To help get you inspired about reconnecting with all the majesty of the great outdoors, we reached out to professional photographer and climber Drew Smith to share the secrets of some of his favorite climbing spots paired with a collection of jaw-dropping photos. Drew was recently the subject of a new documentary, A Young Man’s Road, directed by fellow adventure photographer Dylan Gordon — chronicling the young climber’s passion for adventure.
The documentary is a brief 12 minutes that packs a lot of action, giving you an overview of Drew’s life set to moody and sweeping visuals of some of the world’s greatest climbs. Give it a watch above and then dive into Drew’s favorite socially distanced adventure spots below.
The Canadian Rockies, British Columbia/Alberta, Canada
Drew Smith
Winter in The Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies boast an impressive array of both classic ice lines and nearly insurmountable alpine summits. If you’re looking for an easy-to-reach spot to get your feet wet, experience some truly difficult climbs, or just take some photos, this is it.
Cochamó Valley, Chile
Drew Smith
Cochamó Valley, Chilean Patagonia. This area is often compared to California’s Yosemite Valley. It features clear blue lakes and rivers, stunning waterfalls and vistas, and granite walls the size of El Capitan. With the remote location you get away from any crowds and the adventure is endless.
The Grand Tetons, Wyoming, United States of America
Drew Smith
The Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming. The range is 55 miles long, consisting of 12 peaks over 12,000-feet including the 13,770-foot Grand Teton. Several hundred climbs are located in the park along with beautiful lakes and many small alpine glaciers.
The Tetons are the closest thing the US has to the extreme terrain in Chamonix and the Alps of Europe.
Nordland, Norway
Drew Smith
For those with a love of all things Arctic. Nordland, Norway might be my favorite place on earth, both for the climbing and landscape. Lush fields give way to lakes and forests, summits sharpen in between picturesque fjords. You get a taste of the midnight sun in summer. While in winter, the Northern Lights dance across the night sky.
Yosemite National Park, California, United States of America
Drew Smith
Yosemite National Park in California is by far my favorite place to shoot and climb. No place on earth has a 3000 foot formation with exposure like El Capitan so accessible. You can’t beat the stable California weather with almost year round sun. You can climb and shoot all your heart desires.
The Fitz Roy Massif, Patagonia, Argentina
Drew Smith
The Fitz Roy Massif in southern Argentina is every climber’s dream. Vast golden faces of solid granite and large glaciers stretch as far as the eye can see. Bad weather is exceedingly common with very windy conditions, challenging even the most experienced climbers.
El Potreto Chico, Nuevo León, Mexico
Drew Smith
El Potreto Chico, is an internationally renowned rock climbing area in Mexico. It is considered to be one of the top 10 locations to sport climb in the world. With unique limestone cliffs and spires as high as 2,000 feet and fresh street tacos with margaritas, it’s hard to go wrong here.
Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Drew Smith
Squamish, Canada’s rock climbing mecca located in the Coast Mountains on the Howe Sound. Very accessible granite walls and bluffs surrounded by old growth forest. If you’re a rock climber, Squamish genuinely has something for everyone. If it’s not raining, you’ll love it.
Canadian singer-songwriter Hannah Georgas just released her latest album, All That Emotion, last month. The record was produced by Aaron Dessner, and now she has recruited Dessner’s The National bandmate Matt Berninger to provide vocals on a new version of “Pray It Away.” Berninger’s baritone is a perfect addition to the track, and Georgas says of it:
“In a lot of ways, All That Emotion is a personal record, but ‘Pray It Away’ ended up being very collaborative. I co-wrote the song with my producer Aaron Dessner, who sent me an instrumental during the time I was writing and demoing.
A close friend of mine inspired the lyrics. She told me over dinner one night that a family member didn’t want to attend her wedding because she was marrying a woman. I wrote the song the next day using the chord progression from Aaron’s demo. It was upsetting to see my friend go through what she was dealing with at a time where she should have been celebrating.
While Aaron and I were recording this song together, he mentioned it could be really great to ask Matt Berninger to sing on it. Ironically, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit when we were actually able to follow through with this idea, together. It’s so lovely it all worked out and we were able to make it happen in the end.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s case against Tory Lanez has been closely watched ever since Meg confirmed he was the one who shot her in the foot last July. The rapper has revealed a few details about the fateful night, like when she alleged Lanez’s team tried to pay her off to keep her silent. But fans think they will soon get a better understanding of the story now that Megan has dropped the tracklist to her upcoming album Good News.
