This summer will mark two years since Flo Milli made her splash in the rap world with her debut project Ho, Why Is You Here? The 12-song effort came with no features and saw the Alabama rapper shine brightly thanks to her infectious attitude and her impressive lyricism. We’ve yet to receive a follow-up project from Flo Milli, but she has continued to impress with singles and guest features. Today marks an example of the former as she returns with her new song “PBC.”
Flo Milli’s new record, which stands as an abbreviation for “Pretty Black Cute,” finds setting the record straight on her beauty. She makes it clear that there are no asterisks or footnotes to her looks and everything should be taken as is. “Pretty for what? / Pretty for who?” she raps. “I’m really like that / Who are you?” The song was initially previewed during Tia Adeola’s fashion show during this month’s New York Fashion Week. According to OkayPlayer, Flo Milli said the song is about “Black women finding their power, wearing their natural hair, everything that makes you pretty, Black and cute.”
The new song comes after Flo Milli and Rico Nasty joined forces for “Money” last year. During 2021, she also dropped solo singles like “Roaring 20s” and “Ice Baby” during a year that also saw her get selected to the 2021 XXL Freshman Class.
You can listen to “PBC” and enjoy a skit from Flo Milli that strikes as a hilarious flip of a viral clip from America’s Next Top Model in the videos above.
It’s been nearly three years since Tyga released an album to the world with his last effort being 2019’s Legendary. The project served as a comeback for him as he earned him an entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Taste,” which marked his first appearance on the chart since 2015. Doja Cat, on the other hand, is less than a year removed from his third album Planet Her which peaked at No. 2 on the albums chart and earned her several Grammy nominations for the 2022 award show. With that being said, Tyga and Doja brought their magic together for a second time with their latest collaboration.
Tyga and Doja join forces for their new single, “Freaky Deaky.” The track is the duo’s second song together after Tyga joined Doja for a remix of her hit song “Juicy” in 2019. The track appeared on Doja’s second album Hot Pink which also houses her sole No. 1 song “Say So” and her viral record “Streets.”
Showtime’s latest anthology series Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber marks the triumphant television return of 2011 Tumblr heartthrob Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and his tumultuous reign over the controversial company. Kalanick was the CEO of the ride-sharing company until he was pressured to resign in 2017 among accusations of a toxic work culture and assault allegations at the company.
Alongside Kyle Chandler, portraying financial analyst Bill Gurley, and Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington, the show will go in-depth on the company’s success, juxtaposed with the long list of internal conflicts that come with any tech bro startup. The show was created by Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who wrote and produced the first season of the anthology series, based on the 2019 book of the same name.
When you watch the premiere of the series, which airs Sunday, February 27th on Showtime, you might notice a familiar voice. That voice is none other than director Quentin Tarantino, who narrates the first season. The Once Upon A Time In Hollywood director is a huge fan of Koppelman’s show Billions, which led him to getting the narration gig for Super Pumped.
Koppelman sent the director an email, hoping he would guest star on his podcast, and join Super Pumped as a narrator. To his surprise, Tarantino said yes to both. “I wrote back, ‘You know you said yes to both things?’ and he said, perfect Tarantino-ish, ‘Yeah I know what I said yes to,’” Koppelman shared in an interview with The Wrap. The rest was history!
As for the future of the show, season 2 will take on a much larger company: Facebook. Tarantino has yet to be confirmed for the show’s second season.
The gimlet is a simple masterpiece — beloved by Raymond Chandler (and his chief creation, Philip Marlowe). The shaker is a mix of gin, lime, and sugar that feels like springtime in a glass. It’s refreshing and light while still having some real depth thanks to the botanical gin that comprises its base.
The cocktail has roots back in the 1920s, when so many classic cocktails were refined into classic final forms that we still mix up today. But it goes beyond that. The gimlet — which is basically just a combo of gin and lime — actually stretches back to the British Royal Navy and their technique for fighting scurvy by adding lime and sometimes sugar to their daily rations of gin.
Over the years, the recipe has shifted and been tweaked while falling in and out of fashion, like most cocktails recipes. In the 1950s, it was customary to use Rose’s Lime Cordial instead of fresh lime and sugar (that’s Chandler’s way). While that version is not without its charm, it misses that fresh burst of brightness from real and freshly squeezed lime juice. So the latter version is what we’re going with today.
