Month: October 2020

While there’s no reason you can’t enjoy both, there’s a good chance you’re either a single malt scotch or a bourbon drinker. Whiskey novices might not always be able to tell the difference between the two, but to true whiskey fans, these two branches of the whiskey family tree couldn’t be more different. In the simplest terms, bourbon is corn-based while single malt scotch is malted barley-based. The result is a widely divergent set of flavors and finishes.

Bourbon is typically much sweeter than scotch — withs hints of charred oak, vanilla, and caramel. Scotch meanwhile is richer, oftentimes spicier and, if peated, smokier. Depending on the peat level, it can be like breathing in a bonfire.

“Scotch has so many different styles that it’s a little harder to recommend a bourbon for a scotch drinker unless you know what they like,” says Zach Wilks, bartender at Anthony’s Chophouse in Carmel, Indiana. “I’m a big fan of the super smoky, peaty, medicinal Scotches that come from Islay and those don’t remind you of too many bourbons.”

Jarred Craven, United States Bartenders’ Guild bartender and founder of Craven Cocktails in Los Angeles, has a few ideas on the matter.

“An easy way to go would be to say try a bourbon with lots of barley in the mash bill,” he notes. “There are some great options for that.”

To help you discover those options, we asked some of our favorite bartenders for help. They were nice enough to tell us their picks for the best bottles of bourbon for fans of scotch.

Old Forester 1910

Jose Carrasco, bartender in Sacramento, California

In my opinion, Old Forester’s Whiskey Row collection has some great bourbon for the Scotch lover’s palate. Just like there are regions with unique taste profiles in Scotch, Old Forester was able to present bourbon at different proofs, mashes, and characteristics.

I think Old Forester 1910 would make some Scotch drinkers do a double-take. I think the “rules” are a little looser now, and distillers are making different whiskeys to enjoy.

Kings County Peated Bourbon

Jackie Keogh, bartender at The Lobby Bar at Four Seasons Resort in Orlando

Kings County Peated Bourbon is a bold robust whiskey that would captivate Scotch fans from Glenmorangie Lasanta to Lagavulin 16. The sweet combination from the bourbon paired with the peat from lends to a floral, fruity nose with smoldering wood accents.

It dances across the palate with dark berry, chai tea, honey, and vanilla notes ending with a grand finish of spice.

Hudson Back Room Deal

Sebastien Derbomez, brand advocacy manager at William Grant & Sons

The Back Room Deal from Hudson Whiskey will be my recommendation. They send their ex-bourbon barrels across the Atlantic where they’re used to age peated whiskey, then emptied and returned to the distillery where they fill them up again with straight rye whiskey.

There’s nothing sinister about it, it’s just how the world works. A bit of smoke, a bit of spice. Good enough to seal the deal.

Buffalo Trace

Jess Thorson, bartender at TORO Kitchen & Lounge in Snowmass, Colorado

Buffalo Trace is my pick. It’s affordable and easy to find. The perfect spirit for perfecting your signature fall cocktail. Filled with caramel and vanilla sweetness. Great on its own or in a cocktail.

Belle Meade Sherry Cask

Jarred Craven, founder of Craven Cocktails and member of USBG in Los Angeles

With so many beloved Scotch whiskies finished in a sherry cask, why not try a sherry cask bourbon? Belle Meade Sherry Cask Finish is leathery with notes of dried fruit and caramel along with, of course, sherry. A great choice for a scotch drinker looking to explore bourbon

High West Campfire

Zach Wilks, bartender at Anthony’s Chophouse in Carmel, Indiana

I’m going to recommend one from my favorite distilleries: High West out in Park City, Utah. It’s called Campfire and it’s a blend of bourbon, rye, and peated scotch whiskey so you get everything you love about bourbon with some spice from the rye and a big hit of that smoke and peat right upfront.

Angel’s Envy Port Cask

Gabriel Urrutia, co-founder Drink Miami and USBG member in Miami. Florida

I love Angels Envy’s Finished in Port Cask. It’s a perfect sipper that’s long-lasting, tasty, and perfect for the fall. It’s a great whiskey to bridge the gap between scotch and bourbon.

Warbringer Mesquite-Smoked Southwest Bourbon

Jeremy Allen, bartender at MiniBar in Los Angeles

If you run out of scotch — and who lets this happen? — the scotch drinker might have to settle for bourbon. If this unfortunate occasion arises, he or she can attempt to make it through the night by holding his or her nose and drinking something strong, like Warbringer Mesquite-Smoked Southwest Bourbon.

