It seems like so many iterations of unfettered joy from our childhood haven’t made it to the modern age, and playgrounds are no exception.
Gone are the days of metal slides that scorched the derriere in the summertime, seesaws that doubled as human catapults and the notorious merry-go-rounds that separated the weak from the strong. Good old fashioned character building—safety be damned!
As it turns out, a few of these old relics are still standing. And footage of kids playing at one of these bygone parks is filling adults—particularly Gen Xers—with sweet nostalgia.
Dubbing it the “Last Gen X Playground” by Ronda Schofield filmed a video of the local haunt in all its rusted glory.
As the iconic 80s song “Maniac” plays in the background, we first see some kiddos swinging on a very odd contraption that sports a generic clown face.
Then the camera pans out to reveal a metal slide weighted down by a concrete cinder block (classic), dilapidated rocking horse swings, and a spinning seesaw that’s certainly seen better days.
But you know what? The kids today seem to like it just fine.
While plenty of these staples have been replaced by safer alternatives, viewers on TikTok couldn’t help but reminisce about their childhood favorites.
“The lunch ladies at my elementary school would give us waxed paper so we would slide faster down the slide,” one person recalled.
The horse swings were my favorite,” add another. “Impossible when you get bigger, no knee room!”
One even quipped “Metal slides on a hot summer day… getting blinded and burnt at the same time.” Ah yes, a simpler time.
As people shared their recess war stories, it became all the more clear why many of these fixtures are no longer around.
“Broke my leg on the spinning thing and got stitches in my chin from the teeter totter,” one person joked.
Still, folks definitely felt their childhood come alive again after Schofield’s clip. Many felt it should be restored and kept a historic landmark of sorts.
The pre-internet days might have been a little rough around the edges, but there was an undeniable rugged charm about it all. In many ways, it was easier for kids to just be kids, allowing for social interaction, reckless abandon and learning that a few knee scrapes doesn’t signal the end of the world.
Those days might be behind us—and probably for the better, ultimately—but it’s still nice to hop back in from time to time.
Now, where’s the vintage mall with cheesy glamor shots, vinyl shops, video game arcades and RadioShacks?
It seems like so many iterations of unfettered joy from our childhood haven’t made it to the modern age, and playgrounds are no exception.
Gone are the days of metal slides that scorched the derriere in the summertime, seesaws that doubled as human catapults and the notorious merry-go-rounds that separated the weak from the strong. Good old fashioned character building—safety be damned!
As it turns out, a few of these old relics are still standing. And footage of kids playing at one of these bygone parks is filling adults—particularly Gen Xers—with sweet nostalgia.
Dubbing it the “Last Gen X Playground” by Ronda Schofield filmed a video of the local haunt in all its rusted glory.
As the iconic 80s song “Maniac” plays in the background, we first see some kiddos swinging on a very odd contraption that sports a generic clown face.
Then the camera pans out to reveal a metal slide weighted down by a concrete cinder block (classic), dilapidated rocking horse swings, and a spinning seesaw that’s certainly seen better days.
But you know what? The kids today seem to like it just fine.
While plenty of these staples have been replaced by safer alternatives, viewers on TikTok couldn’t help but reminisce about their childhood favorites.
“The lunch ladies at my elementary school would give us waxed paper so we would slide faster down the slide,” one person recalled.
The horse swings were my favorite,” add another. “Impossible when you get bigger, no knee room!”
One even quipped “Metal slides on a hot summer day… getting blinded and burnt at the same time.” Ah yes, a simpler time.
As people shared their recess war stories, it became all the more clear why many of these fixtures are no longer around.
“Broke my leg on the spinning thing and got stitches in my chin from the teeter totter,” one person joked.
Still, folks definitely felt their childhood come alive again after Schofield’s clip. Many felt it should be restored and kept a historic landmark of sorts.
The pre-internet days might have been a little rough around the edges, but there was an undeniable rugged charm about it all. In many ways, it was easier for kids to just be kids, allowing for social interaction, reckless abandon and learning that a few knee scrapes doesn’t signal the end of the world.
Those days might be behind us—and probably for the better, ultimately—but it’s still nice to hop back in from time to time.
Now, where’s the vintage mall with cheesy glamor shots, vinyl shops, video game arcades and RadioShacks?
Although it is difficult to tell if there is a trend of Americans moving out of the country, rough estimates show that around 8 million currently live in other countries—double the 4.1 million living abroad in 1999.
The most popular countries for Americans to move to are Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom, in that order.
A big reason why some are leaving the U.S. is that an increasing number of employers allow people to work abroad. Others are choosing to leave because of cost of living increases and “golden visa” programs. Golden visas offer the chance to get a foreign residency permit by purchasing a house or making a significant investment or donation.
A couple is going viral on TikTok because they’ve decided to leave America and move to Spain. Luna Ashley Santel had wanted to move for a long time, but her husband wasn’t on board with the change until he had a lightbulb moment while visiting a Spanish café. The couple are parents of a 4-year-old daughter, and a big reason for their decision to leave is her safety.