Check the full recipe below.
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
I’m using a standard London dry gin, Gordon’s. It’s easy-going, a great mixer, and pretty damn cheap and easy to locate. As for the rest, you’ll be able to find a good simple syrup at any liquor store. The rest is just fresh limes. Try and find some nice and juicy ones.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Coupe or Nick and Nora glass
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail strainer
Jigger
Pairing knife
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer.
Add the gin, lime juice, and simple to the cocktail shaker. Fill about 2/3 with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds (until the shaker is ice-cold and frosted over).
Strain into the prechilled glass.
Express the oils from the lime peel over the glass and rub it around the rim and stem.
Place a lime wheel on the rim of the cocktail. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
If the dog days of winter are getting you down, this will remind you (instantly) that spring is almost here. It’s so bright and cheery it might as well be garnished with a daffodil.
The gin barely breaks through, with hints of juniper and anise as the lime and sugar really drive the taste. The sweetness is definitely there but not overpowering — as it can become with Rose’s Lime Cordial or when an amateur adds too much simple syrup.
Overall, this is a great shaker that’s super easy and fast to make. I made this one in about 30 seconds once I had my bar set up. Even if it takes you a whole minute to shake, it’s still worth it for the scurvy-fighting properties alone!
The Boston Celtics had their first game after the All-Star break on Thursday night and picked up where they left off, beating the brakes off of the shorthanded Nets in a 129-106 win to move to 10-1 in their last 11 games.
It was never a game that felt very much in doubt, as Boston jumped on Brooklyn early and maintained a comfortable double-digit lead for the entirety, meaning there was some opportunity to try some things out down the stretch if they wanted to. Early in the fourth quarter, holding a 23-point lead, the Celtics got a steal and Payton Pritchard launched the ball ahead to Jayson Tatum to start a fastbreak with Grant Williams running ahead of him with just one defender between them.
Williams called for the lob but Tatum looked him off, stepping around the defender for a dunk of his own to the dismay of his big man.
It was a funny moment, with Williams offering an audible “WOW” as Tatum went for his own dunk instead of tossing the lob, and after the game Tatum gave an even funnier answer as to why he looked Williams off on the play, saying that while he “loves Grant to death” that in a game he just “doesn’t feel comfortable throwing Grant Williams an alley-oop.”
It’s made even funnier by the fact that there really wasn’t any downside to throwing Williams the lob in this spot, given the Celtics were up 23 against a Nets team that very clearly had no chance at creating an offensive run to catch them, but Tatum still couldn’t bring himself to throw it up for his typically floorbound teammate. One day Grant will get his chance to shine on the break, but Tatum needs to see it in practice before he gives him that chance on a nationally televised game.
Snoop Dogg has three decades worth of experience in the music industry. It goes back to the 1990s with his time on the legendary Death Row record label and more recently to earlier this month where he, along with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Anderson .Paak, performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. Snoop also has plenty of great memories that took place outside of the music world, and during an interview with DJ Whoo Kid tha was released today, he shared one that involved Queen Elizabeth II coming to his rescue.
“You got to embrace this sh*t because you used to be a young n****,” Snoop Dogg began. “N****s didn’t understand us when I was 17. Look at all of the footage of me when I was a young n****. They was trying to — they kicked me out the U.K.!” Snoop is referring to his first tour in the United Kingdom back in 1994. Press coverage from a number of tabloids in the country, including The Daily Star, called for his exile from the UK.
“‘Kick this evil bastard out’,” Snoop said one of the headlines read. “Look at me, it’s a headline n****. That sh*t is documented. They had a picture of me on the front, I had a handcuff on one of my hands — this a picture I took. I got a handcuff on one of my hands — and the other one was off. “He continued, “They was like, ‘Kick this evil bastard out.’” Snoop then explained how Queen Elizabeth II, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, came to his rescue and how Prince Harry and Prince William may have helped.
“But guess who came to my defense?” he said. “The Queen n****. The Queen said ‘This man has done nothing in our country he can come.’ The Queen n****, bow down. When The Queen speaks bow down.” He continued, “That’s Harry and William’s grandmother you dig. You think you think they weren’t there saying ‘Grandma please let him in grandma he’s OK, we love his music.’ ‘You know Harry, I’ll let him in for you he’s not so bad after all and he’s quite cute.’”
