Back in April, Mike Lindell bragged that he’s dropped at least $35 million “investigating” the 2020 election under the belief that the election was “stolen” from Donald Trump. (It wasn’t.) However, in a recent interview given during a Trump rally in Wyoming, Lindell has adjusted his spending to a more conservative $30 million, which is clearly a much less crazy amount than $35 million. Especially to Lindell, who’s thoroughly convinced that he “has more information than anyone in the world” even though he’s yet to provide definitive proof of his election fraud claims.
Lindell is backing a preliminary injunction filed in Arizona in April demanding a change be made to allow ballots to be counted by hand. He said more injunctions will be filed in Alabama, Wyoming and Texas, and said the recent election in Georgia will only help his case.
“We’re going state by state,” he said.
Again, Lindell has yet to prove that the 2020 presidential election results were rigged and has been routinely shot down by Republicans who are growing tired of the “Big Lie.” In fact, Lindell has been locked in a bitter feud with Fox News after the right-wing network distanced itself from his conspiratorial crusade. Naturally, that hasn’t deterred Lindell who insists that, any day now, he’ll prevail and put “300 and some million people” in jail for their crimes against Trump.
Herschel Walker may have just won the Republican nomination for Georgia’s Senate, but he certainly doesn’t talk like a politician—and maybe that’s a good thing (or… maybe not). While many have pointed to the former NFL running back as one of the few Donald Trump-endorsed candidates to actually win their election, Walker is tired of having his name and accomplishments linked to Trump.
As The Hill reports, Walker is apparently very “mad” at the former president for constantly talking up the role he played in getting the Heisman Trophy winner to unseat current Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock. While being interviewed by rapper Killer Mike on Revolt TV, Walker attempted to set the record straight:
One thing that people don’t know is President Trump never asked me [to run]. I need to tell him that he never asked. I heard it all on television that ‘he’s going to ask Herschel,’ saying Herschel is going to run. President Trump never came out and said ‘Herschel, will you run for that Senate seat?’
So, I’m mad at him, because he never asked, but he’s taking credit that he asked.
In fact, Walker said that it was God who helped him make the decision to run (though the former president might use “God” and “Trump” pretty much interchangeably). And, in a way, Walker seems kind of mad at God, too, for even convincing him to run.
“I prayed about it,” Walker said. “And to be honest with you, I was praying that God would bring somebody else because I’m happy. My life is doing well.”
So make that at least two people who are on Herschel’s sh*t list.
Lovebirds looking to commit their lives to one another in Las Vegas with the presence of Elvis Presley-themed elements will, unfortunately, have to find another late legend to build their ceremonies around. Authentic Brands Group, responsible for all licensing of the Elvis estate, sent out cease and desist letters to all Las Vegas wedding chapels last month decreeing that they may no longer use his image at it is trademarked.
Elvis-themed marital ceremonies have played a huge role in the $2 billion per year generated from Las Vegas weddings, but Authentic Brands Group says “Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements” have been used without authorization. This, coincidentally or not, comes after Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had their own Elvis-themed wedding in April. It is worth noting that this cease and desist does not pertain to any Elvis-themed stage productions as live performances with impersonators are covered under Nevada’s right of publicity law.
The themed phenomenon began in 1977 when the owners of Gretna Green Chapel changed its name to Graceland Wedding Chapel after the “King of Rock & Roll” passed away, just ten years after he married Priscilla Bilyeau in that very chapel. Graceland Wedding Chapel has been colloquially dubbed “The Elvis Chapel.”
Check out some more facts about Elvis-themed weddings on The Focus.
The world’s richest man and (arguably) the most puzzling SNL host in recent memory, Elon Musk, sure is a walking contradiction at times. He’s spent a lot of time (while still acting as the CEO of Tesla) trolling the Twitter CEO while possibly having buyer’s remorse about the social media platform. He can’t be thrilled about facing a $1 billion breakup fee if the reported $44 billion deal never goes through (because bots exist), and this is also the same dude whose former partner (Grimes) once revealed that he (a billionaire) wouldn’t buy a new mattress to prevent her from sleeping on a hole.
Now, it turns out that Musk is (reportedly) not thrilled with Tesla employees who want to work remotely while Covid cases rise again. An apparent email leaked to Electrek (via Forbes) reveals that Musk has ordered all Tesla workers (even those whose duties can be remotely performed) back into the office, or they can say goodbye to their jobs:
“Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,” Musk wrote in a follow-up email, obtained by Electrek. “Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.”
