The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award is headed to Miami. The league announced on Tuesday evening that Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is the first player in franchise history to earn the distinction, as he beat out fellow finalists Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cameron Johnson of the Phoenix Suns.
Herro was presented the award by Heat teammate Udonis Haslem, who praised the youngster for accepting his role in Miami when he could have a more prominent role elsewhere.
Shortly after the news was announced, the NBA showed how the voting bore out, with Love coming in second and Johnson coming third. Herro blew away the remainder of the field, earning 96 out of a possible 100 first-place votes and appearing in the top-3 on every ballot.
Tyler Herro is the first player to win the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Miami Heat.
Herro, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, burst onto the scene in the league’s Orlando Bubble during his first season and took a step forward during his sophomore campaign. In 2022, Herro came off the bench in 56 of the 66 games in which he appeared, but still managed to be one of the Heat’s top scorers — Herro averaged 20.7 points per game, a career-best mark and second only to Jimmy Butler on the team. Beyond his scoring, Herro doled out a career-high four assists a night.
Since starting his bus conversation in 2020, Caleb has driven his home on wheels across the U.S., exploring both the most touristed and remote outdoor destinations. Having visited numerous national parks, natural wonders, and mountain towns, he has the expert knowledge needed for a legendary road trip across the country. Below, he’s sharing his all-time favorite outdoor destinations across the U.S.
Growing up in a family of nine that valued road trips and camping led me to a lifestyle that would become a piece of my identity: being a nomad. Did I expect this as a middle schooler while crammed in the back of an RV in national parks from California to Maine — no, but I knew I cherished the freedom of the open road. Permanently living on wheels never crossed my mind as a lifestyle until I started graduate school at the University of Tennessee. I quickly realized that working a part-time job to pay rent would be a challenge while pursuing two master’s degrees, so I looked for solutions that would give me more financial freedom.
Amid a pandemic and inflation in the housing market in 2020, I began scrolling through social media for inspiration for unique and affordable housing options. One afternoon, I landed on a listing for an old school bus on Facebook Marketplace. That yellow bus would end up becoming my tiny home on wheels and the best purchase I would ever make. Two years and thousands of miles later, living on wheels has given me the freedom to not be confined to a permanent location or tied to a life where I must work a traditional job to pay my rent.
I will be forever grateful for this experience.
Big Bend National Park
Caleb Brackney
I first went to Big Bend National Park on a class field trip in 2018. Little did I know that this vast park in Southwest Texas would become one of my favorite destinations. From mountains to remote desert, there are over 150 miles of trails to explore, and the Rio Grande winds its way through the edge of the park to offer dynamic canyons and places to dip in and cool off. My favorite canyon is Santa Elena where you can hike along the river and view wildlife and numerous plant species that make the national park one of a kind.
Black Hills, South Dakota
Caleb Brackney
The Black Hills have been the backdrop of cowboy tales, movies, and wild west imaginations for over a hundred years, but the millions of acres that comprise the region are full of more wildlife and vegetation than you could explore on any single trip. From the roaming bison in the plains to the horseback riding trails that wind their way up the hills, the Black Hills are perfect for any adventure. Black Elk Peak is my favorite hike in the area, which is also the highest peak between the Rockies and the Atlantic Ocean. A visit to local chuckwagon dinner shows and Mount Rushmore are a must for every visit.
Devils Tower, Wyoming
Caleb Brackney
Devils Tower may be the most iconic national monument (along with the first established one) in our country. The sheer walls stretch up hundreds of feet in the plains of Wyoming and the cliffs hold history and numerous stories from native Americans who originally found the place. Hiking trails surround the tower and allow visitors to climb along boulders that have broken off the cliffs. You can also attempt to climb to the top as there are over 200 routes up the monument!
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
Caleb Brackney
Garden of the Gods is a gorgeous destination just a few hours south of Denver in Colorado Springs. This small park is home to hiking trails that take visitors around rock outcroppings and provide a great destination for novice rock climbers to learn the hobby. While the loop around the park can become crowded, there are many trails that are more remote and provide nice views towards Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak is near here and should also be a stop as it is the tallest point in the Rockies.
Glacier National Park
Caleb Brackney
Glacier is hands down my favorite travel destination in the United States. From backpacking to day hikes, this massive park has enough wildlife and mountains to provide entertainment for dozens of trips. My favorite part of the park is Many Glacier, where a massive log cabin-style lodge sits next to a lake with hiking trails that circle it. Every time I’ve visited I’ve seen no fewer than half a dozen grizzly bears which add an extra level of excitement to each trip. Moose also freely roam this park and provide unforgettable moments when you see them at close distances.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Caleb Brackney
Located a few hours north of Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park is a destination that can not be missed. From the entrance through Estes Park into a wilderness of its own, the Rockies were practically created for adventures. From Lily Lake to the tree line on Longs Peak, wildlife and vegetation are abundant in this part of the country. Over 100 peaks litter this park, and multiple entrances allow visitors to experience it from different perspectives. My favorite hikes have been from Wild Basin into the wilderness.
Sequoia National Park
Caleb Brackney
Since when is it not cool to experience the world as a squirrel would?! In Sequoia National Park, located in Southern California, tree trunks that are larger than the width of school buses comprise this oasis. Since there is only a small elevation/precipitation zone where Sequoia trees can live, this park is a natural wonder because it offers the only canvas where groves of these old trees can live. When you enter the park you’ll have to drive almost 45 minutes uphill to reach the groves, so the weather can swing over 40 degrees within that hour due to the elevation change!
Tucson, Arizona
Caleb Brackney
While most of my favorite destinations are national parks, Tucson holds a special place in my heart because of how unique it is. Adjacent to vast spans of BLM lands, canyons, national forests, and Saguaro National Park, this city is a great base for desert adventures. My favorite day trips out of Tucson include watching prairie dog villages, walking through the streets of historic Tombstone, AZ, and exploring the gorgeous town of Bisbee. Though a large city, I believe Tucson is a hidden gem and a great home base for creating memories in the desert.
