Month: February 2023

On Tuesday evening, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to break a record many believed would never be broken. With a jumper late in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James reached 38,388 career points, setting the all-time record with a 36-point showing in less than three quarters, and the game was stopped for an extensive presentation featuring James, Abdul-Jabbar, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

James also signed off with an expletive that seemed to properly address the gravity of the moment, as he fought off tears to thank his family, teammates, the NBA, and the fans for getting him to this point where he could make history.

In the aftermath of the record-setting moment, luminaries from around the sports world reacted to James in wide-ranging fashion. His colleagues from around the NBA, past and present, took to Twitter to offer their reaction to witnessing greatness in real time, with many of the game’s best offering their congratulations to James on his achievement.

James’ long-time sponsor Nike also had a fitting tribute prepared for the commercial break immediately following the shot going down.

There was also a package of recorded congratulations from celebrities that aired at the start of the fourth quarter on TNT.

It was an incredible moment in NBA history, with a fitting finish to James’ record chase as he drilled a stepback that’s become one of his patented moves to take the top spot.

The NBA has a new scoring king. During Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James officially scored point number 38,388, meaning he surpassed the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored in a career.

The moment came in the final seconds of the third quarter. With the crowd — which featured Abdul-Jabbar and a host of other celebrities — at Crypto.com Arena desperate to see the record fall, James backed down Kenrich Williams at the elbow before hitting a fadeaway jumper at the free throw line. The game stopped as a result of the bucket, which led to a ceremony to celebrate his accomplishment.

James’ pursuit of his fellow Laker was one of the main storylines surrounding the franchise entering this season. He entered the year with 37,062 career points, putting him 1,325 behind Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time mark. Still, while it was viewed as a foregone conclusion that James would obtain the top spot on the list assuming he remained healthy, he’s managed to do this in the midst of one of his most prolific years as a scorer in his NBA career — entering Tuesday night’s slate of games, James averaged 30 points per game, which would mark the fourth time he’s hit that mark and the second time he’s done it as a member of the Lakers.

Abdul-Jabbar has spoken numerous times about how excited he is to see James supplant him atop the all-time scoring list. After years of waiting, that day has finally come.

Last year, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs made their highly anticipated comeback with the fiery new album Cool It Down. They’re still not done taking over the indie world. They were already set to play a bunch of festivals, but now they’ve announced they’ll be heading out on a whole tour. They also just unveiled the music video for the track “Blacktop.”

The tour will kick off in Washington, DC in May. Festivals they’ll be hitting include Kilby Block Party, Shaky Knees, Boston Calling, and more. About the “Blacktop” video, Karen O shared a statement:

“‘Blacktop’ stuck out to me early on, the demo was very stripped down instrumentally and emotionally. It was a step towards what radical closeness feels like after a long separation. Each record has one of these diamonds in the rough that just feels like flying to me. It felt right to keep the video as stripped down and dare I say beautiful in its naïveté. David Black put us in front of his 70s analog video camera with the intention to pull stills for band shots. He had me sing to ‘Blacktop’ before I had even memorized the lyrics, I thought I knew the song by heart but it felt like an introduction, like meeting it for the first time. It wasn’t intended to end up as a video and as a return to the earliest visuals from the record it completes a circle, we’re so happy we have it, a simple layered performance for a deceptively simple song. We hope you enjoy.”

Check out the full tour dates below.

05/03 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
05/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/07 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall +
05/09 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory +
05/12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
05/13 – Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven
05/26 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
06/01 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
06/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Armory *
06/05 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
06/07 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Live *
06/08 – Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield *
06/10 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre *
07/28-30 – Yuzawa, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/25 – London, EN @ All Points East
08/26 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
08/28 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
08/29 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle

+ with The Faint
* with Perfume Genius

It took four days and 15 votes, as well as a near-altercation, but Kevin McCarthy did it: He got elected Speaker of the House. His reward? He had to sit behind Joe Biden, a president deeply unpopular amongst the GOP, during his second State of the Unio. He had a tough job to do: He had to never, ever, ever applaud or smile or make any facial expressions whatsoever when Biden touted the many good things that have happened in America under his watch. And so he spent 80 minutes looking like a miserable robot.