Megan’s 17-track Good News features a handful of guest verses by the likes of SZA, City Girls, and others. But more interestingly to fans, the album opener is a song called “Shots Fired.” Because of the recent shooting incident, Megan’s listeners are convinced the track will diss Lanez and reveal even more information about what went down.
Sharing their reactions on Twitter, some fans are shocked at the idea that Megan would have a diss track as her debut album’s opener.
While Megan hasn’t confirmed what her inspiration was for the “Shots Fired,” the rapper did recently reveal a few of the record’s themes as a whole. Speaking to Variety about her upcoming record last month, Megan said some of her songs will address the Black Lives Matter movement: “I feel like everything that’s going on right now, if it hasn’t moved you to speak out or try to make some type of difference, then something might be slightly wrong with you. Even though I haven’t already come out with a song with that messaging, I definitely plan on it.”
See fans react to Megan’s Good News tracklist above.
Good News is out 11/20 via 1501/300 Entertainment. Pre-order it here.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
George Clooney’s gearing up for the release of his Netflix movie, The Midnight Sky, in which he plays a cancer-afflicted, lonely scientist in the Arctic who’s also struggling to survive on post-apocalyptic Earth. That sounds like a lot, and to support the role, he’s covering the GQ Men of the Year issue in a wide-ranging interview that’s well worth a full read. One of the more interesting nuggets, however, involves Clooney responding to a question about how his good friend, Rande Gerber, told a reporter that George once packed suitcases with $1 million apiece and handed them to 14 of his closest friends.
The talk is true, said Clooney, and then he elaborated on how he pulled off this 2013 movie. It, uh, doesn’t sound simple! But it sounds pretty cool because Clooney wanted to return some favors for the guys who loaned him money back when he was a struggling actor. He’d already put them all in his will but he then figured, “So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?” And then he had to figure out the logistics of rounding up $14 million in cash. Apparently, there’s an “undisclosed location” where “they have giant pallets of cash” in Los Angeles. The word “heist” does come up:
So Clooney got an old beat-up van that said “Florist” on it, like he was in a heist movie, and he drove downtown, and he got in an elevator with the florist’s van, and he took the van down to the vault and loaded it up with cash. He told no one but his assistant “and a couple of security guys that were sh(tting themselves. And we brought it up, and I bought 14 Tumi bags, and then I packed in a million bucks, cash, which isn’t as much as you think it is, weight-wise, into these Tumi bags.
It’s a heck of a story, including how a “rich old a**hole in” in Vegas later asked the actor why he did this, and Clooney responded, “‘Why wouldn’t you do that, you schmuck?’” What a comeback, and yep, you should go read the full piece at GQ, which includes Clooney tossing a slight jab in his long-standing non-friendship with Russell Crowe.
Cruz, who’s solidly repped the “masks are pointless” faction of his party for months, supporting President Trump as he continues to downplay the virus, attacked Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown on social media yesterday for, you guessed it, wearing a face-covering while speaking on the Senate floor. Brown took to the podium during another rushed judge appointment lead by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to ask presiding Republican Senator Dan Sullivan to don a mask while speaking.
“I don’t wear a mask when I’m speaking like most senators…I don’t need your instruction,” Sullivan angrily responded before Brown continued his testimony, calling out the Trump administration’s failure to contain the virus and the president’s lack of interest in attending his own Coronavirus Task Force meetings. The whole exchange quickly landed on Twitter which is where Senator Cruz decided to speak up, safely hiding behind his keyboard as he called Brown an “ass.”
This is idiotic. @SherrodBrown is being a complete ass. He wears a mask to speak—when nobody is remotely near him—as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue.@DanSullivan_AK was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet. https://t.co/BoIGrAV7T1
Cruz has been happy to push Coronavirus conspiracies weeks after the presidential election. He retweeted GOP Rapid Response Director Steve Guest who questioned why CNN had gotten rid of their COVID-19 tracker, implying the network only focused on Coronavirus cases and deaths during the election to hurt Trump’s public image.
Miraculous. COVID cured, the very instant the networks called the race for Biden. https://t.co/YcYeIolilZ
Senator Sherrod Brown was asking that he wear a mask because of the people standing directly in front of him you detestable dickhead.
