Today (July 28), Drake took to Instagram to show off his latest extravagant jewelry purchase: none other than a ring that previously belonged to Tupac. Earlier this week, on Monday, Sotheby’s auction house had revealed that they had sold it for $1,016,000, despite originally being priced at $200,000 to $300,000, per XXL.
Tupac’s previous ring isn’t just an ordinary one either. Shaped into a crown, it is covered in gold, rubies, and diamonds. Specifically, from the Sotheby’s description, it is a 14-karat, plus five karats of diamonds — and then, you add in the other gems. It also has a unique personal touch, as “Pac & Dada, 1996” is etched into the ring.
In Drake’s reveal that he was the new owner, he posted a pic of the item on his story, complete with a celebratory caption in Travis Scott’s honor — as the fellow rapper dropped his new album, Utopia, today.
“UTOPIA OUT NOW MELTDOWN,” Drake wrote.
Before Drake purchased it, the ring had been reportedly in Yaasmyn Fula’s, Outlawz’s Yaki Kadafi’s mother, personal collection. Sotheby’s had hosted the sale as part of their 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop acknowledgement — pointing out that he wore it during his final public appearance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.
“That ring is a powerful symbol. Whoever wore that ring had to accept that they have a responsibility to have an impact on the world,” Fula said in their Instagram post.
That, obviously, puts a significant damper on his trade market, as other teams are wary of putting offers on the table for Lillard if there’s a threat of him being disgruntled or unhappy in a situation that isn’t Miami. The Heat, meanwhile, don’t have the type of players or assets the Blazers are looking for in return for Lillard, particularly because Tyler Herro is a bit of a redundancy for a Portland team already full of young guards like Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. The result has been a stalemate, but the issue of stars demanding trades to specific teams (and doing so publicly) has become an issue teams aren’t happy about.
On Friday, word broke from Shams Charania that the league sent a memo to teams saying they had interviewed Lillard, Goodwin, and other teams and made it clear that there would be potential discipline for players or agents that make statements about only wanting a trade to one place.
NBA sent a memo Friday to all 30 teams about Damian Lillard’s trade request and the stance that he only wants to play in Miami. Reporting details on @TheRally: pic.twitter.com/xkgMfcTeqI
Now, Lillard is not alone in doing this — James Harden is in a similar position with his request to leave Philly for the Clippers and has done this multiple times in his career requesting a trade and having a specific destination in mind — but it’s an issue the league is seemingly tired of and looking to nip in the bud. As far as the discipline is concerned, the new CBA states that any player publicly demanding a trade can be suspended or fined up to $150,000.
As Charania notes, Goodwin has walked back his previous comments and denied the report from Adrian Wojnarowski he’s called teams to tell them Lillard won’t play for them. We’ll see if that changes anything with the pursuit of Lillard from teams outside of Miami, but with this verbiage in the new CBA, this is the first time the NBA has taken the opportunity to remind players of the new rules and make clear they’ll be looking to enforce them if players and agents are brazen in their attempts to direct a trade to one place.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending July 28, 2023.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
BIA — Really Her
BIA
While there is one really big-name release that might tie up all the streaming traffic this week, it’s also a big week for women in hip-hop. First up, we’ve got BIA and this nine-track offering, which follows her 2020 EP For Certain and incorporates her standout 2020 hit “London” with J. Cole, as well as new single “I’m That Bitch” featuring Timbaland.
Chika — Samson: The Album
Chika
I can’t lie; I’ve been waiting for this debut album much more anxiously than Travis Scott’s follow-up to Astroworld. Chika has proven countless times that she had the chops to create one of those timeless albums you revisit over and over. And with a full body of work out in the world, it’ll be that much harder for her haters to find legit pain points to complain about.
KenTheMan — Back To 304’n
KenTheMan
There seems to be a new bold, boisterous female rapper every week. That’s not a complaint; if anything, that’s a good thing. But with so many new voices filling up the body-and-sex-positive lane, it would be easy to overlook the ones already out. Do yourself a favor: Avoid making that mistake and give this Houston rapper’s latest project — which features an appearance from Uproxx cover star Kaliii — a spin.
Travis Scott — Utopia
Travis Scott
After five long years — years that have been riddled with adversity for the Houston hometown hero — Travis finally makes good on his promise to present his vision of utopia. And what a vision it is. With appearances from everyone from Teezo Touchdown to Beyoncé (who appears on a song with Bon Iver!), Travis pulls out all the stops on his long-awaited fourth studio album.
Singles/Videos
Antha Pantha — “Brick By Brick” Feat. Huntdawgg
You might remember this Harlem rapper from her appearances on fellow Uptown rapper ASAP Ferg’s Floor Seats EP. After toiling away under the radar for the past few years, she’s emerged with a string of raucous releases including “B.W.A.” and “Real Bitches.” Her latest effort, produced by Mike Will Made-It, finds her wrangling a hyperkinetic beat to show off her New York swagger.
Big Boss Vette — “Get It”
The “Pretty Girls Walk” rapper released her Resilience EP last week, taking on a variety of new, unexpected sounds. “Get It” was one of the standouts, taking a Zapp-sampling funk beat for Vette to try her hand at a more uptempo party track. The video, fittingly, is shot in a roller rink, where the P-funk vibes sound right at home.
Gucci Mane — “Woppenheimer”
What started out as a social media joke evolved at light speed into an opportunity for Gucci Mane to remind us all that he’s very plugged in and doesn’t mind joining in on the laughs. Some opportunities are too good to pass up; in the case of “Woppenheimer,” not only do you have a timely title but a Gucci who has plenty to get off his chest.
NCognita — “Saturday”
NCognita is a fascinating case. She clearly wants to be recognized for her bars more than anything else — and she’s got the chops to do so. “Saturday” isn’t going to be the bubble breaker for her but it’s a solid entry to help establish her rap cred, and wisely, she taps another LA local better known for his rhymes than making headlines.
Mick Jenkins — “Guapanese”
Mick’s next project is called The Patience, but I don’t know how we’re supposed to wait until mid-August to see what he’s been cooking up over the past couple of years. “Guapanese” is an intriguing sampler; stripped-down and raw, it suggests a direction for the album that’ll lean hard on Mick’s jazz influences — but with a much more fiery outlook than his last few introspective releases.
Vic Mensa — “Eastside Girl” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
Vic jumps on the house wave and I can’t think of a smarter move for the multifaceted artist. After all, he is from Chicago, the birthplace of the genre, while the tongue-in-cheek video is a perfect chance for him to shed some of his self-seriousness. And collabing with Ty Dolla Sign gives this one more of a pop-oriented trajectory that could open up a whole new audience for the low-key vet.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Over the course of an 82-game season, NBA teams can play poorly for a myriad of reasons. Injuries can deplete a roster, locker room disputes can manifest on the court, or a coaching rotation can get out of whack. The list goes on and on. But there’s nothing better than seeing a team play a road game on a Sunday at noon in a major city and knowing exactly why a team is playing poorly: Their star player is extremely hungover. Kevin Garnett recently brought Snoop Dogg onto his show, The Best of KG Certified, to remember the time when an all-night adventure with Snoop Dogg cost Garnett a game against the Raptors the next day.
Never forget that time I hung out with @SnoopDogg till 7am when we had a game at noon. Was leading the league in rebounds and had 0 at halftime. Damn sure learned my lesson! pic.twitter.com/c1WyezPrhX
The phrase ‘getting Snooped’ will have to enter the NBA lexicon alongside the Miami flu and LA nightlife is undefeated. It’s easy to see why Flip Saunders — Minnesota’s head coach at the time — was so upset. Garnett would only grab 3 rebounds in that game and the Wolves would go on to lose to a Raptors team that was on a 12-game losing streak. Garnett is as intense and competitive as any player in NBA history, but even the former Defensive Player of the Year was no match for a night with Snoop Dogg.
All of that is to say that it’s high time that I rank 50 of my favorite whiskeys from all over the world. But before I dive in, it’s important to note that this list is in no way exhaustive. I didn’t add in whiskeys from particular regions or countries to simply have them represented on this list. I’ve had whiskeys from Germany, Finland, Denmark, France, Italy, Thailand, South Africa, Belize, and so many other places but none of those particular products made this “best of” list. Here’s why:
You’ll never be able to find them in the U.S.
Those whiskeys don’t quite stand up to the ones I’ve listed below.
