Month: January 2022

Willett Distillery is a bit of a mystery. The brand is technically called Kentucky Bourbon Distillers or KBD for short, but that’s more an industry term — “Willett” is what consumers use to refer to the brand. The company is a privately-owned family operation, run by the Kulsveen family. They revived the dormant shingle back in 2012 and returned it to lofty heights in less than a decade. They did so by building a craft distillery in bourbon’s capital, Bardstown, and operating in both sourcing and contract distilling while simultaneously producing their own bourbons and ryes.

We’re going to focus on the 12 labels Willett advertises on their website as “the whiskeys” they make. Instead of just telling you about them, I’ll be ranking them by taste. Note that this isn’t a ranking of every Willett Family Estate Bourbon ever released because there are an almost endless amount of those (which I’ll explain below) — I’m focusing on the core bottles.

Before we dive into the 12 bottles from Willett and how I’d rank them, it’s also important to know that the Kulsveen family keeps their cards very close to their chest. They don’t publish mash bills or batch sizes on their website (though you can dig around and find them). The whiskey in the bottle is what they want us to focus on, so I’m going just that.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of 2021

• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The 50 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• Every Winning Bourbon From Our 2021 Taste Tests, Blind Tasted And Re-Ranked
• The Best Value-Per-Dollar Bourbon Whiskeys, Ranked
• All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked

12. Johnny Drum Black Label

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $17

The Whiskey:

This is an entry point whiskey from KBD. The juice is a bourbon blend that’s a minimum of four years old. It’s then cut down to a very accessible 86 proof with that local limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a complex mix of yellow masa, damp cedar moss, wildflowers, and a hint of vanilla extract next to fresh mint leaves. The palate is fairly thin but carries a fair amount of buttery caramel, a dash of black pepper, a hint of cinnamon, and more of that soft cedar. The finish is pretty much what you’d expect for a bottle under $20 with a quick, watery fade, leaving you with notes of caramel, masa, and sweet oak.

Bottom Line:

This is a solid cheap bourbon with no bells or whistles. It’s not worth the effort to hunt down. If you do come across it, it’s worth giving a shot to try against Evan Williams and Jim Beam, but that’s about it.

11. Old Bardstown 90 Proof

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

This is another entry-point bourbon. The main difference here is that it’s proofed slightly higher than the Johnny Drum above and bottled under a different brand name.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of classic bourbon notes on the nose with rich vanilla, butter caramel, soft oak, and a hint of fresh flowers. The palate lets those notes shine through with a bit of that yellow masa lingering in the background alongside more vanilla extract, caramel, and cinnamon by way of the oak. The finish is, again, pretty short and thin with the oak and caramel sweetness lasting the longest.

Bottom Line:

This is another bottle you shouldn’t go out of your way to track down. It’s fine for what it is — good for shots and whiskey and Cokes — but not much more.

10. Kentucky Vintage

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

Interestingly, this is a sourced bourbon from the KBD team. Unlike the other brands that state “Distilled at Willett” or “Made in Bardstown,” this simply states it’s made in Kentucky (likely down the road at Heaven Hill).

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a classic bourbon medley of vanilla, caramel, woody spice with a hint of charred oak in the background that still feels a little warm. The palate really leans into the woody spice (think cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and whole cloves) while the vanilla and caramel mellow things out a bit, and you’re left with a dry apple stem/core vibe. The finish holds onto that dryness with an applewood tobacco note that fades out pretty quickly — leaving you with more of a watery sensation than anything else.

Bottom Line:

This is perfectly fine for what it is. There’s nothing here that’ll wow you but this does work well in a cheap cocktail or highball.

9. Johnny Drum Private Stock

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

The juice in this bottle is a marrying of varying KBD barrels that are cut to 101 proof.

Tasting Notes:

This starts out with an apple pie filling with a lot of cinnamon leading towards salted caramel. The taste has this mild orange feel with more cinnamon candy. The end has a lightness that feels like Dr. Pepper with a hint of cherry but, ultimately, this fades pretty quickly with thinness as the only thing that you’re left with.

Bottom Line:

This is fine. There’s nothing offensive about it. I have a bottle on my shelf that I don’t really touch unless I need to for work. That says it all.

8. Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

Like the other Old Bardstown above, this is a standard bourbon. The difference here is that it’s proofed far less and from barrels inside KBD’s bonded warehouses. That lack of an overabundance of water lets those barrels shine a lot more.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a nice mix of woody vanilla next to cherry hard candies that mellow towards cherry cotton candy lace with echoes of oak and toffee in the background. The palate leans into the cherry but layers in wintry spices with vanilla sugar cookies and caramel apples straight from the fairgrounds. The finish isn’t long but doesn’t disappear either, as that cherry and spice merge into cherry cough drops.

Bottom Line:

This is miles ahead of the previous three bourbons. It’s still not a “blow your socks off” whiskey by any stretch but it feels a bit more defined. It’s great for a good/ cheap cocktail, thanks to the higher ABVs as well.

7. Old Bardstown Estate Bottled 101

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

We know that this is a “small batch” and from barrels that are a minimum of four years old (some say as old as ten). But that’s about it.

Tasting Notes:

The whiskey opens with a note of wintry plum pudding next to oatmeal cookie, a hint of worn leather, and dried mint leaves. The palate luxuriates in vanilla-laced pancakes dripping with real maple syrup, a touch of orange zest, and a little more of that leather next to a mild spicy tobacco leaf. That tobacco leaf attaches to a woodiness that’s almost wet like cordwood as the vanilla smoothes out the finish and leaves you with a smooth menthol tobacco vibe.

Bottom Line:

This is another big step up again. There’s some serious depth at play for a bottle that’s less than $30 (generally). This feels like something that deserves the “Willett” moniker, in that it is imparting a serious flavor profile with real accessibility. That’s especially true if you’re looking for a new, inexpensive cocktail base.

6. Willett Pot Still Reserve

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $54

The Whiskey:

This is another of Willet’s small-batch bourbons, though this is part of their named line. That means its flavor profile is more nuanced and leans towards the bigger Willett bottles that come next in the line.

Tasting Notes:

This bursts with citrus on the nose with a rush of lemon oils tied to a vanilla cake that gives off a shortbread vibe with toasted sugars, plenty of butter, and spicy wood. The palate layers in worn leather and more distinct winter spices (nutmeg, clove, allspice, cinnamon) that lead towards whispers of dried florals, black pepper, and vanilla-laced toffee pudding. The finish doesn’t overstay its welcome but leaves you with more of that sweet and butter toffee and a dry apple tobacco note.

Bottom Line:

This is where we really start to get into the “good” stuff when it comes to Willett. This is a very drinkable bourbon. Did I knock it down in the rankings because of its dumb obtuse bottle that’s a pain in the ass to pour from? You can decide that for yourself.

5. Pure Kentucky XO

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This is yet another of Willett’s “small batch” bourbons. This, however, is a 12-year-old (!) bourbon that’s barely proofed down, making it one of Kentucky’s best-kept secrets.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with rich and buttery toffee syrup drizzled over a vanilla sponge cake with hints of smoky cherrywood, dry potpourri, and menthol tobacco. The palate leans into the toffee and cherrywood and layers in notes of wintry spices, green peppercorns, nougat, and old library leather. That toffee and cherry sweeten the mid-palate as the peppery spice, old leather, and cherry tobacco merge on the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty damn good stuff. You likely won’t see it outside of Kentucky though. If you do, grab one and give it a shot as an on the rocks sipper or cocktail base.

4. Rowan’s Creek

ABV: 50.05%

Average Price: $44

The Whiskey:

This whiskey used to be a 12-year small batch offering named after the creek that runs through the distillery. It’s still named after the creek, but the 12-year age statement is gone. The whiskey is cut down to a very specific 100.1 proof with that Kentucky limestone water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with notes of salted caramel, woody cherry tobacco, a touch of leather, and vanilla wafers countered by savory herbs (think rosemary and maybe sage) next to light but fresh roses. The taste goes hard with the cherry tobacco to the point that it’s nearly sticky on the palate as the roses dry out and the vanilla and caramel almost feel dried out and attached to a dry cedar bark. A hint of winter spice comes in late as the finish leans back into the dry roses and singed cherry tobacco leaves.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty damn easy drinking with some real depth, which makes it a great bargain at this price point. Given how parallel a lot of the notes are between this and the Pure Kentucky bottle above, it’s safe to say that there’s still a fair amount of that 12-year-old juice at play.

