WearingFunny.com

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The fastest way to understand a city’s culture is to taste what it drinks, and Detroit has a few bottles that instantly tell a story. We’re pouring Detroit City Distillery tonight, starting with a freezer-cold Jeżynówka-style blackberry brandy that a lot of people know from Hamtramck bars, deer blinds, and Punchki Day traditions. From the first sip we get into real tasting notes, how temperature changes the experience, and why blackberry brandy can feel both nostalgic and surprisingly refined.

https://www.detroitcitydistillery.com/

From there we line things up the only way that makes sense: side-by-side. A young bourbon can be a reality check when you revisit it, especially next to something as bold as fruit brandy, and we talk honestly about what feels missing and what a finish can fix. The highlight is a blackberry brandy finished bourbon that lands “Jeżynówka adjacent” with a fruit-forward nose and a smoother back end, which turns into a bigger conversation about craft distilling in Detroit, barrel finishing, and what makes a bottle worth the price.

Because it’s Man Cave Happy Hour, the drinks open the door to everything else: local distillers helping each other out, a Shark Tank detour with behind-the-scenes rules you don’t hear about, and a nerd corner where we argue our way through Marvel, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Dune release calendar. We also hit the real-world stuff like doing ballgames solo, fraternal clubs as the cheat code for cheap drinks, and the “high holy holidays” of Detroit party season from St. Patrick’s Day to the Nain Rouge Parade to Opening Day.

If you like whiskey tasting, spirits storytelling, Detroit craft distilleries, and the kind of conversation that only happens after the first good pour, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. What’s the one bottle that always starts the best stories for you?

Recorded 3-9-26

https://lerouxusa.com/flavours/jezynowka-blackberry-flavored-brandy/

Support the show

https://linktr.ee/ManCaveHappyHour

www.ManCaveHappyHour.com

Jamie Flanagan @DJJamieDetroit

Matt Fox @fox_beazlefox

August Gitschlag @rawgusto

Merch www.WearingFunny.com