Month: March 2023

Late last week, Brown-Forman — the parent company of Jack Daniel’s — was sued and asked to halt construction on their new set of barrel houses in Lynchburg, Tennessee over something called “whiskey fungus”. The lawsuit comes at a time when Jack Daniel’s is growing by leaps and bounds. They’re growing so fast that they literally cannot build barrel houses fast enough to meet the amount of juice they’re able to produce.

That growth has led to a slew of new Jack Daniel’s expressions that are helping redefine the brand from an old whiskey that you’re grandparents drank into one of the most exciting and innovative whiskey shingles in American whiskey. That growth has also drawn the ire of a couple living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, — a tiny community of just north of 6,000 residents — and their lawyers thanks to a growth that comes with industrial-sized spirits production.

The root of the lawsuit against Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s Distillery is around a black fungus colloquially called the “Whiskey Fungus” and officially called baudoinia compniacensis. We’ll get into what that is exactly below. But it’s causing locals in Lynchburg some hassle and they want Brown-Forman to do something about the nearly ubiquitous fungal growth before the fungus mutates, uses humans as hosts, and completely destroys our civilization. No. Wait. That’s The Last of Us on HBO.

Baudoinia compniacensis, or whiskey fungus, is completely harmless in relation to humans and other animals. But it’s still annoying. So, let’s get into what’s actually going on here.

Part 1 — Why Is Jack Daniel’s Being Sued?

Before we get into the details of why Jack Daniel’s and Brown-Forman are being sued in 2023, we have to point out something very pertinent. This is nothing new. The spirits industry gets sued over this all the freaking time. Hell, law firms like William F. McMurray & Associates have made a lot of hay off of suing massive spirits companies everywhere from Barbados to Scotland to Kentucky over whiskey fungus.

This isn’t even Brown-Forman’s first rodeo with “whiskey fungus” lawsuits. Back in 2012, William F. McMurray & Associates filed two suits in Kentucky that demanded Brown-Forman, Diageo, and Heaven Hill stop “polluting” the air with ethanol that nourished whiskey fungus which was a pain for locals and their home aesthetics. Those lawsuits basically claimed the exact same thing as the current one, which was filed by Jason Holleman who’s representing Christi and Patrick Long down in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Here are the brass tacks. Christi and Patrick Long are upset that her event-space mansion (built in 1900) in Lynchburg is covered in whiskey fungus that grows thanks to the ethanol (angel’s share) that enters the air due to evaporation that happens during whiskey distilling and aging. The Longs’ complaint states that they have to pressure wash their event space/mansion to keep the fungus off, which they claim is costing them over $10,000 a year in water and bleach.

Holleman and the Longs want Brown-Forman to install ethanol filters on the 90-odd barrel houses throughout the community and halt any further building of new warehouses (14 are currently under construction) until they’re redesigned with the ethanol filters.

If you’re ever been to Lynchburg, you know full well that every single thing in that town revolves around the Jack Daniel’s distillery, and every cent spent in that town is filtered through that undeniable fact. So, there’s that. You also do see the black fungus everywhere. Some buildings are cleaned off and fresh, while others are not. But you cannot miss the black fungus, it’s omnipresent (and some might say part of the charm).

Currently, the county has asked Brown-Forman to halt construction on new warehouses and they’ve complied. Until the issue is resolved, Brown-Forman seems to be in a holding pattern and, obviously, not commenting on the subject.

Part 2 — What is “Whiskey Fungus”?

Whiskey fungus was first observed in France around cognac distilleries and warehouses back in the mid-1800s but has been around for eons. The fungus thrives off of ethanol which helps it germinate and flourish. Millennia ago, you’d find it on trees with its fruit fermenting on the ground below. That’s the reason you’ll see it around breweries, distilleries, and even bakeries. Basically, any area where there’s something producing ethanol in huge amounts will be rife with the fungus.

