Picking just one of anything is a difficult task. That’s why picking a spouse is taken so seriously (and why so many folks mess it up!). It’s almost equally thorny when it comes to the world of alcohol. For aficionados, picking only one tequila, rum, rye, bourbon, or single malt Scotch to drink forever is extremely daunting.
Luckily, polyamory between booze brands is encouraged. And with endless options on the market, the whole conversation is purely hypothetical. Still, it’s a fun one to have, because your favorite whisky isn’t always your “desert island whisky” — you’ll want something with enough nuance to keep you coming back for more across decades.
With more than 100 distilleries dotted throughout Scotland, single malt Scotch makes an especially intriguing “one bottle for the rest of your life” topic. So we asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to pick theirs and let chaos ensue. Though many tried to sneak two bottles in, they eventually all landed on a single expression they could live (forever) with.
Keep scrolling to see what these drinks pros selected. Tell us your own picks in the comments!
GlenDronach 15 Year Revival. This whisky is aged in sherry casks which provide flavors of maraschino cherries, dark chocolate, and figs. Followed by flavors of honey and apricot.
It’s a whisky you can have during summer and spring but it’s also perfect for the colder months.
Oban 14
Oban
Nicholas Karel, director of bars, lounges, and beverages at Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans
Oban 14 is my desert island single malt scotch whisky. Lightly peated, this Scotch is the perfect balance between sweetness and smoke with exceptional depth and richness.
The Macallan 18 Sherry Oak
The Macallan
Mohamed Khald, food and beverage manager at The Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg, Florida
The Macallan 18, known for its combination of dried fruits, spice, orange, wood smoke, and an exceptionally well-balanced, aromatic finish. A sip will reveal rich, warm flavors of toasted oak with a sweet finish.
Glenfiddich 25 Rare Oak
Glenfiddich
Lauren Parton, general manager of Devereaux in Chicago
To quote Swingers, “Any Glen will do.” But for me, either Glenrothes or Glenfiddich, 25 and older. Extremely smooth, and with a depth of flavor it’s dessert in a glass. This is especially true for the Glenfiddich 25 Rare Oak.
If I were to pick one single malt Scotch to drink for the rest of my life, it would be Ardbeg 10. I love that it is super peaty and you get an intense smoke smell and flavor right off the bat. You also get a lot of sweetness and spice from this Scotch, which offsets the smoke flavor nicely. One great way to enjoy this Scotch is alongside a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea, a smoked black tea. Tasting it with another smoky beverage allows you to taste so much more in this scotch: vanilla, citrus, salt, flowers.
There’s so much going on in Ardbeg 10 without it being too much.
Laphroaig Triple Wood has the aroma of a beautifully peated Scotch, the body of a delicate bourbon, and the sweet finish of Oloroso sherry. It’s in my opinion the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of single malts.
The Balvenie 14-Year-Old Caribbean Cask
The Balvenie
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
The Balvenie 14-Year-Old Caribbean Cask single malt Scotch whisky is one of my favorites. It’s finished in a Caribbean rum cask, so some fun banana, ester notes come through. It’s the perfect dram for a cold day when you actually wish you were on a tropical island.
Lagavulin 16
Lagavulin
Jess Collins, beverage director at Toups Meatery in New Orleans
Lagavulin 16 is my all-time favorite single malt Scotch. It has strong salt and pepper notes but is also slightly fruity which I think balances out the peat nicely. It’s great for fall and winter, maybe sitting by the fire wearing your most comfy sweater.
Laphroaig Lore
Laphroaig
Christy Bradley, spirit guide at Virgin Hotels in New Orleans
Laphroaig Lore. It is really complex. Crafted from all kinds of different barrel aging. You get a lot of that great smoke but also hints of ocean air and sea salt.
Talisker 25-year single malt. I’ve always loved Talisker and had the good fortune to pick a bottle of this up on a trip to Skye. It delivers on so many levels! Showcasing the character of the island – sea-salted air and pepper hits with subtle peat and red berry notes, the finish is long and deep with licorice, aniseed, and more of that peppery goodness.
The Ardbeg Supernova, no question. It’s the best Scotch I’ve ever tasted. Anything that Dr. Rachel Barrie creates is superb, but the Supernova is, pun intended, out of this world. It’s a brilliantly balanced combination of spicy, smoky, and fruity, like warming yourself up next to a bonfire while mulling cider.