US and Scottish whiskeys were intentionally excluded too — they would dominate and make this a rehash of other articles we’ve written. If you want those, check here:
What did make the list were international whiskeys from Japan, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Wales, England, Canada, and Israel with definite consideration for actually being able to try these whiskeys in the U.S. (price points aside). I even added some Canadian whiskies that are bottled in the U.S. to add to the accessibility factor. After all, it’d be nice if you could actually get some of the whiskeys on this list, right?
Lastly, I did rank these whiskeys. There’s a nice range from solid mixers to some of the absolute best sipping whiskeys on the planet. There’s also a very wide range of flavor profiles — meaning that there should be something below in my tasting notes that speaks to your palate. And if not… maybe it’s time to try something new? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This whisky from the legendary Nikka Distillery blends grain and peated malt whiskies. The mix is fine-tuned as a mixing whisky, primarily for highballs.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a hint of caramel malt and butterscotch that leads to a soft minerality with a hint of a cold campfire.
Palate: There’s a hint of floral malts on the taste that lead back to that creamy butterscotch with a hint of soft spice by way of a smoked maltiness.
Finish: The finish is very thin but does have notes of honey, malted crackers, and soft orchard fruit.
Bottom Line:
This is the whisky to have if you’re making whisky highballs. It’s calibrated to perfectly suit some fizzy water, lots of ice, and a straw.
This whisky is a blend of grain and malt whiskies made at the Mt. Fuji Distillery. Once blended, the whisky is proofed with local springwater from the volcano and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Subtle notes of stone fruit drive the nose toward honey and oatmeal with a hint of marmalade.
Palate: The palate leans into fresh peaches and apricot with a sense of white grape soda and dried pear all drizzled with fresh and floral honey and rolled into a malted crumble dessert.
Finish: The orchard fruit just keeps going on the finish fresh tart apple, pear juice, lychee, and more of that marmalade before hitting a sweet and floral honeyed end.
Bottom Line:
This is a nicely subtle whisky that works very well in a cocktail with a fruity focus.
48. Suntory World Whisky AO A Blend Of Five Major Whiskies
This whisky from Suntory blends five whiskeys from the five big whisk(e)y regions on the planet. The blend is Irish whiskey from Cooley Distillery, Scotch whisky from Ardmore Distillery and Glen Garioch Distillery, American whiskey from Jim Beam’s Clermont Distillery, Canadian whisky from Alberta Distillery, and Japanese whisky from Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice mix of maltiness and spiced creaminess with a touch of tropical fruit and old oak staves on the nose.
Palate: That spice leans toward cinnamon bark and allspice with oakiness to it next to a hint of smoldering apple wood and maybe some rock candy.
Finish: There’s a whisper of sweet smoke next to seared peaches and dry tobacco leaves with a whisper of vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is the ultimate international or world whisky to try given what’s in the blend. Overall, I’d focus on using this for highballs with good fizzy water and nice but strong garnish (think rosemary sprigs or grapefruit).
This new whiskey is a classic blend that leans into the oak. The whiskey is built from triple-distilled Irish whiskey that’s mellowed in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry Oloroso, and new American oak casks. Those casks were then blended, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of grain-forward Irish whiskey on the nose with honey-dipped Graham Crackers next to light sweetgrass, mellow nuttiness, and a hint of summer flowers.
Palate: The palate leans into milky chocolate with a hint of orange oils, buttery croissant, and creamy toffee with a light whisper of that malty honey from the nose.
Finish: The end has a marzipan lushness with a very light sense of dried cherries dipped in milk chocolate with a flutter of spiced malts.
Bottom Line:
Overall, this is a very easy-going Irish whiskey at a great price. I’d tend to use this for cocktails but it’ll work over ice if you’re looking for a “don’t have to think about it” pour.
46. Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky Muscat Barrels
This whisky from Down Under is made with 100% locally grown malted barley in the mash. The juice is aged in Muscat wine barrels from local wineries for three years. Those barrels are then batched and proofed down with pure local water from the nearby Snowy Mountains.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens fairly tannic with a sense of burnt leaves and very dried dates, raisins, and prunes next to blackstrap molasses, darkly roasted espresso beans covered in dark AF chocolate, and a hint of salted caramel smoothness under it all.
Palate: The palate leans into dark caramel malts with plenty of cinnamon bark, nutmeg, and nutshell next to soft vanilla chewing tobacco.
Finish: The end is malty and kind of tannic with a burnt orange next to very dried prunes.
Bottom Line:
This is a deeply flavored malt that feels very classic (in a Highlands of Scotland sorta way). I’d tend to use this for highballs and cocktails but it’s perfectly suitable over some rocks.
This new take on the double-charred, barrel-aged whiskey above (Black Barrel) amps up the ABVs, allowing a lot more character to shine through in the actual bottle. The difference is that the barrels chosen for this expression were perfect at 100 proof instead of 80.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: That bitter char comes through on the nose with a subtle espresso bean oiliness next to almost burnt buttery toffee and a touch of walnut.
Palate: The palate builds on that nuttiness to the point of a walnut cake full of Karo syrup, plenty of dark holiday spices, and a touch of vanilla pudding.
Finish: The end really amps that vanilla up to the point that you’re almost chewing on vanilla tobacco while the wood comes in with a dry cigar box vibe next to ground winter spices, more nuttiness, and a hint of dry straw in an old fruit orchard.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best Irish whiskeys on the shelf for mixing cocktails.
44. Method And Madness Single Grain Irish Whiskey Matured in Bourbon Barrels Finished in Virgin Spanish Oak Casks
This is Midleton’s craft whiskey venture — they built a stand-alone craft distillery in the middle of the campus for this whiskey. The single-grain spirit is matured in unused Spanish oak and old bourbon casks. That’s then small-batched and proofed with that soft County Cork water and bottled in a throwback art-deco bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with dry pencil shavings leading towards dry pine boxes, potpourri, and a hint of grapefruit pith.
Palate: The taste is driven by cinnamon bark and clove berries, with a pink eraser vibe next to soft vanilla beans.
Finish: That vanilla moves the mid-palate towards a finish full of ripe figs, light spice, and sweet potting soil.
Bottom Line:
This is funky and fun. If you’re looking to take your favorite whiskey cocktail in a totally new direction, this is the play.
43. Hatozaki Omakase Collection Pure Malt Whisky Mizunara Cask Finish 8 Years Old
This Japanese whisky is a pure malt — meaning that it’s a blend of different single malts from different distilleries. The whisky in the bottle is hewn from 10 casks of five to eight-year-old single malts that were aged in both ex-bourbon casks and traditional mizunara white oak casks from the famed Hokkaido and Yohoku forests. Once vatted, the whisky went into the bottle with a touch of local spring water but no coloring or filtering, yielding only 3,560 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old sourdough bread baskets greet you on the nose with a sense of dry sweetgrass bales, old winter spices, and dried apple and pear chips just kissed with sea salt.
Palate: That sea salt turns into nori on the palate with a touch of winter spice barks and dried orange peels over bread crusts roasted with herbs and butter.
Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spice and oak with a salted vibe that’s inching toward dry seagrass.
Bottom Line:
This is a funky and umami-forward whisky. It’s not for everyone, but will pair amazingly well with a sushi and sashimi feast.
The latest batch from J.J. Corey leans into the oldest barrels in their inventory. The juice is made from a 60/40 malt and grain whiskey split. The barrels range in age from seven to well over 25 years old — they’re all sourced. Those barrels are masterfully blended and then released in small, limited-edition batches of only a few thousand bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a malty nose with a ginger and honey cookie vibe with a ton of raisins, apples, pears, and maybe even a hint of orange.
Palate: The palate has a svelte buttercream feel that leads to a malted milkshake, a hint of cinnamon, and plenty of dates and figs.
Finish: The end amps up the spice towards a woody feel with apple skins and pear cores leading to a hint of rum-raisin and honey.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice sipper with great nuances. I dig it over a big ol’ rock or in a nice whiskey-forward cocktail.
41. Starward Ginger Beer Cask #7 Single Malt Australian Whisky
This whiskey takes Starward’s signature and award-winning single malt and ages it in ginger beer casks. Starward makes ginger beer in-house and ages that in old whisky barrels. Those barrels, in turn, become whisky-finishing vessels for a 12-month final maturation before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: It should come as no surprise that sharp ginger pops on the nose which leads to dark orange oils layered into salted dark chocolate with a hint of chili spice and raisin.
Palate: Candied ginger and grilled pineapple lead to fresh vanilla pods before a dark fig and date vibe takes over with more wintery spices.
Finish: Those dark fruits and spices peak on the finish as the candied ginger makes a return with a sharp pepperiness and a touch of dry sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
This is a great spicy whisky that will work wonders in a fruity cocktail that needs a spicy foundation. It’s also growing on me as a simple yet spicy sipper over some ice.
