Month: February 2021

Meet Rex — a sweet, beautiful, collie mix. Originally adopted from a Tyler, Texas animal shelter at just 12-weeks-old, Rex’s family could no longer keep him and returned him to the shelter when he was only four.

Last week in the wake of the horrible storms in Texas, generators gave out and shelters lost power. The pipes burst and water was cut off. The lack of water, power, and other resources created a dire situation with many pets at risk of euthanasia in shelters across Texas.

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Rex was at such a shelter in Tyler that didn’t have a plan to keep their pets safe through the terrible winter storm. The horrible reality is they were intending on euthanizing these animals before they froze to death or went any longer without water.

As overnight temperatures remained below freezing, the staff and volunteers at Austin Pets Alive! continued working around the clock to ensure there wasn’t a moment when the animals were unsafe. They needed immediate help to keep up their heroic efforts.

At GOOD/Upworthy, we issued a quick call to arms to aid their life-saving efforts. In a few hours, you helped raise over $17,000.

Thanks to the efforts of everyone who donated, volunteered, and worked tirelessly with Austin Pets Alive! they were able to save Rex and 30+ others just like him by coordinating a lifesaving rescue transport with their friends at Wright-Way Rescue in the Chicago area.

Rex wasn’t so sure about getting out of the van after the 14-hour drive, but these amazing people were patient and helped him get ready to hop back into the snow.

Now, a Texas dog named Rex who spent most of his young life in a rural shelter is in a warm foster home outside of Chicago. Soon enough, he’ll learn that snow can be fun, and life can be happy, and love is all around him.

We’re so grateful that our readers came together to help Austin Pets Alive! save Rex and his friends, and that they’re going to be safe now at Wright-Way Rescue. This shelter is not slowing down anytime soon and continues to coordinate a widespread effort to reach more rural shelters throughout Texas that might need help.

Austin Pets Alive! is urgently working with shelter partners, with the goal of transporting 1,000+ animals to safe shelters throughout the United States in the next two weeks. The biggest need at this time is for organizations that can safely transport pets. Austin has become the safest city in the country for shelter pets, but the rest of Texas isn’t yet there, which is why these transports are so crucial. To help make these transports happen, please give to Austin Pets Alive! here.

You can also learn more and give to Wright-Way Rescue, which focuses on saving pets throughout rural America. As their mission states, it is in these extremely remote locations that help and hope for homeless pets is still at a minimum.

Together, we can work to save all the dogs. And if you live in the midwest you can apply to adopt Rex (and then send us lots of photos!).

The original Mr. Potato Head did not involve a potato or head. The toy was invented by George Lerner in the late 1940s, but because the United States had just come out of World War II and it seemed wasteful to use produce as a food, he couldn’t find a buyer. But he did find a cereal manufacturer who would “distribute his plastic parts as prizes” in their boxes. That proved popular enough that in 1952, the Rhode Island-based Hassenfeld Brothers bought the rights to Mr. Potato Head — now in potato and head form — for $5,000, along with a $500 advance and five percent royalties on every toy sold. Hassenfeld Brothers was later re-named Hasbro, and Mr. Potato Head helped turn the company into a multi-billion dollar American success story. Decades later, the same people who value profits over people are now super angry about Mr. Potato Head.

Why? Because the spud has a new name.

The Associated Press reports that Mr. Potato Head is now Potato Head, a gender neutral “modern makeover… Toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to kids today. Barbie has shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. Thomas the Tank Engine added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.” Hasbro’s decision came after noticing “how toddlers frequently play with the toy,” according to Fast Company. That’s why, when a line of potato head is introduced in the fall, “kids will have a blank slate to create same-sex families or single-parent families. It’s a prime example of the way heritage toy brands are evolving to stay relevant in the 21st century.” I can’t possibly imagine being furious over a potato toy becoming more inclusive, but I am also not Ben Shapiro (thank god), or any of the other conservatives who are currently losing their minds over Potato Head.