Here’s what shifted for him. I’m sure this’ll piss the right people off. No pun intended. #movingabroad #spaindigitalnomadvisa #movingabroadwithpets #movingtospainwithkids
While spending time in Spain, the couple went to a crowded café, which would have made them uncomfortable back home in St. Louis, Missouri.
“There’s a ton of people walking around. Being from St. Louis, that’s not a very comfortable place for me to be in,” the husband said. “And you turn to me and say, ‘Have you seen all these people?’” he recounted his wife saying.
“And you’re like, ‘None of them have guns,’” he continued.
At this moment, he realized that living in America caused him to be on alert whenever he was out in public. A feeling he never got in Spain. “And I realized this weight that I had been carrying around my whole life wasn’t necessary. Like what we think is normal is not normal,” he said.
When it comes to firearm policy, Spain and Missouri couldn’t be more different. In Spain, owning a handgun for self-defense is allowed when you are in verifiable danger. In Missouri, there is no permit requirement to carry a firearm, whether it’s concealed or carried openly.
In Spain, the gun death rate per 100,000 people in 2019 was 0.64. Whereas, in Missouri, the chance of being killed by a gun is more than 36 times greater, with 23.2 people per every 100,000 dying by gun in 2021.
The video resonated with many Americans who feel uncomfortable living in a country that has become accustomed to mass shootings.
“There’s so much mental energy we dedicate to simply existing in the U.S.,” Mintmage wrote.
“As a father of two young boys, your husband’s explanation has me shook because I cannot disagree,” Astrolo-G added.
“That is literally my main motivator for leaving the country. I am terrified for my son,” Doula Faye wrote.
Luna’s husband isn’t the only one in the family concerned about school safety in the U.S. Luna, a former teacher of 7 years, believes that sending her daughter to a school where they have “terrifying” intruder drills is unacceptable.
“It’s nothing that I want my 5-year-old child to have to accept or learn as normal,” she says in another TikTok post.
Replying to @CholeraMeBadd a huge reason we are getting out. #gettingoutoftheusa #movingabroad #alicedrill #alicedrills #iquitteaching #ididntsignupforthishit #movingtospainwithkids
Although it is difficult to tell if there is a trend of Americans moving out of the country, rough estimates show that around 8 million currently live in other countries—double the 4.1 million living abroad in 1999.
The most popular countries for Americans to move to are Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom, in that order.
A big reason why some are leaving the U.S. is that an increasing number of employers allow people to work abroad. Others are choosing to leave because of cost of living increases and “golden visa” programs. Golden visas offer the chance to get a foreign residency permit by purchasing a house or making a significant investment or donation.
A couple is going viral on TikTok because they’ve decided to leave America and move to Spain. Luna Ashley Santel had wanted to move for a long time, but her husband wasn’t on board with the change until he had a lightbulb moment while visiting a Spanish café. The couple are parents of a 4-year-old daughter, and a big reason for their decision to leave is her safety.
Here’s what shifted for him. I’m sure this’ll piss the right people off. No pun intended. #movingabroad #spaindigitalnomadvisa #movingabroadwithpets #movingtospainwithkids
While spending time in Spain, the couple went to a crowded café, which would have made them uncomfortable back home in St. Louis, Missouri.
“There’s a ton of people walking around. Being from St. Louis, that’s not a very comfortable place for me to be in,” the husband said. “And you turn to me and say, ‘Have you seen all these people?’” he recounted his wife saying.
“And you’re like, ‘None of them have guns,’” he continued.
At this moment, he realized that living in America caused him to be on alert whenever he was out in public. A feeling he never got in Spain. “And I realized this weight that I had been carrying around my whole life wasn’t necessary. Like what we think is normal is not normal,” he said.
When it comes to firearm policy, Spain and Missouri couldn’t be more different. In Spain, owning a handgun for self-defense is allowed when you are in verifiable danger. In Missouri, there is no permit requirement to carry a firearm, whether it’s concealed or carried openly.
In Spain, the gun death rate per 100,000 people in 2019 was 0.64. Whereas, in Missouri, the chance of being killed by a gun is more than 36 times greater, with 23.2 people per every 100,000 dying by gun in 2021.
The video resonated with many Americans who feel uncomfortable living in a country that has become accustomed to mass shootings.
“There’s so much mental energy we dedicate to simply existing in the U.S.,” Mintmage wrote.
“As a father of two young boys, your husband’s explanation has me shook because I cannot disagree,” Astrolo-G added.
“That is literally my main motivator for leaving the country. I am terrified for my son,” Doula Faye wrote.
Luna’s husband isn’t the only one in the family concerned about school safety in the U.S. Luna, a former teacher of 7 years, believes that sending her daughter to a school where they have “terrifying” intruder drills is unacceptable.
“It’s nothing that I want my 5-year-old child to have to accept or learn as normal,” she says in another TikTok post.
Replying to @CholeraMeBadd a huge reason we are getting out. #gettingoutoftheusa #movingabroad #alicedrill #alicedrills #iquitteaching #ididntsignupforthishit #movingtospainwithkids
Michelle Elman, a body positivity coach, helps people who are struggling to find confidence in their own skin.
