Nicolas Cage once almost played Superman. Back in the late aughts and early teens — before comic book movies all but took over the multiplexes — he played the anti-heroic superhero Ghost Rider. And yet he’s managed to resist the current trend, in which almost every actor in Hollywood at least plays a villain or a sidekick in the MCU or the DCEU, if not one of the main stars. He ain’t changing his mind anytime soon.
“I’ve gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage. What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me,” he said while receiving an award at the Miami Film Festival over the weekend, as per Variety. “I understand what the frustration is. I get it. But I think there’s plenty of room for everybody. I’m seeing movies like Tár. I’m seeing all kinds of artistic and independently driven movies. I think there’s plenty of room for everybody.”
But would he still do Marvel? Apparently not. When asked, he replied, “I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage.”
He sure is. Cage did regret that his stint as Supes never came to be:
“They wanted Renny Harlin to do the movie. I sat down with Renny. I was doing another picture, he came to the trailer and we talked. I liked Renny… but I thought if I’m going to do this, it’s such a bullseye to hit,” Cage explained. “I said, this has to be Tim Burton. I called Tim and said, ‘Would you do this?’ Tim didn’t cast me, I cast Tim, and Tim said yes. I loved what he did with Michael [Keaton] and Batman, and I was a big fan.”
He continued, “I love ‘Mars Attacks.’ I thought ‘Mars Attacks’ was just a fantastic, groundbreaking movie. He’s a groundbreaker! But they were scared at the studio because of ‘Mars Attacks.’ Warner Brothers had lost a lot of money on the movie. These movies that are really weird, that challenge and break ground, they piss a lot of people off. I think they got cold feet. They’d spent a lot of money already building the sets and the costume and what have you. But you never know. I don’t mean to be cryptic Cage, but you never know!”
The actor really enjoyed the character they were building, he explained: “It was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair. I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there.”
But hey, at least he still has time to do movies like Pig.
It looks like pop superstar Rihanna isn’t the only musician to find love in a hopeless place. “Ay Caramba” rapper Tyga and indie rock legend Avril Lavigne have reportedly also found the same type of love deep within one another. Late last month, the pair first sparked dating rumors after being spotted out hugging in the parking lot of the famous restaurant Nobu in Los Angeles.
Now, according to TMZ has shared that the musicians are, in fact, a couple (we’re coining them, Tygav). While attending the Mugler X Hunter Schafer Party, earlier today (March 6) as part of Paris Fashion Week, the duo wasn’t shy about putting on a full show of affection in front of the paparazzi.
After the rumors first hit social media, users raised several questions. Firstly, when did Lavigne and Mod Sun call off their engagement? Sun quickly took to his Instagram page to confirm not only did he and Lavigne split, but it had only happened a week ago (at the time), making the news of her new budding romance with the rapper even more difficult to stomach.
Secondly, why? Lavigne and Tyga have both been linked to different members of Jenner/Kardashian family. Tyga has dated Kylie Jenner, and Lavigne’s ex is Jenner’s brother Rob. The same Rob that has a daughter with Blac Chyna, with whom Tyga also shares a son.
Now that the rumors have been seemingly confirmed by social media, users are sounding off yet again. Check out their responses below.
When FIFA 23 was first announced it came with a huge change for the EA Sports soccer franchise. Not only was it going to feature many of the usual fan favorite men’s clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, but it was now going to feature many of their women’s side counterparts as well. Chelsea’s Sam Kerr even got a spot on the cover to acknowledge how big a deal this was going to be. Unfortunately for stateside fans, it initially seemed like the announcement was going to leave their own local clubs, the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) out of the big announcement.
On Monday, that was changed when EA revealed that the NWSL and its players would be joining FIFA 23. With the upcoming season slated to kickoff on March 25 the timing for this announcement could be any better. The trailer itself is pretty fun too featuring a lot of the creative ways NWSL players choose to celebrate goals.
While likely not as well known internationally, the NWSL has been working to break through into common knowledge among fans in the United States. It’s considered the top league in the country and has featured many stars including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carson Pickett, Sophia Smith, and Lo’eau LaBonta. The NWSL began in 2013 and will be kicking off its 11th season this year. It’s still growing but becoming a part of the most popular soccer game in the world has the potential to help with that.
The jury’s still out on who will succeed Daniel Craig as the new James Bond. Maybe, despite calls to make the decades-old franchise more diverse, he’ll be played by another white guy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. One person who won’t be playing him is Idris Elba, who’s had to endure years and years of people demanding he be made 007, despite him not appearing to be so into the idea. (The same thing’s happening with Theo James.) It’s gotten so bad that a cheeky Bond nod was slipped into Elba’s latest film.
As per Deadline, Luther: The Fallen Sun — which finds Elba returning to the detective character he’s been playing since 2010 — features a part in which our hero pointedly refuses a martini. If you thought that was a dig at 007’s drink of choice, you weren’t far off. In an interview with Radio Times, Luther creator Neil Cross even called it “an extended middle finger and a wink” to the series Elba doesn’t want to be involved with.