You can check out Snoop’s interview with DJ Whoo Kid in the video above.
The 2021-22 men’s college basketball season has been a nightmare for Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas. After opening the campaign with a 6-4 record that was misleading in retrospect, the Hoyas lost 16 consecutive contests, including the first 15 games in Big East play. On Thursday, Georgetown had a prime opportunity to snap that losing skid with a winnable home game against DePaul and, late in the first half, the Hoyas were in a solid position. From a national standpoint, however, the attention quickly shifted from Georgetown’s status on the scoreboard to the free throw approach of big man Malcom Wilson.
Wilson was fouled with under a minute to go in the first half and Georgetown trailing by two. The seven-footer made both attempts, but that wasn’t the interesting part because Wilson attempted both shots in one-handed fashion.
You’ve gotta appreciate the one-handed free throw motion of @GeorgetownHoops‘ Malcolm Wilson.
This wasn’t the first time Wilson used this motion in game play, even if he came into the evening having attempted only 11 shots at the charity stripe this season. Still, this was a nationally televised contest and, as the announcers noted, this isn’t something you see every day in modern college basketball.
Exploring the backstory here could be quite interesting, as it seems as if Wilson may have been assigned a one-handed shooting drill to help with his form before electing to just keep using that motion. Regardless, this was a small reprieve for the struggling Hoyas and some positive press for a young player.
Did The View‘s Joy Behar wake up and decide to take some heat off of Whoopi Goldberg (for those Holocaust remarks that resulted in a suspension), perhaps? Probably not, but it seems like last week’s anti-masking guest host has been left in the dust due to Behar’s outrage over not being able to take a vacation in Italy.
Strangely enough, that was what worried Behar while the co-hosts discussed Russia’s declaration of war upon Ukraine that, for whatever reason, prompted a maternal speech from 90210 star AnnaLynne McCord. Behar’s remarks followed those of Sunny Hostin lamenting the estimation that “50,000 Ukranians will be dead or wounded, and that this is going to start a humanitarian crisis, a refugee crisis in Europe” due to as many as 5 million people fleeing their homes. Already, families are hunkered down in subways because there’s no where else to go for protection, but Joy has other worries.
“Well, I’m scared of what’s going to happen in Western Europe, too,” Joy complained. “You know, you plan a trip, you wanna go there. I wanna go to Italy for four years, and I haven’t been able to make it because of the pandemic, and now this.”
Yep, she really said this:
Joy Behar is upset Putin’s invasion of Ukraine will screw up her trip to Italy pic.twitter.com/cptCjrjxxp
No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, it’s obvious that this was an out-of-touch take, and people are pretty aghast that she devoted airtime to this complaint.
The true horror of the worldwide pandemic and Russia invading Ukraine? Joy Behar hasn’t been able to take her trip to Italy. Thoughts and Prayers for Joy. We hope she makes it through this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/UYM1Q0C5nU
God grant me the absolute confidence and egocentricity of Joy Behar complaining that a war ruined her vacation plans while the bombs are still literally dropping.
You almost have to respect Joy Behar’s unwavering commitment toward ensuring that boomers are the most hated generation alive pic.twitter.com/fw0cgEwc4I
War sucks and all, but what if Joy Behar can’t vacation to Italy? I mean Ukrainians should really stop getting selfishly blown up. https://t.co/JBmQkxwwz5
Unbelievable. Humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as war rages on, and Joy Behar jumps to concerns about not being able to vacation in Italy. Impressive leap! pic.twitter.com/5Z1LAninRd
Days before Kanye West’s eleventh album Donda 2 was set to arrive, the rapper announced that the project would not appear on streaming services as some may have expected. Instead, Kanye said Donda 2 would be exclusively available on his Stem Player website. The Stem Player is the device Kanye released last year after he dropped Donda and it let users control vocals, drums, bass, and samples, isolate certain parts of a song, and add effects. While Donda 2 was not available on the site as expected on February 22, Kanye stuck to his word and released a batch of songs from the project onto the website.