When it comes to warm weather IPAs, it’s difficult to beat the refreshing, juicy, hazy, tropical fruit-laden New England IPA. This popular IPA style is a safe haven from the sometimes aggressively bitter West Coast IPA. The best part? Since this style has taken off dramatically in the past five years or so, there are plenty to choose from.
To help you pick a (new, to you!) hazy worth drinking, we asked a handful of well-known craft beer experts, brewers, and beer professionals to tell us their picks for the most underrated hazy IPAs on the market and they didn’t disappoint with their answers. Below, you’ll find some well-known beers that perhaps don’t get the acclaim they warrant and others that should immediately be on your radar. Let’s dive in!
Lone Pine Oh-J
Lone Pine
Mike Haakenstad, brewing operations manager at Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina
Everyone knows the New England heavy hitters so we will skip all of those. What most people may not know of is a beer called Oh-J from Lone Pine Brewing Company out of Portland, Maine. This beer is on par with the best New England has to offer. Huge aromas of citrus that carry through the entire sip, very well balanced and drinkable, and perfectly carbed every time (which aids in the great mouthfeel). Not sure why this beer doesn’t have the love as some others, maybe it’s the size or location of the brewery, but this beer is excellent and you should have it.
Old Nation’s Boss Tweed has a bigger Vienna malt backbone with really citrusy fruit aromas that hit the spot for me. This 9.3 percent double New England IPA carries notes of mango, tangerine, and guava that pair well with its pilsner malts.
I recently had a Double Agent Hazy IPA from Funguys Brewing (Raleigh, North Carolina) that stood out as on par with some of the best hazy IPAs I’ve had from world-renowned breweries like Treehouse Brewing. Double Agent has a luscious mouthfeel from oats and lactose sugar that is perfectly balanced with malt character and juicy hops. Fun Guy’s are already making a name for themselves, but I think this IPA is going to grow indefinitely in popularity.
I do think that some of the better and more consistent hazy IPAs on the market these days are coming from Timber Ales. Most recently we have enjoyed Miles of Trials, an IPA dry-hopped with Nelson and Strata hops. Clean and soft, yet not overly sweet and cloying, and layered with saturated, bright, hop character, Trials has been an IPA that I find myself easily finishing a 16-ounce can of (a feat that all too often is not the case). Timber Ales IPAs tend to not be receiving the same hype as their BA releases simply because of the availability, but don’t let the “shelfie” status fool you! Each and every one of the Timber IPAs can hang in there with the best of them.
Real Ale Fresh Kicks
Real Ale
Hector Cavazos, owner and head brewer at Rebel Toad Brewery in Corpus Christi, Texas
There are so many good ones out there, but I can say that Fresh Kicks by Real Ale is always consistently good. It has a great hazy look and just the right amount of dankness. Brewed with Azacca, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Strata hops, it’s fruity, juicy, and well-balanced.
Wind Shift Solar Tsunami is my choice. This is a great hazy IPA. It’s brewed in small batches, so you know it is going to be fresh. Brewed with a mix of El Dorado, Citra, and Cascade hops, it’s loaded with juicy, hazy, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors.
Even though it’s popular, it still doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Hazy Little Thing from Sierra Nevada is a juicy, hop-forward hazy IPA that is approachable, affordable, and readily available across the country. Hazy Little Thing is the perfect beer for someone looking to get into hazy IPAs, but also for the hazy IPA drinker looking to have more than a few pints.
It’s hard to say there is anything like an underrated hazy IPA these days. One of my favorites that doesn’t get enough credit is New York Nectar from Subversive Malting + Brewing in Catskill, NY. Made with entirely New York state grown ingredients, it is very soft, very juicy, and has a surprising seven percent ABV. Considering the current trend of using hops and grain from all across the globe, it is amazing to have a beer that can compete with the highest-rated offerings that are made entirely with ingredients from my home state.
I’m going with SingleCut Beersmith’s 18-Watt. It’s a session IPA at five percent ABV, and I feel like SingleCut gets overshadowed by the wealth of great New York breweries. This was a beer I kept on tap often back when I worked in New Jersey and it packed a ton of flavor (mango, tangerine) without coming across as grassy in a smaller beer.
Terra Trooper from Platform Brewing is my pick. The guys from Platform sent us some beers a bit ago and this one really stood out to me. We can’t find many of their products down in South Florida, so I haven’t had many of their beers before. This one was very citrusy and juicy but didn’t feel overloaded with hops. It was nice and balanced, not overly sweet, not overly bitter.
The Alchemist Heady Topper
The Alchemist
Jesse Mix, regional manager of beer and soft drinks at Sprecher Brewing Company in Glendale, Wisconsin
Heady Topper still isn’t very accessible though highly praised. This is unfiltered and unpasteurized beer in its raw form. It’s very resinous, piney, and fruity but with a good amount of malt body to keep everything in check. Even though it’s highly touted, it still doesn’t get talked about as much as it should when it comes to hazy IPAs. It’s the pinnacle of hazy IPAs.
Grove from Brewery Bhavana is my pick. It’s hard to describe this other than to say it’s a soft, delightfully citrus beer that hides the booze quite well. I don’t think Bhavana gets talked about for their IPA much, but they do it well.
This past weekend, Sol Blume festival returned to Sacramento, CA for the time since 2019. Held at Discovery Park – with its sweeping 300-acre riverfront grounds – the third edition of the festival saw a powerful, all-female headlining bill in Jazmine Sullivan, Jorja Smith, Summer Walker and Jhene Aiko.
In recent years, we’ve seen lineup figures cross the 30 percent mark of female-led acts on the bill, but that number seldom affects the headlining slate, which is typically dominated by male artists. Some festivals recently made it a priority to feature female-led acts in at least half of the bill, but when it comes to hip-hop/R&B, that effort is generally negligible. Sol Blume is (hopefully) pioneering a new trend in booking multiple women to headline festivals across all genres.
