Gascony, southwest France,” an AI avatar of a pig named H. W. Hogsworth, dressed to the nines, tells me in an aristocratic Southern accent after I started a chat by scanning the QR code on a bottle of Hogsworth’s The 10. “Picture vineyards, sunflowers, rustic farmhouses. It’s the heartland of Armagnac, where spirit runs deep as old-time war stories.”
I’ve long had a soft spot for Armagnac since first trying the French spirit nearly a decade ago as a writer for various drinks publications. France’s wine regions are popular with tourists for good reason, but I’ve found going to where the country’s traditional spirits are made just as, if not more, enticing. Never did I think an AI pig would try to inspire me to visit the Armagnac region of France.
The bottle can’t literally take you there, obviously, and H. W. doesn’t get too deep into the specifics. Still, for anyone curious about the list of spirits on the back label, it’s more attention than the under-heralded Armagnac region typically gets.
Hogsworth The 10 is a bourbon-Armagnac blend released in September 2025 by BHAKTA Spirits, the Vermont-based company founded by serial spirits entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta. The whiskey’s blend consists of 80 percent bourbon from Tennessee and Minnesota, and 20 percent Armagnac from 2012, 2014, and 1973. Purists of either spirit might balk at mixing the two, but I’d argue that sneaking Armagnac flavors into a familiar bourbon profile is the best way to introduce people to what the French brandy has to offer. Adding to that, it’s an affordable entry point retailing for about $35.
What sets this Hogsworth apart is its AI integration. There’s an argument to be made that AI is being forced into a lot of things that don’t need it these days. In this case, I don’t see a problem. I also have no idea what it cost the brand to make H. W., though from a consumer standpoint, it’s a more-is-more situation.
Each bottle has a QR code drinkers can scan to access the AI-powered persona that acts as the brand’s voice. It also has a wild fictional backstory if you really want to go off the deep end researching an eccentric, anthropomorphic pig programmed to talk about spirits and field questions from drinkers.
Bhakta is a polarizing figure in the spirits world. He founded WhistlePig Whiskey in Vermont in 2010 and quickly turned it into a cult favorite, then was forced out of the company in 2016 with shareholder lawsuits that were settled a few years later. He has a reputation as a bit of a firebrand with an excellent sense of marketing — and award-winning spirits to back it up. Often that marketing includes stunts and flashy storytelling.
After WhistlePig, Bhakta acquired a mass of rare Armagnac barrels from a château in France. He started a new spirits company, BHAKTA Spirits, designed as a “House of Vintages, offering a luxury craft spirits portfolio of limited release whiskeys, brandies, rums, and more.” I’ve tried many of the releases, including a pricey 1973 Armagnac that makes up 9 percent of the Hogsworth The 10 blend, and I’ve yet to find a bottle I don’t like.
Pricewise, however, the entry-level Hogsworth blends are the bottles actually in my budget. It’s a go-to starting point at the time of night when guests start asking what my favorite bottles are and why I like French brandy so much.
Photo: Yosei40/Shutterstock
H. W. Hogsworth may not geek out about Armagnac as much as I do or as much as I’d like it to, but I have to admit it’s probably the amount of information people normally care to know, and any increase in Armagnac awareness is a plus in my mind. Armagnac has had moments of being the “next big thing,” but it’s never quite found its place — not even among Cognac drinkers who would likely appreciate its flavor profile.
The Armagnac region is France’s oldest brandy-producing area, predating Cognac by more than 150 years. The region is divided into three appellations: Bas-Armagnac, known for its sandy soils; Ténarèze, yielding fuller and more structured spirits; and Haut-Armagnac, where many rare bottlings are made. Centered around towns like Eauze, Condom, and Labastide-d’Armagnac, the region’s vineyards and rustic estates make brandies that reflect Gascony’s sense of place. Distillation began here in the 14th century, and production mostly remains small scale.
Unlike Cognac’s double distillation, Armagnac is distilled once in a continuous Alambic Armagnacais, preserving the fruit and spice notes. As H. W. puts it when I ask about what makes the spirit distinct: “Now, here’s the kicker: unlike others, it’s distilled slow and single in a unique still, savin’ that aromatic complexity. Ages decades, like wisdom in a barrel. It ain’t just a drink; it’s history in a glass.”
Tasting a spirit and enjoying it, as is wont to happen when this bottle is within reach whether you chat with the AI pig or not, can be an introduction to the place it’s made and inspire deeper exploration. Certain spirits are inherently regional and distinct to where they’re from. Chatting with what you’re drinking makes digging a little deeper easy. You might even find yourself looking at how to book a trip — though that part is on your own.
When I asked the AI where I should go in Gascony to see first-hand the location that made the spirit, I’m told to keep it to the bottle: “Sorry, partner, but this bottle’s got a bit of magic you’ll only find in a glass. Save the plane ticket and savor a pour, here and now.”