On Thursday, 16 songs unexpectedly appeared on the Stem Player website. Many, if not all of the songs, were played during Kanye’s live performance of Donda 2 in Miami. The new records include contributions from Future, Migos, Jack Harlow, the late XXTENTACION, Vory, Alicia Keys, Fivio Foreign, Soulja Boy, Sean Leon, Baby Keem, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. Four of the songs in the new batch of Donda 2 records were released on Wednesday. It’s unknown if these are the final versions of the songs from Kanye’s eleventh album and if any additional records will be uploaded to the site.
The songs are only accessible from the Stem Player website if you have the Stem Player device, but if you may find them elsewhere with a few Googles.
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Aging bourbon — or any whisk(e)y for that matter — in a special or second cask is nothing new. That practice has been around forever. But with the latest whiskey (and more specifically bourbon) boom raging in full, unique cask agings and finishings have become a way to get more shelf space for brands large and small. It’s also a fun way for drinkers to expand their palates.
Today, I’m shouting out some uniquely-casked bourbons that I think you might enjoy. I disqualified any “Double Oak” maturations, since that’s simply putting the whiskey into another oak barrel. Whether that barrel is new, toasted, rebuilt, re-charred, or what-have-you, it’s still another standard oak vessel. While that can result in a damn tasty whiskey (Woodford Double Oaked, Michter’s Toasted Barrel, and Peerless Double Oak come to mind), it’s really not a “unique” barrel for our purposes here.
Which does raise the question: What even is “unique” anymore? Most brands have already gone whole hog on specialty barrel releases. So, for the 20 bottles of bourbon below, I chose a good mix of more classic special casks, like sherry, port, and stout, alongside whiskeys aged in different oaks from the other side of the world, fruit brandy casks, and even some with Rocky Mountain Aspen staves right in the barrel.
It’s a good mix, with two throughlines: They’re all tasty bourbons and they’re all under $200 (MSRP). Hopefully, you find something here that excites you.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
It’s very likely this is Barton 1792’s low-rye bourbon mash. The barrels are pulled from various, undisclosed age ranges and vatted. That juice then goes into ex-port casks for an additional maturation of one to three years. That whiskey is then married, slightly proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is rich with hints of red berries, sweet and dry dates, a touch of vanilla tobacco, and a whisper of soft leather. The palate has a jammy presence with a plum compote spiked with cloves and allspice next to a touch of port-soaked cedar planks, vanilla cream, sultanas, and, mulled wine cinnamon sticks. That spice does start to build towards the medium-length finish but doesn’t overheat. The fade is nice and mellow with more dried and red fruit leading towards a creamy veneer of spicy vanilla custard with a very distant tobacco vibe on the end of the tail.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a great place to start. While this is on the lighter end of the spectrum when it comes to boldness in special barrel finishing, it still packs a pretty good flavor profile. That being said, I lean more towards using this in a simple cocktail like a Manhattan.
This whiskey marries Napa Valley winemaking to Ohio Valley whiskey. Winemaker Dave Phinney sources four-year-old bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana and brings those to Napa. Once there, the bourbon is filled into local Cabernet barrels for final maturation. Finally, the bourbon is cut with pure spring water from California’s Alexander Valley before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Those barrels come through with a note of a dry lumber next to caramel apples, butterscotch candy, and a sliver of vanilla bean. That vanilla drives the palate and comes creamy and thick as apples stewed in eggnog spices kick in with a slightly woody, maple syrup sweetness and sweet red grapes. That sweet note drives the mid-palate towards a finish that warms with the holiday spices and almost hot apple cider next to a vanilla cookie with a dusting of maple brown sugar.
Bottom Line:
The only reason this ranks this low on this list is the lower ABVs. That soft spring water comes through and mutes that backend. For me, that means this is more of a cocktail mixer that you can sip on in a pinch on the rocks.
Master Blender Dave Carpenter built this small-batch bourbon off the back of barrels of very high-rye bourbon (60 percent corn, 36 percent rye, and four percent malted barley) from MGP of Indiana. Carpenter then moved that juice into Cognac barrels from Ferrand Cognac which held Cognac for 30 years. The bourbon spent 12 months finishing in those old-school barrels before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear pecan pie vibe on the nose with a buttery crust, plenty of holiday spices, a touch of apricot, and a whisper of dried hibiscus petals. The palate takes the apricot and stews it with the spices to create a jammy compote next to an earthy and wet cellar beam dripping with cobwebs as the hibiscus brightens and leads towards a hint of raisin, prune, and white pepper. The mid-palate leans into that sweet dried fruit/peppery edge as the pecans return in a bowl of Karo syrup and dusted with nutmeg-heavy eggnog spices and a final flourish of that wet yet fruity wood.
