Post Malone did not have the easiest time touring last year while promoting his new album Twelve Carat Toothache. The “Better Now” performer took too many tumbles at his concerts, first in St. Louis and then again in Atlanta. Luckily, there have been some good news to make up for those falls since, such as when he officiated a wedding between two fans onstage in Seattle.
Malone looks like he’s been having more fun doing gigs this year. In Sydney, Australia on Sunday, February 5 at the Accor Stadium, the rapper gave the crowd what they wanted: A shoey, which means he drank beer from a fan’s shoe. “How did we get here?” he said into the microphone while pouring a red solo cup into a sneaker. Video of it was caught by an audience member who posted it to TikTok. After chugging it, he can be seen bowing to the crowd.
Malone is often engaged in shenanigans. Last year Celtics guard Marcus Smart talked about playing the musician in beer pong: “Yeah, I played him. I won one game, but I went five in a row the last game! […] He’s really good. He kept telling me to call [Celtics President Of Basketball Operations] Brad [Stevens] for him, though. Every shot he made, he was like, ‘Call Brad, sign me up, give me the 10-day [contract]!’”
Kevin Durant will not play in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Despite making it to Salt Lake City a little later this month as one of the frontcourt players selected out of the Eastern Conference, the knee injury that has kept Durant sidelined since January 12 will prevent him from suiting up in the game, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant (MCL sprain) will not play in the All-Star game on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
Durant suffered the injury against the Miami Heat when Ben Simmons blocked an attempted layup by Jimmy Butler and Butler fell into the Brooklyn Nets star’s right leg. While it was originally announced that Durant would miss at least two weeks due to the MCL sprain, he hasn’t played in approximately four weeks.
Earlier in the day, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the expectation is Durant — who has not been cleared for contact yet — will not return to the Nets’ lineup until after the break. Brooklyn’s first game back is on Feb. 24 against the Chicago Bulls.
With eight days until the All-Star break starts for the Nets, Kevin Durant (MCL sprain) isn’t expected to return to team’s lineup until post-break, sources tell ESPN. Jacque Vaughn told reporters that there’s still no timetable for a return. https://t.co/mmkvOGahne
This injury means that Durant continues his unfortunate streak of having to miss the All-Star Game due to knocks, as he has not been able to play in the game since 2019. While the NBA has not announced a replacement for Durant, Philadelphia 76ers star and All-Star reserve Joel Embiid came in fourth place in voting and would presumably be next in line to earn a starting nod.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
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Keep — Happy In Here
With the release of They Are Gutting A Body Of Water’s S and Knifeplay’s Animal Drowning, last year was a flourishing moment for shoegaze. It looks like that’s not over; Keep’s new album Happy In Here is a haunting, dreamy adventure full of intense guitar work and soaring vocals. The songs blend into one another with ease, bouncing back and forth between feeling introspective and invigorating.
Year Of The Knife — Dust To Dust
To kick off 2023, Year Of The Knife have unleashed a surprise EP, Dust to Dust. Though only clocking in at seven minutes with three songs, every second is so ferocious and brash. The roars are unrelenting and piercing against corrosive guitars, and there’s no shortage of satisfying breakdowns that’ll definitely prompt pits at future shows.
Black Belt Eagle Scout — “Spaces”
The Land, The Water, The Sky, the new album from Black Belt Eagle Scout, arrives in just a couple of days. There have been four singles so far, including the newest one, “Spaces.” It’s a serene, ruminative ballad that relies more on sounds than words, and it works because the atmosphere is immersive and powerful throughout.
Neutral Milk Hotel — “Where You’ll Find Me Now (Alternate Version)”
“Where You’ll Find Me Now” is a highlight off Neutral Milk Hotel’s oft-overlooked debut album On Avery Island. The original is slow and intimate, and this just-released alternative version of the track has more of a pep in its step. It comes from the band’s career-spanning boxset, which is sure to be a treat for fans who want more from the elusive group.
Frankie Rose — “Sixteen Ways”
Frankie Rose are preparing for the release of their new album Love As Projection, and “Sixteen Ways” is a glimmering, memorable taste of what’s to come. the track is reminiscent of ’80s pop, bursting with fuzzy synthesizers and catchy melodies. The video feels vintage as well, feeling much like a fever dream.
Yves Tumor — “ Echolalia”
Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) is the title of Yves Tumor’s new album arriving in March. It was announced alongside the release of the pulsating single “Echolalia,” which has a sticky melody as they sing: “You look so magical / I don’t know how to act when I’m on my own / The way I’m thinking, is this unnatural?”