Don’t ever be a Rafael Ted Cruz, he attacks others for being right and defends those who call his wife ugly and his dad a terrorist. https://t.co/B6ftAbC8B9
@tedcruz whenever you get snarky you make a jerk out of yourself. Try not to be clever anymore, it doesn’t work and you look even more foolish when you are proven wrong. https://t.co/OluNcmu43Z
Ironically, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has just been put under quarantine after being exposed to the Coronavirus, a fact Cruz has remained oddly silent on following his latest Twitter rant.
Another senator is in quarantine today from exposure to COVID-19, and some Senate Republicans still won’t even wear a mask to protect Senate staff – let alone pass a bill to contain this virus and help struggling families. Thank you for fighting, @SenSherrodBrown. https://t.co/U8OCrBG7XR
It’s been less than a year since Andy Shauf released his latest album The Neon Skyline, but seeing as he penned over 50 songs for the 11-track record, the singer has no shortage of music. Back in July, Shauf shared a pair of singles, “Judy” and “Jeremy’s Wedding.” Now, the singer returns with the soulful number “You Slipped Away.”
The single crafts a sense of lovelorn nostalgia with rolling guitar chords and eloquent piano scales. With his gentle lyrical delivery, Shauf sings of trying — but ultimately failing — to hold onto love. “There was love in my heart / And I wanted it to stay / But as the night, surely turns to day / You slipped away,” he sings.
Speaking about the new song in a statement, Shauf said it is his take on an American standard. “‘You Slipped Away’ was a song that I wrote shortly after moving to Toronto, right after I’d just moved into an apartment and had acquired an 80s Yamaha CP60 stage piano,” Shauf said. “This song was an attempt to write something that sounded like an old standard, using big general metaphors and universal themes.”
Listen to “You Slipped Away” above.
The Neon Skyline is out now via Anti. Get it here.
It likely comes as no surprise that Future and Lil Uzi Vert were planning to release a deluxe version of their joint album Pluto X Baby Pluto all along. What may be a little astonishing is how little fans had to wait for it after the release of the original. While Uzi Vert waited all of a week between releasing both editions of his long-awaited Eternal Atake album earlier this year, Pluto X Baby Pluto didn’t even get to live that long before receiving a six-song upgrade. The new songs include “Tic Tac,” “My Legacy,” “Heart in Pieces,” “Because of You,” Bust a Move,” and “Baby Sasuke” but do not add any additional features.
Meanwhile, Uzi recently insisted that he was done with the rap game after he drops two more albums — although the phrasing was ambiguous enough that he could be referring to any number of outcomes. The unpredictable Philly rapper jostled fans’ expectations around a bunch in 2019, promising to release his album at various points only to push it back further and further, finally releasing it — and its deluxe version — without warning this spring. It probably wouldn’t be too shocking if he did so again. After all, it wouldn’t be the first fake retirement in hip-hop — not even this year.
The 2020 NBA Draft arrives on Nov. 18 and, after the longest draft cycle in recorded history, the league’s offseason will zoom into hyperdrive. In fact, free agency begins on the evening 0f Nov. 20 and, while NBA franchises theoretically had months to prepare, there will be an element of frenzy when transactions are finally allowed.
To that end, free agents will be jockeying for position and, earlier this month, we took a look at the 20 best free agents set to hit the market. Today, the goal is to drill down even further, highlighting the 20 best wing players, effectively taking the full league and removing point guards and big men from the mix. One of the top targets has already left the board, as Bogdan Bogdanovic (who initially occupied the third spot on this list) is headed to Milwaukee in a sign-and-trade as the Bucks load up on talent to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With that out of the way, here are the top 20 unrestricted and restricted free agents that will be available in short order, including those players who have already declined to pick up their player options.
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1. Brandon Ingram (RFA, Pelicans): There is a pretty big gap in projected contract value between Ingram and everyone else on this list. Everyone assumes he will be garnering the max, or at least something close to it, from New Orleans, and it would be a surprise if he left. That is the nature of the beast with a player that just averaged 23.8 points per game on strong efficiency at the age of 22. He’s really good, and should continue to improve.