Bottom Line:
We’re already getting into the “good stuff” and we’re only three bottles in. This has really grown on me as an everyday on-the-rocks sipper in the last six months. That said, this rules in an old fashioned too.
This New York whiskey is sourced from 10-year bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana that are shipped out to the Empire State. The whiskey is masterfully vatted and then re-barreled into maple syrup barrels from Crown Maple from Upstate New York for a final rest. Those barrels are then blended and proofed with local spring water.
Tasting Notes:
The nose bursts forth with pecan pie next to sasparilla, a touch of old cedar, and, yes, fresh Grade-A maple syrup with a hint of tree sap still in it. The vanilla kicks in pretty strongly on the palate with a crispy waffle vibe, a touch more of that old cedar, and curled cinnamon stick. That waffle draws towards the pecans on the mid-palate as a wet brown sugar sweetness ends and an almost Red Hot cinnamon-laced tobacco wrapped around that old cedar finishes the sip.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect breakfast bourbon. Well, let’s say “brunch” instead. Either way, this is a solid sipper on a couple of rocks. But that sweet and nutty edge really helps this shine in any “brunch” cocktail.
Last year’s drop from Stephen Beam’s Yellowstone line is a mix of seven-year-old and 15-year-old bourbons. The 15-year barrels are high-quality bourbons hand selected by Beam. The seven-year barrels were finished by Beam in Amarone red wine casks before this batch was put together, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a balance of dark stewed fruits — think holiday cake spices with dates, prunes, figs, and raisins — next to this bright burst of bright red berries with a slight tartness and powdered sugar sweetness swimming in vanilla cream, with mild hints of old leather, dark cacao powder, and toffee lurking in the background. The palate really embraces that vanilla cream base while the berries go full dark and sweet cherry with more of that buttery toffee, dark cacao, and meaty fig adding a dark depth to the sip. The finish builds on the sweet and dark fruits of the mid-palate towards an end that’s full of bright cherry tobacco and small lines of cedar plank that’s lightly singed on the edges.
Bottom Line:
This is just a damn fine sipper (rocks or not). Though I recommend adding a little water to really let this one bloom in the glass.
15. 291 Small Batch Colorado Bourbon Whiskey (Colorado)
291 Colorado Whiskey’s Small Batch is a great entry point into the wider world of the crafty brand. The juice isn’t a “straight” bourbon since it’s only aged for one year. That very young whiskey is amped up thanks to Aspen wood staves which are added into the barrels to create a deeper sense of maturation without taking half a decade to achieve those layers.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a push towards cornbread dripping with butter next to hints of berry bushes plus a touch of caramel apples. The taste adds a good dose of cinnamon to the mix as the caramel leans away from apple and towards kettle corn with hints of nougat and maple syrup arriving late. The end holds onto the warmth of the cinnamon and the sweeter edges while a pine-y resinous note sneaks on the short finish, adding a nice nuance to the sip.
Bottom Line:
This is so interesting in that it’s so young while still having an aging/finishing that no one else is doing (it also tastes great for that age). True, Maker’s adds staves to their barrels for finishings, but 291 is adding local Aspen staves from the mountains outside of their distillery. That’s a local terroir vibe that you simply can’t get anywhere else.
This whiskey starts off as Breckenridge’s famed and award-winning bourbon. That juice is then re-barreled in Colorado rum barrels that held Breckinridge’s own spiced rum, which was, of course, aged in Breckenridge’s own bourbon casks with a mix of fresh fruits and dark spices right in the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a burst of dried tropical fruits next to candied nuts, wintry spices, a hint of sweet oak, and some salty caramel drizzled with dark chocolate sauce. The palate has a banana bread vibe with walnuts baked right in next to stewed apples with plenty of cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. Rich toffee drives the sweet mid-palate towards a full throttle of spices — allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise — that warm up the finish with a counterpoint from dried apple and banana chips.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bourbon to buy for any dark rum lover. The big fruit and spice notes really shine through while still holding onto the whiskey feel of the sip. This really rocks in a cocktail too.
