Social media can be used to spread education and overall helpful information, but it can be hard to decipher what’s true and what’s not. Especially if the person making the video or writing the post speaks with authority, as if this is information you should already know and now you’re somehow behind the curve in knowledge.
Recently, a trend has popped up of influencers insisting that belly buttons are connected to multiple nerves, veins and organs in your body and exclaiming that rubbing caster oil in your belly button will provide you with immense health benefits. Doctors and nurses on Tiktok simply explained that belly buttons are a scar that leads to nowhere but didn’t discourage people from greasing up their belly buttons.
But when it comes to medical information, not everything can be assumed harmless misinformation. There has been an uptick in videos of pregnant influencers encouraging others to refuse the glucose drink that helps detect gestational diabetes.
The women in the videos cite unknown chemicals and dyes in the glucose drink and insist on eating things like fruit, jelly beans, fruit juice and even soft drinks instead. Ironically, things like jelly beans, juice and soft drinks all have dyes and hard-to-pronounce chemicals in them. This trend tipped the scales from quirky and harmless to misinformed and dangerous, which has had doctors, nurses and licensed dietitians ringing all of the alarms.
“Okay, I have to talk about the scariest pregnancy trend that I’m seeing on social media right now,” Hamilton explains. “This trend and the misinformation around it will 100% kill babies, if it hasn’t already, and that is the encouragement to pregnant people to refuse the gestational diabetes screening in pregnancy. Or the use of unvalidated alternatives to the glucose screening test.”
To show an example, Hamilton plays a short clip of a pregnant person holding a bottle of Coke with writing on the screen that says, “Come with me to do my glucose test. 26 weeks pregnant!” Hamilton obscures the pregnant person’s face and screen name for their privacy, but the implications of refusing proper glucose screening using the approved Glucola drink can have severe complications, which Hamilton gets into further in the video.
You can watch the entire video below, including some clips from other professionals Hamilton added to her post:
“It takes a village to raise a child.” First it was an African proverb, then a mainstream phrase to convey the indisputable fact that raising a child is no solo job. But now, in a time where mothers are left by and large without a community (save for maybe the countless online parent groups), that expression seems synonymous with a bygone era.
But the thing is—while the times have changed, the necessity of support has not. Which leaves many frustrated mothers wondering where to turn.
One mom is going viral for bluntly telling it like it is: The village is still there, but now it comes at a price.
The woman, Chancè Hindirlane, had stitched another mom’s TikTok video urging others to stop telling moms “it takes a village” when they essentially don’t have one.
Hindirlane responded by saying, “What we need to do is start telling mothers that the village is no longer free.” Therefore, part of the family planning process needs to go into building one.
“We need to start telling future mothers to financially plan ahead for their village. Plan ahead for a nanny. Plan ahead for a housekeeper. Plan ahead for a meal prep. Plan ahead for a postpartum care nurse,” she says.
And it’s not just support staff women should be thinking ahead about. They should also be taught from a young age to look for partners who are willing to take on the responsibilities of parenthood and able to divide labor equally.
“We need to start telling future mothers to pick their partner wisely. Not only pick a man who wants kids, but pick a man who also wants to be a father. We need to start telling them to talk about the division of labor super early on in their relationship.”
No, moms are not meant to do it all alone. But in order to get the help they need, Hindirlane attests, they’ll have to adapt with the times. This is perhaps a little daunting, given how expensive the cost of living already is, but it’s still valuable insight and hard to argue with.
Bottom line: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or a free village. So plan accordingly.
Hindirlane’s words struck a chord with hundreds of viewers, many of whom had also witnessed this shift.
“I was a nanny/household manager and it really taught me how insane it is to expect a mom to do it alone,” shared one person.
“‘The village is not free’ took my breath away. Nothing is truer. Had I known sooner, I absolutely would’ve planned differently,” added another.
One viewer suggested that couples should “cut back on wedding expenses” and instead get counseling as partners for financial planning. Not only is that a solid point but it also illuminates the collective shift away from certain traditions in favor of decisions that feel more practical, partially out of new ways of thinking and partially out of pure necessity.
Of course, one cannot always simply plan their way out of a faulty financial system. Childcare can range from $5,357 to $17,171, depending on the child’s age and where a family lives, despite childcare staff receiving some of the lowest wages in the country.
With each child accounting for 8% and 19.3% of a family’s income, many are simply priced out and many mothers are forced to stay at home because they’d only be working to afford childcare. Clearly not a winning scenario.
While what should be done systematically to improve these conditions for families is a whole ‘nother conversation, it is a good reminder that a thought-out plan is never a bad thing.
Editor’s Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
Not all depression looks the same. Sometimes people don’t even realize they’re depressed for a long time while others go to great lengths to appear okay to the outside world. People who have functional depression—who still go to work, spend time with friends and look to be enjoying life—may not seem depressed to those closest to them.
This kind of masking can be done for many reasons, but a lot of times, it’s because they don’t want other people to worry about them. But this could mean suicidal thoughts go unnoticed by loved ones. When people appear happy or as if they’re handling everything well, others are much less likely to check in on them.
When Brie Johnson uploaded a video with a quote that reads, “You can always tell when someone is going to attempt,” the happy videos and pictures that followed contrasted the reality of her attempting suicide.
Johnson, who’s a staff sergeant in the Air Force and mother of one, posted the short video in March with the caption, “Check up on your loved ones. It’s not always obvious.” This is a sentiment that has been expressed by people repeatedly with a widely shared graphic that reminds people to check on their strong friends—the sentiment being that when people appear to be handling things well, no one checks in to make sure they’re actually doing okay.
Johnson’s video is a harsh reminder that not every smiling face is conveying joy. Sometimes smiles and laughter are just a mask. So how are people supposed to know when someone is truly struggling when their outward behaviors seem to show everything is fine?
Check up on your loved ones. It’s not always obvious #fyp #SeeHerGreatness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #recovery #survivor #awareness #love #miltok #foryou
Knowing when to reach out can be tricky, but there can be subtle signs that may easily be missed. Social media posts may change subtly, like broadly asking for prayers frequently when they haven’t been in the habit of doing that. Some people may post memes that are either sad or borderline dark humor when those may be out of the ordinary. There could be a lack of care around how much alcohol or drugs they’re taking.
Someone who’s normally outgoing canceling plans more frequently than usual. Making jokes about death or suicide when it’s not a normal conversation for them. A friend who’s struggling may ask you about your final plans so they can bring up theirs without raising alarms.