2. Danilo Gallinari (UFA, Thunder): Gallinari isn’t really a wing, but he isn’t a big either. In fact, he is a member of what is kind of a dying breed as a pure power forward, but he remains an exceptionally valuable offensive player. The 32-year-old averaged 18.8 points per game (on good efficiency) over the last five seasons, and he can score in a number of ways. His age and defense may not help him in this (very) tight market, but Gallinari remains a very good player.
3. Joe Harris (UFA, Nets): Harris led the NBA in three-point shooting in 2018-19, making 47 percent of his attempts, and he followed that up with 42.4 percent on increased volume in 2019-20. That makes him one of the best marksman in the league and, unlike some of his contemporaries in that premium shooting realm, Harris can make solid decisions with the ball his hands and pull his own weight defensively. He can (and would) fit just about anywhere as a premium 3-and-D option, and the Nets will have some pressure to bring him back.
4. Davis Bertans (UFA, Wizards): Not only did Bertans shoot 42.4 percent from three-point range last season, but he did it with obscene range and impressive volume. Bertans has no conscience (in the best possible way) and he got up 13.9 threes per 100 possessions. To be fair, Bertans is pretty limited in other areas and, from a team-building standpoint, it is tough to plan around his defense. There is no denying his court-bending ability as a shooter, though, and he has real value.
5. Jerami Grant (UFA, Nuggets): Grant is in a fantastic position to capitalize on something of a breakout during the 2020 playoffs. He definitely isn’t a high-upside player at this stage, but Grant has some juice offensively, and he brings positional flexibility and defense. Denver has incentive to keep Grant around, but perhaps a team with space gets (very) aggressive to lure him away. After all, he’s only 26 years old.
6. Jordan Clarkson (UFA, Jazz): Clarkson has been a punchline at times, but he was genuinely good in Utah. He isn’t really a “wing” in a traditional sense, mostly because his value comes in creating his own shot with the ball in his hands, but Clarkson also isn’t a pure lead guard. Teams should know what they’re getting in the 28-year-old, and that is instant offense with the hope of reasonable play in other areas.
7. Jae Crowder (UFA, Heat): It is too simplistic to suggest that everything with Crowder comes down to three-point shooting, but it’s not far off. He knocked down a ridiculous 44.5 percent of his threes after getting to Miami midseason but, before that, he shot 29.3 percent in Memphis. That has been the story of Crowder’s career as a hot/cold shooter but, at his core, Crowder’s value is significant as a strong defensive wing that is switchable and malleable.
8. Marcus Morris (UFA, Clippers): Morris put up obscene numbers, including a 44 percent clip from three-point distance, in New York and that earned him a trade to the Clippers. His production dipped in L.A., though, and Morris now hits the market at 31. On the bright side for him, the Clippers can’t really replace him in conventional fashion, giving him leverage, and Morris could help a ton of teams as a two-way combo forward with experience.
9. Derrick Jones Jr. (UFA, Heat): Jones Jr. is younger than most of the restricted free agents on the market, yet he is unencumbered from a contract perspective. Some of his value is speculative, but Jones Jr. is a long, athletic defender that can function as a player finisher on offense. His ceiling will be limited if his jump shot doesn’t improve, but Jones Jr. is very intriguing for younger teams trying to add on the margins.
10. Malik Beasley (RFA, Wolves): The Wolves have the No. 1 pick and, in theory, that selection could impact Beasley’s long-term future. It has to be noted, though, that Minnesota gave up assets for the right to match any offer on Beasley. If nothing else, Beasley turns 24 in November and he exploded for 20.7 points per game after arriving in the Twin Cities.
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11. Wesley Matthews (UFA, Bucks): It wasn’t a surprise to Matthews opting out of a $2.7 million player option, simply because he is worth more than that. Matthews is 34 years old, though, and that could temper the market in a way that it wouldn’t if he was 28. Contenders should be pursuing him as a quality 3-and-D option at modest cost, and he would help pretty much any playoff-bound squad.
12. Justin Holiday (UFA, Pacers): Holiday, now 31 years old, enjoyed the best shooting season of his career in 2019-20, knocking down 40 percent from three-point range. With that uptick and his plug-and-play appeal as a role player, teams should be lining up to give him a few million annually.