It began upbeat. Biden and McCarthy, who have had meetings about the debt ceiling that McCarthy has said have gone well, shared a clearly jovial rapport after Biden congratulated him on the new gig. “I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden cracked. McCarthy laughed.

But as soon as Biden moved onto things like low unemployment, McCarthy knew he had to shut down and hold as blank an expression as possible, lest some Fox News dork wanted to make a molehill out of him applauding, lets’s say, affordable insulin.

In fact, there were a lot of times when McCarthy didn’t applaud objectively good things.

Rather than pay sole attention to Biden’s speech, people started scanning McCarthy’s face, to see if they could scan moments when he was wondering when he should applaud and how much that would enrage his easy-enraged base.

McCarthy’s resting misery face reminded a lot of people of a recent awards show look.

There were other jokes.

For the record, he did appear to shush the many GOP hecklers (possibly Marjorie Taylor Greene that time) during one of her many, many outbursts that evening.

In short, McCarthy spent the entire 80 minutes of Biden’s speech looking like he was zoning out, doing absolutely nothing while on live television, beamed to millions of TVs across the nation. And yet he somehow found time to tweet.

“One hour into this speech, and President Biden hasn’t mentioned China or our border once,” he “wrote.” Of course, it was his social media team, who were tweeting out his thoughts while he was literally doing nothing, in front of the entire country. Did they think GOP voters wouldn’t notice?

What’s more, they tweeted it just as Biden had talked about the border.

Did McCarthy even listen to Biden’s speech? Maybe he can catch up on it later, after he finds out that one of his new minions appeared to get into it with a GOP senator.

Back in the late ’90s and early aughts, “small batch” bourbon felt special, unique, and maybe even a little scarce. In 2023, small batch bourbon is just an entry point for most folks exploring the increasingly vast bourbon scene. It’s a jumping-off place for brands to introduce you to their vibe and it’s a cheap-ish mixer for decent cocktail bars.

Still, some small batch bourbons rise above their humble station and truly transcend as great sippers. That’s why I’m conducting a blind taste test of some killer small batch bourbon whiskeys. One reason the shine has worn off “small batch” bourbon over the last 20-odd years is that there’s no real law or rule for defining the bourbon sub-genre. The industry’s unwritten rule is that to be labeled a “small batch” bourbon, the expression has to have one less barrel in the blend than a standard expression from that brand.

As. You. Might. Notice… That could mean anything.

Case in point, a standard batch of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey — the biggest and most ubiquitous American whiskey in the world — has 375 barrels in each batch. There are “small batch” bourbons on this list with more barrels in their batch. That said, bottles like Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon only have 21 barrels in the mix because that’s how many barrels their batching tank holds. Taking a global view of the term “small batch” in 2023, it’s easy to see it as a marketing ploy from a bygone generation when the industry was just a fundamentally different beast.

All of that aside, I grabbed 12 bourbons from my shelf that have “Small Batch” on the label for a blind taste test. Our lineup today includes the following bottles:

• Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• RD One Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years
• George Dickel Handcrafted Small Batch Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years
• Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years
• McAfee Brothers Benchmark Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 25 Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch
• Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey High Rye Small Batch
• Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
• Great Jones Straight Bourbon Whiskey Crafted in Small Batches
• Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I tried to touch on bottles that are generally available around the country and generally all mid-range. The most expensive bottle on this list is around $70-$80 depending on where you live. The average is much closer to $40.

When it comes to ranking these after the blind tasting, I’m looking at the taste alone. This is about the depth of flavor and how great that flavor registers on my palate as an expert whiskey judge, critic, and consultant. Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
• The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $20-$30, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $30-$40, Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft and sweet apple and cherry woods greet with a good dose of sour red berries dusted with brown winter spices, especially clove and nutmeg.

