Month: February 2022

Hello, sun seekers! The All-Star break has officially come and gone, and while some find that as a relief, others, like myself and the true time off connoisseurs out there, find the relief itself (a.k.a. the vacations the break enables) to be the true highlight of this part of the NBA season. To completely revel in this shortest of sabbaticals, this very snappy R and R, I thought it necessary to offer up a mini NBA Summer Vacation Watch in the form of an NBA All-Star Break Vacation Watch.

So, grab a cold bev of choice and some sun tan lotion to put on in solidarity, sit back and dive in – your vitamin D depleted body will thank you.

Jimmy Butler

Though Butler living in Miami may lead some to think he leads a summer vacation lifestyle all year round, well, you’d be a little bit right. But this is also a man who goes for weighted beach runs on vacation and gets 500 (probably) pushups in between strolling the trellised grapes at his favorite Italian vineyard. Anyway, I believe Butler took a vacation during All-Star break because these outfits are even more breezy, the palms look even more exotic, and he shared the kind of quietly reflective “video out of the window of a plane” when it was all over, typical to those coming home from a good vacation. Also, when you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you just get a feeling about these things.

As a digestif, may I humbly present to you Jimmy Butler preparing a s’more in two parts.

Rating: While some might interpret this as “no days off” in the traditional workaholic sense, I’m choosing to look at it as no days off … from vacation.

Pascal Siakam

Siakam is historically excellent at vacations, no matter the brevity of the window. He’s also excellent at accompanying outfits, typically matching sets. There is about a two month window in Toronto where it’s possible to get fits like this off, so his dedication to beachwear means he picked these up fresh in anticipation of vacation, which is something we can all relate to.

Rating: All-Star snub? How about holding a starfish on an ATV on a beach instead?

Klay Thompson

Forever the man of mystery when it comes to where he’s chilling, Thompson did some training, some golf cart driving, and some diving, and knowing him it was probably all in the same day. I’d like to note to any skeptics who are like, “Does golfing really count as a vacation?” It does when you’re doing it barefoot!

Rating: May we all strive to chill as hard and in as many ways as he.

Jayson Tatum

Tatum, Deuce, and the family got away for a quick break where the focal point was this infinity pool. Namely, the suggestion of sitting for long stretches in the infinity pool in this chair, snorkeling around in it like lil Deuce, and taking long, uninterrupted moments to stare at it.

Rating: Or perhaps, as the name of the pool suggests, stare beyond it.

LeBron James

Always a decadent vacation-taker, whether bringing personal inflatables or all of his friends along, James kept it pretty low-key this week. He celebrated national margarita day beside an outdoor fire pit by an ocean — assuming Pacific and farther south than L.A. — and seemed to stay there enjoying the view until dusk, when he shared a pano that revealed Draymond Green was one of his guests.

Rating: Do I wish this was James singing alone at a beach bar in Mexico? Yes. But sometimes you have to take the vacations that are given.

Kyle Kuzma

Nice of Kuzma’s longtime partner, Winnie Harlow, to offer him some of her expertise when it comes to being in front of the camera for a living. Not too sure where the pair went but I am sure I’ll be thinking about that sea hammock (???) for the rest of my days.

Rating: Like, you just lie there and the ocean gently tickles your body? You’re on it but in it?

Serge Ibaka

Frankly, with another season of his show, “How Hungry Are You?,” launching and being signed to the Bucks, I was worried Ibaka wouldn’t have a chance to get away in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it All-Star break but, serves me right for ever doubting a professional. Ibaka brought either his own massage table or a very 007 looking suitcase, plus a pair of very short and tight trunks, to a tropical location and enjoyed the hell out of it for a couple days. The man has had a conflicting relationship with the sea, so I’m also happy to see him facing those fears.

Rating: Imagine the ocean is Robin Lopez, Serge!

Rudy Gobert

Well if there was ever a man you expected to see standing ominously atop a vacation villa in fluorescent green trunks and potentially a generation 2 iPod, it’s Rudy Gobert. Gobert also treated us to an art film, entitled “Fire in slow motion.” and set to the Gladiator theme.

Rating: Though some in the comments are clamoring for Gobert to “please get off the top of a building and under a basket,” think about how great the gift of that specific sequence of words is, a gift granted by this vacation.

Jordan Clarkson

It was Jordan Clarkson time … to chill on the back of a boat, wear a crocheted top to a romantic dinner, and watch the Kanye West documentary on a beach with a candy buffet.

Rating: Truth is we’ve yet to find a timezone where it isn’t Jordan Clarkson time.

Myles Turner

Turner went full-on Sedona retiree getting into mysticism for his mini-break and you know what? It’s great. All your chakras should be open to matching shorts and breezy shirt sets like this one.

Rating: You know there were probably one or two crystals involved.

JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee took his family to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to jump in some cenotes and chill very deeply — including on what looks like the largest hammock known to mankind.

Rating: Move over, Machu Picchu, because this giant hammock is the foremost man made wonder of this world now.

Norman Powell

Mr. Understand The Grind understood it was a good week to put his foot up, and thank goodness, because it’s broken. Powell had a whirlwind trade deadline so frankly wherever he ended up taking himself and his boot is entirely his business.

Rating: But I hope he got home and had to pour some leftover sand out of it.

Lonnie Walker

Lonnie Walker went to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and identified very deeply with this rodeo clown.

Rating: I think it’s fair to say, “Same.”

Tyler Herro

Herro got out on the water and in case you were wondering, YES, he did pack a bucket hat.

Rating: He wants to make sure you see it.

Paul Millsap

While I don’t think Paul Millsap got over to Italy for his break, I do thank the proud Italian owners of this well-worn flag and boat who took him for what looked like a wonderful afternoon.

Rating: Trying to think if there’s anything better than Paul Millsap smiling and coming up empty.

Udonis Haslem

The hardest working man in the NBA took a well-earned vacation!

Rating: I’m not kidding!

D’Angelo Russell

It was D’Angelo Russell’s birthday this past week and he was whisked away by his friends and loved ones to more sun soaked parts than Minneapolis, Minnesota. Russell — and by extension us — learned a lot about himself on this trip.

One, that he has a beautiful singing voice.

Two, that he is deeply respectful (we won’t say afraid) of the noble giant sea turtle.

And three, that he loves to dance to steel drums.

Rating: To the point where, in a video after the last video, Russell danced his way down to the beach and the ocean, sort of just gently swaying in the sunset by himself, maybe for hours.

Spencer Dinwiddie

What I know is that Mark Cuban would kill to endorse this beverage on Shark Tank.

Rating: Who said you can’t drink out of fruits and vegetables in the comfort of your own home? No one, so grab that pineapple or acorn squash or whatever you’ve got and have yourself a weekend.

Justin Holiday

It’s very nice when guys forfeit their brief, mid-season vacations for their families. In this case, Justin Holiday took his kids to Disney World, where they had the time of their lives tearing it up under fireworks.

Rating: Honestly extra kudos to Holiday for going back to Disney after the Bubble!

Lou Williams

On the same family vacation theme, Lou Williams spent a lot of his week off trolling his kids and having more fun watching them have fun than if he was on an exotic yacht solo (no offense to exotic yacht solos).

