There remains some mystery around what life was like in the 1800s, especially for teens. Most people alive today were not around in the Victorian era when the technologies now deemed old-fashioned were a novelty. In this rediscovered 1970s clip from the BBC, two elderly women reminisce about what it was like being teenagers during a time when the horse and buggy was still the fastest way to get around.
While cars were just around the corner from being the common mode of transportation toward the end of the 19th century, it’s pretty wild to imagine what these women experienced. Frances “Effy” Jones explained how, at age 17, she was encouraged by her brother to check out this new machine in a storefront window. Turns out that machine was a typewriter and, after being trained on how to use it, Jones would sit in the store window typing while people outside gathered to watch. Before long, classes began popping up for women to learn how to use a typewriter, starting a new movement for women of that era.
The second woman, Berta Ruck, told the BBC that she would get into a bit of trouble at boarding school for drawing instead of completing school work. This talent took Ruck to art school in London where she rode buses around town, attempting to avoid mud getting on her long skirt. But the woman explained that it never worked and she would spend hours brushing the mud from her skirt before wearing it out again. I’m sure you’re thinking, buses? They weren’t the buses we would see nowadays. These were double-decker horse-pulled carriages.
I know, that’s hard to imagine. That’s why you should check out the video below:
I hope you’re not tired of doing the “Seaweed Sway” yet, because Baby Shark’s Big Movie is coming to Paramount + and Sharki B — aka Cardi B — is coming along for the ride. Naturally, Cardi will reprise her Baby Shark’s Big Show! character along with her husband Offshark (Offset), and daughter Kulture Shark (Kulture). And hey, since they’ve got a new aquatically-named rugrat running around, it looks like Wave is also included in the cast list.
Cardi excitedly shared the news on Twitter, writing, “Happy to announce that me & my family will be in the BABY SHARKS BIG MOVIE!!!!!” Included in the casting announcement are other stars like Ashley Tisdale, Lance Bass (whose name is already the perfect fish pun), K-pop band Enhypen, Saturday Night Live regulars Ego Nwodim and Chloe Fineman, and comedian Aparna Nancherla.
Happy to announce that me & my family will be in the BABY SHARKS BIG MOVIE!!!! pic.twitter.com/AP65hll5Ro
Cardi, Offset, and Kulture first guest-starred on Baby Shark’s Big Show! last spring, when they appeared as animated, brightly-colored versions of themselves to perform a new song by Cardi, “The Seaweed Sway.” The titular protagnist danced with Sharki B and her family during a concert in the episode, showing off the accompanying dance. Fun fact: In Korea, where Baby Shark originates, Sharki B is played by K-pop star CL.
The movie will follow Baby Shark and his family as they move to Chomp City, the big city of sharks. Not only will Baby Shark be forced to adjust to life without his best friend William nearby, but he’ll also encounter an evil pop starfish who plans to steal his gift of song in order to dominate all underwater music. Baby Shark has to embark on a mission to break her spell to restore harmony to the seas.
Baby Shark’s Big Movie is set for release during the holiday season.
Juice WRLD‘s death wasn’t just a loss for his family, fans, and friends, but it was also a huge loss for hip-hop as a whole. It was also a warning about the dangers of drug abuse since it was revealed he’d died of an accidental overdose on Oxycodone in late 2019.
Just like Juice WRLD said he was influenced to try drugs by one of his predecessors, his death has become a beacon to his successors. Among them is Juice’s fellow Chicagoan Polo G. In his episode of RapCaviar Presents, which began streaming on Hulu today, Polo recalls his friendship with Juice and how Juice encouraged him to give up taking pills recreationally.
“It made me look at a lot of sh*t differently,” he says. “That made me stop popping Percocets altogether, though. ‘Cause I know he wouldn’t want me on that sh*t.” Even more impactful, though, is that his father followed his example. “Being able to see that and say, ‘Damn, my son can get it together — I need to [as well],” he muses.
Now Polo G spends his spare cash on other distractions, like the iced-out iPhone holder he had turned into a pendant to keep his where everybody else can see it.