40. BEARFACE Canadian Whisky Elementally Aged Triple Oak
This single-grain whisky from the northern Ontario wilderness is all about the aging process. The juice spends seven years resting in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred into both old French oak and toasted Hungarian oak for a final maturation. That whisky is then blended and cut down with natural spring water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens a little “oaky” but then leans into rich marzipan with a bright and almost piney honey next to soft vanilla and a hint of tart-dried fruits.
Palate: The palate moves towards a savory note with melon and saffron-stewed pears mingling with creamy balsamic vinegar (the thick and sweet kind), apricot jam with cinnamon, and a hint of scone.
Finish: The end has a bit of spice to it — more nutmeg and cardamon — alongside orange peels, brown sugar syrup, and a light vanilla wafer.
Bottom Line:
This feels old and fresh at the same time, it’s a great magic trick of blending to find that balance successfully. In the end, I’d pour this over ice or use it in a citrus-forward cocktail.
This whiskey is made from Irish barley that’s mashed and then triple distilled. The hot juice is then filled in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a long maturation (no age is given). Those barrels and then blended and the whiskey is proofed down for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is all about the apple candy with a hint of pear in there alongside mild notes of cinnamon and maybe a little honey.
Palate: The palate is light and touches on chocolate chips and winter spice before going big with the apple candy again.
Finish: The end washes out a tad with the proofing water, leaving hints of dark spices, raisins, and more apple/pear candy.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and deep whiskey that I could see sipping over some rocks or folding into a solid cocktail. If you’re looking for something that’s purely classic and versatile, this is worth trying.
38. Clonakilty Irish Whiskey Cask Finish Series Port Cask Finish
This fan-favorite whiskey just released its latest batch. The whiskey in this one is a nine-year-old Irish grain whiskey blended with a classic Irish single malt. The whiskey was then proofed down slightly and re-loaded into Port casks from the famed Douro Valley. Those barrels were stored next to the Atlantic Ocean in Ireland until they were just right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with bright fruit — orange, lime, and lemon zest next to peach skins and juicy apricots — next to light notes of brown spices, raisins, and lightly sweetened oak staves with a hint of must.
Palate: The palate leans into the stone fruit with a stewed vibe next to dried red chili flakes, cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of orange chocolate with whispers of lemon-lime soda.
Finish: The end leans into the dark spices on the finish with a plummy vibe, a hint more of that soft oak, and a final dash of peppercorn.
Bottom Line:
This is just good, solid, right-down-the-strike-zone whiskey.
37. WhistlePig “Béhôlden” Small Batch Single Malt Whiskey Aged 21 Years
This new whiskey from WhistlePig is a big one. The whiskey in the bottle is a 21-year-old Canadian single malt, likely from here in Canada since it’s billed as coming from “the first Single Malt distillery in North America.” That whiskey rested in American oak for two decades before being shipped to Vermont for a finishing run in WhistlePig’s rye barrels. Only 18 barrels were selected for this very limited release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sultanas and Graham Cracker buttery crust drive the nose toward old oak cellars, peanut brittle, and a hint of chocolate nut clusters with a hint of salinity.
Palate: There’s a deep and dark black cherry on the lush palate that builds on moist marzipan, soft malted spice cakes, and a hint of black licorice and salted toffee.
Finish: The finish leans into the old oak and cellar vibes with a hint of malted chocolate cut with winter spices and folded into old tobacco leaves with a fleeting sense of smudging sage lurking in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is a luxurious whiskey that has a deep sense of malted whiskey vibes. Still, this whiskey benefits from a big piece of ice to really open it up.
36. Clonakilty Irish Whiskey Single Batch Double Oak Finish “The Gentle Cut”
This is an Irish whiskey blend — that’s a mix of pot still (made with malted and unmalted barley) and grain whiskeys. The barrels were left to age right next to the ocean in Southern Ireland for years. Once blended, the whiskey was then re-filled into a new oak cask and put back in those seaside warehouses for another maturation run. Once just right, the barrels were vatted and bottled as-is without chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like a walk through an apple orchard in full bloom with pear, peach, and apple leading to fresh sweetgrass, old saddle leather, and a sense of sweet cinnamon and nutmeg baked into an apple crumble.
Palate: There’s a nice zesty spice to the palate with fresh ginger layered into the pear and apple with a hint of hazelnut adding a creamy edge before white pepper and more fresh sweetgrass arrive with this hint of salinity.
Finish: That sweetgrass gets a little dry on the finish with pear and apple skins, orchard wood, and winter spice leading to a salted honey end.
Bottom Line:
This is a soft and very summery pour of whiskey. It’s light and almost airy, like a seaside breeze in a fruit orchard. Pour it over a big ol’ rock and enjoy it.
This version of Lot No. 40 is made from 100% Canadian rye grains. It’s twice distilled and then rests in low-char American oak for a few years. Before it’s blended, the whiskey is re-barreled into heavily-charred oak for a final rest. Once it hits just the right spot, it’s batched, lightly proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a complex nose full of dried sweetgrass, cinnamon toast, clove-studded orange skins, rich salted caramel, and vanilla beans soaked in cherry liqueur.
Palate: The palate leans into a fatty dark chocolate fudge with spiced apple cider, sweet and rich cherry syrup, apple fritters with a powdered sugar frosting, and a hint of vanilla tobacco with a woody edge.
Finish: The finish layers some dark cherry syrup into that vanilla tobacco and adds a mild spiciness thanks to the cinnamon and orange.
Bottom Line:
This is a great Canadian whisky. It’s versatile as well and works really nicely over some ice or in your favorite cocktail.
34. Method And Madness Irish Whiskey Triple Distilled Rye And Malt USA Limited Edition
This whiskey is from Midleton Distillery’s (the place that makes Jameson, Powers, Spot, and Redbreast) craft distillery. The whiskey is made from a mash (recipe) of 60% rye and 40% malted barley. The whiskey is twice-distilled as per most Irish whiskeys before a long rest in ex-bourbon casks. Once those barrels were ready, they were batched, proofed, and bottled for the U.S. marketplace.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice deep leatheriness on the nose with a sense of old dry lemon rinds next to lavender oils, clove buds, and a fleeting sense of eggnog with a lightness to it.
Palate: Oats and winter spices lead the way on the palate with a sense of fresh firewood, honey-dipped malt cookies, and raisins dipped in dark chocolate and flaked with salt.
Finish: Those malt cookies drive the finish toward more raisin and oats with a honeyed vibe, a hint of dry red chili, and a dash of white pepper.
Bottom Line:
This was a nice rye whiskey that felt like a good bridge between classic Irish whiskeys and bolder ryes from the U.S. Overall, if you’re looking for something a little different but still very drinkable, then grab one of these.
33. Uncle Nearest Rye Single Barrel Whiskey, Barrel No. 1
This new whiskey from Tennessee’s Uncle Nearest — it dropped on December 15th, 2022 — is made from Canadian rye. The 100% rye whiskey is aged in New York for four years before it’s finished in British Columbia for a spell. Finally, the barrels were shipped to Tennessee and bottled 100% as-is, one at a time.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a butterscotch bomb in the nose — that tells me it’s likely Canadian or at least 100% rye. There is a sense of dry grains, sweetgrass, and wild smudging sage that rounds the nose’s path toward orchard fruits and old honey pots.
Palate: That dry grassy and graininess drive the palate toward a rich butterscotch and warming ABV heat that’s part sharp cinnamon spice and part alcohol.
Finish: That spicy warmth dominates the finish for a while and then fades toward apple and cherry bark with a hint of pear/apple cider cut with clove and cinnamon next to a final rush of sage and sweetgrass tied to light apricot tobacco.
Bottom Line:
The number of times this crossed the U.S. and Canadian borders makes this a very international feeling pour. Overall, this is a very solid Canadian rye that rocks neat, over ice, or in your favorite cocktails.
32. Pōkeno Discovery New Zealand Single Malt Whisky
This Maori malt was rested in a trio of barrels. First-fill ex-bourbon, Olorosso, and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks were used. Those casks were vatted and the whisky was just touched with water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens softly with a sense of Black Forest cake with a soft chocolate sponge cake countered by lightly spiced cherry compote with the faintest hint of dark orange and vanilla.
Palate: That creamy vanilla drives the palate toward an almost sour cherry with a hint of salt next to burnt orange and soft winter spices over honeyed malt.
