A new era of Janelle Monáe is upon us. The singer and actress is set to play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which is set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, February 17.
Today, a week ahead of the big game, fans have been asking about her abilities on the court.
“Whoa @JanelleMonae is in the celebrity all-star game?! That’s amazing. Can she ball?,” asked one fan on Twitter.
Shortly after, Monáe offered an iconic response. She quote-replied to the fan’s tweet, sharing an image of herself practicing on what looks like her home basketball court.
In the image, she is seen wearing a red pair of MSCHF’s Big Red Boots, which have been going viral on social media over the past week.
Next week is set to be a big week for everyone involved. On top of the game next Friday, Monáe will drop her new single, “Float,” the day before (February 16).
The boots themselves will also hit MSCHF’s online store.
Fans can watch the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game next Friday at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN, or stream it on the ESPN app.
Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Zacari and Ab-Soul have another gem on their hands. On their new collaborative single, “Motions,” both artists walk us through a day in their lives, as they deal with industry protocol, adjusting to fame, and navigating friendships and relationships.
“I’m just goin’ through the motions / Liftin’ off the ground / Driftin’ like the cloud / I’m just goin’ through the motions,” the two sing on the song’s chorus.
“Motions” marks the Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates’ third total collab. Last year, the two worked together on “Do Better” from Ab-Soul’s fifth studio album, Herbert, and have previously collaborated on “RAW (Backwards)” from his 2016 album, Do What Thou Wilt.
Zacari has appeared on several TDE collaborations over the years, alongside artists like Isaiah Rashad and Kendrick Lamar. He officially signed to the label in 2019, and released his debut EP Run Wild Run Free later that year.
Last year, he also collaborated on tracks with Blxst and MIA.
Though he hasn’t released a full-length album of his own yet, fans of Zacari can expect to hear it in the near future.
Last year, he revealed in an Instagram post that he plans to drop his full-length debut in 2023.
In the meantime, you can listen to “Motions” above.
Actor Penn Badgley, known for his eerie role as the stalker-murderer-turned-English-professor Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You, made headlines when he joined TikTok last year and started posting some hilarious videos.
However, one that really got fans talking was when he performed a lip-sync and dance to Taylor Swift’s Midnights lead single “Anti-Hero.” Similar to the music video, Badgley runs through his house, only to answer the door to a duplicate version of himself as Goldberg — wearing none other than his character’s typical costume (a baseball cap).
As the show recently dropped the first half of its fourth season, Badgley did a new interview with Rolling Stone where he discussed the popular TikTok video.
“I thought for years, ‘I’ll get a TikTok when the time is right,’” Badgley shared. “And then when Taylor’s record came out, it just seemed the song wouldn’t have worked with anybody else. Me. Joe. Anti-Hero. Taylor Swift? It just was the perfect moment.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to play Joe,” he added. “And so I bring that to it in a way. Joe is always struggling with who he is, and what he’s doing. There’s always like three levels of lies with Joe no matter what’s happening.”
Watch Penn Badgley (as You‘s Joe Goldberg) dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” above.
The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Kash Doll, J.I. The Prince Of NY, Shy Glizzy, and more.
Another quiet week gives us the chance to check out some names that might usually be overlooked, while releases from Central Cee, Fly AnakinKevin Gates, and Slowthai kept things moving along.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 10, 2023.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
J.I The Prince Of N.Y — One Way Or Another
J.I. The Prince Of NY
J.I, who got his start on the second season of The Rap Game, has had a solid career to date, earning comparisons to fellow melodically-inclined New York rappers A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Lil Tjay. His latest mixtape keeps up a tradition of consistent output following 2022’s Young & Restless. Vol. 1 Baby Don.
Kash Doll & DJ Drama — Back On Dexter: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape
Kash Doll
Hot off her recurring role as Monique on Starz’s BMF, Kash returns her focus to music alongside an absolutely dominant DJ Drama. Dram’s long-running Gangsta Grillz mixtape series has seen renewed interest in the wake of his successful collaboration with Tyler The Creator and that’s led to plenty of rap faves finding new waves, both stylistically and in growing their respective audiences.
Marlon Craft — Space 2
Marlon Craft
Craft’s backpack rap-inspired sound has found plenty of supporters in the past four years after he dropped his debut album Funhouse Mirror. He’s never stopped working, either, churning out an album, a mixtape, and the original Space EP in the years since. Space 2 operates in a similar vein as much of Craft’s prior output, with heady rhymes over crunchy, soulful beats.