Elba spoke about it, too, admitting it wasn’t his idea. “The martini line is a bit cheeky, isn’t it? I was like, ‘Neil, are you sure you want to put that in?’” he said.
He also once again — for the thousandth time — expressed his thoughts on being Ian Fleming’s formerly problematic spy. “My Bond audition? Oh my God, no! I’ve been saying for years, no,” he exclaimed.
Elba also spoke about the differences between Luther, a detective, and James Bond, a spy. “Luther’s equally engaging, equally sexy and great to see visually. But Bond is from a universe where espionage was the way to capture,” he said. “Luther is from the world where you bang on the door, ‘Are you in there? I’m coming in.’”
Anyway, maybe give the guy a rest and never even bring up Moonraker in his presence again.
Karol G’s fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito, is making history yet again. Just weeks after breaking streaming records on Spotify, the project featuring Sean Paul, Romeo Santos, Quevedo, Justin Quiles, and more was the biggest debut for a Latin woman on the platform.
Now, the album is continuing its record-breaking streak. According to Billboard, Mañana Será Bonito is the first all-Spanish-language by a woman to secure the top spot on the Billboard 200 charts. In the past, only two other all-Spanish-language albums have occupied the No. 1 spot. Those albums below to Bad Bunny (Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022 and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo in 2020).
In addition to securing the coveted position, nine of her song rest comfortably on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, including “TQG” featuring Shakira at number 7, “Mientras Me Curo del Cora” at number 68, “Gucci Los Paños” at 71, “Tus Gafitas” at 73, “Cairo” featuring Ovy On The Drums at number 82, “Pero Tú” featuring at Quevedo number 86, “Ojos Ferrari” at number 95, “Besties” at number 96, and “Mañana Será Bonita” at number 98.
When asked by our contributing writer Lucas Villa, Karol shared that the album was birthed because as she revealed, “I had a very dark moment in my life where the only thing I could do was turn to my family and my friends. I understood after that life wanted to show me that what I should value the most is having my family and my friends by my side. That was a very hard and difficult process to go through. I was disappointed by what was happening to me. It was a blow in many ways to my personal life.”
.@karolg debuts nine songs on this week’s #Hot100 (1/2):
#7, TQG w/ @shakira #68, Mientras Me Curo del Cora #71, Gucci Los Paños #73, Tus Gafitas #82, Cairo w/ @OvyOnTheDrums
For the Elvis soundtrack, Kacey Musgraves unveiled a cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” in June last year. Now, Baz Luhrmann’s label House of Iona/RCA Records has shared a version with Mark Ronson from the forthcoming Elvis soundtrack deluxe edition.
While Musgraves’s rendition in 2022 was piano-driven, retaining the emotional vulnerability of the song, Mark Ronson gave it an exuberant twist. Her vocals are accentuated by a pulsating, catchy beat, transforming the classic song into a hopeful, exuberant anthem.
Musgraves’ last record was 2021’s critically acclaimed Star-Crossed. A highlight was “Breadwinner,” which grappled with sexism in interpersonal relationships.
“I’m not the only one who’s experienced that, and I’m not going to be the last,” Musgraves explained about the 2021 track. “It always makes it easier to put vulnerable thoughts out there when you know they’re going to be met with connection. As more women have moved into power, it’s been interesting to see the effects. It’s important for men to know there are so many things you can bring to the table other than money. If you’re with a woman who earns more than you, maybe look at what you can bring emotionally, mentally, or around the house.”
Listen to the remix of the “Can’t Help Falling In Love” cover above.
While trying to pass enthusiastic little girl scout cookie vendors with your head down, more often than not, social pressure combined with a sweet “hello!” will only lead to one result — extraction of funds. And at the end of the day, their cookies are so damn tasty, how can you resist? Besides teaching girls essential face to face business strategies, the Girl Scout program also aspires to keep Scouts up with the times.
While the intention was to help girls develop e-commerce skills, they unknowingly produced a 101 crash course in the cruelty of e-commerce. First priced at $6, the cookie was a hit and sold out instantly. Wholesale scalpers are now dealing this rare product on eBay like black market moonshine in the 1920s. Third-party vendors are making profits (from $30-$100) off the Girl Scout name, and HQ is not happy.
A Girl Scouts spokesperson told CNN, “When cookies are purchased through a third-party seller, Girl Scout troops are deprived of proceeds that fund critical programming throughout the year.”
That’s not technically true. If all the Raspberry Rally inventory was bought out, how does that deprive proceeds? Doesn’t that mean they made the most money possible? On the surface, yes, and legally speaking, this doesn’t hurt the Girl Scouts. In fact, eBay doesn’t plan on taking the product off their website, stating to CNN, “We strongly support the entrepreneurial spirit of hardworking local Girl Scout troops and encourage cookie-seekers to also support their local Girl Scouts. However, the sale of Girl Scout cookies does not violate eBay policies.”
Despite being technically legal, this hurts the Scouts for a few reasons. First, it attacks the integrity of the brand. In an article from Today.com, a Girl Scout Spokesperson mentioned, “Girl Scouts of the USA and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of cookies bought through unauthorized sites.” Third-party sellers might offer cookies that not only tarnish the quality of the product, but also the message behind it.