Rating: Sweet Lou, indeed.

Jae Crowder

Yes, Jae Crowder, love is love, or in this case, love is you getting a deep tissue massage in an open-air gazebo adjacent to the beach.

Rating: It takes all kinds.

Nassir Little

I’m of the personal opinion that doing initials on the beach is a lost mode of expression, and I thank Nassir Little for doing his part that this form of communication does not go the way of hieroglyphics.

Rating: What’s nice is if you dig out a wonky looking heart with your toe the ocean will be there to wipe the beach clean so you can try again. The eternal canvas.

Rui Hachimura

Haters will say why does Rui Hachimura need a vacation and real ones will know haters have probably not read this far, also that everybody deserves a vacation.

Rating: Haters especially need a vacation.

Steven Spielberg had a rare flop with his recent take on West Side Story, though it wasn’t a complete failure: Not only was it critically acclaimed but it was also nominated for seven Oscars. Indeed, he’s already got his next projects lined up. There’s the semi-autobiographical movie he’s making with Seth Rogen and David Lynch. Now he’s working on a movie about the hero of one of the most exciting blockbusters of the 1960s.

That movie is Bullitt, the 1968 thriller starring Steve McQueen in one of his signature roles, playing a turtleneck-loving San Francisco detective who gets into what many consider cinema history’s finest car chase. As per Deadline, Spielberg has no interest in remaking it. What he does want to do is make a movie about McQueen’s Frank Bullitt, with a completely different storyline.

Of course, who could fill McQueen’s shoes? Spielberg could always tap Damien Lewis, who played McQueen himself in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And despite following Frank Bullitt on a different case, surely one of the most kinetic filmmakers in history will feel compelled to grace us with another top shelf car chase. After all, Spielberg’s first movie (albeit made for TV) was Duel, a feature length ode to automotive mayhem. In the meantime, enjoy that classic car chase, which will be hard to beat, even for Spielberg.

(Via Deadline)

If you ask your local craft beer head for her go-to pint of choice, chances are she’s not going to name a mass-market Japanese import. Yet if you’re looking for a cold brew to go with sushi or teppanyaki, is there really any other way to go? Would you drop a shot of sake into a Sam Adams? Only a philistine etc. etc. Few would argue that rice-based Japanese lagers don’t deserve their place in the beer solar system, and frankly, they’re pretty good in their own right — light, crispy, and refreshing.

Just as with Coors, Bud, and Miller, the Japanese import market has its own big three — Sapporo, Asahi, and Kirin. And as with their American counterparts (which are also somewhat similar in taste, Bud even uses rice) chances are you have a favorite. But is that choice actually based on taste or something else? Like maybe you just like the pretty picture on the bottle, ever thought of that, dumbass? I kid, I kid.

This is one of those kind-of-dumb, kind-of-relevant questions I find myself asking every time I eat sushi and finally I figured the only way to settle it was with a blind taste test. So I went down to my local Total Wine & Liquor, which tends to have a pretty good selection of imports, and bought every Japanese or rice-based brew I could find. Then, with a group of about 10 adults, we tasted each, collecting our notes and naming our favorites. For the group ranking, I simply added up everyone’s ranking of each beer and then tabulated it like golf: lowest score wins.

The lineup:

• Sapporo Premium Beer, 4.9% ABV from Japan
• Sapporo Pure, 4% ABV from Japan
• Kirin Ichiban, 5.0% ABV from Japan
• Asahi Super Dry, 5.2% ABV from Japan
• Yoho Brewing Suiyoubi No Neko Belgian Style White Ale, 4.5% ABV from Japan
• Master Gao Puffed Rice Chinese Pale Ale, 7.6% ABV from China
• Kigen Kawaba Pearl Pilsner, 5.2% ABV from Japan
• Kigen Kawaba Snow Weizen, 5% ABV from Japan
• Kigen Kawaba Sunrise Ale, 5% ABV from Japan
• Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale, 7% ABV from Japan

Part One: My Notes & Rankings

10. Kigen Kawaba Snow Weizen — $5.99 a bottle.

Original Notes (tasted sixth):

Look: Pale yellow with lacy head.

Smell: Not getting much from this one.

Taste:

Doesn’t taste like much either. Feels like a low cal or an NA, almost a hard seltzer. Not offering much other than light sweetness. 5/10

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

I guess I was way off thinking this one was an NA or a low-cal option, though in my experience, most weizenbocks are darker and with higher alcohol content. This “snow” weizen just didn’t seem to offer much flavor, to me. That said, it wasn’t bad. It was easy enough to drink, just not very interesting. It was light enough, but it lacked the bigger bubbles and hop bite of the more standard rice pilsners.

9. Master Gao Puffed Rice Chinese Ale — $19.99 for four cans.

Original Notes (tasted second):

Look: Pale yellow and cloudy.

Smell: Oranges on the nose.

Taste: Orange and hoppy, with another flavor I don’t recognize. Maybe an herb or something? This one is fine. Not in love, just maybe a little too complex for me and it kind of dries my mouth out. 5/10

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Master Gao’s is a 7.6% ABV brew that’s “unfiltered and unpasteurized,” and meant to taste something like a brut IPA. I pretty much never order IPAs (I tend to prefer more color and fewer hops), so perhaps not surprisingly, it wasn’t my favorite. Maybe it was a little funky. I actually thought I was tasting some kind of orange hibiscus Belgian wit.

That being said, I never would’ve guessed it was the booziest of the bunch, so… if you’re looking for something like that, it’s not a bad choice.

8. Kirin Ichiban — $12.99 for a 12 pack.

Original Notes (tasted fifth):

Look: Golden and foamy.
Smell: Smells like another rice lager, this one with a little more of that uriney pils smell.
Taste: Decent rice lager, but not as good as the last version of this [which was sample 3, the Kawaba Pils]. This tastes more like a cheap American lager, like a PBR or Hamm’s. 6/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

To partly answer my question in the introduction, it turned out Kirin Ichiban was my least favorite of the big three Japanese brews. I guess for me that would make it the Coors Light of Japan (Coors Original still rules). I don’t know how to describe the malt component of a pils, the part that’s not the crisp effervescence, other than uriney, and this one was definitely leaning toward the uriney end of the spectrum.

That being said, I thought it reminded me of a PBR, and I’ve happily drunk a good many PBRs in my life.

7. Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale — $4.49 a bottle.

Original Notes (tasted fourth):

Look: A nice caramel amber color, clear.

Smell: Sort of a raisin-y bran smell. Like raisin bread.

Taste: I love the caramel malt of this, but the raisin/prune flavor isn’t my favorite. Tastes boozier than the others. Seems like it’d be good in smaller doses. 6/10

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Hitachino Nest has a ton of different varieties, but for whatever reason this one was the only variety I found on this particular day. The “Japanese Classic Ale,” “a recreation of the first Japanese beer made in the Edo period,” describes itself as like an English IPA. But the “P” in IPA stands for pale, and this one was clearly not P. So, it feels more like an amber ale. I generally like amber ales, and this one was okay, but it was strong on that raisiny prune kind of flavor you tend to get in Scotch ales, dark Belgians, and some ambers. This one was made with British hops, so the Scotch ale similarity would seem to check out. The high alcohol content was also evident in the taste, which was almost like a barleywine.