These are all things that can be easily overlooked if you don’t know what to look for. But one of the best indicators that you need to reach out is any change, no matter how subtle, that makes you ask the question, “I wonder what’s going on with them?” So many times we ignore the tiny alarm bells that go off in our bellies because we’re on the lookout for the bigger, louder alarm bells. The tiny alarms are just as important. Now how do you reach out?
Several years ago, I noticed a subtle change in a friend’s social media statuses that activated my tiny alarm bells. After waiting about a week or so to see if things went back to normal, I reached out. Never having spoken to this person outside of the comments section in our online running community, I wasn’t sure how she would respond. But I sent a message that said something along the lines of, “I just wanted to do a check in with you. I noticed a change in your posts and I wanted you to know that I’m here if you need to talk.”
They responded that there were struggling with something pretty big that no one knew about. We spoke on the phone for a couple of hours with me mostly listening. They thanked me about a year later for seeing them when they felt no one else did.
Reaching out doesn’t have to be complicated, so try not to overthink it. A lot of times all it takes is genuinely asking how someone is doing and informing them that you want the real answer, not something surface. Then, just listen without judgment and without unsolicited advice or commentary. Ask them what they need and follow through. Human connection, along with the reminder that you matter, can go a long way.
This article was written by Jacalyn Wetzel, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and practicing therapist.
Conan O’Brien recently got a crash course in all things Taylor Swift from his assistant — and has since learned a ton. Around the two-minute mark of his podcast, O’Brien starts discussing the Eras Tour and is shocked by how long it is.
His assistant reveals that the concert runs over three hours. “Her opening act is they show Doctor Zhivago,” O’Brien jokes back. “Then, they build an Aztec temple in real time, and then she comes out. So, the whole thing, you’re eighteen hours in, okay?”
Conan’s assistant goes on to describe it as the best night of his life. “Wait, you’ve had dinner at my house?” O’Brien adds.
“I don’t know how she does it,” the assistant says. “I felt like I was hungover the next day. And I’d had no alcohol.”
Then, O’Brien comes up with a truly hilarious idea about how Taylor Swift is able to perform these long concerts, and sometimes, even several nights in a row.
“Is it possible that there’s more than one…” he suggested. “That she has other people come out. First of all, she’s performing in a huge space, and there are a bunch of times where she says, ‘Before my next song, I’ll be right back,’ and she ducks behind something. Right?”
“It’s possible that they pull the old, thank you, Texas switch,” O’Brien adds. “Is it possible that there are nine people backstage?”
Sadly, his assistant wasn’t convinced.
Check out the conversation about The Eras Tour above.
Nicki Minaj is gearing up for her massive Pink Friday 2 album, as she recently teased her plans for the project during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music (via Billboard.) The rapper recently previewed the album with her new song, “Last Time I Saw You.”
“I just wanted the next song that I put out to represent my growth,” she shared. “Not just as an artist, but as a human being. I’ve experienced so many things that I hadn’t experienced five years ago, and that’s just the truth.”
She also opened up to Lowe about her and Drake’s upcoming collaboration on his next album, For All The Dogs. While not much is known about it, and Minaj did stay pretty secretive, she is excited for what’s to come.
“I’ll just say I really love the song,” Minaj said. “I know my fans are going to love the song. I know the world’s going to love the song. And that’s all I will say about that.”
However, as for Drake crossing over onto Pink Friday 2, it seems it is still up in the air.
“Barbz, make sure y’all let Drizzy Drake know that Pink Friday 2 is coming out Nov. 17 as well,” she added, going on to point out that she wouldn’t mind him giving a feature on her album too. “And we are waiting on his contribution.”
For now, check out Nicki Minaj’s new song, “Last Time I Saw You,” above.
Pink Friday 2 is out 11/17 via Republic Records and Heavy On It.
If this week’s New Music Friday looks a little slow, it’s only because the songs have rolled out all week long. [Takes a deep breath] 21 Savage and BIA joined Tiësto on “Both,” Bas released “Ho Chi Minh” ahead of his new album, Sonny Digital showed off his rap chops with “Could Be Worse,” Earthgang prepped fans to fight the algorithm with “Die Today,” JID and Lil Yachty teamed up for “Van Gogh,” Nicki Minaj pondered “The Last Time I Saw You,” Lil Wayne devoured some “Kat Food,” Teezo Touchdown shrugged off some assumptions on “You Thought,” Baby Tate cried in the club to “Jersey,” and Doja Cat set out to put the fear of God into her haters (and Christina Ricci) in her “Demons” video. Whew! And that’s not all!
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending September 1, 2023.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Bino Rideaux & Blxst — Sixtape 3
Blxst, Bino Rideaux
The third time is the charm with latest extension of the duo’s EP series. “Doin Yo Stuff” can be found here, as can five more tracks showing off the LA natives’ impeccable, indispensable chemistry. They don’t take any crazy left turns; in sticking to what they are good at — mellow party tunes — they offer a worthy installment of the series, which you could easily play straight through for all 18 tracks.
Blac Youngsta — Blac Sheep 2
Blac Youngsta
Collective Music Group’s most consistently prolific artist maintains his streak, following up the first Blac Sheep — which dropped in April (just two months after Bank Appointment) — with another 15 tracks proving that Youngsta is street-certified. If he makes it, he puts it out, so there’s never a drought.
Blu & Real Bad Man — Bad News
Blu, Real Bad Man
The California native loves to link up with various producers to craft bespoke rap projects oozing with each collaborators’ personalities. On this one, slouchy soul samples are chopped into a psychedelic slurry perfect for Blu’s blunted flights of fancy to help hip-hop heads zone all the way out. Another typically strong outing for the San Pedro syllable slayer.
Illa J — No Traffic
Illa J
We are long past the point where the Detroit producer/rapper needs to use his iconic older brother’s name as calling card — and this release proves it. Illa J has a completely different production style and slump to his delivery than Dilla, and while comparisons are inevitable, Illa holds his own and extends the legacy in his own increasingly polished way.
Smoke DZA, Flying Lotus — Flying Objects
Smoke DZA
Okay, sure. If there’s one way to get fans of cosmic slop, sample-heavy hip-hop to listen to a straight bar spitter like Smoke DZA, it’s to pair him with Flying Lotus. Likewise, the Harlem slick talker’s more straightforward delivery grounds FlyLo’s wonky, otherworldly production, making for a listen that’s satisfying on both sides of the equation.