Additionally, the Scout PR team reasoned,”If you’re buying these cookies at a huge markup, you could and should instead be using that money to support girls by buying other varieties or supporting the program in other ways.” It’s a good point, if you’re willing to spend that much on a cookie, it might as well go to an organization that promotes goal setting, people skills, business ethics, and making lifelong friends. Sadly, this whole fiasco might demonstrate that some people care more about the cookie than the message behind it.
Ultimately, this can and should be a learning experience for not just individual Girl Scouts, but the organization as a whole. For one, it illustrates the nature of E-commerce; how products can be acquired at a lower price and then sold higher. Remember, this all happened because of scarcity and a huge demand for this new cookie. These girls can reason “perhaps we should sell more and maybe even raise the price.” For the organization, it could try fixing its scalper problem by putting a limit on the amount a single customer can purchase. This would prevent “re-sellers” from acquiring all the cookies in bulk.
Despite the concerns of The Girl Scouts, the fact remains that people are obsessed with their cookies. With that knowledge and the lessons learned from this first attempt at an online exclusive product, expect the Scouts to rally back more business savvy in the online space.
Donald Trump is a wizard with childish nicknames for his many enemies, but for some reason he’s been shooting blanks when it comes to Ron DeSantis. His first taunt — “Ron DeSanctimonious” — was a bomb, though he’s stubbornly continued to use it anyway. The former president has been reportedly beta testing some new ones, but they’re not so hot either. (Okay, “Tiny D” is kind of good.) He allegedly had a good, albeit legitimately mean, one before: “Meatball Ron.” Alas, Trump has sworn he’ll never use it. Too bad because it has fans even on the left.
John Oliver devoted the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight almost entirely to DeSantis, who he painted as a petty autocrat who wants to tell Floridians — and maybe one day the entire nation — how to comport themselves. He spent part of the segment on Trump’s attempts to goad him, unsuccessfully, into one of his schoolyard fights.
“While Trump initially struggled to coin a damaging nickname for DeSantis, with his first attempt being the embarrassingly weak Ron DeSanctimonious, he later unveiled something with a lot more punch,” Oliver said.
He then brought up “Meatball Ron,” which Trump has denied he ever came up with. That’s a tragedy, according to Oliver.
“I hate to say it, but Trump’s still got it,” Oliver said. “It’s perfectly stupid, childish, and hurtful in a way that’s genuinely difficult to articulate. Also, it’s a pretty good name on its own.”
Oliver spent the majority of his DeSantis segment not discussing Trump, preferring instead to look at him as his own, darker clone of the 45th president, whom he once relied on for support. Trump’s a weird guy, but did he ever have a bizarre dating habit involving mispronouncing a Southeast Asian ethnicity? Because Meatball Ron sure did.
You can watch Oliver’s DeSantis segment above. The bit about Trump’s immature nicknames begins around the three-minute mark.
From colas to root beers to just plain old the bubbles, there isn’t a soda flavor out there that I don’t love. While I generally reach for the dark stuff when I’m sipping on the Devil’s nectar (what I call soda — will it stick?), I love clear fruit-flavored sodas too. Which is why I set out to blind taste test all the best brands in search of the tastiest.
I’ve wanted to do this for some time but wasn’t sure how I should break it up — Focus on citrus? Strawberry only? What about cherry? Fruit sodas are a wide umbrella, but rather than create separate articles for lemon-lime, orange, strawberry, and everything in between, I decided to just throw them all together into one super article. Does that mean something is inevitably going to be left out? Yes, but we’re focusing on the most market-present here — meaning you’ve definitely seen all of these flavors before.
Here are the 15 most popular fruit sodas blind taste tested and ranked.
PART I — Methodology
For this blind taste test, I went to four different convenience stores (Mobile, Chevron, 7-11, and a local donut shop) and rounded up every single fruit soda I could find. In my search, I discovered a few things: 1) Sierra Mist doesn’t exist anymore. 2) Welch’s soda is exclusive to the Dollar Tree and doesn’t exist outside of that store. 3) Apple soda is a thing. 4) I couldn’t find a single Grape soda at four different stores, leading me to believe grape soda isn’t nearly as popular as I thought.
I also couldn’t find cherry Sprite or 7-Up, but we covered that in our cherry soda ranking so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving those out. Cherry soda is a big enough category that it deserves its own article, which we gave it already.
Our class of sodas for this article includes:
7-Up — Lemon Lime
Cactus Cooler — Orange Pineapple Blast
Crush — Orange
Crush — Strawberry
Fanta — Orange
Fanta — Strawberry
Jarritos — Mandarin
Jarritos — Lime
Manzanita Sol — Apple
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew — Code Red
Sunkist — Orange
Sprite — Lemon Lime
Starry — Lemon Lime
Squirt — Grapefruit Soda
Once the 15 sodas were acquired, I chilled them at home overnight and had my girlfriend serve me each one at random the next morning while I wore a blindfold. Considering just about every flavor had a double I don’t think the blindfold was completely necessary but I wanted to see if I could pick out the flavors with my senses alone. It turns out this was way easier than I thought but about a third of the flavors legitimately stumped me. Most fruit sodas do taste like the fruit they’re marketed as, but a lot of them don’t taste like fruit at all. I also discovered that most fruit sodas have considerably more sugar than cola, which surprised me. My teeth felt absolutely insane after I was done with the 15.