It’s only a matter of time before Donald Trump, Jr. weighs in…

(Via Fast Company)

Earlier this week, organizers of the annual conservative gathering known as CPAC disinvited a speaker over “reprehensible views.” That person was not Donald Trump but, instead, right-wing hip hop artist Young Pharaoh, who reacted (as CNN notes) poorly and with an anti-Semitic tweet. The annual event, however, isn’t about to cancel a repeat speaker, Jikido Aeba, the Japanese Conservative Union Chair who appeared both in 2017 and 2016 at the event, will be back for more.

As noted first by Vice, Aeba is on the schedule shortly after Donald Trump Jr. on Friday. In doing so, Aeba’s also participating as part of the “Familiarity Breeds Contempt: How Will China’s Neighbor’s Survive?” panel (which sounds like it fits in with the GOP’s repulsion against China), but what’s really raising eyebrows is his apparent involvement (as reported back in 2012 by The Atlantic) in a cult called Happy Science. Kinda rings the same bell, namewise, as Scientology, right? Well, both cults are big on the alien thing, apparently. Scientology doesn’t allow its members to actually see that alien story (about disembodied souls searching for bodies to possess after a volcano explosion) until OT Level III (after they’ve forked over many, many thousands of dollars for books and “audit” confessions with a tin can), but it sounds like Happy Science puts it all out there, pretty quick-like. Here’s how Vice puts things:

Happy Science was founded in October 1986 by Ryuho Okawa, a former Wall Street trader who claims to be the reincarnated form of Buddha, who himself was the reincarnated form of El Cantare, a god from Venus who created life on earth millions of years ago. Happy Science was officially recognized as a religious group in Japan in 1991, quickly gained a huge following, and made Okawa a very rich man. One estimate from 1991 put the group’s annual revenues at around $45 million.

Okawa claims that he can channel the spirits of famous people — both alive and dead. In 2019, the Happy Science branch in London hosted a séance to hear Margaret Thatcher’s thoughts on Brexit. Okawa has written over 500 books filled with outlandish claims about UFOs, demonic warfare, and most recently, coronavirus and how it originated on another planet.

Soooo, attempting to channel Margaret Thatcher sounds like one of the least wacky things about this cult. The reincarnated Venus-god stuff might be one of the bigger pieces of weirdness, and Aeba sounds like he’s been heavily involved for some time, according to Vice. Happy Science cult is also rather notorious to cult watchers for pushing xenophobic beliefs and advocating for extreme Japanese nationalism. In other words, it is not too terribly surprising that he’s a repeat fixture at CPAC, which only gives people the boot for egregious public offenses like, you know, being Richard Spencer. Remember when he got kicked out of the premises in 2017? Good times.

(Via Vice)

Yesterday was an eventful day for Julien Baker. In the morning, she dropped a new single, “Heatwave.” Hours after that was the premiere of an SiriusXMU Live Session set from Baker, which featured a cover of Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.”

She kept her rendition pretty faithful to the original recording, and while Thom Yorke’s distinct vocal style is often a key part of a Radiohead song, Baker delivered in her own right.

The song is lyrically minimal and somewhat abstract, but Thom Yorke told Rolling Stone in 2001 that the track is actually about a breakdown he had while touring in support of OK Computer in Birmingham, England on November 19, 1997: “I came off at the end of that show, sat in the dressing room and couldn’t speak. I actually couldn’t speak. People were saying, ‘You all right?’ I knew people were speaking to me. But I couldn’t hear them. And I couldn’t talk. I’d just so had enough. And I was bored with saying I’d had enough. I was beyond that. […] ‘Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon.’ Lots of people say that song is gibberish. It’s not. It’s totally about that.”

Listen to Baker cover “Everything In Its Right Place ” above.

Travis Scott broke ground on his Cactus Jack newsstand pop-up this week in West Hollywood and to celebrate, the rapper made an in-person appearance. Once fans heard the news of the rapper’s attendance, people flooded the streets in order to catch a glimpse of him. The crowd ended up getting so massive that it broke LA’s COVID-19 restrictions and as a result, Scott is now reportedly under investigation by police.

Per a report from TMZ, Los Angeles’ Department Of Public Works did not receive a permit from Scott’s team for the event. The city has supposedly been conservative with granting permits lately, as they frown upon non-essential gatherings in order to combat the spread of the virus. Because of the huge crowd Scott attracted, the Public Works department is planning on consulting with the City Attorney’s office to discuss how to reprimand the rapper, which may include some potentially hefty fines.