Shy Glizzy — Flowers
Shy Glizzy
It’s been a minute since the DMV native graced our headphones but he returns today with a 20-song collection of hard-hitting street anthems. The material on Flowers is a little more mainstream than what a lot of fans outside the DC area know him for, but that could be considered an advantage, showing his versatility and ability to flip expectations.
Singles/Videos
Babyface Ray — “Ron Artest” Feat. 42 Dugg
Two of Detroit’s finest invoke one of the city’s most infamous antagonists (albeit in his Lakers era) to reflect their championship mentalities.
French Montana — “Ratataaa” Feat. 2Rare
Tapping Philly rapper 2Rare, Mr. “Haaaahn” himself jumps on the current Jersey Club trend and proves himself just as adept at turning up the energy to the max as ever.
Jay Worthy — “Terry Davis” Feat. Curren$y
The Compton rapper may have signed to Buffalo-based Griselda, but he eschews his teammates’ gloomy beats for more champagne-frothy smooth jazz production. Curren$y is the perfect complement to this low-key luxury.
Price — “On Go” Feat. Cozz
The Audio Push rapper makes the trip west on the 10 to link up with Inglewood’s Cozz for a motivational late-night thumper.
Rah Swish — “New York Girls”
Sample drill at its finest! The Brooklyn rapper uses a typically menacing beat to declare his love for women from every borough.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lizzo is still on cloud nine over her Grammy win. Last Sunday (February 5), the hitmaker took home the Grammy Award for Record Of The Year for her hit single, “About Damn Time.”
Today (February 10), she appeared on The Graham Norton Show to discuss the events that went down when the cameras weren’t rolling. As one can expect, waiting to hear if you won an award can be anxiety-inducing. Luckily, Lizzo had just the fix to calm her nerves.
During Lizzo’s appearance on the show, Norton pointed out a jewelry-studded flask at Lizzo’s table in a picture taken at the awards ceremony.
“I had two flasks for me, and one for Adele,” she revealed. “It was lit.”
Norton then asked, “Why did you have to bring a hit flask?”
Lizzo replied, saying, “Because there’s not, like, a bar. I’m like, ‘Come on, y’all, we need more alcohol.’ It’s Grammys night, we’re all stressed.”
Shania Twain, who also appeared on Norton alongside Lizzo, and was seated at the same table as Lizzo during the Grammys, complimented Lizzo’s “shiny” and “bedazzled” flask.
You can check out the clip above.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Taylor Swift, months after dropping her tenth studio album, Midnights, has released a brand new remix of a recent single, “Lavender Haze.” Last month, Swift gave the record’s romantic opening track a music video treatment — and now it’s taken on a completely different energy courtesy of Felix Jaehn.
Having literally went to a Midnights-themed cycling class last night, this new “Lavender Haze” remix is perfect for both a high-intensity workout and hitting the club. In this version, Swift’s vocals are sped-up, as the instrumental is swapped for a dreamy EDM build — before auto-tuning the chorus in a non-over-the-top-way.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching Mad Men, and I looked it up, because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the 50s where they would just describe being in love,” Swift shared on Instagram ahead of the album’s October release.
“Like, if you were in a lavender haze, that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful,” she added. “And I guess theoretically when you’re in the lavender haze, you’ll do anything to stay there, and not let people bring you down off of that cloud.”
Listen to Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze (Felix Jaehn Remix)” above.
Rihanna isn’t the only pop star who might be returning to the stage soon. Selena Gomez, who last went on tour in 2016 for her album Revival in 2016, teased a possible tour in response to a fan’s post on Instagram. When the fan account posted photos of Gomez on tour, she commented, “Can’t wait for tour.”
But she didn’t stop there. In another comment, she teased, “Should I go this year or next? Feel like I should wait.”
Selena Gomez hints at a possible tour within the next year.
Although it has been a while since her last tour, Gomez has been far from absent from the stage. She popped up at the 2019 American Music Awards in 2019, the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final in Portugal, and The Late Late Show with James Corden in late 2021, but was unable to go on tour for her 2020 album Rare due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a certain amount of movies in a franchise, you might think they would run out of various storylines by number 10, but the Fast and the Furious is keeping you on your toes with Fast X. The upcoming installment will race into theaters in May, and now that we have seen that explosive trailer, we have a feel for what’s going on in the wild world of street racing. But more importantly, we have Jason Momoa.