Again, this feels like more of a slow sipper suited for smaller glasses, so tasting it alongside crispy happy hour chuggers (something something your mom) probably wasn’t its ideal habitat.

6. Sapporo Pure – $8.49 for six cans.

Original Notes (tasted eighth):

Look: Orange amber gold with foamy head.

Smell: Has that skunky-ish pils smell.

Taste: A fine watery lager. Very clean and not bitter, but kind of boring. A replacement-level lager. 6/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Sapporo Pure has fewer calories (90) than Sapporo Premium Lite (110), and slightly higher alcohol content (4.0% vs 3.9% for Sapporo Premium Lite, which the store didn’t have anyway), so it seems to be going for that Michelob Ultra market. Which I admit I don’t entirely understand. Is that the beer you drink when you’re training for a marathon, or pop open on the way to a rock climb? Either chill out and have a real beer or put some vodka in a water bottle and become a full-blown alcoholic.

I digress, but this one was perfectly average.

5. Sapporo Premium – $7.99 for six bottles.

Original Notes (tasted ninth):

Look: Pale yellow lager

Smell: Clean rice lager smell, less of the urine-y malt, but still crisp.

Taste: Not bad, not bad at all. Though it does have a slight… green fruit flavor? I can’t quite place it, but it reminds me of slightly undercooked grain. Another replacement-level lager. 7/10.

Bottom Line: Sapporo placed number two of the big three. Obviously, they’re all pretty similar, and all very drinkable. I found it to be crisper and a little less malt-uriney than the Kirin, though with a slightly undercooked grain flavor. A fairly solid crispy boy in any case.

4. Suiyoubi No Neko Belgian Style White Ale from Yoho Brewing – $30.54 for six.

Original Notes:

Look: Pale yellow and clear.

Smell: Very wheaty-yeasty smell. Is that a hef? A Belgian wit? Is that coriander in there?

Taste: Tastes like Franziskaner, or a clean saison. Crisp and refreshing with some wheat. I like it. 8/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

“Wednesday Cat,” as “suiyoubi no neko” apparently means in English, is indeed a Belgian wit (see also Blue Moon), and a pretty good one at that (with notes of orange and coriander). Your mileage may vary, as with all of these, but as a fan of Franziskaner and wheat beers generally, I thought this one was great (hey, craft guys, make more wheat beers, and you don’t always have to put a bunch of random stuff in them, wheat is pretty good on its own).

Worth the 30 bucks for a six pack? Maybe not, but hey, it’s your money. “Wednesday Cat” is also a really good name.

3. Asahi Super Dry – $7.99 for six.

Original Notes (tasted 10th):

Look: Light amber, foamy.

Smell: Sort of a Miller-y, with a bread-heavy nose.

Tastes: Light, crisp, refreshing. One of the better versions of these. This one more “cooked” than the last one [sample 9, the Sapporo]. A basic lager, but a higher-end one. 8/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Asahi was, definitively, my favorite of the big three Japanese imports. There are a million beers sort of like this, that you can find in virtually any country, and it’s probably the most common beer style worldwide. So they’re not exactly reinventing the wheel here. But it is a very solid version of it. Truly, not much to complain about here. It’s crisp and refreshing and tastes a little more cooked than the Sapporo, a perfect complement to any fish or rice dish.

2. Kigen Kawaba Pearl Pilsner — $3.99 per bottle.

Original Notes (tasted third):

Look: Golden and foamy.

Smell: This smells like your classic rice lager. I feel like I can even smell the roasted rice on it, like genmaicha tea. Mostly clean and crisp with just a hint of that uriney pils.

Taste: This tastes like your classic Japanese rice lager. It’s very thirst-quenching, crisp, and light, and not really bitter at all. A top-end rice lager? 8/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Basically, the same Czech pilsner brewed with rice style as the mega breweries, but from a smaller brewer. In theory, I suppose you would expect a beer that costs almost 25 bucks for a six-pack to be a step up from the eight-dollar versions of it, but with imports, you never really know where the money is going. Surprisingly, this one did taste exactly like a more expensive version of your basic Japanese rice lager. A sort of boutique pils, if you will. It’s probably not going to be available at your local sushi joint, but I’d be buying it if it was (assuming it wasn’t like 18 bucks a pop, which based on the bottle price could very well be the case).

1. Kigen Kawaba Sunrise Ale — $3.99 per bottle.

Original Notes (tasted seventh):

Look: Sort of orange-brown with nicely foamy head.

Smell: Has that vague rum raisin kind of smell like [Hitachino Nest]. Very boozy.

Taste: Tastes better than it smells, the crispness balances that rum-raisiny malt very nicely. I actually like this a lot. 9/10.

Reaction Upon Seeing The Label:

Not surprisingly, given my beer tastes, I chose the amber ale. This one had some of the same rummy, raisin bread notes as the Hitachino Nest, but, maybe thanks to the lower ABV and the crispness and carbonation, I liked this one a lot more. It offered that same caramel-toffee malt flavor that I love so much but the old pruney flavor that I don’t love was much more balanced in this, existing more on the nose than on that palate. Obviously, this one doesn’t really fit the rice lager profile so it’s a bit of an outlier, and not everyone enjoys medium-hopped reds and ambers as much as I do, but it’s a great beer.

And if I may say, Kawaba’s labels are very fantastic.

Part 2: Group Ranking Results

10. Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale, 7% ABV from Japan

This dark, high ABV, sorta prune-y tasting IPA got the most votes for last place, as well as the highest cumulative score, which is again probably not surprising considering it’s almost a barley wine and we were tasting it against light lagers. It’d probably be a fairer test if we tasted it alongside ambers or IPAs because it’s really not a bad beer.

9. Master Gao Puffed Rice Chinese Pale Ale, 7.6% ABV from China

My panel thought this one was fruity, acidic, interesting, lemon, stinky, and bitter, among other things. Again, this one should probably have been tasted alongside other IPAs where it would fit better. I will say I didn’t think it tasted that boozy for a 7.6% beer, and no one called it out as such.

8. Kigen Kawaba Snow Weizen, 5% ABV from Japan

This one was polarizing, with more than one vote for the worst (including my own) but also multiple votes for favorite. Just goes to show, one man’s “watery” is another man’s “clean.”

7. Kirin Ichiban, 5.0% ABV from Japan

Another one that ended up being weirdly polarizing, tied for the most number one votes but also ranked near the bottom from other tasters (like myself). Either “the perfect light beer” or “skunky” and “uriney” depending on the taster. The lowest cumulative ranking of the Japan Big Three, but also had the most number one votes, as I said, so go figure.

Mileage may vary.

6. Sapporo Premium Beer, 4.9% ABV from Japan

The number two ranked of the Japanese big three, both from me and cumulatively. Tasters called this one “meh,” “fine,” and “crisp,” to go along with my own read that it tasted undercooked somehow. A bit surprising that it tested lower than its lighter cousin.

