Major League Baseball pulled its 2021 All-Star Game and Draft from Atlanta on Friday afternoon, responding to calls to leave Georgia in light of the state’s recent passing of a law that restricts voting rights. It wasn’t just outside voices wanting the league to make the decision, as commissioner Rob Manfred cited “thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others” for informing this decision.
While the Atlanta Braves issued a statement in opposition to the decision, one of MLB’s owners came out in support of moving the game. LeBron James, who recently upped his stake in Fenway Sports Group and is expected to “weigh in” on matters related to the Boston Red Sox (along with the Group’s soccer team, English giants Liverpool), expressed his pride in being “part of the MLB family” following the league bringing these two events to a new home.
James was vocal about the role Georgia would play in determining the balance of power in the United States Senate ahead of January’s special elections for both seats. Ultimately, a pair of Democrats, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, won them, giving the party control of the Senate for at least the next two years. He also made it a point to praise the efforts of individuals like Stacey Abrams in mobilizing voters in November’s election, which made the aforementioned Senate run-offs possible and led to Joe Biden becoming the first Democrat to win in the state since 1992.
Regé-Jean Page was the breakout star of Bridgerton, the steamy Shonda Rhimes Netflix drama that got a lot of people talking back in December. The show’s sex scenes were all over the place for a while, and Page was one of the main reasons. But the relationship with The Duke and Daphne Bridgerton, while full of lust and romance, will apparently continue off-screen as the show reaches a second season.
The show’s Twitter account announced on Friday that Page will not be part of Season 2, doing so by sharing a letter from Bridgerton‘s narrator and resident gossip.
“Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings,” the message said. ““We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear.”
In some ways, the move makes sense as (spoilers incoming) his storyline ends fairly happy after the first season. There’s bound to be far less drama between the couple now that they’re happily with child, and filming the show itself is going to be a challenge moving forward for anyone involved. It seems that his wife will help the family here, but The Duke officially has business elsewhere.
Page shared the news on Friday, saying it was an honor to play the role but admitting that he’s not taking part in Season 2.
Pleasure and a privilege! An honour to be a member of the family – on and off screen, cast, crew and incredible fans – the love is real and will just keep growing https://t.co/YBk4RvKNpx
But his reaction was more, well, measured than everyone else’s. Fans basically freaked out that they won’t get to see Page, you know, act and maybe smolder a bit more for the camera while wearing historically accurate garb.
If Regé-Jean Page is not in coming back then what is the point? What is the point of season 2? Ain’t nobody trying to see Anthony. #Bridgertonpic.twitter.com/X0rUWpHtWL
— Iamrootingforeveryoneblack (@OpinionatedQue2) April 2, 2021
Kevin Durant has been at the center of some controversy in recent days. In a series of Instagram direct messages to Michael Rapaport from December that Rapaport posted to Twitter on Tuesday, Durant used a number of misogynistic and anti-gay slurs that were directed toward Rapaport in response to a tweet about a postgame interview he gave to TNT.
Durant addressed this on Thursday night before the Brooklyn Nets played the Charlotte Hornets. He previously tweeted “my bad” to Rapaport, but on Thursday, he did not apologize, instead saying he was sorry “that people seen that language I used,” and that “that’s not really what I want people to see and hear from me.”
One of the only remaining questions here was whether the NBA would respond to all of this, and on Friday, the league stepped in and levied a $50,000 fine against Durant. The news was originally broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who used some interesting language to convey that this is happening.
NBA is fining Kevin Durant $50,000 for social exchange with actor, sources tell ESPN.
The league has doled out fines and suspensions for players using anti-gay language in the past, with two famous examples being Kobe Bryant getting fined $100,000 and Rajon Rondo receiving a one-game suspension. Both of these, however, were on-court instances.
Made For Love (HBO Max series) — HBO Max recently struck dark-comedy gold with The Flight Attendant, and the WarnerMedia streamer is poised to do so again with Cristin Milioti maneuvering around a premise that’s even more dizzying than that of Palm Springs. Cristin stars as Hazel, and Ray Romano plays her father, who’s attempting to help her flee from a god-awful marriage with a guy (Billy Magnussen) who’s implanted a chip in her brain so that he can track her every move and emotion. It’s such a cynical spin on relationships, and it’s terrifying, all of it, to consider, but heck, this show will suck you into its compelling vortex. Did we mention that dad is a widower with a “synthetic partner”? Oh boy.