Momoa has been hyping up his Fast villain for several months, and now we have finally been introduced to Dante, the son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes who we last saw being murdered by Hobbs in Fast Five. Now, over a decade later, Dante is ready to get his revenge against Dom and his crew, and he’s willing to lick a bunch of bloody knives and blow up Rome in the process.
Dante has been described by director Louis Leterrier as “100% Momoa” meaning he is a larger-than-life personality with a great head of hair. Last year, Momoa explained that Dante is different than most characters he is used to portraying. “[Dante] is very sadistic and androgynous and he’s a bit of a peacock,” Momoa told Variety last summer. “He’s got a lot of issues, this guy. He’s definitely got some daddy issues.” He’s looking to solve those issues by killing Dom, who now has a family and kids! Time flies when you have over two decades worth of these movies to watch.
Fast X won’t be the final installment in the franchise, so it’s possible that Momoa will have so much fun playing the bad guy that he makes it out of this one alive and returns for the next movie. Although now that he cut his hair, he might not be as daunting as Dante.
The Kyrie Irving trade introduced a wave of wrinkles, both on and off the court, for the Dallas Mavericks. On the court, Irving becomes the first Maverick to be a true talent peer to Luka Doncic. He’s a player who can both complement and amplify Doncic’s skill set while also serving as a star-level offensive engine when Doncic sits. Irving’s prowess as both a ball handler and shot creator are well-documented, but it’s his playmaking and ability to be a threat off the ball that should elevate Doncic and this Maverick offense to new heights.
For the first time since he became the face of the franchise — which was approximately four seconds after they acquired him in a draft day trade with the Atlanta Hawks — Doncic is playing with someone who can cause him to alter his approach on offense. Throughout Jason Kidd’s tenure, Dallas has deployed an isolation-heavy offense that leverages 5-out spacing with very little movement from their non-ball handlers. Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, and previously Jalen Brunson all excelled in isolation and created constant rim pressure, which led to a bevy of open 3s for their teammates.
Dallas wants to drag teams into the mud and play at Doncic’s meticulous pace — they rank 29th in pace and 1st in half-court offensive efficiency, per Cleaning The Glass. It was an offensive strategy good enough to carry them to the Western Conference Finals last year, and as of this writing, Dallas has the eighth-best offense in the league.
However, both Doncic and Dinwiddie need multiple dribbles to break down their defenders, which often led to stagnant possessions that dwindled late into the clock. And without Brunson this season, that stagnation has amplified in crunch time, leading to a series of late game collapses by Dallas early in the year. Doncic leads the league in average seconds per touch at 6.9 a game. Dinwiddie isn’t far behind at ninth at 5.44 seconds. Dinwiddie performed well this season, but his skill set and approach was too similar to Doncic’s, and the results weren’t always great. This dynamic and roster construction forced Doncic into a career-high usage that made Dallas almost entirely dependent on his brilliance. Dallas was 11.8 points per 100 possessions better when Doncic was on the floor and went 0-7 in games without him prior to the trade.
The Irving trade introduces a star-level talent and a new play style into the Maverick offense. The offensive variance was obvious in Irving’s debut against the Los Angeles Clippers. Typically, Dallas is a heavy pick-and-roll team, which allows Doncic to dissect defenses over and over until they waive the white flag and send hard doubles. With Doncic during Irving’s debut, the offense featured a series of dribble hand-off sets that let Irving and their other perimeter players play off of Dwight Powell to scramble a switch-heavy Clipper defense. Here’s a fun little play they ran to get Irving his first basket.
New Players New #XsOs Coach Jason Kidd and Dallas #Mavericks show Diversity with this “Double Scissors” aka “Double Kamikaze” System to create from HOF breakdown made with @KlipDrawpic.twitter.com/cp3p1t6q27
Irving’s ability to change direction off the ball, stop on a dime, and shoot off the catch opens up new possibilities for Kidd. Introducing new motion sets will lessen the burden on Doncic and allow his teammates to be more involved in the offense, even if most of the creation still comes from Irving and Doncic. The change in approach was evident from one stat in Irving’s debut: Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock both had a season-high six assists. While the offense won’t always be so egalitarian, this is a glimpse at what Irving’s presence can provide.
