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Stormzy Shares The Heartfelt Advice He Received From His ‘True Friend’ Adele

Stormzy, fresh off releasing his new album This Is What I Mean, sat down for an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. During their conversation, the rapper shared how Adele helped him out with some genuine advice after he left social media: “You need to walk away and you need to take a break. You need some space. Protect your energy,” he explained.

The pair would eventually go on vacation together to Jamaica, as a way of escaping the pressures of the music business and life’s troubles. He noted that he and Adele have deep conversations often, which sparked her reminding him that sometimes an escape to a place of “peace and silence” is necessary. The trip was exactly that.

“Adele, I love her deeply. And we’ve always had amazing conversations. And that’s a true friend of mine, that’s not like a music friend. So whenever we kick it, we’ve had really beautiful and deep conversations,” Stormzy added. “And at that time it was like we weren’t going on holidays, we weren’t enjoying the fruits of our labor. Do you know what I mean?”

“It changed my life,” Stormzy said of the trip. “It was the most beautiful… I can’t even explain, it was really, really beautiful, and really healing, and really peaceful. God was on that trip. God was with us.”

Watch Stormzy’s full interview above.

This Is What I Mean is out now via Def Jam/Interscope. Buy/stream it here.

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Jeremy White Can’t Wrap His Head Around The ‘Instant Attention’ Brought By ‘The Bear’ (And He Revealed His Disheveled-Hair Secret)

At some point this year, you probably heard everyone calling each other “chef” or buying up all of the Hanes white t-shirts, and that could only be described as the Jeremy Allen White effect! White’s stint as Carmy on The Bear made everyone think they could make some high-quality spaghetti while addressing their own inner demons. Plus, everyone and their neighbor dressed as the chef for Halloween, and that’s how you know this show is big big.

But the attention is not something White is used to. Even though he spent 11 seasons on Shameless, White was catapulted to stardom after the FX series became a major hit. In a new interview with GQ, White explains that he wasn’t quite ready for that type of stardom. “It was just like instant attention,” he told the mag. “I felt like that pretty girl who just hadn’t taken her glasses off yet,” White explained, suggesting he was unprepared for that level of fame.

Maybe he hasn’t taken off his glasses, but he has mastered something even more important: his perfectly curated messy hair that looks like it smells like marinara sauce. His secret? “Water and sweat.” You can DIY this look at home!

White is gearing up o star alongside Zac Efron in A24’s highly-anticipated The Iron Claw. Despite the fact that he has been in the industry for over a decade, White says he is just beginning. “I definitely feel like I’m taking a step up,” he says, “which is a scary feeling for sure.” On the bright side, now he can cook something carby to eat with Zac Efron.

(Via GQ)

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PinkPantheress Dances The Pain Away On Her New Single, ‘Boy’s A Liar’

On her latest single, “Boy’s A Liar,” PinkPantheress details the downfall of a relationship with a man who wasn’t who he presented himself to be. Over a thumping Mura Musa beat, the elusive siren taps delivers her soft-tinged vocals, as she mourns the man who she thought was her everything.

“What’s the point of crying? / It was never even love / Did you ever want me? / Was I ever good enough? / Thе boy’s a liar / The boy’s a player / He doesn’t see ya,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

With its painfully relatable message and its all too hypnotic electronic track, “Boy’s A Liar” makes for a perfect anthem for the heartbroken to dance the pain away.

PinkPantheress blew up throughout the pandemic by way of catchy, genre-transcending bops. Back in October, she joined Paramore onstage at Austin City Limits to perform the band’s breakthrough song, “Misery Business.” In a recent conversation with Bree Runway for Interview, PinkPantheress spoke about how she’s adjusting to her rapidly found fame.

“It’s very exciting knowing that people are listening, people care, people are actually interested,” she said. “When I came into it, not to be cringe, but I did it for the music. I wasn’t trying to have myself out there like that. But when things started picking up, it became uncontrollable. If anything, all of it has been one big learning experience. I’ve grown up more in one year than I have the last ten years.”