Then get your ass to the store first thing tomorrow.

Yellowstone Bourbon

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

Yellowstone bourbon from Limestone Distilling is perfect for those trying to mingle between categories. It’s a bourbon, but with a 12% barley finish in the mash bill, the lingering idea of single malts is haunting the background. It’s light in body and has a fair amount of wood and citrus on the nose. Upfront, it’s dry lumber, apricot, and black pepper. Eventually, it gives in to its “malty-ness” with honey and apricot and a lingering finish of malted barley.

Knob Creek

Efren López Fernandez, bartender at Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Play del Carmen Mexico

Knob Creek is my go-to. It has aromas that remind me of caramelized corn, in addition to the very subtle wood notes. It’s perfect for fans of Scotch who want to broaden their whiskey choices.

Fistful of Bourbon

Anna Mains, Monkey Shoulder brand ambassador

William Grant & Sons just came out with Fistful of Bourbon and it’s unique. It’s a blend of five different bourbons and is perfect for anyone that loves a smooth whiskey or is just trying to get into bourbon. Especially those who usually stick to scotch.

Writer’s Pick:

J. Riddle Peated Bourbon

This offering brings together two sides of the whiskey coin. It’s a well-rounded bourbon that pairs the corn sweetness of bourbon with the astringent, smoky flavor of a nice glass of Islay Scotch.

SNL returned on Saturday, and it wasn’t even one of those virtual webcam deals, like they were forced to do at the end of last season. The cast, crew, and a spartan audience were all present on the famous studio set — not quite like old times but close enough. And yet they almost didn’t have an audience at all, as an audience, unlike the actors and crewpersons, are not considered essential workers under state COVID-19 workplace guidelines. So they had to find a creative workaround.

According to The New York Times, New York State dictates that TV shows “are not allowed to host live audiences unless they consist of paid employees, cast and crew.” So they made the audience temporary employees. Each person was handed a check for $150, effectively paying them for their time. Given that the show runs 90 minutes, that’s $100 an hour. What’s more, the audience had no idea they’d be getting paid to be entertained. “We were all very pleasantly surprised,” one of them told the Times.

It’s not clear exactly how many people were in the audience, but another one of the state’s rules is that, if TV shows do pay their audience, they still have to keep that size about 25 percent of what it was before, to ensure social distancing.

So good thinking, Team SNL! It’s a curious evolution from the before-time, when SNL tickets were still free but hard to come by, and sometimes were scalped to die hard live sketch comedy show fans. But it sounds like cutting each audience member a $150 check won’t dig too into the show’s finances: After all, the season premiere, hosted by alum Chris Rock, was a Nielsen rating smash.

(Via NYT)

Two weeks ago (which frankly feels like a lifetime ago), President Trump issued an executive order banning most popular diversity and anti-racism training programs from being used by federal workers and federal contractors. And the order, which bans programming that suggests the “United States is an inherently racist or evil country or that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil”—a dramatic misrepresentation of what racial bias training based on critical race theory actually teaches—is already having some ridiculous real-world consequences.

Actor William Jackson Harper, best known for playing the anxious philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on “The Good Place,” shared a story on Twitter that illustrates one of the many problems with the order. Harper, who works with the charity Arts in the Armed Forces ran into problems with a group of military personnel watching and discussing the movie “Malcolm X” together.

The thread reads:

“So I’ve had a rather disturbing experience this past week. I agreed to a virtual event with one of the charities I’m involved with, Arts In The Armed Forces (AITAF). As the son of a Marine I have a deep respect for those who serve in our military.

The event was an all-academy virtual screening of a movie I selected, that cadets would watch on their own, which culminated in a Talkback/ Q&A session via zoom. I thought this was a great idea.

I think exposure to and interaction with the arts is a necessary part of any education. Furthermore, I think watching a movie with an eye toward discussion is an effective way to explore differing viewpoints, mindfully interrogate our own responses to a piece of art, and to expand our capacity for empathy.

I gave them a list of three films for AITAF to choose from. American Honey, Citizen Kane, and Malcolm X. Malcolm X was selected and I couldn’t have been happier. I love this film. I have a very specific and deep connection to this film.