Geese — “Cowboy Nudes”
It’s probably easy to guess that Geese’s new song titled “Cowboy Nudes” is a bit unhinged. Sonically, it’ll never lose the listener’s attention, packed with vivacious vocals and a buoyant rhythm. The lyrics are as entertaining, not lacking in humor: “I’ve got eyes for anything moving / Fell in love with a tumbleweed.”
The Tallest Man On Earth — “Every Little Heart”
“Every Little Heart” by The Tallest Man On Earth is a gentle, thoughtful ballad that feels more profound with each line: “I’m going to see the world / Through every little heart I know / I’m going to see the world / Through every little heart I know,” Kristian Matsson sings over mesmerizing chords.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra — “Layla”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra just announced that they’ll be unleashing their new double album V in March. To give fans a preview, they shared “Layla,” a groovy track about wanting change: “My old man’s gun / Still in the glove compartment / How many dollars you wanna earn? / How many times ’til you’re gonna learn?”
@ — “Letters”
The music of @ is quite unconventional and unpredictable. Their new single “Letters,” though, packs more emotion than it does surprises. “It’s about reconnection after personal growth,” the explained in a statement. “It’s also about the relief of being able to experience the world more lightly after a serious depression.” And it moves with this bright sense of weightlessness.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Donald Trump’s kids are nothing if not loyal, especially the oldest three. (Tiffany mostly keeps quiet, and who knows what young, tall Barron thinks of him.) Whether he feels the same way is up in the air. Some who know him claim he does not. Michael Cohen — the former president’s former lawyer, who went to jail for him and has since been relentlessly warning people he’s not to be trusted — has claimed he would never save his kids from jail time. Now a new book is confirming how little he cares for his children.
As per Raw Story, there’s yet another new Trump tell-all. It’s called People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account, and it’s by New York District Attorney Mark Pomerantz. One passage relates a conversation between Trump, then-bookkeeper Allen Weisselberg and Cohen. (As Cohen once did, Weisselberg is going to the slammer for Trump.) During their discussion, Trump was talking about his net worth would be, which he kept inflating.
“At one point his growing net worth number became so inflated,” Pomerantz writes, “that Weisselberg warned him that he was creating a large potential estate tax liability—upon his death, the tax authorities could demand taxes commensurate with his inflated net worth. According to Cohen, Trump responded by telling Weisselberg that ‘I don’t care, I’ll be dead, and the kids will have to fend for themselves.’”
So much for fatherly love. It’s not clear how large Trump’s wealth is anyway these days. What’s more, Ivanka has been clearly worried her father’s antics, such as helping foment an attempted insurgency, will harm her own brand, making it difficult to create her own wealth. Then again, she and her husband are unimaginably rich. Maybe one day they’ll have to give out loans to Don Jr. when people stop watching his lunatic video rants.
Movie theaters are still climbing back to where they were before a little once-in-a-century public health crisis began. Lots of people are even seeing non-blockbusters about normal people again (at least if they star Tom Hanks). Still, Regal is shuttering a bunch of theaters. AMC Theatres, meanwhile, is trying out a new pricing plan, where you could pay more or less depending on where you sit. It’s already drawn criticism, including from one of the stars of one of the biggest franchises of the last quarter century.
The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Elijah Wood tweeted Monday. “This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
The initiative, called Sightline, breaks down like this: Seats in the middle, called “Premium Sightline,” go for slightly more than normal seats, called “Standard Sightline.” There’s also “Value Sightline,” which are a bit cheaper and include, as per an AMC statement, “seats in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium, and are available at a lower price than standard sightline seats.”
In other words, whereas in the past everyone was equal — and the crappy seats only went to those who showed up late — the wealthier can now separate themselves from those with less money.
AMC Theaters, America’s largest movie theater chain, announced on Feb 6 that it will be adopting different ticket prices based on seat location.
Moviegoers will have three tiers to choose from based on sightline of the movie screen—Preferred Sightline, set in the middle at the highest price point, Value Sightline, set in the front of the auditorium at the lowest price, and Standard Sightline, which is basically everything else (including the back seats, which are perhaps the most commonly picked) set at the traditional cost of a ticket.
In other words…heartbreak will feel more expensive in a place like this…or less, depending on where you sit…
The company’s announcement was met with both criticism and approval. While some feel the move follows a well-established business model, others have found it to be taking away a valued aspect of the moviegoing experience.
“Lord of the Rings” actor Elijah Wood took to social media to condemn the decision, saying that it would negatively affect those with lower incomes.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood wrote. “This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.
TV and film critic John Rocha was a bit more pointed in his statement, calling the new ticket pricing “classist.”
“Poor people, you sit in the poor section and you rich folks please move the velvet ropes around the middle section to find your seats,” he added.
