Holidays can be hard for some people, especially if they have family members that they don’t get along with and while the solution for some people would be to stay away, it’s not always that simple. There are many reasons people may choose to endure unpleasant family members, whether it be staying with in-laws until they get on their feet or visiting parents in order to see their younger siblings.
With holidays coming up, people are making plans on who’s house they’re visiting and for how long. Your mouth may be salivating at the thought of eating aunt Mary’s famous green bean casserole that she only cooks twice a year and you can’t wait for dinner. But what do you do if you’re stuck spending time with family members you don’t particularly care to be around?
According to a recent poll by USA Today, nearly 85% of people avoid family get togethers during the holidays. That’s certainly one way to avoid drama but that’s not possible for everyone. So for those that must be in contact with family members that their not particularly fond of, there are three simple things you can do the maintain your sanity and enjoy your time.
1. Create an easy to execute escape plan in advance
No one likes being stuck somewhere unpleasant, so if you have a partner coming with you, make sure you are both clear on how long you’re staying. Given that the holidays are often seen as extended family days, someone will likely ask why you need to leave. Prepare for that scenario by actually having a place to go. If it’s your family that makes you a little unstable, schedule that visit first so you can use the other person’s scheduled family time to politely exit.
This doesn’t have to be elaborate, it just has to feel valid to you. If you don’t have a partner, you can always make plans to spend some time at a friend’s house after your allotted time with your family. “Sorry, uncle Jimmy, I’m expected at Becky’s house by 2:30 but it was so nice to see everyone,” as you skedaddle out the door.
2. Set a physical boundary by utilizing distance
If you find yourself at a family gathering that includes one or two people you’re not particularly fond of, you can utilize the space of the location to create physical distance between you and that person. After the initial pleasantries, move away to another room in the house and enjoy the company of other family members. There’s no rule that says you need to engage with everyone at all times. You set the boundary around your engagement with this family member.
If it gets to be a little overwhelming, remember that you’re in control of yourself. You can exit the space to step outside, go to the bathroom or ask the host to lay down in an empty room for a few minutes. This will help to reset your nervous system a bit so you can continue to be present with the other family you enjoy.
3. Have a code word to indicate an immediate need to exit
Whether you bring your partner, friend or arrive solo, have a code word ready to go so whoever you’re with knows it’s their time to shine. This is essentially like pulling the escape hatch. If you walk up to your partner and say, “we forgot the banana pudding,” and they know banana pudding is the code word, that’s when they give a reason to leave immediately. Will it be a lie? Yes. Do we care in that moment? No. In that moment the focus is on your mental health and feelings of safety.
So if you say the code word and your partner says, they just checked the camera app and the dog has had multiple accidents in the house and looks like he’s sick, apologize for having to leave and go clean up imaginary dog poop.
Bonus: Avoid unnecessary hot topics unless you’re mentally prepared
No matter what TikTok says, you don’t have to have heated conversations over hotly debated topics at the dinner table. If you’re not prepared to emotionally and mentally handle the hostility that may come, keep it surface level. If someone tries to bait you, redirect by stating you’ve heard about it but haven’t really kept up, then change the subject. There are multiple variations on this that someone could use to steer the conversation away but remember, you can always create space between you two if necessary.
You never have to stay in an unsafe or hostile environment, while you can’t control other people, you can control yourself.
For years, Stephen A. Smith has been going on television and begging people to STAY OFF THE WEED.
What started as one of his rants became a patented catchphrase for the ESPN personality every time an athlete found himself in trouble for using marijuana, which has happened less and less now that it’s legal in most states and most of the major sports leagues have removed it from their banned substance list. Even so, Smith still campaigns for folks to get off the weed and on Thursday, one of the most shocking news items of 2023 dropped when one of the most legendary weed smokers in history, Snoop Dogg, said he’s “giving up smoke” with a social media post reminiscent of a high school recruit making his college choice, asking for privacy at this time.
A few hours after the news of Snoop’s retirement from smoking hit, Stephen A. posted his response, photoshopping his face onto the Wario “I’ve won, but at what cost” meme.