Finish: The end is creamy and lush with a sense of dark chocolate sauce cut with white pepper, vanilla, and salt next to dark blood orange syrup dashed with sour cherry, clove, and star anise with a fleeting sense of caramel malts.
Bottom Line:
This is creamy and delicious. Sip it over a nice piece of ice.
This single malt whiskey starts off by getting triple distilled. It’s then aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The batched whiskey is then transferred to port pipes for a final nine-month rest before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts out with a spicy red berry jam next to a whiff of marzipan laced with bourbon vanilla, a hint of old leather, apple cores, and a light Christmas cake spice on the nose.
Palate: That almond creates a smooth foundation with more of that spicy red jam alongside an apple/honeyed sweetness and velvet mouthfeel while those wintry spices meld with the malts to create a berry-cinnamon tobacco profile.
Finish: The end of this one is long-ish as the spice, jammy fruit, and almond paste slowly fade out, leaving you warmed with a sense of malts and dark fruit.
Bottom Line:
This is the high water mark of the main Bushmills line. There are better Bushmills on this list. But if you start here, you’ll be in a very good spot.
30. Indri Single Malt Indian Whisky Trini — The Three Wood
This whisky starts off with Six-Row malted barley grown in Rajasthan. The whisky is then filled into three types of casks — ex-bourbon, ex-wine, and ex-sherry casks — and left to rest through extreme temperature shifts from season to season, ranging from 120+F in the summer to freezing in the winter. That, in turn, allows for a lot of expansion and contraction of the wood, which lets the spirit have more direct contact and rest with/from the wood.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose greets you with a hint of Earl Grey next to rich toffee with a nice sense of apricot jam with a line of cinnamon and clove next to creamed honey and a touch of tangerine rinds and passion fruit-infused malts.
Palate: The palate opens with a sweet oakiness next to vanilla pods before a hint of bruised peach arrives and slowly boils down to fresh mango, seared pineapple, and a hint of pomelo pith.
Finish: The end dries out toward rummy macerated peaches and mango with a hint of dried banana leaves and warm brown spices.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s just good. Get it, drink it, and love it.
Waterford is an interesting experiment in whiskey, in general. This expression utilizes the distillery’s many single-farm-origin whiskeys to create something heightened. The whiskey is a blend of those single farm whiskeys that highlight the terroir from all around Ireland, along with Waterford’s high-level skills.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Red apple peels and rye crust open the nose before soft soil and green grass take over.
Palate: The palate is all about the butterscotch candies, with light florals, oat cookies, orange peels, and fresh mint acting as support.
Finish: The mid-palate has a clove candy vibe that leads to white pepper, grapefruit peel, dark chocolate and cherry tobacco, and a final note of poppyseed cake.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most interesting whiskeys being made right now. If you’re looking for a palate expander, try this and take your time with it.
This specialty whisky is distilled and aged at the famed Hikari Distillery in Fukuoka, Japan. The malts were partially fermented with koji (which is usually used for making shochu) before mashing and distillation. The hot juice then goes into sherry casks in classic warehouses and open-air warehouses. After 16 years, those casks were vatted and this whisky was bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like a walk through an old barrel house on a cold day that leads to a peach cobbler dusted in fine sugar and toasted coconut next to a sense of caramel malts dipped in vanilla cream.
Palate: Woody pear and toasted almonds dance with fresh and meaty raisins on the palate before a rich creme brûlée with almost burnt toasted sugar strings lead to this sense of large flakes of sea salt.
Finish: A note of rain-covered slate and cedar arrives late and leads back to sheets of just-dried sea salt that’s kissed with mushroom powder and ground and dried pear.
Bottom Line:
This is a wildly unique whisky. If you’re looking for something that takes you somewhere completely new, this is the bottle to get. Just make sure to add some water or a single ice cube to let it bloom and reveal even more profile depth.
27. M&H Apex Single Malt Whisky Small Batch Dead Sea
Milk & Honey Whisky Distillery is putting Israel on the single malt map. This expression is their standard malt that’s wholly aged at the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Besides the pressure and salt in the air, the temperature also takes huge swings from near freezing to above 120F, which helps accelerate and deepened the aging process.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of mocha lattes and spiced biscuits next to spearmint tobacco, cedar boxes, and a touch of orange dark chocolate balls all dancing on the nose.
Palate: The taste is subtle and builds layers of woody winter spices over coriander seeds, white pepper, and spearmint next to wet Earl Grey tea leaves, cinnamon-apple tobacco, and a sense of sweet and old oak staves.
Finish: There’s a light gingerbread sharpness to the finish with a hint of honey, cinnamon bark, and a flake of saltiness.
Bottom Line:
This was just damn good whisky. It’s pretty much perfect over a large ice cube.
26. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Kentucky Oak Edition
This is classic Redbreast tripled distiller single pot still whiskey (made with a mash of malted and unmalted barley). The juice settles for several years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then re-filled into brand new air-dried American oak barrels from the Taylor Farm in Kentucky. After four months, the whiskey is blended and barely proofed before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of almost sweet cedar next to marzipan and old leather with a hint of sour cherry and tart apple skins rounding out the nose.
Palate: The palate starts with a foundational layer of vanilla sauce and builds layers of woody cinnamon, soft nutmeg, and sharp cloves toward dried figs and prunes with a brandy-soaked oak vibe and some stewed cherries.
Finish: The end is nice and buttery toffee with another note of vanilla before the woody spices lead to apple tobacco stuffed in an old cedar box on the slow finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great around-the-campfire sipper. It also rules in simple whiskey-forward cocktails.
25. Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky Organic Gaia 2.1
This new release from The Arcadian Series is comprised of alt-barley (old-school barley strains) that were harvested back in 2016. The barley was grown by organic farmers specifically for this mash bill. The whiskey was then triple distilled and aged by Waterford to highlight the malted barley in the recipe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of sharp orange marmalade on freshly baked Southern buttermilk biscuits with a sense of mocha lattes, wet brown sugar, red grapes, figs, and marshmallows fresh from the bag.
Palate: The taste is less fruity but does lean into lemon zest and white pepper before drying out toward grapefruit pith, dark cacao powder, salted black licorice, and a hint of dry white toast.
Finish: There’s a sense of cinnamon bark and clove berries with that black licorice on the finish that leads back to the dark orange and a sweet sense of stewed peaches.
Bottom Line:
This is a bold and complex whiskey. Take your time with it, add water, and really dig deep. You’ll be rewarded and educated.
This Canadian whisky is made from two malts with a lot of rye. The mash bill is 79% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley. That whisky was left to mellow for 18 long years before heading to Vermont for batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of cedar kindling and whole nutmeg bulbs next to cinnamon toast, orange marmalade, and spiced apple cider with a hint of cellar must.
Palate: The palate leans into the dark marmalade and spicy apple cut with tart dried red berries, fresh vanilla pods, sweet oak, and a flutter of potpourri.
Finish: The end is soft and full of spiced nuttiness with a touch of dried apple chips, burnt orange, marzipan, and winter-spiced tobacco leaves layered with cedar bark in an old leather pouch buried in a cellar.
Bottom Line:
If you buy one WhistlePig on this list … You get it.
This new whiskey from Playboy is a super-elite pour. The whiskey in the bottle is from 30-year-old Canadian rye casks that were finished in Pineau Des Charentes casks before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft vanilla is accented by rum-soaked raisins, old and funky honeycomb, and white summer flowers on the nose.
Palate: Dried chilis popping off in brown butter burst on the palate with a sense of moist walnut bread, old black licorice, and toasted coconut with a subtle sense of dry ginger root and old driftwood on a rocky beach.
Finish: The rum-raisin comes rushing back on the finish with winter spice barks, banana bread, and a light sense of floral honey with a deep oakiness that feels like walking through an old cellar.
Bottom Line:
This is old and woody but has so much more to offer if you give it time (and a little water to help it bloom).
This is classic Irish single malt that’s triple distilled before a long aging process. The hot juice rests in Spanish Oloroso sherry butts until it’s just right. Those barrels are batched and proofed before bottling otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Burnt orange and peach skins mingle with a hint of salted dried mango next to red berry tea leaves, plum jam cut with clove, and a mild sense of brandy butter and scones.
Palate: Nutella comes through on the palate with a sense of rum-raisin, old sherry-soaked oak staves, and creamy vanilla cake.
Finish: The end leans into the brandy butter and scones with a sense of sharp orange marmalade and fresh breakfast tea cut with cream and honey.
Bottom Line:
This is getting into the very good Irish whiskey. This stuff is pretty much unassailably delicious however you want to drink it.