Check out “Boy’s A Liar” above.

PinkPantheress is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Spotify Wrapped 2022 Has Arrived And So Have Hilarious Memes, Parodies, And Reactions

If you’ve been on social media today, you probably already know this: Spotify Wrapped 2022 is here. The annual summary of users’ listening habits dropped this morning, and of course, so too have the memes about it.

One particularly viral post has around 190k likes (as of this post) and reads, “I already know what my Spotify Wrapped is going to look like.” The accompanying photo shows two books: a dull-looking one titled Depression: The Way Up When You Are Down and a more colorful one called Homosexuality: Speaking The Truth In Love.

The Twitter account for the Empire State Building also got in on the fun with a fabricated Wrapped graphic that pays tribute to New York and architecture. The top artists are Commodores, Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, Calvin Harris, and Jay-Z, while the top songs are “Brick House,” “Brick In The Wall,” “New York, New York,” “Giant,” and “Empire State Of Mind.” As for the top genre: “concrete.” That post has since been deleted, but they also shared this morning, “My #SpotifyWrapped is just ‘Welcome To New York’ over and over and over again.”

Other users addressed the annual wave of complaints about how Wrapped posts take over social media.

As for some more serious data, Bad Bunny was the world’s most-streamed artist of 2022, followed by Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, and BTS.

Check out some more Spotify Wrapped tweets below.

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A Rapper Only Had 13 People Watch His Rolling Loud Set So The Festival Sent Him An Xbox And A Funny Note

There are a lot of great benefits to the boom of music festivals for indie artists but there are also some drawbacks. For instance, up-and-coming rappers who land a slot on a Rolling Loud lineup can expand their audience and get their feet wet performing for the first time. However, things can also get a little awkward because these artists are often so new, they don’t have much music to perform — or many fans to perform for.

That’s what happened to Philadelphia rapper Eem Triplin at Rolling Loud New York this autumn. Triplin was booked for one of the earliest time slots, and the crowd had yet to arrive in earnest. This meant that he had to perform for a “crowd” of just 13 people. At the time, he seemingly took the mishap in stride, tweeting, “Gotta start somewhere.”

This chapter of his story has kind of a happy ending, though. On Monday (November 29), he posted photos of a package he got from the festival’s organizers containing a new Xbox and a card that read, “Hopefully, you get 20 people next time.” Rolling Loud reposted the photo on Instagram, writing, “Glad you like it.” At least he didn’t get his set canceled by the NYPD.

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Charles Barkley Is Fully On Board With The USMNT And Guarantees A Win Over The Netherlands

Back in March, Turner Sports and the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that Turner will become the television home for the USMNT and USWNT starting in 2023. In an effort to promote the 8-year deal that begins in 2023, the Inside the NBA team got jerseys, and Charles Barkley made clear that his jersey comes from the women’s team, because “the American men’s team sucks.”

Fast forward to Tuesday night and Barkley changed his tune up on the men considerable. The USMNT beat Iran, 1-0, earlier in the day to get out of the group and set up a knockout stage matchup against the Netherlands on Saturday. As a result, Barkley is fully on board, to the point that he predicts that the Americans will “open up a can of whoop ass” against the Dutch before giving a signature guarantee that they will advance to the quarterfinals.

Barkley shouted out American captain Tyler Adams before going through a list of other countries — Spain, Brazil, Germany — that he wants to see the USMNT play. He included France in the list before remembering that they have Kylian Mbappe, who he correctly states is “no joke.”

The Americans made it out of their group with draws against Wales and England before beating Iran. The Dutch, meanwhile, beat Senegal and Qatar while earning a draw against Ecuador.

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Experts Tell Us The Absolute Best Rye Whiskeys For Beginners

If you’re a whiskey drinker and you’ve put off trying rye whiskey because you assume it will be spicy and peppery, you’re limiting yourself for the wrong reasons. While high-rye whiskeys can certainly carry spicy, cracked black pepper notes, it’s much more than just spice and heat. There’s a whole symphony of flavors including floral, grassy, earthy, and herbal notes at play.