Forbes goes through the past few years of Musk’s history on their issue, which includes Musk “defying county orders in California” to reboot Tesla factory production in spring of 2020. He reportedly threatened to fire workers who didn’t comply with his directive, and even though Twitter, Google, and Apple have all moved to either permanent or hybrid remote plans for office workers, Musk isn’t budging. Although Tesla and Musk didn’t directly respond to Forbes’ inquiries on the subject, Musk tweeted a response to a screenshotted email, which suggests that the leak is real.
Musk’s tweet read, “They should pretend to work somewhere else.”
Forbes adds details and a prediction that Twitter’s remote work policies could disappear, too, according to a tweet from venture capitalist Keith Rabois, who wrote, “Elon once threatened to fire all the interns for waiting in a long line for coffee at SpaceX and installed cameras to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.”
In summary, Elon Musk apparently believes that remote work isn’t actually work and that coffee breaks hamper productivity. Very, very interesting.
It’s been a busy week for the Bangtan Boys as they visited the White House to close out Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The visit with Joe Biden was to discuss the rise of anti-Asian hate in the US and the importance of Asian representation in business, media, politics, and pop culture. And while the visit drew some predictable derision from conservative circles, BTS themselves were far too busy doing more important things to notice — things like taking R&B star and fellow Asian heritage representer H.E.R. on a group outing to Dave & Busters.
J-Hope caught much of the fun on his Instagram Story, which found the group shooting hoops — H.E.R. and Jungkook tied, according to the R&B star’s own Instagram Story — and Jungkook giving H.E.R. some friendly advice on protecting her wrist on the arcade’s boxing machine. It looks like everybody had a blast, even with the language barrier.
The outing was also likely a chance for H.E.R. to get a much-needed break from her day job opening for Coldplay on their Music Of The Spheres Tour. Considering how much effort she puts into her live performances — playing multiple instruments while belting out virtuoso vocals on songs like “We Made It” — the chance to relax and unwind appears to have been much appreciated. Having great company is just icing on the cake.
Knob Creek is what Jim Beam turns into with a little massaging, the right aging locations in various warehouses, and some luck from the whiskey angels. The brand is part of Jim Beam’s premium label program alongside Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s, Booker’s, and Little Book. The difference here is that Knob Creek is the same low-rye mash as standard White Label Jim Beam — it’s simply left to age longer and then isn’t cut down with water to quite the same degree before bottling.
In essence, this is Beam at its best.
Before we dive in and rank these bottles, let’s look at the history a bit. Knob Creek started way back in 1992 while the bourbon industry was on the ropes. Legendary distiller Booker Noe and his son, Fred, had a lot of great, old barrels stacking up in the warehouse and nowhere to put them on shelves. So they devised Knob Creek as a high-end, much older expression to both highlight the craft behind Beam and get some attention for bourbon as a quality product and not just rot-gut hooch hidden under your sink.
30 years later and Knob Creek is one of the most revered and easilyfound whiskeys on the shelf.
For the ranking below, I’m pulling from my tasting notes and calling out which bottles I think you should actually buy for your own bar cart. It’s really that easy. And full disclosure, I’m a big fan of this brand. I always have a 9-year, Rye (for cocktails), and 12-year open for everyday pouring/mixing.
Let’s jump in and rank some whiskey!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This expression is a blend of straight bourbon and smoked maple syrup “natural flavorings.” It’s Fred Noe’s nod to his dad, Booker, who loved to smoke meat on the weekends and bottled his own maple syrup.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with wet cornmeal next to smoldering hickory from one of those old tin backyard smokers with a hint of maple syrup sweetness rounding things out. Smoked brisket fat forms a small line under smoky maple syrup on the palate with a good dose of classic bourbon vanilla, caramel, and dark cherry. The finish is soft and full of that cherry vanilla vibe and plenty of dry, smoky hickory with a hint of pepper spice underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This is nice but a little sweet for me. I really prefer using this in cocktails as a solid foundation to build a great cocktail upon. The maple syrup and cherry are good bases for an old fashioned. Overall, this is a good place to start… but there’s a long way to go.
This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash that’s aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Tasting Notes:
This is classic from the jump. The nose is a balanced mix of bourbon vanilla, cinnamon spice, and fresh popcorn just touched with browned butter all next to a hint of mild cherry. The palate is a soft mix of almond shells, orange oils, and fresh cinnamon rolls cut with plenty of vanilla icing. The mid-palate has an old wicker chair vibe with a hint of must to it next to a touch of old leather that ends up on a dry cherry tobacco leaf.