Concrete Cowboy (Netflix film) — Idris Elba in a cowboy hat should be enough of an attraction here, but assuming that you want to know about the all-important plot, here we go. A troubled teen (Caleb McLaughlin) spends the summer in North Philadelphia, where he’s torn between diving into a life or crime or embracing the urban-cowboy subculture that’s embodied by his estranged dad (Elba). The story’s based upon Ghetto Cowboy, the novel by G.Neri, and the film co-stars Jharrel Jerome, Byron Bowers, Lorraine Toussaint, and Clifford “Method Man” Smith.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+ series) — After WandaVision proved that Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige could still bring their A+ game, even on the small screen, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are here for the buddy action-comedy that fans have dreamed of. Last week, the show mined the depths of systemic racism with a side of couple’s therapy, and Sharon Carter still hasn’t showed up, but she got a shoutout last week, so hopefully, we’ll see her kicking butt soon. Oh, and it’s Zemo time this week, so that should be plenty confrontational.
SNL (Saturday, NBC 11:29 p.m.) — Daniel Kaluuya hosts with musical guest St. Vincent.
Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (Sunday, NBC 9:00 p.m.) — Jane Levy continues her leading-lady musical turn by celebrating Zoey’s 30th birthday. Party time gets interrupted by coping with unresolved relationship feelings, though.
The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — The bonus episodes of Season 10 continue with the Negan origin story. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s real-life wife, Hilarie Burton joins the show to portray Lucille, who’s also the namesake of Negan’s famed (and murderous) baseball bat.
Q: Into the Storm: Episodes 5 & 6 (Sunday, HBO 9:00 & 10:00 p.m.) — You’ve heard all of those wild QAnon conspiracy theories, and this weekend, this six-part documentary series continues to chart the movement’s evolution. Filmmaker Cullen Hoback drives into the rabbit hole to reveal how the mysterious “Q” wields conspiracies as information warfare to manipulate thinking and influence American culture.
The Gloaming (Sunday, Starz 8:00 p.m.) — Molly’s feeling increasingly suspicious about Freddie in regards to the Moxley murder.
Shameless (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Kevin and V are about to make a big announcement, and Lip might actually come close to selling the Gallagher family abode. Meanwhile, Ian and Mickie are attempting to adjust to West Side life, and Liam is telling things straight to Frank.
City On A Hill (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Season 2 of this Kevin Bacon show continues with Decourcy pressing the DOJ, and Jackie looking into his rival’s romantic past for dirty. Meanwhile, Siobbhan wants to plan a family, and Jenny receives an unsettling call that makes her think again about her mother.
Gangs Of London (Sunday, AMC 10:15 p.m.) — AMC+ viewers already enjoyed the first season of this series and may even be tempted to revisit the turbulent power struggle all over again as it hits the traditional TV schedule. Fans of the beloved Peaky Blinders, as well, should pay attention because this new series makes Peaky seem like a pleasant walk in London’s Hyde Park. Warring gangs and a power vacuum and a city on its knees are only part of the attraction here. The rest is down to character-based writing and a wonderful cast that embodies a decidedly unglamorous take on warring criminal elements, all of which will prove to be addictive for anyone who loves The Sopranos or any of Marty Scorsese’s mob pictures.
Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host is here to throw down, and not a moment too soon. Can’t wait to see who he skewers this week.
Here are some more fresh streaming picks:
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (Disney+ series) — Emilio Estevez is back in this new-generation revival of the classic films. Co-starring Lauren Graham and Brady Noon, the Mighty Ducks junior hockey team is now a powerhouse in its division, and it’s brutal in selecting who can make the cut. Estevez is still the Ducks’ original coach, and he’s helping a new team of underdogs after the New Ducks boot a 12-year-old boy named Evan. Rude!
Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — As you are well aware, we’ve seen a very long year without blockbusters (or almost any movies at all) in theaters, but a mega-blockbuster has arrived in both streaming and theatrical formats. It’s quite literally an actioner of gigantic proportions in a battle (starring Alexander Skarsgard and Rebecca Hall) for all of the ages. Not only does Kong punch Godzilla, but Godzilla punches back. It’s not quite Fast 9 in terms of ripped dudes with one-liners, but damn, it’s one hell of a movie event.
WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (Hulu documentary) — Hippie-messianic leader Adam Neumann’s story gets the spotlight, along with the rise and fall of a venture-capitalist bubble-bursting for the ages. Former WeWork members, journalist, and experts come together to tell the tale of how this venture transformed into a unicorn investment while much more was going on behind the scenes.
The Serpent (Netflix series) — This series is inspired by real events with entirely scripted dialogue, all to bring viewers the saga of a serial conman, Charles Sobhraj, and law enforcement’s attempt to nab him. He and his girlfriend, Marie-Andrée Leclerc, became prime suspects in a serieas of murders of tourists, and they also carried out crime sprees in Asia during the mid 1970s. It’s up to a junior diplomat to help set off a chain of events to eventually help Sobhraj transform into the subject of arrest warrants around the world, which in turn makes him Interpol’s most wanted man.
Invincible (Amazon Prime series) — This animated romp drops a new episode and pleases both fans of The Boys and The Walking Dead, and the latter reference has everything to do with the source material by Robert Kirkman. Invincible is an ultraviolent deconstruction of the superhero, and yes, we’ve seen plenty of dismantling already, but this story has heart. Stephen Yeun makes a fantastic leading man here, and the cast (J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Mark Hamill, and several TWD names) is ridiculously good.
Creepshow: Season 2 (Shudder and AMC+ series) — The spooky anthology show returns with many, many featured players on board, including Ali Larter, C. Thomas Howell, Ted Raimi, Kevin Dillon, Anna Camp, Josh McDermitt, Adam Pally, and Ashley Laurence. Just FYI, the Marilyn Manson episode got axed following Evan Rachel Wood’s allegations against the so-called shock rocker.
Like most bands, Big Thief isn’t touring right now, but they are still selling merch. It appears they have misfired with one shirt design, though, as the band has offered an apology about it today.
The band shared a lengthy Instagram post today about the shirt in question, which features “an illustration of cartoon purple arms and hands holding onto jail cell bars.” In the apology, the band wrote:
“We feel that this is reckless, offensive imagery. The jail cell was meant to be a metaphor symbolizing imprisonment and oppression of the mind and spirit because of constructs, etc… The arms were intended to be purple so as to avoid realism and race all together, but we feel that that thinking was misdirected. We believe that something as pervasive, horrific and insidious as incarceration can not be lightly approached and most especially in avoidance of the issue of race, as the entire incarceration system is fueled by racism. The lack of attention we paid to this symbolism, to us, is a reason to bring it up. Letting this image get printed on a shirt is just another example of a symptom of being conditioned in a culture of normalized white supremacy and we apologize to anyone who may have felt hurt by or uncomfortable with this image.”
The band goes on to say the shirt is just “a piece of a much larger, much more important conversation” about “the ways in which we have been steeped in and benefiting from a patriarchal white supremacist capitalist culture.” They also note that starting now, they will be “allocating a portion of the money we make from all of our masters and publishing into causes that we feel will help start to address these injustices, starting with initially giving to the Equal Justice Initiative,” as well as “donating a portion of our earnings [from touring] towards environmental justice and the climate emergency.”
The message concludes, “We continue to be committed to the work of repatterning and reconditioning ourselves to being actively anti-racist and an ally to communities and individuals affected by oppression and, in turn, to ensure that energy is what encompasses every aspect of the physical and virtual spaces that envelop the culture we are co-creating with our audience.”
In response to a comment on the post, Big Thief also noted, “We are no longer using the design or selling the shirt.”
Find the band’s full message below.
“Today, we want to take a moment to address something that has been brought to our attention. One of our t-shirts (multicolored with parrots and sound waves on the front and many small images down the long sleeves) includes an illustration of cartoon purple arms and hands holding onto jail cell bars. We feel that this is reckless, offensive imagery. The jail cell was meant to be a metaphor symbolizing imprisonment and oppression of the mind and spirit because of constructs, etc… The arms were intended to be purple so as to avoid realism and race all together but we feel that that thinking was misdirected. We believe that something as pervasive, horrific and insidious as incarceration can not be lightly approached and most especially in avoidance of the issue of race, as the entire incarceration system is fueled by racism. The lack of attention we paid to this symbolism, to us, is a reason to bring it up. Letting this image get printed on a shirt is just another example of a symptom of being conditioned in a culture of normalized white supremacy and we apologize to anyone who may have felt hurt by or uncomfortable with this image.
