Month: September 2021

There are so many good whiskeys on the market these days that drinkers are blessed with a wealth of choices. You can sort them by style. By price. By mash bill. By flavor notes. By proof. Or you can go with straight-up award-winners.

As far as whiskey sorting goes, being swayed a little award shine is a perfectly valid way to pick a new brand. But it’s also not a magic bullet. Because while there are tons of whiskies on the market, there are also tons of awards to be had.

Today, we’re combining two methods for finding new bottles that we’ve liked in the past. We asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us the award-winning whiskies that they love best. Check their answers below and click on the prices if you’re interested in trying any of these.

Eagle Rare 10-Year-Old Bourbon

Felipe Muñoz head bartender Sweetleaf Cocktails in Long Island City, New York

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $45

Why This Whiskey?

I really love drinking Eagle Rare Bourbon right now. It is my drink of choice in the fall on the rocks since it has nice mocha-sweet notes with just a dash of spice. It’s nice and rich.

Award: Gold Medal; Best Age Statement Bourbon – World Whiskies Awards

Old Forester 86 Bourbon

Erin Delaney, food and beverage director at Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar in Goshen, Kentucky

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $25

Why This Whiskey?

My favorite award-winning whiskey is Old Forester 86 because it doesn’t have such a high proof that it knocks you out of your boots, but it still has a full body with rich caramel flavors as well as an earthiness to it.

Award: Gold – 2019 San Francisco Spirits Competition

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #2 Bourbon

Brandon “Habi” Habenstein, beverage director at The Kitchen & Bar in Bardstown, Kentucky

ABV: 61.1%

Average Price: $145

Why This Whiskey?

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #2 won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and is easily one of my favorite bourbons to drink neat. Discovery #2 was the first offering from Bardstown Bourbon Co. that embraced an earthy tobacco and leather profile which is my favorite profile of whiskey. Additionally, I crafted the blend that made it through our intense blind-tasting process that decides which blend goes to bottle! While there is certainly an argument of bias to be made here, this bourbon is outstanding.

Award: Double Gold – 2020 San Francisco Spirits Competition

Rebel Single Barrel 10-Year-Old

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

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $80

Why This Whiskey?

Rebel Single Barrel 10-Year-Old recently won Best Single Barrel at the World Whiskies Awards. It starts out with a nice amount of toffee and vanilla on the palate. You immediately notice that the body is unique and luscious as it finishes with dark fruits and dank lumber. This is one to savor with close friends on a chilly night.

Award: Best Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon – 2020 World Whiskies Awards

John J Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $60

Why This Whiskey?

John J. Bowman Single Barrel really does have some great notes of subtle sweetness, though you do need a bit of dilution thanks to the high proof.

Award: America’s Best Non-Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon of 2020 – Whisky Magazine

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch|Bar & Kitchen in Encino, California

ABV: 54.7%

Average Price: $115

Why This Whiskey?

I have quite a selection of whiskey for drinking neat, but at the moment my go-to is the Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey. I’m almost always going to reach for rye because I love the spicy notes that are frequently present, and they’re definitely there, although not overwhelmingly so in Peerless. It’s a superbly balanced rye with some caramel, brown sugar notes, and almost a citrus zest quality. It’s got the spicy bite that I want, but without being overly aggressive.

It goes down beautifully smooth.

Award: Gold – 2020 World Whiskies Awards

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Dan Marlowe, mixologist at Modena in Washington, DC

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $45

Why This Whiskey?

Hands down Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whiskey. Simply put, 100 percent rye mash bills are tricky from a distiller’s perspective. Finding one that has such a robust complexity and underlying sweet sultry notes can be a challenge, but Catoctin hits the mark every time.

Award: Double Gold – New York World Wine & Spirits Competition 2018

Reservoir Rye

Eric Vincent, bartender at Sparrow in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $80

Why This Whiskey?

I pick up on two main flavors of intense, spicy rye and dark, rich chocolate notes. The two balance each other nicely and the flavors linger on end while coating the entire palate.

Award: 89 Points – 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

George T. Stagg Bourbon

Frederic Yarm, USBG bartender in Boston

ABV: 58.45%

Average Price: $500

Why This Whiskey?

George T. Stagg is a gem if your timing is good enough to acquire a bottle in late fall. Despite its cask strength, the sweetness from a long time in the barrel hides this fact all too well. Graham crackers, cinnamon, leather, vanilla, and elegant nutty notes make it a dream to sip on.

Award: Best North American Whiskey – 2013 World Whiskies Awards

Writer’s Pick: Widow Jane 10 Year Old Bourbon

ABV: 45.5%

Average Price: $75

Why This Whiskey?