On to the tasting!
Part II — The Blind Taste Test
Taste 1:
Ashley Garcia
Incredibly refreshing with a strong fizz and a biting aftertaste. There is a nice balance between juicy lemon and zesty lime flavors that soak into the tongue in the best way. This is a great start, simply one of the best fruit sodas I’ve ever tasted.
Taste 2:
Ashley Garcia
An orange soda with an initial creamsicle flavor that settles into blank overly carbonated territory. The orange flavor here hovers just above the fizz but it doesn’t really connect. I found myself constantly trying to taste more orange, but it just wouldn’t deliver.
Taste 3:
Ashley Garcia
Very orange-forward, and incredibly natural tasting. This tastes eerily similar to orange juice with a hint of fizz injected into it. Has a sort of navel orange sweetness to it, very delicate and refreshing.
Taste 4:
Ashley Garcia
Amazing sizzling burn! This one has a great citrusy zest to it that bounced around my taste buds. There is a sour almost wince-inducing aftertaste. I really like this one, it has the sort of bite I look for in a soda.
Taste 5:
Ashley Garcia
Awful. The worst soda I’ve ever tasted. It tastes like some sort of overly candied cider with a weak amount of fizz. Imagine if Kool-Aid made an Apple cider flavor, and then let it sit out in the sun for a year.
Taste 6:
Ashley Garcia
Another fruit soda that’s weak on the fizz, this one tastes like straight-up candy. I’m getting the slightest hint of cherry or strawberry but that’s a real struggle to pull out, it tastes like someone melted down a Tootsie Pop and then carbonated it just a little bit.
Taste 7:
Ashley Garcia
Very sweet and round character. It has a noticeable citrus flavor to it but it’s not at all zesty or tart. I’m getting the slightest hint of lime, but it’s a bit hard to pin down. Very delicious and unique.
Taste 8:
Ashley Garcia
This one has a weird powdery texture to it and I can’t really pin down what flavor it’s supposed to be. It tastes unlike any fruit soda I’ve ever had, it’s very juicy but doesn’t really taste like orange or lemon-lime, yet it has a tart citrus quality to it. It gives a bit of a burn on the back of the throat and a good aftertaste but that powdery quality is really strange. Soda isn’t supposed to have a textural mouthfeel, but somehow this does.
Taste 9:
Ashley Garcia
Very strawberry candy forward and artificial. There is a nice fizz and bite here, but it’s off-puttingly sweet.
Taste 10:
Ashley Garcia
Another strawberry soda but a lot less sweet than Taste 9. This one is highly carbonated and juicy without tasting like straight-up candy.
Taste 11:
Ashley Garcia
I have no idea what this flavor is. It doesn’t even taste like fruit. It’s dangerously sweet and it has a unique aftertaste but it comes across as a bit flat tasting and lifeless. There is no bite here whatsoever.
Taste 12:
Ashley Garcia
Delicious, this soda has a sort of shifting flavor to it. I can tell it’s lemon-lime, but it presents itself across the palate in a really interesting way. It starts off very lime-forward and settles into juicy lemon territory with a nice crispy snap. Great level of fizz here.
Taste 13:
Ashley Garcia
Another lemon-lime, this one is much more carbonated than Taste 12 but doesn’t have the same complexity to it. I’m getting more of a blank carbonated flavor than I am citrus notes. It’s good, but not great.
Taste 14:
Ashley Garcia
Very natural mandarin orange flavor. Very round character, not very fizzy but the juicy orange notes are really pleasant. I can see this one working as a great mix for a cocktail. It provides a nice burn on the throat.
Taste 15:
Ashley Garcia
Ending it on an orange soda, this one has a really delicious natural orange flavor but almost no fizz. Unlike Taste 14, this one doesn’t have that nice round character, making it come across as incredibly flat and lifeless. A sorry close to a delicious round of drinks.
So it turns out apple soda is a thing! Manzanita Sol was located at all four locations I picked up drinks from which means not only is apple soda a thing, but people really seem to like it. Why I’ll never know. This was by far the worst-tasting soda I’ve ever had, it tasted like fermented apple juice.
The brand is owned by PepsiCo and its primary audience is in Mexico. Mexico makes some great sodas, but Manzanita Sol is not one of them. I blame PepsiCo for that!
The Bottom Line:
Avoid this soda at all costs. Did Apple flavor soda? Get out of here with that shit.
At the start of this article, I said I had never tasted a flavor of soda I didn’t like, but I was wrong, I don’t like Mountain Dew. Even a little bit. I always assumed this was a lemon-lime soda but after tasting it blind I started to have some doubts. Does Mountain Dew taste like lemon-lime? Not at all. So I looked it up and Mountain Dew is apparently a “citrus-flavored” soda. What sort of citrus? They don’t specify.
