Some dads need a little bit of help getting up to speed when it comes to the world of feminine hygiene products. But that’s fine as long as they are willing to learn. A TikTok user named @k.othabarber, who we’ll call K.O., got the call to help out his daughter who got her period in school and one user said he hilariously “overstood the assignment.”
K.O. is a barber in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who posts videos of himself taking unflattering haircuts and turning them into something amazing.
“So my baby mama just text me and told me like, ‘hey baby dad, your daughter just got her period at school.’ I’m like aight, cool, what I need to do?” K.O. said in the viral video. “She like, ‘take her some pads up there.’ I’m like aight, I’m finna take my dog to the doggy appointment and then I’m finna slide up there. She like, ‘aight cool, get her some maxi pads. Get her some Always pads with wings,’” he continued.
“So, I feel like I should tell y’all what I did,” K.O. said before the video cuts to a large, 100-pack of sanitary napkins and a to-go container filled with chicken wings. He was supposed to get Always pads with wings, not chicken wings on the side.
Even though K.O. had a bit of a misunderstanding, TikTok had his back because he went out of his way for his daughter. It was also humble of him to admit his rather egregious mistake.
“Overstood the assignment, king,” RayP0710 wrote. “She might need some chocolate too but you did A Great Job Dad!” Asia added. Others were happy that K.O. accidentally dealt with the emotional side of menstruation.
“The pads will help her with her cycle and the wings is emotional support & care. Add a little note telling her that you love her,” sola_scriptum wrote. “Good job dad! She’ll be happy you brought both,” Tiffiney Lee added.
Although K.O. made a rookie mistake while getting the pads, it’s cool that he was excited to help and did what he thought was right. It was also encouraging that after the video went viral, nearly everyone was supportive of K.O. helping his daughter with her feminine hygiene needs.
When men are open to learning about the mensural cycle it works to destigmatize periods. This is vital to women achieving equality because the lack of conversation around menstruation leads to misunderstandings that hold women back.
A poll published in the New York Post found that “58 percent of women have felt a sense of embarrassment simply because they were on their period” and that “44 percent of men admit to having made a joke about or comment on a partner’s mood when she was on her period.”
When men like K.O. have no problem talking openly about periods and even having a little fun, it goes a long way toward opening up the conversation for everyone. The more comfortable we get talking about menstruation, the more equitable the world becomes for women.
We’re living in a new era of psychedelia. Thanks to recent studies that highlight the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin, the country has begun to reexamine psychedelic plant medicine like “magic mushrooms.” Just last year, John Hopkins received the first federal grant for psychedelic treatment research in 50 years and many cities across the country have decriminalized the possession of psilocybin, including Santa Cruz, Oakland, Denver, Cambridge, Northampton, Easthampton, Somerville, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Seattle, and the entire state of Oregon, where psilocybin is not only decriminalized but straight up legalized for therapeutic use at authorized facilities.
Without a doubt magic mushrooms, like marijuana, are on a slow-but-steady march toward federal legalization. Or at least decriminalization.
So how do we speed up that process? And what do we actually do when psilocybin is widely available? As the misconceptions around these “drugs” evolve, shift, or even evaporate, there will be plenty of information to parse to make sure that people are able to reap the widely touted benefits. Who does that vital work fall to?
Enter YAWN, a psychedelic culture brand started by two women, which has tasked itself with dismantling the many stigmas attached to psilocybin through education and the power of retail. The brand’s two-pronged approach is very intentional. On one end is the retail side, the brand offers everything from meditation masks, hoodies, hats, t-shirts, stash bags, and other practical accessories with graphics meant to inspire conversation around psychedelics. A portion of the proceeds is sent to the Heffter Research Institute, an organization that seeks to fund leading studies on the benefits of psilocybin. Meanwhile, YAWN’s social accounts and website serve as an education hub hosting Q&As, interviews with MDs, sharing research papers and articles about the indigenous history of mushrooms, and offering practical how-tos that include information on microdosing, harm reduction, and more.
YAWN also takes their education on the road with immersive experiences (Diplo counts himself as a fan and supporter). Their most recent activation saw them partner with Secular Sabbath in Joshua Tree, where they offered custom Trip Kits, guidebooks, and clothing meant to provide education and harm reduction.
To learn more about YAWN’s mission, we chatted with the brand’s co-creator Maddalen Pasini who spoke on her desire to make psychedelics more inclusive and offered advice for first-time users who are interested in delving into the world of psilocybin safely. Let’s dive in!
Secular Sabbath
What’s the main mission of YAWN? How are you trying to reframe the way people look at psychedelics?