Absolutely stunning.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12
The Balvenie
Nicholas Bennett, beverage director at Porchlight in New York City
My desert island scotch is the Balvenie Doublewood 12. This is a wonderfully rich and complex whisky that really exemplifies the best of both worlds. It is first matured in refill American oak casks, so you get some bourbon characteristics like spice and a little vanilla followed by dried fruit and some nuttiness from the European oak Oloroso sherry butts they use to finish the aging.
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Ardbeg
Emily Franchy, bartender at Uffda Hospitality in Louisville, Kentucky
Ardbeg Uigeadail is my one and only single malt Scotch. The sherry cask finish makes it the most perfect blend of honey and smoke on the palate, enjoyable even to those wary of Scotch.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had three (3) head football coaches since 1969. The organization values stability more than maybe any other in not just football but professional sports, and currently holding down that job is Mike Tomlin, who has been there since 2007.
As such, when Carson Palmer went on the Dan Patrick Show this week and had Tomlin’s name attached to the candidate list for the USC coaching vacancy, it drew a lot of confusion and laughter. Why would Tomlin leave one of the best jobs in football, where the hot seat doesn’t really exist, for a college football program that has had six people hold the title of head coach since Tomlin took over in Pittsburgh? The answer is, he wouldn’t, and on Tuesday he was asked about his name coming up in the rumor mill and decided he had some time to shut it down now and in perpetuity.
That is a man who cannot believe he has to be asked about this, noting that other longtime coaches don’t field the same questions and highlighting what I noted above in how the Steelers are one of the best jobs in all of football. His line about there not being a booster with enough money and a blank check anywhere in the country is one of the best denials of all-time, as well.
Why his name came up in the first place is a much better question, as Palmer just kind of tossed his name out. Whether it was an old Bengal just messing with the Steelers or some booster thinking he had that kind of check to make Tomlin think about it, the answer is an emphatic no, and I would probably avoid asking Mike about other jobs in the future.
While all things considered Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece Dune hasn’t gotten too many big screen adaptations as of yet, the lengthy tale of spice, war, and worms has come pretty close. You see, back in the late 2000s, it was rumored action director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Patriot’s Day) was going to be taking a swing at the space saga in an effort to create something a little less, well… obtuse than the 1984 version created by David Lynch. However, not much was known about what the project would look like or who was slated to work alongside Berg — until now.
In a recent edition of Keith Phipps and Scott Tobias’ new Substack newsletter The Reveal, author, actor, and humorist John Hodgman shared a story about meeting Berg on a flight and subsequently being asked to work on Dune with him. The encounter began when Hodgman caught Berg reading Dune while sitting next to him on a plane, remarked he wished he had brought his own copy to read, and was then asked by the director if he’d like one as he was currently carrying two. Naturally, this response made Hodgman curious as to why anyone would have two copies of the same book on board a flight, and a pretty funny and enlightening conversation ensued:
“I’m like, “What are you talking about, Peter Berg? Why do you have two copies of Dune?” He said, “Well, because I’m thinking about making it into a movie.” I mean, he said it with such Peter Berg-y jock-y confidence that I actually had a moment where I was like, “Does he not know? Does he not know that there was a movie?” Because he was like, “I’m thinking about turning this book into, get this, a film. And not only was there a movie, but at that point, there had also been a mini-series on Sci-Fi channel in the year 2002, two of them. It had been adapted already. Am I going to be the guy who has to tell Peter Berg that David Lynch already made a movie of Dune?”
Luckily for Hodgman, Berg soon revealed he knew both a Dune movie and mini-series existed, but was quick to point out where the two faltered, in his opinion, and how his version would both adhere to Hollywood standard as well as offer a different take on the story.
“He was saying, “Look, this is a classic hero’s journey about a chosen child who must heed a call to adventure and all this Joseph Campbellian stuff.” And then Peter Berg, being the artist that he is, takes out a spreadsheet and points out the top-grossing movies of all time and he’s like, “Chosen one narrative, chosen one narrative, chosen one narrative, chosen one narrative.” I’m like, “Yeah, I get it Peter Berg. White guys love to see movies about white guys who are the chosen special ones. Basically, Peter Berg’s take on Dune was that he was going to focus on the adventure and the warfare and a little bit less of the psychosexual stuff .. He was like, “David Lynch made his version.” I don’t want to put words in Peter Berg’s mouth, but he was like, “I’m going to make this a guy’s movie, not a weird guy’s movie.” And so I was like, “Well, good luck to you.””