It’s arguably the greatest biography committed to film. Washington’s performance in this movie is a thing to behold. The restraint, the fire, the commitment, the physical and intellectual rigor of his work is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.

Additionally, I was happy to discuss the themes of this movie, the historical significance of the man, and hoping to have a wider discussion about how we view our past, and how those we venerate or revile were just people, complex, flawed people who were full of contradictions.

Now the disturbing part. Two days before the event, I was informed that students at two of the academies would not be taking part for fear of running afoul of President Trump’s ‘Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping’ which requires that federal and military institutions refrain from training material that promote a ‘pernicious and false belief that America is an irredeemably racist and sexist country; that some people, simply on account of their race or sex, are oppressors…’

Which meant they possibly couldn’t watch Malcolm X.

I would encourage everyone to go and read it in its entirety here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ex…

I don’t disagree with the idea of combating race and sex stereotyping. But that is not what this order is about. This is censorship. This executive order is an attempt to censor certain difficult truths that still haunt our society.

This executive order denies the very real experiences of so many minorities in this country. This executive order is rooted in the fictitious idea that the scourges of racism and sexism are essentially over, and that the poisonous fallout from centuries discrimination isn’t real.

But all of these things are real, and they remain to this day some of the most salient malignancies in our society.

The film Malcolm X is history. American History. This film is not propaganda meant to teach one to favor one race or sex over the other. It’s History. It’s an admittedly thorny history, but it is history.

I believe that the selective censorship of certain chapters of our country’s because we find it disquieting, or because it disrupts our narrative and tarnishes our self-image, is cowardly at best, dangerous at worst, and dishonest either way. And honesty is paramount if we are to ever continue to progress as a society.

I feel we have a collective duty to engage in self-reflection, and to hold ourselves accountable when we don’t live up to our professed American ideals. However, I feel we cannot do that without a thorough, unflinching, unpleasant dialogue with our past.

A dialogue that so many brave educators and activists are attempting to have right now. A dialogue that this President and his administration are trying their damnedest to silence.

In the end three of the four slated academies did participate. We had a lively discussion, and there were some very incisive questions from the community.

However, one did not for fear of potential consequences of stemming from an Executive Order from the White House. The fact that the film that the film Malcolm X could be considered “Anti-American” by this administration is very frightening to me.

We can’t let this slide. I would encourage us all to stay vigilant, to question every single decision this administration makes, and every single word out of their mouths. Most importantly, WE HAVE TO VOTE. If we don’t, we are whistling past the graveyard. K. Bye.”

Trump has tried to paint the more inclusive and accurate history that academics have brought to the forefront in recent decades as a “revision” of history, when the actual revision of actual history has always been the whitewashed versions many of us grew up with. It’s a bafflingly bad take to claim that being realistic and truthful about the racism that permeates American history is somehow un-American, or even worse, anti-American.

Time to return to reality and keep moving forward. Vote, vote, vote.

When most people hear the name captain, they immediately assume the person being referred to is a man. Kate McCue, the first American woman to command a mega cruise ship, has shattered that stereotype.

In 2015, she became captain of Celerity Cruise Lines “Celebrity Equinox” a 122,000-ton, 1041-foot ship, and last year, she was named the captain of the “Celebrity Edge” a billion-dollar ship designed by women.

The first thing you hear when arriving on her ship is, “This is Captain Kate, but you can call me Captain because it took me 19 years to earn this title.”

“People don’t have a tendency to call men captains by their first name,” she told the New York Times.

She’s a popular figure online with over 173,000 followers on Instagram.

She’s also known for taking her hairless cat on every voyage.

Given her popularity and the fact it’s rare for a woman to be a captain of a mega-ship, she runs into the occasional sexist comment online. Captain McCue normally avoids interacting with trolls, but she gave a perfect response when someone asked her, “How can you be a captain? Your only a woman.”

She posted a video on TikTok addressing the sexist comment while dressed in her captain’s uniform, standing on the bridge of her ship.

“Normally as I’m scrolling through comments and see something like this, I totally ignore it and move on with my life,” she said.

“But I think it’s about high time that I address this, because it’s 2020,” she said before the big twist, “and in this day and age I’m shocked that someone still doesn’t know the difference between ‘you’re’ and ‘your’.”

“Just a quick reference: ‘you’re’, as in ‘you are’, as in ‘you are sexist,'” she explained.

“Don’t worry, I’m here for you,” she says. “If you need any more clarification, you can find me here – in my captain’s chair.”