Here is a quick rundown of said case: in 2016, Paltrow was involved in a ski collusion with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson (you would think an optometrist would be able to see fellow skiers coming but maybe that’s why he’s retired). Sanderson says he was left with a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, and trauma. Sanderson sued Paltrow, who is countersuing for $1, a move Taylor Swift made famous at her 2017 trial.
Now, thanks to science and all that jazz, a witness to the event insists that there was no way Paltrow hit Sanderson the way he claims. Dr. Richard Boehme, a neurologist who is Sanderson’s witness (!), spoke via Zoom: “The skier that hit him from behind would have to be going in excess of 50 or 60 miles an hour, which I think is highly unlikely unless we’re dealing with an Olympic downhill skier.” This begs the question: is Academy Award-winning actress and former Glee guest star Gwyneth Paltrow an Olympic-level skier? No, but it was nice to pose the question either way.
It seems like Paltrow’s trial will be wrapping up shortly, but not before various witnesses went on the stand and brought up everything from QAnon to stick figure art. Should more celebrities involve themselves in low-stakes trials? Yes! Bring on the mild inconvenience of a traffic violation or a petty neighborhood argument. We want modest court outfits and sketchy witnesses! This is what the judicial system is for!
The North Face/Erik Ian/Pac Sun/Gianluca Normanno/Uproxx
Welcome to Style Watch, our monthly roundup of the best streetwear and apparel to hit the internet. We’re entering the spring fashion season but if you’re in North America you wouldn’t know it as a delayed polar vortex hitting the eastern United States and an ongoing cold front hitting the west coast is keeping temperatures unseasonably lower than normal.
This makes putting together an outfit an absolute pain. Do you ditch the layers or bundle up? Who knows!
Luckily, our favorite brands have our back with a number of early Spring collections that keep things relatively warm. This week we have the latest from NYC label NOAH, who has just teamed up with Lavenham for a new take on the brand’s legendary Denham jacket, a Supreme and the North Face linkup, a new collection from Fear of God, and two trail-ready collections from The North Face NSE and Carhartt-WIP. Don’t shed those layers just yet, it’s looking like spring is coming late this year.
Let’s dive into this month’s best streetwear drops and early spring fits, and be sure to hit up the latest SNX to complete your look with a fire pair of kicks.
Also Read: The Most Popular Style Posts In The Last Six Months on UPROXX
NYC-based streetwear brand NOAH has just teamed up with Lavenham Jackets for a special collection of Denham jackets that infuse Japanese denim for a ‘90s hip-hop-inspired recontextualization of a classic Suffolk look. Yup, you read that right, we’re going all around the globe with this one!
The jackets are made in Suffolk England and feature a 100% cotton Japanese denim build with 100% cotton corduroy collars and trim with diamond quilting and full metal snap button closure in three colorways including indigo, forest green, and natural white. The jackets are a straight-up work of art as fashion.
Rounding out the collection is a set of quilted crewnecks and a dual-branded t-shirt.
We’re in the midst of Supreme’s spring 2023 collection which is bringing new mini drops every week featuring the box logo brand’s latest stylings. This week we have a series of outerwear pieces that include the water-resistant Tromp L’oeil nuptse jacket and the high pile fleece pullover made in collaboration with The North Face, and a faux shearling hooded jacket in a muted citrus colorway as well as a whole bunch of other North Face collars for that street-meets-mountain look.
For the Fear of God ESSENTIALS spring collection, Jerry Lorenzo is taking the brand into the baggy territory. The collection which features double-layered hoodies, sweat pants, zip-up shirt jackets, and rugby shirts, is constructed with woven nylon, cotton, and corduroy in a muted range of pastel tones that include plum, light Tuscan, sycamore, seal, and off-black.
The collection consists of men, women’s, and unisex pieces and features minimal rubberized branding on certain pieces, like the relaxed sweatpants and hoodies. With the latest ESSENTIALS collection Fear of God, a label once known for its tight fits is stepping into the modern era.