Bottom Line:
This is pure and classic bourbon. It’s a great gateway bottle in that it’s not overly wrought or too hot. It’s subtle enough to drink neat while still being bold enough to build cocktails around.
This single barrel bourbon is from Beam’s private barrel pick program for retailers. That means your local retailer goes out to Clermont, Kentucky, and picks a single barrel for their store only. Beam then cuts the bourbon to 120 proof (if needed), bottles it, and delivers it to the store. That also means these will vary from store to store ever so slightly.
Tasting Notes:
Based on Total Wine in Louisville, Kentucky, expect a nose full of vanilla oils, salted caramel, and a hint of barrel char. That barrel char pops early on the palate with a bitter and almost smoky feel before dark chocolate-covered almonds and cherry root beer sweeten things up. The finish leans into the bitterness with a mocha espresso vibe before dry cedar planks and cherry tobacco lead to a Red Hot sharp/sweet end.
Bottom Line:
These are worth grabbing once in a while. This is kind of like Knob Creek turned up a little too loud, especially if you’re not used to it. That said, pour this over a single rock and it’ll be great.
This is the same as above, just from single barrels of rye whiskey. Those barrels are usually barreled at cask strength or cut down to a consistent 115 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Also based on Total Wine’s pick in Louisville, KY, expect a nose full of green herbs like dill and mint next to a dollop of floral honey and plenty of barrel char. A hint of rye bread crust sneaks in early on the palate before black pepper gives way to dried chili pods, a hint of vanilla pudding with cinnamon, and dark cherries. The barrel builds with the spices on the finish before dark chocolate powder, candied pecans, and creamy vanilla smooth everything out for a soft finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and complex rye but does have a little “oomph” in the middle with those ABVs. It’s not unbalanced. It’s more just hot and then sweet then hot again then sweet. Lots of ups and downs, ins and outs…
This is a bourbon drinker’s rye with a mash bill that’s believed to be a very low rye. The barrels are batched and proofed at a higher ABV, allowing more of the barrel and rye to shine through than, say, a Basil Hayden’s Rye.
Tasting Notes:
Classic cherry Coke, vanilla, cedar, and peppery spice lead the way on the nose. That matrix of flavors delivers on the palate with the vanilla getting super creamy as the cherry really pops as “ripe” and “vibrant” on the tongue before a hint of dried dill and maybe fennel sneaks in. The spice is more attached to a moist tobacco leaf with a bit of a chew to it that’s also just touched by dark chocolate cherry vibes, a hint of dry porch wicker, and a final note of dry potting soil.
Bottom Line:
This is a killer bottle to have on hand. It makes a fabulous Manhattan, Horse’s Neck, or even just a simple fizzy highball. You can also just pour it over some rocks and take it slow. Dealer’s choice. I nearly ranked this second. It’s that good. But the next two deserve more respect than that.
3. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve 9 Year Bourbon
So, this bottle is a single barrel nine-year Knob Creek that’s picked by the experts at Jim Beam. There’s no blending, no cutting with water, no hiding. Just good ol’ Knob Creek at its single barrel best.
Tasting Notes:
This is bold on the nose. It feels like you’re clenching $250 of real vanilla beans in your hand and free-basing them with fire from an old oak stave while someone roasts a marshmallow on the same flame. Candied pecans in a waffle follow on the palate as a hint of maple syrup sneaks in before brandy-soaked and dark chocolate-covered cherries pop on the mid-palate. That bittersweet mid-point leads to more of that smoldering oak stave, burnt marshmallow, and pecans before a lush vanilla cream and black cherry pipe tobacco arrive and calm everything down on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is always a fun ride from nose to finish. It’s bold and intense but ends up soft and comforting. It’s a hell of a neat trick. And at $50 for a bottle of single barrel nine-year-old bourbon, it’s hard to beat.
This could easily cost twice (or three) times as much and no one would blink.