Singles/Videos
Connie Diiamond — “Ghetto & Ratchet”
The drill sound is going strong in 2023, and the Bronx’s Connie Diiamond — who I discovered through a press release in my email — is a powerful addition to the movement. Pressing play on a relatively new artist’s song can be a dubious experience these days, but before the beat even kicked in on “Ghetto & Ratchet,” I was sold. Here’s to more from the burgeoning New Yorker.
Curren$y — “Slide” Feat. Fendi P, G Style & Dominic Scott
It’s impossible not to enjoy Curren$y’s low-key luxury rap (it’s attainable aspiration, really), especially with Chase N Cashe on this slinky subtly impactful beat, flanked by the smoky vocals of crooner Dominic Scott. Fendi P is tough, as always, and though I’m unfamiliar with G Style, he acquits himself well enough not to throw off the laid-back vibe. The song is the first from Jet Life Recordings’ joint artist project Season Opener, which is due next Friday.
DJ Premier — “Runway” Feat. Rome Streetz & Westside Gunn
When Rome rhymes “white girls love me like I’m part of Hanson,” it reminds me what I love about his type of rapper. There’s a kind of charm to the slightly out-of-date pop culture references rappers like Rome and Gunn drop in their songs. It lends some authenticity to them, yes — who has time to pay attention to pop culture when you’re getting this money??? in the hood??? — but it also shows they’re not really here to be popular in the moment. They’re timeless. Plus, it’s a really good rhyme over a SUPER good, Blaxploitation-esque beat. Premo is undefeated.
Maxo Kream — “Bonecrusher” Feat. Key Glock
I didn’t get a chance to post this when it dropped earlier this week but that’s the benefit of this column, right? Maxo Kream is one of Texas’ most engaging voices today. Sampling the titular artist’s signature 2003 hit “Never Scared” and teaming up with Key Glock, one of the foremost flag-wavers for Memphis’ underground, Maxo becomes transcendent.
OhGeesy — “Blame Me”
OhGeesy takes a swing at sad boy music with some regretful subject matter, but he doesn’t stray too far away from his comfort zone. If you’re in the mood to cry in the club this autumn, here’s your anthem.
Pote Baby — “I Like”
Another rising artist with a lot of potential and a very high ceiling is Savannah rapper Pote Baby. He credits Ludacris, N.E.R.D, and Nelly as inspirations, and you can really hear strains of those artists in “I Like” with a unique twist from an artist who isn’t trying to sound like anybody else out. Give this enigmatic, iconoclastic artist a spin and you’ll hear it too.
Yella Beezy — “Ha Ha”
The Texas rapper laughs to the bank — literally — on his latest single. The comic book visuals in the video are an engaging touch but the focus here is on Beezy’s revitalized flow. While he might mainly be known as a melodic rapper, he shows that he can still chop it up like the best in the Lone Star State.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Even though it might seem like The British Royal Family has no business meddling with the inner workings of a basic cable law drama, you really never know with these people.
Suits’ writer and creator Aaron Korsh recently revealed some “minor” changes that the Royal Family requested when Meghan Markle was still starring in the legal drama, which has been having a fun little resurgence lately.
Markle began dating Prince Harry in 2017 before departing the series in season seven in order to have a small, intimate wedding with 2,000 of their closest friends and enemies. But while she was still featured on the show, Korsh said that the Royal Family would read the scripts and make some adjustments, including one peculiar line change. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter:
So, in the episode, Mike and Rachel [Markle’s character] were going to have a thing, and as a nod to my in-laws, we were going to have her say, “My family would say poppycock.” And the royal family did not want her saying the word. They didn’t want to put the word “poppycock” in her mouth. I presume because they didn’t want people cutting things together of her saying “cock.” So, we had to change it to “bullshit” instead of “poppycock,” and I did not like it because I’d told my in-laws that [poppycock] was going to be in the show. There was maybe one or two more things, but I can’t remember.
Could you even imagine if the Royals ever got involved with Law & Order? They would have to censor Dick Wolf’s name out of every opening title sequence.
While Korsh was “irritated” he admitted that he understood the reasoning. “When they explained it that way, and I’m pretty sure it got explained to me that it was about that [splicing potential], I had some sympathy because I wouldn’t want somebody doing that to her either. And the thing is, I didn’t think anybody really would, but also I don’t know. People are crazy.” This is true, don’t ever look up “Reylo” edits on TikTok.
Maybe Markle got some lines cut from her acting job, but she still married a Prince and ditched the royal family, so she didn’t really miss out on much.
Labor Day Weekend has arrived and that means that it’s time to party. But what drink should you spend the weekend partying with? The Bourbon Smash is the right answer.
The bourbon smash is an old-school cocktail that goes back centuries. It’s a simple elixir of lemon, mint, and sugar with bourbon that’s pretty fundamental to cocktail making. Basically, the smash is a collision of the sour and julep cocktail worlds in a glass. It’s refreshing, delicious, and very quaffable — making it perfect for a weekend full of backyard barbecues and poolside brouhahas.
Since it is time for a long weekend, let’s cut the preamble short and dive right in!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — use good bourbon for your cocktails. While the bold flavors of lemon and mint are the stars of the show, a solid bourbon like Michter’s Small Batch will add real depth to the mix and shine brightly. It’s also readily available nationwide.
The rest are easily gettable ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail strainer
Pairing knife
Muddler
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer.
Add the simple syrup and lemon wedges to the cocktail shaker and muddle until the oils and juices from the lemon mix with the sugar syrup (try not to break up the lemon rinds too much). Add in the mint and lightly hit it a few times with the muddler. You want to release the oils, not break up the leaves.
Add the bourbon and a large handful of ice cubes. Affix the lid and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds until the shaker is ice-cold to touch.
Fetch the glass from the freezer and add the fresh cube. Strain the cocktail into the glass, slap a fresh mint sprig around the rim, and drop in. Serve.
Bottom Line on the Bourbon Smash:
Zach Johnston
You’re going to smash a lot of bourbon smashes this weekend. This cocktail rocks right now (it’s a great hot-weather sipper). It’s light yet full of flavor notes — lemon, lime, sugar, and bourbon work a certain magic together that’s just right.
Overall, this is a very easy cocktail to shake up. It’ll take less than a minute if you have everything set up. And that makes it instantly repeatable for a long weekend of partying, grilling, swimming, and relaxing. Cheers!