Shop the Fear of God ESSENTIALS Spring 2023 Drop 1 at Fear of God’s webstore. A second drop of the collection is expected to land in early April.
Erik Ian
Ben Sherman x The Sherlocks Signature Collection
Ben Sherman
Ben Sherman has teamed up with indie rockers The Sherlocks as part of the brands Global Artist Foundry program for a new collection of graphic t-shirts, jacquard knit button-downs, fitted polo shirts, Harrington jackets, trousers, and cardigans.
The collection features an indie rock meets posh aesthetic in a bright spring color palette. Our favorite piece from the collection in our opinion is the Signature Harrington Jacket, which featured embroidered branding at the breast, a two-button collar, check body lining, and rubbed cuffs and hem in 10 different colorways.
In a fashion climate that currently favors baggy silhouettes, it’s nice to see the people who like tighter more streamlined fits get a collection that speaks to them!
Carhartt-WIP’s latest spring-summer collection will have you all geared up for your outdoor adventures. The collection consists of jackets, parkas, pants, and canvas pieces in loose utilitarian fits that are equal parts function and fashion. The Wynton jacket and Parka sport a midweight cotton ripstop build with reversible pop colors, and pieces like the Idaho jacket and pants bring in the reflective details for better outdoor visibility.
The collection’s palette consists of three colors including violet, stone, and storm blue, and was inspired by the psychedelic glow of lumen flower prints.
Shop the Carharrt-WIP Spring/Summer 2023 Trail Collection at the Carhartt-WIP website.
Gianluca Normanno
The North Face NSE Mountain Archive
The North Face
If Carharrt-WIP’s latest Trail collection is a bit too muted and utilitarian for you, take a trip back to the late ‘90s early ’00s with The North Face’s latest NSE drop. The collection, which features Carduelis Jackets, track trousers, graphic t-shirts, backpacks, and camp slides, has an almost sickeningly bright color palette of neon greens and purples for a utilitarian collection that looks ready for both the rave and a morning hike.
Or better yet, wear it out to the night hike and have a rave in the woods! The latest NSE collection is unfortunately men’s style only as of now.
Pacsun is reaching back even further than the North Face updating styles from the ‘80s for its latest fitness culture-inspired activewear line, Pac 1980.
The line sports modern touchstones like sweat-wicking and quick dry technology, and light stretchy fabrics with classic silhouettes from the ‘80s like high-waisted leggings, circle skirts and dresses, and onesies and cropped crew necks, giving you that vintage look at a low price.
The fabrics in the collection, which the brand is calling PAC WHISPER and PAC GLIDE, are lightweight and soft, while still offering that activewear support you need. The brand plans to add another line of fabrics as the collection grows known as PAC MOVE, which will be fit for all-day wear.
Highlights from the collection include the Speedwalker Onesie, Raw Hem Cropped Crew Neck, and Pac Glide Circle Dress.
London-based brand JW Anderson is bringing prep back! Teaming up with UNIQLO, the brand’s spring-summer 2023 collection combines the UK school uniform aesthetic with an injection of modern athleisure, translating the classic look through a baggy comfort-focused lens. If you think those two things sound at odds with one another, it’s because they do. And that’s kind of what makes the new collection so vital.
Featuring men’s, women’s, and unisex essentials, the collection sports wide-legged jeans and khakis, boxy oversized button-ups, cable knit cardigans, striped polos, tees, and other essentials adorned with embossed JW Anderson branding. It’s like looking at the costume design for a Wes Anderson film if Wes Anderson grew up in Gen Z.
Shop the JW Anderson x UNIQLO Spring/Summer 2023 beginning in early April at Uniqlo. View the whole collection here.
Uniqlo
EDITOR’S PICK: ROARK Journey Shirt
ROARK
Look, this shouldn’t take much convincing. Hawaiian floral shirts are in… BUT (and it’s a big but): If you are anything less than Leo-in-Romeo+Juliet-levellean, you can very quickly look like #TommyBahamaDorkDad. No one wants to look like that guy. And as a guy who is a tad thicc and has sent a good few floral shirts to Goodwill, let me tell you — it happens a lot.