Scott’s initial plan for his pop-up was to promote the “Utopia Issue” of i-D Magazine, which features an in-depth cover story with the rapper shot by Spike Jonze. Scott appeared at the newsstand to pass out a limited number of physical copies of the magazine, but the event ended up turning into a mob of sorts.

If he does end up having to pay a fine for the event, Scott wouldn’t be the first musician to be reprimanded for breaking COVID protocol. Back in November, UK pop singer Rita Ora broke London’s COVID restrictions when she threw an indoor birthday party at a restaurant for a group of friends. Along with facing backlash for the event, Ora was hit with a $12,000 fine by the government.

Check out photos and fan-captured footage of the pop-up crowd above.

Karma is a beautiful thing … unless you’re a MAGA-loving cult member who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6th and had the gall to taunt your ex with text messages during the whole thing.

That’s something Richard Michetti, a Pennsylvania resident who traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Trump-inspired insurrection, is finding out the hard way after his ex-girlfriend turned over text messages to the FBI placing him at the Capitol building on the day of the siege. The woman, whose identity is protected in court filings, provided law enforcement with several text messages, photos, and videos that show Michetti raiding the Capitol with his fellow Trump supporters. In fact, one of the photos released by the FBI in their attempt to identify members of the mob shows Michetti standing on the steps of the Capitol staring at his phone with his mask down, presumably texting his former girlfriend.

“It’s going down here. We stormed the building they held us back with spray and teargas and paintballs,” Michetti texted his ex at 2:06 p.m. before insulting her and echoing Trump’s claims of voter fraud. “If you can’t see the election was stolen you’re a moron.”

Authorities charged Michetti with knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and obstruction of Congress. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. But really, what’s two decades of jail-time compared to the humiliation being handed to him on Twitter?

Dating a Trump supporter = A lifetime of therapy.
Turning that Trump-supporting insurrectionist into the FBI = priceless.

James Bond is, above all, a man of discerning style and taste. And so a $7,000 camera certainly seems like an on-brand movie tie in for the oft-delayed No Time To Die. The movie, got pushed more than a year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, has had an interesting promotional calendar to say the least. Daniel Craig, you may recall, hosted SNL nearly a full year ago to promote the film that still hasn’t been released.

But perhaps an extremely nice camera is the best way to promote the film, which is why Craig worked with Leica to make a Bond-inspired version of the camera maker’s iconic Q2 shooter.

According to Leica, the camera is a “close collaboration” between Bond star Craig and photographer Greg Williams. And, quite frankly, the camera is gorgeous.

There’s a lot of impressive technical specs here, but perhaps most importantly the collaboration has an important design distinction: it’s the first time ever the company has made a camera with its iconic red logo cast in a different color.

All engravings are inlaid with gold paint; even the Leica logo adheres for the first time ever to the colour scheme of black and gold. The name of the special edition (which is limited to 750 units worldwide) and the sequential serial number are, also for the first time, shown as a laser engraving under the display glass. The grippy leather trim of the Leica Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams is textured with an exclusive diamond pattern.

All of that makes it extremely scarce: even with a price tag of $6,995 it was almost immediately listed as sold out. But as Craig’s time as Bond comes to an end, this definitely serves as a very fancy tribute to his time in the role.

Inadvertently, a question asked here put Tom Holland right back in the same tricky predicament that was, broadly, being asked about. Namely, when he was asked recently if the rumors that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were going to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Holland emphatically shot that down, but then social media erupted because a good number of people assume Holland is lying. (I have asked questions like this many times.) It’s kind of a fascinating quandary because there’s no real great way to address such a direct and specific question without either spoiling a movie he’s contractually not supposed to do, lying, or declining to answer, which kind of tips people off anyway. But, of course, asking about how to answer such a thing also puts Holland right back in that same boat because an answer to this question could tip off his strategy to how he answered his previous question. But, Holland is so surprisingly deft at interviews already (well, he did go through quite an infamous run of spoiling movies, but he doesn’t do that anymore) he manages to give a good answer without tipping his hand. Well, probably.