When Doncic returns from injury, he will have to acclimate to playing off the ball for the first time since his rookie season when he was paired with Dennis Smith Jr. Doncic spends the majority of his possessions creating for himself and his teammates — only 12.1 percent of his made field goals this season have been assisted. For the first time in his career, Doncic has a teammate that can create shots for him and will require him to stay alert off the ball. Irving is the best passer with whom he’s played since Doncic shared a backcourt with Goran Dragic on the Slovenian national team in 2017. That version of Doncic was a fantastic off-ball player that utilized all his on-ball brilliance to make smart cuts and push in transition.
Irving presents an opportunity for Doncic to diversify the game and make it easier on himself. He’s already proven he can do all the heavy lifting of an MVP, but to make a long playoff run, he’ll need to learn when to take his foot off the gas and allow Irving to create for everyone. To start, Doncic needs to play more in transition and early offense to avoid the stagnation that has plagued the Mavericks at times this season. With Irving replacing Dinwiddie and Josh Green soaking up Dorian Finney-Smith’s minutes, Dallas has the personnel to be dangerous in the open court. They don’t need to be the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, but taking a step up from 29th in pace can supercharge this offense.
To fully maximize this partnership, Doncic will have to tap into the younger version of himself. It’s a funny thing to say about someone who is 23, but Luka Doncic’s basketball career has been defined by his ability to be brilliant beyond his years.
It’s (un)officially one of the biggest holiday weekends in America — Super Bowl weekend! If you drink alcohol, you’re going to be drinking (a lot of) something this Sunday. It may as well be the best whiskey that you can actually get that also won’t break the bank.
75% of Americans are watching the game this weekend, which puts Super Bowl Sunday just under Thanksgiving (America’s most celebrated holiday) right along with Veteran’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day when it comes to what Americans celebrate most. It tracks, Christmas and New Year’s are long past and we need something to celebrate in the doldrums of late winter. And what better than a good pour of whiskey to help you do just that?
The range today is the $20 to $40 window, with most bottles hitting around 30 bucks. Look, I could name some $10 and $15 bottles, but they rarely taste as good as the ones that cost just $5 to $10 more. So we’re starting at $20 and going from there, and let’s not pretend that anything under $50 isn’t cheap/affordable in the whiskey world in 2023.
Lastly, you should be able to find most of these bottles. A couple of the picks are a tad regional, but not overly so. This is about whiskey that you can get so click on those prices to do just that. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Terry Bradshaw’s rye whiskey is a compliment to his new bourbon. The whiskey is made at the Green River Distilling Company (now part of Bardstown Bourbon Company) from an undisclosed mash bill. That whiskey ages for a mere two years before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with soft leather and Dr. Pepper spices next to plenty of vanilla and a deep sense of burnt popcorn (that’s slightly rough).
Palate: The palate is oaky put white peach and brown sugar cut through it with a sense of subtle winter spices and mild peppercorns.
Finish: The end mixes soft vanilla with old oak as a butter toffee and spiced cherry tobacco finishes things off on the senses.
Bottom Line:
It’s Super Bowl Sunday and this is the best NFL legend bottle you can get. The best part is that this whiskey actually tastes pretty damn good thanks to Terry Bradshaw actually taking the time to care about what’s in the bottle (and not just slap his name on something).
Aging stout in whiskey barrels has a long tradition in brewing. Plus, a pint of stout goes hand-in-hand with drams of Irish whiskey. So aging Jameson in whiskey barrels that held stout beer makes a lot of sense. In this case, the aged juice spends an extra six months in the stout barrels, giving the whiskey that little somethin’, before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Apple orchards and bails of hay mingle with almonds, spice, chocolate, and a hint of lemon oil on the nose.
Palate: Dark chocolate and a note of woody spices mingle on the palate with creamed honey and a whisper of espresso cream.
Finish: The end brings about a note of butterscotch next to a milkier chocolate smoothness that leads to a finish that’s part of spiced wood and part bitter espresso bean, creating a spiced-mocha-latte-spiked-with-whiskey vibe.
Bottom Line:
Jameson feels essential this time of year. The light Irish whiskey is perfect for on the rocks sipping for passive whiskey drinkers at your Super Bowl party. It’s inoffensive yet tasty and very easygoing.