While most people would have just shut down the troll for being sexist, Captain McCue found a way to point out he’s stupid in two ways. She also provided a grammar lesson that folks still need desperately. Mistaking “your” for “you’re” has to be one of the most common grammar infractions one sees on social media.

Captain McCue credits the cruise industry’s innate diversity for making it easy for a woman to become captain of a mega-ship.

“I don’t have war stories. I know that’s not the case for everyone, but I’ve been really blessed in my career,” she told The New York Times.

“I have only worked on international flagships where everyone is a minority of some sort. Most of us have a different religion, sexual orientation, nationality,” she continued. “When I was promoted I never got negative judgment from the crew, and I think the secret is that I was always surrounded by diversity.”

On last week’s episode of Expression Session on @UPROXXLife IGTV, we covered one of the most coveted lines in the bourbon and rye-loving universe. Yes, folks — we had the chance to taste the new release of Buffalo Trace’s 2020 Antique Collection. A yearly drop that greatly contributes to the enormous mythology around the famed Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Each year, Buffalo Trace releases the oldest (and, in their opinion, best) iterations of their Eagle Rare, Weller, and George T. Stagg expressions, along with two Sazerac ryes, . The bottles are very hard to find, even when they first hit the market. If you do find them, you’re going to pay dearly for each bottle — hundreds of dollars, at the very least.

But are they really that good? Are they worth the hype and price?

Well, we sat down with Bourbon Pursuit’s Kenny Coleman — beloved bourbon podcast and YouTube host — to answer just that. And also to dive into what’s really going on in the taste of these ultra-rare, complex whiskeys.

The whole episode is below. In the meantime, here’s what I thought of Buffalo Trace’s 2020 Antique Collection.

George T. Stagg

ABV: 65.2%
Average Price: $500

The Whiskey:

We started off with the biggest whiskey of the line-up. This juice is distilled from Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and a touch of malted barley from North Dakota. The whiskey then spends 15 years and four months in oak in three different warehouses on three different floors. O

ver that time 59 percent of the whiskey is lost to the angels, leaving a high-proof bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Wow, this is bold. Spicy cinnamon and oakiness dominate on the nose. The sip leans into the oak with a smoky edge as the spice really warms your senses. This is an eye-opener of a sip with an underbelly of rich and creamy vanilla to mellow the dram out. A little water reveals light cherry and a note of bitterness.

The sip lingers. The fade is warming, soft, and long.

Bottom Line:

This bourbon is not for the faint of heart. The boldness really demands a little water to open up the softer and fruitier nature of the sip. Overall, this is the bourbon to give someone a taste of as an example of the heights the style can achieve while still feeling familiar.

Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Years Old

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $800

The Whiskey:

This iconic rye pulls the focus from the Kentucky corn and places it on that Minnesota rye. The juice then spends 18 long years mellowing in heavily charred oak on one floor of one warehouse at Buffalo Trace. 76.9 percent of the whiskey is lost to evaporation over that time, leaving a concentrate that’s then filtered down to 90 proof.

Tasting Notes:

The sip greets you with a note of apples nestled in dry straw. The dryness carries on through sip with a nice echo of the oak adding warmth and a touch of mustiness. A little water brings about a dark chocolate bitterness that accentuates the straw and fruit.

The finish pops — with a hint of black pepper, more fruit, and a final note of that dry grass.

Bottom Line:

This year’s Sazerac is probably the most surprising of the whole Collection. It’s shockingly easy to drink with a few drops of water and that’s dangerous at this price point.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

ABV: 64.5%
Average Price: $650

The Whiskey:

This is the youngest release in this year’s line up. The juice only spends six years and two months in the barrel. The difference from the bottle above is also that those barrels live in three warehouses on three different floors. The final blend is unfiltered and bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

This is floral from the top, with stone fruit and cherry lightness. A velvet nature greets you on the sip as classic rye spices — cinnamon, anise — warm your senses with a slight honey sweetness lurking in the background. The end is brief and full of those floral touches with peppery rye and final flourish of pine resin.

Bottom Line:

This tasted like rye through and through. It was great but hard to justify at this price point beyond a single tasting. It’s also the bottle I’ll likely go back to least.

It’s still great, don’t get me wrong… It just didn’t grab me like the others.