Holland is out here promoting Cherry, an ambitious film that sees him re-team with his Marvel directors, Joe and Anthony Russo. Cherry is fairly epic in scale, as it divides the film up into chapters that watches Holland’s character (based on author Nico Walker’s experiences) go from local fuck up, to fighting in the Iraq war, to becoming a heroin addict, to eventually robbing banks in order to buy more heroin. It’s a role we’ve certainly not seen Holland attempt before, and Holland is pretty open about the fact that he’s trying to strategically challenge himself with roles that are as far away from Peter Parker as possible. Not to mention the eclectic assortment of movies he’s been watching lately in order to buff up his film bona fides so that he can direct one day himself.

Though that list still does not include The Empire Strikes Back, a movie he’s still not seen and gets asked about a lot because of a line in Captain America: Civil War. But, it does include Dodgeball, which, strangely, inspired a scene in Cherry.

There’s a part in Cherry where you have a mustache, I’m not sure any other human being’s facial look changes more with the mustache than yours.

Right.

It went from, “there’s Tom Holland,” to like Clark Gable walking out of some 1930s classic film.

Brilliant. I’m glad to hear that.

I’m assuming that’s a look we’re not going to see again soon.

Yeah, maybe not. I think I’m going to wait. I sadly cannot grow my own mustache, so it is a stick-on. And they are the most uncomfortable things in the world, so whatever I can do to avoid having a mustache. [Laughs] That idea actually came from a Halloween party while we were shooting Cherry. My team, we went as the Average Joe’s…

From Dodgeball?

From Dodgeball, yeah. And my makeup artist, Rachel, drew a mustache on herself. And Anthony and Joe Russo were like, “We need you to give Tom a mustache in the prison because that looks great.” So that’s where the idea for the mustache came from. And then Rachel, obviously, then has to make one and do all that sort of stuff.

I have to admit, I was not expecting Dodgeball to come up today. An influence on Cherry I wasn’t expecting.

Right. A bit of a curveball for you there.

This is an intense movie. I assume that appealed to you.

Yeah. I mean, it all appealed to me, really: working with the Russos again, challenging myself as an actor, working on a film which I think is an important one for society to sort of shed the light on a problem that’s happening all around us. But the chapters thing for me was a really interesting idea, because it almost felt like we were making an episodic TV show about the same character at six, very different, chapters of his life. And trying to find the connective tissue between each chapter was what was so difficult. But then again, research and planning and storyboarding and all that sort of stuff became very, very helpful in making those connections.

So the way I’ve read the story, the Russos just came to you and offered this. And then you told them you’d do it for free, which is a terrible negotiation tactic. But it was that easy?

Yeah. And I think that joke there kind of boils down from the fact that they changed my life. The Russo brothers cast me as Spider-Man and they put me in a position I could never have dreamed to be in. So, I owe them a lot. And I would do anything for them. But yeah, that’s kind of how it happened. I was honored that they chose me, they could choose anyone. But, yeah, so I owe them a lot.

It seems like you’re in a stage of your career where you want people to see you playing roles that aren’t just Peter Parker. Between this and The Devil All the Time, I don’t want to say it’s calculated, but it does look like you are looking for something “different.”

I mean, it’s always on my mind. And my agents and I have been very strategic in choosing our moments and picking our battles. I think, now, I’m definitely at a stage in my career where I’m able to carry the weight of films that have these heavy tones and strong emotional arcs and stuff. But at the end of the day, if it’s a romantic comedy and it challenges me and it’s not something I’ve done before, I’d be well up for it. It was a comedy, if it was a horror film, I have no agenda or anything like that when it comes to picking my films. I just like to do things I haven’t done before.

Was there anything you watched that you looked at as an influence for playing this type of character?

Oh, yeah.

You’re often associated a lot with Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. I don’t if you’ve seen it, but we rewatched Less Than Zero recently and you reminded me of Downey in that movie.

