> Never had checked luggage for a week work trip
Are you US based, perchance? I'm based in Ireland and remember the first time I got in a plane on the states and saw the absurdly large carry-ons that people had. I guess I'd just do that if I were in the US but as I cut my teeth with Ryanair I tend to optimise for smaller cabin baggage and a checked bag for work trips.
> And carry-on can often be an issue when arriving in US at least for liquids and potentially having to reclear security.
This is totally fine as the duty free people put the spirits in a specific bag which they let through security.