However, the story of Hodgman, Berg, and Dune didn’t end there. According to Hodgman, not long after his encounter with the director — and shortly after he submitted a screenplay that was ultimately passed over — his manager reached out to him to ask if he was interested in writing a film adaptation of Dune. Ultimately Hodgman turned the offer down, citing two major reasons as to why he thought it was a bad idea.
“One, I think the book is unfilmable, but who cares? Two, is Peter Berg directing it still?” And they’re like, “Yeah,” and I’m like, “I don’t think it’s going to work. I don’t think that jock is going to like this nerd, because the only thing I like about the previous movie is the heart plugs and the weird stuff.” That’s why I declined to work with Peter Berg and he later dropped out.”
As it stands now, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is the third adaptation of the series and does a pretty good job of treading the line between the type of movie one might expect from Lynch vs. Berg, with all the niche, sci-fi goodness we geeks love made pretty easily accessible. At the very least, America already seems to love the fresh new take on the saga.
Denis Villeneuve agreed to make Dune under one condition. “The story is so rich and complex that, in order to be faithful to the book, we’ll need to make at least two movies,” the director told Variety. “That was a deal right at the start.” But even though his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic science-fiction novel is titled onscreen as Dune: Part One, nothing was official, at least publicly, until today: Dune: Part Two is happening.
This is only the beginning…
Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We’re excited to continue the journey! pic.twitter.com/mZj68Hnm0A
“This is only the beginning…” the tweet from Legendary Pictures reads. “Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We’re excited to continue the journey!”
Dune: Part One opened to $40.1 million at the North American box office over the weekend; it’s up to $223 million worldwide, including ending No Time to Die‘s three-week reign at the top in the United Kingdom (Safin wants what sandworms have).
Dune also received an A- Cinemascore, which means despite all the inaccurate mumbling about it being “boring,” theatergoers are having a great time in Arrakis. What’s not to love about Stellan Skarsgård emerging from a refreshing bath full of black goop? That’s why the teens are showing up in droves, not for Timmy and Zendaya.
Have you ever known someone who was educated, well-spoken, and curious, but had a real knack for making terrible decisions and bringing others down with them? These people are perplexing because we’re trained to see them as intelligent, but their lives are a total mess.
On the other hand, have you ever met someone who may not have a formal education or be the best with words, but they live wisely and their actions uplift themselves and others?
In 1976, Italian economist Carlo Cipolla wrote a tongue-and-cheek essay called “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” that provides a great framework for judging someone’s real intelligence. Now, the term stupid isn’t the most artful way of describing someone who lives unwisely, but in his essay Cipolla uses it in a lighthearted way.
Cipolla explains his theory of intelligence through five basic laws and a matrix that he belives applies to everyone.
Cipolla belives that the mind can hardly comprehend the sheer amount of stupid people that exist in the word. In his first law he asserts that “any numerical assumption would turn out to be an underestimate.”
Second Basic Law
“The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.”
This is what I was getting at in the introduction. A person may have the characteristics of intelligence, but don’t be fooled; stupidity is equally distributed among all groups of people.
“Whether one frequents elegant circles or takes refuge among cannibals, whether they lock themselves up in a monastery or decide to spend the rest of their life in the company of a beautiful partner, the fact remains that they will always have to deal with the same percentage of stupid people,” he concluded.
Third Basic Law
“A stupid person is one who causes losses to another person or a group of people while they gain nothing or may even suffer losses.”
Cipolla believes that true stupidity isn’t a reflection of one’s IQ, but their behavior. We all know people who present themselves as being intelligent but may believe in wacky conspiracy theories or make terrible decisions with their money because they fall for get-rich-quick schemes.
In other words, you are what you do. Not what you say or think. Truly intelligent people take smart actions and care about the well-being of others.
Fourth Basic Law
“Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that in any time and place and circumstance dealing and/or hanging out with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.”
Ever have that friend who made a lot of bad decisions but you still hung around them because they were a lot of fun? Eventually, no matter how hard you try to keep their drama at distance, it’ll infect your life.
Fifth Basic Law
“Stupid people are the most dangerous type of people.”
Intelligent people are predictable and are concerned for the well-being of others. The stupid are unpredictable creators of mayhem and don’t care who their actions affect.
Cipolla created a matrix that describes the four types of people, stupid, helpless, bandidts, and the intelligent.