Day 1 of the festival kicked off with perfect weather and R&B stars like Ravyn Lenae, Lauren Jauregui, and Lucky Daye. West Coast rappers Buddy and D Smoke brought some balancing hip-hop energy across the two festival stages before DVSN, Majid Jordan, Alina Baraz, Jazmine Sullivan, and Jorja Smith took over for some nighttime, sing-along R&B vibes. Sol Blume producers made a note to make sure none of the set times overlapped across the two stages, so ticket holders truly got their money’s worth being able to catch every act on their wish list.
Day 2’s energy was just as high as Day 1, with West Coast stars like Rexx Life Raj, Victoria Monet, Tinashe, BLXST, and Syd packing Discovery Park and priming the thousands in attendance for two of R&B’s biggest stars of today: Summer Walker and Jhene Aiko.
Check out our photo recap of Sol Blume below.
Sol Blume // Photo by Dante NicholasJazmine Sullivan // Photo by Dante NicholasJorja Smith // Photo by Dante NicholasSummer Walker // Photo by Dante NicholasJhene Aiko // Photo by Dante NicholasBuddy // Photo by Dante NicholasSol Blume // Photo by Dante NicholasKiana Lede // Photo by Dante NicholasLucky Daye // Photo by Dante NicholasD Smoke // Photo by Dante NicholasDVSN // Photo by Dante NicholasTinashe // Photo by Dante NicholasSinead Harnett // Photo by Dante NicholasBlxst // Photo by Dante NicholasLauren Jauregui // Photo by Dante NicholasRexx Life Raj // Photo by Dante NicholasVictoria Monet // Photo by Dante NicholasLauren Jauregui // Photo by Dante NicholasRexx Life Raj // Photo by Dante NicholasFoushee // Photo by Dante Nicholas
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There’s soooooooo much bourbon out there right now that it can’t all be great, “the best,” or… even very good. That’s just math. I know that sounds flippant, but every major distillery has a few expressions that lurk on the bottom shelf in plastic bottles with screwtop caps. Because they’re not going to just dump a barrel of whiskey into the gutter, right? So they blend it out into the cheap stuff.
It stands to reason then that just as there are the best bourbons from particular distilleries, there are also the worst bourbons from those same distilleries. It’s a simple ying and yang, Superman and Zod, Rock and Smith, or in bourbon terms Eagle Rare BTAC and Benchmark (more on that below).
To put a finer point on it, I’d be lying if I said I loved every bourbon I tasted. Some (a lot sometimes) are hot trash. Generally, I log those and move on without slagging them off because it’s pretty obvious that a $7 plastic bottle of “bourbon” isn’t going to be something anyone is going to line up to buy. That said, the quality between a big Kentucky distillery’s standard expression and the stuff they put in those plastic bottles can be massive. And just because a bottom shelf bottle is made by, say, Willett or Heaven Hill or even Buffalo Trace does not mean it’s worth your time or money.
To that end, I’m naming ten bottles of Kentucky bourbon that I think you should avoid. Forever. Are these the worst bourbons ever? Nah. They’re just not very good — maybe a little plasticky or watery — and also all come from huge distilleries that make way better expressions for just a little bit more cash. Sometimes only five to ten dollars more. And why be disappointed (or even disgusted) when you can be satisfied for just a few bucks more? You’ve earned good whiskey, so let’s get into which bottles to skip from the big Kentucky distilleries!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Barton 1792 Distillery — part of the Sazerac group of distilleries — is renowned for white labeling, contract distilling, and putting out both amazing and amazingly cheap bourbons. This expression is the bottom rung in bottle form. Barton doesn’t disclose the mash bill but it is aged at least four years. Beyond that, it’s cut down to 80 proof with plenty of Kentucky limestone water and bottled in plastic.
Tasting Notes:
Water and plastic are what you get on the nose and on the palate. While the plastic fades away, the wateriness imparts flavors of muted vanilla, banana chip, and maybe a hint of caramel soda. The palate is largely the same with a sense of watered-down apple juice, a hint more of that vanilla, some alcohol burn (almost inexplicably), and a touch of chocolate-covered cherries dipped in water.
Bottom Line:
I probably wouldn’t even mix this with Coke. It’s just so watery.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
For $13, you can get some Very Old Barton from the same distillery. It’s aged two more years and only proofed down to 100 proof. While it’s not mind-blowingly better, it’s miles ahead of Kentucky Tavern and that watered-down nature is gone — allowing the flavor profile to shine through.
This is an entry point whiskey from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, commonly known as Willett. The juice is a bourbon blend that’s a minimum of four years old. It’s then cut down to a very accessible 86 proof with that local limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mix of yellow masa, damp cedar, wildflowers, and a hint of vanilla extract next to fresh mint leaves. The palate is very thin but carries a fair amount of buttery caramel, a dash of black pepper, a hint of cinnamon, and more of that soft cedar. The finish is pretty much what you’d expect for a bottle under $20 with a quick, watery fade, leaving you with the distant and vague idea of caramel, masa, and sweet oak… those features could be a leftover from the nose more than the actual taste.
Bottom Line:
This is fine on the front end but completely disappears on the back end/finish into a watery mishmash.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
Sticking with Willett, Old Bardstown Estate Bottled 101 — for $28 — is a massive jump in quality, taste, and overall usefulness. It’s a really good mixing bourbon that also works fine in a highball or even on the rocks. It’s versatile, cheap, and damn good for what it is.