We didn’t originally start as a brand. My partner Sam and I have been self-exploring with psychedelics for over 15 years. And what we’ve realized is that there’s a major lack of education. Just seeing the way things are kind of picking up with the second psychedelic renaissance now, the whole medical side, jumping through all the medical hoops and the government system and everything, the reality of the situation is the medical side is not going to be accessible to everybody.
So right now here, at least in Vancouver and LA, you go for psilocybin therapeutic treatment and you’re looking at costs of upwards of three to six thousand dollars. Being on the West Coast seeing things like Skid Row, the downtown East side here in Vancouver, the opioid crisis, and the mental health crisis, a lot of those people are not going to have access to the medical system, and a lot of people fall through the cracks.
Also, not everyone’s going to want to go and trip in a clinic. Not everyone’s going to want that sterile environment.
People are going to need the tools and the education to self-treat. I think the self-treatment side is huge. That could also mean recreationally, and ceremonially with underground practitioners. People just need the education and tools to know how to do it safely. Harm reduction’s a big part of Yawn, making education digestible. So taking all the information from the psychedelic insider world and breaking it down and making it easy to understand and digestible for people.
Our mission is to destigmatize through things like clothing, which is just a fun, accessible touch point. Someone wearing a mushroom shirt can open up conversations in their own community about it and they can also be proud of their mushroom use. We are also rolling out a line of paraphernalia ancillary-type products like storing units and grinders and things that will teach people how to safely use and store. People don’t know that light, heat, moisture will affect the potency of the quality of their mushrooms. People are keeping them in plastic bags. So actually teaching them that they need to keep them in an airtight, waterproof, resistant bag away from heat, will actually sustain their mushrooms in a safe environment. Giving people the tools and also elevated products that will help destigmatize and further the conversation about it, I think that that’s what we’re doing and that’s why we’re staying on the legal side of things in the lifestyle market.
All of these places, as I’m sure you’re aware, are decriminalizing mushrooms. It’s come to be redefined in kind of the same way cannabis has been — though it’s much more about therapy than pure recreation. In Yawn’s view, what is the “typical” new psychedelic user like? In the past, people would default to psychedelics are for hippies, but I know you guys are trying to change that. So where are we today, in your view?
I’ve talked to a lot of people about it and kind of helped them on their journey. In my view right now, especially being on the West Coast, the psychedelic health user is like your mom. My mom is microdosing now. Your mom, your teacher. I think it’s really starting to become more destigmatized, especially with microdosing being able to help with so many different things like anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar mood swings. Obviously, we’re not telling people to go and do this, we’re telling people to either speak to somebody that’s knowledgeable about it or do their own research and that sort of thing. But people are self-treating and they are helping themselves and they’re noticing a huge difference.
And a lot of it is moms these days. Moms have so much stress, it’s so difficult being a parent. And I’ve personally been able to help my own mother and a few of my friends’ mothers really with their issues just through microdosing, which is sub-perceptual.
What efforts is Yawn making to show the psychedelic space as more inclusive?
One, our platform, which provides some education, we’re going to all different people in all aspects of the industry, underground practitioners, marginalized communities, and women. We’re featuring a lot of voices on our platform that may not be heard otherwise or that don’t really have a prominent voice in the space. Right now we are kind of concerned this is going to turn into this capitalist chaos. A lot of these public companies are owned by white males, and in a lot of the conferences, there are a lot of white male speakers. And so we’re just trying to diversify our platform by giving people a voice that might not have a prominent voice elsewhere. And we’re just trying to promote equity in the space.
Another way that we’re doing that is that we’re launching a collaboration in the new year and an activity-driven product. Through those products, we’re actually going to be bringing awareness to and donating proceeds to the Fireside Equity Fund. So the Fireside Project is North America’s first psychedelic peer support hotline. It’s a 24/7 24-hour hotline where you can just call in if you’re having a challenging trip or you just need someone to talk to, some support. And they have created this equity fund… it provides job opportunities like scholarships and education and opportunities for marginalized communities to find work in the psychedelic space to further help their marginalized community heal.
They’ll be able to get jobs, whether it’s with the Fireside Project or with a lot of these psychedelic organizations or harm reduction clinics and so forth. And so what we’re doing is we’re going to be raising a lot of awareness to that organization and that fund and also raising profits for it.
Another way that we did this was we launched one of the first mushroom stash bags that were on the market. It was called the Mustache. We launched it last year. We’re going to be coming up with a second version soon. If you’re in America in certain states where mushrooms aren’t decriminalized and you’re of color and you get caught with this bag, you could go to jail, the war on drugs is still prominent. So with that bag, we kind of rose awareness of those issues and we were raising money for the Drug Policy Alliance in the US.
