Guest: Stacy Lee, host of Dark Hearts, a podcast about true crime, cults, and mysteries

Story Highlight: In 2005, Mark Anderson deliberately set fire to Wines Central, destroying over $250M in rare wines. Anderson had been embezzling wine from the facility for years before setting the blaze. One victim said: “It felt like someone burned down my family tree.”

Dark Hearts: True crime, cults, and conspiracies—episodes every Monday and Wednesday

Platforms: Available on all podcast apps and YouTube Follow: @DarkHeartsPodcast

• Aaron Vaccaro, CEO of Liquor Lab Former Topgolf exec who helped grow it from 10 to 70+ locations and $1.1B in revenue. 🍸 What You’ll Hear:

• Aaron’s journey from finance and venture capital to building experience-driven brands

• The Topgolf transformation—how it evolved from a driving range to an entertainment empire

• Why Liquor Lab is the “Topgolf of cocktails”—accessible, social, hands-on

• Cocktail classes: 90 minutes, ~$70, 3 drinks, taught by professionals in Nashville and Louisville

• Insight into cocktail formulas, mixology tips, and Aaron’s favorite: the Port Manhattan

• How Liquor Lab is adapting to changing alcohol trends—like low ABV, NA options, and Gen Z habits

• Why the focus isn’t on drinking—it’s about flavor, education, and connection

🔥 Quotables:

“You’re not just mixing cocktails. You’re mixing memories.”
“Most cocktails are riffs on six basic templates.”
“We want to break down barriers and make aspirational things accessible.”

🥂 Bonus:

• Learn how Liquor Lab builds brand loyalty through experience

• Hear how Aaron applies the same strategy he used at Topgolf to transform hospitality at scale

• 🎧 Learn more: LiquorLab.com Classes in Nashville, TN & Louisville, KY

• Follow: @LiquorLab | @TheBestWinePod

Topic: Creating palm wine sustainably without harvesting palm trees

Guest: Onye, founder of Ikenga Wines

Environmental Impact: Avoids traditional palm farming to reduce carbon footprint and forest clearing

Production Philosophy: Source-agnostic and rooted in molecular replication of palm sap

The Journey: From 2019 epiphany to today’s artistic exploration of flavor and sensory expression

Palm Wine Variants: Focus on oil palm chemistry; acknowledges coconut and raphia varietals

Wine Styles: Experimental, seasonal, and undefined—exploring a “white space” of winemaking

Vision: If money were no object, Onye would open a store with food service and a portfolio of underrepresented global beverages

Takeaway: Palm wine is just the beginning of a much bigger adventure in redefining tradition through innovation