The juice in this bottle is from Buffalo Trace’s Mash #1, which has a scant amount of barley and rye next to mostly corn. This is the same mash that’s used for bigger hitting brands like Eagle Rare, Stagg, and E.H. Taylor. In this case, this is a standard straight bourbon that’s sort of like a base-level Eagle Rare, in theory, but from barrels that didn’t make the cut and were then proofed all the way down for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Faint lemon candies and honey lead to an old vanilla wafer on the nose but not much else. The taste is “classic” bourbon with watery hints of leather, spice, and cornmeal next to vanilla extract, caramel, and old buttered popcorn. The end is very faint and almost vodka-like with a tapwater vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is just a cheap and easy bourbon that’s good for mixing with Coke and not much else.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
The easy path is to just say, “get the Eagle Rare 10 for $50” and be done with it. But I’d argue that Benchmark Bonded — for $20 — is such a big jump in quality and flavor that you should try that first. The Bonded version basically takes everything that’s just a whisper in the above version and lets it shine while layering in deeper flavor notes.
This Heaven Hill bourbon is standard bourbon made with its iconic mash bill of 78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and ten percent rye (the same as Evan Williams and Elijah Craig). The juice spends four years in barrels before it’s blended out into this expression and proofed way down to 80 proof.
Tasting Notes:
“Light” is what comes to mind on the nose with a soft cream soda, a touch of caramel, and a little bit of corn husk. The palate follows suit with simple notes of vanilla, caramel, and dried corn dominating the palate. The finish is pretty watery — it kind of reminds me of hose water on a hot day — with the same beats for vanilla-caramel-corn-and-wood barely peaking in over the proofing water.
Bottom Line:
This is light but also simple. I’m not mad at it but don’t really see the point either.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
Just get an Evan Williams White Label. Yes, it’s a shooting and mixing whiskey but it’s so much more complex than this and only costs about $5-$7 more.
Old Forester’s 86 Proof is a very straightforward whisky. The mash bill is mid-range rye with 18 percent of the grain next to 72 percent corn and a final ten percent of malted barley (the same bill for all their bourbon). The juice is aged in a fairly heavily charred oak barrel for an undisclosed amount of time (the youngest barrel is likely older than four years). The whisky is then blended and proofed down to a very manageable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
This has a big nose of vanilla-cherry tobacco with a hint of fresh mint lurking in the background next to a whisper of floral honey cut short by a slightly tinny nature. The taste has a grilled corn-on-the-cob vibe with a hint of pepper and butter next to small doses of citrus and soft oak that’s all a little muted by an “alcohol” burn. The end is long and leaves you with that boozy burn and a touch more of that sweet corn and butter.
Bottom Line:
This is getting better, all things considered. Instead of watery muted notes, this suffers from a bit of a burn that overpowers what’s in the whiskey. Still, this is perfectly serviceable as bourbon and Coke whiskey but not much else. I guess I’d also take a shot of this as a beer back in a pinch… but I wouldn’t be hyped about it.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
I think you can skip Old Forester 100 (which is fine for cocktails) and go straight to Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond. It’s only $49 and is a great example of the power of this brand/distillery/team.
This is a classic bourbon that became part of Jim Beam about 30-odd years ago. Until then, it was famed for being the drink of choice of President Grant, back in the 1870s — which gave it a lot to hang its hat on as a brand. The juice in the bottle is a year younger than a typical Jim Beam bourbon — so three-ish years — and it is cut way down to 80 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Wow, this is thin on the nose. There are hints of vanilla, overcooked popcorn, caramel, and what feels like fresh slices of Wonder Bread. The sip is almost invisible on the tip of the tongue and very watery but does have echoes of sweet cherry candy, caramel apples, and vanilla extract in there but you really have to dig around for them. Those notes almost immediately disappear into the watery nature of the sip with no discernable finish but maybe that Wonder Bread dipped in tepid water.
Bottom Line:
This is the first bottle of whiskey I ever considered pouring down the drain. I didn’t, but I have no idea what to do with it otherwise.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
Literally any other bottle made at Beam from any of their brands, or just grab a Jim Beam Black Label. It’s like it’s in an entirely different spirits category than Old Crow. Plus, Jim Beam Black Label should only cost you around $19.
This expression was devised as a lower-proof bourbon that’s a pure workhorse whiskey. That means it’s made for mixing but you can sip it if that’s your jam. This universality is achieved by letting the juice rest in deeply charred oak for six to seven years before it’s cut down to 81 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mix of mild spice, bitter oak, ripe stone fruits, creamy vanilla, and an echo of salted caramel with little to no watery presence. The taste delivers on that and expands into peach cobbler territory with mild hints of vanilla and brown sugar syrup with baking spices. The end is another left turn with a dusting of dark chocolate with a hint of honey as the water kicks in a fades out the stone fruit, spice, and oak pretty quickly.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best “skippable” whiskeys on this list. It’s perfectly fine but not the best representation of Wild Turkey by any stretch. Still, if you do come across this, it is a great mixer — I can’t deny that.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
This is easy, Wild Turkey 101 all day — it’s only $20. While 101 has been erroneously slagged off by a generation of adults who didn’t know how to handle their Turkey in college, this is still one of the most legitimate cheap bourbons on the market. It’s also an essential cocktail mixing bourbon for any bar cart.
This introductory juice from Four Roses is a blend of all ten of their whiskeys. The barrels are a minimum of five years old when they’re plucked from the warehouses, blended, brought down to 80 proof, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a bit of steeliness to the nose that mellows hints of dried florals, apple, and a touch of honey and spice. The taste doesn’t veer too far from the nose as the apple turns more honey, with mild vanilla and more honeyed sweetness. The end is subtle, short, watery, and steely with a minor touch of green oak, spice, fruit, and one more dash of honey.
Bottom Line:
The steeliness of this is hard to get past sometimes. That said, that note completely goes away when you mix this into highballs or bourbon and Cokes, where it shines the most.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
Four Roses Small Batch is such a small step up in price (only $28) but a huge step up in taste. The bottle works wonders in a cocktail and is perfectly fine for an on the rocks sip of whiskey.