We’re just trying to bring awareness to the issues within the space as well as how there is inequality as well as provide a space on our platform for those voices.
YAWN
For someone who hasn’t had any experiences with psilocybin but is very interested, what kind of resources are out there? What do people need to know and why is it so vital to educate people on psychedelics properly before they start experimenting?
I think there’s so much stigma because it was illegal, it was banned, it was so stigmatized that there wasn’t education out there, so when people had their first experience on it and they did it incorrectly or didn’t have knowledge on the way that the things that you should take into consideration like set and setting, which is such a big one.
Who you’re with, the environment you’re in, your mindset, the situations around you, what you’re doing before and after the trip, what you’ve eaten that day, all those things are something to consider. If someone does a larger dose in a situation where they’re not feeling comfortable and they’re going through something mentally, they’re going to have a negative experience. So just being able to have that education before going into it is so important. It’s going to directly relate to the kind of experience you have and what you’re going to get out of it.
I think that there are a lot of great resources out there now, MAPS Organization, Double Blind Magazine is a really phenomenal magazine, there’s a really great book by Michelle Janikian called The Psilocybin Mushroom Companion. We’re actually going to be selling it on our site this holiday, but that’s basically a 101 guide to mushrooms, everything you need to know when it comes to dosage and stuff.
We’ve got a few articles on our site that really touch on some of the beginner-level aspects. But I think the most important things people need to know are set and setting and dosage. Also learning what it does to the brain and the body, I think that that’s really important. People can do this recreationally, but these are powerful powerful plant medicines. Well, fungi is not considered a plant, but it comes from the earth and it’s a very powerful medicine. It’s been used in Indigenous cultures for many, many years and people seem to forget that.
I wanted to ask you specifically about dosing. Can you define what a microdose is versus what a “hero dose” is? Are those antiquated terms? How do people zero in on the particular dose that’s right for them? And should you always start small? Should you start somewhere in the middle? Is it just a personal thing?
Microdosing is sub-perceptual, so you’re not actually supposed to feel high. So I always recommend starting off smaller. A microdose could be anywhere from 10 to 20 milligrams or up to 100, 150, 200 milligrams. It really depends. I microdose often and I still only take 50 milligrams once every three days. And I’ll take a few weeks off here and there because you do grow tolerance; it’s impossible to be addicted to this medicine because you really grow a tolerance to it. But microdose is anywhere under 150-200 milligrams. But I recommend starting off small, try 20 milligrams once every three days or whatever method you want to use, five days on, two days off. And then going above that.
A dose that you’re going to feel is 0.5 grams. I guess an actual dose would be considered 0.5 to probably about two grams. And then a larger dose is going to be upwards of three grams. A heroic dose is considered five grams. Terence McKenna has the five dried grams and he goes by himself into a room with a blindfold on and he can speak to the mushroom god and that’s kind of where he transcends. And I’ve done that as well in a ceremonial setting.
It’s different for everybody. Some people like to go big at the beginning, but they just need to be aware that if they have trauma it might come up. So you might want to be with a trip sitter or somebody safe when you’re doing that. And you also want to make sure that you’re aware of what’s going on with yourself mentally and physically when you’re about to enter that kind of space because everyone does react very differently, I highly recommend starting off small because you can always eat a bit more as you go. And it’s also, a lot of it is dependent on your digestion, your metabolism. If you had a massive meal, if you’re going to take two grams, those might not hit for two or three hours. You might get hit with those a bit later because of how your body digests. So you have to be careful of that as well.
Secular Sabbath
You mentioned sub-perceptual doses. If you’re not feeling high, what should you be looking for in terms of knowing if it’s doing anything?
I think the best way to do that is by journaling and tracking how you feel. Because obviously, you don’t always feel the effects or the overall effectiveness of something unless you’ve done it consistently for a little while. So what I do is I track monthly. I do like the one day on two days off protocol and I do 50 milligrams and I journal my mood every day. The days that I don’t actually take it, I’m known to have mood swings so I can feel myself being moodier. The days that I do microdose, I’m happy and it’s consistent all the way through and I’ve been able to focus a little bit better and be a little bit more creative.
I’ve learned that through my journaling. Then I’ll take a month off and then see how that looks. So you really do have to track it, especially with microdosing, and it’s very different for everyone. And you can also track it, try taking a higher dose and see how you feel and see the second or third month if it’s different if you’re taking a hundred milligrams once every three days.