The fungus was sort of taken for granted after its definition around 1870. Deeper research on the fungus was done in the 2010s that better defined the fungus as something fed by ethanol that attaches to any surface outdoors where it flourishes the more its fed ethanol.

As mentioned above, if you’ve ever toured a distillery — rum, whiskey, brandy, etc. — anywhere in the world, you’ll have seen the black patina on, well, everything around those places.

The fungus has been studied and defined precisely. And while it is a minor nuisance if you want to keep your white walls white, there is no effect at all on humans. Moreover, the U.S. Clean Air Act does not consider the emission of ethanol — which feeds the fungus — into the atmosphere as a violation. This leads us to…

Part 3 — Will Jack Daniel’s Win or Lose?

Remember that 2012 lawsuit mentioned above? Yeah, that was thrown out in the federal courts in 2016. Looking at William F. McMurray & Associates’ lawsuits on their own page shows only L’s, no wins.

Long story short, whiskey fungus isn’t hurting anyone. And it’s kind of part of the deal when you live in an area where the entire economy is based in that industry, like Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Brown-Forman will likely win this case in that the Longs moved to Lynchburg in 2020 and chose a community that has an economy 100% based on Jack Daniel’s existence in that town/county, and it’s painfully obvious that whiskey fungus is something everyone in that community lives with. It’s kind of like moving to Disneyland and being pissed off that there are tour busses with Mickey on them. Moreover, this isn’t a class action case from the whole town or county — it’s two people who are mad about the way their house looks.

All of that aside, the legal precedent is on Brown-Forman’s side as well thanks to William F. McMurray & Associates’ big losses in places like Kentucky last decade. Releasing ethanol isn’t a public threat and whiskey fungus doesn’t affect human or animal life. It’s a pain in the ass if you want to have a lily-white house though. But then… maybe don’t move next to one of the world’s biggest distilleries and open an event space for people keen to visit that specific distillery?

It’s a thorny issue, to be sure. Thank god that, unlike Last of Us, the stakes aren’t particularly high.

Luka Doncic is a man of many talents. He’s currently leading the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game while trying to pull the Dallas Mavericks out of the play-in tournament. Doncic consistently dazzles on the court with no-look passes and stepback threes, but he’s reticent to discuss all the things he loves to do off the court — a Doncic press conference is rarely revealing outside of consistently calling things amazing.

One thing we did learn about Doncic during his rookie season: he loves video games. In fact, he loves them so much that he recently hopped into an Overwatch 2 game that was being broadcast on Twitch and coyly revealed his occupation.

Doncic is simply a guy being a dude on the stream, as basketball is merely a hobby for the three-time All-NBA First Team player who lead his team to the conference finals last year. The stream participants want to know if he plays varsity, and while you could describe the Mavericks defense as varsity, Doncic responds with a simple Dallas Mavericks. He’s a man of few words, and the guys on the stream had to verify Doncic’s identity with a very high level question.

They ask “Luka Donovich” to verify his birthday to confirm his identity and also gave Luka a great pseudonym for hotel check-ins. Let this be a heads up that if you’re playing Overwatch 2 online, you just might match up with Luka Donovich.

Bartees Strange has had quite a journey. He became a breakout indie star in 2020 with his critically acclaimed debut Live Forever and then scored even more attention with the release of his powerful 2022 LP Farm To Table. Last month, he proved he’s still got it by sharing two new songs, “Tisched Off” and “Keekee’in.” Now he’s back with more.

Today, the “Heavy Heart” performer unveiled “Daily News,” a track that was previously only available on the Farm To Table vinyl. Strange’s poignant voice is the centerpiece of the song from the get-go, singing with a special vulnerability. The soaring guitars create an immersive whirlwind of sound. It’s entrancing, and it only becomes more powerful as it goes on. It ends with stunning instrumentation that keeps building into a massive crescendo.

It’s going to be a good year for Strange. In the fall, he’ll be opening for The National on their tour for their forthcoming record First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. Last year, he even joined them on stage to help with the performance of “Mistaken For Strangers.” It was an important moment considering his 2020 EP Say Goodbye To Pretty Boy had five covers of songs by The National.