Stupid people’s actions are counterproductive to themselves and others.
Helpless people contribute to society and can be altruistic or moral. But they’re often taken advantage of or give much more than they receive.
Bandits are opportunists that pursue their own self-interest even if it harms others.
Intelligent people contribute to society and leverage their contributions into reciprocal benefits.
Cipolla’s basic laws may not be backed up by hundreds of pages of psychological research, but they help explain why seemingly intelligent people can make terrible decisions and why people who may not appear to be so bright can be beacons of wisdom.
The underlying truth of the matter is that intelligent people make take smart actions and stupid people make dumb decisions. It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read or your social status. As Forest Gump once said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
On Sunday, Rolling Stone broke the news that several of the protestors involved with the insurrection on the Capitol on January 6th admitted that they had taken part in “dozens” of meetings before this date with both White House officials and GOP members of Congress, who both encouraged the actions that left five people dead and even teased the idea of a “blanket pardon,” courtesy of then-president Donald Trump himself. Sadly, the most surprising part of this news isn’t that these meetings happened in the first place—it’s that the questionable brain trust that organized them actually succeeded in causing a public disruption.
On Monday night, Stephen Colbert mentioned Rolling Stone’s eye-opening report, and explained:
“Social media isn’t the only thing that helped cause the January 6th riots. So did GOP officials. Because organizers of the insurrection now ‘say they participated in dozens of planning meetings with members of Congress and White House staff.’
Wow! Really? Great planning guys! ‘OK, you grab the podium; you smear poop on the walls; the rest of you record everything on your phones and put it on Facebook so we definitely get caught!’”
The Late Show host then turned his attention to the “intellectual giants” who were allegedly a part of these planning meetings, including Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks, Madison Cawthorn, Andy Biggs, and Louie Gohmert. “It’s a real Ocean’s 11 of people who can’t count to 10,” Colbert said. “They have to set reminders on their phone to remind themselves to breathe. This wasn’t just a random event with weirdos like the Q Shaman; this was a conspiracy to overturn a Democratic election that included the weirdos in congress. One of the organizers said, ‘I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically.’ Yes, I can imagine it’s hard to forget someone who tells you forest fires are caused by circumcised space lasers.”
You can watch Colbert’s full rant above, beginning around the 7:30 mark.
When it comes to a band’s creative differences, sometimes things get worked out smoothly. But when they don’t, it sometimes leads to a band member leaving the group altogether. That’s what happened with one of Foo Fighters‘ early members, William Goldsmith, who was their drummer up until 1997. Dave Grohl has one account of the split, but a new interview reveals a very different story from Goldsmith himself.
Grohl recently sat down for a lengthy interview with Vulture about his storied career in the music industry. During the conversation, Grohl explained his side of the story when it came to Goldsmith leaving Foo Fighters during the The Colour And The Shape era. He said the band was working with Pixies’ producer Gil Norton, who was a “a whip-cracking, ass-kicking, do-it-50-times-to-get-it-right kind of producer.” The environment was tough, and Grohl said he “could see it wearing on William.”
After taking a break for the holidays, Grohl said he went down to Los Angeles to show Norton a few demos he recorded, and Norton asked him to re-record Goldsmith’s drums on some parts. When Grohl told Goldsmith about re-recording his drums, he said Goldsmith quit the band, though he tried to get him to stay:
“I’ll never forget one of the things he said: ‘Actually, my friend offered me a job digging ditches.’ I said, ‘Really? You know what? You should do that for a little while.’ I used to dig ditches. I did f*cking masonry when I was a kid in the Virginia summer heat. Go dig some ditches for a while, then you’ll want to be a drummer. So yeah, it kind of imploded. I begged him to stay; he refused to stay. That’s the bottom line.”
But when Vulture reached out to Goldsmith to corroborate Grohl’s series of events, the former drummer’s version of the story was very different — down to part about digging ditches:
“We had tracked drums on the record for up to 13 hours a day for three straight weeks, in one case doing 96 takes on a single song. So the idea that I would throw it all away because Dave wanted to play drums on two songs is preposterous. Finding out that all the work I’d done was being disregarded that led to my decision to leave.”
Goldsmith went on to say he couldn’t accept Grohl asking him to stay. “I couldn’t justify after all the work I put into the record was disregarded.” Goldsmith said. “I then made a joke saying ‘The world needs ditch-diggers too,’ which is a Caddyshack reference, but I guess he didn’t get it.”