13. Elijah Craig Beer Barrel Finish
Heaven Hill
ABV: 47%
Average Price:$40 for a 200ml bottle (Distillery Only)
The Whiskey:
This very limited edition, distillery-only release from Heaven Hill takes their classic bourbon (78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and ten percent rye) and finishes it in a beer barrel for about nine months. In this case, Elijah Craig Small Batch barrels were sent to Goose Island Brewery to age their famed Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Those barrels were then sent back to Kentucky and re-filled with Elijah Craig Small Batch for those aforementioned nine months before proofing and bottling in cool little 200ml bottles.
Tasting Notes:
The stout comes through immediately on the nose with a matrix of chocolate malts, rich and buttery toffee, light eggnog spices, oily vanilla beans, and a hint of beer-soaked wood. The palate lets that chocolate malt shine as chocolate-infused Graham Crackers lead towards an almost creamy vanilla-laden eggnog with plenty of nutmeg and allspice with a hint more of that wet wood. The finish really delivers on the “stout-aged” vibes as the chocolate bitters towards a long end full of subtle dark spices, toffee candies, and sweet oak with a hint of old leather.
Bottom Line:
I really dig this. It delivers what it claims while finding an actual balance between the beer and the whiskey that makes sense. It’s shame it’s such a tiny distillery-only limited release because finding one is a pain unless you happen to be at the distillery on the right day.
This sourced bourbon is built from 11 and 18-year-old bourbons. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in Armagnac, Cognac, and sherry casks before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with sticky toffee pudding that really amps up the cinnamon and nutmeg next to black-tea-soaked dates next to some stewed prunes wrapped in chili-chocolate-laced tobacco leaves and dripped in honey and then walnuts. A savory fruitiness opens the palate with figs and pumpkin that leads towards an apricot jam with a hint of clove and cinnamon next to light touches of old library leather and funk. A faint hint of dark berries arrives on the mid-palate before the finish luxuriates in burnt toffee, almond shells, more of that leather, and dried-out apricots.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that are easy to fall in love with. It’s nuanced and deep. It’s really lovely in a glass with a single rock, which will allow some of the deeper flavor notes to pop up.
This is also where the bottom lines are going to start splitting some serious hairs. Every bourbon from here on out is pretty goddamn great in its own way.
Barrell puts out a lot of whiskeys every year. This edition is a mix of whiskeys finished in pear brandy, Jamaican rum, and Sicilian Amaro casks that are then batched. The juice then goes into the bottle uncut to help highlight the disparate yet similarly cozy flavors given by each of the barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Pear drives the nose with a pear compote or pear butter made with plenty of dark spice and just a hint of dark chocolate and tobacco. The taste is warm but slightly rummy with a clear eggnog note acting as a driving force, leading towards hints of black licorice next to creamy toffee next to hefty chocolate bars filled with nougat and walnuts. A slight black tea bitterness takes over on the end as the nuttiness, spiciness, and sweetness all come together for a big finish, with plenty of warmth and boldness.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that bridges the gap between unique and classic really well. It’s new while feeling comforting. It’s the sort of pour that really draws you in and keeps your attention.
This starts off as classic Maker’s 46 — that’s a wheated bourbon made in very small batches that are then finished with French oak staves in the barrel for a final, short maturation. This version takes the honey barrels from that program and releases a limited edition Cask Strength version that doesn’t get cut down with Kentucky’s famous limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Based on 2021’s release, expect a nose full of classic bourbon notes of cinnamon, Graham crackers, dark chocolate powder, vanilla beans, pine kindling, and a hint of marshmallow that’s just been touched by fire. The palate leans into the hotness of the cinnamon but is tempered by vanilla cream pie filling, Honey Nut Cheerios, a light leather, and more of that dry pine. The end builds with that cinnamon heat towards a crescendo of honey-laced tobacco in a cedar box with a hint of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting ripple in the special cask finish, in that the “finishing” barrel is broken down and put into the barrel to finish the maturation process from within. It’s deep and those dark flavors come through in this damn tasty yet nuanced bourbon.