Well, we’re here, folks. September. Fall is just around the bend. Then comes November and … prime whiskey season! September (and the month leading into it) is always a wild time for whiskey releases. Brands want to fill those shelves with special bottles to grab our attention (and money) before we start looking for warming drams to bring to holiday parties.
Since this is a list of great whiskeys, I didn’t rank them. That said, the bigger price tags are at the bottom. My advice is to read my tasting notes on each entry, find the whiskey(s) that speak to you, and then smash that price link to see if you can snag a bottle. Be warned, there are some serious whiskeys on this list that are not going to be at your corner shop in Anytown, USA — you will have to get lucky to find some of these. Good luck out there!
Check Out The Best New Whiskeys Of The Last Six Months:
Jack Daniel’s took the bourbon whiskey world by storm last year with their Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey. This year, they’ve upped the ante with a Tennessee Rye version. The base is Jack’s signature rye whiskey with a mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley fermented with their own yeast and lactobacillus. The juice is then twice distilled via column stills and then slowly filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal. That filtered whiskey then rests in a barrel for four long years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Ripe peaches, cherries, Granny Smith apples lead on the nose with a light sense of molasses winter ginger cakes, a touch of cinnamon bark, and light hints of dry sweetgrass that’s just smoldering.
Palate: The taste really leans into the toffee with a good dose of eggnog spices and creaminess before veering toward roasting herbs and more sweetgrass braided with cedar bark, pipe tobacco, and smudging sage.
Finish: The end warms up just enough with red peppercorns and dried ancho chili layered into light dark chocolate tobacco leaves and more of that sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice, fruity, and grassy rye whiskey that drinks so easily. Seriously, this over some rocks is fire. It also makes a killer whiskey-forward cocktail. The best part? This will be on every shelf nationwide for under $40 by the middle of the month. Buy a case.
Blue Run Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Trifecta Blend
The latest release from craft bottler Blue Run is a blend of three ages of barrels that all lean into “wood heat”. In this case, the 189 barrels were six-, eight-, and nine-year-old barrels of wood-forward bourbon that were batched and bottled as-is at barrel strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla-dosed milky lattes with a touch of cinnamon stick drive the nose toward a hit of dried chili, old clove, and brown butter with a light sense of apple cider and figs.
Palate: The apple and cinnamon take on a mulled cider vibe on the palate with macadamia nut cookies, sourdough bread crusts, and soft caramel candies cut with mint syrup.
Finish: The soft and espresso-laden vanilla returns on the finish with a creaminess that helps the finish stay silky as a whisper of smoldering orchard barks and winter spice barks sneak in with a nice warmth.
Bottom Line:
This nice and very easy sipper feels like creamy bourbon from top to bottom. Pour this over ice and that creaminess really starts to lean into eggnog and buttercream pie.
This brand-new whiskey brand from Graham McTavish (Outlander, House of the Dragon, etc.) is a lovely built batch of whiskey. The whiskey is made from a classic mash of 75/21/4 (corn/rye/barley) that’s left to rest for seven years. Those barrels were proofed down to bottled-in-bond standards and bottled as-is otherwise.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel chocolate candies and vanilla cake with sprinkles drive the nose toward cinnamon and clove heavy nutcake, eggnog, and a soft layer of burnt orange zest.
Palate: The vanilla creates a lush buttercream on the palate as dark Black Forest Cake with spicy stewed cherry and very dark chocolate leads to more nutmeg and cinnamon with a fleeting sense of pipe tobacco and smoldering marshmallow.
Finish: The end leans into old oak and a light sense of fall orchard leaves, more stewed cherry, and creamy vanilla with a line of spiced winter bark warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is just really good sipping whiskey that’d also work wonders in a simple whiskey-forward cocktail.
Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky The Cadboll Estate Aged 15 Years
The new batch of Glenmorangie’s beloved Carboll Estate is here. This year’s edition is made with two barley harvests from Glenmorangie’s own estate-grown barley (on the Carboll Estate). Once distilled on Glenmo’s iconic copper pot stills, the whiskey is aged in American oak (ex-bourbon casks) primarily. The final batch is vatted with a few barrels of Amontillado sherry casks as well.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Beautiful notes of hazelnut bathed in floral honey drive the nose toward stewed peaches over buckwheat pancakes, soft jasmine, and a hint of cold slate slick with rainwater.
Palate: The floral honey opens the palate toward fresh gingerbread, Nutella, and clove-laced orange layered into toffee dropped in roasted almond with this fleeting sense of summer herb gardens and bright yellow nasturtiums.
Finish: A touch of toasted coconut adheres to the gingerbread and toffee on the finish with a dash of bourbon vanilla, creamy mocha latte, and old oak stave.
Bottom Line:
This is quintessential sipping malt from the Highlands. It’s so dialed in and just … fun. Take it slow and enjoy the ride over a rock, in a cocktail, or neat.
Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey Highest Rye Aged 6 Years
This new edition of Remus from MGP of Indiana’s flagship brand is all about rye grains. The bourbon is made with a mash of 51% corn, 39% rye, and 10% malted rye (no barley here, folks). That whiskey was left to age for six years before batching and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup over vanilla-heavy pancakes pop on the nose with a sense of peach pie and mint tobacco over cinnamon bark, barrel must, and old boot leather.
Palate: That peach pie takes on a canned peach vibe on the palate with vanilla sheet cake drizzled with caramel and buttercream icing before rum raisin and leathery figs arrive with a dose of menthol tobacco packed into an old cedar box.
Finish: Bold warmth from the woody spices is countered by vanilla buttercream and eggnog on the finish with deep boot leather, old cedar humidors, and still-smoldering sage with a light sense of barrel house floors.
Bottom Line:
This is a deep and warm whiskey that’ll work wonders either over a big ice cube or in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey Topflight Series by ReserveBar
This single barrel from Nashville Barrel Company is a six-year-old MGP bourbon with a classic 75/21/4 (corn/rye/barley) mash bill. The barrel was pulled in late May 2023 and the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a classic bourbon nose full of maple syrup over fresh pancakes with Nutella, vanilla sheet cake, and Cherry Coke all mingling together nicely.
Palate: The palate sharpens with hot cinnamon and clove-heavy Dr. Pepper (still cut with cherry) while cashews and dark chocolate nut clusters lead the taste toward hot cinnamon tobacco.
Finish: Sharp mint and cherry compote with plenty of hot cinnamon and clove drive the finish toward chili pepper-laced tobacco on a hot finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a really accessible NBC release. It’s beautifully straightforward while delivering a deep profile that’s dialed. I’d lean more towards mixing my favorite cocktails with this one, but it works perfectly well as an on-the-rocks sipper too.