While discussing the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust on Monday,The View‘s Sunny Hostin did not hold back her thoughts on the right-wing “ghouls” who came out of the woodwork to attack Alec Baldwin who has been inconsolable since the tragic incident. As has been reported, Baldwin is the one who fired the shot that killed Hutchins during a rehearsal. However, there were several safety failures along the way that caused the actor to be handed a gun that reportedly contained a live bullet.
During a panel discussion, which involved Whoopi Goldberg sharing her wealth of experience working on movie sets with guns and the protocols that should have been followed, Hostin used her time to call out Donald Trump Jr. and Lauren Boebert for using the tragedy to score political points.
You can watch Hostin’s remarks at the 3:38 mark below:
“RUST” SHOOTING DEATH BRINGS CALLS FOR CHANGE: As more information comes to light following the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin’s movie “Rust,” the co-hosts and @GretchenCarlson question how this could happen. https://t.co/7m0WDxDrPMpic.twitter.com/yPZqsB08Wx
“You know, a woman died here. A woman who was a mother, a wife, someone who was, they say, just wonderful at her craft. A cinematographer, just starting,” Hostin said. “When you have people like that coming out, trying to, I don’t know, take some sort of opportunity and a shot at Alec Baldwin — I thought that that was pretty disgusting and despicable.”
Don Jr. has been a particularly relentless critic of Baldwin since the accidental shooting was reported. Currently, the former president’s son is selling T-shirts on his official website that read “Guns Don’t Kill People Alec Baldwin Kills People.” So Hostin calling Don Jr. “disgusting and despicable” is putting it pretty lightly.
Riding the wave of the success of her viral hit “Whole Lotta Money,” Boston rapper BIA follows up with a new single, “Can’t Touch This,” from the recently released deluxe version of her debut album, For Certain. Produced by DJ Pharoah, IROCC, and London Jae, the single samples Kelis’ 2003 hit “Milkshake” while borrowing some lyrical inspiration from MC Hammer’s signature hit of the same name. The result is a confident, surprisingly smooth club anthem BIA used to assert her supremacy.
Naturally, the video also borrows some visual cues from its sonic inspiration, while giving the diner concept of Kelis’ video for “Milkshake” a modern-day update. Instead of a fast-casual eatery bringing all the boys to the yard, BIA brings the yard to the boys via her BIA Shakes food truck. She also shoots scenes in a laundromat and on a pastel dollhouse’s well-manicured lawn, surrounded by colorfully dressed dancers the whole way through.
BIA’s breakout year has not only seen her receive a rare co-sign from the former regent of hip-hop Nicki Minaj on the “Whole Lotta Money” remix, but also an invitation from T-Pain to join him and Kehlani on their remix of “I Like Dat.” Additionally, BIA’s other single from the album, “Besito,” is gaining steam as she enters the home stretch of Don Toliver’s Life Of A Don Tour.
Watch BIA’s “Can’t Touch This” video above.
For Certain Deluxe is out now on Epic Records. Get it here.
Everyone likes to talk about the bourbon boom, the Irish whiskey boom, the Scotch whisky boom. It would just be easier at some point to simply say, “whiskey, in general, is having a moment. A big, long moment.” And you can certainly include rye whiskey in that conversation. In fact, it could be argued that the rye whiskey boom is even bigger than some of the others, as countries like Ireland, Germany, and even Scotland are getting in on the sticky grain.
While rye is getting toyed with all over the globe, it’s still the American and Canadian ryes that dominate the conversation right now. It’s those expressions — many widely beloved and award-winning bottles among them — that we’re looking at today. For this blind taste test, I tried 15 rye whiskeys, all of them either completely new or the 2021 release of a well-known expression.
Our lineup today is:
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (VA)
High West Double Rye! (IN & UT)
Blue Run Golden Rye (KY)
Knob Creek Rye (KY)
Traverse City North Coast Rye (MI)
Nashville Barrel Single Barrel Rye #511 (TN)
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye (AB)
2021 BTAC Sazerac 18 (KY)
Sagamore Spirits Cask Strength Rye (MD)
Stellum Rye (IN, TN, & KY)
2021 BTAC Thomas H. Handy Rye (KY)
Woodinville 100% Rye (WA)
Michter’s 10-year Rye (KY)
Chicken Cock Rye (KY)
Redemption Rye (IN)
Let’s dive right in. And if you dig any of these, click those prices to give them a try yourself.