Again, nothing is completely instantaneous unless you’re taking a big dose, then you’ll feel that right away. But with microdosing and taking a sub-perceptual amount, it’s really about tracking it, journaling it, reflecting, and integrating how you feel.
What sort of advice do you have for first-timers? What sort of environment is conducive to a good experience, or is that entirely personal?
It’s definitely entirely personal. I either recommend researching a really great underground practitioner to do it in a ceremonial setting if someone wants to intentionally face some trauma or have that sort of spiritual experience. If they just want to do it with a friend, maybe one or two close friends who they really trust and feel comfortable with in a very comfortable setting, I always recommend doing it in nature.
It’d important to have a trip sitter, so maybe someone who’s not as high or someone that’s sober to watch over you if you’re doing a higher dose for your first time and you’re nervous about it. Make sure you preplan the music you’re going to listen to so you’re not finicking with it, something that’s going to really keep you in a positive head space. And also just being mindful of your mentality going into it and the things going on in your life because trauma can come up. Being aware of that and being open-minded, because not every trip is going to be the same, so as long as you’re open-minded and you don’t have as many expectations, you won’t be as affected if something goes in a different direction.
If a trip does go sideways, what are some good ways to re-center yourself? And what should you look for in a trip sitter?
I think in a trip sitter, you want somebody who’s very responsible, someone who you feel very comfortable around, somebody you trust and somebody who’s responsible and that will be able to handle the situation. If things tend to go a little bit more sideways, there are a few things that you can do to kind of change the environment. Maybe it’s changing the lighting, maybe it’s changing the music, maybe it’s going into a different room, maybe it’s going for a walk outside. Changing the environment around you can make a huge difference when you’re on mushrooms because it can be very visual.
Maybe calling someone that you really love and trust that you want to talk to pull you out of it. And just remind yourself that this is temporary, you are high, and be a little bit more present in the situation instead of letting it take over you.
I think psychedelics and mushrooms seem to have kind of captivated what one might call the “young Hollywood crowd.” I know people can view psychedelics sometimes as a sort of church. I was wondering just where you stand on that. Is that a dangerous or a positive thing?
Personally, I think that the more people talking about psychedelics and the more normalized the conversation is and the more trendy it is, I think the ability it has to help more people. That’s why my partner Sam and I started YAWN. I think people like Will Smith talking about his ayahuasca experience, and Meek Mill talking about psilocybin and how amazing it is, I think that is important. It’s obviously important for people to understand education and the history of it, the history of the indigenous cultures who’ve been using this medicine for so long, and the roots of it, and not that it’s just these rappers using it these days or these pop stars or whatever it is. But I think that that’s the gateway to open up this whole door of helping more people. I think the more people it can help the better.
Ultimately, the more conversations people have about it, I see that as being a positive. I’m more so concerned about how the medical side and the capitalist side of things are going to go. When Will Smith talks about ayahuasca, he does it in a very proper ceremonial setting and he talks about his experience and how heavy-duty it actually is. So I think it is a good thing.
Giveon was recently honored by his hometown, Long Beach, California, after giving back to one of the city’s most famous institutions. Teaming up with Tres Generaciones Tequila, Giveon donated a brand-new, state-of-the-art music studio to World Famous VIP Records, a landmark in Long Beach, and an important focal point of the city’s early contributions to hip-hop history. The store, opened in 1978 on the corner of Martin Luther King, Blvd. and Pacific Coast Highway, was where Snoop Dogg recorded his first demo before joining Dr. Dre on Death Row Records in 1991.
The shop also survived the closure of many of its peers and competitors by virtue of its historical status (its sign was given landmark status in 2017), and has even become an exclusive retailer for special edition vinyl such as Beyoncé’s Renaissance. Giveon’s donation aims to continue the tradition, helping more Long Beach youth pursue their dreams and utilize a positive outlet. 100 hours of studio time will be paid for as well, which will be managed by VIP Records.
Giveon himself is enjoying the success of his sophomore album Give Or Take, for which he just completed a headlining tour in October.
After declaring himself the leader of the Taylor Swift Religion, Ryan Reynolds’ next move is to convince the pop star to join the superhero universe. It worked with Hugh Jackman, right?
While promoting his new holiday movie Spirited, Reynolds was asked by ET about those pesky little rumors that Swift would appear in the upcoming Deadpool installment. He joked, “If we shoot the next Deadpool film in our house, then that would be that location.”