Listen to “Daily News” above.

The Good Place ended a little over three years ago, bringing to an end another top shelf Ted Danson series. Was the afterlife comedy as much of an all-timer as Cheers? Probably not, but what is? Besides, perhaps it will seem that way in a decade or so. In the meantime, Danson isn’t sitting on his laurels: He’s set to reunite with the show’s creator for something completely different.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the erstwhile Sam Malone and Good Place instigator Michael Schur are teaming back up for another scripted comedy, this one based on a true story. It’s an adaptation of the 2020 Chilean documentary The Mole Agent, which his described by the IMDb thusly: “A private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.”

The series has been picked up for an eight-episode order by Netflix, which is one place where you can currently find The Good Place.

Schur has a pretty sterling CV. He’s co-creator of not only Parks and Recreation but also Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The guy knows office culture as well as the post-mortem, which should do him well in a retirement home setting where Danson has gone undercover — especially considering the guy can dance.

(Via THR)

We’re another day closer to the release of Black Thought & El Michels Affair’s joint album Glorious Game, and today, the rapper and his other band rewarded fans for their patience with the title track from the album. “Glorious Game,” like “Grateful” and “That Girl” before it, sounds like an excerpt from a 1970s-era Blaxploitation film while Black Thought displays his usual virtuoso, rhyming an ode to the titular “Glorious Game” and detailing the secrets to his effortless cool.

Glorious Game is Thought’s second joint project in as many years, following 2022’s Cheat Codes with Danger Mouse, which saw him take a step back from his duties as the frontman of The Roots to spit alongside some of the rap biz’s finest MCs, including Joey Badass, MF DOOM, and Run The Jewels. Meanwhile, the multitalented rap pioneer has also been busy as a producer of film, television, and stage, most recently teaming up once again with his bandmate Questlove to produce a four-part documentary series about James Brown for A&E titled James Brown: Say It Loud. Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones is also listed as a producer.

Glorious Game is due for release on April 14 through Big Crown. Find more information here.

Ron DeSantis hasn’t even formally launched his 2024 presidential campaign yet, but it’s already clear how he would rule if he won. As governor of Florida, he’s sung the glories of freedom all while punishing those he hates. So when word that a Republican state legislator proposed a chilling bill that would require bloggers writing about elected state officials to register with the state, it didn’t seem far-fetched to imagine DeSantis himself supporting it. Alas, it’s so extreme that it’s being met with pushback from such progressive figures as…Newt Gingrich…and even Meatball Ron.

Let’s start with the former Speaker of the House and GOP boogeyman of the Clinton era. Gingrich — a man so principled he divorced his first wife when she had cancer and left his second after she’d been diagnosed with MS — was not only appalled at the authoritarian idea of restricting a free press, but also that a Republican in the year 2023 could dream it up.

“The idea that bloggers criticizing a politician should register with the government is insane. it is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Florida who introduced a bill to that effect,” Gingrich tweeted. “He should withdraw it immediately.”

It’s a pretty insane bill, even for a guy who openly complained about how easy it was for Georgians to vote. As proposed by one Jason Brodeur, it would require any bloggers covering state officials to register with “the appropriate office” five days after their first post. But that’s just the start. They’d have to file monthly reports if they continue to blog about them. Failure to file reports could lead to $2,500 fines per story — well above what anyone’s being paid per blog.

Given DeSantis’ open hostility towards the free press — and his silence when the bill was proposed — it was assumed that it had his tacit approval. And yet, miraculously, it does not. As per Mediaite, DeSantis belatedly distanced himself from the bill during a press briefing on Tuesday.

“There’s articles with my face on the article, saying that ‘Oh, they’re going to have to, bloggers are going to have to register for the state’ and it’s like attributing it [the bill] to me,” DeSantis. “That’s not anything that I’ve ever supported, I don’t support [it].”