After persevering through numerous medical conditions and surgeries in her own life, Elman realized a few years ago that body positivity wasn’t just about size or weight. Things like scars, birthmarks, and anything else that makes us feel different of self-conscious have to be a part of the conversation, and she tries to make the movement accessible to everyone.
Sharing her own journey has been one of her most effective teaching tools.
In May, she shared a post on Instagram of herself trying on a dress she bought five years ago in order to prove a powerful point.
In the first photo, from 2012 — when she was a size 12, she says — she’s wearing a size 14 dress. In the new photo, she’s wearing the same dress, though she says she normally wears a size 20.
“NUMBERS DON’T MEAN ANYTHING,” she wrote in the post. “So are you really going to let a change [in] dress size dictate your day? Are you really going to let an increase in a number affect your mood?”
“A higher dress size doesn’t mean: — you are less beautiful — you are less worthy — you are less lovable — you are a worse human — you are a bad person — you are a different person AND it doesn’t even mean you have a bigger body.”
The viral photo inspired thousands of people. While a huge majority of the comments were positive, there was still something bugging Elman about the response.
Not everyone was getting the right message.
“Since the creation of this account, I have always been told I’m beautiful ‘for my size’ and I never wanted to talk about it because I thought I was being pedantic but eventually decided to speak my mind about it,” she says in an email.
She decided to create a follow-up post to set a few things straight about what body positivity really means.
In the second post, she took a different approach to the “before and after” shots we see so often on Instagram. People loved it.
In the caption, Elman addresses a couple of things well-meaning people got wrong about the message she was trying to spread. Some commenters said she looked “skinnier” in the 2017 photo which, though meant as a compliment, just reinforces that being skinny is somehow better.
Others said she wasn’t fat enough, to which Elman could only scoff.
“If people tell you they are a certain size, believe them,” she wrote.
“People think that body positivity is about trying to convince people that bigger bodies are attractive, either physically or sexually,” she says.
But that’s totally missing the point of what her work is all about.
“If you are still relating your love for your body to society’s perception of beauty,” she says, “then you are still reliant on someone else’s opinion. Body positivity is about saying that you are more than a body and your self-worth is not reliant on your beauty.”
Her second post is currently sitting at over 26,500 likes on Instagram — a clear sign that this is a message many of us desperately needed to hear.
Michelle Elman, a body positivity coach, helps people who are struggling to find confidence in their own skin.
After persevering through numerous medical conditions and surgeries in her own life, Elman realized a few years ago that body positivity wasn’t just about size or weight. Things like scars, birthmarks, and anything else that makes us feel different of self-conscious have to be a part of the conversation, and she tries to make the movement accessible to everyone.
Sharing her own journey has been one of her most effective teaching tools.
In May, she shared a post on Instagram of herself trying on a dress she bought five years ago in order to prove a powerful point.
In the first photo, from 2012 — when she was a size 12, she says — she’s wearing a size 14 dress. In the new photo, she’s wearing the same dress, though she says she normally wears a size 20.
“NUMBERS DON’T MEAN ANYTHING,” she wrote in the post. “So are you really going to let a change [in] dress size dictate your day? Are you really going to let an increase in a number affect your mood?”
“A higher dress size doesn’t mean: — you are less beautiful — you are less worthy — you are less lovable — you are a worse human — you are a bad person — you are a different person AND it doesn’t even mean you have a bigger body.”
The viral photo inspired thousands of people. While a huge majority of the comments were positive, there was still something bugging Elman about the response.
Not everyone was getting the right message.
“Since the creation of this account, I have always been told I’m beautiful ‘for my size’ and I never wanted to talk about it because I thought I was being pedantic but eventually decided to speak my mind about it,” she says in an email.
She decided to create a follow-up post to set a few things straight about what body positivity really means.
In the second post, she took a different approach to the “before and after” shots we see so often on Instagram. People loved it.
In the caption, Elman addresses a couple of things well-meaning people got wrong about the message she was trying to spread. Some commenters said she looked “skinnier” in the 2017 photo which, though meant as a compliment, just reinforces that being skinny is somehow better.
Others said she wasn’t fat enough, to which Elman could only scoff.
“If people tell you they are a certain size, believe them,” she wrote.
“People think that body positivity is about trying to convince people that bigger bodies are attractive, either physically or sexually,” she says.
But that’s totally missing the point of what her work is all about.
“If you are still relating your love for your body to society’s perception of beauty,” she says, “then you are still reliant on someone else’s opinion. Body positivity is about saying that you are more than a body and your self-worth is not reliant on your beauty.”
Her second post is currently sitting at over 26,500 likes on Instagram — a clear sign that this is a message many of us desperately needed to hear.
Bourbon & Beyond has become the whiskey festival to attend in Kentucky if you’re a music lover. The four-day fest draws massive crowds (over 100,000) for big-name international headliners. This year saw the Black Keys, Bruno Mars, Billy Strings, Blondie, and Black Crows lead the way — and that’s just the b’s. The fest is also a haven for all things bourbon (and the wider world of American whiskey).