This award-winning bourbon was aged for ten years in charred oak casks. It’s filled with hints of dried cherries, sweet caramel, sticky toffee pudding, and subtle, spicy cinnamon. It’s a great sipper on a cold, fall night.

Award: Gold for ‘Bourbon over 6 years’ – 2018 Whiskies of the World Awards

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Nicki Minaj has taken social media as we know it and turned it upside thanks to a string of tweets about vaccines. It began with her revealing she wasn’t vaccinated. It escalated after she claimed her cousin’s friend became “impotent” and their “testicles became swollen,” allegedly because of getting vaxxed (but probably not). Dr. Anthony Fauci and Trinidad’s health minister both refuted Minaj’s claims, but the tweets caught the full attention of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. In the midst of it all, the rapper also claimed that she was invited to the White House.

“The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction,” she wrote in a tweet. “Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human. #BallGate day 3.”

However, this wasn’t exactly the case as CNN’s Don Lemon later revealed.

“A source tells CNN that @NICKIMINAJ was offered a conversation with a doctor to clarify the efficacy and side effects of the vaccine not a visit to the White House,” Lemon wrote, later adding that “A White House official tells @cnn’s Jeff Zeleny that ‘As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.’” In other words, she’ll get a call, not a visit, meaning no need for a pink suit.

It’s the latest turn in what’s been a chaotic three days. Minaj has also claimed that she was locked out of her account as a result of her vaccine tweets, so things could quiet down for a while.

Tucker Carlson has been having a real Mad Libs week. The Fox News host has spent multiple shows talking obsessively about Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s testicles. And on Wednesday he invited the guy who played “Goat Boy” on SNL a quarter century ago to talk about a public health crisis.

Over the weekend, Jim Breuer caught the public’s attention for the first time since leaving the longtime sketch show back in 1998. It wasn’t because of some belated comeback. It’s because he announced he was canceling some stand-up shows because the venues require proof of vaccination in the midst of a still a re-spiking pandemic.

In a lengthy, rambling video, the comedian repeatedly compared protecting from a highly transmissible disease to “segregation.” By so doing, he all but ensured that he would be a social media pariah. And, of course, appear on a show with a guy who promotes white supremacist conspiracy theories.

“I don’t want any of my fans forced to come laugh, and they gotta get a shot in them?” Breuer asked rhetorically. He said he’s mad that pointing out that unvaccinated people, who are clogging hospitals in areas that have been resistant to FDA-approved medication, are being referred to as “demons,” which is not what people are calling htem.

“You’re not going to tell me about my body. I know my body, I know my morals, I know my faith.” He then suggested one way to treat COVID is by eating fruit. He also at one point impersonated a seal.

For some, it was just another randomer-than-usual Tucker Carlson segment

Others could only focus on one thing: how far Goat Boy — the livestock-man character for which Breuer was most famous, and who simply bleated every couple seconds as he spoke — has fallen.

Others thought Breuer was looking a bit haggard.

Others remembered that they never found Breuer to be all that funny.

Some had no idea who Jim Breuer is.

Others focused on the strange (and also, by the way, inaccurate) medical advice.

Then again, at least this distracted Tucker from talking about other things.

Wednesday marks the third consecutive day that Nicki Minaj has made tweets ranting about vaccines. It began with the rapper revealing she skipped this year’s Met Gala because wasn’t vaxxed. She then told a bizarre story, claiming her cousin’s friend became “impotent” and their “testicles became swollen” after their dose. Her claims quickly gained traction on Twitter and various people, from Dr. Anthony Fauci to Trinidad & Tobago’s health minister, have refuted her story. However, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson is completely on board and even requested to speak to the rapper’s cousin’s friend.

Now, Minaj’s comments have allegedly gotten her locked out of her Twitter account, as she revealed on her Instagram Story. “I’m in Twitter jail y’all,” she wrote. “They didn’t like what I was saying over there on that block, I guess [eyebrow-raising emoji] my poll was gonna be asking questions is OK,” she said, adding, “I like being fking dumb. Then boom. Can’t tweet.”

Despite her claims, a spokesperson Twitter told Vulture and Huffington Post’s Philip Lewis that they “did not take any enforcement action” towards her account.

Her post comes after she shared a video from Carlson’s show. The Fox News claimed the backlash she received was simply Democrats “bullying” her. Minaj reposted the clip from the broadcast with a dart emoji, implying that she agreed with Carlson’s statements.