Our band t-shirt isn’t the main point here — Rather it is a piece of a much larger, much more important conversation which we have been having that considers all of the ways in which we have been steeped in and benefiting from a patriarchal white supremacist capitalist culture — about how the music industry which serves as the vehicle for our art getting into the world functions much the same as any other industry — and how we as a band of people who are white, benefit from a system that was built unfairly.
Going forward we will be allocating a portion of the money we make from all of our masters and publishing into causes that we feel will help start to address these injustices, starting with initially giving to the Equal Justice Initiative. On the touring side of things, we will be donating a portion of our earnings towards environmental justice and the climate emergency.
We are limited by our perspectives, and much of the time we have been able to move along in relatively peaceful, uninterrupted ignorance of how BIPOC communities and individuals are affected by the systems in place. As a queer woman, Adrianne has been passionate about dissolving and ripping apart the misogynistic, homophobic constructs that have worked to oppress her in the world, but we see clear! that it is not enough to address only the things that affect one of us, or even to simply express empathy for that which affects “others” (and this otherization in general may be the most dangerous of all pitfalls, fertilizing the thought pattern that one can live in avoidance of pain or discomfort or prejudice so long as we are not the direct recipient of it).
Almost everything that we as a band address in our songs has to do with internal and external healing of the wounded spirit body and the wounded earth body in some form. If there is suffering, it permeates, and those who feel unaffected by it are cutoff from true vitality. If music is to be a unifying force, which we have always believed it can be, then as a band we need to better acknowledge and recognize the stark differences in experience that people face. We are committed to facing up to our own conditioning and internalized racism. We continue to be committed to the work of repatterning and reconditioning ourselves to being actively anti-racist and an ally to communities and individuals affected by oppression and, in turn, to ensure that energy is what encompasses every aspect of the physical and virtual spaces that envelop the culture we are co-creating with our audience.
John Boehner was once a very powerful Republican lawmaker. And as of Friday, he’s one of the most notable haters of Ted Cruz in the Republican party. The Ohioan was once the Speaker of the House, and now he’s got a book he’s promoting that was the talk of Twitter because of some fairly explosive quotes about some of his former co-workers.
The book, “On the House,” promises to include “colorful tales from the halls of power, the smoke-filled rooms around the halls of power.” But mostly what got people talking was the colorful language he used to describe some Republicans he doesn’t seem to like very much. According to the Boston Globe, Boehner’s new book has a number of swipes at some of his Republican colleagues. Perhaps the most telling comment, which was published in an excerpt in Politico, described the scene in 2010 after midterm elections when a number of new Tea Party-fueled Republicans were elected to the House.
“You could be a total moron and get elected just by having an R next to your name—and that year, by the way, we did pick up a fair number in that category,” he writes.
On their arrival to Congress, things did not improve, in Boehner’s view.
“I had to explain how to actually get things done. A lot of that went straight through the ears of most of them, especially the ones who didn’t have brains that got in the way,” he says.
As the Globe piece mentions, he saves some special ire for Ted Cruz, who wasn’t even a member of the House. But the Texas senator who’s been in plenty of hot water this year got a special shout-out in the new book.
He writes that even from outside the House, Cruz had marshalled the far-right members of the Republican caucus and became what Boehner describes as the “head lunatic.”
“There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless [expletive] who thinks he is smarter than everyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Senator Ted Cruz,” Boehner writes.
As quotes like that made the rounds on Friday, a reported shared on Twitter that Boehner’s disdain for some GOP mainstays is certainly confirmed. Jonathan Swan shared on Friday an audio clip from the Boehner book recording session that was described as “wine-soaked.” It certainly sounds like it, including a rambling moment where, out of nowhere, Boehner tells Cruz to “go f*ck yourself.”
When @SpeakerBoehner was recording his audiobook I was told by sources that during these wine-soaked sessions he would deviate from the book’s text and insert random violent attacks on @tedcruz. Well, here’s some tape (listen to the end): pic.twitter.com/NFCQ2QFdTT
“P.S. Ted Cruz: Go f*ck yourself,” Boehner said at the end of a recording for seemingly no reason at all. The audio added insult to injury for Cruz, to say the least. But it’s even more proof that even many of the people seemingly on Cruz’s side don’t seem to like him very much.