26 brands were part of the festival this year with tons more making appearances on the Bourbon Stage for live talks with industry insiders and tastings of special release whiskeys for hardcore bourbon and music fans. That’s where I come in.
This year, I got to taste a lot of great bourbon at Bourbon & Beyond, and I’m going to tell you all about it below. One ripple here is that some of these bourbons were barrel picks specifically for the festival — picked by the great Chris Blandford who hosts the Bourbon Stage. So instead of price linking to bottles that were at bars at a festival that was last weekend, I’ve linked to the brand’s barrel picks that you can actually get. There will be some profile variation, but it won’t be that much. The point is that the bourbons listed below are all stellar and you should 100% check them out.
Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
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:
I’ve had this whiskey a few times over the last weeks and it gets better with every tasting. Moreover, if you’re a fan of McTavish’s vast resume of work, this is a no-brainer addition to your home bar.
Stagg is Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill no. 1 (a low-rye mash) turned all the way up to MAX volume. The whiskey spends about a decade resting in the old Buffalo Trace warehouses before it’s batched and bottled (in this case in Spring 2023) 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is rich on the nose with deep senses of dark chocolate brownies just kissed with stewed black cherry and old vanilla pods before a soft sense of red chili tobacco and wet brown sugar tobacco lead to a whisper of smoldering fall leaves.
Palate: That dark chocolate and chili-laced tobacco drives the taste toward a Christmas cake brimming with candied cherry, orange rind, rum raisin, clove, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and creamy vanilla icing with a dash of salt, marzipan, and brandy-soaked apple and pear orchards.
Finish: The rich and boozy holiday cake fades on the finish as deep earthiness — think firewood bark and smudging sage — drives the end toward a big Kentucky hug of warmth that’s just right.
Bottom Line:
I ended up pouring a few glasses of this on the first day of the fest while listening to Old Crow Medicine Show. Overall, this is a great sipper with incredible depth. Though, you might need a rock to cool it down a tad.
Peerless Double Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bourbon & Beyond
This whiskey from Kentucky Peerless is around five to six years old and comes from one barrel that lets the grains shine through before it goes into another new oak barrel for a final maturation to let the oak shine through. That final barrel is bottled at cask strength, as-is, allowing all that beautiful bourbon and oak aging to shine brightly.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a nose full of salted butter next to hints of very soft leather, light notes of vanilla bean, a touch of toffee sweetness, and freshly cracked walnuts with a dry edge.
Palate: The taste leans into that oak barrel with dashes of woody spices (think allspice berries, star anise, and cinnamon sticks), dry cherry tobacco leaves, salted caramel, and more of that super soft leather.
Finish: All of that leads towards a mid-palate of dark red fruits stewed in mulled wine spices and cut with a dollop of fresh honey before the (long) finish dries out towards an old wicker chair, a very distinct hint of a cellar funk, and a touch of dried mint.
Bottom Line:
This is just tasty and deep bourbon. I like it over a rock or two or in a cocktail, but you can sip this neat all day.
Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Original Cask Strength
The newest release from Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley is an evolution of their brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three bourbons which create a four-grain bourbon. That blend was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a balance of old leather boots and freshly cracked black pepper next to a hint of walnut shell, vanilla pod, and orange zest.
Palate: The palate leans into what feels like star fruit as orange marmalade, salted butter, and fresh honey drip over rye bread crusts.
Finish: The end comes with a good dose of peppery spice and old leather as those walnuts and orange combine with a handful of dried fruit and a dusting of winter spices on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another easy-going sipper that also makes a mean cocktail. You can’t go wrong here.
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Spanish Brandy Barrels Bourbon & Beyond
This whiskey starts off with a blend of Starlight’s three-grain and four-grain bourbon mash bills. Those whiskeys are batched and after four years of rest and then that whiskey is re-barreled into Spanish brandy barrels for a final rest before cask strength bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep dried apricot vibe next to salted mango strips, soft dates, and a moment of grilled peach next to vanilla cream and spiced oak staves.
Palate: The apricot gets jammy on the palate as a leathery sense of orange tobacco dipped in plum sauce drives the taste toward a creamy brandy pudding with deep winter spice barks.
Finish: Those spices mingle in a warm apple cider as lush vanilla and sticky toffee pudding bring the finish to a warm and lush end.
Bottom Line:
This is just really good. It’s luscious and deep. It does lean more toward the fruity end of bourbon, but it balances very well with the darker wood notes. Drink it neat, on the rocks, or in your favorite cocktail.
Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bourbon & Beyond
This is classic Old Forester bourbon. The key difference is that these barrel picks are proofed down to 100 proof before bottling, allowing more of that Louisville bourbon character to shine through.
Tasting Note:
Nose: This has a subtle nose of cherry blossom next to a woody maple syrup that almost felt like it had some of the bark in there next to a nice dose of winter spice.
Palate: The taste compliments the nose with light florals and plummy fruit next to a touch of cherry syrup-soaked cedar planks and a bushel of dark spices, cherry cola, and rich dark chocolate with a creamy underbelly.