3. Noah’s Mill

ABV: 57.15%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This is the bigger and bolder sibling of Rowan’s Creek bourbon. It’s the same juice that’s not proofed down as much.

Tasting Notes:

Maple syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried cherries and a hint of rose water next to old leather books and holiday spices. The taste holds onto those notes while adding in a stewed plum depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils. The vanilla and sweet oak kick in late with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip fades towards lush cherry tobacco, soft leather, and winter spice matrix tied to prunes and dates.

Bottom Line:

While Rowan’s Creek is truly a good sipping/mixing bourbon. This is just straight-up better — by a lot. It’s deeper yet more engaging. It’s a great sipper on the rocks or neat. Plus, it makes one hell of a Manhattan.

2. Willett Family Estate Bourbon

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $90 (Varies)

The Whiskey:

This is probably the most recognizable bottle from Willett. That’s because these are the labels for their Private Barrel Selection program. That means distributors, restaurants, bars, and liquor stores order these by the barrel/release — meaning you have to look at the label to know what you’re getting when it comes to age, ABV, barrel, etc.

That also means that there are a lot of different versions of this bottle out there.

Tasting Notes:

Based on a six-year-old bourbon release, expect very distinct notes of orange oils, sweet cedar planks, sticky cherry tobacco, light suede, and maybe some apricot pits. The palate will follow a lot of those notes while layering in Willett floral notes, some light nuttiness, a hint of dark chocolate, and maybe some savory herbs like sage. The finish will crescendo with cherry tobacco layering over dark chocolate bitterness with a nutty edge, more of those rosy florals, and a touch of orange-infused vanilla cake.

Bottom Line:

This is the one bourbon on the list that’s worth hunting down. These tend to be well-hewn while being a little bit different and, well, cool each time you find a different one.

Start off by pouring this one as a taster and really dig in with drops of water or a rock. From there, try a few different cocktail applications, or just enjoy it as a sipper. Either way, you’ll be in a good place.

1. Willett Family Estate 4-Year Rye

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This fleeting whiskey from Willett is a fascinating rye. The whiskey is a blend of Willet’s high rye with their low rye mash. That juice is then aged for four years before blending and bottling at cask strength, which is pretty low, all things considered.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a rush of florals from a cherry orchard that leads towards salted caramel danish with a hint of dry oak, soft cinnamon, and floral honey on the nose. The palate luxuriates in stewed and syrupy cherry with plenty of holiday spice and vanilla cream. That cherry spice leads the mid-palate towards a finish full of cherry tobacco, anise, singed vanilla husks, more caramel, and a final hint of Tellicherry black peppercorns all stuffed into an old cedar box.

Bottom Line:

This is just phenomenal for a four-year-old whiskey, rye or not. This punches so high above both its age and price point that it’s almost a magic trick. When you find a bottle, take your time and let it bloom in the glass with a little water as you drink it. Then make the best Manhattan or Sazerac on earth with it.

This latest episode of Euphoria ended on a cliffhanger. Rue, Jules, and Elliot’s love triangle has become more intimate, but their bond is put at risk thanks to a discovery that’s made by one of the characters. Meanwhile, Nate and Cassie’s affair reaches toxic levels as a result of the latter’s decision to spend more time with his ex-girlfriend, Maddy. Then there’s Cal, who goes on quite the bender, which comes to a dramatic end, all while Kat reaches a conclusion in her relationship with Ethan.

All of these events are soundtracked by great music selections that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E4?