Although Playboi Carti didn’t technically release a new album this year, he has still been one of 2021’s biggest artists so far. He dropped his sophomore effort Whole Lotta Red on December 25, 2020, the final Friday of the year, and it went on to become his first No. 1 album. Now he’s keeping the party going here in April with a fresh video for album highlight “Sky.”
The video is presented mostly in green monochrome and in it, Carti and some cohorts cause chaos in a supermarket by eating food, throwing items on the floor, disrupting shoppers, and otherwise behaving in ways that would probably get them permanently banned from the establishment were this reality and not a music video. As for the song, Carti raps mostly about how it feels being under the influence of drugs, a situation he views favorably.
Meanwhile, it looks like Carti might have a new project on the way soon. In a post from March, he wrote on Instagram, “LeTs dr0p thiS new Album . w3 noT done .” He added in the post from the next day, “i waNt to DroP like RN.”
Watch the “Sky” video above and revisit our review of Whole Lotta Redhere.
Major League Baseball has officially responded to calls to move its 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta by pulling the game, along with the upcoming MLB Draft, from the state altogether. In a statement released by the league on Friday afternoon, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that conversations with “Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others” regarding a new sweeping bill passed by Georgia Republicans to restrict voting rights in the Peach State informed the league’s decision to find a new home for both events.
Whoa. MLB announces it is pulling this year’s All-Star game and the amateur draft from Georgia. pic.twitter.com/QqJzR3lAcy
“Major League Baseball fundamentally support voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Manfred said. “In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our games unwavering support.”
The controversial bill was signed into law by Republican governor Brian Kemp last month after it made it through the state legislature behind a wave of support from the GOP. The impetus for the bill’s passing was the widespread misinformation spread by now-former president Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election — Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to lose in Georgia since 1992, and was recorded as having called the state’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with a request for him to overturn the result by “finding” votes that did not exist. Even if Raffensperger broke the law to do this, Trump still would have lost in the Electoral College.
According to CNN, the law, “imposes new voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, empowers state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water.”
If you’re spending around $200 for an expensive bottle of scotch whisky, you pretty much know you’re getting the good stuff. That being said, a $200 bottle of smoky, peat-driven scotch is not going to taste anything like a fruity, honeyed, sweeter scotch. They’re very different beasts and you could pay a lot just to end up with something you really didn’t want.
That’s where we come in. To help you navigate those nuances.
But before we get kicking, it’s worth mentioning that there’s absolutely no point in comparing the prices of these bottles with bourbon. It’s a very different class of whisky with a vastly different cost structure thanks to factors that we don’t have control over (trade wars, state taxes, retailer markups). Sure, you can get a whole case of very solid bourbon for the same price as one of these bottles. But that’s pretty much besides the point.
The ten bottles below are Scotch whiskies we think are worth their price tag. Our litmus is simple — they have to taste good and offer something special. All of these do that. If any of our featured expressions pique your interest, click on the price to give them a try yourself.
The Macallan dropped this expression last summer. The “Double Cask” in this case is a sherry-seasoned American oak cask and a sherry-seasoned European oak cask. Both casks mature the whisky for 15 long years before they’re married and that batch is brought down to a very drinkable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a smooth vanilla that feels a bit like it’s cut with honey, a touch of butter toffee, and a hint of stewed apple on the nose. The palate, on the other hand, has a deep dried fruit sweetness and dryness (think sultanas and prunes) next to a bit more of that honey, a whisper of dry cedar, and a spritz of orange oils. The end holds onto that orange and brings the vanilla cream back as it slowly fades away, leaving you with an almost caramel maltiness.
Bottom Line:
There’s a definite nod to bourbon at play on the nose. The sip is all sweet scotch that then circles back to that bourbon note. In the end, this really feels like it’d make a great cocktail mixer (price point be damned) but also works wonders on the rocks.
The Balvenie continually hits it out of the park with their lineup. This expression spends 17 long years maturing in old American oak before it’s transferred to old sherry casks for about a year more of maturation. The results are then proofed with that soft Speyside water and bottled in the brand’s iconic stubby bottle.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with a clear sense of Granny Smith apple peels that are still fresh, next to oily vanilla, fresh honey, and a slight touch of cedar. The taste indulges in the vanilla, creating a creaminess, while a deep Christmas cake vibe of dried and candied fruits, almonds, dark spice, and orange arrives. The end is long and luxurious with more of that spicy, nutty, and fruity holiday cake dancing through your senses on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is a crazy easy sipper (as with most of The Balvenie’s roster). Add in an ice cube and really take your time letting this bloom in your nose and on your tongue. It’s the sort of bottle that feels like a celebration dram that we wish could be our everyday dram.