The actor was then asked if he would want Swift to make a nice cameo appearance, Reynolds knew it would be silly to say no. “Of course. Are you kidding me? I would do anything for that woman. She’s a genius.” While she already has the Deadpool suit, it seems like she isn’t joining the MCU any time soon.
For anyone who is normal and doesn’t keep tabs on Taylor Swift’s filming whereabouts, the singer has used the Reynolds-Lively household numerous times for her musical projects. Most recently, Swift shot her short film at their house last fall, while their property was used extensively while filming her folklore music videos during COVID lockdown times. Does that mean Reynolds could convince her to act again, despite her notoriously bad track record when it comes to movies? It doesn’t look like it. But will she use this to promote a new song again? Maybe!
Social media erupted into outrage after Peacock released the first teaser for its upcoming docuseries, Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies. While it’s not uncommon to see documentaries about the tabloid fixture who was accused, yet ultimately acquitted of murdering her daughter in a controversial trial, Peacock took things to a new and awkward level by being the first to give Anthony the opportunity to share her side of the story on camera.
Anthony appears in the short teaser where it’s made clear that she has no creative control over the final project. However, that didn’t stop people from firing off very angry reactions over the fact that Anthony was essentially given a TV deal while it’s still widely believed that she’s responsible for her daughter’s death. Although, again, for the record, she was acquitted in a court of law.
You can see some of the reactions to the Casey Anthony docuseries below:
If you ever wanted more context about how morally bankrupt America is right now, child killer Casey Anthony is getting her own show on peacock. https://t.co/ID6ENDOmcs
genuinely disgusted with @peacock giving casey anthony a platform and a docuseries. so many important and unsolved cases in the world. and you’re giving a woman who’s at BEST a sociopath and at worst a free child murderer a platform for ratings and because she’s hot. i just-
Casey Anthony dead ass got away with murdering her kid and still ended up with a TV deal lmfao boy I tell you white women in this country start the football game up 21-0
If the news of Casey Anthony doing a documentary telling “her side” of the story is any indication of how today is gonna go… pic.twitter.com/gADMuVhLJS
Here’s the official synopsis for the three-part docuseries:
Considered one of the first “trials of the century” that polarized conversation in living rooms across America, the Casey Anthony case is one that still leaves more questions than answers. There have been several movies and documentaries made to fill in the gaps, and yet, the woman at the center of it all remains the biggest mystery. Throughout the exclusive three-part documentary series, Casey Anthony finally tells her side of the story and addresses the public that has made so many assumptions for the past 13 years.
Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies starts streaming November 29 on Peacock.
Manifest returned last week for Season 4, Part I, and fans are already wondering when Part 2 will arrive to wrap up the series. That’s a few seasons ahead of showrunner Jeff Rake’s original plan, but hopefully, some actual answers will materialize, and we’ll find out why Flight 828 dropped off the radar in the first place. We’ve already met the new Cal, and hopefully, the finale will manage to save the world after Zeke sacrificed himself in the interest of saving Cal.
What does that do for a release date on the final batch of episodes? We must first acknowledge that Zeke’s departure opens the door (as sad is it is right now) for Michaela to come back together with former flame Jared. This seems inevitable, and hopefully, this will be handled respectfully. In the meantime, there’s the significance of the series’ so-called “Death Date” to consider. That’s the day when the passengers are foretold to collectively die via a prophecy. The day in question happens to be June 2, 2024, and although it seems unlikely that the show would adhere to the year, June 2, 2023 could be a winner.
This might seem a little silly to count on that day; however, Flight 828 originally came in for a landing on November 4, 2018, and Season 4 debuted on November 4, 2022. Never say never when it comes to pleasing fans with little bits and pieces of canon. Yes, I used the word “canon” while talking about Manifest. Hey, it’s all fiction, so we can lighten up.
Manifest is currently streaming 3 1/2 seasons on Netflix.
Would The Addams Family be remembered today if it wasn’t for the theme song? Maybe, but it’s the most iconic part of the show (which was adapted into two movies, 1991’s The Addams Family and 1993’s excellent Addams Family Values). That puts a lot of pressure on Wednesday to have an equally unforgettable opening credits sequence. Wisely, the Netflix series enlisted Danny Elfman to compose the theme, which lacks the lyrics and finger snaps of Vic Mizzy’s theme, but it’s plenty creepy. And/or kooky.
You can watch the opening credits sequence above.
Wednesday is developed by Tim Burton, along with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and stars Jenna Ortega — who was so good in X — as Wednesday Addams. Netfix describes the series as a “sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.”