Palate: The palate leans into soft and salted caramel with a hint of those berries underneath while the spices get woodier and a thin line of green sweetgrass sneaks in.

Finish: The finish is silky and boils down to blackberry jam with a good dose of winter spice, old wood, and a hint of vanilla tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This was fine. It’s clearly built as a cocktail base with a thinner vibe on the finish.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a sweet and leathery nose with dark cherry, maple syrup, and wet brown sugar with just a pinch of winter spices.

Palate: The palate largely follows a standard bourbon palate (cherry, vanilla, oaky spice) with a slight grainy sweetness kind of like brown sugar in a bowl of grits.

Finish: There’s an eggnog spice on the end with a touch of clove and allspice next to apple fritters and subtle warmth.

Initial Thoughts:

This was fine too. The sweet grains and classic bourbon feel of this didn’t quite balance out, but that’s me really reaching for something to nitpick.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Raw leather and wet cedar mix with vanilla cream and a sense of black licorice protein powder.

Palate: The palate leans into ginger spiciness with yellow masa and cinnamon-heavy apple cider and vanilla wafers rounding things out.

Finish: The finish is light and has a black Necco Wafer vibe next to winter spices and apple tobacco warmth on the end.

Initial Thoughts:

I dig the nose on this one, it’s unique and deep. The profile is nice and clearly a Tennessee whiskey thanks wafer vibe.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with creamy vanilla next to spiced tobacco with plenty of apple pie vibe and winter spices with a butter underbelly.

Palate: The palate has a light bran muffin with a molasses vibe next to vanilla/nougat wafers that then leads to peach skins and gingerbread.

Finish: The end leans into the nutty chocolate and vanilla wafer with a touch of orange zest, marzipan, and mint tobacco with a hint of garden store earthiness.

Initial Thoughts:

Two Tennessee whiskeys back to back! This is pretty nice too. It’s well-rounded but I’m not 100% sold on the finish with that earthiness.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy.

Palate: The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into cinnamon sticky buns with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate.

Finish: That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty classic from top to bottom. It’s bourbon-y bourbon with a nice sweet and spicy balance. This is a good one.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with hints of old vanilla beans, fresh leather, and old wicker porch furniture with a hint of black mold.

Palate: The palate leans into the apple and honey while adding rich caramel with a nice dose of sweet cinnamon with dried corn husks.

Finish: The end sweetens toward a corn mush cut with maple syrup and raisins next to vanilla pods and a touch of apple pies.

Initial Thoughts:

This is good but feels a lot cheaper than the last pours. It’s not bad by any stretch, just very shallow. It’s clearly a mixing whiskey that doesn’t cost much.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a thin, proofed vibe on the nose with fresh honey, mulled wine spices, dark sugars, burnt orange, and a hint of white pepper peeking in.

Palate: The palate leans into woody cinnamon bark next to ripe orchard fruits wrapped in old tobacco and stacked with old porch wicker.

Finish: The end leans into the orchard fruit and wood more than the spice with a hint of salted caramel next to pear skins and apple tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This is the opposite of the last pour. This starts off thin but ends super strong. It’s a fun ride and has a pretty decent profile overall.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This nose is classic bourbon with deep and dark cherry, burnt orange, old vanilla pods, and a hint of licorice layered into cream soda with a sprig of fresh mint.

Palate: There’s a sense of fancy Almond Joy next to clove-studded oranges, vanilla cake with caramel frosting, and a light mint tobacco in a cedar humidor with a twinge of leather.

Finish: The cedar, dark cherry, singe orange, and bold woody spice all pop in the finish and fade slowly away, leaving you with a well-rounded “bourbon” experience.

Initial Thoughts:

This is just good bourbon. It’s well-balanced, full-bodied, and lush.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy.

Palate: The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows.

Finish: The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

Damn, this is another luxurious sip of bourbon. It’s a fun journey on the senses and leaves you will a lavish sense of well-crated bourbon vibes.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with maple syrup, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky.

Palate: The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream.

Finish: The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.