Still, according to Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and CMO of AMC Theaters, the new approach “closely aligns to that of many other entertainment venues, offering experienced-based pricing and another way for moviegoers to find value at the movies.” It’s much like the model of paying more or less at a concert, sports game, or theaters showing plays, depending on where you sit.
“We know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing. Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience so that every trip to an AMC is a great one,” he wrote in a statement.
And yet, in the aftermath of COVID-19, it’s a risky move for an already shaky industry, some experts say. According to The Hollywood Reporter, box office numbers have made progress, but still pale in comparison to 2019, hitting $7.5 billion in 2021.
The outlet also shared that even certain Hollywood studio executives considered the pricing as potentially “too complicated” for customers. This is a precarious experiment as streaming services continue to be movie theaters’ biggest competitor.
On the bright side: despite the divisive backlash that AMC’s price change caused, the great unifier in all this was the plethora of funny memes:
Excluding members of AMC’s A-List membership, who will still be able to choose any seat at no additional charge, customers might have already seen this change. The new pricing structure has already begun rolling out across the country and will be implemented at all locations by the end of 2023.
Scientists at Penn State University have devised a “smart diaper” that alerts parents when their baby is wet. The diaper is made of paper, treated with sodium chloride (salt) and has a circuit board drawn with a pencil.
When the humidity level rises in the diaper, the graphite and the urine are absorbed by the paper and it turns on a sensor powered by a small lithium battery. The sensor then sets the alarm on an app that parents download onto their phones.
“The hydration sensor is highly sensitive to changes in humidity and provides accurate readings over a wide range of relative humidity levels, from 5.6% to 90%,” the researchers at Penn State said in a statement.
The new invention is perfect for parents who want to know the exact moment that their child has gone to the bathroom. But it raises some questions. Don’t babies already alert us when they’re wet? Does everything we do in 2023 have to be connected to an app?
The new development caused a stir on Twitter, where most people think the natural way the babies let us know if they are wet works well enough.
Although many people are unsure whether we need a massive technological advancement in baby wetness detection, that’s not the only goal of Penn State’s project. The graphite technology has a lot of other uses outside of the crib.
“Our team has been focused on developing devices that can capture vital information for human health,” Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, said in a statement. “The goal is early prediction for disease conditions and health situations, to spot problems before it is too late.”
Cheng and his fellow engineers hope that their ingenious detection technology will be used to monitor multiple health issues. Their new technology can be placed in a face mask to create a respiration monitor that can distinguish mouth breathing from nose breathing while classifying three breathing states: deep, regular and rapid.
The data collected from the respiratory monitor can detect various health conditions such as cardiac events, pneumonia and clinical deterioration.
The moisture sensing technology can also help alert healthcare workers to changes in a patient’s condition, whether they are being treated in a hospital setting or being monitored via telemedicine.
“Different types of disease conditions result in different rates of water loss on our skin,” Cheng said. “The skin will function differently based on those underlying conditions, which we will be able to flag and possibly characterize using the sensor.”
The smart diaper may get headlines and cause a snicker or two. But no one should laugh at its unique underlying technology that can detect tiny changes in one’s health that are a lot more important than whether someone just used the restroom.
If you read my whiskey coverage here at UPROXX, you know that American rye whiskey is what excites me most about whiskey these days. The style of whiskey — hewn from a majority of rye grains, or at least 51% rye in the recipe if you want to get all legal-eagle about it — is where some of the most fun and innovative stuff is happening. That means that there’s a lot of great rye whiskey on the shelf right now, often right next to a lot of junk. It’s time to list some seriously good rye whiskeys, and help you avoid the trash.
For this exercise, I’m listing 20 rye whiskeys, (all from the U.S. in this case) worth adding to your bar cart, all in the $50 to $100 range. Yes, that’s on the pricier end of the standard stuff. But I’d argue that these bottles are worth the price of entry. They’re all unique, tasty, and have that little something extra that makes them worth seeking out.
As for the ranking, I’m going on taste alone. Think of it this way, the bottom half is a little less complex but still fully engaging while the top half is full of stone-cold killers. Sounds good? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX
This is a five-year-old 95/5 (rye/malted barley) rye whiskey. The nuance there is in the finish. That 95/5 rye is re-barreled in 14-year-old Barbados rum barrels for a final two to five-month-long finishing touch. Those barrels are then touched with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of grilled pineapple and clove on the nose that leads to woody tropical spices and an overall feel of rummy tropical cocktails with plenty of spicy booze in them.
Palate: The palate leans into the woody spice bark with bitter orange, bright lemon, and a hint of lime leaves before delving into vanilla pods and a touch of warm tobacco.