13. Dario Saric (RFA, Suns): The Suns making the Chris Paul trade (and doing so officially on Monday) increases the chances they look to bring Saric back as they don’t have any cap space currently, with just their exceptions and minimums left to add more pieces they don’t have rights to. Independent of that, he’s a big, skilled forward that is reasonably young (26), and Saric has two-way appeal. He also seemed to find his footing during Phoenix’s bubble run, and that showing could earn him a few extra dollars and interest from others.
14. Kent Bazemore (UFA, Kings): After benefitting from the free agent frenzy in 2016, Bazemore won’t be making $17 million a year ever again. At the same time, he’s highly useful as a two-way wing, and Bazemore was sneakily effective in limited deployment with the Kings after a mid-season trade last season.
15. Moe Harkless (UFA, Knicks): There is absolutely nothing sexy about Harkless. He is a 3-and-D forward that leans toward the defensive side, and he was salary dumped before last season. Harkless can still help a playoff team as a depth piece, though, and he’s only 27 years old.
16. Alec Burks (UFA, Sixers): Burks had a hard time staying healthy for a long time, but he put together a strong performance in 2019-20. His best value comes in shot creation, and Burks is big enough at 6’6 where he won’t get embarrassed on defense. Ideally, he’s probably a third guard that provides second-unit punch, but we aren’t that far away from Burks being quite good in Utah and he is now underrated.
17. Glenn Robinson III (UFA, Sixers): A lot of his good work came with the hapless Warriors last season, but Robinson III shot 39.1 percent from three-point range, and he’s a good athlete that can hold up reasonably on the defensive end. Given that he’s only 26 and unrestricted, he should have suitors.
18. E’Twaun Moore (UFA, Pelicans): New Orleans could be leaning on their young guys a bit more next season, and Moore is a free agent at 31. As such, he could be heading elsewhere, but Moore is a career 39 percent three-point shooter that can also defend at both guard spots. That’s not a bad combination for a role player.
19. Carmelo Anthony (UFA, Blazers): The future Hall of Fame forward is 36 now and Anthony isn’t a perfect player by any means. He did earn some redemption, though, with the way he played offensively in Portland, and he can still score with reasonable efficiency when needed. Teams have to know what he can and can’t do, but Anthony more than earned a job for 2020-21.
20. Torrey Craig (RFA, Nuggets): Craig is a very solid defender and that’s where his greatest value lies. He’s a long, strong wing who often draws some of the top perimeter matchups for the Nuggets. The problem is the lack of impact he has on the offensive end, as he’s a career 32 percent shooter from three-point range and doesn’t provide anything really on the ball either. Still, his defense is going to keep him in the league for a long while as it’s a genuine asset and he’ll have suitors for that reason.
Christopher Osburn has spent the past fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. In the process, he’s enjoyed more whisk(e)y drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, and visited more than fifty distilleries around the globe.
Let’s face it. There are a lot of bourbons on the market. Even if you just stick to Kentucky, you’re looking at way more juice than you could ever drink. While the likes of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Wild Turkey take up a fair bit of the shelf space, the country is dotted with smaller bourbon distilleries producing expressions that are just waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.
To help you find new bourbons to love, I decided to crack open my tasting notebook and list ten of my favorite bottles that you’ve probably never heard of. Some of these picks are offerings from smaller distilleries. A few are little-known bottles from bigger outfits. I personally vouch for all of them.
If nothing else, this is a great chance to broaden your whiskey horizons.
If you haven’t tried New Riff yet, don’t be turned off by their somewhat cheesy bottle designs. The whiskey inside is much better than the outside packaging. This high rye (30%), barrel proof, non-chill filtered bourbon was aged for four years in toasted and charred new American oak casks.
Like all single barrel offerings, part of the appeal is the idea that you’ll have a subtly different flavor experience every time you buy a new bottle.
Tasting Notes:
While the flavors inside vary based on the barrels selected, my first nosing was met with substantial toasted oak notes mixed with peppery rye and sweet, vanilla beans. The first sip was velvety and filled with dried cherries, spicy cinnamon, caramelized sugar, and peppery spice. The finish is long, warming, and spicy enough to compel even the most ardent rye fans to give this expression a try.
Bottom Line:
While a great sipper, this high-proof whiskey excels when it’s used as the base for old fashioneds and whiskey sours.