Clint Eastwood is a surprising guy. He radiates tough guy conservatism, and he may never shake off that disastrous Obama empty chair bit from the 2012 RNC. But he’s lot more complicated than that. He’s more progressive, at least with social justice issues, than one may think. (Check out Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the first major Hollywood film with not only an entirely positively portrayed trans character, but one also played by a trans person.) He also makes more nice movies than you’d imagine, like the new Cry Macho. What’s more, he recently revealed he’s a huge fan The Hangover. Hell, he even got a lot out of, of all things, Dumb and Dumber.

In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jeff Daniels talked about Eastwood, who cast him in a plum role in his 2002 thriller Blood Work. Daniels said they met about a decade prior at a golf tournament. In the breakfast tent one morning he noticed he was being approached, with great purpose, by the onetime Dirty Harry. And he had something to tell him.

“I saw Dumb and Dumber,” he said. “The toilet scene — that happened to me.” Eastwood then started laughing and walked away, perhaps thankfully without elaborating.

The toilet scene is hands-down the most disgusting part of Dumb and Dumber. It finds Daniels’ top shelf idiot Harry Dunne, poisoned with a liberal dose of laxative by his good friend and fellow idiot Larry Christmas (Jim Carrey), having it out on the can for what feels like a good minute, probably more. To some it’s a rare moment where the film goes too far. Not for the maker of American Sniper, though.

You can watch that scene in question below, if you dare.

And you can watch Jeff Daniels’ Late Show appearance — and hear his husky Clint impersonation — in the video above.

(Via The AV Club)

Ed Sheeran might’ve shown up to the VMAs this past Sunday night to perform his catchy new single, “Shivers,” but that doesn’t mean he liked it. In fact, the English songwriter and pop star told Audacy’s The Julia Show later that he doesn’t like the atmosphere at American award shows at all.

“The room is filled with resentment and hatred towards everyone else and it’s quite an uncomfortable atmosphere,” he said during his appearance. “In England, our awards shows are just like, everyone gets drunk and no one really cares who wins or loses. It’s just sort of like a night out. All of the artists are sweet people, but they’re surrounded by entourages that want them to win too, so it’s one artist surrounded by 10 people and another artist surrounded by 10 people, and everyone is kind of giving each other the side eye. It’s nothing to do with MTV or the award show, it’s at all the other awards shows [too]; Billboards, GRAMMYs… AMAs. It’s just lots of people wanting other people to fail and I don’t like that. It’s a really horrible atmosphere to be in. I always walk away feeling really sad, and I don’t like it.”

Damn Ed, tell us how you really feel! Sheeran was up for several VMAs for his other new single, “Bad Habits,” but ultimately walked away empty handed. Check out the full list of winners here and keep an eye out for his new album, =, coming in late October.

We’re on Day Three of Nicki Minaj-gate, and it’s still taking unpredictable, Mad Libs-y turns. It all started with the annual Met Gala (obviously). The rapper was not in attendance, and as the festivities began, she took to Twitter to explain why: She wasn’t vaccinated. She then claimed that a cousin’s friend had some problems with his testicles, implying that it could have had something to do with him recently being dosed. (Or, you know, maybe he got an STD.) The story was widely mocked, but Tucker Carlson picked it up, and for two nights in a row he solemnly talked about Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s balls.

On Wednesday, Minaj shared a clip from one of Carlson’s shows, which kicked the story up yet another nutty notch. In the portion she shared, the Fox News host ascribed the backlash Minaj is currently facing to religious persecution. He seized upon the part where she said people should “pray on it,” essentially claiming that she was being bullied for being a free-thinker. (He did not posit that the reason people are angry is that she’s spreading vaccine misinformation and doubt as cases are soaring among the unvaccinated.)

On her tweet, Minaj affixed an emoji of an arrow hitting bullseye on a target, all but ensuring that the story would live on for at least another two or three days.

Minaj has gotten a lot of pushback since coming out as a vaccine skeptic at the week’s beginning, and she got yet more after she publicly agreed with a guy who’s spread white supremacist conspiracy theories, to say nothing of all his other misdeeds. It was clear from some that people, however tired they were of this story, couldn’t believe it took yet another surreal turn.

Some tried to explain to Minaj that you don’t want Tucker Carlson to agree with you (to say nothing of agreeing with him).

And why don’t you want Tucker Carlson agreeing with you? Because, people said, he sometimes parrots white nationalist talking points.

Minaj has remained very online during much of the vaccine/balls/Tucker controversy, and she actually wound up replying to one detractor. “Ppl aren’t human any more,” she wrote back, claiming that these days you’re not supposed to listen to certain political parties.