5. Kigen Kawaba Sunrise Ale, 5% ABV from Japan

Again, not particularly surprising that my personal favorite rated much lower among tasters who don’t like darker toffee-flavored malts.

Whatever, half these idiots were drunk anyway.

4. Sapporo Pure, 4% ABV from Japan

My panel called this one “easy drinking” and “no recollection,” with lots of votes for second favorite.

3. Yoho Brewing Suiyoubi No Neko Belgian Style White Ale, 4.5% ABV from Japan

Most people noted the citrus and wheat notes in this one, and most of the votes had it middle or high middle, a sort of non-polarizing sub-fave.

2. Asahi Super Dry, 5.2% ABV from Japan

My favorite of the big three turned out to be the cumulative best of the big three and even received a number one vote. One taster called it “skunky on the back end,” but most found it “enjoyable,” “refreshing,” and “crisp.”

1. Kigen Kawaba Pearl Pilsner, 5.2% ABV from Japan

Our cumulative favorite turned out to be, perhaps not surprisingly, the slightly more boutique take on the baseline rice-infused Czech pilsner. I had it as my number two, and the majority of the tasters had it in their top three, even the ones who called it “the perfect Mexican beer” and “this is Budweiser.”

Here’s to hoping they start importing more of it.

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Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Joe Budden had some high praise for Cardi B, and she decided to show some love right back. The notoriously critical hip-hop personality, who runs his own show, The Joe Budden Podcast, was discussing her rise to fame and nothing but love for the New York rapper. “Cardi B is a superstar,” he said. “And you can’t argue that she is not.”

Well, as she does with most things — good or bad — Cardi B caught wind of the clip, which had been circulating on Twitter, and decided to respond. Of course, the high praise meant more to her because she has a long history with Budden, who also came up in New York as a rapper.

“I told y’all he always believed in me……that’s why I always got love for him even when he gets me mad …That’s my mean uncle,” she wrote on Twitter, sharing a very old photo of the two together, way back before Cardi is where she is now. Considering how many people try to come after Cardi due to her success, it’s nice to see someone in the game — and a man, no less — give her the credit she’s due. Now, superstar, can we get a new album?

I don’t love fast food tacos. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, so I’ve always been a stone’s throw away from great tacos. Even at home, I was raised on a steady diet of carne asada and ground beef. By comparison, fast food tacos have always tasted like pale imitations of the genuine article to me.

Having said that, I’ve since come to appreciate fast food tacos not for what they purport to be, but for what they actually are — late-night indulgences that hit the spot while you’re under the influence. They’re the sort of cheap food you grab when you need to sober up after hitting the bars or maybe took too many hits during that late-night smoke session.

Most of the fast food tacos I’ve eaten were in an altered state. They were all better for it.

Utility and relative quality aside, when it comes to fast food tacos, we do have options. Having already tested and ranked what’s out there, I wondered if we could get even more granular. We’ve applied the Naked Taste Test to burger patties and chicken fillets, why not taco meat? To that end, today I’m sampling seven fast food beef tacos, from Chipotle, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and Del Taco, in an attempt to see who is doing beef best.

For an extra bit of fun, I tasted the meat from each of these tacos blind, to see if I could identify which meat was from which spot and to shed my biases (which, when it comes to tacos, loom large). It was a good thing we did it that way because some of this “meat” had me convinced my girlfriend was pulling a prank and was actually feeding me wet dog food. I’m still not 100% sure some of these are real.

Sound appetizing? Let’s get to the meat!

7. Jack in the Box — Crispy Taco

Original Notes (tasted second):

I didn’t think it could get worse than the first meat but I’m not sure you can even classify this as food. Is this what rabbits eat? It almost looks like some sort of meat paste. The mouthfeel is just as bad as it looks. The “meat” separates into tiny granules in your mouth that don’t seem to break down easily. It has a flavor that I can only describe as “meat.” Not any specific meat, just meat. Truly awful stuff.

General Thoughts:

I know, I too have fallen in love with the flavors of a Jack in the Box taco in the middle of the night while under the influence. We all have. But Jack in the Box’s Crispy Tacos come in sets of two and cost less than $2. That should tell you everything you need to know about them. In fact, it might not even belong on this list, because Jack in the Box doesn’t explicitly call it a “beef taco,” which is kind of disturbing.

During the blind taste test I guessed that this was Taco Bell. I was wrong, but I’m not entirely convinced this is Jack in the Box either. I’m not even sure it’s food.

The Bottom Line:

Don’t eat these. Even if you’re drunk, reach for an order of curly fries or something. This isn’t fit for human consumption, and they put a slice of American cheese in the taco which should be a f*cking crime.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

6. Taco Bell — Steak Taco

Original Notes (tasted first):

Absolutely disgusting. This meat is incredibly chewy as if it wasn’t trimmed of fat, and yet there is no visible fat on it. It also has this unappetizing ghostly color to it. The mouthfeel is rubbery with a soft spongey chew, it almost tastes steamed. My guess is Del Taco.

General Thoughts:

My hunch told me that Taste 1 was Del Taco’s carne asada, turns out it was Taco Bell’s steak taco. I’d like to formally apologize to Del Taco, which is a chain I actually like. This is only ranked higher than Jack in the Box because I can actually tell that this is meat, and I take some comfort in that. I didn’t like the steamed quality of this meat and if I can go my entire life without ever eating it again, I’ll have lived a good life.

The Bottom Line:

Taco Bell’s worst protein option and I’m saying that despite them having ground beef on the menu.

Find your nearest Taco Bell here.

5. Taco Bell — Ground Beef Taco

Original Notes (tasted fourth):

What is this weird orange congealed film over the meat? Is it grease? Before I even eat this I’m going to guess this is Jack in the Box, because those tacos are always dripping with orange grease. The flavor is as frighteningly bad as it looks. It’s salty and over-spiced, and there’s a lot going on here: onion, some sort of barf-esque white pepper, garlic powder, and a texture that is somehow wet and dry at the same time. Eating this meat is like throwing up in reverse.

General Thoughts:

I’m shocked that meat this foul is technically part of a top five. Taco Bell can point to this and say “Our Ground Beef Tacos Landed In The Top Five Fast Food Tacos At Uproxx!” and make an Instagram post about it, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But this taco might as well be garbage. Seriously, if you’re eating these tacos sober I have to ask why. Is it nostalgia? Are you being held hostage? Did you lose a bet?

I’ll give you this, the salty greasy flavor is addicting, and with a bunch of hot sauce or a Doritos shell, maybe it’s more palatable. On its own it’s inedible. After my forkful of this meat, I instantly burped and had to taste it all over again. Even as I write this, I’m still burping this flavor, and I ate six other tacos. My body does not want whatever this is.

The Bottom Line:

If you’ve ever felt like shit after eating Taco Bell, it was most definitely the taco filling.

Find your nearest Taco Bell here.

4. Del Taco — Steak Taco Al Carbon

Original Notes (tasted third):

Just when I was about to pretend I had food poisoning so I could back out of this experiment, I got to this meat, which was at least edible. It’s overcooked with a really dry chew despite the wet-and-juicy appearance. The overall flavor isn’t bad; it’s a bit sweet and herby, but as carne asada goes this tastes like the sort of meat you pick up on red tag sale from the butcher.