This Fort Collins, Colorado-based whiskey’s master distiller previously held the same title at Indiana’s famed MGP. A unique bourbon, instead of the high rye you’d expect from someone from MGP, it has a surprisingly high amount of malted barley (34%). Instead of taking a few days to proof, Old Elk uses a process called “Slow Cut” to make the whiskey extra mellow and smooth by spending weeks proofing slowly between barrel and bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Give this one a proper nosing before taking a sip. If you do, you’ll be met with the aromas of Christmas spices, nutty almond paste, and subtle wood char. Sweet milk chocolate, maple syrup, brown sugar, and sweet vanilla are prevalent on the palate. The finish is long and subtly warming, with mellow hints of caramelized sugar and spicy cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
This is a great whiskey for drinkers who prefer to sip their bourbon neat. Don’t mix this one with anything (save for a single ice cube).
You might not have ever heard of Texas’ Gulf Coast Distillers, but you should definitely put the brand’s Hickory Hill Single Barrel 12-Year-Old Bourbon on your radar. This bourbon was aged for 12 years in charred, American oak casks. Truly small batch, each bottle carries the information of the specific barrel the liquid came from.
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, spend a few moments to nose it. You’ll find hints of brown sugar, birthday cake, and subtle spicy cinnamon. From the first sip, you’ll find subtle charred oak, dried fruit, creamy vanilla, and toffee flavors. The finish is medium in length, warming, and ends with a final flourish of spicy cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey was aged for 12 years and was hand-selected from specific barrels. Give it the respect it deserves by drinking it neat or on the rocks.
Calumet Farms bourbon is high corn (74%) and aged in extra charred American oak casks. This is a very small batch whiskey (50 barrels per batch to be exact) is made up of 25 barrels of 13-year-old bourbon and 25 barrels of 7-year-old bourbon. The result is a remarkably mellow, easy to drink, subtly sweet bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be met with sweet corn, rich caramel, and charred oak flavors. The first sip is filled with sticky toffee, candied orange peels, toasted caramel, and just a wisp of woodsmoke. The finish is long, sweet, and ends with a final pleasing hit of caramel and cinnamon apples.
Bottom Line:
Another bourbon that deserves to stand on its own, Calumet should be sipped slowly as you enjoy the fleeting, warm fall evenings.
Milam & Green’s flagship bourbon, its Triple Cask is high corn (70%) and gets its ingredients from Texas (corn), rye (Oregon), barley (Wyoming), and yeast (Kentucky and Texas). The three casks involved are a two-year-old bourbon, three to four-year-old Tennessee whiskey, and 10 to 11-year old Tennessee whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
This bourbon’s nose is overflowing with clover honey, milk chocolate, charred oak, and creamy vanilla. The first sip brings on spicy cinnamon, brown sugar, more sweet honey, and a nice pleasing kick of cracked black pepper. The finish is long, very warm, and ends in a nice mellow crescendo of caramelized sugar.
Bottom Line:
A bourbon this complex should be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but it’s well-rounded enough to be mixed into your favorite whiskey-based cocktail.
Everyone knows Willett, but you might not realize that the brand is a wide range of sourced whiskeys. This includes Noah’s Mill, a 114.3 proof bourbon that once carried a 15-year age statement. It now has no such age statement, though it’s believed to be a blend of bourbons from four to 20 years old.
Tasting Notes:
Knowing this offering is from Willett should be enough to make you give it a proper nosing before taking your first sip. If you do, you’ll find hints of smoky, charred oak, velvety vanilla, and cooking spices. The first sip is filled with toasted almonds, brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, and decadent caramel. The finish is long, warming, and ends in a combination of toasted wood, leather, vanilla, and subtle peppery spice.
Bottom Line:
A whiskey of this caliber shouldn’t be mixed with anything. It should be enjoyed neat or on the rocks while you sit in an easy chair while being warmed by a fireplace and the wind blows chilly outside.
This unique whiskey is a blend of Old Scout, a brand the distillery merchant bottles (made by MGP), and a wheated bourbon crafted by the Smooth Ambler distillery in West Virginia. Meaning that it’s a mix of a bourbon they make, along with one they simply bottle.
The average age of the juice inside is nine years. It’s unfiltered, raw, and extremely complex.
Tasting Notes:
The MGP whiskey is high rye and this gives the nose a nice, sweet peppery start. This quickly moves into dried cherries, toasted vanilla, and cinnamon sweetness. The first sip brings forth more cracked black pepper along with dried fruits, sweet vanilla, caramel, and toasted marshmallows. The finish is long, dry, and full of comforting pepper spice.