To which people pointed out that “white nationalist” is not a political party.

Kanye fans could relate to fans of a popular rapper watching as they embrace white nationalist talking points.

Others pointed out that maybe it’s time to log off.

And others still felt bad for her PR team, who’ve had quite the week.

And it’s only Wednesday.

Often, parents of children with special needs struggle to find Halloween costumes that will accommodate medical equipment or provide a proper fit. And figuring out how to make one? Yikes.

There’s good news; shopDisney has added new ensembles to their already impressive line of adaptive play costumes. And from 8/30 – 9/26, there’s a 20% off sale for all costume and costume accessory orders of $75+ with code Spooky.

When looking for the right costume, kids with unique needs have a lot of extra factors to consider: wheelchair wheels get tangled up in too-long material, feeding tubes could get twisted the wrong way, and children with sensory processing disorders struggle with the wrong kind of fabric, seams, or tags. There are a lot of different obstacles that can come between a kid and the ability to wear the costume of their choice, which is why it’s so awesome that more and more companies are recognizing the need for inclusive creations that make it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of make-believe.

Created with inclusivity in mind, the adaptive line is designed to discreetly accommodate tubes or wires from the front or the back, with lots of stretch, extra length and roomier cut, and self-stick fabric closures to make getting dressed hassle-free. The online shop provides details on sizing and breaks down the magical elements of each outfit and accessory, taking the guesswork out of selecting the perfect costume for the whole family.

Your child will be able to defeat Emperor Zurg in comfort with the Buzz Lightyear costume featuring a discreet flap opening at the front for easy tube access, with self-stick fabric closure. There is also an opening at the rear for wheelchair-friendly wear, and longer-length inseams to accommodate seated guests. To infinity and beyond!

An added bonus: many of the costumes offer a coordinating wheelchair cover set to add a major boost of fun. Kids can give their ride a total makeover—all covers are made to fit standard size chairs with 24″ wheels—to transform it into anything from The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest ship to Cinderella’s Coach. Some options even come equipped with sounds and lights!

From babies to adults and adaptive to the group, shopDisney‘s expansive variety of Halloween costumes and accessories are inclusive of all.

Don’t forget about your furry companions! Everyone loves to see a costumed pet trotting around, regardless of the occasion. You can literally dress your four-legged friend to look like Sven from Frozen, which might not sound like something you need in your life but…you totally do. CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

This year has been tough for everyone, so when a child gets that look of unfettered joy that comes from finally getting to wear the costume of their dreams, it’s extra rewarding. Don’t wait until the last minute to start looking for the right ensemble!

*Upworthy may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.

Chloe Bailey was recently hit with not one but two bizarre rumors. Mere days after she released “Have Mercy” and impressed at the 2021 MTV VMAs, someone claimed that the singer had recently began dating rapper Future. She denied this during an Instagram Live. “I don’t know where that rumor came from,” she said. “He’s a wonderful fella, love his music, I’ve never spoken to him a day in my life.”

But there was more. The second rumor claimed that Bailey is a member of the Illuminati, a rumored modern-day secret society that some believe is filled with Black celebrities from different corners of the entertainment world, all of whom sold their souls to be involved in it. Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Rihanna are just some of the names that have been tied to these rumors. And Chloe went out of her way to make it clear she is not a part of this (probably) fictitious group.

“One moment you all say that I talk about God too much and the next you say I’m selling my soul. Which is it, my loves?” she said during the livestream. “I love God so much and I love music, and I just have a lot of passion. That’s it.” She added, “I didn’t sell my soul, no,”

The NBA 2K League recently wrapped up its season with Wizards District winning for the second year in a row, but that doesn’t mean the 2K League is totally finished for this year. The inaugural 2K League All-Star game is quickly approaching. The best NBA 2K players in the league representing the East and the West will team up on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. ET on Twitch and YouTube. The All-Star game will be a 5-on-5, best-of-three series with players competing on PS5 consoles in NBA 2K22’s Pro-Am mode. The NBA 2K League will award a $25,000 prize pool, with the winning and losing team receiving $18,000 and $7,000, respectively.

We’ll be sure to find out more information in the coming days, but Dime did manage to snag an early look at the 2K League All-Star jerseys. Designed by Champion, these are the unis the 2K League pros will wear as they compete against one another.

The E and W being so stylized is something that really only works on an esports jersey. One of the other nice touches is the logo for each player’s 2K League team being up by the neck. Those logos really translate to patches and work well. The sides also feature the 2K League All-Star logo and each conference written out in text on the sides.