This is where things get interesting. The expression from Speyside’s Aberlour also uses old bourbon for its primary maturation and ex-sherry for its finishing maturation (for basically the same amount of time as the bottle above). It’s proofed down with soft Speyside water to the same ABV.
And that’s where the similarities end. This expression truly stands on its own as a classic whisky.
Tasting Notes:
You’re drawn in with a note of hard butterscotch candies next to a touch of chinotto (bittersweet Italian orange), butter toffee, and the slightest wisp of peach pits. The taste builds out from that peach pit layer with a note of ripe peach flesh and fuzzy skin while jammy blackberry leads towards a soft cedar. The finish really takes its time and leaves you with a silken texture next to a honeyed sweetness and a final roundness of vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This is shockingly smooth, making it almost too easy to drink (even neat). This is the sort of advanced bottle that you bust out at a tasting to really grab the room’s attention.
This limited release from Islay’s Ardbeg was created to celebrate 20 years of the Ardbeg Committee, or “black sheep” fans of the brand. The juice is a no-age-statement release that utilized Pinot Noir barrels from New Zealand in the maturation process. The public release was then cut with local water to a very approachable 92 proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The nose dances between a chunky jam made with smoked cherries, a smoky cedar, and a note of earthy moss. The taste veers towards smoked almonds, stewed pears, dried apricots, and more of those smoked cherries leading towards cedar, smoky pipe tobacco, and a bitter espresso bean note. The end is long and that espresso bean bitterness becomes smoldering, burnt coffee grounds next to overripe stone fruit, pipe tobacco ash, and a final hint of orange zest.
Bottom Line:
If you love peaty smoke and fruit, this might be your jam. I appreciate it for what it is, but you really have to be dialed into the subtly of where peat can go — like from mossy to jammy to ashen in one sip — to really get into this.
Still, this does feel very much geared towards enticing sweet scotch fans towards the smoky side of things.
Oban is a tiny distillery that makes some of the world’s best whisky. This expression starts off like all Oban by going through their small, lantern-shaped stills twice before the juice is filled into used oak for a long, 18-year maturation. The best barrels are vatted and proofed down to a very sippable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mild whiff of beach campfire smoke that leads towards a fruit salad full of pear, peach, plum, and something more tropical (not quite a banana, not quite a pineapple). The palate embraces the fruit to the point where it feels like a smoked fruit saltwater taffy next to a hint of mild eggnog spices. The end stays light as those spices kick up alongside a smoked salted caramel sweetness leading towards a final billow of that beach campfire smoldering a few camps down the beach.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect dram for anyone who’s not so sure about “smoky” whisky. It’s fruit and sweet/savory candy-forward with the smoke adding to those notes and not the other way around. Add an ice cube and take your time enjoying this one — you might find a slight salted white fish note with a hint of bitter orange and licorice under all that smoky and savory candy.
This Game of Thrones release from Dufftown’s Mortlach finished off a nine-bottle series released from various Diageo distilleries around Scotland. This expression flips the script a bit with aging by primarily maturing the juice for 15 years in ex-sherry casks before sending that whisky into ex-bourbon casks for the finishing maturation.
Tasting Notes:
The sip opens with full apple pie vibes (stewed and spicy tart apples, buttery crust, toasted sugars) that lead towards a bright red berry burst. The taste holds onto those bright berries and covers them in rich vanilla cream and honey with the warmth of a cinnamon stick lingering throughout, leading towards an echo of cedar and tobacco. The end is long-ish and really holds onto the berry and cinnamon as it fades away, leaving you with a vanilla cream texture at the end.
Bottom Line:
While the label is certainly a gimmick (or at the very least a tie-in ploy), the juice in this bottle is a stellar example of what Mortlach can do. It’s a great gift bottle that also works as a conversation starter as a whisky tasting.
Craigellachie is the other main whisky that helps make Dewar’s (the other main base spirit being Aberfeldy). This expression is made with old-school stills and stored in old-school warehouses. The juice is aged in ex-bourbon casks for 17 long years and vatted to highlight the uniqueness of the brand.