Mountain Dew doesn’t have the zest of any sort of citrus, instead, it just tastes like melted candy in the worst way.
The Bottom Line:
I can’t believe Mountain Dew has fans, this is the worst citrus soda I’ve ever tasted.
Fanta has a long and very interesting history. Currently, the brand is an American-owned German soda that started as a Coca-Cola alternative in the 1940s due to an American trade embargo. Despite the brand’s Nazi roots, the formulation of the soda we know today is actually the result of Italian influence, after Italy reformulated the brand in the mid-50s. Today the brand produces over 200 flavors worldwide.
I’m not a fan of this orange soda, it just tastes a bit too natural, which seems like a weird complaint to have but this is soda we’re talking about, it’s not supposed to taste natural. If I wanted that, I’d be drinking orange juice.
The Bottom Line:
Of the many brands of orange soda we tried, this one was by far the weakest.
I’m ashamed to admit that at one point in my life when I was a tween, this was my favorite soda. Maybe it was the super bright red color, maybe I thought the words “code red” sounded cool — look I can’t really explain why I liked this other than saying it’s because I must’ve been stupid.
Code Red calls itself a “cherry-flavored” soda but it doesn’t taste anything like cherry, which is a shame because of the four stores I visited, it was the only clear cherry soda available. What happened to Cherry 7-Up and Cherry Sprite? Why does this dominate so much shelf space? It’s better than regular Mountain Dew but it’s still an awful tasting overly-sweet soda that you’d best avoid.
The Bottom Line:
All soda is bad for you, but Code Red truly tastes like it’s trying to kill you.
While I thought Fanta’s Orange soda tasted a bit too natural, the Strawberry had the opposite problem. Now, I don’t expect anything that is artificially strawberry flavored to ever taste like actual strawberry, this one tastes a bit too much like candy.
With its overly juicy flavor and its lack of fizz, this soda really failed to deliver and served as a reminder of just how much I miss Welch’s strawberry soda, which if my memory serves correctly, was delicious.
Sunkist was PepsiCo’s answer to Coca-Cola’s Fanta brand. When the brand launched in the 70s, orange sodas were the third most popular soft drink flavor, which is wild to think about. Today, I doubt orange even cracks the top five.
Today the brand is owned and produced by Keurig Dr. Pepper and has burned through several different slogans including “good vibrations,” “feel all orange inside,” “drinkin’ in the sun,” “head for the sun,” “taste the sun,” “drink the sun,” and my personal favorite, “run into the sun,” which is the current slogan — and would make an interesting invocation for a suicidal cult leader. I can’t for the life of me figure out why Sunkist hasn’t gone with the obvious slogan of “kissed by the sun,” but hey I don’t own a soda brand. Yet.
And the award for weirdest soda of all time is Cactus Cooler. Part of Keurig Dr. Pepper’s portfolio, this soda is apparently orange-pineapple flavored, but it couldn’t taste less like either of those ingredients. The drink was originally inspired by the Flintstones (Fred’s favorite drink is Cactus Cooler) and is a Southwestern United States exclusive flavor.
If you live on the east coast and this soda strikes you as incredibly exotic, don’t worry, you’re not missing out on much. Still, it’s an interesting alternative to the other orange soda brands out there — we just wish it tasted even a little bit like what it’s advertised as.
The Bottom Line:
A southwestern exclusive, Cactus Cooler truly tastes unlike any soda you’ve ever had. We’re still not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
Crush is a brand that has been around since 1911 and was originally marketed as Ward’s Orange Crush, named for Neil C. Ward, the partner of the company’s founder and president Clayton J. Howel. That means it predates most of the soda brands on this list!
In the ‘80s the brand was purchased by Procter and Gamble, then acquired by Cadbury Schweppes, and is now owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper. Even though it didn’t rank highly for me, I’m glad it exists! Few soda brands can say they’ve been around for 100 years, but Crush can — it must be doing something right.
The Bottom Line:
A fine orange soda, but it tastes more like carbonation than like orange. This soda just might be too fizzy.
Crush may have started as an orange soda brand but strawberry is the better flavor. There is a nice balance between sweet strawberry flavors and nice strong fizz here, making this so addictive we couldn’t put it down.
The Bottom Line:
It’ll never be as good as Welch’s but as of now, this is the best strawberry soda on the market.
I’m a big Jarritos fan and that comes down to the fact that like most Mexican soda brands, this stuff uses real cane sugar as its sweetener, rather than high fructose corn syrup. Cane sugar just gives soda this delicious round character that I love! Yes, it feels like murder on your teeth, but it’s worth it.
Jarritos is one of the few brands that isn’t owned by PepsiCo (though they are a distributor), Coca-Cola, or Keurig Dr. Pepper. It is instead a Mexican import that makes 15 different fruity flavors, all of which are delicious.
Jarritos Lime tastes unlike any of the other citrus-based sodas out there, if you’ve never had one it’s definitely worth tracking down. But just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s the best.