Or at least he doesn’t support it now. DeSantis is MAGA Republican lawmaker, whereas Gingrich hails from a very different and very bygone version of the GOP, when there was at least a modicum of respect for journalists and their rights. Maybe DeSantis will change his tune.

(Via Vanity Fair and Mediaite)

One of the biggest festivals of the year is HARD, a long-running festival that began in 2007 to highlight alternative and electronic acts and has been running ever since. This year, though, it’s making some big changes, moving to a new venue in Los Angeles and continuing to expand its horizons, adding hip-hop acts such as 21 Savage and Kid Cudi as special guests after bringing in Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Uzi Vert last year.

HARD Summer 2023 returns to Los Angeles, the festival’s birthplace, for the first time in 10 years on August 5 and 6, leaving behind the San Bernardino NOS Event Center for the Exposition Park area near downtown, which includes both the Coliseum and BMO Stadium (formerly the Banc Of California Stadium).

And although there are some other rap names on this year’s lineup, including Fat Joe and Ludacris, HARD’s keeping things mostly the same, with headliners Kaskade and Skrillex joining a lineup that includes standouts such as Four Tet, Diplo, Black Coffee, Dillon Francis, Oliver Tree, and more. There also appear to be some surprise artists on the bill who will presumably be announced as the festival nears. And don’t discount the possibility that Drake, who collaborated with Black Coffee on last year’s Honestly, Nevermind, might show up too. Never forget who started EDM in the first place.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 10 at 10 am. You can get more info on the official website.

If you ever want to make Brian Kilmeade feel all sorts of icky inside, try shouting the words “Tiny D” at him. On Monday, as Mediaite notes, the Fox & Friends co-host admitted that he’s not a fan of Donald Trump’s reported new nickname for Ron DeSantis.

While discussing this year’s CPAC event, Kilmeade and co-hosts Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt weren’t interested in talking about such wild shenanigans as Kimberly Guilfoyle turning a speaking engagement into a Home Shopping Network segment while peddling gold coins like an unhinged leprechaun. Nope, they wanted to talk about the things that mattered — including the ongoing beef between Trump and DeSantis. Kilmeade made it clear that he thinks the Florida governor is a pretty a-ok kinda guy, noting that “he’s extremely personable.” Which is most certainly the number one quality you want in the leader of the free world.

Kilmeade was less impressed by Trump’s insatiable desire to come up with the perfect DeSantis put-down, as “Ron DeSanctimonious” is not sweeping the nation in the way the former POTUS hoped. While he noted that “Ron Dishonest” and “Ron Deestablishment” were among the contenders, Kilmeade — who once kind of bragged about reading Mein Kampf cover to cover — is really not on board with what seems to be Donald’s chosen winner: “Tiny D.”

“I don’t know,” said Kilmeade. “It’s hard to label somebody who is so similar to him with a nickname… It makes everybody on all sides seemingly uncomfortable. Even people reporting it.”

Speak for yourself, Kilmeade.

(Via Mediaite)

Do you want the best crunchy taco you’ve ever had? Cool! Buy some hamburger meat, cut up a red potato into tiny pieces, and throw the two in a cast iron pan. Season with paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper, cumin, and chili powder, drain the fat, put a lid on it under low heat, and wait until those potatoes soften. Then warm up some corn tortillas, spoon the meat inside, pin each end closed with a toothpick, and throw the whole thing in a hot pan with oil. Remove when it’s sufficiently fried (lighter than you expect) top it with lettuce, and cheese, and dip it in whatever makes you happy (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, all three) and bing bang boom, you’ve got the best fried taco you’ve ever had in your life in 20 minutes.

Crunchy tacos are so easy to make at home that it’s amazing to me that we even have a fast food version. But then again… so are burgers! Sometimes you just don’t have time, and we respect that. So if you’ve got a craving for crunchy tacos and you don’t want to do any work whatsoever, what’s the play? The closest taqueria with fried tacos of course! But if you don’t have one of those (we’re really meeting you halfway here), it’s going to have to be Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, or Del Taco.