I mean, I actually haven’t seen that film. But, I mean, films like a Requiem of a Dream, The Basketball Diaries, all that sort of stuff was very helpful. It showed me some things I wanted to try and embrace. And some things I wanted to try and stay away from. Our biggest thing, when we were making this film, was to make and tell a story that didn’t romanticize drug abuse or war in any way, shape, or form. We really wanted to make it as grotesque as it can actually be. So, we learned loads from different films. The Russos are the ones to ask that question. They could go on for hours and hours and hours about films that have influenced them to make this film. My film knowledge is not quite as extensive as there’s, but it’s getting there.

Right, that’s been well-documented. And every interview you’re asked if you’ve seen The Empire Strikes Back yet and it’s always, “No.”

No. I haven’t.

When I talked to you for Far from Home, you basically said it’s not going to happen.

Well, I would never say it’s not going to happen. It’s just, they’re not my type of movies. I just … I’m not a big fan of them. And I’m a big Marvel fan, so if I’m going to watch a space movie, I would watch Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor, that’s my type of thing, per se. But I will have to watch it so people stop asking me the question, “Have you seen The Empire Strikes Back?”

Just to finally say, “Yes, I’ve seen it. Are you happy?”

Yes. Yes.

And then people say, “We are happy.”

Maybe I’ll watch it tonight.

Speaking of, what have you caught up on over the pandemic? I do realize you aren’t exactly stuck at home and have filmed two movies, so maybe you haven’t had time.

I mean, my brother Harry and I are, obviously, avid film fans and we want to one day be directors and stuff. So we’re trying to educate ourselves and watching films, and broadening our horizons by watching different types of films. We’ve been watching lots of foreign films at the moment, we watched Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of a Murder the other day, which we really enjoyed. We’ve got a cinema club at the moment. Every week, the Spider-Man cast gets together at the screening room at the studios and we pick a film that none of us have seen before and watch a film. I think next on the list is The Handmaiden, which is Zendaya’s recommendation. Cinema Paradiso is one of them. So, we’re just working our way through films that I would never normally watch, but I’m definitely learning to love them. And once you realize that there were films that aren’t in English, it opens up possibilities to so many more stories.

Based on the movies you just mentioned, and then you throw in Dodgeball, that is an eclectic group…

[Laughs] Oh, yeah, the spectrum of my film knowledge is wide, my friend.

I’ve seen a lot of the set photos from the new Spider-Man. I can’t help but wonder, does the Spider-Man mask actually work as a pandemic mask? Or is it too thin? Because that knocks off two birds with one stone if it does.

I mean, I guess it does? I have to wear a helmet underneath the mask to give my very irregular-shaped head a nice, smooth, round kind of shape. And it has a mesh over the front of the mouth to stop condensation getting onto the mask. So, it is pretty good when it comes to stopping particles coming in and out of a suit. But, on the first day of shooting, I did walk on set in the Spider-Man suit with a mask on, to just set the tone for the crew that we were like, “Guys, we’re going to take this seriously. We’re going to wear our masks.” And everyone’s been amazing. And been very, very professional.

A couple of weeks ago I saw Chaos Walking, which you filmed in 2017 and is finally coming out. This feels like another movie where you were trying to do something that wasn’t the MCU, then it gets delayed. Was that frustrating?

Yeah. It was frustrating, and it’s been a real uphill battle getting that film made. We ran into all sorts of different problems while making it, and then while remaking it and editing it and all sorts of different stuff. The nature of the film and the concept of the film is one that is really, really difficult to overcome. But I haven’t actually seen it… the last edit I saw would have been about a year and a half ago actually.

Oh, so I’m ahead of you on that.

Yeah, so you’ve seen more than I have, but I’m excited to see it. I’m a little apprehensive if I’m honest. But, yeah. I mean, Doug Liman, I love him. He was so kind to me and I had a great time working with him. So, for him, I hope the film does really well. And yeah, excited to see it.

So, I read the interview you did with Esquire, which got around because you were asked if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are in that movie. There were a lot of people on social media who didn’t believe your answer. And I’ve asked things like that before, but it seems like a no-win situation. Let’s say while you’re filming Far From Home I had asked you, hey, I’ve heard J.K. Simmons is in this movie. How bad of a position does that put you in?

It’s a tricky situation. [Laughs] I feel like you’re equally putting me in a tricky situation now.