This bourbon from Lux Row is a high-rye mash that’s contract distilled partially off-site and partially made at the distillery. The whiskey spends around four to five years mellowing before it’s blended, proofed down, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all about the nuts and fruit with a trail mix vibe next to more standard notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. The palate has a hint of alcohol burn from the jump with plenty of dark spices and dry peanut shells popping in before the burn takes over on the mid-palate. The burn carries through to the finish, muting the vanilla, peanut, caramel, and oak.
Bottom Line:
This is “hot” in that it tastes like burning instead of “hot” notes from spice, wood, or tobacco. Overall, it’s fine if you’re making a bourbon and Coke.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
I’d go with another Lux Row mainstay, Ezra Brooks 99. It’s only $5 more than David Nicholson and just much deeper while also being more approachable and mixable.
This whiskey embraces a high-rye mash bill that’s comprised of 68 percent corn, 28 percent rye, and four percent malted barley which Bulleit has been distilling themselves since 2017. The juice is then rested for six years before blending, cutting down to proof, and barreling, which, in turn, means that there’s still a little sourced juice in the mix here.
Tasting Notes:
This has a very “classic” and “spicy” bourbon nose with clear hints of vanilla, oak, spice, and wood. The spice is squarely in the cinnamon category, with creamy vanilla, warm tobacco, and a hint of orchard fruit lurking in the background. The end is warm but not hot. The oak, dark spice, brown sugars, and whisper of corn linger on your senses through the medium finish.
Bottom Line:
This is fine for what it is, a decent cocktail bourbon. It’s also a pretty good shooter without too much burn but… not much else. Unless you’re looking for a run-of-mill bourbon.
The Bottle To Get Instead:
Given Bulleit’s dismal history with the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities, I’m not going to recommend any other expression from the brand. If you want to stick with Diageo, however, then I’d recommend getting yourself some George Dickel Bottled-In-Bond for $40. It’s stellar whiskey, albeit from Tennessee and not Kentucky.
Life has been strange and Mad Libs-y for a while now, but every now and then a story breaks through that’s so out-there that it could shake even the most jaded individual. One such case happened on Tuesday, when police arrested a man who climbed a giant tower. While Instagramming (allegedly). To protest abortion. And who goes by “Pro-Life Spiderman.”
The man, later identified as one Maison Des Champs (sounds legit), was spotted scaling San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower, which stands a whopping 1,070 feet and 61 stories. By the time he’d reached the top, police were ready and waiting to take him into custody. He faces two misdemeanor charges: one for trespassing, the other for ignoring police orders to stop.
When apprehended, Des Champs revealed his motive: He was protesting the leaked Supreme Court draft penned by Justice Samuel Alito, in which he signaled that Roe v. Wade was likely to be overturned. A rock climber and anti-abortion activist, he claimed that he’d recently started protesting the procedure by scaling skyscrapers. And then there’s his aforementioned alias, which might not please the other Spider-Men out there.
Though many would surely not agree with his politics, pretty much everyone can agree that this is an impressive feat, as you can see in the videos below.
BREAKING: The man climbing the Salesforce Tower has made it to the top and has been arrested. His name is Madison DeChamps and he describes himself as a “Pro-Life Spider-Man.” pic.twitter.com/O6TbKAhqE8
The Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams looking for a new head coach. The franchise opted to fire Frank Vogel at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, and after telling him they were going to do that, a spot on the bench opened up for a team with championship aspirations and ultra-high expectations, despite the fact that the team missed the play-in tournament altogether this year.
There hasn’t been a ton of reporting on who the Lakers may or may not be targeting as the person to take over for Vogel, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a former coach is part of the “committee” searching for someone new.
“This is very much a committee in L.A. putting together this coaching search,” Wojnarowski said. “And one person who is certainly significantly involved in this process is Phil Jackson. He’s got a voice in this, he did last time when they hired Frank Vogel — [Jackson] and Kurt Rambis, he had been somebody they had considered with the Knicks before hiring Derek Fisher in New York. And so, I think Phil Jackson’s voice is here.”
Wojnarowski went on to identify Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as someone who the team will interview before saying the team is in no rush to make a decision.
“They’re moving deliberately,” Wojnarowski said. “They’re not doing seven, or eight, or nine candidates all at once. They’re kind of going down a list and taking their time with it. I think that process is gonna take a bit.”
Jackson spent two stints as the Lakers’ head coach, winning five of his 11 championships with the franchise.
Starbucks’ iced coffee menu is all sorts of f*cked up. Cold brews with cream, nitro cold brews, iced Americanos, iced coffees, shaken espressos, iced flat whites, iced lattes, iced macchiatos… they really should be given some sort of reward for figuring out new ways to fill their menu with what is essentially the same thing over and over and over again while charging you different amounts of money for it. What kind of sick game are you playing with us, Starbucks? Who are you, Chuck Rhoades from Billions?!
Seriously, this menu is needlessly complicated. Take for instance the weird made-up subcategory “iced mochas.” Iced mochas differ in no way from iced lattes (a different category on the menu) except that they’re made with chocolate. Is there a separate category for the other flavored lattes? Nope, just chocolate. That explains why the drive-thru and in-store lines are always so long — don’t blame the baristas, blame Starbucks because nobody knows what the hell they are ordering. So to save you some time, we’ve decided to break down each one of Starbucks’ iced coffee drinks by tasting and ranking all of them and explaining the differences between drinks like the shaken espresso and the iced macchiato — which, as we said before, are essentially the same thing.
Seriously Starbucks, get a hold of yourself and fix this menu! End rant.
Because there are a considerable number of customizable flavor options at Starbucks, we’re only going to be ranking the drinks Starbucks lists on its online menu, ordering each as-is, size tall (small) with no additional tweaks. We’ll be sure to list how each drink is made so you have a clear understanding of what you’re ordering. We’ve also eliminated a few drinks that we consider minor alterations of a menu item, for example, Starbucks lists both Iced Coffee and Iced Coffee With Milk. They’re so similar they don’t deserve independent rankings, so we’re going to lump them in as one entry and make notes on the flavor profiles of both. Just because Starbucks won’t simplify its menu, doesn’t mean we won’t try to do it for them!