Finish: The tobacco drives the finish toward a whisper of mango and pineapple with a dried and almost salted vibe before ending up in a nice and rummy-spiced note.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty nice and really highlights the rum well. Overall, I’d say this is a good rye whiskey for any dark rum fan out there as it balances both nicely. In the end, I’d also argue that this makes a nice Sazerac base too.
19. Journeyman Distillery Last Feather Rye Whiskey
This Michigan whiskey is a bit of a rye outlier thanks to a unique recipe. The mash is made from 60% rye and 40% wheat, making this one of the only high-wheat ryes on the market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rich caramelized sense of grains and toffee on the nose next to vanilla cake with orange frosting and dusted with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate is lush, with a sense of marzipan dipped in dark chocolate with touches of vanilla, orange, and rose oils next to woody cinnamon bark and apple cores.
Finish: The end has a hint of vanilla tobacco next to toffee covered in almonds with a dash more cinnamon leading to cloves and sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
This is lush and overflowing with vanilla vibes tempered by sharp spice. It makes a really good Manhattan base or an on-the-rocks sipper.
18. Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This modern classic from Catoctin Creek is made from a 100% rye mash. The juice is distilled at a lower proof, which lets the graininess shine through in the end product, which is aged for four years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep and sweet red fruitiness that gives way to a light winter spice mix, some caramel, and maybe a hint of Cream of Wheat cut with brown sugar.
Palate: There’s a light but dark orange citrus vibe on the palate that leads to lemon pepper, vanilla pudding cups, and more of that winter spice with a dash of bitter espresso bean.
Finish: The espresso note drives the finish toward clove buds and cinnamon bark with a creamy porridge crafty sweetness counterpoint.
Bottom Line:
This is just really well-made. It’s complex while still being 100% approachable. It’s pretty solid neat but really blooms with a little ice or water, opening up a creamier vibe throughout.
This new whiskey from Redemption is going deep on the “wine lees” method to draw out flavors from the spirit and wood. Very basically, when MGP is contract distilling Redemption’s 95% rye, they take the backset or “whiskey lees” that usually would be redistilled and instead put that into the barrel to activate the wood before the “heart cut” of rye distillate goes into the barrel for its aging period. The barrels are then rolled and rotated throughout that aging spell before vatting, non-chill filtering, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a sense of bitter orange next to pecan and walnut shells with hints of dried apricot, dried apple chip, and floral honey.
Palate: The palate leans into the nuttiness with a sense of pecan waffle cooked in butter next to eggnog lattes and singed marshmallows with a hint of caraway rye bread crusts and a hint of fennel.
Finish: The end is lush with a hint of apple pie in a lard crust next to salted popcorn with a dash of brown butter before a woody sense of dried figs and old cedar leads to a whisper of cinnamon-orange on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that really shines either as a cocktail base or sipper over some rocks. You really can’t lose with this one.
This new rye whiskey from Old Ezra, which usually focuses on bourbons, is a seven-year-old rye blend. The whiskey is a batch of barrels from a 51% rye whiskey and a classic 95% rye that aged for seven long years before bottling at full proof with charcoal filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of old leather and burnt citrus drive the nose toward fresh honey and vanilla cake with a hint of old oak and cellar funk.
Palate: The palate leans into the soft vanilla with a dash of burnt orange and leathery spice before some ABVs start buzzing on the tongue.
Finish: The end has a nice layer of orange and clove tobacco with a hint of old oak and vanilla honey cookies.
Bottom Line:
This is clean and tasty rye. It hits classic notes while leaning into Kentucky sweetness. Overall, I’d say use it for your cocktails or on the rocks pours.
This crafty distillery makes its rye with 95% rye and malted barley right in Louisville (and via contract distilling). The 95/5 rye hot juice is aged for three years in heavily toasted and charred barrels before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has an interesting nose that’s part spicy pork stew (chili, umami, fat) with bright peaches, vanilla, and summer wildflowers as a counterpoint.
Palate: The palate has a hint of old cedar next to cream soda, white pepper, and crusty rye bread with a hint of caraway seed and maybe some dry fennel.
Finish: The finish brings in heavily spiced chewy tobacco packed into an old cedar box with creamy vanilla and a dash more of that powdery white pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and funky rye. It’s a great pairing whiskey for taco night or a big and messy Reuben sando.
This is a real throwback rye whiskey. Pikesville Rye was at the center of the Maryland rye whiskey scene until Prohibition put it in the grave. Heaven Hill saved the brand and moved the production to Kentucky while holding onto the whiskey’s traditions of longer aging and higher proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose pulls you in with a mix of dark cocoa powder packed into a cedar box with a touch of rye bread, caraway seed, and salted butter with this thin line of spiced honey.
Palate: The taste leans into clove and salted black licorice with that spiced honey leaning a little floral next to a touch of dry singed cedar bark.