21. Bushmills Aged 25 Years Irish Single Malt Whiskey
This small-batch high-age-statement whiskey from north Ireland is a bold pour. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a whiskey that spent about four years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before batching and re-barreling into ruby port casks for 21 long years of “finishing”. Those casks were small-batched, proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a huge old tannic oak note on the nose that leads to old dark fruit leathers, a hint of old honey, and plenty of dark espresso beans just kissed with dark chocolate and winter spice.
Palate: The taste is silky but dominated by chewy old oak staves dipped in stewed dark fruits cut with winter spice barks, burnt orange, and bitter chocolate sauce.
Finish: That chocolate and barky spice merge on the finish and swing back toward that old oak with a sense of dry tobacco packed into an old cedar humidor with this fleeting sense of dried roasting sage and singed rosemary.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent pour and a blissful way to introduce newbies to the style.
Amrut is the original Indian single malt and this expression highlights the bridge between Scottish whisky heritage and Indian whisky ingenuity. The mash is hewn from both Indian unpeated malts and Scottish peated malts. That spirit is them aged outside of Bangalore until the barrels hit the right spot for blending with a drop or two of local water and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is like putting your nose into a big bowl of stewed fruits — mango, peach, blood orange — that has big woody chunks of spices — cinnamon, clove, anise, cardamom — floating in it with a hint of wet Earl Grey tea leaves and this flutter of briny smudged seaweed.
Palate: The palate leans into that blood orange with a robust cinnamon bark and black pepper bite next to lush malty brioche.
Finish: The end has a spiced stewed mango tobacco vibe that’s wrapped up in very distant echoes of peated seaweed and old oyster shells.
Bottom Line:
There’s a uniqueness to this whisky that’s hard to find anywhere else. If you’re looking to get into Indian whiskies, this is a great place to start.
19. Starward Vitalis 15th Anniversary Limited Release Single Malt Australian Whisky
This limited edition whisky from Australia’s biggest brand celebrates the 15th anniversary of the distillery. The whisky in this bottle commemorates the brand’s finishing program that made it famous. The whisky was blended from six different barrel types, focusing on tawny port, rum, bourbon, and Apera barrels between four and 11 years old.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with rich, buttery toffee candy next to rum raisins, salted dark chocolate bars, grilled pineapple, bruised apricots, and tangerine skins.
Palate: The palate leans into the raisin vibe with black-tea-soaked dates, stewed prunes, and mashed dried apricot next to tart red currants with a hint of mango skin and savory papaya.
Finish: That’s all countered by a mid-palate full of toasted coffee beans and creamy mocha latte notes next to a hint of dark and warm spiciness on the back of the finish with a dash of tart berry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a classic single malt that goes that little bit further — veering toward greatness.
18. Pōkeno New Zealand Single Malt Whisky Single Cask Double Bourbon Cask
The New Zealand malt is made with local barley. That hot juice is then aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for just under three years before it’s re-barreled in fresh first-fill bourbon barrels for an additional six months of mellowing. One barrel was then bottled completely as-is for this special U.S.-only release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old vanilla pods and dark cacao nibs mingle with honeysuckle, nasturtium, and old sweet oak staves with a hint of nutmeg, espresso, and creamed salted caramel filling out the deep nose.
Palate: That honeysuckle and dark cacao drive the malty palate toward a rich sense of malted cookies dipped in toffee candy and rolled in spice barks and dried red berries with a whisper of coconut tobacco lurking in the far background.
Finish: The finish leans into the spice barks and old sweet oak staves with a fluttering of coastal rocky brininess that somehow just works with the sweet and spicy malts, providing a lovely balance on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This U.S.-only release is a stellar introduction to Maori single malt whisky and a damn fine pour of whisky overall.
17. The Impex Collection Single Malt Welsh Whisky Penderyn Distillery Aged 5 Years
This special bottling from Impex is a stellar example of the great work happening there. Distiller back in 2017, this whiskey was bottled in the spring of 2022 from ex-Malvasia Madeira casks. The whisky was bottled 100% as-is without proofing, coloring, or filtering.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A light sense of old orange peels and lemon-kissed vanilla pudding leads to rich and buttery toffee rolled in toasted nuts on the nose.
Palate: That creamy toffee leads the rich palate toward wost winter spices cut with mulled wine and dried fruit and nuts, kind of like a fancy trail mix with a hint of dark chocolate chips mixed in.
Finish: The end leans into the woody spice before veering into a fruit orchard full of fresh fruits — pear, peach, plum, apple — with a mild sense of fall leaves and malted spice cakes soaked in brandy.
Bottom Line:
I just tried this again recently and it popped on the senses in all the right ways. Drink it neat, add some water, and then enjoy the ride.
16. FUJI Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Aged 30 Years
This whisky is made just seven miles from the base of Mt Fuji. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of whiskies made in a “Canadian grain whisky style.” The whiskies for this release were aged in used American oak for at least 30 years with some of the barrels in the blend hitting 40 years old. Then Master Blender Jota Tanaka selects the barrels that hit the exact right notes and meticulously blends this whisky with a touch of local mountain spring water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of marzipan and nutty berry cobbler with a hint of orchard fruits, mulled wine, dark chocolate touched with very light spice, and a sweet and soft brown sugar vibe.
Palate: The palate opens with an old honey pot next to dark nut clusters with a pecan/dark chocolate/raisin vibe over malted cookies dipped in black currant compote and dusted with soft and powdery white pepper.
Finish: The end is lush and silky with a slight sense of wet reeds and cedar bark braided with faint tobacco kissed with dried red berries and soft toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is really, really good. It has a crazy price point, but who cares when the whisky is this tasty?
15. Found North Cask Strength Whisky Aged 10 Years Batch 004
This blended whisky is a mash-up of corn and rye whiskies, which equate to a mash bill of 80% corn, 19% rye, and a mere 1% malted barley. Those whiskies are sourced from barrels that are between 21 and 25 years old. Once vatted, the whisky is bottled as-is with no water, filtering, or coloring.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This whiskey opens with a sense of dark dried fruits — rum raisin, dates, prunes — next to mulled wine sourness and sweetness with plenty of cinnamon, star anise, and clove next to a hint of creamy eggnog nutmeg.
Palate: The palate is largely the same with a soft warmth from the ABVs that gives way to woody spiced plum tobacco, a big slice of fruit cake, and a dose of vanilla oils cut with orange oils.
Finish: The end has a dark fruit tobacco vibe that’s accented by a sweet sense of vanilla and caramel.
Bottom Line:
This is a spectacular Canadian whisky and might be my favorite Canadian whisky right now.
This Peated Indian single malt whisky is from the famed Amrut Distillery. The juice is a special release of 12,000 bottles that highlight the “Neidhal” or coastal region and the tropical vibes of Southern India.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of briny and smoky peat on the nose with a hint of smoldering papaya and mango skins and maybe some burnt sugar cane next to deep tropical fruits and spice malt biscuits.
Palate: The palate has a nice mix of grilled tropical fruits with burnt sugars, singed spice barks, and a fleeting sense of rich tobacco with a moist toffee cake filled with nuts.
Finish: The end is short but sweet with a smoky vibe filled with savory and sweet fruits, spicy tobacco, and nutty creaminess.
Bottom Line:
This is probably my favorite Indian whisky at the moment.
13. Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky Heritage Hunter
This new release from whiskey-nerd-beloved Waterford out in Ireland is named after pioneering plant breeder Dr. Herbert Hunter. The initial grow for the barley for this whiskey was started with a 50-gram bag of Hunter barley. Over several seasons, they produced enough barley to fill 50 barrels of whiskey with the help of two other almost extinct heritage barley varieties, Goldthorpe and Old Irish. Finally, the whiskey in the bottles ended up being a blend of 45% first-fill ex-bourbon, 19% new American oak, 21% French oak, and 15% Vin Doux Naturel barrels (a Southern French sweet wine).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of old black potting soil on the nose with a rush of freshly bailed hay, bushels of red apples, orange marmalade, and a whisper of fresh rain on slate roofs.
Palate: That orange turns into an orange upside-down cake with a cinnamon/clove caramel drizzle next to old prunes, oatmeal cut with raisins and brown sugar, salted butter, and a twinge of old cedar planks with singed edges and a faint echo of sage.
Finish: That sage leads to a green pepperiness and a hint more of savory green herbs with plenty of orange oils and dried fruits next to a final note of soft spice.
Bottom Line:
This is a one-of-a-kind whiskey from Waterford. It’s delicious and dark and different. This is something that’ll change everything you think you know about Irish whiskey.