Hemingway Rye, Signature Edition Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Seasoned Oloroso Sherry Casks
The second release from Hemingway Rye is a blend of six-year-old Indiana rye (classic 95/5 rye/barley) with a four-year-old Kentucky 95/5 rye. Once those whiskeys were batched, the rye was re-barreled in Oloroso sherry casks that held rum.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a hint of dry sweetgrass over berry brambles before veering into nut cake and rum-soaked raisin with a hint of spice barks and vanilla cream.
Palate: Caramel cut with orange oils and dipped in dark chocolate drives the palate toward clove and nutmeg-heavy eggnog with a touch of vanilla sugar cookies, orange cake, and a medley of dates, figs, and prunes.
Finish: That dark fruit folds into a sticky toffee pudding vibe with more of that chocolate-covered caramel and dark orange with a lush finish.
Bottom Line:
This is quintessential rye that goes a step further. The berry and grassy notes just work. Drink this neat or over a big rock and let the day slowly fade into night.
Blackened X Rabbit Hole A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky Finished in Calvados Casks Cask Strength
This brand-new collaboration between Metallica’s Blackened and Rabbit Hole is masterful whiskey. The blend is a 13-year-old Tennessee high-rye bourbon batched with Rabbit Hole Heigold High-Rye Double Malt Bourbon (with malted rye and malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey was re-barreled into Calvados casks (an apple brandy) for a final rest before 100% as-is bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of chili pepper warmth on the nose with a hint of macadamia cookie nuttiness, honey Graham Crackers, light summer florals, and a whisper of darkly stewed apple.
Palate: Cinnamon-infused pear brandy sparks on the palate with a sense of clover honey, walnut loaf, and this thin line of smoked applewood with a good sense of barrel warmth.
Finish: The honey and walnut drive the finish toward a soft warmth that leaves the gentlest of numbness on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s just good. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Batch #035
This brand-new blend of bourbons from Barrell Craft Spirits is a masterclass in blending. The mix starts off with six, seven, and eight-year-old Indiana bourbons and then adds in seven and 13-year-old Tennessee whiskeys alongside an eight-year-old Kentucky bourbon. That blend is then bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old fruit leather and plum jam drive the nose toward zucchini bread, orange oils, and Sioux City Sasparilla with a hint of old dark chocolate bars stacked with cedar bark, dry pipe tobacco, and rum raisin.
Palate: Orange-infused hot chocolate with a touch of dried red chili mingles with anise and port on the palate as eggnog and buttercream smooth everything out toward pine-driven earthiness.
Finish: Hazelnut ice cream and Almond Joys arrive on the finish with a sense of rainwater, old rye bread crusts, and soft winter spice barks with a hint of Cherry Coke.
Bottom Line:
This is another homerun from the Barrell Craft Spirits crew. Overall, this is a great sipper that really benefits from time, water, and examination as it’ll just keep opening up deeper and deeper notes as you slowly sip.
The last Larceny Barrel Proof of 2023 is a batch of six to eight-year-old wheated bourbons from Heaven Hill in Kentucky. The barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Lovely cinnamon cakes with a hint of milky malted chocolate shake cut with cherry, vanilla, and clove mingle on the nose next to salted caramel and maybe some smudging sage.
Palate: The sweetness of the nose carries over on the palate with a sense of cherry pie and cinnamon-laced mulled wine over cinnamon butter toast and chili-laced hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.
Finish: That cherry and chocolate dominate the end as the warmth sneaks in very slowly and leaves you with a soft numbness that’s accented with cinnamon holiday cakes and brandy-soaked cherry.
Bottom Line:
This is a great candidate for on the rocks sipping as the leaves start to turn.
Kentucky Senator Bourbon Release #4: John Sherman Cooper Very Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years Old
That latest edition of Kentucky Senator honors one of Kentucky’s biggest names in the Senate in the 20th century. Senator Cooper was a dear friend of JFK and served as everything from a judge to foreign ambassador. The whiskey in the bottle is a Bardstown bourbon made with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice was aged for eight years before six barrels were chosen for this small batch. Once batched, the whiskey was just touched with water before bottling, yielding only 1,000 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft spiced stewed cherry cut with orange oils and covered in salted caramel and vanilla crumble mingles with soft oak on the nose with this fleeting sense of Cherry Dr. Pepper and cedar kindling.
Palate: Walnut bread with a whisper of orange and banana drives the palate toward dried cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate and piled high on a pecan waffle with salted caramel drizzle and whipped buttercream before a hint of white pepper sneaks in.
Finish: Orange-cinnamon syrup drives the finish toward leathery tobacco rolled with cedar bark and smudging sage on the slow and warm finish.
Bottom Line:
The new Kentucky Senator Bourbon is a must-have slow sipper. It’s another example of the great barrels of Kentucky bourbon that are getting bottled right now. Drink it slow and enjoy the depth.
Rebel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel
This is Lux Row’s classic wheated bourbon recipe from 1849. The mash is made with 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley before it’s distilled and then left to mature for at least four years. Once aged, the whiskey barrels are batched and then bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles, pancake syrup, and blueberries drive the nose with a hint of toasted marshmallow and old oak.
Palate: Those blueberries drive the palate toward honeyed Graham Crackers with a sense of almost floral honey, wet brown sugar, and old boot leather.
Finish: That honey amps up through the finish with the leather as cedar kindling and dry tobacco round out the hot finish with a sense of chili peppers stewed in brown sugar syrup with cinnamon and clove.
Bottom Line:
Rebel is the unsung hero of the Kentucky bourbon scene. It’s always there, it’s always good, and it’s always affordable. You can’t beat that trio. With this one, I’d recommend starting off on the rocks and then moving into whiskey-forward cocktail mixing.
This brand-new bourbon from NBA superstar Steph Curry is a classic Kentucky bourbon done right. The whiskey is made with a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After distillation, it’s left to age for five to seven years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla and salted caramel dance with dried red chili and old saddle leather on the nose with a hint of winter spice, malted vanilla, and chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Palate: The taste opens with honeyed doughnuts next to cinnamon apple cider, eggnog, and more of that salted caramel with a buttery underbelly cut with dark chocolate.
Finish: The end stays soft and supple with a hint of old oak, leather tobacco pouches, and winter spice cake covered in hard dark chocolate with a hint of salt.