The big stand-out songs on this week’s episode are Towns Van Zandt’s “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” and Sinead O’Conner’s “Drink Before The War.” The former was used in the opening scene as Rue describes her love for her girlfriend Jules. The latter was used during Cal and Cassie’s most vulnerable moments as they dance at a bar as well as Maddy’s birthday party.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes:
Baby Keem — “Trademark USA”
Montell Jordan — “This Is How We Do It”
Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes — “Don’t Cha”
Faith Evans — “Love Like This”
James Blake — “Pick Me Up”
Jonathan Richman — “I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar”
INXS — “Devil Inside,” “Need You Tonight,” and “New Sensation”
Mahalia Jackson — “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”
Red 7 — “Heartbeat”
Ericdoa — “Sad4whatt”
Pavel Sporcl and Petr Jirkovsky — “24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1: No. 14 in E-Flat Major”
Can — “Vitamin C”
Daryl Hall & John Oates — “Method Of Modern Love”
Artery Eruption — “Swarmed By Mosquitos Place Larvae Into Your Cranium”
Skatt Bros — “Life At The Outpost”
Spandau Ballet — “True”
Mindfulness Healing BGM Project — “Gemini & Detox”

The Super Bowl LVI matchup is officially set, as the Rams will play the Cincinnati Bengals in their own stadium in Los Angeles thanks to a fourth quarter comeback from 10 down to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

The Niners fell behind early, but took a 10-7 lead into halftime thanks to the heroics of Deebo Samuel and the generosity of the Rams offense, which dropped a pair of potential touchdowns to keep San Francisco close.

For much of the game, Jimmy Garoppolo was excellent for the Niners, as he took them to a 17-7 lead, but as the game got into the fourth quarter, some of the same problems that have plagued Garoppolo and the San Francisco offense started to emerge. However, one of the biggest missed opportunities of the game came on the defensive end, where the Niners have made their money all postseason, when Jaquiski Tartt had a chance to pick off a horrid throw from Matthew Stafford and, somehow, put it on the turf.

That allowed the Rams second life on the drive, with Stafford finding Odell Beckham Jr. twice to move the ball across midfield and set up the game-tying field goal. After a dreadful three-and-out from the Niners in which they lost seven yards and Jimmy G threw what should’ve been a pick-six that was dropped by Jalen Ramsey, L.A. marched down the field again for a go-ahead field goal with just under two minutes to play.

On their final drive of the game, the Rams defensive line finally started to apply some much needed pressure and, fittingly, it was Aaron Donald who made the play of the game, putting Garoppolo under duress which led to the terrible decision to try and flip the ball to his back, which naturally floated over his head and into the waiting arms of a Rams defender to end the game.

It is a somewhat fitting way for Jimmy G’s run through this playoffs to end, as he has lived on the knife’s edge all postseason, and unfortunately for the Niners one of his near-interceptions finally got hauled in by the opposing team. L.A. will head to the Super Bowl to face the Bengals in a fascinating matchup between teams with very little Super Bowl experience.

The Utah Jazz have been as consistent a regular season performer as there has been the last few years in the NBA, with a roster that has mostly been the same since Donovan Mitchell was drafted and they added Mike Conley via trade.

They have been remarkably consistent thanks to that continuity, and while they haven’t enjoyed the playoff success they’ve hoped to, they continue to position themselves near the top of the West each year. This season has been more difficult due to various key absences, most notably Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell each currently out with a calf injury and a concussion, respectively, and their injury situation got much worse on Sunday in Minnesota.

Joe Ingles collapsed to the court in the first half on a drive to the basket, as his left knee buckled as he planted to go up.

Ingles would be helped off the floor and was ruled out for the remainder of the game and there is obviously a considerable amount of concern for the veteran wing. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports an MRI is scheduled for Monday in Utah, but the fear is that Ingles has suffered a significant injury.

The Jazz were already rumored to be considering some moves ahead of the trade deadline, and an extended absence from Ingles could apply even more pressure on the front office to try and bring in someone who could provide some needed wing help. As for Ingles, it’s a brutal blow for the 34-year-old Australian, and hopefully he’ll be able to make a full and speedy recovery.

It’s Sunday, which means there’s a brand new episode of Euphoria. Earlier this month, the show returned for its second season, bringing back characters played by Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney, Dominic Fike, and more. As expected, episode four of the new season brought plenty of big moments. One was the opening scene with Rue and Jules, in which, in a moment of intimacy that ends awkwardly, Rue explains just how much she loves Jules, all while the two recreate famous paintings, photos, and movie scenes.

What Were The References In The Opening Scene Of The New Euphoria (S2E4)?