Wednesday, which also stars Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester, as well as Riki Lindhome, Gwendoline Christie, and Christina Ricci (who played Wednesday in the Addams Family movies), debuts on Netflix on November 23. Thanksgiving is the new Halloween (?).
R&B’s breakout duo Silk Sonic may be taking a break, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get individual doses of Grammy Award winnersAnderson .Paak and Bruno Mars. Although, for the moment, the group is parting ways, this won’t stop the duo from working on projects apart from one another.
.Paak has already begun releasing new music after reuniting with producer Knxwledge. As NxWorries, the pair enlisted the help of fellow Grammy-award winner HER to drop the song “Where I Go.” Mars, on the other hand, is announcing his bold return to the Park MGM Las Vegas.
The “24K Magic” singer is no stranger to Las Vegas. This past summer, he completed a critically acclaimed stint at the casino with .Paak. However, in this 12-night solo residency, fans are promised a fresh new show with him and his beloved band, The Hooligans.
The songwriter re-posted the hotel’s Twitter announcement of his residency with the caption, “start your year off right & rock with The Hooligans.”
With several party anthems in his catalog, such as “Uptown Funk,” “Treasure,” and “Finesse,” it is only fighting that his return is New Year’s Eve weekend.
Check out the list of dates below. To purchase your tickets, head here.
12/30/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
12/31/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
01/25/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
01/27/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
01/28/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/01/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/03/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/04/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/08/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/10/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/11/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
02/14/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live at Park MGM
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Costco hit a trifecta of great bourbon expressions this year with their Master Distillers series by Barton 1792 Distillery. Their Small Batch and Single Barrel versions are some of the best whiskeys in their categories at the absolute best value per dollar of any bottle out there right now. Now, it’s finally time to take a look at the third bottle in that trio, Kirkland Signature Bottled-In-Bond by Barton 1792 Master Distillers.
This isn’t some average bottle review. I’m blind testing this bourbon against nine stone-cold classic bottled in bond bourbons — all of them f*cking delicious. I’m not giving Costco’s Bottled-In-Bond any wiggle room to eke out a win here. This is about testing the bourbon waters with the biggest and most-lauded bottles in the whole goddamn game. Can Costco’s bottle stand up to those towering bourbons? Or will it reveal itself to be a cheap — $24 (!) — bottle of bourbon in a one-liter bottle?
Our lineup today is:
New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years
Filibuster Bottled-In-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Redwood Empire Grizzly Beast Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002
George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008
Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled in Bond
I had my wife put the Costco bottle in there at random so that I had no clue where or when it’d pop up. This was especially important as these bourbons are all the same ABV/proof (as per “bottled in bond” law) — so there is no difference in strength to examine. By the end, I was in a conundrum. All of these bourbons are great. Ranking them was damn near impossible. There wasn’t a fault or bad note in the entire panel to pick at or rank.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
There was a beautiful sense of dried chili pepper next to old leather, red tart berries, a hint of sourdough rye bread, and creamy vanilla beans next to a touch of dried and waxy cacao nibs. The palate leans into that dryness with sharp woody spices, dry dark chocolate powder, ground clove, cumin, and dried cranberry next to a mild warmth that leads to chili pepper. The end has a dark chocolate-covered cherry vibe next to a light sense of dry firewood and old leather chairs from a smoky library.
This was great. It’s deep, interesting, and fun. It’s a very rye-heavy bourbon but balances the sharper spices with soft vanilla and dark chocolate.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of old lawn furniture next to floral honey, burnt orange, black tea, and cherry bark with a moment of cream soda. The taste opens with sweet and creamy honey next to cherry pie, vanilla malted shake, sour mulled wine with plenty of dark wintry spices, and a touch of oatmeal cookie. The end has a dark chocolate-covered espresso bean feel next to more vanilla malt, dark cherry tobacco, and an old braid of cedar bark, sweetgrass, and wicker on the finish.
This feels classic to its core. It hits every bourbon note clearly and boldly.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Cinnamon, butter brown sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream. The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates. The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
This is incredible. It’s classic but the goes in so many different directions while still feeling like something nostalgic. What a great pour.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a lush and creamy grit vibe with spicy cinnamon and clove next to pecans, maple syrup, singed cherry bark, and old lawn furniture with dead leaves strewn about. The taste hits on a buttery toffee vibe with a dark and old leatheriness next to dark chocolate tobacco, dried ancho chili peppers, and more of that sharp woody cinnamon with a whisper of salted black licorice lurking in the background. The end has a sense of salted caramel and cinnamon candy next to malted vanilla ice cream, huckleberry pie, and dark cherry tobacco rolled into an old leather pouch.