Benchmark Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This expression is from the single barrels that actually hit that prime spot/flavor profile to be bottled one at a time. This is the best of the best of the barrels earmarked for Benchmark in the Buffalo Trace warehouses. Those barrels are watered down slightly before bottling at a healthy 95-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: That orange and caramel really come through on the nose with a thin line of creamy dark chocolate and some nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate largely adheres to that flavor profile while adding in layers of dark fruit, old leather, mild oak, and orange cookies.
Finish: The finish arrives with a sense of winter spices and dark chocolate oranges next to a twinge of cherry-kissed spicy tobacco chew and a final note of old porch wicker.
Bottom Line:
Benchmark is the ultimate “in the know” cheap bourbon. The whiskey is from the Buffalo Trace facility and is the same juice as Eagle Rare, Stagg, E.H. Taylor, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Pouring this on Sunday will give you a great bourbon experience without the staggering Buffalo Trace (secondary) price points.
Buchanan’s DeLuxe Blended Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
Buchanan’s is making a big comeback. Part of that is due to this expression snagging a Double Gold from San Francisco World Spirit Competiton in 2020; another part is the quality Diageo whiskies in the blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a real sense of dark chocolate married to bright orange zest.
Palate: The palate builds on that adding hints of vanilla pudding and dark spices next to a cedar woodiness and a little bit of spicy/ chewy tobacco.
Finish: A whisper of peat arrives late and far in the background as the chocolate orange throughline lasts the longest on the fade.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect highball whisky to have on hand. Pour this with some good fizzy water and a twist of citrus and you’ll be all set.
This whiskey was a long time coming. Master Distiller Chris Morris tinkered with this recipe for nine years before it was just right. The juice has a fairly low-rye mash bill — for rye, that is — with only 53% of the grain in the recipe. The rest is made up of local corn and malted barley. The whiskey then spends up to seven years maturing at their Versailles, Kentucky facility before its blended, proofed with soft limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens nicely with soft green grass next to a dusting of freshly cracked black pepper and dry cedar that’s countered by pear and marzipan.
Palate: That pear infuses into the marzipan on the palate as floral honey balances a rye pepperiness and hint of clove.
Finish: A whisper of fresh mint drives the mid-palate toward more of that sharp clove with a final note of honey-soaked pear on the thin finish.
This new release from Bushmills celebrates the sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders. The juice in the bottle is a classic Irish whiskey blend of ex-bourbon casks (aged three to five years) bottled without chill-filtration, hence its higher proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Applewood leads to apple candies made with plenty of honey next to a hint of dried flowers, dry firewood, and a whisper of dry straw.
Palate: The palate amps up the apple to a spiced apple fritter with plenty of cinnamon, clove, and ginger next to a layer of creamy vanilla and more of that dry straw.
Finish: The end is full of honey and spice and fades out pretty fast.
Bottom Line:
This is another great Irish whiskey to have on hand. Yes, it’s branded with the badassery of Peaky Blinders. It’s also a very easy-drinking Bushmills that makes a killer cocktail.
1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown, but Sazerac mentions that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could mean anything. The whiskey is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a woody cherry bark next to sour apple pies, distiller’s beer, and caramel candies next to vanilla cream with a counterpoint of cumin and dry chili lurking in the deeper reaches of the nose.
Palate: The palate opens with a Cherry Coke feel next to rich and buttery toffee, vanilla malts, and sharp Hot Tamales cinnamon candy with a nod toward allspice and root beer.
Finish: The end is soft and lush with vanilla smoothness leading to black cherry tobacco braided with cedar bark and wicker.
Bottom Line:
This is a great mixer for mules, highballs, or just easy on the rocks pours. Hell, it even works as a good shooter with beers.
This Speyside blend is crafted as a workhorse whisky. The juice is drawn from the William Grant & Sons stable of distilleries. The juice is then rested for up to six months after blending to let it mellow even more before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice welcoming note of creamy vanilla that almost becomes cream soda, next to hints of zesty orange marmalade, malts, and dark spices.
Palate: The taste delivers on those notes by amping the spices up to Christmas cake territory with a slight tart berry edge next to that cream soda sweetness.
Finish: The end is short and sweet with a nice lightness that really makes this very drinkable.
Bottom Line:
This is built as a mixing whisky, so use it that way.