I’m not trying to, I promise.

It is what it is. And sometimes the fans figure out what’s going on, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they figure out one thing, and it opens up a whole world of possibilities and they go off on a tangent, which could not be more different or more correct to what we’re making. It’s a shame, sometimes, that things get leaked and things get ruined. But at the moment, with this film, I think we’re doing a very, very good job of keeping the things that need to be a secret a secret. And I’m sure there are things that are going on that I have no idea about. I mean, I’m usually the last person to find out what’s going on, because of this ridiculous rumor that I spoil movies!

Look, you didn’t spoil Endgame. That’s the only one that matters.

I didn’t spoil Endgame!

You didn’t.

No, which is great. But, I think, the tricky thing about those questions is: it’s a question that’s going to get a reaction regardless of what the answer is. So it’s one of those things where you just have to figure out, how is the best way to handle this? Shall I lie? Shall I tell the truth? Shall I just say, “I can’t say anything.” Shall I say, “I can neither confirm nor deny”? There’s nothing you can really say that won’t spark a reaction from the fans.

Right.

So, it’s a double-edged sword. It can be great. It can be a great thing, but sometimes it can be quite a damaging thing.

Oh, by the way, last time we spoke you mentioned a deleted scene in Far from Home where you sold a Star Wars action figure, but you didn’t know the action figure. I actually emailed Kevin Feige…

Oh, yeah?

The name of the character is Lobot, who’s in The Empire Strikes Back.

Lobot. Yeah, yeah. And I actually think that that was Kevin Feige’s Lobot.

His personal collection Lobot?

I seem to remember that that was one of his own personal collection. Yeah. But I might be completely lying there.

‘Cherry’ begins streaming via Apple+ on Feb. 26th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

If you’ve read even one article about bourbon, you already know that to be considered a bourbon the juice must be made with a mash bill of a minimum of 51 percent corn. It also must be aged (for at least two years to be called “straight bourbon”) in new oak barrels that have been charred to varying degrees. Obviously, there are other regulations. But when it comes to the flavor, these two components are pretty damn important.

The latter, aging in charred oak barrels, give the juice the unique vanilla character that many bourbon drinkers crave. As the spirit rests in the cask, the alcohol burrows into the charred wood and extracts vanillin from it. That vanillin is then imparted into the juice. It’s a chemical reaction resulting in a flavor that feels at once rich and familiar.

While all bourbons have this flavor profile in some respect, they’re not all built or blended to be bursting with prominent vanilla notes. That’s why we decided to find ten bottles that are full of enough vanilla that you’d think a toasted vanilla bean was actually placed in the barrel. Or maybe that the final product was mixed with vanilla essence. Don’t get it twisted — that’s not actually the case. These are simply vanilla-centric bourbons that owe their vanilla nature to the wonderful alchemy of wood, spirit, and time.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59.99

The Story:

This single barrel, bottled-in-bond, bourbon took the whiskey world by storm a few years ago. The price was driven up and it became the must-have bottle for bourbon drinkers. The price has returned to normal, but it still isn’t easy to find.

This whiskey is aged for ten years, giving it a rich, sweet, well-balanced flavor.

Tasting Notes:

Take a whiff and you’ll find aromas of charred oak, vanilla beans, and fruity, floral notes. The first sip is filled with sweet brown sugar, rich malts, buttery caramel, and more creamy vanilla. It all finishes with a nice hint of dried cherries and a return to the vanilla beans.

Bottom Line:

A lot of hardcore whiskey drinkers tend to collect higher-proof expressions. If you’re one of these drinkers and you still want a vanilla bomb, this is the whiskey for you.

Noah’s Mill

ABV: 57%

Average Price: $53.99

The Story:

One of the most underrated bourbons on the market, Noah’s Mill is high-proof and made up of Willett whiskeys ranging from 4 to 20 years old. This small-batch bourbon is tirelessly blended together to create a distinct, sweet, mellow flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find aromas of almonds, toasted oak, and dried fruits. On the palate, you’ll taste hints of buttery caramel, peppery spice, and gentle, sweet vanilla undertones. The finish is long, full of heat, and ends with a nice combination of cracked black pepper and toasted vanilla beans.