The juice is made from Beam’s standard low-rye bourbon mash. Then it’s left alone for 15 years in the Beam warehouses on specific floors in specific locations. The best barrels are then small batched and proofed down to 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Old saddle leather mingles with musty oak cellar beams and dirt cellar floors with an undercurrent of sweet dark fruits and mild caramel. The palate holds onto that caramel as the fruit becomes dried and a cedar note arrives with a rich and almost sweet tobacco. The dry cedar woodiness carries on through the end as the tobacco leads towards an almost oatmeal-raisin-cookie-dipped-in-cream vibe with a good dose of cinnamon and nutmeg, which creates an eggnog-laced pipe tobacco chewiness with a hint of that cedar and leather balancing it all out.
Bottom Line:
I struggled with where to put this one. I really like it but there’s a slight funkiness to it that might be off-putting to some. It feels old and wise in the glass. Plus, I just think the next expression is where the brand peaks.
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol. The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce. The very end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy.
Bottom Line:
This is the one. Leaving aside that this is a 12-year-old whiskey that somehow only costs $65 in 2022, this is truly a well-rounded and deeply-hewn expression. It’s complex, inviting, fun, fresh, engaging, and freakin’ good.
I can confidently say that if you buy one Knob Creek, make it this one. If you buy two, get the rye for mixing up killer cocktails and you’ll be all set.
It’s time to talk about the good stuff. The really good stuff. But be warned great Scotch whisky doesn’t come cheap. Especially when it’s rare. If you want to drink the best of the best, you’re going to pay for it. $100 is cheap in the context of today’s tasting.
For this “double-blind” taste test (meaning I don’t even know which bottles are in play), I let my wife pour some of the most ridiculous bottles on my shelf. The only throughline is that these are all Scotch, all expensive, and all great. Oddly, these were way easier to rank than I expected, even double-blind. Bottles this rare are also very unique and distinct — that makes it a tad easier to identify and rank them.
Our lineup today is:
GlenDronach 21
Bowmore 20 David Simson Edition
Aberfeldy 20
Glenfiddich 23
Laphroaig 25
Oban 21 (2018 Edition)
Talisker 25
Glenkinchie Distillers Edition
Aberlour A’Bundha
Johnny Walker Blue
See those? All bangers all the time! Now let’s get into it!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This is all about the sweet red berries and the dirt under the bushes intermingling with spicy oatmeal cookies with plenty of raisins and walnuts next to soft and supple maltiness on the nose. The palate leans into soft and creamy vanilla with black-tea-soaked dates, wintry spice, and a dash of orange oil. Dark chocolate arrives on the mid-palate and drives the finish toward more of that wintry spice, stewed plums, mincemeat pies, and a whisper of dry cedar on the very end.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Fresh Band-Aids mix with leathery prunes on the nose with a thin line of smoked pork fat lurking underneath. The palate is delightfully spicy with a hint of cinnamon next to anise and maybe some dried chili yet tempered by creamy dark chocolate and berries. The mid-palate stays spicy before veering into wet charcoal with a hint of that smoked fat making a reappearance.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Honey and apples all day on the nose (hello, Aberfeldy!) with a sense of soft rainwater, light maltiness, and summer wildflowers. The palate mixes red berries with apple skins as buttery toffee and lightly spiced malts lead to a leathery dried apricot, sultanas, and cream soda. The end leans into the honey with a cedar vibe next to an orchard full of fruit with a nod to the soil on the very backend.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
More apples, tart, sweet, bruised, stewed, drive the nose with a gentle floral edge next to buttered brioche with a dollop of marmalade served on an old maple plank. The palate has a lush vanilla feeling to it as pear candy and dried roses lead to floral yet creamy honey. The sweetness lingers from the mid-palate to the finish as apple and pear skins and cores melt into a pot of that floral honey.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is so pale. Interesting. The nose mixes old Band-Aids with smoked pork belly, pine-infused honey, woodruff, and maybe a touch of sea rocks. The palate leans into malts with a spicy edge — think anise, cloves, Red Hots. The mid-palate creates a flavor matrix of sweet yet smoked pork fat that’s perfectly spiced with heat and seasoning that all leads back to the soft malts, light medicinal touch, and a hint of wet charcoal.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Saltwater taffy wrappers counter a bold rush of Douglas fir firewood stacked in very black dirt with a hint of sap next to buttery caramel malts, red fruit leather, apple taffy, and a hint of soft and supple leather. The palate is all about the Nutella before a toasted coconut vibe leads to a burst of seawater-soaked cedar, dark chocolate and dried chili tobacco, and all the spices from a sticky toffee pudding boiled down to a tincture bomb of flavor. WOW.