If you asked me to guess without tasting which of these brands would top the list, I would’ve guessed Sprite would take the number one spot. Until this blind taste test, I thought I was team Sprite. It turns out, it’s one of the weaker lemon-lime sodas out there. Now granted, that’s not saying much considering lemon-lime sodas are by far the best fruit-flavored sodas on the market, but that also means there is a lot of competition out there and unfortunately for Sprite, I don’t think they’ve got what it takes to compete at the highest level of the genre.
Don’t get me wrong, Sprite is delicious, but its lemon-lime flavor is kind of weak. All it really has going for it is that delicious fizz.
The Bottom Line:
A great soda, but there are better lemon-lime flavors out there.
This is a new soda brand, which is exciting because it’s not every day that a new soda brand launches that actually tastes good. Starry is owned by PepsiCo and first hit the scene in January of this year, coincidentally at the same time that Sierra Mist, which is also owned by PepsiCo, was discontinued. So is Starry just a re-branded Sierra Mist?
The answer is yes, in that they’re both lemon-lime sodas distributed by PepsiCo. But as far as flavor goes, this tastes significantly better than Sierra Mist. My guess is that Pepsi reformulated Sierra Mist and the flavor was so different (and better) that they felt like the best move was to re-brand and start from scratch. I think that pays off, if this was merely New Sierra Mist it may not have gone over as well.
The Bottom Line:
A brand new lemon-lime soda. It’s crispy, refreshing, and delicious. If you’re curious about the new brand, it’s definitely worth exploring that curiosity.
Jarritos Mandarin puts all other orange-flavored sodas to shame. There is a reason this is the flagship Jarritos flavor, it’s incredibly delicious with a juicy fruit-forward flavor that has an addictive round character to it. I’m not entirely sure what makes this taste so much better than all the other orange sodas on the market but I’m willing to bet it’s that cane sugar.
The Bottom Line:
The current best orange soda on the market by a significant margin.
7-Up is the ultimate lemon-lime soda. I always wondered why In-N-Out, one of my favorite burger chains, had 7-Up in its Coca-Cola-branded soda machines rather than Sprite, which is owned by Coca-Cola, and now I know why. It’s better than Sprite in every way. It has a crisper texture, more carbonation, and a refreshing lemon-lime flavor that is unlike anything else on the market.
The brand is owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper but was initially distributed by PepsiCo and was first released in 1929 under the name “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,” before being rebranded to “7 Up Lithiated Lemon Soda” and finally “7-Up” in 1936. The original recipe contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug used to treat mania, hypomania, depression, and bipolar disorders, back in the days when soda was being weirdly marketed as some sort of medicinal product.
The lithium citrate was removed in 1948.
The Bottom Line:
The best lemon-lime soda on the market. Every other citrus soda is trying to capture a little bit of 7-Up’s magic, whether they want to admit it or not.
Maybe it’s controversial to give Squirt the number one spot over 7-Up but there is just something so satisfying about this soda, I can’t deny that it was far and above the best from this taste test. The brand’s current manufacturer is Keurig Dr. Pepper but this grapefruit soda first started back in 1938 in Phoenix Arizona as a competitor to Coca-Cola’s Fresca. I don’t know what it is about the southwestern United States, but they make the best fruit-flavored soda.
Unlike most fruit-flavored sodas, this one actually contains fruit juice, approximately 2% grapefruit juice. Is that enough to taste? Who knows, but Squirt has this sharp bite and burn that makes each sip incredibly delicious.
The Bottom Line:
It just edges out 7-Up for having more bite and a more novel flavor. Squirt is the best fruit-flavored soda on the market and the only thing that can truly compete with something as good as Coca-Cola or root beer. It single-handedly justifies the category of fruit-flavored sodas.
Scotch whisky at around $150 gets really good. We’re not to the elite stuff yet (or the 20 years and higher bottles), but we are in the midst of what can be called “the good stuff.” Even though this is a prime spot for Scotch whisky, there are still a lot of hits and misses — no matter how good “18 years old,” “double cask,” or “peated smoke” sounds. A little extra information is always helpful when you’re considering dropping well over $150 on a single bottle of whisky.
I’m providing that information below by recommending 12 stone-cold killer bottles of Scotch whisky. These are the bottles that I think are worth actually spending around $150 on, which is a pretty big ask.
I’ve also ranked these bottles to give you a sense of which ones really sing the brightest in the glass. Look, these are all very well-made whiskies but some are just that little extra and hit that little bit harder. My advice is to go through my tasting notes, find something that speaks to you, and click that price link to see if you can find a bottle in your area. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
These special releases from Islay’s Bruichladdich are all about highlighting specific barley farms/farmers. In this case, the barley used is specifically from Mid Coul Farms in Inverness, Scotland, which was harvested in 2009 and distilled into this whiskey in 2010. After eight years mellowing next to the sea at Bruichladdich’s warehouse in ex-bourbon casks, the whiskey was vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is soft like soft-serve vanilla ice cream next to green apple skins, pear candy, and wet straw bails.