This opens with a hint of peppery spice that leads towards lemon cream pie filling and a touch of vanilla pods on the nose. The palate holds onto that lemon vibe and marries it to black pepper, like a 1990s s”lemon pepper” spice blend, next to a rush of black licorice, white peaches, and more of that rich vanilla.
The pepper gets powdery towards the finish — more like a fine white pepper — as the citrus lingers longest.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is pure apple crumble with notes of brown sugar, cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice, and a bit of mint. The taste has a dried rose note that leads into a very botanical, absinthe feel next to dry apple cores and stems. A warm mid-palate soon takes over, with plenty of black pepper and sharp cinnamon. That apple returns late, with a warmth that reminds you of apple tobacco on the finish.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is like thick challah French toast with just the right balance of yolky custard, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a touch of vanilla oils and a hint of soft, worn leather on the nose. That vanilla turns into a thick eggnog pudding with a slight wet straw funk and black-tea-soaked dates with a touch more cinnamon. The mid-palate reembraces the leather with a dried tobacco whisper next to a light grainy warmth and a super soft minerality.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
From my notes: “Classic cherry, vanilla, cedar, and peppery spice? This has to be a Beam product.”
That matrix of flavors delivers on the palate with the vanilla getting super creamy as the cherry really pops as “ripe” and “vibrant” on the tongue. The spice is more attached to a moist tobacco leaf with a bit of a chew to it that’s also just touched by dark chocolate cherry vibes.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is sort of all over the place from top to bottom, with a nose full of soft leather, dried flowers, bready grains, lemon curd, and dark cherry. The palate has that creamy vanilla and eggnog pudding vibe with a touch of caramel corn, fresh ginger, and meaty dates. The spice kicks up on the backend with a very distinct cherry-vanilla tobacco chewiness that leaves your mouth buzzing.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This draws you in with a cinnamon toast with plenty of woody cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla bean. The palate is very peppery — kind of like milling some black pepper right onto your tongue — while balancing a nice touch of raisins, clove, and anise. The mid-palate dries out even more with a toasted tobacco leaf that leads back to a cherry-infused cream soda.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Green dill sits next to west cedar bark and rich yet sweet cherry candies on the nose. The taste veers into cream soda vanilla territory while red berries, savory pumpkin, and green peppercorns dominate. The end has this super-refined dark chocolate and brandied cherry vibe that bursts on your palate like firecrackers at midnight on New Year’s eve.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Woah… This stands out from the jump with a nose full of rich and fresh honey next to tart and juicy apple nestled in burnt straw with a slight herbal tea note (maybe rooibos). The palate has a matrix of clove, allspice, and nutmeg that leads towards a maple butter before the mid-palate bitters and sweetens with black-tea-soaked dates. The finish arrives with a milky yet bitter chocolate-covered cherry with a final note of dried reeds buried deep in the background.
It’s also so damn soft and refined, comparatively.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens with brandied cherries with a dark chocolate whiff. That leads to a black pepper vibe on the tongue next to wet brown sugar, vanilla pods, and honey apple cookies. That bitter dark chocolate returns on the finish but pops with dried chili spice and… almost-woodiness.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
From my notes: “This draws you in with a note of soft leather and … Guinness? … with a touch of apple crumble with plenty of dark spice, brown sugar, and butter.”
The palate goes full holiday cake mode with even more brown spice, nuts, and candied fruits that lead towards a mid-palate that’s all moist banana bread with walnuts. The finish lets the spice kick up a notch, creating a sharp cinnamon toast feel.
Taste 11
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This starts with a rush of clove-heavy absinthe, with hints of dry cinnamon sticks and that divisive Buffalo Trace raw leather. The palate goes deep with marzipan, orange oils, and a whisper of fresh mint. That mint attaches to bitter dark chocolate, creating a mint-choco tobacco vibe with a finish that has touches of dried chili flakes and cherry candy lurking in the background.
Taste 12
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear red fruit vibe on the nose that’s supported by dark spices and honeyed tobacco. Plums turn into prunes on the tongue as fat nuts lead to dry nutshells and a wisp of spicy yet dry tobacco leaves waft in. The end is all about the old cedar and leather as very soft vanilla lingers on your senses.