Finish: The mid-palate had a slight dark chocolate-covered espresso bean feel to it that led to a finish that was slightly bitter and full of dark fruit and warm spice attached to black cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
If you like Black Forest Cake, you’re going to love this.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey Bourbon & Beyond
Where Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select is cut with soft limestone water to bring it down to proof, this is the whiskey straight from the barrel. These barrels are all hand-selected from the vast Jack Daniel’s rickhouses. What’s left from the angel’s share then goes right into the bottle. That means the ABVs and tasting notes for this bottle will vary ever so slightly depending on which bottle you snag.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of rich vanilla, salted caramel, and toasted oak next to a rush of cherry-spiked spice layered into fruity dark tobacco, soft Christmas cakes full of nuts, and a hint of mulled wine.
Palate: The sip opens with lush vanilla, old oak, and rich wintry spices with a nice dose of bright red fruits and a texture that’s more velvet than liquid.
Finish: The end really holds onto that vibe as the mild winter spice, cellared oak, more rich vanilla, and almost maple syrup sweetness slowly fade across your senses, leaving you with chewy cherry tobacco stuffed into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic neat pour. If you can find these, buy two.
Seelbach’s Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Toasted French Oak And Maple Syrup Barrels
This special release from online retailer Seelbach’s is a Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Jacksonville, FLA. The four-and-a-half-year-old bourbon is sent down to Florida where it spends a humid and hot summer in toasted French oak and ex-bourbon maple syrup barrels before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles dripping in salted butter and fresh maple syrup drive the nose toward cinnamon rolls, cedar kindling, and apple butter-infused tobacco.
Palate: The palate is full of peach and orange with a hint of clove leading to sharp winter spices and dark chocolate with a touch of smudging sage and rich pipe tobacco.
Finish: Banana’s Foster and cigar boxes drive the finish toward apple cider spiked with allspice and cinnamon and a soft sense of nutty cinnamon doughnuts wrapped in old leather.
Bottom Line:
This was handed to me by a distiller I know and love with a “you have to try this” vibe, and it really popped. This is the bottle I’m still thinking about days later. It’s that good.
Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is basically Pappy at ten years old but not “technically” Pappy (this is still a “Van Winkle” expression, which is the minor end of the line). Semantics aside, this is the same wheated juice as the rest that hits its prime at ten years old instead of 12 or 15 or 20. The main difference here — besides the younger age — is the proof. This goes into the bottle with only a touch of water, keeping it far closer to barrel-proof at 107 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of rum-raisin folded into a honey-nut creamy fudge cluster with pecans and walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar, sweet cinnamon, and orange zest.
Palate: The palate leans into salted caramel with vanilla cream next to stewed apples with maple doughnut frosting and a twinge of old dates soaked in black tea.
Finish: The end has a moment of black pepperiness before heading toward woody winter spices, old piles of orchard wood with a hint of black mold, and soft leaves of chewy tobacco laced with dark chocolate, salted caramel, and marzipan.
Bottom Line:
There’s always a bottle of Old Rip somewhere backstage at the Bourbon Stage and it’s always a delight.
This is how it all ended for us that fateful day backstage:
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks
This new ultra-premium expression from Angel’s Envy is a 50/50 blend of their four and nine-year-old bourbons that are batched and then re-barreled into Japanese Mizunara casks. Two (!) years later, those casks were batched and bottled with a hint of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Nutty banana bread with a smear of salted butter leads to a bowl of fall orchard fruit — apples, pears, soft melons — before sharp winter spice barks and old leathery vanilla beans arrive on the nose.
Palate: Lush vanilla buttercream and cinnamon-spiked apple cider lead on the palate as black pepper just sneaks in next to floral honey and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Finish: That nutty banana bread pops in again on the finish with plenty of vanilla buttercream, old leather boots, fall fruit orchards, and a light sense of smoldering smudging sage next to old tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Angel’s Envy has a massive presence at Bourbon & Beyond (their VIP tent is the tent to get into) and that means some amazing pours sneak in. This is one of those amazing pours. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
Copper & Kings Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels
Copper & Kings have spent years perfecting their Kentucky brandy in Louisville. Now, they’re perfecting brandy-finished Kentucky bourbon. The whiskey in the bottle is a sourced blend of five-, 10-, and 15-year-old bourbons that once batched were re-barreled into Copper & Kings’ own apple brandy barrels. After a year of resting in those brandy barrels, the whiskey was barely touched with water and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cranberry sauce and caramel candies drive the nose toward old tobacco rolled up with cedar and sage and packed into an old cedar box next to hints of fall leaves and fallow apple orchards.
Palate: The palate opens with a lush and leathery dried apricot next to a moment of grapefruit pith, more cranberry sauce, and plenty of winter spice before honey and chocolate arrive with a dark cherry fruit leatheriness.
Finish: Toffee-dipped tart apples lead to warm and spiced apple cider on the finish with a nice sense of dark chocolate-covered caramels and soft vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent sipper. It’s also one that I can’t wait to go back to in a more controlled setting to really dive into what’s in that profile.