Those dark chocolate tobacco leaves fade out as the saltwater taffy makes a comeback on the finish with a hint of hot seawater next to Christmas cake.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Campfire smoke wafts from far down the beach as beeswax candles mingle with unfiltered apple cider in a rock mug mixes with creamy chocolate pudding and a hint of sea spray. The palate is all about old cellar beams with cobwebs next to grains of sea salt, wet moss, orange tobacco, and wisteria. That campfire smoke makes an appearance late as misty sea-heavy fog descends on the finish with white wildflowers next to smoked prunes and a dash of dried smoked chili malts.
What a journey!
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is downright thin compared to the last sip. The nose is a soft mix of cedar, red berry, and vanilla pods next to a bowl of fruity candy. The palate starts off watery but then explodes with flavor — black pepper, brie rinds, sour candy, a dirt cellar floor, smooth malts, and a hint of sour apple tobacco. The finish continues to build with a cheese cellar vibe next to fresh cream touched with winter spices and vanilla on the backend.
This was a wild ride!
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is very bourbon-y from the jump with plenty of leather, spicy plum jam, vanilla cream, and hefty brown and woody spices. The palate is hot with those spices and oak staves as prunes and dates add some sweetness (but not much). Candied pecans give way to dark chocolate bitterness as the finish builds on that heat with hints of old leather and dark fruit buried underneath it all.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is incredibly soft on the nose with hints of plums, old leather, Christmas spices, and a whiff of fireplace smoke.
Johnnie Walker, is that you? I think so.
The palate is orange-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate with a hint of rose water next to floral honey, smoked plums, and plenty of tap water. The malts get lightly spicy as the dried stone fruit takes on a thin line of smoke with almond and orange peaking in through the watery finish.
This is the mountaintop of Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. The blend is a marriage of ultra-rare stock from extinct Diageo distilleries around Scotland. That’s just … cool. This expression is all about barrel selection and the mastery of a great noser and blender working together to create something special.
Bottom Line:
It’s kind of amazing how this stood out against the single malts, and not in a good way. Full disclosure, my wife grabbed this by mistake due to it being “expensive” but not a single malt.
All of that aside, I just couldn’t get past the watered-down nature of this one.
A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the juice in this Highland bottle represents that for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Olorosso sherry casks exclusively. The juice then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.
Bottom Line:
This was just too hot today. Had it been poured over a single rock, it might have jetted to the top three.
This special release from last year spent 20 years mellowing in re-fill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the prime juice was married and filled into hand-selected Sauternes sweet wine casks from France for a final year of maturation. The results hold onto the signature honeyed heart of Aberfeldy while adding more sweetened nuance to the dram.
Bottom Line:
This was nice but a little one-note with that apple and honey vibe. I know, I know, that’s “two” notes. But that was the dominating factor on the palate and you had to really dig to find more.
It’s all in the name of this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.
Bottom Line:
This was very similar to the Aberfeldy but a bit more nuanced and deep. That said, that 80 proof isn’t doing this any favors.
This distillery exclusive is Bowmore at its finest. The juice in the bottles is lightly peated malt that spends 20 years in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks before it’s vatted and bottled as-is without proofing or filtering.
Bottom Line:
This was pretty damn nice. It was a little milder on the palate with that “Band-Aid” vibe carrying on a little too long. I’m splitting some serious hairs though. This was very drinkable — just not as deep and arresting as the next five.
Don’t let the name fool you. In this case, the “parliament” is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.
Bottom Line:
This is delicious. But it’s a little easy. This feels like a crowd-pleaser, and that’s fine. “Great but didn’t wow me like the rest” was in my notes.
Where Bowmore goes light on the peated malts, Laphroaig goes all-in, like a drunken sailor at a poker table. This whisky spends 25 long years aging in both ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts before it’s masterfully blended seaside and the bottled as-is with zero fussing (hence the pale color).
Bottom Line:
This is a goddamn masterpiece. It’s subtle yet striking. Had the mid-palate been a little more brazen, it might have been number one today.
This limited edition expression from last year’s Diageo Distiller’s Editions is expertly crafted whisky. The juice has a finishing maturation in a specially made barrel which is constructed from used and new American oak that’s then filled with Amontillado sherry for a month. Once that fortified wine is dumped, the whisky goes in for its final maturation.
Bottom Line:
This was the biggest surprise by far. The sip started off so watery and mellow and then just went in so many unique and delicious directions. A “cheese cellar”?! Come on, that’s an amazing note to find in any whisky.