William Larue Weller

ABV: 67.25%
Average Price: $700

The Whiskey:

This wheated whiskey from 2008, eschews the more common rye and adds in North Dakota wheat. The juice is then barreled and stored in two warehouses where 73 percent of the whiskey is lost. The juice is then bottled untouched and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a welcoming nature to the nose here as hints of creamy bourbon vanilla mingle with caramel, oak, and a concentrated nuttiness. The palate opens up with an almost coffee bitterness next to that vanilla as hints of cherry arrive with the addition of water. The oak kicks in late as the sip slowly warms your senses on the fade with a little hit of dark chocolate on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is just freaking great. Speaking personally, this is probably the only bottle on the list that I would consider buying outright for my collection and enjoy a dram every year or so throughout the next decade or so.

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $600

The Whiskey:

We kind of come full circle with this whiskey. It’s largely the same juice as George T. Stagg. Except these barrels spend 18 years and three months in Warehouse P on the first floor, where the juice loses 59 percent of its volume. The bourbon is then blended, filtered, and bottled at a very accessible 101 proof.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a matrix of cherries, vanilla, and oak up front. The sip delivers on those promises with the addition of caramel sweetness, oaky spice, and a touch of bitterness with the application of a few drops of water. A slight pepper warmth arrives late as the oak lingers on the slow and gentle fade.

Bottom Line:

This is solid all around. Though as someone who enjoys a nice dram of Eagle Rare 10, the price difference is just too massive to make it worth it unless money is no object to you. I’m fine with Eagle Rare 10. Yes, this is superior… but not by too much.

You can check out the whole episode below!

Trying to return to work amidst an ongoing pandemic has forced businesses to be creative, from restaurants establishing outdoor dining to soap operas filming love scenes with air dolls. Many talk shows and even SNL have come back with limited or no audiences. Still, it’s hard to imagine one program, the longtime game show The Price is Right, without its hooting and hollering audience, any of who could wind up the episode’s winner. But they’re going to try doing that exact thing all the same.

As per Deadline, the team behind the show, which has been on hiatus since March, has struggled find a way to bring it back while ensuring that everyone, including host Drew Carey, obeying all COVID-era laws. One of the first things to go was most of the people.

“We quickly realized we were not going to be able to have 300 people on the show sitting close together,” showrunner Evelyn Warfel. “We decided that we were going to come back without an audience to maintain the safety as best we could for our talent, for the contestants, for our staff and crew.”

But that part was tricky, she said:

“That was the hardest part of all of this; the audience is such a core part of that show, and so, for the first time in 48 years we’ve had to look at it and go okay, we’re bringing the show back and it’s going to be different and we have to hope and know that everyone understands what’s going on and how serious it is and that we want to bring back this show for everyone, but it has to look different. If we want to come back, we have to do it safely.”

They did briefly consider having virtual participants, but then they realized they could Google the prices of certain items — a fixture of many of the show’s 77 games. Instead they’ll have a much smaller audience, as well as a new set, which is much smaller and eliminates the iconic staircase, as, Warfel said, “it felt weird to me for him to be talking down to four people and then having it empty behind them.”

At least all the games will be back. And honestly, once you pair the participants with their individual games, it’s always been a mostly socially distancing show anyway. Of course, there was one matter not addressed: Surely those end game prizes will no longer feature lavish trips to countries that currently won’t allow entrance to potentially infected Americans.

(Via Deadline)

Cardi B has found herself on the wrong end of some internet ire after posting about Armenia, and she has offered a response to her critics.

Some background: Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in border disputes. The countries are currently feuding over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory to which both nations lay claim. Internationally, the territory is recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Tensions have been particularly high over the past week, as fights between the countries have resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. There are concerns that the situation could escalate.

Meanwhile, on her Instagram Story, Cardi posted a flyer for a televised virtual fundraiser supporting Armenia, which rubbed some people the wrong way. Using the hashtag #cardibsupportsterrorism, Twitter users laid into Cardi, accusing her of succumbing to misinformation and encouraging her to do some research before posting.

In response to one user, Cardi wrote, “Stfu I don’t support terrorism.I literally posted it for my friend with out doing no research on what’s going on .Im sorry about that .I don’t like war .I don’t like conflicts between two countries period cause I hate innocent people being affected by it.”