Find out which drinks are worth your time and money, and how to navigate Starbucks’ needlessly complicated categories below. But first…
What Makes For A Great Iced Coffee?
We’ve done all sorts of fast food coffee rankings and blind taste tests and when it comes to good coffee we’re always looking for one thing: balance. A balance between the natural character of the coffee bean itself — which could mean flavors that range from toasty to fruity to floral to bitter and everything in between — and the drink’s other elements. It should be acidic, but not to the point of being sour, with a smooth and pleasant mouthfeel. Sugar should not run the show.
Make sense? Let’s drink.
23. Iced Caffe Americano
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two shots of espresso, ice, and water.
Tasting Notes:
Just awful. The primary flavors here present themselves as a sort of blank sour wateriness. It’s barely drinkable. It tastes like rainwater filtered through a potted plant. This drink has no redeeming qualities, it’s something you’d only order if you needed a quick kick of caffeine, and this drink definitely delivers a mind-sharpening buzz, but it’s an awful experience to get through.
The Bottom Line:
Starbucks’ worst drink. They don’t have espresso good enough to make an iced Americano work.
22. Iced Flat White
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two shots of Signature Espresso Ristretto, ice, and whole milk.
Tasting Notes:
Starbucks uses a different espresso for their Flat White’s called Signature Espresso Ristretto, which sure does sound fancy. Too bad it tastes like garbage. Really, Starbucks just doesn’t have great espresso when compared to other coffee chains like Pete’s, Coffee Bean, or even Dunkin, so it makes a drink like this, which relies on the complex flavors of espresso to really sell it, fall, for lack of a better word… flat.
This tastes straight up like dirty water.
The Bottom Line:
Flate White? More like flat garbage. Flarbage.
21. Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
A splash of sweet cream and nitro cold brew coffee.
Tasting Notes:
Weak muddled notes of vanilla hover over a burnt stale flavor that stains the tongue. I’m really surprised I didn’t like this one, I enjoyed the Nitro Cold Brew base that this drink is built upon, but the vanilla sweet cream surprisingly brought out a lot of the hidden bitterness and over-roasted notes lurking below.
The Bottom Line:
Awful, if you want to sweeten up your Nitro Cold Brew, you’re better off doing it yourself than relying on the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream.
20. Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso
Starbucks
What’s In It?
Two shots of blonde espresso, chocolate malt powder, ice, and almond milk.
Tasting Notes:
Very nutty with a weird off-putting bitter plant-like aftertaste. The flavors just don’t really work together here, there is a noticeable flatness to it. I really feel this is the weakest flavor in the Shaken Espresso lineup, I’m not sure if that’s down to Starbucks’ almond milk, or just a poor pairing of flavors (why is this one made with almond milk and the others oat milk?) but we’d advise staying away from this one.
The Bottom Line:
The worst flavor in Starbucks’ otherwise very-good Shaken Espresso line.
19. Iced Coffee
Starbucks
What’s In It? 3 pumps Classic Syrup, ice, iced coffee.
Tasting Notes:
Some simple syrup masks sour and acidic coffee. The flavor is a bit sickly and stains the palate in the worst way — you’re going to want to pop a strip of gum after you’re through with this one. You can probably mask some of its bad qualities with milk or cream but as this thing comes, it’s not worth drinking.
The Bottom Line:
Sour and sweet, which good iced coffee shouldn’t taste like.
18. Iced Caffè Latte
Starbucks
What’s In It?
One shot of Signature espresso, 2% milk, ice.
Tasting Notes:
Watery and oddly neutral in flavor. I wouldn’t say it tastes bad because you could hardly taste anything at all here. The slightest hint of bitterness can be sensed if you really strain for it but a powerful burnt aftertaste muddies it up.
The Bottom Line:
Not great, too watery and muddled to really taste the milk or espresso.
17. Starbucks Reserve Iced Hazelnut Bianco Latte
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two Reserve espresso shots, ice, hazelnut syrup.
Tasting Notes:
I wanted to like this one because I like saying “can I get a Tall Reserve Iced Hazelnut Bianco Latte?” It makes me feel like a total asshole, like the parody of a hardcore Starbucks drinker, plus it has hazelnut and hazelnut is delicious and one of the best flavors to pair with the earthy toasty notes of espresso. Unfortunately, as I mentioned so many times already but won’t stop reiterating, Starbucks doesn’t have great espresso so instead of this tasting like a wonderful bouquet of sweet toasted notes that bounce between everything from chocolate, tobacco leaf, butterscotch and cherries, this just tastes burnt and weak.
The Bottom Line:
You can almost pull out something resembling a pleasing flavor when this hits your palate, but it never quite gets there.
16. Iced Caramel Macchiato
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One shot of signature espresso, two pumps of vanilla syrup, 2% milk, caramel drizzle.
Tasting Notes:
The drink every barista who doesn’t work at Starbucks hates. A macchiato is not, like a frappuccino, a drink created by Starbucks. A traditional Italian macchiato consists of about an ounce of milk spotted with a shot of espresso, and at a lot of independent coffee shops, a macchiato is still that. This leads to a lot of angry customers who have come to expect a full-size drink, thanks to a trend that Starbucks seems to have started and other American coffee shops have since adopted.
I’m sorry, I’m letting resentment from my past as a barista bubble up to the surface.
Anyway, this drink isn’t good, and I’m not just saying that because of some Barista PTSD — the flavors just don’t gel together here. The caramel notes are almost ghostly, and the overall flavor comes across as tasting dirty. The flavors just don’t combine cohesively, it tastes like it needs to be blended to work, which is probably why the Caramel Frappuccino is so good.