Tasting Notes:
You’re drawn in by that familiar and deep vanilla note with some apple pie in there next to a dried and salted pineapple candy, a touch of smoked oats, and a savory fruit (almost a honeydew melon). That pineapple note holds on and intensifies to a pineapple and vanilla pudding on the palate as dry and woody spices arrive next to a hint of dry tobacco, cedar, and a billow of dry smoke. The end embraces the smoke through the filter of that pineapple pudding as it slowly fades out.
Bottom Line:
If you like snacking on dried smoked fruit (apricots, cherries, plums, pineapple, etc.), this is going to feel really familiar and comforting. This bottle feels like the perfect bridge between smoke and sweet scotch while giving a balanced nod to each.
This Speyside Single Malt takes its time. The expression is aged in sherry only, both first-fill and refill sherry casks from Spain. The barrels are then vatted to highlight that sherry/whisky vibe and the juice is proofed down to a very drinkable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
You’re met with a flourish of marzipan and rose water next to plums, pears stewed in vanilla and saffron, and a touch of orange oil. That marzipan and rose water vibe carried on into the taste with more of that stewed saffron pear next to a hint of spicy ginger juice working as a counterpoint. That spice darkens towards a black pepper as the sip slowly fades away, leaving you with the savoriness of the saffron and the sweetness of the marzipan on the svelte end.
Bottom Line:
This is just an interesting sip all around. It’s a palate expander and will keep you going back for more on the nose and in the taste. A little water brings out a bit more of the savory and spicy notes, which I find incredibly interesting.
This whisky is all about the finish. The Aberfeldy juice was aged for 20 long years in ex-sherry casks. Then that whisky was transferred to Sauternes wines casks — a dry dessert wine from Bordeaux — for a final maturation. Finally, the whisky is cut down with that iconic, gold-imbued Pitilie Burn river water to 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
That signature honeyed velvetiness Aberfeldy is known for is evident even on the nose as this one draws you in with marzipan, honey, and sultanas. The palate delivers on that velvety honey mouthfeel as hints of ripe pear mingle with maple syrup, salted almonds, and orange zest. The end isn’t too long and leaves you with a silken texture next to honeyed pears and savory almonds.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the perfect post-meal sipper. Get it in a proper Glencairn. Let it bloom with a rock or a few drops of water. Then really let this one settle in your senses.
This expression from Glenfiddich is the mountaintop of rum-cask-finished scotch. The juice is aged for 21 years in ex-bourbon barrels before it’s transferred to hand-selected Caribbean rum casks for a final touch of aging (around four additional months). Once ready, the whisky is cut all the way down to 80 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
You’re beckoned in with a burst of vanilla (husk, beans, oils, and all) next to a subtle balance of sweet banana, almond-covered toffees, and a touch of old and dry cedar. The taste has an immediate peppery and old tobacco chew buzzing on the tip of the tongue that leads towards bright citrus and peppery notes with a touch of smoked lime on the very end of the taste. The end holds onto that pepperiness, dry cedar, and tobacco, leaving you with a bourbon-esque buzz next to a silken mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This is as complex as any bourbon with 100+ proof without carrying the sting of those whiskeys. It’s almost baffling this has as much definable depth at only 80 proof. It’s crazily smooth and will bring rum, bourbon, and scotch drinkers together around one bottle.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
After pestering the Recording Academy to let them perform at the 2021 Grammys, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak brought their new band Silk Sonic to the Grammys stage and gave the debut live performance of their single “Leave The Door Open.” Now, they’re released a live performance of the song as a standalone single.
They’ve also dropped the release as a limited edition CD, which is available for purchase now.
The original version of the song has done well so far on the charts, as it debuted at No. 4 and has so far peaked at No. 2. This was somehow .Paak’s debut appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, so he shared a message of extreme gratitude, writing, “Ima stretch this goose neck to The moooon!! All I can say is thank you!!!! To have a song like this debut in the hot 100 ( my first song to ever make it up there ) is truly amazing. It can’t happen without hard work and yalls support. Thanks for pushing everyone to greatness @brunomars and showing us new heights! I’ll never come down!! let’s keep rising! We love you for this!!! Y’all gonna have me faded all damn week!!”
Listen to “Leave The Door Open (Live)” above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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