Bottom Line:
This is surprisingly good whiskey for a celeb brand. The price point is high but not egregiously so. It works as a slow sipper or great cocktail base.
Barrell Rye Cask Strength A Blend of Rye Whiskeys Batch #004
This brand-new blend of ryes from Barrell Craft Spirits combines four styles of rye. The main component is five, six, and 10-year-old Indiana rye mixed with a five-year-old Tennessee rye, a 6-year-old Kentucky rye, and a 14-year-old Canadian rye. Once batched, those whiskeys were bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leathery candied fruits and berries drive the nose toward tobacco leaves, roasting herbs, and nasturtiums with a whisper of woody sasparilla just kissed with spearmint and sesame seed.
Palate: There’s a candied fruit vibe on the palate with pecan waffles, butter, maple syrup, and a touch of burnt marshmallow dipped in creamy espresso that leads to anise and old boot leather.
Finish: Hazlenut shells and marzipan lead to a whisper of dried botanicals like juniper and ancho chili with a woody sense of dried herbs and tobacco dosed in old brandy.
Bottom Line:
This is a stellar rye whiskey. I’d buy a case.
Baker’s Single Barrel 13 Years Minimum Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This brand-new re-release of Beam’s Limited Edition “Minimum 13 Year” Baker’s just dropped. The whiskey in the barrel is from single barrels that hit just the right mark for something special. Beyond that, there’s not much else to know besides this is Baker’s at a high age that shines bright.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of dried sweetgrass, salted ballpark peanuts, and old vanilla pods that leads to softer notes of marzipan, vanilla sheet cake, and mild cherry.
Palate: Soft winter spices and minty tobacco drive the palate toward smudging sage and roasting herbs with a sense of marzipan slowly building on the mid-palate with a minor key of orange and cherry.
Finish: The vanilla sneaks in on the finish with more roasting herbs and dry grassiness with a hint of menthol, peanut shell, and distant oak.
Bottom Line:
Baker’s is the outlier in the Beam lineup. It’s always funky and unique in all the right ways. Pour this over a single rock and follow the winding sensory path it takes you on.
Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Bottled-In-Bond Double Oaked Rye Whiskey Toasted Series
This new release from Indiana’s Starlight Distillery is a blend of their 90/10 and 80/20 (rye/barley) rye whiskeys that are 4.5 to 6.5 years old. Those whiskeys were then finished in heavily toasted French Canton barrels for a final mellowing before a touch of proofing water and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange-laced salted caramel is countered by rich and bold huckleberry pie and stewed blackberry compote with a big dollop of buttercream with plenty of vanilla and toffee.
Palate: That orange darkens with winter spice barks and berries next to a rich vanilla creaminess that leans toward eggnog and creamy caramel all accented by a nice layer of soft oakiness.
Finish: The end is lush and just warm enough with dark winter spice, burnt orange, and brandy-soaked marzipan next to a lush sense of vanilla cake cut with stewed dark berries.
Bottom Line:
This is another great rye — ’tis the season! You are going to have to be in Indiana to get this at a good price (at the distillery) but it’s worth it. This is great stuff.
Little Book Chapter 07: In Retrospect Blended Straight Whiskeys
You know it’s fall whiskey season when Freddie Noe drops a new Little Book. Chapter 7 is a big blend of mostly bourbon and rye barrels with a single malt (finished in applewood smoked barrels) thrown in for good measure. The bourbons in the batch are four to 18 years old while the ryes are four to 10 years old. The final batch is bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-studded oranges open the nose with a bold sense of salted caramel, dark chocolate sauce, floral honey, and old vanilla cookies just kissed with almond oils and confectioner’s sugar before hitting light notes of old earthy cellars full of old firewood and leather boots.
Palate: That floral honey opens the palate with a soft vanilla cake covered in rich buttercream amped with marzipan and salted toffee before chili-laced chocolate tobacco drives the whole taste back toward earthiness and whiskey-worn oak.
Finish: The end has a soft warmth that slowly builds with winter spice barks, clove-spiked mulled wine, black-tea-soaked dates, rum raisin, and candied orange peels and cherries with a touch of malted chocolate cookies and vanilla tobacco rolled with smudging sage and dry cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
Yup. Excellent. You know what to do.
Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy’s Tale Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This brand-new Ardbeg limited edition is a funky masterpiece. The Islay whiskey was aged in Sauternes wine casks (a French dessert wine) and ex-bourbon barrels right next to the sea. After 13 years, those barrels were vatted and kissed with local spring water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Beeswax and unfiltered olive oil greet you on the nose with a deep sense of fatty roasting herbs, saddle soap, floral honey malted biscuits, vanilla-laced condensed milk still in the can, and blackberry brambles — dirt, berries, thorns, et al.
Palate: The salted meaty fat from the roasting herbs drives the palate toward absinth botanicals, smoldering beeswax candles, raw sugar rock candy, and this fleeting sense of smoldering white moss next to eucalyptus oils in a warm clay pot.
Finish: Smoked apricot and plum arrive on the finish with a hint of toasted coconut layered into a rich and creamy South Asian curry full of turmeric, cumin, and cardamon with a twist of smoked lemon and burnt cinnamon bark.
Bottom Line:
I really like this. It’s so funky and fresh. There’s nothing quite like this. It also really opens up with time and water. The fatty smoked meatiness and fruits just go deeper with an incredible creaminess that opens up toward espresso and vanilla butter. This is the good stuff.
This year’s Cowboy Bourbon from Garrison Brothers is a blend of only 118 barrels of six-year-old Texas bourbon. 1,000 bottles of the crafty Texas whiskey will be available in mid-September at the distillery with an additional 8,600 bottles going out nationwide the first week of October.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
This new version of Legent leans into the marriage of Kentucky and Japan in the bottle. The whiskey is a straight bourbon from Beam that spent eight years mellowing in Kentucky. That whiskey was then sent to the Yamazaki Distillery outside of Kyoto, Japan where blending legend Shinji Fukuyo transferred the whiskey into French and Spanish oak casks for another rest before batching again and re-filling the whiskey into the incredible Yamazaki Spanish Oak whisky casks for a final rest before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a leathery sense of old dried chilis that have just been kissed with heat before a sense of dried cranberry and rich malted chocolate take the nose toward soft plummy cakes full of soft powdered spices.
Palate: A hint of maltiness comes through early on the palate with a fleeting sense of smoked red berries before deep vanilla buttercream creates a luscious foundation for rich pipe tobacco, cranberry sauce cut with anise, clove, and nutmeg, sticky toffee pudding, and mulled wine cut with toffee and dry reeds.