Bottom Line:

Bourbon aficionados know all about Noah’s Mill, now you do too. Grab a few bottles of this vanilla bomb before it becomes unattainable.

Maker’s Mark 46

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $39.99

The Story:

Everyone has heard of Maker’s Mark. It’s one of the most popular bourbons in the world for a reason. It’s soft, mellow, and full of caramel sweetness. That vanilla-caramel flavor is only ramped up in its Maker’s Mark 46 expression. In fact, that’s literally the reason why Bill Samuels, Jr, created it.

Cask strength Maker’s Mark is finished with the addition of seared virgin French oak staves, therefore increasing the vanillin extracted.

Tasting Notes:

Take a few moments embracing the aromas and you’ll be greeted with hints of charred oak, caramelized sugar, and sweet treacle. Take a sip and you’ll find yourself immersed in a world of French oak wood, buttery caramel, molasses, and rich vanilla cream. The last sip is mellow, lingering, and wraps up with more toasted vanilla.

Bottom Line:

For fans of ramped-up vanilla flavor, this is a steal at around $40. If you’re already a Maker’s Mark drinker, up your game with a bottle of Maker’s Mark 46.

Rebel Bourbon

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $16.99

The Story:

This iconic brand got a well-deserved rebranding a few years ago. Luckily, even though it got a new label and a new image, they didn’t change the recipe or the extremely low price. This soft, mellow, very sweet, highly sippable bourbon sticks to the original recipe with a mash bill of corn, wheat, and barley.

Tasting Notes:

Your nose will be met with aromas of clover honey, sweet butter, and dried cherries. Take a sip and you’ll find hints of raisins, sweet cinnamon, brown sugar, and sweet vanilla. In the end, you’ll find nice, gentle warmth with just a hint of spice.

Bottom Line:

For under $20, this is the kind of bargain, mixing whiskey that belongs in your liquor cabinet at all times. Great for a bourbon and Vanilla Coke combo.

Angel’s Envy

ABV: 43.3%

Average Price: $52.99

The Story:

Angel’s Envy has gained a cult following in the last few years because of its unique finishing choices. Its flagship bourbon is finished in port wine casks to give it a rich, complex flavor profile well suited for fans of vanilla, caramel, and literally anything sweet.

This might as well be a dessert whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to give this whiskey a proper nosing and you’ll be greeted with scents of maple candy, charred oak, and port wine. The first sip is ripe with sticky toffee pudding, dried orange peel, buttery vanilla, and sweet berries. It all ends in a crescendo of cinnamon and toasted vanilla beans.

Bottom Line:

Finishing in port wine barrels gives this bourbon a unique flavor that deserves to be sipped slowly over ice while you watch snow silently fall outside your window. Hurry and try this before the spring melt!

Garrison Brothers Small Batch Texas Bourbon

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $89.99

The Story:

Over the past few years, Garrison Brothers has made the world realize that great bourbon can be made in Texas. Its Small Batch Texas Bourbon is made with a mash bill of sweet corn, red winter wheat, and two-row barley. There’s no rye so it’s mellow, smooth, soft, and sweet.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find hints of caramel apples, clover honey, and charred oak. The first sip yields flavors of leather, spicy cinnamon, buttery toffee, creamy vanilla, and dried orange peel. The finish is literally reminiscent of sugar cookies and vanilla-toasted almonds.

Bottom Line:

You don’t have to be a cowboy to enjoy this small-batch offering from Garrison Brothers. Although, after one glass of this 94 proof whiskey you might rethink your ability to pull off leather cowboy boots.

Larceny Small Batch

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $24.99

The Story:

This small-batch bourbon has been racking up awards for years because of its exceptional, nuanced flavor. It’s soft, smooth, and utilizes wheat instead of the usual rye as the third grain in the mash bill. The result is a mellow, creamy, effortlessly sweet sipping bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find hints of brown sugar, toffee, and fresh-baked bread. The first sip is filled with subtle floral notes that pair perfectly with sweet clover honey, rich treacle, subtle cinnamon, and cream-soda flavored with vanilla beans. The length of the finish is fairly long and ends with the soft, sweet flavor butterscotch.