Palate: The taste is malty and earthy with a sense of buttery brioche next to orchard wood with a hint of moss under apricot jam, stewed pear, and some saffron.
Finish: The end has a malted vanilla milkshake vibe next to wet sweetgrass and a hint more of that sweet pear throughline.
Bottom Line:
Bruichladdich is a huge whisky nerd favorite. It’s a classic brand that always delivers great and unique whiskies. This bottle is the epitome of their work with small-time barley farmers to create a special whisky that’s worth tracking down. At this price, special is secondary to delicious though. And this whisky is just goddamn tasty.
This whisky from Jura (right next to Islay) is a fairly new expression from the old-school distillery. The juice is matured for 18 years in ex-bourbon casks. It’s then vatted and finished in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux barrels for finishing. As a final touch, it’s proofed down with spring water to a very sippable 88 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of cinnamon, clove, pineapple, and citrus on the nose that reminds you of a tropical cocktail you can’t quite put your finger on.
Palate: The bourbon comes through with a rich vanilla underbelly, supporting very distant sprays from the sea next to dried red berries covered in bitter dark chocolate.
Finish: The end holds onto the bitter, edging towards coffee beans while the fruit gets drier with a final briny note arriving late.
Bottom Line:
This is a complex and delightful whisky. There’s a light sense of bourbon, which is attractive for American whiskey palates, but it goes so far beyond that. This is densely layered yet light and playful. Still, this is a good high-end Scotch whisky to have on hand for the scotch-curious bourbon drinkers out there.
10. Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Old
This Viking whisky from high up in the Orkneys takes barreling one step further. Their 18-year expression is matured in casks made from American and European oak specifically for Highland. Those bespoke vessels are sent to Jerez, Spain to age sherry for three years. The same barrels are then sent back to Orkney to age this whisky for 18 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This really feels like a classic scotch at every step. You’re greeted with notes of marzipan, dark berries, honey, and light lines of smoke on the nose.
Palate: Those notes hold on as buttery toffee arrives with a dark chocolate counterpoint, leading towards ripe red cherries and floral honey.
Finish: The end embraces distant billows of sweet smoke with a dry and earthy undertow on the slow, sweet, and berry-filled fade.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most succinct whiskies on the list. It’s comforting and feels like an everyday pour that just nourishes you without having to think too hard about it. Get this if you simply want a respectable and tasty pour of good whiskey.
9. Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
Glenmorangie has a wide range of whiskies to choose from. The whisky in this bottle is aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon casks. Then a portion of those casks is re-barreled into sherry casks for three years. That whisky is then batched back with the rest of the bourbon barrels to create this release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey dominates the nose with mixed nuts and dried fruits, kind of like a homemade trail mix without the M&Ms.
Palate: The taste holds onto those rich honey notes and adds in a late-fall sense of wet, falling leaves with a soft nuttiness and almost savory fruitiness (not quite a squash but not as sweet as a fig either).
Finish: A very, very small whisper of cherry or applewood smoke arrives to usher in a slow finish of salted caramel, more of that bespoke trail mix, and a final note of sherried malt.
Bottom Line:
This is the most accessible sip on the list. It’s a quintessential single malt with a classic flavor profile that goes deep. You cannot go wrong sipping this whisky. If you’re looking for a true classic malt, this is it.
Compass Box is one of the best blenderies operating today. The London-based shingle created its Hedonism expression as a bit of an outlier. The juice is 100% grain whisky from North British Distillery and Cameronbridge Distillery with a focus on first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred American oak. Those barrels are married into this masterful blend. It’s then proofed down to a very accessible 86-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of bourbon vanilla and caramel that draws you in (especially if you’re a bourbon drinker).
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in soft orchard fruits and a buttery, rich toffee silkiness and sweetness.
Finish: The end smooths out the vanilla into a pudding, with a mild spiciness next to a final note of salted caramels covered in toasted coconut surfacing on the slow finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of the other whisky from Scotland, single grain whisky. This is a great example of the beauty of that whisky style and an essential pour if you’re looking to round out your Scottish whisky palate and knowledge.
7. The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Years Old Double Cask
This Highland whisky utilizes the “double” barrel maturation that’s become very commonplace in Scotch whisky. The hot juice spends 15 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before the barrels are blended and vatted, proofed, and finally bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Raisins and dates drive the nose towards bourbon vanilla, lemon oils, and a touch of butterscotch with apple blossoms and dark cacao nibs lurking under it all.
Palate: The palate is largely delivered on the nose with the addition of lightly spiced malts with a cinnamon/clove vibe.
Finish: The spice, apple, and lemon combine to make an apple compote note near the end with a soft honeyed finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most solid versions of crowd-favorite The Macallan. It’s also accessible both on the palate and on liquor store shelves. It’s one of those whiskies that’s easily enjoyable and delivers exactly what you want from an ideal whisky profile.
6. Aberlour Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 16 Years Old
This small Speyside distillery has been producing quality whisky for over 200 years. This expression is aged 16 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. It’s then married and proofed with soft Speyside water from the Highlands and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a matrix of dried dark fruits next to powdery dark spices with hints of walnuts and dried florals that draw you in on the nose.