These were the references that appeared in the opening scene: Sandro Botticelli’s 1480s painting The Birth of Venus, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1981 Rolling Stone cover, Frida Kahlo’s 1943 painting Self Portrait As A Tehuana, the 1990 film Ghost, the 1997 film Titanic film, the 1937 film Snow White, and the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain film. Each scene saw Rue and Jules appear as a character or figure from the respective movie, painting, or photo.

This opening scene came to an awkward end with Rue faking an orgasm. Rue explains that she had to do this because she “took so many narcos that I literally can’t feel a f*cking thing.”

Midway through the second quarter it looked like the Kansas City Chiefs were going to roll to their third straight Super Bowl appearance, as they jumped on the Bengals to the tune of a 21-3 lead, as Cincinnati’s offense couldn’t find any rhythm and the defense was unable to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.

However, a screen pass to Samaje Perine went for a 41-yard touchdown to get the Bengals on the board late in the first half, and for the first time all game they had some life. The Chiefs marched down to inside the five yard line, but failed to get any points after Mahomes threw behind the line of scrimmage to Tyreek Hill with no timeouts and five seconds left, and Hill was tackled short of the goal line.

That sequence marked the beginning of a major turning of the tide in Kansas City, as the Bengals defense locked down on the Chiefs, who had fewer than 40 yards in the third quarter (and most importantly, 0 points), forcing a crucial turnover down eight to give the offense the ball in the red zone.

On the other side, Joe Burrow started to get loose both throwing the ball and running it, as the Bengals clawed their way back to tie the game on a back shoulder fade to Ja’Marr Chase.

From there, the two teams traded punts (and a Burrow interception), and after a field goal put Cincinnati up three, Mahomes had that look in his eye like he was going to rip the Bengals hearts out late. He drove the Chiefs down inside the 10 with 90 seconds to play and the Bengals burning timeouts to desperately try to salvage something, when suddenly Mahomes became the quarterback to start playing like the one without big game experience.

After taking a sack on second down, Mahomes spun round and round on third down, fumbling the ball and nearly costing the Chiefs a chance at overtime.

Harrison Butker picked him up by drilling the 44-yard kick to force OT, and once again Kansas City won the coin toss, sparking another round of overtime discourse online. However, Mahomes’ poor decision making that had been present all second half continued in overtime, this time to disastrous results. After throwing a near pick-six on second down on a slant that Eli Apple dropped, Mahomes threw a jump ball to Tyreek Hill on third down that got tipped into the hands of Vonn Bell to set Cincinnati up near midfield, needing just a field goal to win.

Burrow and the Bengals marched into the red zone, setting up Evan McPherson for his 11th field goal of these playoffs, as he remained perfect to send Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.

It was an incredibly gutsy performance by the Bengals, who looked out-matched early on but made some great adjustments on both sides of the ball to start getting things going on offense and take away the Chiefs big play threats on defense. They also managed to seemingly rattle Mahomes, who looked dreadful in some key moments, and for as great as he was in the first half, owns a significant portion of blame for the way things ended on Sunday evening.

Last week Iann Dior released a new album, On To Better Things, which follows up his massive 2020. Dior and 24kGoldn broke out in a huge way during the first year of the pandemic when their bratty hit “Mood” went all the way to No. 1 and stayed there for weeks, spawning a remix with Justin Bieber and J Balvin, and even landing Dior a guest spot on a remixed version of UK indie rockers Glass Animals own sleeper hit, “Heat Waves.”

But before all the buzz around “Mood,” Dior released his debut Industry Plant, back in 2019, and a couple EPs before sharing On To Better Things, a full-length album that officially follows up his debut. But over the course of his last few releases, Dior has been leaning way more into the pop-punk side of things (and recent trend) with several collaborations with Travis Barker, Machine Gun Kelly, or both. Dior even appeared on a song off MGK’s pivotal jump to pop-punk, Tickets To My Downfall.

So it’s not that surprising that there’s a song on Ian’s latest album that features both Barker and Machine Gun Kelly, but what is surprising is another credited artist on the track: Dan Wilson of the band Semisonic. You see this track, “Thought It Was,” which is the third single from the album, released just a few days before the full-length dropped, interpolates Semisonic’s cult-y 1998 hit “Closing Time” in the melody, an easter egg within the song that plenty of fans will notice upon close listen.

A couple listeners did notice and comment last week when the song first dropped:

And one of the song’s other co-writers, Kyle Reynolds, also weighed in to let listeners know they were hearing it right!