This whisky from 2018 is much-sought-after. The classic juice from the tiny Oban Distillery spends 21 years resting in a combination of used European oak barrels in Oban’s small warehouse nestled between a black rock cliff and the lapping of the sea. The juice is then married and bottled at cask strength, capturing all the nuances and uniqueness of Oban in the bottle.
Bottom Line:
I wrote “wow” in my notes while tasting this one. It’s so … vivacious. The palate is big but not overwhelming and makes perfect sense from beginning to end. This is truly the good stuff.
This whisky is a marriage of American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks, and Talisker’s seaside location. The whiskies in this single malt spend a minimum of 25 years resting in old bourbon and sherry barrels a few short steps from the sea in the Isle of Skye. Talisker’s tiny warehouse feels a bit like an old pirate ship that’s seen too many sea battles and that aura is imbued into every barrel as it matures.
Bottom Line:
This took me on a journey of flavors and nostalgia. I’m not joking when I say that it damn near brought a tear to my eye when I thought about drinking Talisker for the first time with my now-passed father-in-law. That’s a transformational whisky.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
As soon as I smelled that Talisker 25, I knew this competition was over. I love that Oban and it would have handily won if the Talisker didn’t make it in the lineup.
Overall, I think we all learned that, yup, great whisky is great. I know, big surprise, right? Still, if you can get any of the bottles top five, you’ll be in for a true treat, but that Talisker is just something else entirely. Happy whisky hunting!
The timing worked out pretty perfectly for comedian, actor, and Daily Show alum Al Madrigal this spring with the release of Morbius (where he plays Agent Rodriguez) and the launch of his comic series, Primos (which draws inspiration from ancient Mayan and Aztec mythology). These are in addition to a development deal with CBS Studios and his work overseeing the comedy podcast network he co-founded with Bill Burr. Now, with Morbius hitting VOD and the last issue of volume 1 of Primos about to drop (it’s out today), it’s once again difficult to not be impressed by the symmetry and the workload that the ultra-multi-hyphenate is carrying, but he seems pretty happy about all of it.
As a fellow comedian and someone who has known Madrigal for 15 years, I can attest that none of this is the result of luck or something that happened overnight. Madrigal’s success in show business (you may also recognize him in a pivotal and lauded role opposite Ben Affleck in The Way Back) is the result of hard work, planning, and in Al’s case, being ridiculously nice. Like, so nice that he tells us that it (and his chatty streak) drives his wife nuts. But it’s obviously opened up some doors for him. I spoke with Al about all of that, Mayan mythology’s role in his book, the importance of representation, and how hard it is to make something truly unique in a genre in which everything has already been done.
Please explain the MCU/Spider-Verse difference. This sounds like some real-life Dr. Strange-type shit.
Look up “WHIH Newscast.” It is promotional stuff they did for the Avengers movies. I play a pundit opposite Leslie Bibb. And then in Morbius, I play Agent Rodriguez, who I’m told is modeled after “Phil Rodriguez,” who’s a character in the Spider-Verse. And then, in a Farmer’s Insurance commercial, I played Captain America.
If you think about it, JK Simmons, who plays Jonah Jameson in all of the Avengers and Spider-Man movies, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, is in the Farmer’s ads as well. So, a lot of cross-over happening. But yeah, three different characters and the first Latino Captain America right here.
With Morbius hitting VOD, is it a relief that maybe more people have the chance to go in and experience the film fresh without the critical response dominating the conversation?
Morbius was plagued by COVID in a variety of ways. There were six different delays that maybe led to unrealistic expectations being built up over time. I think it’s gotten a bad rap and people should judge for themselves.
Were you a comic book fan growing up?
I read a lot of graphic novels when I was working at the Daily Show. And when I was a teenager, I read a lot of comic books before I started probably going out more than I should have.
Seems like it paid off. I wanna talk about your new comic book, Primos. You do such a brilliant job of weaving ancient Mayan and Aztec lore into the storyline while also filling the page with heroes and villains who are all of Latin descent, at least in the first book. Do you remember a time when you were reading comics as a kid and realized that none of the characters looked like you?
Oh, Latinos were nonexistent [in comics and comic culture]. That’s how this idea started. I met Axel Alonzo, who was then the editor-in-chief of Marvel comics. We were doing a podcast called “Comic Book Live.” We discovered we had a lot in common and became instant friends.