I’m going to guess that this meat belongs to Chipotle because they tend to overcook the meat.

General Thoughts:

I like Del Taco. I think when it comes to Mexican-inspired fast food, they do a pretty good job at most things they make. And they slow cook their beans, which is novel because slow cooking anything seems antithetical to ‘fast’ food. But this blind taste test has revealed to me that I’ve been giving them a pass on their stunningly mediocre carne asada.

As I mentioned in the tasting notes, it doesn’t taste bad, it’s a bit earthy and herbal but it’s overcooked, dry, and chewy. That isn’t a problem with cilantro, onion, and salsa, but Del Taco could have a better taco if they took this protein back to the lab or figured out a more effective way to marinate it to keep it from drying out.

The Bottom Line:

Del Taco’s grilled chicken taco is the move, skip the carne asada.

Find your nearest Del Taco here.

3. Chipotle — Steak (Taste 7)

Original Notes (tasted seventh):

This one was a bit of a surprise. It looks and smells delicious, but it’s incredibly tough. It’s very dry in the mouth and the flavor is sweeter than almost all of the other meat in this test, barbacoa included. But it doesn’t seem like it’s sweet from a marinade, just because of how dry it is. It actually tastes like someone sprinkled sugar over it. Other tasting notes include a bit of cumin and some black pepper. This meat is well seasoned, but the sweet aftertaste masks some of its more interesting flavors.

General Thoughts:

I’m surprised at how sweet and dry this meat was. Chipotle’s steak isn’t the best, it’s mid-tier for sure, but this was the driest steak I’ve ever had from Chipotle. I certainly didn’t think a ground beef taco would rank above actual carne asada, but here we are. Chipotle’s steak is marinated before being cooked, but there is way too much sugar mixed in there and it muddles the flavor.

The Bottom Line:

Chipotle has a better beef option. Order that instead, unless you like dry, overly-sweetened meat.

Find your nearest Chipotle here.

2. Del Taco — Ground Beef Taco (Taste 6)

Original Notes (tasted sixth):

So far the ground beef tacos have been awful, but this is a considerable step up. It’s not weird and wet like that orange congealed monster that was taste #4, and unlike taste #2, I think this can be fairly classified as meat. It tastes like it was made with 90/10 ground beef — dry and crumbly, but not to the point of flavorlessness, and it doesn’t suffer from a sandy texture like overcooked ground beef sometimes can.

General Thoughts:

A ground beef taco ranking in second place in a tasting that included actual whole meats? Yup, Del Taco’s ground beef taco isn’t the highest quality beef you’ll find, but the flavor is decent enough for us to feel comfortable suggesting that you eat it. I think the use of lean beef here works to this taco’s advantage. A fattier cut might have produced more grease and a wet consistency, like Taco Bell’s tacos.

This meat is mostly texture, but in a soft taco with cheese, lettuce, Del Inferno sauce, and a few crinkle-cut fries? Perfection.

The Bottom Line:

This is the only ground beef taco in the fast food landscape that won’t make you sick and is actually worth your money.

Find your nearest Del Taco here.

1. Chipotle — Barbacoa

Original Notes (tasted fifth):

I already know what meat this is just by looking at it, so the very inclusion of this option makes this a completely unfair ranking. But hey it is fast food beef, so we had to include it. This is clearly Chipotle Barbacoa, which I gave the top spot in my ranking of Chipotle proteins. It’s great, the flavor cumin and oregano forward, two seasonings I highly doubt are used at Del Taco, Taco Bell, and Jack in the Box. It has a slightly sweet flavor, and a surprisingly tender texture. I’m by no means a Chipotle fan, but it shocks me just how good this meat is.

General Thoughts:

As I said in the tasting, this protein’s inclusion is almost unfair. Not only is it easily recognizable, but it’s in another class entirely. It’s the only meat in this lineup that can be described as “tender.” And unlike all the others, it’s not so much filler as it is real food that someone put together with the intention of another person eating it and enjoying. That’s a low bar, and yet given the other fast food options out there, it’s still in a class all its own.

A lot of places aren’t putting any effort into their tacos, but Chipotle, I’m surprised to say, is different.

The Bottom Line:

It hurts my soul to give Chipotle the number one spot on any ranking, but credit where credit is due, this meat packs flavor, is tender, and won’t make your stomach turn, which can’t be said about most of the other beef options out there.

Find your nearest Chipotle here.

The Big Takeaway

Fast food tacos are, for the most part, bad. We need a brand to step up, the way that Popeyes did in 2019 when they dropped their super-hyped chicken sandwich. That single sandwich release forced the entire fast food industry to take notice. They responded by improving their chicken sandwiches in order to compete.

Fast food tacos need that same energy now. Desperately.

While you might find more “rye” on the whiskey shelves these days, high-rye bourbons are nothing new. Adding rye grains into a bourbon mash is a classic way to add flavor to the corn-fueled spirit.

That said, the amount of the rye in those bourbons does tend to vary. Some bourbons use maybe 10 or 15 percent rye against 75 to 80 percent corn in their “mash bill” (alongside a small percent of malted barley). Those would be considered “low-rye” bourbons. When bourbons use 20, 25, or even 30 percent rye in the mash, that’s high rye territory.

Very broadly speaking, high-rye bourbons tend to be a bridge between the softer and sweeter world of bourbons, and the greener and sharper world of rye whiskeys. These are the bourbons where you get a little more chili, winter spice, and, yes, pepperiness (white, black, and green pepper are common flavor notes). You might also get some herbal notes, hints of grassiness, and maybe some licorice or anise alongside the subtler bourbon vibes.

To decide on which high-rye bourbon to recommend the most… highly, I decided to pull some bottles off my shelf and blind taste them. The main rule was that each bottle had to have 20 percent or more rye in the mash bill. Beyond that, I’m simply ranking them based on taste.

Today’s Lineup:

• Old Grand-Dad Bonded (27 percent rye)
• Bulleit Bourbon (28 percent rye)
• Woodinville Cask Strength Bourbon (22 percent rye)
• Bradshaw Bourbon (21 percent rye)
• Basil Hayden’s 10 (27 percent rye)
• Four Roses Small Batch Select (Blend of 20 percent rye and 35 percent rye)
• FEW Bourbon (20 percent rye)
• Still Austin “The Musician” Cask Strength (25 percent rye)