Fast food crunchy tacos are weak. They’re not nearly as good as what you can easily make at home and the meat inside is questionable. Having said all that… I still love them. Don’t get me wrong, I fully recognize that fast food crunchy tacos are a sad imitation of the real thing but have you ever rolled up to a Jack in the Box or Taco Bell in the middle of the night, sufficiently buzzed (or high) and hungry? Few things in life are better than that first bite into a greasy flavor-packed taco that costs just above $1.

So who makes the best? We’re about to find out. That’s right, we’re giving crunchy tacos the blind taste test treatment!

PART I — Methodology

Sadly, there aren’t very many fast food chains with crunchy tacos anymore. You used to be able to get crunchy tacos at Burger King, Carl’s Jr, Del Taco, Jack in the Box, and Taco Bell, and now BK and Carl’s are out. You could, of course, go to Chipotle, but we’re willing to bet if you have a craving for crunchy tacos, you want the cheap stuff, not a $10 customizable taco plate.

So for this blind taste test, we gathered up tacos from Del Taco, Jack in the Box, and Taco Bell and put them to a blind test. Because I know these tacos well, I had my girlfriend bring each on a plate one by one and donned my trusty blindfold for all four tacos. Here is our lineup:

• Del Taco — Crunchy Taco
• Jack in the Box — Crunchy Taco
• Taco Bell — Crunchy Taco
• Taco Bell — Doritos Loco Taco

Let’s eat!

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1:

Greasy, intensely so, there is so much grease I can straight up taste it, but it’s also… kind of interesting. The tortilla shell is very light and crispy, and I’m getting a hint of mild taco sauce in there.

This taco is incredibly wet. Is that grease, is that sauce, do I want to find out?! The cheese is gooey but a little too flavorless. It’s more texture than anything else. I can’t really get a sense of what the meat tastes like and the lettuce is awful and smells bad.

Taste 2:

What the hell am I eating?! Not enough crunch here and a whole lot of conflicting flavors. I’m getting an intense zesty cheese flavor, a whole lot of salt, with watery lettuce that muddies the beef. The mouthfeel is also awful, it tastes almost dusty. Not a fan.

Taste 3:

Pretty solid. The shell has a great crunchy texture and the meat is beefy and savory with a nice blend of spices. I’m getting salt, paprika, and a hint of garlic. I love the texture of this one, everything just comes together harmoniously. There is a strong grease flavor that stains the aftertaste, but that doesn’t bother my tastebuds as much as it bothers me on a mental level.

Biting into it I thought “I know this is bad for me.” But I also promptly took another bite.

Taste 4:

I was certain Taste 3 would win the top spot but Taste 4 is the winner. This has everything the last taco had but a significantly better cheese flavor and that really makes a difference in a three-ingredient taco. The cheddar here is rich, with a balance of sweet, sharp, and nutty notes that perfectly blend with the savory meat.

The beef here isn’t quite as flavor-packed as Taste 3 but the rest of the ingredients, from the shell, which is sturdy and crunchier to the crispy lettuce, taste significantly better. Overall, the taco provides a better experience. As far as the meat goes, you wouldn’t think it was under-seasoned, but side by side with Taste 3 the difference is apparent. Not enough to hurt it though.

Part 2: The Ranking

Taco Bell — Doritos Locos Taco (Taste 2)

I get that the Doritos Locos has fans but — why? Is it because it’s just a cheap taco in a giant Dorito? It’s okay if that’s the reason, but this taco has nothing on Taco Bell’s OG. As a novelty, it’s a lot of fun but I honestly think the idea of this taco is its best seasoning. As it stands on its own, it’s an assault on the taste buds in the worst possible way.

The Bottom Line:

I know I’m going to anger the Taco Bell fans with this one, but this taco is designed to be enjoyed solely by people who are stoned or drunk! Or people that really really really like Doritos.