It looks cool in a lookbook and then when you wear it you’re suddenly Tuddy from Goodfellas.
Goodfellas
That’s why I like ROARK’s new floral and coral shirts so much — many of them are in black, which is slimming. The colors pop and the energy is there but you don’t feel like a 65-year-old guy from Brooklyn on vacation in Maui. Plus they’re slim-fitting, which amplifies the effect.
All that aside, ROARK’s designs are cool and their colors are the perfect balance of fun without being obtrusive. ‘Nuff said.
Okay, I know this pick from an LA-based editor is kinda cliche — because LA Cool Guy is deep in his California cowboy phase…
But still, I consider this jacket a spring staple. It’s so functional for post-surf or a night out after work. It’s cozy but plays well with a white tee. You could see it at a festival or the farmer’s market. Works with flip-flops and boots. (Dammit, I can’t stop LA Cool Girl’s intentionally disaffected voice playing in my head as I type!).
Anyway, this is a slam dunk and really shouldn’t take much explaining: Tan corduroy and wool lining for spring. If you can’t look stylish in this, you’re struggling.
Pick up the IPD Maverick Cord Jacket at the IPD Surf webstore.
Earlier this year, Phoebe Bridgers shared a throwback photo of her father to mourn his death. The loss of a parent is obviously a challenging thing to deal with, but now Bridgers has revealed that at the time, she was also dealing with bullying from supposed fans of hers. She didn’t mince words while talking about it, either.
In a recent Boygenius interview with Them, Bridgers said, “I’m coming from a place of literally — I’m feeling it in my body as I’m saying it, but — people with my picture as their Twitter picture, who claim to like my music, f*cking bullied me at the airport on the way to my father’s funeral this year.”
“If you’re a kid and the internet somehow taught you that that’s an OK thing to do, then of course I hate capitalism and everything that led you to believe that it’s okay to do that. I, at one of the lowest points of my life, saw people who claim to love me f*cking dehumanize me and shame me and f*cking bully me on the way to my dad’s wake.
It’s not like they didn’t know my dad just died. A lot of the top comments [were] like, ‘Hey, her dad just died, what are you guys doing?’ [If you harass me with my face as your profile picture,] I f*cking hate you, and I hope you grow the f*ck up.”
This comes after she told Rolling Stone earlier this year, “I want to normalize talking sh*t about fans. There’s a way to [be a fan] without filming me without my permission behind the back of my head, chasing me down the street.”
Moneybagg Yo is one of the hottest names in hip-hop music. But it is important to note that the Memphis rapper’s rise to the top wasn’t overnight, nor was it a fast climb. However, that’s not the case when it comes to his tussles in the sheets. On his raunchy track “Quickie,” the musician makes it abundantly clear that he’s not opposed to a lighting round of lovemaking.
Bagg might play around with the toxic love jokes on social media or on his collaborative track with GloRilla, but he’s a loverboy at heart. On “Quickie” he raps, “Told her, ‘Make a wish’ / ’11:11,’ what she tweeted, let me be your genie / Sneaky linkin’, we don’t tell it (uh) / Kissin’, touchin’, breathin’ heavy (uh) / Foreplay session got you ready (go) / Beat it, but I don’t support domestic (no).”
Bagg brought that same swagged-out energy to his UPROXX Sessions performance of the fan-favorite track. Be sure to keep a lookout for his forthcoming album, Hard To Love, set to be released soon.
Watch Moneybagg Yo’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Quickie” above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
DJ Drama dubbed his famed Gangsta Grillzmixtape series “THEEE MOST IMPORTANT MIXTAPE SERIES OF ALL TIME” on Twitter this morning, March 30, and then he pivoted back to promoting his next album, I’m Really Like That.
Drama stopped by The Breakfast Club to dish more about I’m Really Like That, and he explained the Juice-inspired rollout.