Finish: The end mellows significantly towards a vanilla pudding spiked with eggnog spices and a touch more of that dark chocolate shaved overtop with a hint of spiced caramel sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is a good mid-range rye that offers big flavor notes and real depth. While I’d tend to mix this into whiskey-forward cocktails, it works perfectly well on the rocks.
This brand-new rye from Illinois’ FEW Spirits is a follow-up to last year’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon from the brand. The whiskey is made from a mash of 70% rye, 20% corn, and 10% malted barley. That hot juice is then mellowed in both standard 53-gallon barrels and smaller 30-gallon barrels for about four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a mix of salted black licorice, cherry root beer, and mint chocolate chip next to old porch wicker and boot leather.
Palate: The palate has a nice balance of cinnamon candy with dark milk chocolate just kissed with dried chili flakes and woody allspice before a hint of black cherry tobacco kicks in.
Finish: That tobacco vibe continues on the finish as the allspice, sweet cinnamon, and cherry counter a slight sense of whole black peppercorns.
Bottom Line:
This is nice and punchy with a sharp and varied spiciness next to fun flavors. It’s a great cocktail rye that also nails it as a sipper on some ice.
12. Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Sherry French Reserve Oak
This brand-new rye from the team over at Bourbon Pursuit is a masterful blend. The juice is hewn from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 95/5 Kentucky rye batched with two Sagamore Spirit ryes — one a 95/5 and one 52/43/5 rye/corn/malted barley. Those whiskeys are batched and re-barreled into a French sherry reserve cask for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of dark fruits — black cherry, dates, rum raisin — on the nose that leads to soft and sweet oak next to worn leather, mulled wine, and brandy-soaked fig cut with nutmeg and clove.
Palate: The taste is more on the woody side of the spice with a clear sense of old-school mulled wine with sweet vanilla and star anise over orange rinds and raisins with a slight chili warmth underneath.
Finish: The chili warmth drives the finish toward a soft red-wine-soaked oak that’s spiced with orchard barks and fruits next to vanilla/cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This has really grown on me this year. It’s nuanced and delicate while offering depth and boldness. I like it over a big piece of ice or in a Manhattan.
11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Toasted Cherry Wood and Oak Barrels
This whiskey — from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s own Origin Series — is their classic 95/5 rye that’s aged for almost five years. Then the whiskey is finished with alternating toasted American oak and toasted cherry wood staves in the barrel. Once the whiskey is just right, it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic with fresh cherry layered with nasturtiums, cinnamon sticks, and soft cedar planks just kissed with clove, nutmeg, and anise before light red peppercorns and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate kick in.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead with a lush mouthfeel that’s full of spicy stewed fruits and ciders mixing with creamy vanilla and nutty bases over subtle chili pepper spiciness far in the rear of the taste.
Finish: The end pushed the woody spices toward an apple cider/choco-cherry tobacco mix with a cedar box and old leather vibe tying the whole taste together.
Bottom Line:
I had this paired with lamb and black lentil curry the other day and it absolutely popped with the South Asian spices.
This is Knob Creek’s famed rye whiskey in a single-barrel format. Those barrels are usually barreled at cask strength or cut down to a consistent 115 proof. In this case, we’re looking at a barrel pick by The Ballard Cut for their bar.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of green herbs like dill and mint next to a dollop of floral honey and plenty of barrel char.
Palate: A hint of rye bread crust sneaks in early on the palate before black pepper gives way to dried chili pods, a hint of vanilla pudding with cinnamon, and dark cherries.
Finish: The barrel builds with the spices on the finish before dark chocolate powder, candied pecans, and creamy vanilla smooth everything out for a soft finish.
Bottom Line:
I really love this rye. It’s deep, bold, and balanced. You feel the Kentucky sweetness sneaking into the sharp edges of spice, creating nuance from top to bottom. Overall, I’d sip this neat or on a rock or two or in a simple, whiskey-forward cocktail.
9. Jefferson’s Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks
This release from Jefferson’s leans on masterfully selected barrel picks. The sourced whiskey is picked from single barrels of cognac-finished rye whiskey and bottled with a touch of proofing water at Jefferson’s Kentucky bottling facility.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft old leather and meaty raisins with a good dose of sharp cinnamon cut with floral and fresh honey with a mild creaminess.
Palate: The palate is plummy and full of lush vanilla with a plum pudding vibe next to a hint of orange studded with cloves while soft nutmeg smoothes everything out.
Finish: The end brings the fresh honey back and laces it with rich and almost burnt orange oils next to a mix of old cedar bark and dry cinnamon wrapped in dry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s just good. I love pairing this with fresh oysters, and seafood in general.
8. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Single Barrel
This hand-selected single-barrel expression hits on some pretty big classic rye notes with Kentucky bourbon vibes underneath it all. The whiskey is selected from the center cuts of the third through fifth floors of the Wild Turkey rickhouses. There’s no chill filtering and the expression is only slightly touched by water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of dark orchard fruits, soft vanilla pods, old oak staves with a hint of old barrel house funk, and a mix of spicy orange rind next to freshly cracked black pepper and sharp cinnamon powder.
Palate: The palate leans into the cinnamon and layers it into chewy and buzzy tobacco with hints of vanilla sweetness, cherry bark woodiness, and sharp fancy root beer vibes.
Finish: The end pings on that old musty rickhouse one more time as a humidor full of vanilla, cherry, and cinnamon-spiced tobacco fades towards a rich and buttery toffee with a hint of rye fennel on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for that quintessential Kentucky rye for the bourbon lover in your life, this is it.
This brand-new whiskey from cult-favorite Redwood Empire out in Sonoma, California, takes their tried-and-true method of blending California, Indiana, and Kentucky whiskeys to the next level. The blend ended up being a lightly wheated rye with a mash bill of 94% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 1% wheat. The barrels were all a minimum of four years old (with some reaching past six years) when batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a soft leatheriness that’s embued with dry chamomile tea, burnt orange, dark cherry bark, and old cinnamon sticks that spent too much time in mulled wine with a hint of sour cherry and tart apple.
Palate: The palate amps up the tea leaf vibe with lush Earl Grey next to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans flaked with salt and maybe some dried nasturtiums that build out the spices toward a spiced winter cake.
Finish: Those baked winter spices lead back to a soft creamy espresso dusted with nutmeg and dark chocolate powder and layered into a spiced tobacco leaf rolled with cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
Redwood Empire really hit it out of the park with this release. It’s deep and fun with its own unique tone. It’s nice neat, over some ice, or in a cocktail.
6. BLACKENED Rye The Lightning Kentucky Straight Rye Double Cask Finished in Madeira and Rum Casks
This whiskey from Metallica and master distiller and blender Rob Dietrich is made from barrels Dietrich picked himself. Those barrels were between five and eight years old when they were batched and then re-filled into rum and Madeira barrels and blasted with music for a final maturation. The final result is made from a blending of those barrels with a touch of water to bring it down to proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft layer of prunes and dates with a hint of tart berry next to suede, pine resin, and an echo of dry straw.
Palate: The palate is part black pepper and part leathery prunes with a creamy vanilla underbelly and more of those dark berries.
Finish: The end comes with more layers of ground almonds, old cinnamon sticks, minty honey, and a touch of raw sugar sweetness with a lush finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another that’s just damn fine whiskey. Drink it however you like to drink whiskey while listening to Metallica, of course.
5. Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Huber’s Cigar Batch Rye Whiskey Finished in Amburana Barrels
This rye from craft distiller Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm and Winery in Southern Indiana — is all about that finish. The four and five-year-old rye whiskey is re-loaded into Brazilian Amburana barrels and left to rest until just right. Finally, the best barrels are batched and then bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear nuttiness on the nose that mixes Brazil nuts with creamy almond and pecan waffles next to soft leather and a mild sense of white pepper and chili powder.
Palate: The palate has a creaminess that’s kind of like mochi or chai mocha latte with a tobacco spiciness, cedar bark, and more of that creamy nuttiness with a hint of pear and maybe some more white pepper.
Finish: The end leans into the white pepper and mochi with a rush of apple cider and clove tobacco packed into a cedar box with a hint of resin and macadamia nut dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Bottom Line:
You’re going to be hearing a lot about Brazilian Amburana Barrels in the coming months and years. This is a great place to start on that funky journey. Add a little water or ice to really get the creamy nuttiness amped up in this one.
4. Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series Sherry Finish 2022
This is Sagamore Spirit’s signature rye whiskey (95/5 rye/malted barley) that’s aged for four long years. That whiskey is then re-barreled into 132-gallon Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for an additional 18-month-long rest. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed a tad, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a deep mix of old oak staves dipped in a mash of dates, figs, and prunes with cinnamon, black licorice, and clove next to soft leather pouches full of fresh pipe tobacco with a hint of apricot and blackberry in the mix.
Palate: The palate opens with soft marzipan laced with orange oils and dipped in salted dark chocolate with sticky toffee pudding, minced meat pieces, orange marmalade, and creamy honey.
Finish: The end leans into the dark and almost bitter dark chocolate with a hint of espresso bean before a mild sense of old oak leads to a nutty and dark orange-forward finish.