This English single malt is made with 100% locally grown barley that’s floor-malted on-site in the Cotswolds. Those malts are fermented with two yeast strains (Anchor and Fermentis) with demineralized village water to extract fruity flavors from the malt. After pot still distillation, the hot juice is filled into ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky for a long rest. Finally, those barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla malted shakes and thick crème brûlée dominate the nose with a sense of date-fueled sticky toffee pudding with salted toffee, fresh orange zest, and big flakes of salt.
Palate: The palate opens with bold dark dried fruits — rum raisin, figs, prunes — that lead to a moist vanilla cake frosted with cinnamon-honey buttercream icing and dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon, and dark chocolate shavings.
Finish: The end sweetens slightly with a honeyed fig vibe next to old wicker porch furniture, cinnamon-spiced tobacco, and soft vanilla malted biscuits dipped in rum-raisin salted chocolate sauce and honey.
Bottom Line:
England makes some great single malt. Don’t sleep on this, especially if you’re already a fan of classic unpeated Scottish single malt.
11. Shibui Single Grain Whisky Rare Cask Reserve Aged 23 Years
This whisky is made down in Okinawa, which is a very tropical place to make whisky. The grain whisky in this bottle spent 23 years on ex-bourbon casks before vatting and proofing. Given the tropical climate of Okinawa, that 23-year rest equates to a whisky that feels much more like a whisky twice that age.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of old oak tannins that immediately gives way to red and blackberry brambles with plenty of green leaves and sharp thorns before hitting on rich winter spice and a touch of old vanilla pods.
Palate: The spice starts to veer into dried red chili and cumin territory on the palate as a sense of garam masala leads back to a creamy and butter berry compote with a dark and dry chocolate vibe that’s just kissed with salt.
Finish: Red currants and old orange rinds lead back to woody winter spice and old vanilla pods as an almost coconut and garam masala curry takes over at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild ride. You have to take your time, apply water, and really let this open up. If you do, you’ll be in for a galaxy of flavor notes — some of which will blow your mind.
This specialty whisky is distilled and aged at the famed Hikari Distillery in Fukuoka, Japan. The malts were partially fermented with koji (which is usually used for making shochu) before mashing and distillation. The hot juice then goes into sherry casks in classic warehouses and open-air warehouses. After 18 years, those casks were vatted and this whisky was bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Smoldering cherry and applewood draw you in on the nose with old saddle leather, dark berry jams, and plummy spiced holiday cakes with a touch of brandy-soaked raisin.
Palate: The palate is like a walk through an old sherry cask house in Spain with hard-smoked creamy cheeses, fatty jamon, roasted acorns, and piles of salted dark chocolate bars wafting through the air.
Finish: A woody spice takes the finish toward a dry note of brandy-soaked raisin with rich marzipan and fire-roasted chestnut next to salted vanilla cream and stewed plum jam cut with clove and anise.
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic whisky that is so out of leftfield in the best possible way.
This version of Kavalan takes their iconic Solist release and adds a touch of local mountain spring water to just proof it down. That sherry-finished whisky is then bottled for this iconic release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried red berries, figs, and dates lead to marzipan richness and soft winter spice powders that are just kissed with red mulled wine and vanilla cakes.
Palate: The palate is lush from the jump with layers of moist holiday fruit and nut cakes, candied orange, brandy-soaked cherry, soft marzipan, and plummy jams over soft buttermilk scones.
Finish: A hint of dark salted chocolate pops on the finish with a sense of clove-laced berry cobbler, soft vanilla buttercream, and a fleeting sense of old oak cellars with sweet dirt floors.
Bottom Line:
This feels like sitting in an old wine and cheese cellar and feasting on preserves, cheese, roasted meats, stewed fruit desserts, brandy, sherry, and whisky all night. And yes, it’s better than the cask strength version that you’re going to proof down anyway.
8. Teeling Whiskey Single Malt Aged 32 Years Purple Muscat
This whiskey was distilled all the way back in 1990. 28 years later the whiskey was re-barreled into one cask from Portugal, a Purple Muscat French oak cask, and left alone for another four years (a very long time for a finishing barrel). Finally, 2022 was the year and the cask was drained and 238 bottles of this elixir were sent out into the world as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a fleeting sense of dark chocolate malts next to black cherries tossed in smoked salt, walnut cake with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg, and tart red berries swimming in a cream cut with vanilla pods.
Palate: The palate dried out those cherries and adds in some meaty prunes, dates, and figs next to old cellar beams with an echo of prosciutto fat somewhere deep in that body of the palate.
Finish: The end leans into woody mulled wine spices and rich creamed honey with a touch of buttery milk chocolate with a nutty edge and slight tobacco burn.
Bottom Line:
No notes, no complaints.
7. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Aged 27 Years Ruby Port Casks
This is the mountaintop of Irish whiskey and Redbreast. After triple distillation, the whiskey is left in ex-bourbon, ex-port, and ex-sherry casks for at least 27 years before batching and bottling at cask strength with zero fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright red berries and mango skins (that are almost freaking juicy) mix with seared pineapple spears, roasting herbs, and spiced wood barks dipped in rock candy syrup and rolled in roasted walnuts and vanilla pods.
Palate: The palate is like silk with a sense of plums, figs, and cherries fresh from the vine next to dried chili over cinnamon bark, whole nutmeg, and toasted clove before lush brandy butter and a whisper of menthol pipe tobacco arrive.
Finish: That tobacco wanes as the fruits stew into a spiced holiday caked soaked in the best brandy and served with a dollop of the richest vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This is the best-ever holiday pour of Irish whiskey.
6. Yamazaki Mizunara Japanese Single Malt 2022 Edition
This is one of the most sought-after whiskies from Yamazaki. The juice spends over 12 years maturing in Mizunara casks only — this isn’t some whisky that’s “finished” in old Mizurana casks for a few months. After over a decade of mellowing, the casks are hand-picked for their excellence, vatted, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of winter spice that meanders from woody cinnamon bark toward cloves, allspice, anise, cardamon, and even some soft nutmeg before light yet. creamy vanilla custard leads to a thin whisper of sandalwood and lavender.
Palate: The palate hints at agarwood with a dash of old potpourri next to sweet cinnamon and allspice in a slightly sour mulled wine with a bit of brown sugar lurking in the background.
Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spices with a bit more floral incense burning beneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This is an incredible Japanese whisky. If you’re looking for something a little funky, woody, and floral, this is the one to get.
5. Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release Irish Whiskey 2023
The 2023 edition of the esteemed Midleton Very Rare is the 40th release from the brand, which is a milestone for sure. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of single pot still and grain whiskeys from the hallowed grounds of the Midleton Distillery in County Cork. The key to this blend is the balance of the pot still and grain whiskeys with a spotlight on refill casks for aging and a tad more pot still whiskey in the mix.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Apple orchards on a sunny day greet your nose with fresh apricot, tangerine, and savory melon next to malted spiciness, fresh ginger, and fresh espresso pepperiness over honey, marzipan, and a fleeting sense of white wildflowers.
Palate: The palate is lush from the jump and hits on notes of creamy honey mixed with dried chamomile buds, soft distillery grains, and sweet oak with hints of marmalade, leathery dried apricot, and more marzipan.
Finish: That dried stone fruit mingles with woody winter spices on the end as soft cedar planks and honeyed malt gently rest on your senses.
Bottom Line:
This might not be the deepest or most complex whiskey on the list, but it’s certainly one of the best. This whiskey is just f*cking delicious.
The Yoichi facility is perched on the Hokkaido coast in the far north of Japan. The whisky is made very slowly with lightly peated local malt. The mash is made with local spring water and slowly distilled in pot stills with direct coal heating underneath. That whisky is then left to age for 10 years by the sea but also in the forest, in used oak, until it’s just right. The barrels are then vatted in a large wooden tank and bottled with a touch of that local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of an old herb spice cupboard with a hint of mint and sage that leads to fresh tart apples and red berries with a touch of smoked plums and apricots next to fresh pain au chocolate dipped in floral honey.
Palate: That buttery pastry opens the taste with a hint of white pepper and dried strawberries dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled with a spiced caramel before this thin whisper of smoked mushroom powder sneaks in.
Finish: That smoked umami vibe attaches to a dry oakiness with a sense of apricot leather just kissed with sweet orchard wood smoke and soft pepperiness tied to malted honey digestive biscuits before a final rush of creamy yet still floral honey softens everything.
Bottom Line:
This is delectable and one of the best Japanese whiskies that money can buy. You know what to do.