The Bottom Line:
Bad, a bitter dirty caramel flavor dominates this drink. Like Snickers dipped in soil.
15. Cold Brew
Starbucks
What’s In It?
Cold brew coffee.
Tasting Notes:
The slightest hint of bitterness hovers above a naturally sweet body that is a little more acidic than it should be, but overall pretty good. The only thing is Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is slightly better and has more character than this, so it feels a bit redundant.
It’s okay to kill menu items Starbucks, let this one go.
The Bottom Line:
A bit more sour and less complex than the Nitro version of this Cold Brew.
14. Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two shots Blonde Espresso Ristretto, three pumps honey blend, ice, almond milk
Tasting Notes:
Starbucks uses Califia Farms Barista Blend almond milk and if you like that brand it’s pretty safe to assume you’re going to like all of Starbucks’ almond milk-based drinks, because that Califia Farms flavor is pretty prominent. Unfortunately, I think it tastes like plants — there is this weird green vegetal taste to Starbucks almond milk drinks that I just can’t get behind.
The added bitter and sweet notes of honey help to make this a bit more palatable, but ultimately I think this is a pretty mid-tier drink.
The Bottom Line:
It has a plant-y vegetal quality that doesn’t really taste that great to me. Honey does a lot of heavy lifting here but it’s not enough to save this one from the mid ranks.
13. Nitro Cold Brew
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Nitro cold brew coffee
Tasting Notes:
Soft an smooth on the palate with a bitter dark chocolate flavor. I’m getting some subtle cherry flavors on the backend, overall just a really pleasant coffee that is full of character.
The Bottom Line:
I think the Nitro Cold Brew is best enjoyed totally black. There is enough flavor and natural sweetness here that it doesn’t require loads of sugar to be palatable.
12. Iced Espresso
Starbucks
What’s In It?
Two shots of espresso, ice.
Tasting Notes:
Considering I’ve spent a lot of words reiterating that Starbucks’ espresso is objectively awful, you’d think I’d rank this one dead last but… if you’re looking for that kick of caffeine, straight up iced espresso is the way to go. Starbucks espresso is a real problem when it gets stretched out in a 12 oz drink, but this simple iced shot form factor makes it a lot more palatable. I can taste some dark chocolate and cherry notes in there and can see now how Starbucks can stand behind their espresso blends.
They just don’t seem to be paying attention to how the flavors of their beans interact with their syrups.
The Bottom Line:
When you need a quick sugar-free jolt of caffeine, this is the most palatable way to get it.
11. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Sweet cream, one pump vanilla syrup, cold brew coffee.
Tasting Notes:
This is the kind of shit that I hate about Starbucks. Why do we need a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew and a Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew? They shouldn’t be individual menu items, they are essentially the same thing at the very least Starbucks should stop listing the Nitro version since it tastes rancid. I’m not sure why this one works where the other former fails, but I had a much more pleasant experience drinking this over the Nitro version.
The vanilla flavor still falls a bit flat here, but the way it mingles with Starbucks’ sweet cold brew is a lot more pleasing and the soft frothy mouthfeel makes this drink really pleasant to sip on.
The Bottom Line:
If you want vanilla-sweetened cold brew, don’t get it Nitro style, get this one instead.
10. Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One pump of vanilla syrup, salted caramel cream cold foam, cold brew coffee.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet buttery and vanilla flavors make way for earthy and sweet caramel notes with a nice subtle salty finish. Really pleasant to drink, which came as kind of a surprise. So far I haven’t loved Starbucks’ Caramel-based drinks, the flavors never taste well mixed together, but this one tastes really balanced.
The Bottom Line:
Starbucks’ best Caramel-based iced coffee drink.
9. Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One shot of Blonde espresso, three pumps of vanilla syrup, ice, 2% milk.
Tasting Notes:
Starbucks’ Blonde espresso is probably the brand’s best tasting espresso, it’s light, buttery, with a mellow body and a pleasing lightly toasted flavor, which pairs nicely with Starbucks’ vanilla syrup. The flavors in this drink are very faint, the vanilla doesn’t overpower and the coffee component never comes across as overly bitter or sour.
The Bottom Line:
Pretty solid, but not remarkable.
8. Iced Caffè Mocha
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One shot of signature espresso, three pumps of mocha sauce, 2% milk.
Tasting Notes:
Deep chocolate notes dominate the flavor profile, it’s deeply sweet like a chocolate bar. The mouthfeel is a bit on the chalky side and the flavors are a bit watered down and muddled, but it’s still hard to dislike this drink. Alas, as I drank it I couldn’t help but wish it was a Mocha Frapp — it has all the makings of a decadent and delicious chocolate coffee milkshake but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
The Bottom Line:
Delicious but why not default the recipe with whole milk over 2%? The stock recipe is missing some creaminess that would greatly enhance the flavors. We’d suggest a whole milk sub if you order this.
7. Reserve Cold Brew
Starbucks
What’s In It?
Starbucks Reserve cold brew coffee.
Tasting Notes:
Starbucks Reserve cold brew has a pleasant silkiness to it with a mellow body and subtle notes of dark chocolate and red cherries. It’s very drinkable, there is a nice balance of natural sweetness and bitterness that never result in wince-inducing sips. You don’t need sweetener or cream here, it’s perfectly good black.
The Bottom Line:
One of Starbucks’ best sugar-free coffee options.
6. Iced White Chocolate Mocha
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One shot of signature espresso, three pumps of white chocolate mocha syrup, 2% milk, ice.
Tasting Notes:
This is a weird one because just from a pure flavor standpoint, I really love the way this tastes. It has a pure white chocolate flavor with sweet, creamy, almost velvety notes. In no world does this taste bad… but it doesn’t taste anything like coffee and when we’re talking about ranking the best iced coffee drinks, we kind of… you know… actually want to be able to taste the coffee.
So I like this, but not because I like the coffee. For that it’ll have to live in the middle of our ranking.