Named for one of the world’s most famous trees, this whiskey is all about finding the funky forest in the flavor profile of a brand-new rye whiskey. The blend was created by the awesome team at Barrell Craft Spirits to accentuate woodier notes before it was bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light pine resin vibe on the nose with a bushel of dried savory green herbs — think sage, thyme, rosemary, tarragon — next to old leather and dried sour cherries tossed in kosher salt.
Palate: The palate has a note of that pine with a soft orange rind next to a spiced winter cake with dried fruit, walnuts, and wintry spices.
Finish: The end is slightly warm thanks to high ABVs with a sense of those salted cherries and pine resin leading to a dry finish.
Bottom Line:
Stellum never fails to impress. This whiskey is a killer rye that works however you want to use/drink it.
2. Rare Character Presents Single Barrel Series Straight Kentucky Rye Whiskey Cask Strength
This rare whiskey from Rare Character’s team is a Kentucky rye made from 95% rye and 5% malted barely. The hot juice went into the barrel back in May of 2016. In October of 2022, the Rare Character crew bottled this one barrel of great whiskey completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of winter spices — cinnamon barks, whole cloves, freshly ground nutmeg, star anise — next to creamy nog spiked with vanilla and salted toffee with an all-around leatheriness that’s countered by red pepper sharpness.
Palate: The red pepper sharpness gets woody on the palate with a balance of creamy and soft sweet notes tied to vanilla, stewed pear, and prunes countered by woody winter spices soaked in apple cider and baked into mince pies.
Finish: The woodiness of the spices kicks up near the end with a rich and chewy tobacco finish that’s layered with stewed pear, old cherry bark, and wild smudging sage.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the transcendent stuff. This is pure rye in its boldest form. Add a touch of water to let it bloom or use it to make one hell of a Manhattan.
This rye is a blend of the great rye barrels in the Wild Turkey rickhouses. The whiskey is built from four, six, and eight-year-old barrels, blended, then bottled without chill filtration or any proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a masterclass in what rye “spice” can be with subtle notes of black pepper next to Christmas spices counterpointed by pine resin dank and sweet cherry root beer.
Palate: The palate brings about a velvet texture with notes of vanilla and dark chocolate cake next to stewed cherries — a very Black Forest cake vibe — before the rye sourdough bread funk and herbal essence kick in with a light firewood pitchiness.
Finish: By the end, there’s a balance of all that spice, wood, resin, and subtle fruitiness that lasts on the long and sharp finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfect rye whiskey. It’s balanced, nuanced, and just tastes really, really good.
Jared Goff was once thought to be one of the NFL’s future stars. But after a few lean years, getting traded to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, and a tough 2021 season, the former No. 1 overall pick entered this year, like many on the Lions, with an awful lot to prove.
He responded with one of the best years of his career, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and a career-low seven interceptions. In the process, he led the Lions to a 9-8 record and their first winning season since 2017, falling just shy of the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with Seattle. It was a big year for Detroit as a team and Goff personally, as he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl for his efforts and re-established himself as a starter in the league.
This week, Goff will take part in P&G’s Battle of the Paddles (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET on Twitch), where eight NFL stars will compete in a ping-pong tournament that has Goff very excited for a chance to show off his skills. We talked with Goff over Zoom on Monday about his reign as the Lions’ ping-pong king, playing for Dan Campbell, what this season meant to him and the Lions, and more.
How was the Pro Bowl? And what did you think of the first year this format with the Pro Bowl Games, flag football, and the way that they changed things up?
Yeah, I thought it was fun. I think now they definitely have ways where they can improve the overall week for us maybe a little bit, but I thought it was really well done. I think the the mini games were fun and the game itself was fun. I’m sure there’ll be tweaks next year, but I think the flag football format keeps it light keeps it fun. But also it was competitive. It was really competitive, certainly towards the end there and guys want to win that little extra money and it was fun.
Yeah, football, particularly, is such a tough sport to play when everybody’s trying to stay healthy and nobody wants to go too hard and flag seems to be able to bring out that competitiveness while also taking away some of that risk. For you as a quarterback, you don’t have a line in front of you and it’s just kind of seven on seven at that point. What was the adjustment you had to make in playing the flag format?
Yeah with the rusher it was different without having guys blocking, and just having a free rusher made it a little bit difficult, and you have to adjust to that and I think we did towards the end there. But it was fun. It was really fun. I think if I had to do it, I would love to do it again. It was really great.
To go back to your season in Detroit, what were you most pleased with? The team was able to produce a 9-8 season and coming up just shy of the playoffs, but made what looked from the outside like some significant strides and built towards what can hopefully be continued growth next year?