Palate: The taste delivers on those notes while adding a deep plummy jam cut with clove and slightly sweet wood.
Finish: The end really holds onto that jammy fruit and spice as it slowly fades across your senses, leaving a velvet buttercream texture in your mouth.
Bottom Line:
This is deep and complex yet very clearly well-built with concise flavor notes. It’s also the perfect bridge whisky from bourbon to Scotch single malt.
5. Aberfeldy Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Old Finished in French Red Wine Casks
This release is a masterclass in finishing a whisky. The whisky is first aged for 18 years in refill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the whisky is transferred to first-fill red wine casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux. The whisky is then proofed with the soft water from a local, gold-flecked river to a very accessible 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with lush and creamy honey, cream soda, dried red berries packed into a cedar box, and a touch of marzipan.
Palate: Fresh berries and cream drive the palate as a slightly dry grassy nature hits the mid-palate with dry cedar and some rum-soaked raisins.
Finish: The finish has a bit of a dried apricot vibe that leads back to that lush honey with more dried sweetgrass and marzipan rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a whisky for a red wine fan, this is it. This is also an excellent digestif whisky thanks to all the dried fruit and nuttiness with a nice layer of woody spice.
4. Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
Old Pulteney is a renowned Highland single malt. The unpeated whisky is aged in second-fill ex-bourbon casks for 18 years before being re-barreled into first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a final maturation. Finally, the whisky is vatted, proofed down, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright notes of floral honey greet your nose as yellow pears, orange blossoms, and tart apples mingle with a thin line of vanilla cream, winter spice, and chocolate-covered raisins.
Palate: The palate leans into the chocolate while the taste gets slightly bitter like an espresso bean before a minced meat pie drops in with sweetness and meaty dried fruit with a good dusting of brown spices.
Finish: The end has a nice hit of orange zest that leads to a holiday cake with tons of dried and candied fruits and a good measure of wintry spices.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good single malt that has a great depth of flavor that feels comforting. If you want to feel at ease, pour one of these and let the day melt away.
3. Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years Special Release 2022
This lightly peated Highland whisky from the tiny Oban Distillery is rendered from refill and new American oak barrels. That whisky is vatted and then refilled into Amontillado-seasoned casks for a final rest before batching and bottling as-is for this special one-time-only release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lithe sense of lemon/lime saltwater taffy wrapped in white wax paper with a hint of lime leaves and wild sage next to salted smoked lemons and tangerines with a hint of really good and cloudy extra virgin olive oil speckled with smoked sea salt and freshly cracked red peppercorns.
Palate: The palate is silken and full of layers of smoked grapes, smoked plums, and salted chili pepper candies with a fleeting sense of violet and lavender creaminess tied to a lush vanilla underbelly.
Finish: The end has a mild woody chili pepper spiciness that’s dry and leads to a limber finish with warmth, lightly caramelized malts, and smoked apricot jam with brandy cream.
Bottom Line:
There’s a lightness to this that can be misleading. This is not a light whisky, it’s intense and deep once you really dive in. There’s so much going on yet it all makes sense and truly takes you on a journey. The peatiness is there but attached to softer flavor notes that help make it all so much more approachable. Get this before it disappears from shelves forever.
2. Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 16 Years
This tiny and iconic Dufftown distillery is the whisky aficionado’s distillery. The whisky in this bottle is distilled almost three times (2.81 times to be exact) through various types of pot stills. The juice is then aged for 16 years in sherry casks before it’s, vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re met with a bowl full of stewed plums with anise, clove, and cinnamon in the mix, next to a slight sense of dry moss.
Palate: The taste has a faint vanilla edge next to velvety honey, sharp spice, old leather-bound books, and a touch of bruised apricot.
Finish: The end is very long, holds onto the spice and fruit, and leaves you with a sense of creamy vanilla honey.
Bottom Line:
This is an expressive whisky that’s also very pointed. It’s clear-cut and bold at the same time. If you’re looking to really get into Scotch single malt, this is a must-try step in the right direction.
1. Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 11 Years 2022 Special Release
This classic lightly-peated Talisker is aged by the sea in American oak, ex-bourbon first fill, refill casks, and wine-seasoned casks. Those barrels are batched and then bottled as-is after 11 years of quiet mellowing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of seaside campfires far down a rainy beach next to a fruit orchard with a hint of nori sheets, old boat rope, and a dash of brown wintry spices on the nose.
Palate: The palate leans into the oiliness of the nori with a slightly singed salmon skin vibe, smoked fish oils, and a touch of that distant campfire next to smoked plums and apricots with a hint of salted pear chips and dry red chili pepper.
Finish: The end has a long meander through a pebble beach with sea salt, smoked pear, and briny seaweed salad next to a hint of fatty smoked salmon bellies with a black and red pepper crust.
Bottom Line:
This is a whisky that transports you to the Isle of Skye (even if you haven’t been there). It’s so deeply hewn with flavors that hit you deep in your cockles that you’ll likely fall in love from the first nose. That said, this is a fleeting release and won’t be around forever, so get some now while you still can.
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