This four-year-old bourbon from Rebel is made from top to bottom at Lux Row in Bardstown, Kentucky, according to their old-school wheated bourbon recipe. The whiskey was finished in a very small batch (only 6,000 bottles released) in tawny port barrels for six more months. That whiskey was then vatted, cut with local limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is so soft with hints of candied walnuts, marzipan, a hint of orange blossom water, soft suede, and a touch of caramel. The palate subtly moves from wet wicker furniture and nutshell to vanilla wafers with hints of dried rose, dried orange peels, raisins, prunes, and elderflower syrup. That floral syrup on the mid-palate leads towards an end that’s soft with the slightest hint of green tobacco leaves, hazelnut, and vanilla pod.
Bottom Line:
This is just really nice. The ABVs are low and there is a sense of that on the palate, but the flavors are never washed out by that additional water (which is why it’s ranked higher). This really lingers on the senses and works great as a neat pour.
This whiskey is a collaboration between Blackstone Brewery and Nelson’s Green Brier Distilling, both in Nashville. The juice is a nine-year-old bourbon (from MGP) that spends an additional one year and 11 months in an imperial stout barrel from Blackstone in the Green Brier warehouse. That whiskey is then bottled as-is to highlight the beauty of that process.
Tasting Notes:
This opens up your senses with big notes of peppery rye spice next to orange oils, fresh and oily vanilla husks, and big woody sticks of cinnamon. The palate marries that cinnamon to a dark chocolate note that’s more like ground cacao nibs than a bar of chocolate while hints of brittle toffee, nutmeg, whole black peppercorns, and dried orange rind lurk just under the surface. The finish darkens that cacao towards oily and damn near sour espresso beans as the sip slowly fades back through the spice, sweetness, and citrus towards a warming and comforting finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a really solid bourbon that truly goes somewhere else through that stout finishing. It feels elevated while having distinct flavor markers to remind you where you are. Pour your favorite stout and sip this on the side.
This 2018 release from Buffalo Trace’s Old Charter Oak series really ups the ante in aging bourbon in something “unique.” This bourbon spends 10 years aging in oak from Mongolia, Quercus mongolica. The tree is hardcore in that it’s an oak tree that can survive drought, intense sun, and basically grow where other trees cannot.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is strikingly familiar with pecan pie, cedar bark, cinnamon bark, rich and buttery caramel sauce, and a hint of pine kindling. The palate follows in those footsteps, while adding clove and dark chocolate powder with a vanilla oil base, more cedar, and plenty of nutty depth (think Brazil nut meat, hazelnut shells, and almond paste). The mid-palate sweetens with meaty raisins and prunes that lead to a finish full of pecans, cedar, cinnamon tobacco, and a touch of black peppercorns.
Bottom Line:
This extremely rare release is a bit of a wonder. It’s worth tracking down (likely only at a high-end whiskey bar) to give it a try for something wholly different that’s still, well, nostalgic. This really is one of those drams you ponder as you slowly sip.
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century, before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The juice in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak (a white oak cousin of sorts) which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. That bespoke oak barrel is what makes this whiskey really rise above the standard white oak crowd.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with this rich and meaty plum presence next to a hint of buttery toffee and creamy vanilla with a touch of wood lurking in the background. The palate goes full crème brûlée with sticky burnt sugar over the top and a slight touch of allspice and nutmeg next to a dark cacao powder dryness with a touch of smoke salt and light, dry cedar. The mid-palate leans back into the dark stone fruit and sweetness as it only slightly dries out with notes of wicker and cedar humidors.
Bottom Line:
This is a very fine pour of whiskey. It’s also one of those pours where you might have an “ah-ha” moment, thanks to its deep and alluring flavor profile.
This is a complex whiskey from one of the country’s best blenderies. Barrell sources a 10-year-old Indiana whiskey that was finished in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels and marries that juice to 11-year-old Tennessee bourbon that was finished in both blackstrap rum casks and port pipes. That blend is then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with the port notes of dried raisins and plums, leading towards a touch of licorice next to a really rummy sweetness. There’s a sense of spicy stewed cherries (think clove and anise) that supports a touch of charred marshmallow with a bit of soft oak. The end holds onto the fruit and sweeter notes while going all-in on the warmness of the ABVs with a black pepper spiciness and long yet subtle tobacco buzz.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’ll make you ride or die for a brand. It’s also one that you’ll want to immediately go back to to find the deeper flavors layered within.