Bottom Line:

This award-winning whiskey has a crazy low price, making it a value buy. If you’re thinking of grabbing a bottle buy two or three. You won’t regret it.

Hudson Bright Lights Big Bourbon

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $48.99

The Story:

If you liked Hudson Baby Bourbon, you’ll love Bright Lights, Big Bourbon. The mash bill is 95% corn and 5% malted barley. That’s it. It was aged for three years in new, charred oak barrels giving it a mellow, soft, sweet flavor filled with caramel, vanilla, and honey.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in this whiskey’s aromas and you’ll find hints of charred oak, brown sugar, and molasses. The first sip is full of dried cherries, caramel corn, creamy vanilla, and a nutty sweetness. It all ends with a final note of warming butterscotch.

Bottom Line:

Since this is a reasonably new expression, you might be hesitant to give it a try. If you’re a vanilla fan you don’t want to miss out on this corn-filled bottle.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $47.99

The Story:

Woodford Reserve is known for its high-quality, award-winning bourbons. One of its best is its Doubled Oaked. As the name might tell you, this whiskey is matured in two different charred oak casks. The second barrel is toasted longer to give it an even greater char. The result is a sublimely sweet, mellow whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find notes of charred oak, caramel apples, and rich honey. Take a sip and find flavors of creamy vanilla, buttery caramel, toasted oak, leather, and subtle cinnamon. The finish is long, full of warmth, and ends with a final kick of baking spices and caramel sweetness.

Bottom Line:

This expression from Woodford Reserve has a cult following due to its mellow, easy-to-drink flavor. Grab a bottle and savor every drop.

Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $34.99

The Story:

I know what you’re saying, “Bourbon from Wyoming?”

Well, this brand is proving that the boundaries of great bourbon are constantly widening. This small-batch bourbon is the flagship offering from Wyoming Whiskey. It’s an independent, family-owned brand and it’s distilled, aged, and barreled in Kirby, Wyoming.

Tasting Notes:

Take time to give this whiskey a proper nosing. You’ll find scents of floral sweetness, dried orange peel, and soft vanilla. The palate is overflowing with flavors of caramel corn, citrus zest, sugar cookies, and butter-toasted vanilla beans. The finish is gentle, lingers, and closes out with a final flourish of buttery vanilla.

Bottom Line:

If you’re on the lookout for a truly independent, high-quality, vanilla-forward whiskey, grab a bottle of Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon as soon as possible.

Meghan McCain thought she could nail the new White House press secretary Jen Psaki with a gotcha question on Thursday morning, but The View co-host was quickly outmatched by the competent Psaki, who’s clearly nothing like her predecessors in the Trump administration. While discussing the controversial topic of unaccompanied minors currently arriving at the Mexico border, McCain tried to accuse Joe Biden of being no different than Trump by “putting kids in cages” after it was reported that the children were being placed in a repurposed facility to mitigate exposure to COVID.

Here’s where the situation is different: Unlike the Trump administration, the Biden administration isn’t turning the minors away, leaving them stranded in Mexico. Instead, Health and Human Services is locating the minors’ relatives or prospective guardians, vetting them, and then releasing the children in their care. If there are no relatives or guardian, the children are placed into foster homes. At no point are the minors separated from their families (the key term here is unaccompanied) or turned away.

However, while that process takes place, the children have to be safely housed somewhere, and due to the pandemic, HHS is running out of room, so a facility from the Trump administration was reopened to provide extra space. To McCain and some on the far-right, this is considered the same as “putting kids in cages,” which Psaki shot down point by point. Via Raw Story:

“This is a facility — and we had to open a new one to make sure we have the safety protocols in order to address the COVID needs and the health and safety needs because we can’t have as many kids in the former HHS facility,” said Psaki. “That’s exactly what we did, but our objective is to get these kids into safe homes with their families as quickly as possible, and we are absolutely not doing what the former president did, and what frankly the current president and the current vice president objected to, which is ripping kids from the arms of their parents. That is not the policy of this administration and not something we would do.”

You can watch a fired-up Psaki swat down McCain’s gotcha question above.

(Via Raw Story)