This is a combination of Suntory’s Hakushu and Yamazaki with Chita, a corn-based whisky. Those spirits then spend 21 long years resting American, European, and Japanese oak. Each barrel is carefully selected and blended with precision to create the ultimate expression of Suntory’s stable of whiskies.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This draws you in with supple white summer flowers next to soft green grass underneath pear and peach trees with notes of sandalwood, green tea touched with mint and rock candy, and a whisper of old cellar beams with cobwebs.
Palate: White chocolate leads on the palate as orange blossoms, alder bark, cherry-infused cedar planks, passionfruit, and dried-out honey chips mingle to create a round and soft mouthfeel.
Finish: The mid-palate is fruity-sweet and gives way to a hint of nutmeg with maybe a hint of plum and vanilla lurking in the background. The finish is almost salty with a touch of wax paper, white pepper, and those summery white flowers before notes of a very soft cedar plank settle across your senses.
This is a serious whiskey from Bushmills. The Irish single malt rests in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 14 years. Those barrels are batched and then re-filled into first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for another 16 years of slow aging. Finally, that whiskey is proofed down and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of mincemeat pie and sticky toffee pudding on the nose with salted toffee sauce, rich buttercream, and leathery dried fruit countered by soft and powdery dark winter spices.
Palate: The lushness is amazingly silky with fresh figs, black-tea-soaked dates, and rum-soaked raisins with burnt orange, old vanilla pods, and poppy seed dessert rolls with brown sugar syrup icing.
Finish: The dried and dark fruits get leathery as the toffee sweetens with a touch of old oak stave and cellar floor dirt lurking in the background of the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best whiskeys (Irish or not) that money can buy.
1. The Yamazaki Single Malt Japanese Whisky Spanish Oak 2022 Edition “Tsukuriwake” Selection
This Japanese single malt is all about marrying fine Japanese whisky with Spanish oak. The whiskies are aged exclusively in oak from Northern Spain. After the flavor profile hits the exact right depth, the barrels are vatted and proofed with a dash of water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a medley of sultanas, dates, prunes, dried cranberries, and maybe some candied grape before veering toward a big umami note that’s halfway between a sun-dried tomato and a dash of powdered mushroom.
Palate: The palate opens with a rich sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spices, black tea-soaked dates, and almost creamy toffee next to orange oils and a hint of dark roasted espresso beans.
Finish: The end takes on a buttery vibe as creamy dark chocolate attaches to those espresso beans and a final hint of orange sneaks in late.
Bottom Line:
Gun to head, this is my favorite all-time whisky on this planet at the moment. You can bury me with a bottle of this because I’ll need it in the afterlife too.
The Philadelphia 76ers were a win away from reaching their first Eastern Conference Finals with Joel Embiid, but dropped back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics to once again send them into the offseason trying to figure out what went wrong in a disappointing postseason.
The biggest move so far this offseason in Philly has been firing Doc Rivers and hiring Nick Nurse in hopes a new voice can breathe some new life into the team. While the Sixers would’ve liked to just try and mostly run it back under Nurse by making some minor tweaks to the rotation around their stars, they now find themselves trying to deal with James Harden’s third trade request in four years. That has made this year’s offseason nearly impossible to get out of with a roster as good as last year’s, and with Embiid feeling the heat of a postseason disappointment after finally winning MVP, taking a step back isn’t exactly something he’s looking to do.
Here we’ll grade out their offseason moves from the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and the trade market, where things are very much still unresolved.
Draft: INC
The Sixers didn’t have a draft pick this year due in part to when they traded for James Harden, and while they made three undrafted signings, afterwards, they don’t get a grade here.
Free Agency/Contract Extensions: C+
The Sixers re-signed three of their five free agents, and added a pair of outside free agents on the minimum to replace who they lost. The most important signing was matching the unique offer sheet Utah threw at Paul Reed, as he’ll be guaranteed for all three years provided the Sixers make the second round of the playoffs. Reed blossomed as Embiid’s backup a year ago (the Sixers also brought back Montrezl Harrell as their third center) and gives them. The biggest external move was bringing in Patrick Beverley, who I think brings an edge they need even understanding his offensive limitations. Losing Shake Milton takes some offensive pop out of their backcourt rotation, which could be an even bigger issue depending on what they get in return for Harden, but Beverley will give them a point of attack pest that they could use, especially knowing what Nick Nurse likes to do defensively. That, to me, is at worst a wash for the Sixers.
However, the bigger issue is losing Georges Niang and Jalen McDaniels and having, to this point, done nothing to address that hole in the wing rotation. Niang was a much larger part of the rotation, serving as their most reliable three-point shooter off the bench (40.1 percent from three in the regular season, 46.2 percent in the playoffs). That’s not to say Niang isn’t replaceable, but they just haven’t done so and that means, right now, they’re a team with less depth than before. McDaniels was a midseason acquisition that played a smaller role, but likewise had a good shooting spell in the regular season with the Sixers and gave them some length and switchability on defense. Again, not irreplaceable but just an absence from the rotation they haven’t addressed.
Signing Mo Bamba was a bit of a curious choice considering they already signed Harrell and Reed, but that’s a low-risk swing on upside and adding a floor spacing big. It’s very possible the holes left by Niang and McDaniels in the rotation are filled by a James Harden trade, but then again, you’re having to replace Harden’s productivity as well.
Trades: INC
The Sixers haven’t made a trade yet, but it certainly seems like that’ll change eventually. Harden is uniquely skilled at pressuring a team into trading him where he wants to go, and while the Sixers have shown a willingness in the past to get “uncomfortable” until the right deal presents itself, Harden’s value is far different from Ben Simmons’ was. Simmons was at least still a young player who had shown All-Star caliber play in the past, was under contract long-term, and wasn’t determined to be in any one place. James Harden, meanwhile, is on an expiring and has made clear he has only one destination in mind. That makes it far more difficult to find another team that will come with a better offer than L.A., and also makes it difficult to pressure the Clippers into offering up their best package — which hinges on Terance Mann’s inclusion by all accounts.
For now, we remain in a holding pattern and wait to see if Harden gets to dig into his bag of disruption tricks in training camp, or if the Sixers and Clippers will finally reach an agreement. The problem for Philly is, even if they get the best possible (realistic) deal out of Los Angeles, it’s not going to be enough to replace Harden’s productivity. If they got Norman Powell, Robert Covington, and Terance Mann, that’d be a solid haul that would make up for some of the loss of Harden (and be an upgrade over the departing Niang) but they’d still be lacking the on-ball playmaking of Harden. For all the conversation about him taking a step back as a scorer, where he was once arguably the best scorer in the league and is no longer in that class, he is still a terrific facilitator and without him, they’ll just not have a clear playmaker for others on the roster. That’s especially a problem when your best player is a center who needs a point guard to get him the ball in his spots, and for all of Tyrese Maxey’s skills, he is not close to Harden’s level as a passer. Neither is Powell, Beverley, or De’Anthony Melton, and that would be a genuine point of concern for an offense that already had a tendency to get bogged down in key moments.
All told, the Harden trade request is, to me, worse for Philly than the Damian Lillard request is for the Blazers, simply because the Sixers will still have the same expectations to be a title contender without Harden, while Portland gets to turn into a young, rebuilding team. The Sixers can’t afford to get fleeced on a Harden trade, but also have very little in the way of options. Even the best Clippers package leaves a tremendous hole in the roster this season and if they can’t even get that it’s a borderline disaster, because wasting a year of Embiid’s prime, even with a ton of cap space opening up next summer to make a big signing or trade, is not going to sit particularly well in Philly.
According to a new tell-all book, Melania Trump was reportedly prepared to leave Donald Trump in 2018 when a significant number of his top officials were threatening to resign. The revelation comes from former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor, who had previously revealed that Trump was routinely obsessed with his border wall, even going so far to suggest that cows should have to climb ladders to prevent it from having doors.
As Taylor writes in Blowback, the former president demanded that asylum seekers be hit with tear gas and/or shot at the Mexico border rankled so many administration officials, that a mass resignation was on the table. Melania was reportedly among those ready to bail.
“A surprising name came up: First Lady Melania Trump,” Taylor writes. “I didn’t press for further details, but one attendee asserted that FLOTUS would actually consider leaving her husband if enough key officials quit.”
Specifically, Taylor mentions Trump’s wanting to turn away all asylum seekers, weighing the throwing of tear gas at migrants at border crossings “to make people feel like their skin was on fire,” and even shooting those illegally entering the United States. All were part of the family separation policy.