Initial Thoughts:

Another killer pour! This is bourbon at its best. I want more of this in my life.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a hint of dry cornmeal that leads to soft but worn leather and a throughline of rubber fishing lure (in a good way… I think) with a soft and sweet citrus fruit underneath it all.

Palate: The palate is light but hits on vanilla cream, toffee, and cinnamon with a dash of white pepper and more citrus.

Finish: The end leans into vanilla and spiced tobacco leaves and a twinge of soft lemon pepper.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty light from beginning to end. It wasn’t overly complex or that interesting. It just… was.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a light sense of rickhouse wood beams next to that mild taco seasoning on the nose with caramel apples, vanilla ice cream scoops, and a hint of fresh mint with a sweet/spicy edge.

Palate: The palate opens with a seriously smooth vanilla base with some winter spice (especially cinnamon and allspice) next to a hint of grain and apple pie filling.

Finish: The end leans towards the woodiness with a hint of broom bristle and minty tobacco lead undercut by that smooth vanilla.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a pretty damn good, classic bourbon. There’s no “wow” factor, but it certainly delivers on being a tasty bourbon that feels like it’d make a good cocktail or two.

Part 2: The Ranking

12. Great Jones Straight Bourbon Whiskey Crafted in Small Batches — Taste 11

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $51

The Whiskey:

This is a grain-to-glass New York craft bourbon. The grains in the mash bill — corn, rye, and malted barley — are all grown locally in New York state. The juice is then left for at least four years to age before it’s blended in small batches, proofed down, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is just too young. It’s citrusy and feels like it needs another year or two in the barrel to take off the rougher edges. I’d wait.

11. McAfee Brothers Benchmark Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

This is a one-step-up “small batch” from Buffalo Trace’s budget brand, Benchmark. There’s not a whole lot of information on what this is exactly when it comes to the mash bill or aging. The “batch” could be 20 barrels or 200. We do know that the bourbon is cut down to 90-proof before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was fine but really tasted “cheap” compared to the other pours. That said, I could see shooting this with a beer back and not being mad about it.

10. RD One Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2

ABV: 49%

Average Price: $49

The Whiskey:

This new branding from RD1 Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky, is replacing their Old WM. Tarr line. The bourbon is made from Kentucky corn in Kentucky, but only bottled by RD1, so it’s sourced.

Bottom Line:

This was perfectly fine bourbon. I can see mixing highballs and cocktails with this and it’s being, again, perfectly fine.

9. Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $27

The Whiskey:

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and mid-ryes with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts. The whiskey is then blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This had a tad too much thinness compared to the other pours today. That said, you can cover up that thinness in a nice cocktail.

8. Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 12

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye. The whiskey is then rendered from “small batches” of barrels to create this proofed-down version of the iconic brand.

Bottom Line:

This was good classic bourbon and nothing more. Use it in cocktails, that’s what it’s for.

7. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 3

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $53

The Whiskey:

Bib & Tucker pulls barrels of Tennessee whiskey from an old and quiet valley in the state. They then blend those barrels to meet their brand’s flavor notes. While they are distilling their own whiskey now, this is still all about the blending of those barrels in small batches.

Bottom Line:

This was a Tennessee whiskey that felt like it wanted to be a Kentucky bourbon (full-on Pinnochio vibes). That said, it was still a solid pour that’s well-suited to mixing cocktails.

6. George Dickel Handcrafted Small Batch Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $34

The Whisky:

The whisky in the bottle is the same Dickel Tennessee whiskey but pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The whiskey is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was classic and funky. It’s clearly Tenneessee-made thanks to the powdery wafer vibes. Still, this had a unique finish that it owned and balanced nicely with the rest of the pour. That all said, I’d use this for a cocktail before drinking it as a sipper.

5. Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 25 Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch — Taste 7

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This expression is Jefferson’s sourced wheated bourbon from Indiana. The barrels were loaded onto an Ocearch vessel in Savannah, Georgia, and then sailed through the Caribbean, Panama Canal, around the Pacific, into the Indian Ocean, and back along the Pacific Coast, through the Panama Canal again, and back to Savannah — all that rocking around the ocean means more extraction of sugars into the spirit. Once the barrels were back in Kentucky, they were vatted, proofed, and bottled in very small batches.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty damn good overall. It wasn’t perfect, there was some thinness but the profile overcame that for a solid pour of whiskey. I can see this making a good old fashioned.

4. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 50%

Buy Here: $45 (one-liter)

The Whiskey:

This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a quintessential Kentucky bourbon that’ll put a smile on your face, this is it. No less. No more. That’s especially true if you’re looking for a great, standard bourbon mixer for cocktails.

3. Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey High Rye Small Batch — Taste 8

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This Louisville whiskey is made with a “double malted” mash bill. The recipe calls for 70% corn, 25% malted German rye, and 5% malted barley. The hot juice goes into the barrels at a lower entry proof and rests for just over three years in toasted and charred Kelvin barrels. Only 15 of those barrels go into the final batch.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the good stuff. This is a nice pour of whiskey that’s both classic and deep. It’s a fun sipper and it makes one hell of a Manhattan.

2. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $46

The Whiskey:

Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended whiskey is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was fun while still holding onto those classic bourbon moods. It’s deep and light — almost bright — on the senses. I can see sipping this over one large ice cube or mixing it into a simple, whiskey-forward cocktail.

1. Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 10

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $87

The Whiskey:

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 that bottle that transcends the label “small batch” bourbon. This is good f*cking whiskey. Sip it neat, over a large rock, or in your favorite cocktail. You win no matter how you drink it.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I like to say at the end of these that “all the bourbons” had their merits, and so forth. This time I can’t. The top three bourbons on this list were far and away better whiskeys and it wasn’t even close. The other nine really felt like standard bar back bourbons you mix batch cocktails with or serve as cheap-ish shots.

Each one of those top three bottles at the top had its own aura, profile, and depth. The throughline was that they were all 100% all-in on their nose, palate, and finish. You could taste the confidence and years of expertise behind those whiskeys in every f*cking molecule in that glass. They were simply better made every single step of the way and it showed in the end product. I would argue that the Knob Creek 9 was close to hitting that but still felt like a mixer (a very good one).

If you’re going to get any of these bottles, make it the top three for an all-around great bourbon, and number four if you’re looking for an essential bourbon cocktail mixer.

Slowthai announced his new album UGLY last month and unveiled the single “Selfish.” In a statement, he said the LP “is completely me — about how I feel and what I want to be… it’s everything I’ve been leading up to… This album was me trying to emulate the spirit of the brotherhood ethos that bands have.”

Today, he’s back with the new single, “Feel Good.” It features backing vocals from Shygirl, and it’s an ecstatic adventure with an infectious beat and a simple message: “I feel so good / I feel so good / I feel so good,” he says over and over.

UK fans of the rapper have a reason to feel so good: He’ll be playing intimate shows there for only a quid, which translates to about $1.23. “I make music for myself but I wouldn’t be where I am without my fans,” he said in a statement. “It’s important to me that people can have access to me and my music so I wanted to go to some new places and play this album first. Times are tough for a lot of people and working with Jägermeister has helped me keep tickets to only a quid.”

Listen to “Feel Good” above.

UGLY is out 3/3 via Method Records. Pre-save it here.

George Santos has been a U.S. representative for over a month now, and he doesn’t seem to being the most unpopular person in Congress. Before he was sworn in, he was the subject of an avalanche of accusations. After he was sworn in, the avalanche continued. It hasn’t stopped, with one strange/alarming claim after another, of him lying about, well, everything. If he thought his colleagues would warm to him for President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union speech, he was wrong.

First up was his run-in with Mitt Romney. Santos, who managed to snag an aisle seat for the big show, at one point walked over to the Utah senator and failed presidential candidate. Cameras caught the exchange, and though no audio has yet to be made public, it didn’t look good.

Of course, you didn’t have to be a master lip reader to catch some words. People caught Romney telling Santos something about him being “embarrassed.” Others thought Romney told him, “I wouldn’t be here.” A lot of people speculated on what was said.