We’ve always talked about the lack of Latinos in comic books. Representation is important. If you don’t see yourself on TV ever, or anyone that looks like you, you can’t help but feel, even subconsciously, like [you are] lesser than. If you’re a huge Marvel fan and you’re Asian and Shang-Chi comes out, that’s major. So, I feel like they’re becoming aware, and actually, Axel Alonzo was one of the guys at Marvel who was responsible for a lot of their diversity initiatives.
Is there extra pressure knowing that you’re, kind of, in a sense, creating the Latino Avengers?
No, because the main thing I want it to be is a good comic. Forget the representation and the ethnicity. I want it to be a compelling story. I want the characters to be unique and that’s difficult to do when you talk about superpowers because everything has already been done.
Part of what makes Primos so unique is how much Mayan and Aztec mythology you’ve woven into the origin story. I assume that’s the product of a lot of research?
It is, but then luckily, I just tripped right into the coolest backstory, so I was able to take this real-life character, an emperor from 603 to 683, named K’inich Janaab Pakal. Ricky Pascal (the protagonist of Primos), is his descendant. So, Ricky Pascal, Gina Pascal, and Javier Pascal all come from this line of emperors.
What was it like to step out of the traditional entertainment world to try to get an idea made in the comic book world?
I was given the opportunity because Axel was able to shepherd me through this. And then I leaned on Elliot Kalan, from The Daily Show who has done this. Paul Scheer, who has written for Ghost Rider, sent me what that outline looked like. And then, as far as learning comic book writing, like anything else, I always think I can do anything because other people have done it. So, why not me?
The art is amazing. And I was curious how much input you have on what the art looks like?
I got a lot of input. I have the best artist ever in Carlo Barberry who did Spawn and Deadpool. I could look at his vision of what I was trying to put out there, and learn from how he was interpreting what I had scripted out. I think that’s what they actually used to do in Stan Lee’s Marvel era. When they would create these characters, they’d actually have the artist draw it all out and they’d fill in all the dialogue afterward.
What’s the dream for this series and these characters? Adaptation to the screen, more volumes?
Obviously a movie franchise or TV series would be incredible. Right now, the plan is to continue building out this world. Adding characters, telling stories from the same universe. While we have a lot of people interested in the current IP, I’m excited to build out the rest of the story.
You mentioned some of the edits that took place with Morbius, does anything about this experience make you less likely to want to be in another comic book movie or hold onto control with Primos if you were to ever try and bring it to screen?
Editing is part of this process. This is a collaborative medium and I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of it. I love comic books and all the Marvel movies and would welcome the opportunity to continue playing this character. I’d feel incredibly grateful to have Primos make the journey to the big screen. Again, this is a collaborative process. One thing I’ve learned as a producer is to surround yourself with great people and trust them to do their job. I really don’t need to micromanage anything. And we’re making TV and movies. Nothing to be too precious about.
‘Morbius’ is available on VOD and ‘Primos’ can be bought here.
Over the weekend, Top Gun: Maverickexceeded box office expectations, becoming the highest grossing weekend of Tom Cruise’s career and setting a new Memorial Day weekend box office record. A lot will (justifiably) be made about what this means for the theater experience at a time that seems very critical. Covid is by no means gone (which I, um, experienced first hand last week), but audiences swarmed back to watch Tom Cruise fly a fighter jet. It felt cathartic. [Ahead there will be spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick and No Time to Die.]
Since the pandemic started there was a lot of talk about what movie would save theaters. I’m honestly less interested in that and more interested in the movie that would save us. You know, in a world of nonstop terrible news, the movie that, just for a little bit, has the power to make us feel happy. I can’t remember a movie, that was released in theaters only, that almost everyone I know has now already seen. Top Gun: Maverick is a phenomenon and I truly believe the reason why is less about all the cool airplane stunts (and they are very cool) and more to do with this is a movie that makes us feel good. Honestly, I kind of forgot that it was okay to let myself feel good about something. Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t really give us a choice in the matter. You will leave this theater in a good mood, dammit.
And I hope people are paying attention to what made this movie a success. In an era where every would-be blockbuster has to be overly complicated and convoluted, Top Gun: Maverick is a sleek machine of a throwback. People have been watching older action movies for the last two years, remembering how great they are, and wondering why they don’t make them anymore. Then here comes Maverick to say, you know, maybe we can still make them like that. It very much feels like a precise vision of what an action movie should be and does not stray from that vision.