In fact, modern rye whiskey leans more heavily toward botanical and herbal than spicy and peppery.

If you’re already a bourbon fan, it’s a great time to get into rye whiskey. But like with any whiskey style, you need to start somewhere. And while strolling down the aisle at your local liquor store might end up with you bringing home a bottle or two, you can’t be guaranteed you’ll like them when you crack them open.

Luckily, there are a ton of great gateway rye whiskeys on the market. Each is a perfect way to get your proverbial feet wet in the rye whiskey world. And who better to tell us about them than the people who actually make whiskey? We asked a handful of distillers and whiskey professionals to tell us their picks for the best beginner rye whiskeys — keep reading to see them all!

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Catoctin Creek

Andy Nelson, co-founder and head distiller of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $57.99 for 750ml

The Whiskey:

The best beginner rye is Catoctin Creek’s Roundstone Rye. It has some really beautiful Bourbon-like notes in the beginning, things like cherry and maple, but then flows into flavors more typically associated with Rye.

Tasting Notes:

I get great cinnamon and nutmeg followed by a sort of cooling mint note that is simultaneously familiar and unexpected. It’s an excellent go-to rye in my opinion.

Pinhook Flagship Rye

Pinhook Flagship Rye
Pinhook

Lauren Patz, head distiller at Redwood Empire Whiskey in Graton, California

ABV: 46.75%

Average Price: $48 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Pinhook Flagship Rye – A grain forward rye that temper’s rye aggressive sometimes astringent nature with the inclusion of corn in the mash bill making it more assessable to burgeoning rye drinkers.

Tasting Notes:

Flavors of vanilla beans, caramelized sugar, cinnamon, dried fruits, oak, and peppery rye are big on this whiskey’s palate.

Bulleit Rye

Bulleit Rye
Bulleit

Eboni Major, master blender, bourbon women board member, and founder and CEO of Major Whiskey in Louisville

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $26.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Bulleit Rye will always be a favorite for the rye category. MGP makes a great rye product, and the Bulleit team does a great job of blending the perfect notes.

Tasting Notes:

Those grapefruit, cloves, chamomile, and other citrus warm notes make a perfect twist on any cocktail like Rye Manhattan. It is a product that carries through all seasons.

Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye

Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye
Laws

Colin Keegan, founder of Santa Fe Spirits in Santa Fe, New Mexico

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $53.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Laws Whiskey House San Luis Valley Straight Rye 95-proof. It has all the straight rye notes you would expect. The baking spice and orange notes on the nose draw you in before you even take a sip.

Tasting Notes:

The taste is black tea, stewed fruit, and a nice pepper finish you would expect with rye.

Rittenhouse Rye

Rittenhouse Rye
Rittenhouse Rye

Bobby Finan, co-founder of Tommyrotter Distillery in Buffalo, New York

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $25.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Rittenhouse Rye. It’s very affordable and will give a new rye drinker a preview of spicy rye offramp from the bourbon world. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular value rye whiskeys on the market.

Tasting Notes:

It really highlights the rye spice and earthy rye bread notes that bourbon drinkers refer to when describing rye’s contribution to a bourbon mash bill. If nothing else, this is a great product to try to just understand the aged American brown spirits world better.

Sagamore Rye Whiskey

Sagamore Rye Whiskey
Sagamore Spirits

Mark McLaughlin, co-founder of Old Line Spirits in Baltimore

ABV: 41.5%

Average Price: $43 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Sagamore’s 83-proof flagship rye is a great starting point. It’s made in the traditional Maryland style with a higher corn content and that makes it a little less spicy for a newcomer to rye. That doesn’t mean it’s simple, not at all, just approachable. And once you try that you can move up to the cask strength and double oak – both beauties.