Find your nearest Taco Bell here.

Jack in the Box — Crunchy Taco (Taste 1)

I’m actually surprised this one isn’t at the bottom of the ranking. Like I said in the tasting portion, this taco’s flavor is just grease. It’s very crispy slightly mild grease. And I kind of like it. Does it offend me that there is American cheese in here? Absolutely. Is the lettuce legitimately some of the worst lettuce I’ve ever tasted? Absolutely. Would I order one of these again in a heartbeat? Abso-f*cking-lutely.

The Bottom Line:

I’m not proud of this one but what can I say? I kind of like it. It’s greasy and tastes like it might kill you but it hits some sort of pleasure spot in my brain.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

Taco Bell — Crunchy Taco (Taste 3)

Although it didn’t get the number one spot, I still think Taco Bell makes one of the best fast food crunchy tacos ever. Somedays, I’ll take this over a Chipotle taco, and they used marinated meat over there! There is just something special about this taco, it’s probably the reason fast food crunchy tacos are a thing in the first place.

With the right packet of hot sauce, you can easily take this taco from good to great. It won’t beat what you can make at home, but it satisfies if you’re too beat to cook and want a cheap and easy dinner.

The Bottom Line:

Taco Bell’s greatest menu item, no cap.

Find your nearest Taco Bell here.

Del Taco — Crunchy Taco (Taste 4)

The Del Taco does everything that Taco Bell’s taco does — but better. While the flavors are very similar, there is something about Taco Bell that comes across as incredibly cheap. It’s the sort of taco that you eat and it constantly reminds you throughout the day that you’ve eaten it, whether that be from burping its flavors to hurting your stomach. That’s not the case with Del Taco.

Both are cheap, but at Del Taco it actually tastes like you’re getting quality. The meat is a little drier, but you know it’s meat. The lettuce is crisp and tastes more like a leaf than water, but the real star of the show is the cheese. It’s hand grated from an actual block, which means it doesn’t have that weird powdery texture that cheap shredded cheese has and packs a whole of flavor.

It’s sweet, nutty, savory, almost… floral, and I’m just talking about that cheese!

The Bottom Line:

The perfect fast food crunchy taco.

Find your nearest Del Taco here.

The Western genre died at some point in the 1970s, and one movie star more than any other has spent decades trying to bring it back. That star is Kevin Costner. He’s made several Westerns over his career — Silverado, Dances with Wolves, Open Range — and while some have been big hits, they’ve never quite brought the genre back full-force. Now it appears he’s finally succeeded: Yellowstone has inspired everyone else to make their own oaters. And one agent explains why dusting off the Western is a no-brainer.

A new report by The Hollywood Reporter rounds up some of the other Westerns currently in production at other streamers, who are hoping to strike Yellowstone gold. Amazon’s working on one from True Detective’s Nick Pizzolatto. Netflix has two, including one from Sons of Anarchy’s Kurt Sutter. Then there are all those other Yellowstone spin-offs. Why did the Western even die? That’s what one unnamed literary agent is wondering.

“Yellowstone has super-dramatic characters, love triangles, shoot-outs, murders, surprise adopted kids … it’s a soap opera in the modern Wild West,” they told THR. “It’s where a majority of the world and this country live; it’s what we should have been making this entire damn time.”

It’s not that content creators haven’t spent years trying to rescue the genre. “Writers have always pitched Westerns, but execs never wanted them,” the agent said. “Yellowstone has reignited interest in Americana and actual real-world living.”

In the past, Westerns have occasionally broken through, on both the big and small screens. Something like the Coen brother’s take on True Grit will scare up Marvel cash… only to inspire no copycats. Then again, sometimes you just get Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West.

In the meantime, the jury’s still out on whether the OG Yellowstone is ending or not, reportedly due to reported conflicts with Costner. That said, a song he recently wrote sure sounded like he was preparing for the end.

(Via THR)