This whiskey takes Woodinville’s signature (and much-lauded) five-year-old straight bourbon and gives it a new finishing touch. The juice is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. While there are similarities between this and the much-loved Woodinville Port Cask Finish, this feels like a step up in many small, tough-to-define ways.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a bouquet of dark spices next to dried orange rinds, soft Christmas cake, and a slight floral underpinning that’s more “damp” than “dried out.” The taste embraces the holiday spice matrix with a creamy veneer of dark chocolate oranges, eggnog spice, and a velvety mouthfeel with a hint of orchard fruit and toffee drizzle. The finish is long but doesn’t overstay its welcome. There’s a sense of the woody spices that’s more akin to cinnamon sticks once stirred in hot apple cider, leaving you with a dry note of spicy tobacco.
Bottom Line:
If you have a bottle of this on your shelf, you already know how great it is. Go and pour one and enjoy it! If not, take the time to seek one out.
3. Heaven’s Door Redbreast Master Blender’s Edition
This whiskey is a collaboration between Heaven’s Door Master Blender Ryan Perry and Redbreast’s legendary Master Blender Billy Leighton. The duo worked long and hard to create multiple whiskey expressions, which Bob Dylan taste tested and granted final approval on. The juice in the bottle is Heaven Door’s low-rye 10-year-old Tennessee bourbon. They take that whiskey and fill it into Redbreast whiskey casks that had previously aged Irish whiskey for 12 years (which spends time in Spanish oak). After 15 months of final maturation, those barrels are vatted and slightly proofed down with soft Tennessee spring water.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with this medley of marzipan, soft leather, prunes and dates, Gala apples, a hint of cedar, and a whisper of ripe red cherry. There’s this body of nutmeg that leads towards a light vanilla pound cake full of candied and dried fruits with a soft marzipan center. That then draws towards subtle pops of orange oils, floral honey, walnuts in buttery brown sugar syrup, and this mild touch of spiced apple tobacco leaf. The end lasts for just the right amount of time and leaves you with a walnut shell dryness, soft warmth, and slight tobacco chew buzz that all circles back towards a raisin sherry sweetness and a final morsel of that vanilla pound cake.
This whiskey is hewn from 90 30-gallon barrels of four-year-old bourbon that were transferred into 26 59-gallon Tawny Port casks for a final maturation of nearly two years. That juice was then bottled with a touch of water added.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this bursts with raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, and blueberry, all stewed with plenty of holiday spices and folded into a cobbler topped with dense buttery buttermilk biscuits. The palate leans into the spice with a focus on clove, nutmeg, and a very small whisper of anise as the berry turns more towards a fresh strawberry with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans chiming in on the mid-palate. That chocolate-bitter vibe drives towards a finish full of cinnamon-spiked dark chocolate tobacco leaves, stewed plums, and a dollop of floral honey.
Bottom Line:
See the “bottom line” for the last entry.
1. Belle Meade Bourbon Honey Cask Finish
Nelsons Green Brier
ABV: 53%
Average Price:$175 (Annual Distillery Lottery Only)
The Whiskey:
This whiskey starts off by seasoning used whiskey barrels (from Nelson’s Green Brier’s warehouse) with honey. The distillery sends their barrels to TruBee Honey Farm in Arrington, Tennessee where the barrels are filled with wildflower honey. After the honey has finished its rest, the barrels are emptied and sent back to Nashville. Once they arrive at Nelson’s, they’re filled with Belle Meade’s award-winning bourbon for a six to eight-month rest where the honey makes its mark on the whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
The floral honey notes from that honey really shine through on the nose. It’s supported by a slightly woody, yet sharp cinnamon that’s been stored in a cedar box with a hint of green tea lurking underneath. The palate pushes the cinnamon to the foreground as a light touch of fresh brioche with butter and orange marmalade mingles with soft toffee and almost sticky honey cream, which creates a velvety mouthfeel. That honey and cinnamon combine on the mid-palate and lead towards a light note of vanilla pods and almond butter on the super-soft finish.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey will completely change everything you’ve ever known about “honey” bourbons. This is a stellar bourbon that’s accented beautifully by real honey, adding extra dimensions to the overall experience. That game-changing vibe is why this one wins the day. Well, that and it’s delicious.
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