Bottom Line:
This unique whiskey is just as well-suited for sipping as it is mixing. The combination of wheated and high-rye bourbons make perfect for Manhattans and boulevardiers.
Back in the day, the term “bib & tucker” was a way to describe the fanciest clothes a person owned. Drinking this small-batch, 70% corn bourbon will make you feel like you just donned your Sunday best in liquid form. Made from specially selected 10-year-old small-batch bourbons, each bottle is hand-labeled with the specific barrel it came from.
Tasting Notes:
Take a nice whiff of this bourbon before sipping. Your sinuses will be filled with hints of charred oak, caramelized sugar, leather, and cloves. From the first sip, you’ll be treated to dried fruits, subtle herbal notes, toasted vanilla, and rich caramel. The finish is long, very warm, and ends with caramel and a nutty sweetness.
Bottom Line:
Get dressed up in your finest sweatpants and find a comfortable chair to slowly sip on this highly nuanced bourbon.
If you think about Barton, there’s a pretty good chance your mind immediately goes to its flagship 1792 brand. But, while you won’t find it on their site, the distillery also makes the mysterious (and delicious) Chestnut Farms Bottled in Bond Bourbon. Good luck finding much else about this whiskey though, including its age.
Doesn’t matter. Just one taste and you won’t care about all the mystery — it’s that good.
Tasting Notes:
Enjoy a nice nosing before your first sip. You’ll be treated to toffee cookies, dried apricots, clover honey, and spicy cinnamon. The first sip yields cooking spices, rich milk chocolate, almonds, butterscotch, and creamy vanilla. The finish is long, warming, and ends in a final kick of cinnamon spice.
Bottom Line:
Treat this bottle the same way you would 1792. It’s well-made, high-quality, and deserves to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
You’ve probably seen other brands resting bourbon in port casks, but you might not know why they do it. The dark, sweet, rich flavors of port casks impart an added kick of candied fruit and caramel flavors to this 8-year-old aged bourbon. The result is a very complex, rich, extremely mellow whiskey — perfectly suited for slow sipping.
Tasting Notes:
This unique bourbon carries aromas of dried fruits, charred oak, toasted brown sugar, and slightly acidic, robust port wine. The first sip brings more port sweetness along with sugar candy, caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, and subtle white pepper. The finish is long, warming, and ends with more sweet, rich port wine along with just a hint of spice.
Bottom Line:
Like you would with another port wine finished bourbon (Angel’s Envy), enjoy this one neat or on the rocks on a chilly fall eve.
A few days ago, Megan The Stallion announced the release date of her upcoming album, Good News. It’s dropping this Friday, and now she has shared the tracklist ahead of then. The 17-track album features the Beyonce remix of “Savage,” as well as contributions from SZA, Big Sean, DaBaby, City Girls, Lil Durk, 2 Chainz, Popcaan, and Young Thug.
Meg previously discussed her relationship with Beyonce, saying in a Variety profile from October, “In the first five minutes of the conversation, I felt like I’ve been knowing her all my life. She treated me like family, and now I feel like I am family. We talk all the time.”
She has also discussed the album, tweeting in October, “My album abt to go crazy.” That came after she shared some info about the album in the aforementioned Variety profile, in which she said it would address the Black Lives Matter movement: “I feel like everything that’s going on right now, if it hasn’t moved you to speak out or try to make some type of difference, then something might be slightly wrong with you. Even though I haven’t already come out with a song with that messaging, I definitely plan on it.”
1. “Shots Fired ”
2. “Circles”
3. “Cry Baby” Feat. DaBaby
4. “Do It On The Tip” Feat. City Girls
5. “Sugar Baby”
6. “Movie” Feat. Lil Durk
7. “Freaky Girls” Feat. SZA
8. “Body”
9. “What’s New”
10. “Work That”
11. “Intercourse” Feat. Popcaan
12. “Go Crazy” Feat. Big Sean and 2 Chainz
13. “Don’t Rock Me To Sleep”
14. “Outside”
15. “Savage (Remix)” Feat. Beyonce
16. “Girls In The Hood”
17. “Don’t Stop” Feat. Young Thug
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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