This was classic again but, again, went further down the rabbit hole of flavors. This is also where I realized thank ranking this would be damn near impossible.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of old leather gloves next to brandy-soaked cherries covered in dark chocolate, creamy honey, and eggnog spices with a hint of sour mulled wine next to pecan waffles, brown butter, and maple syrup. The palate has a big cherry moment that fades into fresh pears and winter spices — cinnamon, allspice, star anise, black licorice — before hitting a soft woody wicker note with a hint of wild sage. The end lets the cherry and pear shine as old musty cellar beams and old red bricks with a hint of pear tobacco rolled with cedar bark.
Well, that’s delicious.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Stewed cherries, figgy pudding, apple butter, cinnamon waffles, woody maple syrup, and dark chocolate with a pinch of salt all dance on the nose. The palate leans into Cherry Coke with a spice vibe, burnt orange peels, cloves, creamy eggnog, sour mulled wine, and a hint of apple fritter dusted with cinnamon sugar. The end has a singed cherry bark sensation that leads to dry winter spices — star anise, allspice, clove, cinnamon, and pine — next to dates and prunes layered into pipe tobacco with a twinge of dark chocolate and cedar.
This is another fantastic whiskey.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This feels very classic on the nose with cherry pie filling, sourdough doughnuts, mulled wine, and dried cranberry leading to lush vanilla and woody spice. The palate opens with the vanilla silkiness next to burnt orange, salted caramel, and more cranberry with a hint of cinnamon and walnut malted ice cream. The end has a wet brown sugar and vanilla vibe that leads to wintry spices layered with dark cherry and tobacco in an old cedar box on the finish.
This was classic from top to bottom. And that’s all there is to it.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Sour cherries, maple syrup, and pecan waffles mingle with dried apple chips, old leather boots, and winter spice with a hint of vanilla wafers on the nose. The taste leans toward spicy apple pie filling with walnuts, plenty of cinnamon, and some raisins before malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate milk arrive on the mid-palate and lead toward a moist oatmeal cookie dipped in salted caramel. The end has a dry woody spiciness with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice mingling with marzipan and cherry/cinnamon tobacco.
This was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with soft vanilla waffles next to dark cherries, caramel sauce, pear skins, eggnog nutmeg, and a counterpoint of cumin and chili pepper with a hint of old leather. The palate has a buttery and sweet cornbread vibe with toffee candies, vanilla-cherry soda, and soft glove leather. The end has a gingerbread spiciness with a touch of vanilla frosting, pear candy, and cinnamon tobacco dipped in honey.
This was really nice but felt a little one-note overall.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry. The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond. The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
It’s great. Okay, I’m going to try and rank these now.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
10. Redwood Empire Grizzly Beast Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002 — Taste 7
The latest batch of Redwood Empire’s Grizzly Beast is a four-grain bourbon. The California juice was made with 69% corn 22% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 4% wheat. After five years of maturation, 26 barrels were picked for this batch. Those barrels were vatted and the whiskey was just kissed with pure water from a local Russian River Valley aquifer.
Bottom Line:
This was really nice and very classic. And that’s about it.
The only reason it’s tenth is that it was just classic. That said, this is very good bourbon with a nice flavor profile. Solid B+!
The whiskey is standard Evan Williams that’s blended from bonded barrels. The batched whiskey is brought down to 100 proof, allowing a bit more of that Heaven Hill craft to shine in the bottle compared to a standard Black Label Evan Williams bottle.
Bottom Line:
This was also perfectly good. There was a little one-note, classic vibe again. But overall, this is a perfectly good bottle of bourbon.
8. Filibuster Bottled-In-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years — Taste 2
This Virginias whiskey is a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from locally-grown grains — 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley — and local spring water in the Shenandoah Valley. After five years of mellowing in Appalachia, a small bundle of barrels is batched and proofed to 100 proof before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is where things go from “Solid B+” to “A” when it comes to the texture and flavor profile. This is a really good whiskey that could be ranked much higher any other day.
7. George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years — Taste 8
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.
Bottom Line:
This was delicious. The only reason it’s a little lower today is that the Tennessee graininess just sneaked through when tasted against the other bourbons. It wasn’t an off-note by any stretch. It was just something I used to differentiate these whiskeys.
6. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled in Bond — Taste 10
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the juice is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Bottom Line:
This was just a great whiskey all around. It was nuanced and balanced and offered a great albeit classic bourbon vibe.