Tasting Notes:

The palate is filled with warming flavors like cinnamon, candied orange peels, toffee, vanilla beans, oak, and cracked black pepper.

George Dickel Rye

George Dickel Rye
George Dickel

Phil Morgan, distiller at Arcane American Whiskey in Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $22.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

What’s the best beginner rye whiskey you don’t make and why? George Dickel Rye for an Introduction to Rye this is another easy-on-the-pocketbook bottle.

Tasting Notes:

It’s filled with soft vanilla and stone fruit, the filtering process makes this a soft spice rye even with a 95% mash bill of rye.

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Elijah Craig Straight Rye
Elijah Craig

Joe Michalek, founder and president of Piedmont Distillers in Madison, North Carolina

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $35 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

For those who prefer their whiskey neat or with a cube, I think the best beginner rye is Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey. It’s warming, slightly spicy, and well-priced.

Tasting Notes:

With its 35% corn inclusion, I think it provides a slightly sweeter, more balanced flavor versus the more robust, pepper flavor notes associated with higher-rye alternatives.

Angel’s Envy Rye

Angel's Envy Rye
Angel

LC May, Grandson, Clyde May and brand ambassador for Clyde May’s Whiskey in Troy, Alabama

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $85 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

There tends to be a love/hate relationship between consumers and rye whiskey. Consumers that do not like rye whiskey normally blame it on the heavy spice that is commonly found in a rye whiskey. For this reason, I would suggest a beginner start with Angel’s Envy Rum Cask Finished Rye.

Tasting Notes:

You will certainly taste some spice but also some nice notes of orange. There are also hints of dried fruits, caramel, vanilla, rich oak, and maple candy.

Wild Turkey 101 Straight Rye

Wild Turkey 101 Straight Rye
Wild Turkey

Rebecca Running, CEO of Darco Spirits in Philadelphia

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $21.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Rye. This is the OG of Ryes. It has hints of vanilla with warm honey and notes of spice. I love ryes – this is a great one to try. At around $30 it’s affordable and delicious. A great way to discover and try something new without breaking the bank.

Tasting Notes:

Flavors of caramel, clover honey, rich oak, and dried fruits are balanced with spicy cracked black pepper and wintry spices.

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Taylor Swift, Blackpink, And Others Recorded Special Spotify Wrapped Messages For Their Most Dedicated Listeners

Fans across the globe who use Spotify to stream music are getting their long-awaited Spotify Wrapped annual drop today. The yearly promotion showcases a listener’s personal top five songs and musicians for the entire year. It also includes some other fun statistics, like how long (in minutes) you listened to music and your top artist, your top five genres, podcasts, and a “listening personality test.” Not only that, but it seems for 2022, the streaming service had some extra surprises in store for the most dedicated of fans.

Artists like Taylor Swift, Blackpink, Mitski, and more recorded videos that appear in the Your 2022 In Review section for a certain exclusive number of listeners.

Users have also spotted Katy Perry teasing new music through her video, Little Mix delivering a heartfelt holiday wish, as well as clips from WayV, Red Velvet, Niall Horan, J-Hope, Anne Marie, and more.

Others that have also recorded some, by appearing in my personal artist messages, include Maisie Peters and Gracie Abrams.

Because of this, it seems listeners who have an artist either in their top five musicians or songs will receive a video message — if the person recorded one. Bright Eyes did not, and I am disappointed but not surprised.

Continue scrolling for some additional Spotify Wrapped personalized video spots.

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Kanye West Says He Owes $50 Million In Taxes: ‘I Get To Learn How To Count’

Kanye West has already taken a big hit to his net worth this year but it looks like things are going to get worse for him. Appearing on Tim Pool’s right-wing YouTube podcast Timcast IRL (alongside other delightful people like Nick Fuentes and Milos Yiannopoulos — note the sarcasm), Kanye claimed that the Internal Revenue Service has put a $75 million hold on his accounts — the ones that weren’t closed by JP Morgan, anyway — as he owed “a lot” of money in back taxes.