“It was a concept I had. You know, people who know me through my years, I’ve always talked about how much Juice was an inspiration for me to be a DJ, so we came up with the concept,” he said. “I actually called Jim Jones, like, ‘Yo, I got this idea.’ I was like, ‘Yo, you still directing videos?’ And he was like, ‘Here and there, not really.’ But I ran it by him, and he was like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy.’ I ran into Omar Epps sometime in New York. I ran the idea by him, and it just starting building.”
Check out the I’m Really Like That tracklist below.
1. “Legendary” Feat. Tyler The Creator
2. “Ho4me” Feat. Lil Baby and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
3. “Raised Different” Feat. Nipsey Hussle, Jeezy, and Blxst
4. “FMFU” Feat. Lil Wayne, Roddy Ricch, and Gucci Mane
5. “Free Game” Feat. Lil Uzi Vert and 42 Dugg
6. “350” Feat. Rick Ross, Westside Gunn, and Lule
7. “Been A While” Feat. Vory, Mozzy, and G Herbo
8. “No Weakness” Feat. Wiz Khalifa, T.I., and Symba
9. “Mockingbird Valley” Feat. Jack Harlow
10. “Forever” Feat. Jim Jones, Capella Grey, Fabolous, and Benny The Butcher
11. “Andale” Feat. Offset and Moneybagg Yo
12. “Iron Right” Feat. Boosie Badazz, OMB Peezy, and Trouble
13. “I Ain’t Gon Hold Ya” Feat. Jeezy
14. “We Made It” Feat. Carvena, Cyhi, and LaRussell
I’m Really Like That is out 3/31 via Atlantic/Generation Now. Find more information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s not uncommon for women to call out Hollywood’s incessant white-washing. In fact, it’s important! With the obvious lack of opportunities in the industry and many minority-led projects getting the axe, more and more actresses are speaking out against the lack of diversity in Hollywood.
Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez, who has starred in classic films like It Could Happen To You, Fearless, and the hit stoner comedy Pineapple Express, says that the industry still has a lot of work to do when it comes to diversity.
Perez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, told Variety about a time she was told by her then-agent that she needed to dye her hair and get a nose job in order to make it as an actor. She explained, “I don’t want her to be canceled, but she told me that if I dyed my hair blond and got a nose job, ‘I can get you more jobs. Because you’re not Black.’ I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. Like, thank you, fired,’” she said at the time, before realizing that she didn’t have many other people in her corner. “I had nobody. I had no money.”
Luckily, Perez was introduced to fellow actress Jennifer Grey in 1990, who was disgusted by the story and helped the actress secure a new agent. “Jennifer and I clicked instantly,” Perez told the mag. “I haven’t seen that woman in ages, but I just think she’s phenomenal. She’s like, ‘I cannot believe how racist this industry is.’ She picks up the phone and calls Jane Berliner at CAA and says, ‘You need to represent this actress.’” Even though her Matrix audition wasn’t a hit, she was able to keep getting more offers.
Now, Perez is returning to television for her role in season two of Your Honor alongside Bryan Cranston, which is already better than her short-lived role on The View, which she was advised not to talk about. “Let’s just say that what I thought I was there for was supposed to be one kind of a thing, which excited me, and then when I got there, that’s not what it was,” the actress said. To be fair, The View is never what you think it’s going to be.
At this point, it feels pretty remedial to write something like “tequila, it’s not just the stuff you regretted shots of in college anymore!” Backward, even.
These days, practically every celebrity has tequila brands — from Kendall Jenner to Michael Jordan to George Clooney — which is a good sign of the general public’s acceptance of tequila as a luxury product. It’s a spirit with a rich history, and just as with scotch and bourbon, there are fairly strict rules regarding what can be called “tequila.” Per the CRT (El Consejo Regulador del Tequila, the Tequila Regulatory Council), all tequila has to be distilled from 100% blue Weber agave harvested from the state of Jalisco in Mexico (Mézcal is also derived from agave, but can use other varieties).