Given how many people love the original, could this be Ian’s next shot at a No. 1 single? Well, it’s only been a week, but who knows, ’90s nostalgia has been at an all time high lately, so there’s always a chance this one will take off like “Mood” did. Hopefully, TikTok will do its thing and give us a mashup of Dior’s new song and the ’90s classic. Check the new song out above, and for good measure, check out the original below.

On Sunday, during the AFC Championship Game, the first trailer for the upcoming Halo TV series was finally unveiled to the world. This is a moment that honestly feels like a decade in the making. Ever since the rumored Halo movie, people have been waiting to see John-117, better known as Master Chief, in a live action performance. It’s finally happening and it will release to the world on Paramount+ in March.

Once the initial shock of finally seeing a live action Master Chief wears off, we can see some of the themes that the TV series is going to explore through the trailer. Obviously, the invasion of the Covenant and Master Chief standing against them is going to play a big part, but the trailer shows us that it’s going to explore some of the themes that the Halo games touched on, but never got an opportunity to go too deep into.

Some of the teases that look more interesting include how the spartans feel about being turned into weapons, the lack of trust some of their superiors have for these spartans, and what personality they’re going to give Master Chief. In the games, he was always best known as the guy who stays silent and mainly delivers one liners. We never got the opportunity to see how Master Chief felt about most situations until 343 Industries got ahold of the series and tried to explore him more. Even then, Master Chief’s feelings on being a spartan and the war against the Covenant have never been fully explored. This TV series is a great opportunity to do that.

We have no idea how the show is going to pan out, but as a long time fan of Halo, it’s just exciting to finally see this happening.

The AFC Championship is always one of CBS’ biggest events of the year (arguably the biggest in non-Super Bowl years for the network, like this one), and with just one game on the network, they pull out all the stops for it.

That means a big-time promo (this year featuring Tom Cruise) and sending the studio show crew to the stadium for pre-game and halftime shows on the field. One of the reasons NFL broadcasts don’t do remote shows often is they are big business and operating away from the studio brings a lot of variables into play that can wreck things, which CBS learned the hard way at Arrowhead when their halftime show got steamrolled by a Walker Hayes concert happening at midfield. The Chiefs wheeled a bunch of speakers out on the field so the crowd could hear it, rather than just blasting it over the PA system, and one of those sets of speakers was directly behind the CBS set.

The result was an abject disaster as the crew tried to break down the game while music blared behind them.

Being that it was a halftime concert, it was not simply something the CBS crew could wait out, and it was hilarious to watch as they tried to press on as the Applebee’s song blared through speakers behind them and wrecked the sound.

NFL fans had a field day with CBS’ misfortune, and honestly it might’ve been the most talked about halftime show of the season for any network, so in the long run this may have paid off, even if it was incredibly frustrating for Boomer Esiason and the fellas.

Over the last week, Spotify has gone from a streamer that pays artists a pittance to pariahs. For months, Joe Rogan, host of the most popular podcast in existence, has been spreading COVID misinformation, even bragging about taking medication also used to de-worm horses. Scientists have been calling Spotify out for platforming dangerous nonsense. But things went next level thanks to Neil Young, who became the first major musician to demand his work be removed from their coffers over Rogan’s reckless comments. Joni Mitchell followed suit. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have a Spotify contract, released a stern statement “expressing concerns.”

Now Spotify is doing…well, something. As caught by The Daily Beast, Daniel Ek, the service’s CEO and co-founder, released a lengthy statement swearing they were taking some steps to combat the misinformation from which they profit. While admitting that “there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,” Ek said they don’t want to “take on the position of being content censor.”

But they are doing three things. One is making their “Platform Rules,” which they’ve long given to those they work with, public. Another is reminding “creators” about said rules. And then there’s this: Any podcast episode that discusses COVID — including ones where proudly unvaccinated Joe Rogan is just asking questions about subjects he probably doesn’t understand — will be given a “content advisory,” as well as “easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources.”

Rogan’s name was not mentioned once.

So that should stop the spread of misinformation that’s ensuring a two-year-old public health crisis finally comes to an end. You can read Ek’s entire statement here.

(Via The Daily Beast)