He said after questioning his accountants, he found out just how much “a lot” is: “They said, well, around $50 million.” While admitting that he’s “obviously not the most financially literate person on the planet,” he has begun asking the CFOs of his businesses for advice — although it’s not looking good, since one of his questions appeared to be whether not paying taxes is considered tax evasion. The answer is “yes,” Kanye. That’s literally the definition of it. There are whole books about this.

“So now I’m having — I get to actually learn how to run a company,” he said optimistically. “I get to learn how to count, really. “It’s like I didn’t even know where to put the money.” With at least some of it going to child support after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalized this week, it looks like Kanye’s fortunes have really turned.

The discussion ended early when the host asked him about the backlash from the antisemitic comments he’d made earlier this year. Kanye reportedly “walked off in a huff” when pressed about his thought process.

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Brand-New Late Fall Bourbons, Blind Tasted And Ranked

There are great bourbons hitting shelves just about every second right now. The run-up to Christmas and the wider gift-giving season is a great time if you’re looking to try something new and iconic in the bourbon world. That’s why it’s time for yet another brand-new bourbon blind taste test and ranking.

This time around, I’ve grabbed brand-new bourbons that have dropped in the last days and weeks — some of these are still on “pre-order” status because they’re so fresh. A few of these bottles dropped back in late September (at the distillery) but are hitting shelves around the country currently. The point is, these are the new-new bottles of bourbon in the game right now.

As for the ranking, I’m looking at taste above all else. Corn-fueled bourbon whiskey tends to lean towards the sweeter end of things when we’re talking about whiskey. But it’s really the balance of that fruity and buttery caramel sweetness against woody spices, earthiness, leatheriness, and deeper vanilla, dark chocolate, and even soft grainy vibes where the brown juice truly shines.

The lineup today is as follows:

  • Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition Aged 19 Years
  • Laws Whiskey House Intention Origins Series 2022 Release
  • Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023
  • Hidden Barn Small Batch, Series Two Batch #1
  • Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue
  • BLACKENED x Wes Anderson Master of Whiskey Series
  • Stellum Bourbon Hunter’s Moon
  • RD One Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with French Oak

Let’s dive in and find you a great bottle to add to your bar cart or give as a gift!

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

Part 1: The Tasting

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Taste 1

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This has a classic bourbon nose with deep leather, oily vanilla pods, dark chocolate-covered cherries dusted with salt and nutmeg, and a mild sense of really fancy Almond Joy with this faintest whisper of singed marshmallow and smoldering apple wood. The palate leans into woody spices with black licorice and spearmint candy blending into mint chocolate chip ice cream and root beer spiked with cherry syrup topped with creamy vanilla and dusted with cinnamon, clove, and dark cacao powder. The end has a long and supple sense of those woody spices before delivering into soft Black Forest cake with a brandied cherry vibe and a hint of star anise-infused apple-berry cider.

Well, this is f*cking delicious. It’d take a monster bottle of bourbon to beat this.

Taste 2

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a soft graininess that leads to sour cherries, old leather, a hint of honey, and a whisper of orange. The palate has a sense of cinnamon rolls with a crafty sweet graininess and subtle spice next to buttery grits and a twinge of black tea bitterness. The end leans into a little more of that honey with an oatmeal cookie vibe next to woody spice.

This was perfectly fine. It’s a little crafty with all that grain — oatmeal cookies, grits, etc. — but has a nice balance overall.

Taste 3

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This is a classic bourbon on the nose with deep flavors of buttered buttermilk biscuits, salted caramel, singed marshmallow, Almond Joy, cherry cream soda, and a touch of Nutella and maple syrup. The palate leans into cherry root beer with a hint of vanilla cream soda next to eggnog spices and creaminess, old dried roses in older leatherbound books, and a whisper of red peppercorn cracked over some sweet pipe tobacco. The end has a candied chili pepper vibe next to burnt orange, marzipan, and creamy dark chocolate with a hint of walnut and cherry saltwater taffy.