Whatever the case, Santos walked away with Romney still appearing to mutter about him, with Santos saying something back.

Then there was his run-in with Biden himself. Santos perched himself along Biden’s path, ready to get a handshake from the president.

But video appeared to show Biden giving him a quick glance then moving on, potentially snubbing him.

Here’s a freeze frame of the apparent eye-lock.

Maybe Biden, a dog lover, doesn’t have time for people accused of multiple cases of dog-related fraud.

Or maybe Biden’s just no fan of Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, which Santos allegedly claimed he produced.

The Grammys on Sunday night were packed with memorable moments. There was definitely some chaos, from Harry Styles’ performance not going as planned to Cardi B allegedly breaking up a fight between Quavo and Offset. But there was also an abundance of exciting, groundbreaking moments, like Kim Petras being the first openly trans woman to receive a Grammy and Beyonce breaking the record for most Grammys of all time.

It looks like it was an overall success, especially when it comes to how many watchers tuned in. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Grammys reached a three-year high for CBS. It brought in 12.55 million viewers, which is 31% higher than last year’s 9.59 million people. However, it unfortunately doesn’t compare to the number of viewers they received before the pandemic.

One of the unexpected turns of the night was when Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won Song of The Year — a category full of big hits. “I’m so surprised,” she said in an interview shortly after winning, “because there were just massively talented, great tunes that represented tremendous excitement of the public, both in sales and just No. 1 and big smashing hits, and my little record was, you know… I’m so glad to be nominated. I was very surprised, but holding up our end of the American roots and my generation, that was… made me very proud. So… I don’t know, I love it.”

The year 2019 was the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson‘s death, and his estate shared a thoughtful statement about his impact: “A decade later, Michael Jackson is still with us, his influence embedded in dance, fashion, art and music of the moment. He is more important than ever.” Now, it looks like they’re selling part of his catalog in a massive deal.

Three sources told Variety that the estate is selling 50% of its interests in Jackson’s catalog for somewhere between $800 million and $900 million to Sony and a possible financial partner. The deal involves “Jackson’s publishing, recorded-music revenues, the MJ: The Musical Broadway show and the upcoming biopic Michael, and possibly more assets,” the publication clarified.

The estate also recently made a statement about the tragic death of Lisa Marie Presley. “We are saddened by the sudden tragic loss of Michael’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley,” they said. “Michael cherished the special bond they enjoyed as apparent in the official video for ‘You Are Not Alone’, and was comforted by Lisa Marie’s generous love, concern and care during their times together.”

They continued, “Bringing these two special people together was a memorable moment resulting in a union full of genuine affection and care for each other. Our deepest sympathies remain with Lisa’s family. Our hearts are with Lisa Marie’s children, Riley, Harper and Finley, and her mother, Priscilla, in this difficult time.”

Streamers aren’t the only wing of the entertainment industry going through some stuff right now. So is late night TV. Trevor Noah up and left The Daily Show late last year, and so far the show has gone with temporary guest hosts. Then there’s The Late Late Show. James Corden is skedaddling from the CBS staple, which has been held up the 12:30am slot since 1995. Who will replace him? The answer: no one.

As per Deadline, CBS is likely going to deep-six the nearly 30-year-old show. Instead of a chat show, it will be replaced by a reboot of @midnight, the Comedy Central panel show that ran from 2013 to 2017 in which contestants compete in a series of improv games related to social media jokes, memes, and culture. The show will not bring back its original host, Chris Hardwick, but it will feature Stephen Colbert, who hosts its preceding program, The Late Show, as executive producer.

The Late Late Show began not as a comedy show but as a more serious affair, hosted by the very serious Tom Snyder. By 1999 it had morphed into another yukfest, hosted by Craig Kilborn. He was followed by Craig Ferguson (who’s also returning to late night TV), then Corden. And so the show ends with a man who was revealed to be rude to waitstaff at an NYC restaurant.

(Via Deadline)