Agave is basically a big cactus relative. The blue Weber variety grows at altitude, where the agave plants take five to six years to reach a harvestable size, at which point there are a few different ways to cook the agave “piñas” for tequila production — from autoclaves (steam ovens) to pit ovens and brick ovens, which all affect the taste in different ways. Some brands use a diffuser, which extracts sugars from the plant more efficiently but are generally frowned upon by tequila heads, who say they add medicinal or chemical notes from the acids used in processing to the tequila’s “natural” agave flavor.
If you’re ever in Jalisco, you should definitely try to visit a tequila distillery. The smell of cooking agave and the taste (most places will let you taste some cooked agave) will create a sense memory that you’ll have in your head every time you sip tequila hence forth (not to mention the sight of an agave being harvested, which is pretty cool). From then on, you’ll want your tequila to taste not just “sweet” or “smooth,” but actually have agave flavor — which to me tastes a lot like sweet potato with some vegetal, artichoke-like notes.
Distilled tequila has been around since the 1500s, and at first, was drunk and distributed as an unaged product — like moonshine, only better tasting — to let the actual agave shine through. Herradura claims to be the first to have produced a “reposado” tequila (now classified as tequila aged for at least two months) and now most brands include reposado tequila and añejo labels (the latter, aged at least 12 months) as well as branching out into other types of aging, from “extra añejo” to other types of barrel seasoning. Reflecting its heritage, tequila is generally “younger” than bourbon or scotch, though Mexico’s warmer climate means it also ages faster.
One of the biggest tequila brands out there is Don Julio, which started distributing globally in 1999 and as of 2020 was the fourth-largest tequila brand, with $1.12 billion in sales (behind Sauza, Jose Cuervo, and Patrón). They produce seven core labels, ranging from a $45 Don Julio Blanco to the Don Julio Ultima Reserva, which retails for $399 (with Don Julio 1942 being one of the earliest and most popular top-shelf tequilas around).
Just like we’ve done with Jose Cuervo and 818, we decided the best way to dive into Don Julio was to blind taste the full line.
Part I: The Lineup
Don Julio Blanco
Don Julio Reposado
Don Julio Añejo
Don Julio 1942
Don Julio 70
Don Julio Ultima Reserva
Don Julio Rosado
I knew which tequilas would be in the tasting, but I had my wife pour them all in unlabeled glasses so I wouldn’t know which was which. And then I didn’t peek because I’m not a cheater. You can trust me on this because I’m a guy on the internet.
Part II: The Tasting
Sample 1
Vince Mancini
Look: This one is definitely pinkish, which seems like a clue. Hello, Rosado! Look, blinds don’t always work perfectly when one is a different color. Though in fairness, I am also red-green colorblind, so this wasn’t as easy as it would be for some people.
Nose: On the nose, I get pear, honeysuckle, and a woody bite.
Taste: On the palate, I get more of that pear and honeysuckle, but with a distinctive woody spice that hits me right in the back of the throat. It actually kind of chokes me a little. The finish is all burnt sugar, like smoking a swisher sweet, which makes me want to go back again, that choke notwithstanding.
It’s sweet and mostly smooth, but there’s a very astringent character, especially on the back end, that’s a touch harsh.
Sample 2
Vince Mancini
Look: This one is clear. It’s see-through. It looks like water. …You get it.
Nose: On the nose, I get thick agave syrup and burnt marshmallows. Maybe even a little bubblegum.
Taste: On the palate, this is even sweeter and more bubblegummy, but maybe a little more towards cotton candy, with a nice round, lingering mouthfeel. Very easy to drink, though maybe just a tad washed out on the finish. Slightly numbing on the tongue, not as sugary sweet on the finish as Sample 1, and yet somehow slightly cloying.
Sample 3
Vince Mancini
Look: Also clear.
Nose: On the nose, I get a roastier agave than the last one, with a slightly grassy, artichoke/vegetal note and the faintest hint of pepper.
Taste: On the palate… ooh, that’s nice. It’s similar to sample 2, only instead of that cotton candy, it’s more like butterscotch with a hint of green herb. It also seems less washed out somehow. Where the last one was sweet, this is faintly medicinal. I get a spiky green plant in my mind when I drink it, which feels more true to “tequila.”