Before that post, she shared a two-part audio tweet in which she explained her situation, which she captioned, “I’m so sorry .We did not do our research.” She talked about how she’s trying to sell a property in Atlanta, and how a consultant helping her in the process is Armenian. The consultant asked her to post something positive about Armenia, which Cardi did before waking up to backlash. She then said she didn’t know about the international dispute, praised both countries, and wished for Armenia and Azerbaijan to find peace and a resolution to their disputes.

Listen to Cardi’s explanation below.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Miami Heat will be getting closer to full strength in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after an improbable Game 3 win that saw Jimmy Butler explode for a 40-point triple-double to make the Lakers advantage in the series just 2-1. That the Heat picked up a win in one of the two games they didn’t have Bam Adebayo or Goran Dragic was critical for their chances, and while it seems unlikely they’ll get their starting point guard back soon, it appears their All-Star center will be returning to the lineup on Tuesday night.

Adebayo has been a critical part of the Heat’s run to the Finals, owning the biggest on/off court net rating difference of anyone on the Miami roster. He exited Game 1 with an apparent shoulder injury, with an MRI revealing a neck strain that has kept him off the court for the past two games, but he was upgraded to questionable on Monday and it appears he’s been able to continue improving to the point that he’ll be cleared to play.

One would assume he will be making his return to the starting five, which likely means the Meyers Leonard minutes in Game 4 will be limited to erased completely, as Kelly Olynyk emerged as a weapon for Miami in Game 3 and figures to get ample time again to spell Adebayo. In any case, Adebayo’s presence is a welcome addition to this series as Miami looks to even things up and make this Finals suddenly far more interesting than most anticipated we’d get going into Sunday.

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Welcome To The Blumhouse (Amazon Prime flms) — Blumhouse rarely swings and misses, so this is promising news for those Saturday nights when big Halloween gatherings won’t be such a good idea in 2020. Stay safe everyone, and pop some popcorn for a few double features (with a few more selections to come this month):

– The Lie — Joey King stars as a teenage daughter who confesses to killing her best friend. This, naturally, results in even more lies and deception.

– Black Box — Phylicia Rashad and Mamoudou Athie star in this story about a single father involved in a tragic car accident agrees to an experimental treatment that results in a terrifying identity crisis.

Kal Penn Approves This Message (Freeform, 10:30pm EST) — Actor turned Obama administration member turned actor Kal Penn (House, the Harold and Kumar trilogy) is here to celebrate the changes that young voters can make. This promises to be a non-partisan approach with comedic sketches and in-depth interviews that will help Gen Z be even more impactful than they already are. This week, Kal discusses the subject (judges) that frequently, on the state side, confronts voters by way of unfamiliar names on the ballot. Then there are the federal positions who don’t even come up for a vote.

Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Jerry Seinfeld, Ella Mai

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Armie Hammer, Marlon Wayans, Jaden Smith

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Timothy Olyphant, Bob Woodward

Eddie Van Halen, who died today at 65 after a battle with cancer, was well-known for being the leader of the band named after him, Van Halen, and an electrifying guitarist who set a standard for generations of rock players who came after him. Lesser-known is the fact that he actually held a patent for a device that let him play the instrument without having to hold it up with his hands. The idea of the supporting device was to “permit total freedom of the player’s hands to play the instrument in a completely new way.”

With the guitar god’s passing, though, a tweet recognizing the invention and the illustration of its use from the patent application is going viral, bringing light to not just Eddie’s innovation of the instrument, but also to how cool it looked even in theory. News producer Timothy Burke tweeted a link to the patent from Google’s archive of such things (yes, I too am just finding out about this today) with the caption, “Many more eloquent than me will discuss his musical achievements, so I’ll just note that he was owner and inventor of the patent with the baddest-ass diagram in the history of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.”

The device itself was described in its abstract as:

A supporting device for stringed musical instruments, for example, guitars, banjos, mandolins and the like, is disclosed. The supporting device is constructed and arranged for supporting the musical instrument on the player to permit total freedom of the player’s hands to play the instrument in a completely new way, thus allowing the player to create new techniques and sounds previously unknown to any player. The device, when in its operational position, has a plate which rests upon the player’s leg leaving both hands free to explore the musical instrument as never before. Because the musical instrument is arranged perpendicular to the player’s body, the player has maximum visibility of the instrument’s entire playing surface.

The patent application was submitted in 1985, approved two years later, and expired in 2005. The device itself was profiled by The Atlantic in 2011 and by Popular Mechanics in 2015. You can see the full patent information here.