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 just gets better with each tasting. If you’re a Metallica fan, then this is a must-have. Hell, if you’re a good bourbon fan, this is a must-have.
Jimmy and Eddie Russell — Wild Turkey’s Master Distillers — hand-select these barrels from their vast warehouses for just the right bourbon flavor. The bourbon is bottled with a touch of water added to highlight the beauty of Wild Turkey’s multi-generational whiskey-making prowess.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re met with creamy depths of vanilla next to pound cake, spicy tobacco, sweet oak, and a clear hit of orange oil.
Palate: That vanilla really amps up as hints of rose water-forward marzipan lead towards cedar, more vanilla, and a dash of Christmas spices.
Finish: On the finish, a really deep dark chocolate smoothness arrives with a more nutty almond that’s reminiscent of an Almond Joy straight from a special candy shop.
This is a four-year-old single-barrel version of Rabbit Hole’s beloved Heigold expression. That’s the brand’s double malt (malted rye and malted barley) that has a high-rye bourbon mash bill (70/25/5 corn/malted rye/malted barley).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lush with deep layers of maple syrup over pecan waffles with a good hit of salted butter (really good butter) next to dark chocolate chips, old boot leather, smudging sage that’s just smoldering, and a fleeting sense of old rickhouses on a crisp fall day.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s path with caramelized pecans finished with floral honey and dusted with candied orange peels, ground pear chips, and very dark chocolate with a pinch of salt and apple blossom before the sharp and woody winter spice kicks in.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the winter spice mix before silky marzipan and maple syrup creamed with butter create a luscious finish that slowly fades from warm to comforting.
Bottom Line:
This is another single-barrel product that just doesn’t miss. I’d buy two and sip at them until 2024 dawns.
Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
This brand-new whiskey celebrates Mary Dowling, who helped create and then save the whiskey industry in Kentucky back in the early 20th century. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-year-old bourbon from Rabbit Hole. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is rested again, this time in reposado tequila barrels, until just right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey and soft black licorice lean toward fresh and real root beer on the nose with a light moment of white pepper and roasted agave that’s accented by bold winter spice barks and berries with a whisper of orange rind.
Palate: That orange drives the bright palate toward a moment of smoked winter spices (smoldering barks if you will) before creamy eggnog and vanilla buttercream drive the palate back toward warming winter spice and a fleeting note of pepper.
Finish: That pepper builds towards sharp black peppercorns on the finish with sharp winter spice, a hint of buttermilk, and softly spoken notes of roasted agave attached to candied orange and vanilla paste.
Bottom Line:
This is a hell of a unique pour. If you’re looking to bridge the world of aged tequila with soft bourbon, this is for you. It also makes a killer cocktail.
Three Chord “Goodbye June” A Blend of Straight & Cherry Bounce Barrel-Finished Bourbon Whiskeys
This new limited edition “Backstage” expression from Three Chors is a blend of four bourbons. One Tennessee bourbon is blended with two Indiana bourbons and one Kentucky bourbon — all five years old. One of the Indiana bourbons was finished in cherry bounce barrels to add a little extra depth to the final product for the band, Goodbye Jane.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a clear sense of Cherry Dr. Pepper with plenty of spice, vanilla, and sasparilla that leads to soft cedar and roasting sage next to hints of wicker wrapped with old leather and tobacco.
Palate: The cherry really pops on the palate with a rich Black Forest cake vibe giving way to cherry cola, nutty mulled wine, and a sharp sense of winter spices with dried orange and peach sneaking in.
Finish: The end is all cherry all day with spiced cherry syrup leading to cherry cobbler with a tart yet buttery edge, plenty of wet brown sugar, and tons of winter spice to make things nice.
Bottom Line:
This is a cherry bomb but a damn good one. I’d make old fashioneds all day with this.
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Single Barrel Whiskey
While Uncle Nearest is distilling their own juice these days, this is still the work of Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler with carefully sourced Tennessee whiskey barrels. In this case, Eady Bulter hand-selected the best-of-the-best from their inventory to create the perfect whiskey to exemplify the brand and Tennessee whiskey traditions.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into sticky toffee pudding with a sense of black licorice that’s almost absinth adjacent as soft caramel and winter spice round things out.
Palate: Gingerbread cookies and stewed pears mingle with sharp chili spice, red peppercorns, and a hint more of that dark licorice on the palate with this mild sense of creamy vanilla oils and maybe some maple syrup fresh from the tap.
Finish: The pepperiness really drives the finish toward a creamy vanilla cake end with a nice balance of woody winter spices and a hint of soft leather.
Bottom Line:
If you see an Uncle Nearest single barrel pick, you should buy two. It’s a great all-around whiskey that works as wonderfully over some rocks as it does in a whiskey-forward cocktail.
Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Huber’s Cigar Batch Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Brazilian Amburana Barrels
This bourbon from craft distiller Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm and Winery in Southern Indiana — is all about that finish. The four and five-year-old bourbon whiskey is re-loaded into Brazilian Amburana barrels and left to rest until just right. Finally, the best barrels are batched and then bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear nuttiness on the nose that mixes Brazil nuts with creamy almond and pecan waffles next to soft leather and a mild sense of white pepper and chili powder.