Finish: The spices warm on the finish before descending toward soft nutcakes and winter-spiced doughnuts with a light sense of stewed plum and pear over old saddle leather and rickhouse dank.
Bottom Line:
This is a slow clap that leads to thunderous applause sort of whiskey. It takes a moment but once you really give into it, it’ll take you deep.
This year’s Birthday Bourbon is a subtle masterpiece expression from Lousiville’s oldest distillery. The whiskey in the bottle is hewn from 103 barrels that were filled on May 5th, 2011. Those barrels were housed on the 5th floor of Warehouse I in Louisville for 12 years for batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Candied orange peels draw you in on the nose as molasses and rum raisin lead to salted dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, old cedar bark, and dry orchard barks layered with soft winter spice barks and dark cherry.
Palate: That candied orange drives the palate with a sense of Luxardo cherries, old rickhouse dirt floors, and oak staves before rummy molasses and dark fruits — think dates, figs, and prunes — lead to a cedar tobacco vibe.
Finish: The end sweetens at first with a honeyed orange caramel before swinging back toward the coffee beans and cedar tobacco with a soft sense of old orchards in late fall.
Bottom Line:
If you didn’t win a bottle this year, fear not. This year’s Birthday Bourbon is about to hit bar and restaurant shelves around the country. That’s going to be your best bet at finding this one (outside of astronomical secondary market prices).
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Limited Edition 2023 Release
Maker’s Mark is a solid wheated bourbon. That means that when they do something special for a limited edition, it’s often excellent. In this case, Maker’s released a new batch of 11 and 12-year-old wheated bourbon barrels in this cask strength expression. Long story short, this is well-aged Maker’s turned all the way up.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark cedar and old leathery dates and apricots come through on the nose with a sense of crème brûlée (especially the burnt sugar topping), dark berry fruit leather, and a smoldering sense of old oak staves roasting some cinnamon bark and cloves.
Palate: The vanilla takes on a burnt bean pod vibe as long notes of winter spice barks lead back to dark berry crumbles and cobblers with a sharp warmth tied to smoldering oak staves, pipe tobacco, and smudging sage.
Finish: The end gets super creamy thanks to the vanilla buttercream and eggnog spices as the dark berry fruit leather offers a counterpoint before the old cedar kindling and sage take back over.
Bottom Line:
I feel like a broken record at this point. This is delicious whiskey and going to make a lifelong Maker’s fan very happy while getting a whole slew of new fans for the iconic brand.
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey Toasted Series
This starts off with Starlight’s high-corn bourbons that are four to six years old. Once batched, the whiskey is refilled into new toasted oak from France for an additional six to eight months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft apricot leather next to dark fruit layered with dry spice barks and berries, toasted oakiness, and fluttering moments of woody tobacco imbued with red chili pepper spice.
Palate: A clear dry cedar kindling vibe leads to creamy eggnog, plenty of moist winter spice cakes, and black tea cut with creamed honey on the palate.
Finish: The dark fruit darkens on the finish as dry kindling, sweet oak, and rich chewing tobacco dance with dates, figs, and plums with a distinct almond shell nutty/woody feel that ends on a warm hug of a fireplace on a cold fall day next to a fallow orchard.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent bourbon from Indiana. Get it if you can, and then just let it wash over you.
Four Roses 2023 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Select
This year’s Four Roses LE Small Batch is only 15,060 bottles. In those bottles, you’ll find a blend of 12, 14, 16, and 25-year-old barrels of whiskey. Those barrels are perfectly balanced to bring deep flavors to the batch before proofing and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich winter spice cakes with roasted nuts, rum raisin, and soft vanilla oils vibe with old cedar kindling, hints of dill, and a faint touch of marshmallow that’s spent too much time in the fire.
Palate: The palate is all sticky toffee pudding and honey cake with a rush of red huckleberry and tart raspberry next to pear cider cut with clove, cinnamon, and allspice and a faint touch of brandied marzipan.
Finish: The finish turns into a luscious masterpiece of soft pear brandy-soaked marzipan with creamy dark chocolate and spiced Christmas nut cakes next to a soft chili tobacco dipped in molasses.
Bottom Line:
If you didn’t win a bottle of this year’s LE Small Batch from Four Roses, don’t worry. There will be bottles at great whiskey bars and restaurants soon. It’s worth the wait!
Ocotmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Super Heavily Peated 14.1 Edition Aged 5 Years
2023’s Octomore’s have arrived. The 14.1 Edition is made with 100% Scottish-grown Concerto barley that was heavily peated during the malting process. The barley was fermented and distilled in 2017 and left in the barrel to age — in ex-bourbon casks — next to the sea on Islay until 2023 when it was batched and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose beckons you in with a soft and moist coconut cake imbued with rich vanilla, soft buttery toffee, roasted almonds, and salted caramel all smoked next to a seaweed-fed fire as whispers of slow-smoked pork butt and grandma’s lemon meringue pie dance in the background.
Palate: Smoked lemons preserved in salt open the palate toward vanilla buttercream cut with toffee and stewed pear, cinnamon bark, and clove before soft smoldering charcoal and burnt honeycombs veer the palate toward dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, floral honey, and eggnog spice.
Finish: That creamy eggnog spiciness mounts on the finish with saltwater-soaked applewood charcoal, nasturtiums, and a deep sense of old earthy peat that’s part black soil, part dry smoldering seaweed, and part smoked fatty pork meat with a light sense of red berries lurking underneath.
Bottom Line:
“Super heavily peated” is on the label. You’ve been warned thoroughly. While this isn’t for everyone, it’s still a masterpiece of peated whisky. Try it over ice to get a foothold and go from there. If you’re already initiated into the world of Islay peat, then this is going to be a year-end favorite.
This whiskey is Michter’s standard rye that’s finished in a second, toasted barrel. In this case, those barrels are air-dried for 24 long months before being lightly toasted and loaded with the rye. The whiskey then goes into the bottle at barrel strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a spicy and sweet nose that’s just like a buttery, candied and dried fruit, and nut-filled holiday cake that’s been drenched in good whiskey and left to sit for a month to really amp up those flavors while a flutter of dry cedar kindling dipped in dark chocolate sneaks in.