Taste 13
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a rich and buttery toffee that’s just touched with a flake of smoked salt next to rose-water-heavy marzipan, cedar, cinnamon sticks, and what really feels like “dark” leather on the nose (it’s kind of like a leather jacket that your most-beloved grandparent wore their whole life while smoking every day). The taste leans into the cinnamon with a Red Hots vibe supported by orange oils, vanilla pods, and a sweet/hot chili pepper twinge. The vanilla gets super creamy on the mid-palate as the finish hits back on that marzipan with an orange infusion and a crust of rich, bitter, and slightly savory dark chocolate.
Taste 14
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens like a root beer float with an eggnog ice cream scoop that leads to a touch of rye bread funk. The palate is like an old cedar box full of spicy tobacco leaves that lead back to the sasparilla of that root beer. The mid-palate has this spicy stewed peaches vibe with a hint of dried fruit, black tea bitterness, and touch more of that peppery root beer.
Taste 15
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens with rushes of cedar, green grass, nasturtiums, and soft leather. The palate feels like common black pepper next to more cedar with a touch of wet chili pepper flesh. The end combines mint, chocolate, and tobacco and packs all three into an old cigar box, and then dusts the whole thing with white pepper.
This affordable rye is a sourced whiskey from MGP. It’s the famed 95 percent rye — aged for just under three years — that’s dominated the market for the last decade or so. The juice is blended by Master Blender Dave Carpenter and is brought down to a very reasonable 92 proof with soft Kentucky limestone water.
Bottom Line:
I liked everything on this list but something had to be last. This was the least engaging overall and that’s really the only reason it’s in this slot. That being said, I’ve been going back to this in highballs and it rules.
14. Nashville Barrel Single Barrel Rye #511 — Taste 6
This is an interesting whiskey. Nashville Barrel is all about the barrel picks for retailers, bars, and whoever comes along (within reason). The juice in this case is that 95 percent MGP rye that’s around eight years old. The whiskey went into the bottle at barrel strength without any additional fussing.
Bottom Line:
This was another perfectly fine whiskey. It’s unique and tasty. Again, though, it just didn’t wow next to the heavy hitters on this list.
This is the youngest bottle in 2021’s BTAC. The whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2015 and bottled in the fall of 2021. The mash is mainly Minnesota rye with Kentucky corn and North Dakota barley. The juice matured in warehouses I, K, L, and O on the fifth through seventh floors. Over that time, 31 percent of the juice was lost to the angels.
Bottom Line:
I have a hard time getting past that raw leather note on some Buffalo Trace releases (like Buffalo Trace Bourbon). It might work for others but this just doesn’t vibe with my palate right now.
This whiskey from a re-invigorated brand is comprised of that famous sourced 95 percent rye that’s aged at Bardstown Bourbon Company. In this case, it’s aged for around two years before the barrels are blended, proofed, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was a bit more refined than the other representations of 95 percent rye on this list — even the ones cut with own-make. Still, this is a great mixer for Sazeracs and Manhattans more than a sipper that you want to spend significant time with.
This Maryland rye is a blend of seven-year-old juice with four-year-old rye. The whiskey is blended and just touched with limestone water from a 100-plus-year-old farm well in Maryland to bring it back down to the lower cask’s strength.
Bottom Line:
This, again, was really tasty and well-balanced. Though, I’d argue this felt more like a cocktail rye than a slow sipper. I want to try this in a Manhattan to really plumb the depths of this tasty Maryland expression.
This Virginia whiskey is made from 100 percent rye grains sourced from local farms. The juice matures for two years in Virginia before it’s proofed with local water to a very approachable 80 proof.
Bottom Line:
It’s kind of shocking that whiskey at 80 proof has this much depth of flavor. That aside, this still feels like we’re squarely in cocktail mixing territory.
This whiskey from Michigan is a blend of Traverse City’s own-make (a 100 percent rye) and MGP’s 95 percent rye. The whiskeys are aged for about two years before they’re vatted and proofed down with that clear Michigan water.
Bottom Line:
This is a very tasty whiskey. It was just a little spice-heavy and didn’t have that “x-factor” to help it break into the top tier.
This rye is a blend of Indiana’s MGP 95 percent rye with own-make from the Utah distillery. The rye from Utah is an 80 percent rye/20 percent malted rye mash. Both whiskeys are a minimum of two years old before they’re vatted, proofed with Utah’s Rocky Mountain water, and bottled in old tequila bottles.