The Bottom Line:
If you like your coffee to taste sweet to the point that there are no noticeable coffee flavors, then this is the drink for you!
5. Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One of shot signature espresso, three pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup, 2% milk, ice, cinnamon dolce sprinkled whipped cream.
Tasting Notes:
For whatever reason, Starbucks’ espresso just tastes really good anytime brown sugar or cinnamon are involved. This has a delicious dessert quality to it, falling somewhere between a snickerdoodle and a cinnamon roll in drink form. It’s sweet, spicy, and citrusy.
The Bottom Line:
Delicious, but Starbucks has another cinnamon and brown sugar flavor that’s a bit better than this — watch for it.
4. Reserve Iced Dark Chocolate Mocha
Starbucks
What’s In It?
Two shots of Reserve espresso, whole milk, ice, mocha sauce.
Tasting Notes:
Much more distinct and heavy on the chocolate than any of Starbucks’ other mocha-based drinks. The flavors are velvety and inviting here, cherry and stone fruit float about heavy notes of coffee and cocoa with a milk chocolate finish. The way the dark chocolate and espresso compliment each other is nice, the drink presents itself with noticeable bitterness that is softened by round chocolate notes that taste like they’re melting into the tongue.
The Bottom Line:
Starbucks finest chocolate-based coffee drink. If you love chocolate, this is the play.
3. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two shots of blonde espresso, 3 pumps of brown sugar syrup, ice, and oat milk.
Tasting Notes:
It tastes like Christmas! Brown sugar molasses cinnamon and some sort of spice (star anise?) sizzle together for a spicy and fragrant iced coffee drink. The oat milk provides a nice nutty character to the aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Very reminiscent of a gingerbread cookie, but not sickeningly sweet. It still tastes like coffee, one of Starbucks’ best drinks easily.
2. Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
Two shots of blonde espresso, 3 pumps of toasted vanilla syrup, ice, oat milk.
Tasting Notes:
I’m not sure if Starbucks’ “toasted vanilla syrup” is actually a definite syrup, but it tastes significantly better in this drink to me. That might have to do with the way the oatmilk brings forth the toasted and nutty notes of the espresso, but seriously, I’m loving this. This is the newest flavor in Starbucks’ Shaken Espresso line and it’s easily the best. Overall this drink has a nice balance of natural sweetness, sweetened vanilla, and the lightly bitter and buttery toasted notes of Starbucks’ blond espresso blend.
It’s one of the few plant-based milk drinks on Starbucks’ menu that I think actually tastes better without the sweet and creamy quality of cow’s milk. Very close to being the best drink on the menu.
The Bottom Line:
Even if you don’t seek out or prefer plant-based milks, give this one a try — it’ll make you a believer.
1. Iced Pistachio Latte
Dane Rivera
What’s In It?
One shot of espresso, three pumps of Pistachio Sauce, 2% milk, and salted brown butter.
Tasting Notes:
Is this Starbucks’ best-kept secret? Yes, yes it is.
I’m not a huge Starbucks fan so I’m not sure how long this drink has been around, but I’ve never heard it advertised, talked about, or even ordered. I haven’t heard this drink called out at a Starbucks, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on the physical menu in-store — which is a real shame because this is one of Starbucks’ best-tasting drinks. Easily.
It’s very reminiscent of hazelnut in flavor but less sweet with a sort of… green aftertaste and a more pronounced nutty character.
The Bottom Line:
Starbucks best drink that no one talks about!
The Big Takeaway:
Simplify your menu, Starbucks — this is madness. Too many of these drinks are painfully similar. Don’t do it for our sake, do it for shorter lines in-store and in the drive-thru and more decisive customers. If you do, people will have an easier time finding your gems!
While Netflix is freaking out over plunging viewers, one of their competitors seems to be doing just fine. HBO Max has been throwing series and spin-offs around like they were Oprah handing out cars. There are multiple Batman-related shows en route. Meanwhile, another of their comic book movies is also being milked again: Looks like there’s going to be a second show spun from the Suicide Squad wing of the DCEU.
As per Deadline, the streamer has greenlit an as-yet-untitled show concerning Amanda Waller, the semi-villainous government official played by Viola Davis. Introduced in the first Suicide Squad (the one without the definitive article in the title), Waller is arguably more dastardly than the actual villains under her sway, made all the more fearful by the Oscar-winning actress playing her. (And if you think someone of Davis’ caliber is too big for the small screen, remember that she spent six seasons on How to Get Away with Murder.)
Whenever it arrives, the Amanda Waller show will join Peacemaker, about John Cena’s also semi-villainous semi-fascist, introduced in The Suicide Squad (not to be confused with the one without the definitive article in the title). That show, like the movie, proved to be a big streaming hit and a magnet for social media love. That said, James Gunn, who will executive produce the show, said it “won’t be as much a comedy as Peacemaker,” so be forewarned.
Unlike many of his fellow standup comedians who got their start in the 1980s, Larry David has never been “canceled.” He’s as surprised as anyone else. While appearing at the Netflix Is a Joke festival, the amusingly cranky Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator was asked by Curb director Robert B. Weide, “How have you not been canceled? How do you get away with this?” As Consequence of Soundnoted, David “had just given a run-down of a number of third-rail topics used as comedic fodder in recent episodes of Curb: Incest. Battered women. The disabled and the mentally ill. Homophobia and transphobia. Bestiality. Child molestation. The Holocaust and 9/11. The mentally ill. Stereotypes about practically every race and religion.”
“I don’t know,” David responded. “It’s a very good question. I don’t know why. I don’t like to think about it too much. Well, here’s the thing. There were fans of the show, they liked the show. And they have a good sense of humor. The fans of the show don’t care about political correctness.” He added that “idiots,” like the fictional version of Larry on Curb, “can get away with a little bit more than the more intelligent brethren.”
It also helps when “third-rail topic” jokes are told by a comedy legend like Larry David, not a YouTube edgelord.
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