Yeah, I think in our last 10 games we were 8-2 and being able to finish like that is really hard in this league. And you know, we did a good job climbing out of the hole we dug ourselves and can come in the next year knowing that we can’t afford a hole like that. You have to come out of the gates firing and I think for our young guys, definitely, it allowed them to grow up a little bit and see what it takes to win and how the third and fourth quarter can change the game. So it was good. We got a lot of good learning and really a good springboard for us coming into this next year.
With Hard Knocks and everything, I think people got to know y’all some and Dan Campbell especially became a guy that I think NFL fans gravitated towards. What is it like playing for a coach like him, with his energy, and what that does for the team?
He’s fun. He really is. He keeps it he keeps it fun, but he also holds us to a pretty high standard and holds us accountable. But, you know, he was a player, so he doesn’t do much coach-speak. He understands what we’ll kind of see through, and he keeps it fun, man. That’s the main thing he does is it keeps us together and allows us to be ourselves and have fun playing this game.
What did this season mean for you personally? I mean, coming out of the trade a couple years ago and your career was in flux and had a lot of people questioning what your place in the league was. Being able to put on the performance that you did this season, what did it mean to you to go out and perform the way you did and kind of re-establish yourself in a sense as a Pro Bowl quarterback in the league?
Yeah, it was good. It was definitely more rewarding doing it with the guys we did it with, the success together, but yeah, I was happy with how I played. Definitely towards the end of the season and was able to settle in pretty nicely, and then coming into this offseason, hope to continue that and continue to make strides in the right direction. But yeah, it was a lot of fun this year and getting to work with those guys that we kind of did not have success with last year, and then do it again this year and have a lot more success is the most rewarding part.
What is it like when you build a rapport with a receiver like Amon-Ra St. Brown? Y’all seemed to really build that connection and what does it do for you as a quarterback when you have that trust that even if maybe he doesn’t have a ton of separation, you just seem to believe that he’s going to be able to come down with that ball?
Yeah, I trust him. I trust him a lot. I trust him in traffic. I trust him over the middle. He goes in there and he sticks his head in there and makes the tough catches and that’s all you can ask for as a quarterback, and I think he’s a very friendly target. He always seems to get himself open and is great after the catch. So he’s everything you want as a receiver and you know, I’m excited just to continue to play with him.
Your partnered with P&G here in Gillette for the for the Battle of the Paddles. What’s your ping pong skill level like? Are you one of the guys that’s in there in the clubhouse playing a bunch?
Yeah. So I’ll be representing Gillette in the in the Battle the Paddles and it’s exciting for me because I’ve been waiting for a moment like this for a long time with my ping pong skill. And you know, we had a little tournament in our locker room last offseason and fortunately I came out on top of that, so I feel like this is the next step is to see the entire NFL and see who’s the see who’s the best player. But yeah, you can you can see it on Twitch at 7 p.m. Eastern and it’ll be a lot of fun. It’s exciting to be able to represent your team and be able to hopefully get come out with a W.
Is there anybody you’re looking forward to maybe seeing on the table?
I’ve got Budda Baker in round one. Would love to play [Christian] McCaffrey and take him down. Trevor Lawrence just beat me in the Pro Bowl and our little game we had, so I want to take him down. Yeah, it’ll be fun.
Ron DeSantis hasn’t formally announced he’s running for president yet, but most people expect he will. One of them is Donald Trump. He’s been trashing anybody who’s even thinking of running against him in 2024, but he’s singled out the governor of the state he now calls home. On Tuesday, he stepped up his attacks by sharing a photo of him allegedly doing something Republicans have made a favorite object of demonization.
As caught by The Daily Mail, the former president took to his rinky-dink Twitter clone to re-post (or “re-Truth”) someone who shared a photo purportedly showing him when he was a high school teacher in Georgia. The image finds the early 20s future governor of Florida — and champion of the GOP’s “grooming” attacks — boozing it up with three young women.
“That’s not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!” Trump wrote in one of two posts in which he shared the picture.
The Truth Social user who originally shared the image wrote claimed that the picture shows that DeSantis “was having a “drink” party with his students when he was a high school teacher.” He added, “Having drinks with underage girls and cuddling with them certainly look pretty gross and ephebophiliaesque.” (For those not in the know, ephebophilia is an archaic term used to describe older people attracted to teens between 15 and 19.)
The image has been around for some time. One progressive Twitter account shared it back in 2021. The age of the three girls, whose faces are blurred to protect their privacy, is not known. They very well could be his age.
What is clear is that by sharing unverified and possibly fictitious “dirt” on his likely presidential opponent, Trump is going next level with his DeSantis attacks. Is DeSantis ready for Trump to get Trump-level nasty? Possibly not. Fasten your seatbelts. It’s gonna be a bumpy next year and a half.
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