Is it so wrong to just want to watch a movie where the hero wins the day? It seems to happen so infrequently now it’s actually surprising when it does happen. What’s notable about Top Gun: Maverick is literally none of our heroes die during the mission. None of the characters are used for cheap emotional weight. (And the one character who does die, off-screen, has actual repercussions in the plot in that Maverick no longer has protection from a superior officer.) It’s a great concept that, to Maverick, if one team member dies the whole mission, in his mind, is a failure. And by gosh he’s not going to let you leave that theater having watched a failure.
The movie I also kept thinking about this weekend was No Time to Die. A convoluted mess of a movie (to be fair, a lot of James Bond movies are convoluted) in which, after 25 movies, everyone involved thought it would be cool to watch James Bond die. Now, to be fair, both No Time to Die and Top Gun: Maverick were filmed before the pandemic started and had no idea what the world would be like when they were, respectively, released. But I swear, after everything we had been though, all I wanted in the world was to watch James Bond save the day and float off on a raft into the sunset with a lady, like he’s done time and time before. It’s honestly borderline malpractice they unleashed that movie on us without a warning. “Hey, it’s been a tough few months right, well what if we also kill James Bond? Pretty cool, right?” I’ve been rewatching a lot of Bond recently and it’s jarring how much fun these movies used to be and it’s annoying we’ve been watching this sad drip James Bond for the last 15 years. (For the record, I really like Casino Royale and Skyfall, but whoever they cast as Bond next, please please make him “fun.”) Yes, past Bond movies have had sad endings (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a bummer of an ending) but, I’m sorry, I don’t watch James Bond to ruminate about our own mortality. I want to see James Bond win the day. The timing of No Time to Die really, really sucked. I left that movie in a terrible mood, which kind of defeats the purpose of watching a James Bond movie in the first place.
There were times during Top Gun: Maverick I worried we were headed for another James Bond situation. But by the end of the movie I had made my peace with that possibility in that, unlike No Time to Die, Top Gun: Maverick was a movie with actual emotional weight (as opposed to a movie about nanobot germs) and would have earned that ending. And Top Gun: Maverick brings us to the very edge a few times. But, in the end, no one wants to see Maverick die (other than enemy pilots and maybe Jon Hamm’s Cyclone). Not now. Not after all this. We all have seen enough actual real death. Just let us have our brief feeling of fictional triumph. Let us feel good about something. It’s the reason we like going to the movie theater in the first place. And this past weekend people went back. If Maverick had ended on a downer I truly think there would be repercussions in a “I can feel sad at home” kind of way. But instead, people left Top Gun: Maverick on cloud nine and I’m sure more than a few people rediscovered why they liked going to the theater in the first place. In the end, it was Maverick who saved the day.
Top Gun: Maverick rocketed into theaters and delivered biggest opening weekend of Tom Cruise’s career thanks to a combination of factors. The original film is a beloved ’80s classics, early reviews were overwhelmingly positive across the board, and this is the first Memorial Day weekend in years that wasn’t bogged down by the pandemic. As Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved, people are ready to return to the theaters after being stuck at home. Everything came together in a perfect serve for the shirtless volleyball game of Top Gun‘s return.
However, if you ask far-right radio host Steve Gruber, Top Gun: Maverick‘s success happened because it’s a slice of pure American pride that spells trouble for the Democrats in the midterms. Never mind that Cruise’s religion of choice is an outer space cult that thinks aliens give you the flu, Top Gun is MAGA gold, apparently.
Host Steve Gruber of ‘Real America’s Voice’ says the success of Top Gun’s debut means big trouble for Democrats in the mid-term elections. pic.twitter.com/wgWghD9109
“This is by far the biggest warning of all for mealy-mouth politicians and feckless weasels of all stripes, everywhere, RINOs, Democrats and socialists, that in November it’s American pride that will be returning,” Gruber said. “And it will be Americans reawakening and taking back our country, and it is American pride that has driven the very rare A+ rating for the brand new Top Gun film.”
As Mediaite notes, Gruber is just the latest in a long of right wing voices who are trying to tout Top Gun: Maverick as proof that audiences want more “anti-woke” films. Never mind that Multiverse of Madness absolutely destroyed at the box office, and it prominently features a lesbian hero, America Chavez, and her two mothers. Sometimes, people just want to see things blow up on a huge screen with massive speakers, and that’s all there is to it.
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@/hermusicofficial
Me and JK tied lmao. 
(@RonFilipkowski)