This is another winner. It’s not quite as lush as the first pour but damn close.

Taste 4

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear graininess on the nose with a bran muffin/vitamin store vibe next to some mild nuttiness, dark berries, and woody spice. The palate holds onto the graininess with a vanilla wafer with honey feel next to orange cream soda, a hint of grape, touches of pecan waffle, and black licorice Necco Wafers. The end has a light spiciness with nutmeg and cardamom next to more of those chalky wafers and bran muffins.

This was pretty good. It’s very crafty or at least Tennessee-influenced.

Taste 5

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with hints of wicker, old leather, apple and pear cider, and a good dose of burnt orange and old oak. The palate has a salted caramel vibe that leads to pecan waffles with plenty of maple syrup and butter next to burnt orange tobacco leaves and a touch of holiday spices. The end leans into those woody holiday spices with a sense of caramel candies and allspice-spiked apple cider with a hint of old apple orchard wood and bark.

This was pretty nice overall. It’s balanced and well-built.

Taste 6

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a good bit of fruit on the nose with pear skins, rum-raisin, and burnt orange next to dried-up old cinnamon sticks and tobacco leaves. The palate stews the pear with honey and wintry spices while a hint of dried chili flake leads to walnut cake and a very mild echo of old wet straw. The end is lush and full of oranges studded with cloves and allspice next to pear tobacco and old cedar humidors.

This was also a damn nice pour of whiskey. This ranking is going to be hard.

Taste 7

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

Old porch wicker, boot leather, salted caramel candies, vanilla cakes, and a hint of dried mango rolled in salt lead the way on the nose. The palate leans into sharp yet sweet cinnamon with burnt orange and dried plums layering into a spiced fruit cake with a hint of sage and thyme. The end has a lightly dried rose vibe with some soft marzipan covered in dark chocolate and layered into an old fruit cake with candied and dried fruits, citrus, nuts, and plenty of dark winter spice.

This is a really tasty whiskey. I don’t know if it beats that first pour, but it’s close.

Taste 8

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

That old porch wicker and boot leather lead on the nose with a hint of bespoke Almond Joy, dried rose petals, and allspice cherry cola. The palate has a lush creaminess tied to vanilla cake with a cherry compote next to eggnog spices and creaminess and a dash of woody winter spice with a pipe tobacco edge. The end has a rich toffee vibe that leads to almonds and raisins with a sense of spiced choco-cherry tobacco just kissed with orange oils.

This is another nice pour of whiskey. It’s a stone-cold classic.

Part 2: The Ranking

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

8. Laws Whiskey House Intention Origins Series 2022 Release — Taste 2

Laws Intention
Laws Whiskey House

ABV: 59%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

This whiskey starts off with Laws’ classic Four Grain Straight Bourbon made with 60% heritage corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley. That juice then rests in barrels for three to 10 years before bottling at cask strength and no fussing, creating only 1,680 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t last by any measure besides this ranking. This is really good whiskey, especially if you’re looking for something a little more crafty (grain-forward). I’m not sold on that crafty vibe … yet … and that’s the only reason this is lower today. Otherwise, this is solidly made and very easy-to-drink whiskey.

7. Hidden Barn Small Batch, Series Two Batch #1 — Taste 4

Hidden Barn Series Two
Hidden Barn

ABV: 56%

Average Price: $75 (coming soon)

The Whiskey:

This new series from Master Blender Jackie Zykan combines only 10 barrels of whiskey. The mash is rye-heavy with 60 percent corn from Christian County Grain, 35 percent rye from Walnut Grove Farms, and five percent malted barley from Southfork Malt House all in Kentucky. After double pot distilling, the hot juice is left to rest for five to six years before Zykan blended this expression and bottled it uncut at batch strength.