Let’s see how this one shakes out!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• 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
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This is “peppery” from the nose into the taste with hints of vanilla extract, winter spices, and suede rounding out that nose. The palate is all about a soft Christmas cake with more dark spices, orange zest, and light almonds. The mid-palate hits on a cherry cough drop sweetness and almost medicinal feel as dry cornmeal and a hint of green peppercorn linger on the short end.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This feels classic from the jump with a nose full of leather, spice, vanilla, oak, and caramel. The taste is on the thinner side with a clear sense of cinnamon next to vanilla pudding, a touch of apple tobacco, brown sugar, and dry cornbread. The finish leans into the warming spice and wet brown sugar with a hint of dry wicker on an ultimately thin end.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Leather, Almond Roca, orchards full of fruit, cherry bark, and soft spice greet you on the nose. Wintry spices mingle with dry vanilla husks, almond shells, and an almost sweet potting soil. The mid-palate takes on a slight cherry candy by way of a spicy tobacco vibe as it slowly fades out through the woodier aspects of that orchard on the nose.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This opens with Werther’s Originals and old library books, with a whiff of aftershave on the nose that’s oddly comforting. A soft spice drives the palate as dry reeds lead towards cherry toffee and apple candies. The spice warms slightly on the finish as the tobacco dries out and those reeds make a return.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Old cedar beams with cobwebs mingle with rich vanilla cake and eggnog spices next to a hint of potpourri on the nose. The palate has a woody maple syrup sweetness that’s countered by dark chocolate fudge, more of that old wood, and dash of white pepper. The finish leans into the pepper but ends pretty thin all things considered.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Old oak mixes with dried raspberries and cloves, all bound up in worn leather on the nose. Dark and tart berries drive the taste towards apricot jam with plenty of winter spices as a hint of fresh mint lurks in the background. Vanilla kicks in late and smooths things out while letting that jammy and fruity spice linger on the tongue the longest.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Cinnamon and allspice-heavy garam masala powder lead towards an old leather note, with ripe red apples, bruised peaches, and vanilla on the nose. The palate leans into the vanilla and battered peaches with a saltwater taffy wax wrapper vibe next to a spicy cedar humidor. The end arrives abruptly and the whole sip thins out and fades away fast leaving very little on the palate besides the wood.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Cedar leads to a dark chocolate-covered brandied cherry with hints of a dried mint and vanilla husk in the back end on the nose. The palate feels like dried blackberries floating in a vanilla cream sauce with a dusting of cinnamon. That spice leans towards dried chili flakes and the soft leather softens the whole sip towards a berry spice tobacco end.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. FEW Bourbon — Taste 7

ABV: 46.5%

Average Price: $49

The Whiskey:

FEW Spirits takes small-batch, hands-on distilling very seriously. The Evanston operation takes its time in sourcing quality ingredients and then takes even more time to assure those ingredients become fine whiskey. This is a grain-to-glass operation. FEW was also the first distillery to open in Evanston after prohibition and the master distiller was instrumental in helping to overturn the city’s century-old dry laws.

Bottom Line:

This fell apart at the end/on the finish. So here we are. There was so much potential that didn’t quite come together for me today. I guess that’s why it’s collecting dust on my shelf.

7. Bulleit Bourbon — Taste 2

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $33

The Whiskey:

Bulleit embraces a high-rye mash bill that’s comprised of 68 percent corn, 28 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. The juice is then rested for six years before blending, cutting down to proof, and barreling.

Bottom Line:

The lack of finish kind of killed this for me. There was more of a finish there than the previous bourbon, sure, but still, this feels like a good mixer and that’s about it.

6. Old Grand-Dad Bonded — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

This high-rye whiskey is aged for at least four years. The bonded barrels are then vatted according to the Old Grand-Dad flavor profile and bottled at 50 percent ABV, which lets a bit more of the juice shine in the bottle.

Bottom Line:

This was perfectly fine. It felt inexpensive but dialed in. There was no “wow factor” but there didn’t need to be. It’s a mixer after all.

5. Basil Hayden’s 10 — Taste 5

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $80

The Whiskey:

Basil Hayden’s 10 uses the same juice as Old Grand-Dad. This is aged longer and built to match a different flavor profile even though both brands use the same high-rye distillate. In this case, this is left alone for 10 long years before the team at Beam finds just the right barrels for this once-a-year bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. It’s woody, sure. But there’s just something missing from this bourbon and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

4. Still Austin Cask Strength — Taste 8

ABV: 59%

Average Price: $61

The Whiskey:

Still Austin is getting a lot of love for their very crafty (and fruity) bourbon, The Musician. This is that, but at cask strength, and released as a limited offering. The juice in the bottle is a local grain-to-glass operation that utilizes the best grains and water Texas has to offer.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty damn nice. It’s miles ahead of the proofed-down version. Overall, I could see reaching for this bottle for an end-of-the-day pour over some rocks.

3. Bradshaw Bourbon — Taste 4

ABV: 51.9%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

Bradshaw Bourbon is made by Green River Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky. The bourbon is a collab between former Super Bowl champ Terry Bradshaw and Silver Screen Bottling Company, which acts as a sort of bottling fixer between a celebrity and a distiller or barrel house. The juice is a two-year-old bourbon made with 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and nine percent malted barley, proofed to a hefty 103.8.

Bottom Line:

I’m shocked this was number three. It’s so nostalgic on the nose and in the flavor profile. There isn’t a whole hell of a lot beyond that nostalgia but sometimes that’s enough for an on the rocks or mixing bourbon.

2. Four Roses Small Batch Select — Taste 6

ABV: 52%

Average Price: $64

The Whiskey:

This expression uses six of Four Rose’s 10 whiskeys in their small-batching process. The idea is to blend both high and very high-rye bourbons with yeast strains that highlight “delicate fruit,” “slight spice,” and “herbal notes.” The whiskeys tend to spend at least six years in the barrel before blending and proofing with just a touch of Kentucky’s soft limestone water.

Bottom Line:

This is a pretty damn good bourbon. That Four Roses dark fruitiness is engaging. Had this gone a little deeper on the funkiness of those berries and woody spices, it might have won the day. In the end, it was a great sipper that I kind of wanted to make a Manhattan with.

1. Woodinville Cask Strength Bourbon — Taste 3

ABV: 59.72%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

Woodinville’s bourbon is aged for five years from a fairly standard high-rye mash bill. The ripple here is that all their grains are sourced locally in Washington state from a family farm. Those local grains help drive the beauty of this whiskey. This expression is that aforementioned five-year bourbon that hit just the right mark to be bottled at cask strength as-is.

Bottom Line:

Nuanced. Delicious. Accessible. This felt like the only true sipper on the list. It was delightful and a massive step up from everything after Four Roses on this list.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

That Bradshaw Bourbon continues to surprise. Sure, it’s a celebrity bourbon, but it feels unique and fascinating. That Still Austin Cask Strength was another nice surprise this time around. There’s real depth and it’s easy to see why so many folks are digging it.

At the end of the day though, Four Roses and Woodinville were in a different class. They both offered something completely different but revealed a whole lot of depth and nuance. I tend to lean more towards the Woodinville with the nutty/earthy/toffee vibe than Four Roses’ funky berries and spice, but that’s down to the time of day and the mood I’m in. Both were pretty much flawless today.

With spring just around the corner, it already feels like Irish whiskey season. A big part of that is St. Patrick’s Day coming up in a few weeks, but Irish whiskey has been booming recently, and any time is a great time to dive into a Irish whiskey to sample blind. I kept it classic with blends (most Irish whiskey is blended from barley and grain whiskeys), single pot stills (a blend of malted and unmalted barley whiskeys), and even a couple of single malts (made from malted barley only). The only whiskeys I didn’t grab were the peated Irish whiskeys.