Sample 4
Vince Mancini
Look: This is a faint pale yellow.
Nose: This is “hotter” on the nose, and I’m getting a bourbon vibe from it — vanilla, caramel, and dark wood in the forefront, with a little of that cotton candy and marshmallow creeping in.
Taste: Mmm, rich sweet agave on the palate. This is verrrry syrupy, plus butterscotch and cotton candy and just a hint of spice on the back end. The finish is more of that burnt sugar.
Sample 5
Vince Mancini
Look: Also a pale yellow, though looks like it has a little more color than sample 4.
Nose: On the nose, it’s just so rich — like buttery sweet potatoes and honeysuckle.
Taste: On the palate… oh, that is magnificent. It’s sweet, syrupy, buttery, and just a little floral. The taste is very round, with no sharp points, but not in a saccharine way, if that makes any sense.
Sample 6
Vince Mancini
Look: This is slightly more amber-yellow in color.
Nose: On the nose, I’m getting a port wine barrel vibe from this one. I’m guessing it’s the Ultima Reserva. Port wine, cane sugar.
Taste: Boy that’s good. This one seems like it has a lot of the same qualities as the last one, but with a little more complexity. It’s a little less oak-woody and a little more bright-floral, and still with that rounded, velvety mouthfeel. I like this a lot. It’s going to be tough to rank this against the previous one.
Sample 7
Vince Mancini
Look: This one is a pale yellow — or is that a little bit of rose color? I think it’s just yellow. I really wish I wasn’t colorblind right now.
Nose: I get rich, roasty agave on the nose, like baked sweet potato with a hint of aloe vera. A little oakiness creeping in.
Taste: On that palate, I get mostly more agave and oak, and very syrupy and sweet. More one-note than some of the others, but very drinkable and a great sipper. It doesn’t linger as much as some of the others, but is pleasant and makes me want to go back for me. This is going to be tough.
Part 3: The Rankings
7. Don Julio Rosado
Don Julio
The Tequila:
“An exquisite Reposado tequila finished in Ruby Port wine casks that impart a light fruit finish and delicate pink hue. Tequila Don Julio uses only the choicest, fully matured and ripened blue agave, hand-selected from the rich clay soils of the Los Altos region.”
Distilled at NOM 1449, the agave is reportedly cooked in brick ovens and extracted using a roller mill before being double distilled in a pot still before the aforementioned aging.
ABV: 40%
Price (MSRP): $125.99
Final Thoughts:
This was the most “different” of the offerings, easily, and not just because it was the only one that was pink. Those ruby port casks give it a nice fruity nose and some wild blood orange-type flavors, but they also impart a woodier, more astringent finish. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed in my drink preferences, it’s that I tend to steer away from anything “dry” in that way — whether it’s woody cabernets or piny IPAs (no thank you!).
This is quite dry, astringent, and woody, though it does have some interesting grapefruity kind of flavors. Your mileage may vary, and whatnot.
6. Don Julio 70
Don Julio
The Tequila:
Don Julio 70 is a “crystal añejo” or a cristalino tequila, meaning that it’s aged for 18 months (like an añejo tequila) in American white oak, and then charcoal filtered to “bring back the crisp agave flavor typically found in a Blanco.” And also, presumably, to restore the clear color.
Cristalino is an up-and-coming category now, and Don Julio says Don Julio 70 was the world’s first clear añejo tequila.
ABV: 40%
Price (MSRP): $54
Final Thoughts:
I’ve heard tequila people say that cristalino was developed because Mexicans liked the flavor of añejo but were inherently distrustful of non-clear tequila, but that may be apocryphal. Anyway, this was the sweetest of the bunch and incredibly easy to drink. The only reason I ranked it lower than some of the others was that I thought it didn’t have quite as much agave flavor as those and was maybe too sweet. I feel similarly about a lot of charcoal-filtered whiskeys (which are not clear, I’m not sure how that works) in that they become “easier” to drink and less harsh at the expense of some complexity.