Palate: The palate has a creaminess that’s kind of like mochi or chai mocha latte with a tobacco spiciness, cedar bark, and more of that creamy nuttiness with a hint of pear and maybe some more white pepper.
Finish: The end leans into the white pepper and mochi with a rush of apple cider and clove tobacco packed into a cedar box with a hint of resin and macadamia nut dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is the most unique bourbon on the list. It’s an acquired taste, sure. But it’s a taste that you should acquire along your bourbon journey. In short, this is the bourbon you pour when you want something completely different.
Old Forester The 117 Series Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This new edition of the much sought-after The 117 Series is a throwback to old-school bottled-in-bond bottlings. The whiskey in the bottle was distilled in Louisville back in the spring of 2014 and filled into new oak in the same distilling season — as per bottled-in-bond law. That whiskey spent nine years mellowing before select barrels were chosen, batched, and proofed down with local water.
The focus was to take a one-time look at Old Forester bourbon that shines the brightest when proofed to bottled-in-bond levels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Blackberry hand pies iced in powdered sugar dance with a sense of vanilla buttercream, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, apricot brandy-infused marzipan, and a slight sense of an old cellar floor deep in the background.
Palate: The palate leans toward stewed pear and rich marmalade with a dark sense of cherry fruit leather, old dates, and figs before a rush of winter spice barks dipped in caramelized apple cider leads to sticky spearmint syrup-soaked tobacco.
Finish: That vanilla buttercream creates a luscious end with vibrant notes of stewed apricot, more marmalade, blackberry pie, and this whisper of mint tea cut with piney honey.
Bottom Line:
Goddamn, this is good bourbon. This is another favorite. Drink it slow and enjoy the ride.
Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted American and French Oak
The 2023 release from the Bourbon Pursuit team is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons. The three bourbons involved are a Finger Lakes whiskey (70/20/10 corn/rye/malted barley), an MGP bourbon (60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley), and an undisclosed Tennessee whiskey (80/10/10 corn/rye/malted barley). Those whiskeys were finished in both American and French toasted oak barrels before batching and bottling with a touch of Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate nut clusters (pecan and walnut heavy) mix with burnt orange, a hint of mulled wine, and rum-raising with an echo of fresh cedar on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a sense of Nutella over scones with a Cherry Coke on the side while singed cedar and cherry bark mingle with clove-studded oranges and a hint of freshly cracked black pepper.
Finish: The end has a nice spicy warmth and a touch more of that singed wood next to spicy cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is just good. It’s lovingly made, great neat, makes a killer cocktail, and just rocks. Get some while you still can!
Dunkin’ sells small donuts they call “munchkins”; Ice Spice’s fans are called “munchkins.” Let’s face it, it was only a matter of time before these two would link up for some #brand #synergy. The Ice Spice Munchkins Drink — which is a clunky ass name, regardless of marketing alignment — has been on Dunkin’ menus nationwide for about a week now and it hasn’t taken over the world like the Grimace Shake.
That’s a good thing. Lately, we’re living in a celebrity-branded fast food hellscape. Not exactly a new thing, it’s just more prevalent now than it was a decade ago. But on the real, these new menu items are supposed to be innocuous — they’re easy cash grabs for both brands involved and aren’t meant to really win anyone over but one key audience: fans of the artist themselves.
My only issue is… do they have to be that boring? Why can’t these things actually be… good? Am I giving away the verdict on this drink already? Maybe! But really, think about how much easier it would be to make a good drink.
Just a thought… how about Spiced Ice?
It’s a fun play on Ice Spice’s name, we can lean on spicy cinnamon flavors or, hell, do something truly new like add some type of cayenne pepper or cumin into the mix. All of which pair with coffee in interesting ways. A cayenne pepper and cumin coffee drink subverts expectations — it’s the perfect drink to represent Ice Spice, who herself has subverted the expectation of what an iconic rapper looks and sounds like.
But instead… we got this. And it’s not good (another spoiler?). So let’s get into where this drink went wrong.
The Ice Spice Munchkins Drink
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts
Have you ever taken a slice of pumpkin pie, thrown it in a blender with some coffee, and drank the result? No? Why not? Because that would be disgusting?
I agree. But still, it would probably taste better than this. Even though that’s essentially what the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink is — Dunkin’ grabs a handful of pumpkin cake Munchkins (Dunkin’s version of donut holes), blends it up with frozen coffee, tops it with whipped cream, and drizzles caramel all over everything.
At first sip, your taste buds are inundated with an intense level of sweet brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice flavors. Like flooded. The sweetness is so strong that it actually made me recoil. To add insult to injury, the texture is absolutely horrendous — it’s gravely and chewy. Let me tell you after half a decade as a food writer: those are two features that food taken through a straw should not have.