Today’s Lineup:

• Powers John’s Lane
• Teeling Single Malt
• Method & Madness Single Grain
• Redbreast Lustau
• Clonakilty Double Oak Single Batch
• Grace O’Malley Blended Irish Whiskey
• Red Spot
• Waterford Cuvee
• Proclamation Blended Irish Whiskey
• Jameson Black Barrel
• Bushmills Single Malt 10-Year

Let’s dive in and see how these Irish whiskeys rank!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2021, Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50, Ranked
• Every Scotch Whisky Brand From Diageo’s Massive Portfolio, Ranked
• The Best Value-Per-Dollar Scotch Whiskies, Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Raw leather, soft vanilla, mild spice, and light milk chocolate greet you on the nose. The palate has a malty vanilla cake foundation with malty spice and fruity candy sweetness. Chocolate pudding arrives on the mid-palate and drives the back end of the taste towards wet grains, nutty fruit cake, and a hint of wintry spice.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with savory fruit and toffee, counterpointed by a sharp lemon marmalade. The taste arrives subtly, with vanilla cream next to mulled wine spices, dried fruits, orange oils, and a woody/sweet figgy pudding. There’s a buttery maltiness towards the end with more of that spicy holiday cake vibe on the slow fade.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This opens with dry pencil shavings leading towards dry pine boxes, potpourri, and a hint of grapefruit pith. The taste is driven by cinnamon bark and clove berries, with a pink eraser vibe next to soft vanilla beans. That vanilla moves the mid-palate towards a finish full of ripe figs, light spice, and sweet potting soil. What a wild and confusing ride.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Cherry leather, black tea-soaked dates, figs, dry black soil, marzipan, and light eggnog spices lead the way on the nose. The palate opens up with sweet oak next to almonds, and rosewater with a hint of garam masala powder. That spice leads towards a cherry tobacco chewiness with a soft cedar box and silky savory fruit leather vibe on the end.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Sweet fruits and spice lead the way on the nose, with green sweetgrass, soft leather, and spiced malts rounding out the experience. The palate perks up with slices of fresh ginger next to Tellicherry peppercorns, Nutella, and an apple candy mid-palate. That apple sweetness drives the finish towards drier sweetgrass and old porch wicker with a touch of moss growing between the canes.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a thin caramel and vanilla vibe with a hint of almond shells. The palate is a mix of orange peels, honey, and Almond Joy (but almost just the wrapper). The mid-palate gets fruity with a slight nutty pastry feel, next to soft wood and a rushed end.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Wildflowers and honey mingle with cedar, milk chocolate, and a clove/allspice vibe on the nose. The taste softly moves from spicy holiday cake towards dried fruits and green peppercorns. The mid-palate sweetens with a buttery toffee next to spicy stewed apples that feels like sticky apple tobacco before fading out.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Apple pie and Amarena cherries with a bit of stem drive the nose with old leather and nutty Christmas cake. Those nuts and holiday vibes carry on through the taste as layers of apple peels, cherry bark, black pepper, and soft cedar planks settle into the finish. That finish fades slowly and gently through the dark spices, hints of dark cacao, cherry tobacco, and nuts.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Red apple peels and rye crust open the nose before soft soil and green grass takes over. The palate is all about the butterscotch candies, with light florals, oat cookies, orange peels, and fresh mint acting as support. The mid-palate has a clove candy vibe that leads to white pepper, grapefruit peel, dark chocolate and cherry tobacco, and a final note of poppyseed cake.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Sliced pears hidden in vanilla pudding opens the nose, with a slight woodiness that turns into a neutral vodka. There’s a slight espresso creme vibe on the palate, with hints of apple fritters, banana, and oak. The finish touches on oats and raisins but ends more like a listless vodka than anything else.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla-laced toffee candies open the nose with dark chocolate, old leather, and raw sage. The palate is plummy, with plenty of holiday spice, almonds, cedar, and a thin layer of florals. The end is creamy vanilla pudding speckled with almonds and drizzled with caramel sauce with a soft landing that’s a little thin.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

Apples and vanilla lead the way, with hints of chocolate malts, spiced dates, and mild leather on the nose. The palate leans into the apple with a lard-crust pie feel next to plenty of fresh honey, more of those chocolate malts, and fresh apple fritters. Those fritters drive the mid-palate towards a finish that subtly moves between apple candy, fresh and floral honey, and spicy chocolate tobacco.

Part 2: The Ranking

12. Proclamation Blended Irish Whiskey — Taste 10

ABV: 40.7%

Average Price: $36

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a blend of Irish whiskeys sourced from distilleries all around Ireland. The whiskeys in the mix are mostly aged in ex-bourbon casks with a few barrels of sherry cask aged whiskey thrown in there too.

Bottom Line:

There really wasn’t a whole lot going on here. It feels like a rail whiskey for whiskey and Cokes. Which is fine but not all that exciting.

11. Grace O’Malley Blended Irish Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $38

The Whiskey:

This whiskey begins as barrels of three to 10-year-old whiskeys. Those whiskeys are then aged in a range of barrels from French oak wine casks to ex-bourbon to rum casks. The blend is built from those barrels and then proofed down to a very accessible 92 proof.

Bottom Line:

This is just fine. It’s a blended whiskey that’s best used for mixing. And that, again, is fine.

10. Method & Madness Single Grain Bourbon Cask Finish — Taste 3

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This is Midleton Irish Distiller’s craft whiskey venture. The single grain spirit is matured in unused Spanish oak and old bourbon casks. That’s small-batched and proofed with that soft County Cork water and bottled in a throwback art-deco bottle.

Bottom Line:

This was whiplash in a glass. It was maybe too interesting to really know what to do with. I’m fine with the pencil shavings and eraser vibes but they didn’t feel like they were part of a cohesive whole.

9. Jameson Black Barrel — Taste 11

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $41

The Whiskey:

This is Jameson’s take on double barreling. The whiskey is first matured in old bourbon barrels. That juice is then transferred to another bourbon barrel that’s been doubly charred with a deep alligator skin char. Those barrels are batched and proofed all the way down to 80 proof.

Bottom Line:

This was a surprise ending up this low. I generally dig this a lot. But, admittedly, I’m usually using this for cocktails, not sipping. So here we are.

8. Teeling Single Malt — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This single malt is a blend of whiskeys aged up to 23 years. The barrels involved are varied and vast and include sherry, port, Madeira, white Burgundy, and Cabernet Sauvignon barrels in the mix. Those whiskeys are blended perfectly and then proofed with local Dubliner water.

Bottom Line:

This is the bifurcation point. All the whiskeys next on this list were really good until we get to the top three, which all stood above. Still, this feels like a great on the rocks or mixing whiskey.

7. Powers John’s Lane — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $72

The Whiskey:

This is a classic Irish whiskey. The juice is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for at least 12 years. Those barrels are then married based on their distinct flavor profiles to create this special whiskey.

Bottom Line:

This was another whiskey that hit well. It was tasty and distinct but didn’t quite wow today amongst this very long list of whiskeys.

6. Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt — Taste 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

The first expression in Bushmill’s single malt range is a winner. The juice is made from Irish barley and matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The best barrels are married, proofed with that soft Northern Irish spring water, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was tasty with a real Glen-y Scotch vibe. That said, it feels like there are a million Highland malts out there that are just as good, but maybe not for quite as good of a price. Still, I’d drink this on the rocks all day.

5. Busker Single Pot Still — Taste 7

ABV: 44.3%

Average Price: $33

The Whiskey:

This barley-based whiskey is aged in a combo of ex-bourbon and sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. Those whiskeys are then blended and proofed down with local water.

Bottom Line:

I had no idea what to expect from Busker and this was a pleasant surprise, especially for this price. It wasn’t mind-blowing but it didn’t need to be. I can see using this in a highball or cocktail with ease.

4. Clonakilty Double Oak Single Batch — Taste 5

ABV: 43.6%

Average Price: $51

The Whiskey:

This award-winning Irish blend is all about the aging and seaside vibes. The juice is built with whiskey aged in ex-bourbon casks which are finished in new American oak casks. That’s then blended with the same ex-bourbon cask aged whiskey finished in red wine casks from Bordeaux, which have been shaved and remade especially for this bottling.

Bottom Line:

I think this was the biggest surprise. This kind of ruled today but felt like a younger sibling of some bigger hitting Scotch whiskies from across the Irish Sea. So if you’re looking for something Irish for a Scotch lover, this is the play.

3. Waterford Cuvee — Taste 9

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

Waterford is an interesting experiment in whiskey, in general. This expression utilizes the distillery’s many single-farm-origin whiskeys to create something heightened. The whiskey is a blend of those single farm whiskeys that highlight the terroir from all around Ireland, along with Waterford’s high-level skills.

Bottom Line:

This was that perfect balance of interesting/different and classic/great. It felt like an easy sipper that offered something new and distinct without being overwrought. This is a pour I want to go back to.

2. Redbreast Lustau — Taste 4

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This dram really stands out amongst the line. The tripled distilled pot still juice is matured only in casks from Bodega Lustau in Spain. Their sherried oak brings about a dialed-in depth to the whiskey that really helps elevate the Irish juice.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey is pretty close to perfect. It’s a hell of a sipper, especially when you add a drop of water or a rock to really let it bloom.

1. Red Spot — Taste 8

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $154

The Whiskey:

This is a high-water mark of Irish whiskey distilling and blending. The whiskey is aged for 15 years in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-Marsala casks. The spirit is then married and proofed down to a very approachable 92 proof.

Bottom Line:

While the top three were tight, this pulled away for the win easily. It’s so nuanced and, well, nice. It’s easy to drink while offering serious depth. Plus, it’s a dream to drink neat but really blooms into something special with a few drops of water or a rock.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Final thought after tasting these 12 whiskeys, “Wow, there are a lot of great Irish whiskeys I don’t drink enough of.” Truly, there were some really solid whiskeys on this list.

There was a lot of variation between most of them. Sure, a few of the bottom-ranked whiskeys are missable, but, I’d argue, the rest are worth seeking out, depending on what you’re looking for.

All of that said, the top three were miles ahead of the other nine. If you’re looking for a great one, that’s the Red Spot hands down. If you can’t find that, you will not be disappointed by the Redbreast or Waterford in any way. Sláinte!

Sean McVay won a Super Bowl and had to confront a pretty big question: Should he come back and coach, or ride off into the sunset and do something else? McVay has mentioned in the past that he does not want to spend his entire life coaching, but on Friday, the Los Angeles Rams coach told Adam Schefter of ESPN that he was going to eschew other opportunities and return to the team next year.

That news came amid rumors that the 36-year-old McVay might move to the broadcast booth. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Amazon was interested in bringing him on board as they get ready to begin their NFL broadcasts, and were willing to cut him a potentially gigantic check to pique his interest.

Amazon Prime Video were planning on meeting next week with the Los Angeles head coach about him becoming an NFL TV game analyst, and sources felt the platform might go as high as offering five years and $100 million for its exclusive Thursday Night Football package in the fall.

Marchand went on to report that McVay didn’t just attract interest from Amazon, as Fox reportedly had interest in bringing him in and putting him in the booth. The network is on the lookout for a new No. 1 NFL analyst, as Troy Aikman is reportedly on the verge of heading to ESPN and joining its Monday Night Football team.

James Harden‘s debut as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t have gone any better. Harden suited up on Friday night for the first time since he was traded by the Nets in the deal that sent a package headlined by Ben Simmons back to Brooklyn, and the early returns were quite good — the Sixers blitzed the Minnesota Timberwolves, 133-102, with Harden putting up 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting with 12 assists, eight rebounds, and five made threes.

Philly has been quite good in recent years, a pretty consistent regular season winner and playoff team. But as Joel Embiid said after the game, Harden brought something that the team has not had at any point during his time with the franchise.

“You should have seen my face every single time, especially in the fourth,” Embiid said when asked his thoughts on Harden. “You know, the first three quarters, obviously making plays for all of us. That was probably the most wide open I’ve ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets, I used to have to work for everything. But in the fourth quarter, the shotmaking ability, shot creation, you should have seen my face. I was just like, ‘We’ve never had this, nothing close to it.’ So, hopefully that continues. We didn’t even play our best, but I think we can be way better than that.”

Embiid had 34 points on 10-for-18 shooting with 10 assists in the win.

It’s been a pretty underwhelming season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite entering the year with title-or-bust expectations, Los Angeles found itself sitting 27-31 entering Friday night’s game against the Clippers. They’re firmly in the play-in field, an automatic playoff berth seems like too tall a mountain to climb, and over the All-Star break, questions started being asked about LeBron James‘ long-term future with the team.

Between public comments James made that indicated a willingness to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers some day, his statement of intent to play his final season in the NBA alongside his son Bronny, and the fact that the team did not do anything at the trade deadline, it’s hard not to wonder if the future Hall of Fame inductee has his eyes on going elsewhere once his contract is up following the 2022-23 campaign. But according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, a recent meeting between Rich Paul and some higher-ups in L.A. was meant to quell fears that James is planning his next chapter.

In the aftermath of LeBron James’ public comments on a possible return to Cleveland and media reports describing his agency’s displeasure with the organization, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul met with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka on Tuesday, insisting that there’s no movement underway to seek management changes and that he believes there’s a shared accountability for the franchise’s disappointing season, sources told ESPN.
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After Pelinka resisted making any deals at the trade deadline, James’ own public comments — raising the possibility of a return to Cleveland and praising Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti — started to fuel speculation that he could leave in free agency in 2023. Paul has privately downplayed that possibility, and told the Lakers that James is committed to playing his part in helping the Lakers to become championship contenders again, sources said.

While James has been quite good when he has been able to play this season, injuries to Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook’s general issues getting used to life in L.A., and James missing time due to injury have led to a serious inability to gel. Maybe they’ll be able to figure some things out once Davis comes back from his current ankle injury, but if not, it seems likely this will be a quick playoff trip for the Lakers before an offseason where they’ll have to circle the wagons and figure out a way to win another Larry O’Brien trophy.