This is a subtle rye whiskey. The mash bill only has 51% rye grains next to 35% corn and 14% barley. The hot juice is then aged for several years before being blended, proofed, and bottled with no age statement.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a real sense of a dark chocolate bar that’s cut with dried chili and a touch of cinnamon that draws you in.
Palate: The palate mellows that spice into a Christmas spice mix while a honey sweetness and texture lead towards sweet oak and the slightest wisp of pipe tobacco smoke.
Finish: The finish takes its time as those spices keep your senses warm and buzzing on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is another great option for mixing up whiskey-forward cocktails. Don’t let that stop you from pouring this over some ice and sipping it slow though.
Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this whiskey is pulled from less than 1% of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla pound cake and salted caramel are countered by spicy cherry tobacco, mulled wine vibes, and dark chocolate cut with orange zest and a hint of corn husk.
Palate: The palate brings in some floral honey sweetness and more orange oils with a sticky toffee pudding feel next to more spicy cherry tobacco and a hint of coconut cream pie.
Finish: The end amps up the cherry with a little more sweetness than spice before salted dark chocolate tobacco folds into dry sweetgrass and cedar bark before a hint of fountain Cherry Coke pops on the very back end with a sense of sitting in an old wicker rocking chair.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that have no business being as good as it is for this price. This works on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail.
Glenmorangie The Original Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years
The Glenmorangie is a classic Highlands single malt. The juice is created on the tallest stills in Scotland, which allows more spirit creation along the way as it’s boiled. The whisky then spends ten years mellowing in ex-bourbon barrels. Finally, the whiskey is vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with soft grains next to a rush of dried fruits and supple leather with a floral hint that leans toward dry hibiscus and fresh woodruff.
Palate: The palate is gentle with hints of wet malts next to powdered dark spices, fresh honeycombs, and a thin line of vanilla oils just touched with orange zest and maybe a twinge of grapefruit.
Finish: The end arrives with a soft honeyed sweetness that feels like it’s drizzled over an orange cake with a hint of malted cracker graininess next to an echo of old apple chips.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, simple single malt. It’s easygoing as a slow sipper over some ice, in a highball, or as a cocktail base. Dealer’s choice.
Sazerac Rye is a great entry point for a refined touch and a throwback to the 1800s. The brand was named after the famed Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street in New Orleans where the Sazerac cocktail was born. Today, this expression is a true classic made at Buffalo Trace from their iconic rye mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a vanilla underbelly that’s pretty luscious which supports star anise, sasparilla, clove, cardamom, and a hint of red peppercorn.
Palate: The palate has big Christmas-time vibes with fruit cakes full of candied fruits and nuts with plenty of dark spice, mulled wine, more of that red peppercorn, and a hint of black licorice with old pine wood paneling lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish is bold yet soft and lush with anise and candied fruits creating a spicy cream soda with an old sweetgrass rope drying things out.
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The whiskey is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a really nice nose full of woody cherry, salted caramel with a tart apple edge, and a soft leatheriness.
Palate: The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco.
Finish: The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a quintessential bourbon. It’s deep enough to work as a sipper, accessible enough to mix with, and laid-back enough to shoot.
This is basically Johnnie Walker Black — a slightly peaty blend of over 40 whiskies from around Scotland — that’s been casked again in deeply charred oak barrels for a final maturation. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island whiskies’ smokiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-forward spice and billows of softwood smoke — think cherry and apple — greet you on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla creaminess that’s punctuated by bright apples, dried fruit, and more peat that leans more towards an old beach campfire than a chimney stack.
Finish: The spice kicks back in late, warming things up as the smoke carries through the end with a nice dose of oakiness, fruitiness, and sweet vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a thin line of smoke in your whisky, this is the play. You can drink this on the rocks or in a cocktail (think citrus-forward).
A lot of Wild Turkey’s character comes from the hard and deep char they use on their oak barrels. 101 starts with a high-rye mash bill that leans into the wood and aging, having spent six years in the cask. A little of that soft Kentucky limestone water is added to cool it down a bit before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and buttery toffee is countered by burnt orange, old oak, and a hint of cumin and red chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate leans into soft vanilla pudding cups with a touch of butterscotch swirled in next to orange oils, nougat, and a hint of menthol tobacco.