Taylor writes that he told officials that the mass resignations would send a message to Republicans that couldn’t be ignored, describing it as “the second burning of the White House.”
The former DHS official also spilled some tea about the Trumps.
“I don’t personally know what undergirds their relationship,” Taylor told Newsweek. “There were a lot of suggestions behind the scenes in the administration, not just outward commentary, but in the administration that there was some sort of contractual obligation Melania had to Trump — and when he got elected there was a renegotiation.”
Steph Curry has accomplished just about everything a player can accomplish in the NBA. He’s won multiple MVPs, scoring titles, NBA championships, and even that elusive Finals MVP. But even future Hall of Famers seek validation from their idols to truly know they have what it takes to make it in the NBA. Curry entered the league in 2009, soon after the late great Kobe Bryant won his fourth championship and the mythos around the Black Mamba was at its peak. An acknowledgement from Bryant meant more than any other player’s during that time. Curry recently went on the Hot Ones podcast and shared his favorite memories of playing Kobe, including the moment where Bryant validated his game as young player.
There’s always a reverence NBA players observe when they specifically reference to an acknowledgement from Bryant. Even as a youngster, Curry pulled out his most preposterous shot making when he needed to prove a point. In a way, Curry took the mantle from Bryant as the league’s best tough shotmaker. While Bryant created magic in the midrange, Steph expanded on that beyond the arc to make shots from all different angles and platforms. Curry continues to reign as the league’s best shot maker and this clip proves that Bryant was a bit ahead of the curve on seeing the greatness in a young Curry.
Imagine you’re getting ready to drop some bad news on someone. Say, breaking off a months-long relationship.
“I’m not sure how to say this,” you start. “This has been really great. Dating you has been a lot of fun. You’re really wonderful. And—” You roll out a string of platitudes and compliments, dreading and delaying the part that comes next, when you finally say “It’s over.”
You think you’re being nice. Protecting their feelings. You don’t want to be coldhearted, right?
Science, however, says there might be a better way.
A study from 2017 finds that, in most cases, a much smaller “buffer” before the bad news is actually preferable. According to the people who matter most.
Alan Manning, a professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, and Nicole Amare, his research partner, were interested in what he calls the “information design” of giving bad news. Quite literally, how much stuff should you say or write before just getting on with it?
The procedure was simple: 145 volunteers were shown two similar but differently worded versions of the same message, side by side, and asked to choose which they found the least objectionable. (Stuff in the vein of, “Your car is being recalled” all the way to “Let’s break up” or “You’re fired.”)
Manning says, in most cases, there was a clear preference for the more concise message.
Participants also mostly responded that clarity and directness were more important than how considerate the message was.
The findings contradict a lot of the previous research, Manning says, which stressed buffers and positivity and silver linings. He says when you just talk to people, you get a different story: “When you ask people if they want the bad news straight-up, they almost always say yes.”
If bad-news recipients just want it straight, why do we tend to draw it out?
Manning says it’s because we’re looking out for ourselves. It’s easier and makes us feel better to beat around the bush a little bit.
Turns out, the whole thing is a practical exercise in empathy.
“One of the great challenges of growing up and being a fully functioning adult is being fully aware of other people’s needs around you and not just your own,” he says.
He hopes the study will help people become better deliverers of bad news, and, ultimately, take better care of each other. He urges us to think critically about how sensitive the message we’re delivering is and to respond appropriately. Don’t be callous, he says, and blurt out “I’m breaking up with you,” before even saying “Hi.” But a smaller buffer is almost always appreciated by the recipient.
It’s hard to break old habits. It’s even harder to be direct. But getting and giving bad news is part of our daily lives. It’ll be worth the effort to do it right.
“Hey man, I know today was rough. I’m really sorry. I heard it was a doozy.
It started a lot earlier than it should have. I guess you could say the previous day never really ended.
You put your daughter down for bed around 8 p.m., like usual. You scarfed some food and chugged some NyQuil to try to knock out your throbbing cold, the one you caught from her (love those daycare germs!). Two hours later, you woke up to the sound of her coughing through the baby monitor. Then came the crying.
You rolled out of bed in a glassy-eyed, cold medicine-induced fog. You stumbled your way up the stairs to soothe her. Nothing worked. She cried every time you tried to lay her back down. Your head was throbbing. Your eyes dry and heavy. Her cries like nails on a chalkboard. You got frustrated and had to just put her down, let her cry while you walked away to cool off. “I can’t do this,” you thought, exhausted, drained. It didn’t matter if you could do it or not because she kept crying, and she needed you.
The whole night went on like this before the sun mercifully came up.
Breakfast time. You sleepwalked your way through cooking an omelet (you burned one side, but does it really matter?). She threw it on the floor and wailed. Did she want a banana? More water? Crackers? Was something hurting? You didn’t know. You just kept handing her things.
This was your entire day.
After that, you carried her over to her toy bin and let her play. She was joyful, finally smiling and laughing. You sat, zombie-like, sipping your coffee and enjoying the brief moment of peace. Then she tripped over a wooden puzzle piece and hit the ground hard. More tears. And then more. Normally she wouldn’t cry this hard, but she was sick. She wasn’t herself. You picked her up and held her and kissed the boo-boo, but she wouldn’t stop crying.
You put her back down because the crying in your ear was like a power drill to your temple. Normally, you’d be so much more patient and nurturing. But you weren’t yourself either.
The whole day was like this. You took her to the store where she refused to stay in the cart. She wanted to run up and down the aisles, which was fine, but then she tripped and fell. Again. More tears. She threw her lunch on the floor and cried about it. You tried to put her down for a nap, but she kicked and flailed until you gave up.
It didn’t matter if you could do it or not because she kept crying, and she needed you.
There were things to be done around the house: chores, projects, cleaning. You had nothing in you but medicine and whatever food you were able to scarf down between tantrums. It was all you could do to muscle your way through bath time and get her into bed.
And you weren’t far behind her. You crawled into bed, drained, knowing she’d probably be up within a matter of hours, hacking and coughing and crying. Poor thing.
When it was finally quiet, you felt bad for her. She didn’t mean to be a pain; she’s just a baby. A baby with a cold, at that. You were so disappointed with yourself. Why couldn’t you have been more patient, more loving? She had a hard day too.
You have to be better than that.
You drifted off to sleep locked in on one single thought: Maybe I’m not cut out for this dad thing.
I know your day was bad. Really bad. But mine was great, and I’m sorry, but I just need to tell someone about it.
Get this: It started at 8 a.m. 8 a.m.!
I know, I know. My daughter slept great. It’s hard to believe she’s so grown up. It doesn’t seem that long ago that she was only sleeping a few hours here and there, then struggling through the night. Last night we put her down at 8.p.m. and didn’t hear a peep out of her for 12 hours. I slept gloriously.
So. Much. Better.
The baby monitor gently crackled to life with her quietly babbling to herself. But I was already up. I climbed the stairs and pushed the door open to her room. She jumped to her feet and saw me, and she smiled the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and bounced up and down in her crib. As I got closer, she shot her arms into the air so I could pick her up. I did, and she laid a sleepy head on my shoulder.
She was a joy at breakfast. She sat in her chair and gulped down her banana while I cooked up an omelet (I nailed it, by the way, perfectly cooked, 10/10). I put on some music and she playfully shimmied her shoulders to the beat. When the eggs were ready, first she blew on them to cool them down, just like I taught her. She then showed off her fork skills and wolfed down the entire plate.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. There was the quick run to the store, where she helped put things in the cart and waved at every single person who passed by. Then, a trip to the park where she finally went down the big scary slide by herself. She came out the bottom giggling and ran to me.
I didn’t want the day to end.
And after I kissed her good night and mommy rocked her to sleep, I was left with just one thought: I am doing pretty OK at this dad thing.
It’s hard to believe sometimes that we are the same person, living the same life. But here’s what I know: Tomorrow is a new day.
I don’t know whether it’ll be good or bad. I really don’t. (I hope it’s good!)
But you know what? At some point, you’re going to look at that spot on the floor where your daughter tripped and face-planted, and you’re going to laugh. When you think about it, it was kind of funny, right? (She was totally fine.)
And eventually you’re going to find an old piece of omelet wedged under the kitchen table, covered in dust after she chucked it over her shoulder, and you’re going to roll your eyes lovingly as you scoop it up and throw it away.
Take it from me: You’re doing the best you can. You’re going to have those days where you wish you could keep it together better, where you wish you could be the perfect parent.
But if you can just hang in there, better days are ahead. I promise.
Trust me, I just had one. And it was totally worth the wait.”
This article originally appeared on 11.23.16
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