Palate: The taste has a clear sense of black-tea-soaked dates, creamed vanilla honey, black walnuts, wet brown sugar, and a touch of salted dark chocolate with a whisper of bitterness that feels like vanilla pods still on the branch and old smoking hickory just kissed with brisket fat.
Finish: The mid-palate dries out towards that pitchy yet dry woodpile with an echo of dirt from the bottom of that woodpile on the finish before the roasting herbs and soft dark berries arrive with a whisper of dark chocolate tobacco and leather.
Bottom Line:
This year’s last major Michter’s release is the return of a fan favorite. This is stellar rye that really benefits from slow sipping (rock optional). It’s just good goddamn whiskey, folks.
Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years “Spring 2023” Decanter
Old Fitzgerald Botted-In-Bond Decanters always holds Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon, which is made with a mash of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. That recipe harkens back to before the brand was part of the Pappy Van Winkle line at the old Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville. In this case, the bourbon went into the barrel in the spring of 2013 and was left for 10 years. In the spring of 2023, those barrels were batched and just proofed with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling in Heaven Hill’s bespoke decanters for the official 11th Old Fitz release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with lemon cake with a whisper of meringue next to honey Graham Crackers, winter spiced Nutella cut with orange oils, soft vanilla sheet cake, and this fleeting sense of Double Mint gum by way of a vanilla malt milkshake.
Palate: The palate is luscious and sweet with a sense of rum-soaked raisins covered in dark salted chocolate next to toffee rolled in almond and dipped in eggnog with a light moment of stewed cherry compote with whole clove, allspice, and cinnamon bark.
Finish: Those woody winter spices amp up through the finish with a deep dark cherry jam over lemon-kissed shortbread with plenty of real vanilla before a light sense of tobacco rolled with molasses softens the very end.
Bottom Line:
The 11th Old Fitz Decanter is everything you could possibly want in a rare Kentucky bourbon. It’s dynamic, delicious, and delicate in all the right ways.
The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky A Revelation of Cask and Character Aged 19 Years
There are a lot of great The Balvenie expressions out there right now. This new one is part of The Balvenie’s Stories range and celebrates the coopers making barrels at the distillery. The whisky in the bottle aged for 19 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is brash and bright with sticky and tart berry brambles leading to an orange cake covered in vanilla sugar with a hint of dark-tea-soaked plum and apricot with this fleeting sense of Digestive Biscuits lurking in the background with old spent oak barrels.
Palate: The boldness continues on the palate with stewed black cherry cut cream soda next to leathery figs and dates, moist marzipan kissed with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate, and a spicy moment of rum raisin.
Finish: The end warms with malty spices before the berries, marzipan, and chocolate combine to make a delicious holiday cake full of all things nice.
Bottom Line:
This is going to be hard to find in the U.S. but it’ll be worth the hunt, especially for a smashing holiday sipper.
The latest edition to Heaven Hill’s Parker’s Heritage Collection is a brashy 10-year-old rye. The whiskey is made from 142 barrels from specific warehouses and floors, all made with Heaven Hill’s 51% rye mash bill (supported by 35% corn and 14% malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark stewed and dried fruits lead on the nose with a deep leatheriness that makes for chewy dried chili peppers, old tobacco leaves, and musty spice racks full of cumin, cinnamon, and clove.
Palate: Stewed black cherries dipped in dark chocolate open the palate toward deep creamed honey, cinnamon-infused mulled wine, and clove-studded blood oranges with a hint of old wicker porch furniture and piles of fall leaves just moistened by the rain.
Finish: Dry winter spice barks and berries mingle with dark black cherry compote on the finish before the wicker reeds take on a moment of dank and more tobacco drives the finish to a warm yet eggnog-creamy end.
Bottom Line:
This is another stellar rye whiskey.
Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Special Release Tennessee Rye Whiskey Heritage Barrel Rye
This whiskey starts off with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey which is hewn from a mash of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley with Jack’s own yeast and lactobacillus strains. After a slow drip-drop filtering through 10 solid feet of sugar maple charcoal (which strips oily graininess and highlights sweet fruitiness, among other notes), the mellowed juice is filled into “Heritage Barrels.” Those barrels were seasoned in the open air for years. Once coopered, the American white oak barrels are heavily toasted and lightly charred. That toasting allows the sugars to caramelize and become more easily available to the distillate while the light char means less filtering as the whiskey moves in and out of the wood.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of Christmas spiced cakes brimming with candied cherries and orange peels next to roasted walnuts and a moist strip of pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a light hint of homemade cranberry sauce, roasting herbs, and a light sense of fresh pipe tobacco just kissed with spicy chili-infused Mexican hot chocolate with a real vanilla pod as a swizzle stick.
Palate: That vanilla gets super creamy on the palate as eggnog with clove and nutmeg drive the taste back to candied pear, cherry, and orange with an underbelly of dry smudging sage, cedar bark, and tobacco leaves braided and rolled into an old cigar humidor with a sweet leathery edge.
Finish: The end marries the candied cherry, spiced chocolate, and vanilla buttercream into a bespoke Black Forest cake with a holiday spice vibe next to soft sweetgrass, more of those roasting herbs, and a whisper of dried ancho chili soaked in pear brandy that’s just kissed with huckleberry pie.
Bottom Line:
2023 is shaping up to be the year rye whiskey really starts to hit insane new heights. This is not just a great rye, it’s a great whiskey full stop. Buy a case… if you can find it.
Skip Bayless’ FS1 show Undisputed returned from a two month hiatus this week after Shannon Sharpe left earlier this summer. The show now features Michael Irvin, Richard Sherman, and Keyshawn Johnson as co-hosts to Bayless in an attempt to truly embrace debate. And a little later in the week, Rachel Nichols joined the desk.
So far, the new iteration of the show has been a refresher on Michael Irvin’s pure unfiltered passion for anything he speaks about, although the whole thing is still finding its footing balancing a rotating cast of co-hosts while still providing Bayless a major platform. But that didn’t stop Stephen A. Smith, Bayless’ former sparring partner on ESPN’s First Take, from taking a small victory lap on his Twitter account over his show getting better ratings.
Skip and Stephen A. were the forefathers for this current version of debate embracing back in the day on ESPN. Their dynamic created a hot take machine that served as the inspiration for the litany of debate shows and podcasts that exist today. Bayless left First Take in 2016 to start his own show on FS1, and while Skip and Stephen A. have both thrived on their own, there’s still a friendly rivalry between the two of them. If anything, this tweet is a reminder that Stephen A. is an entertainer with a great sense for drama.
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