Bottom Line:
I really liked this — wild that it didn’t break into the top ten. I guess that just goes to show you how freakin’ great these whiskeys were today.
This is another bourbon drinker’s rye with a mash bill that’s believed to be only 51 percent rye (which is likely the same for the Basil Hayden’s above). This rye, however, is batched and proofed at a higher ABV, 50 proof, allowing more of the barrel to shine through.
Bottom Line:
Even pretty much knowing this was Knob Creek, it was still one of the more memorable whiskeys in this tasting. The flavors were distinct and refined while bringing a clear sense of self to the mix. This is also getting into sippable “on the rocks” territory while still being very mixable.
This new release from Barrell Spirits Co. blends rye whiskey from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The core is the classic 95 percent rye from MGP of Indiana that’s cut with more barley-forward ryes from Tennessee and Kentucky. All of it is left at barrel strength when bottled.
Bottom Line:
This really popped for me. Maybe it’s the combination of three of the biggest states in whiskey that helps it along. In the end, it’s just really easy drinking rye with a clear and distinct flavor profile that’s very enticing.
American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Awards named this their Best Rye back in 2017. The juice is 100 percent rye with grains sourced locally from the Omlin family farm. The whiskey is barreled in air-dried and toasted barrels but this time they’re heavily charred before the spirit goes in. The barrels are then hand-selected and married to create a pure rye whiskey experience at an accessible 90 proof.
Bottom Line:
This is where the “wow factor” started coming into play, making this and the next two entries pretty much an exercise in splitting hairs. This is just really, really good rye that hits high marks for uniqueness, drinkability, and deliciousness. You can’t go wrong stocking up on this juice.
This Whisky Bible-beloved 100 percent rye mash bill is made from rye from the prairies of Alberta. The grist (milled rye grains) is then married with Rocky Mountain glacial water for fermentation. The spirit is barrelled and left to mature for an undisclosed amount of time. The results are blended and bottled with zero fussing at cask strength, giving this whisky a real depth and sense of those chilly plains, mountains, and glacier-fed waters from Alberta.
Bottom Line:
This continues to be named the best rye in the world and it’s easy to see why when you take a sip. It’s so refined while also being wholly unique. The high-ABVs do mean you’ll likely need a rock to sip this one, but that just means you’re opening the whiskey’s deeper flavor notes.
This whiskey is a sourced Kentucky rye from an undisclosed distillery or distilleries. The batch is a small outing of only 91 barrels that have been vatted and then proofed with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty special juice. The nuance and depth are very good while the actual approachability of this whiskey is very high. It’s a great sipper neat, on the rocks, or even in a simple cocktail. This is just a winner all around.
This release goes through the same rigorous barrel-selection process as the Michter’s ten-year bourbon. However, because the point of Michther’s was to bring rye back to mainstream prominence, this bottle holds a very special place in whiskey drinkers’ hearts.
This is the bottle of rye that distillers are still chasing to this day.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the “wow” and “x-factor” territories — that dark, smoky leather is so entrancing. This whiskey is a touchstone rye that has serious beauty in the glass.
I also like to make $50 Manhattans with it, but that’s just me.
This rye was made back in 2003 from Minnesota Rye, Kentucky corn, and North Dakota barley. The juice spent 18-and-a-half years in warehouses K and P on the second and fourth floors. Finally, it was vatted, proofed with that iconic Kentucky limestone water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This is damn near perfect. Actually, it might just be perfect. It’s really hard to find any faults in this juice. At the same time, it’s mature and stands alone as a great whiskey in general and a damn near amazing rye. It was so, so easy to drink today while delivering serious depth, surprises, and comfort.
What more can you really as for in a whiskey?
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
This was really tough to rank, so I employed a newish method of marking every rye I liked as I sipped them and marking the ones I loved right away. That made it easier to go back and rank the top three and bottom three. That, however, made ranking the middle nine damn near impossible. Depending on my mood, I could probably reorder slots 12 through four a million different ways, but here we are.
In the end, this was an illuminating experience for my taste buds but I can’t say I was super surprised. I’m a very open stan of Michter’s but have a rockier relationship with Buffalo Trace’s ryes. Was I surprised their 2021 BTAC Sazerac 18 won? Yes and no. I had just taste-tested that expression the day before. So it was fresh in my memory. It’s amazing and it just rang the brightest today and that’s what counts in these tastings.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
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