This whiskey was sourced for Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand from the famed Barton 1792 warehouses by Sazerac. The juice is made from a base of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley. The barrels were aged for at least four years per “bottled in bond” regulations before they were blended and proofed down for this special release.
Bottom Line:
This was a great pour of whiskey. It was deep and complex with a light sense of classic bourbon.
4. Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Bottom Line:
This is where things get into “A+” territory. This bourbon is perfect. It’s classic but then it takes you somewhere new and fresh. It’s not as deep as the next entries but it also doesn’t need to be.
3. New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years — Taste 1
New Riffs brand-new malted bourbon just hit shelves. The juice is made from yeast and malts that usually make pale ales and bitters in the beer world. The mash bill is 65% corn, 20% malted rye, and 15% T50 Crystal Malt, which is the aforementioned pale ale malt. The whiskey is left to rest for six years before the barrels and batched and the bourbon is just kissed with local water for proofing.
Bottom Line:
This was a stellar pour of whiskey, bottled in bond or not. The depth and nuance were lovely while the overall aura of this one was luxurious and fresh.
2. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6
This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.
Bottom Line:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is a nearly perfect whiskey.
1. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Bottom Line:
This is the most complex and interesting whiskey on the list. It’s also delectable and so easy to drink while still offering a deep and rewarding experience that takes you somewhere. A definite favorite, moving forward and a lock for one of my favorites of 2022.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
This whole tasting was basically weighted from “great to amazing” from the outset. Generally, I’d break down sections of the ranking for you to ignore or focus on. This time, I have to say that all of these whiskeys are worth at least trying. There’s not a bad bourbon in the bunch. Gun to my head, buy the Chattanooga. It’s the most interesting and fun by far. It’s also so deeply built that you’ll be going back for more again and again.
As for the Costco Bottled-In-Bond? Well, it’s great. It’s also an amazing value at only $24 for a one-liter bottle. That’s crazy good. Moreover, that bottle 100% held its own against some of the most award-winning bourbons on the shelf today. That said, it wasn’t mind-blowing. But it didn’t need to be. Go to Costco right now and buy one.
Despite all of the bizarre drama surrounding the movie (we don’t have to get into that again) Don’t Worry Darling is still an interesting movie with some classic twists and turns that are mostly redeemed by Florence Pugh’s performance. The movie quietly appeared on HBO Max this week, so maybe you decided to sit down and watch it before realizing that it’s a little hard to follow. It’s okay! A lot of people thought that! So here is a quick explainer of what exactly went down on the screen (if you want off-screen drama, here you go).
The movie follows Jack and Alice, (portrayed by Harry Styles and Pugh) a young married couple who live a picturesque life in some 1950s-adjacent utopia known as The Victory Project, where the husbands work and the wives survive on gossip, sex, and martinis. Alice begins to worry about her neighbor friend Margaret who seems to think that The Victory Project is not as perfect as it appears, though her claims are quickly dismissed by the men in the community.
But things get even stranger for Alice, who begins to hallucinate various scenes in a past life, while being constantly gaslighted by the men in the neighborhood. It’s revealed that The Victory Project is actually a simulation that Jack forced her into so they could have “the perfect life.” Jack claims that he did it for her, though it’s also revealed that he is just a Regular Unemployed Millennial who listens to podcasts and does not have a British accent, so he is clearly not the perfect husband that he appeared to be. Instead, he has Alice hooked up to wires (the technology is…unclear) in order to get her to play into his fantasy. The movie plays out a bit like a Matrix situation, though without Keanu Reeves, so it’s just not quite as good and the imagery is a little muddled. Still, it was certainly a twist!
Alice’s friend Bunny (director Olivia Wilde) says that she knows the world is a simulation, though she stays there so she can reunite with her kids, who have died in the “real world.” Alice is determined to get out of the simulation, and eventually strangles her husband before gasping awake. And that’s…it. So what does it mean?
In the original ending, there is a newspaper clipping that shows Alice’s obituary, implying that Jack faked her death so that he could keep her away from her real life where she was a successful doctor. That bit was scrapped, so we don’t really know what happened between Jack and Alice in the “real” world.
It seems that Wilde was trying to make some sort of comment about abuse and relationships with controlling men, which is interesting since Shia LeBeouf was originally attached to star, though that clearly didn’t work out well. Wilde has since said that the Victory men are basically incels anyway, and the movie and its ending were supposed to highlight how dangerous they can be.
It’s unfortunate that the movie became overshadowed by, uh, a lot of stuff, because the movie definitely had some potential. Still, without Keanu Reeves, any type of simulation movie just feels empty!
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@phillydrew72OO) 
(@Teddygram62) 