After approximately four drinks I was done. Look, I love sweet drinks as much as the next person, but this is too sweet to finish, it’s the sort of heavy sweetness that totally ruins your palate for the day. Maybe the week. My original plan was to drink Ice Spice’s drink alongside a Pizza Hut melt (shout out Flyana Boss) but I couldn’t taste anything after. I had to tap out.
Sweetness aside though, the worst part of this drink is by far the texture. Munchkins just have no place in a drink because they don’t melt. That means after your drink sits for about 10 minutes, and the blended drink starts to melt away into liquid, the Munchkins begin to gather in your cup and gravitate towards one another. It’s a weird bit of chemistry and just generally bad.
The Bottom Line:
Ice Spice and her fans both deserve a better drink and, most frustrating of all, it doesn’t seem like it would’ve been too hard to make one. But Dunkin’ took the absolute easiest road possible, taking a bunch of ingredients they already had on hand and throwing them together and not really caring about the result aside from the opportunity to market. I can’t help but think of Jeff Goldbum’s Ian Malcolm, who criticized the scientists at Jurassic Park’s motives for reanimating dinosaurs with this great quote:
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Well, at least we got that gem of a commercial up there out of the whole thing. Alas, when a food brand does something for the content and not for the pleasure of the people, it’s lost its way.
Ex-second generation Scientologist has largely devoted her public image to fighting back against the organization since departing in 2013. She has revealed several disturbing incidents over the years, including the time that she and Jennifer Lopez were tailed by Scientology goons. Remini has also detailed her experiences in a bestselling memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, and hosted multiple seasons of her Emmy-award winning docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
The King Of Queens star recently sued Scientology for “harassment” as well as “psychological torture” and “surveillance.” She now alleges that, after filing the lawsuit, the organization’s harassment has grown even more intense, and she has amended her legal filing, via NBC News:
Remini says attacks by the church and its leader, David Miscavige, “have escalated to a much greater degree than ever before,” Remini said in an amended complaint filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Since the actor’s civil complaint was filed on Aug. 2, Remini said she and her friends have been targeted with increasingly aggressive tactics by Scientology..
Within the amended filing, Remini alleges several new incidents, including hacking of several credit cards and a related business account. She also claims that her mother may have been monitored too (as a means of intimidation) and mentions an unidentified car that has been lurking near her home.
None of this has stopped Remini from pursuing her cause. As she noted on Twitter, she recently interviewed Scientology Head David Miscavige’s former camerawoman, who “escaped Scientology” and is telling her story to Remini for the first time. You can see the link to that interview below.
We’ve just finished interviewing David Miscavige’s camerawoman, she escaped Scientology and she’s never given an interview before.
The interview will be up tomorrow.
To get it first, subscribe and be sure to hit the notification bell.
The NFL season is heating up at this stage and, prior to the start of bye weeks across the league, 16-game slates provide nearly endless entertainment. That was the case in Week 2, including a Monday doubleheader, and there is another coming this week. At any rate, Week 2 was kinder than Week 1 in this space, with a genuinely profitable week at the office. Bryce Young got us home with a friendly push on Monday evening but, aside from an errant venture in Houston, the swing feels good.
Week 3 picks are on the way but, before the grand reveal, let’s take stock.
Week 2: 3-1-1
2023 Season: 5-4-1
Come get these winners.
Denver Broncos (+6.5) over Miami Dolphins — Widely Available
Denver (somehow) leads the NFL in points per drive right now and things have broken against the Broncos twice. I think the market is a little bit over its skis on Miami, too, and I’d play this down to +6. Let’s ride.
TEASER: Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) over Houston Texans and New York Jets (+8.5) over New England Patriots — Widely Available
Key numbers galore here. We’ll take Jacksonville through two keys as the (much) better team against Houston. Also, a rookie quarterback on the road is usually an adventure, and that plays against the Texans. From there, it is easy to make fun of the Jets offense, and you’d be right to do so. However, taking New York up to 8.5 is a value side against an uninspiring Patriots offense in a game with a total in the mid-30’s.
Cleveland Browns (-3) over Tennessee Titans — PointsBet
Cleveland’s offense took a real hit with Nick Chubb going down and Deshaun Watson continues to struggle mightily. Those realities, in combination with a nationally televised loss to Pittsburgh, pushes this number down to a range we like. Tennessee just beat Los Angeles, which also helps, and we’ll buy the dip on the Browns.
Los Angeles Chargers (+1.5) over Minnesota Vikings — FanDuel
We broke the rules by taking the Chargers at home in Week 1. We’re course-correcting this time to our principles of liking Los Angeles much more away from home, where they have basically no home-field advantage. Moreover, the Chargers are just better than the Vikings and, while Minnesota has the same urgency in this battle of 0-2 teams, we’re crossing our fingers and going with talent. Hey, we still win if the Chargers lose by one.
Cincinnati Bengals (-3) over Los Angeles Rams — Widely Available
If this ends up riding on Jake Browning, I’ll hate it. I accept that. I’m banking on Joe Burrow and relative desperation from the Bengals, with a sprinkling of the Rams being overvalued following two encouraging weeks. I wouldn’t go above three but, if we knew Burrow was playing, I think the Bengals should be favored by four or more points.
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