Finish: The midpalate tobacco warmth gives way to a finish that’s full of woody winter spices and a whisper of Cherry Coke next to orange/clove by way of a dark chocolate bar flaked with salt.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a straightforward pour of Wild Turkey 101. You can shoot it, mix it, or pour it over a lot of ice and take it slow.
This whiskey is from Brown-Forman (which also makes Jack Daniels, Old Forester, King of Kentucky, and Woodford Reserve in the U.S.). The Kentucky-distilled juice is aged in special oak barrels that are chiseled before charring to create more surface space for carbon filtering and aging in the barrel. The best barrels and then batched, slightly proofed with that Kentucky limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of old oak and almost smoldering cinnamon bark on the nose with a hint of apple/pear cider cut with orange oils and a whisper of vanilla-nougat wafers.
Palate: That apple/pear cider vibe dominated the start of the palate with a Martinelli’s cider sweetness next to clove buds and more cinnamon bark, a light sense of vanilla cake, and burnt orange.
Finish: The cinnamon really attaches to the apple/pear cider on the finish with a fleeting sense of sweet oak and old evergreen pitch and an echo of orange tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a really solid slow-sipping bourbon that feels fundamental in its profile. I dig this over a large ice cube or in an old fashioned.
This whiskey is made from Jack’s classic mash of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye before it’s twice distilled and run through Jack’s long Lincoln County sugar maple charcoal filtration process. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with a little water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with Cherry Jolly Ranchers next to sweet cedar bark braided with old strands of leather and orange-laced tobacco leaves while a hint of vanilla wafer and general “health food store” vibes underneath it all.
Palate: The palate feels like warm apple pie on a sunny day with the best vanilla ice cream on top as layers of eggnog nutmeg and creaminess move toward a Cream of Wheat vibe.
Finish: Some apple wood chips for a smoker and a hint of almond shells pop on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is refined Jack Daniel’s and it’s pretty goddamn tasty. I tend to mix with this (basic, whiskey-forward cocktails) but you can easily pour this over ice and enjoy it. It makes a solid shooter too.
This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The whiskey is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo at Suntory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plummy puddings with hints of nuts mingle with vinous berries, oaky spice, and a good dose of vanilla and toffee on the nose.
Palate: The palate expands on the spice with more barky cinnamon and dusting of nutmeg while the oak becomes sweeter and the fruit becomes dried and sweet.
Finish: The finish is jammy yet light with plenty of fruit, spice, and oak lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is getting into the good stuff. This whiskey is built to be stirred into good cocktails or enjoyed slowly either neat or over some good ice.
Micher’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Michter’s well-crafted juice is warehoused until the deeply charred new white oak barrels hit just the right moment in both texture and taste. Those barrels are then hand-selected and bottled one at a time with a touch of Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peppery rye and a hint of citrus open this one up before deep fatty nuttiness, dry espresso beans, soft dark chocolate sauce, and a twist of sharp spearmint dance through the nose.
Palate: There’s a distant line of toffee candies dipped in roasted almonds next to a brioche smeared with Nutella and dipped into a fresh cup of espresso with mild notes of white pepper, ground chili powder, and maybe a whisper of honey.
Finish: The finish leans into woody winter spice barks and buds — think cinnamon, clove, and allspice — with a sense of whole red peppercorns soaked in molasses, a whisper of walnut cake, and a thin line of toasted marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best whiskeys that you can actually find and drink right now at this price point. It also makes one hell of a Manhattan.
Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
Jimmy and Eddie Russell go barrel hunting in their Wild Turkey rickhouses to find this expression. The whiskey is a marrying of bourbons Jimmy and Eddie Russell handpicked with a minimum age of ten years old. They then cut it down to a very accessible 90-proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is just a straight-up classic with depth on the nose leading to rich vanilla, salted caramel, sour cherry, wintry spices, and a touch of old oak.
Palate: The palate opens with orange-oil-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate next to bolder holiday spices, moist spiced cake, and a very distant whisper of barrel smoke.
Finish: The end is a lush mix of orange, vanilla, chocolate, and spice leading to an old leather pouch full of sticky maple syrup tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bourbon at a great price point. It’s so breezy yet deeply built. You can use this for any application from mixing to shooting to batching to slow sipping.
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(@JanelleMonae) February 10, 2023
Should I go this year or next?” 
New 
breakdown made with 