It didn’t really remind me of agave, which is a little disappointing.
5. Don Julio Blanco (Sample 3)
Don Julio
The Tequila: “Tequila Don Julio uses only the choicest, fully matured and ripened blue agave from the rich, clay soils of the Los Altos region.”
We also know that it’s double distilled, and the agave is reportedly cooked in brick ovens.
ABV: 40%
Price (MSRP): $45
Final Thoughts:
This was more herbaceous and butterscotchy than the 70, with more agave flavor. Buttery, grassy, and vegetal. This is a really solid blanco tequila, in my opinion. It’s not harsh and it tastes like agave.
4. Don Julio Añejo
Don Julio
The Tequila:
Same as above, from the oven-roasted Los Altos agave to the double distilling and “unique yeast strain,” plus 18 months of maturing in American white oak barrels.
ABV: 40%
Price (MSRP): $55
Final Thoughts:
This was very syrupy and with some dark wood flavors adding to that marshmallow/cotton candy base, with a finish of sugar and honey. An enjoyable añejo tequila all around. Great for easy sipping.
3. Don Julio Reposado
Don Julio
The Tequila: Same as the above — double distilled, Los Altos agave, brick ovens — but aged for eight months in white American oak barrels.
Price: $50
ABV: 40%
Final Thoughts:
Don Julio’s Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo tequilas were all right there. To me, this one seemed like the best marriage of that roasty agave flavor and the caramel and nutty notes from the oak. Slightly less syrupy than the Añejo, but it was very close.
2. Don Julio 1942
Don Julio
The Tequila:
Don Julio 1942 was created to commemorate their 60th anniversary of tequila production. “Using a personal selection of prime agave,” this batch of tequila is made with the distillate in Pot Still 6, which produces only three barrels per cycle, which were then aged for at least two and a half years in American white oak.
The tall Don Julio 1942 bottle is meant to mimic an agave leaf. Neat!
Price: $139.99
ABV: 40%
Final Thoughts:
My top two were distinctly the best two, but the margin between Don Julio 1942 and my number one was razor-thin. The thing that stood out to me about this was the buttery richness of it, like a decadent dessert tequila that I would happily drink neat. More wood in this one than any of the others, though it didn’t have the astringent, blood-orange note that the Rosado had.
1. Don Julio Ultima Reserva
Don Julio
The Tequila:
“Tequila Don Julio Ultima Reserva is a special 36-month aged luxury Extra-Añejo tequila that preserves Don Julio González’s ultimate legacy – the final agave harvest. In 2006, Don Julio González and his family planted this final agave harvest field. This agave harvest was set aside for a special distillation. After three years of aging, the result was this special Extra-Añejo tequila.”
This distillation was then aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in seasoned Madeira wine casks. “To preserve this tequila and the exquisite agave piñas behind it,” Don Julio implemented “a Solera aging method, which combines and matures tequilas of different characteristics and ages, allowing Don Julio González’s final agave harvest to remain at the heart of this rare tequila.”
It also comes in a fancy box!
Price: $399
ABV: 40%
Final Thoughts:
Should I be proud of myself for choosing the most expensive one as my favorite? I am a little… if I’m being honest. It doesn’t always, or even usually, work that way in blind tastings, but the Ultima Reserva does taste distinctly expensive. Longer aging and more wood don’t always equal “better” (as evidenced by me ranking the reposado over the añejo) but the ex-bourbon + Madeira cask formula for this one did seem a particularly ideal combination, bringing some of those brighter, more complex dried fruit flavors from the wine with basically none of those astringent notes that turn me off.
You know this is going to be a good one from the first sniff. I’m not going to say that you couldn’t find a better tequila than this for less than $400 but I certainly haven’t tasted it yet. I put this in a blind with a bunch of other brands and labels (I’ll get around to writing that up sometime soon) and it still came out on top.
What can I say? I vibed with it.
Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can check out his archive of reviews here.
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