Bottom Line:

This is good whiskey. It has that crafty (grain-forward) vibe that’s a bit less sweet and a bit drier. I kind of think Jackie Zykan is a huge fan of Nicole Austin (George Dickel’s Master Distiller down in Tennessee) based on this whiskey’s flavor profile. That’s not my favorite thing ever, but it’s certainly a solid and unique flavor profile in a well-balanced whiskey.

6. Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue — Taste 5

Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue
Jeptha Creed

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was released for Veteran’s Day this month. The mash is a mix of 25% Bloody Butcher corn, 25% heirloom white corn, 25% Bruce’s Blue corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. That juice is aged for at least four years before blending, proofing, and bottling for this special once-per-year release.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty solid and classic bourbon. And that’s pretty much it. If you’re looking for a classic bottle that celebrates those who served this country (especially as a gift), then this is a great bottle to grab.

5. BLACKENED x Wes Anderson Master of Whiskey Series — Taste 6

BLACKENED Wes Anderson
BLACKENED

ABV: 58.1%

Average Price: $179

The Whiskey:

This new collaboration from Metallica’s whiskey finds Master Distillers Rob Dietrich of BLACKENED working with Wes Henderson, Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy, to create a new expression. The whiskey is a classic Kentucky bourbon aged for six years. Those barrels are vatted and then refilled into white port wine casks for a final rest. Finally, the port barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled at cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This is a damn good whiskey. It’s citrus-forward, which was a little dominant — hence it’s slightly lower ranking. That vibe, though, makes this a great candidate for mixing up a simple and delicious old fashioned.

4. RD One Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with French Oak — Taste 8

RD One Bourbon
RD One

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This brand-new Lexington, Kentucky whiskey is a follow-up to the award and insider darling Old Wm. Tarr Bourbon, which this expression is replacing. The bourbon in play is finished in French oak, adding an extra layer of depth to the final product before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was another stone-cold classic pour that really hit nicely today. Overall, I think this would make a decent on-the-rocks sipper or killer cocktail base, but I’m really leaning more toward the latter.

3. Stellum Bourbon Hunter’s Moon — Taste 7

Stellum Hunter's Moon
Barrell Craft Spirits

ABV: 57.76%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This masterful blend from Barrell Craft Spirits celebrates the coming of winter with a high-rye bourbon blend. The batch is dailed in toward the flavors and vibes of the season with deep woodiness, spices, and dark fruits to help celebrate the season.

Bottom Line:

This was just delicious. On another day, this could have been number one. It’s deeply hewn and darkly engaging. I can really see this popping in a Manhattan or Sazerac cocktail or simply on the rocks with a dash of Angostura Bitters.

2. Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 — Taste 3

Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023
Barrell Craft Spirits

ABV: 56.77%

Average Price: $95

The Whiskey:

Barrell’s New Year Bourbon is one of the most beloved releases of the year. This year’s batch is made from a grouping of five, six, seven, eight, and 10-year-old straight bourbon whiskeys distilled in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, Texas, and Maryland. Those whiskeys were batched in Kentucky and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

Delicious. I really like this neat, but a little water or a rock truly helps it bloom in the glass and takes you deeper into the fruits and creaminess. In a Manhattan, it’s perfect.

1. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition Aged 19 Years — Taste 1

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 19 Year Fall 2022
Heaven Hill

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $240

The Whiskey:

The latest decanter release from Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond series was made back in September 2003. Those barrels rested on three floors of rickhouse F and one floor of rickhouse X on the main Heaven Hill campus until October of 2023. They were then batched and proofed down to 100-proof for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is another perfect whiskey from the Old Fitz lineup. It’s deep, fun, and classic while taking you on a journey through your senses.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

There was just no beating that Old Fitzgerable Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 edition this time around. It’s too good.

That said, I’d recommend trying any of these whiskeys. They all offer something a little different. The craftier, more grain-forward stuff ranked lower, but that was only because of my mood and the graininess of them.

Still, if you want a slam-dunk bottle of bourbon, any of the top five will do.