It’s some top-tier posting from Smith and, I assume, whoever helps Smith run his social media — although, I do prefer pretending Stephen A. was opening up photoshop and making this all on his own. Stephen A. has been trying for years to get someone to listen and maybe, just maybe, Snoop watched one too many First Take episodes and was moved.
Tyla is having a big moment right now. The South African singer currently has the most successful song of her career thanks to her latest release “Water.” The track has grown to be a favorite on social media platforms like TikTok where it has its own challenge. The song has also brought Tyla to the late-night TV spotlight as she recently performed “Water” on The Tonight Show and it earned her a Grammy nomination at the 2024 award show. As expected, Tyla recently announced a remix to “Water” with a surprise guest, and hours before it gets released, we now know who that artist is.
Who Is On Tyla’s “Water” Remix?
In what will be her biggest collaboration yet, Tyla will get an assist from Travis Scott for the remix of “Water.” Truthfully, it’s not the name many expected as the production behind “Water,” which is amapiano-inspired, is one that is outside Travis’ expected sound. With that said, it remains to be seen how the remix will sound, but it will surely be a boost for Tyla as the song currently sits at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
When Does Tyla’s “Water” Remix With Travis Scott Come Out?
Tyla and Travis Scott’s “Water” remix will be released on November 17 at 12am EST/9pm PST. The song will be available on streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, YouTube, and more.
In July, Billie Eilish released “What Was I Made For?,” her contribution to the Barbie movie soundtrack. The song was a success, as it was well-received and managed a No. 14 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Immediately before coming up with that tune, though, Eilish was apparently concerned that she might be done for as a songwriter.
In a Hollywood Reporter feature published today (November 16), Eilish sat down for a roundtable conversation with Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Julia Michaels, Jon Batiste, and Cynthia Erivo. During the chat, she spoke about her and brother/collaborator Finneas’ mindset before coming up with their Barbie song, saying:
“I thank God for [Barbie director Greta Gerwig], man. I honestly was concerned that it was over for me. I’ve got to be honest with you. She saved me, really, honestly. Getting that request, it was like a FaceTime, it brought us both out of it, and immediately we were inspired and wrote so much more after that. Especially when it came out, I was like, ‘Aye yai yai.’ It was like somebody reading your diary or something.”
She also noted, “We’d been trying and it wasn’t doing what it usually would do in me. I was honestly like, ‘Damn, maybe I hit my peak and I don’t know how to write anymore?’”
The sideline reporter has one of the oddest jobs in sports media, as they are tasked with providing color into the teams during the game as well as interviews and insight from the sideline, but are typically given relatively few opportunities to make their imprint on the broadcast.
That brings a unique pressure to those moments when they are on air, particularly when it comes to drawing something interesting out of a coach or player in the midst of (or right after) a game when they aren’t exactly at their most forthcoming. There is an art to doing that job well and asking questions that get something interesting for the broadcast, but even then there are challenges to just getting the subjects to talk.
Charissa Thompson, who was previously on sidelines for Fox Sports before moving into a host role with NFL Sunday Kickoff and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, caused quite the stir this week when she said on the Pardon My Take podcast that there were times where she’d make up a very generic report about halftime adjustments if a coach wasn’t made available.
“I’ve said this before,” Thompson said. “I haven’t been fired to saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, because A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.’
“Because first of all, no coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.’ They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
This seems like an instance of Thompson being a bit too comfortable on a podcast and divulging something that not only could hurt her credibility, no matter how minor she believes it to be, but also something that casts doubt on the value of sideline reporters in general. If the idea is you can just make up the coach-speak they get out of interviews without even talking to the coaches, then plenty of people wonder why even bother to have them. That was the general message of a lot of the responses to the tweet as it went viral, which unsurprisingly led to other sideline reporters making clear this isn’t something that they do.
Young reporters: This is not normal or ethical. Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you’re dishonest and don’t take your role seriously, you’ve lost all trust and credibility. https://t.co/yMnM1T995P
THE privilege of a sideline role is being the 1 person in the entire world who has the opportunity to ask coaches what’s happening in that moment. I can’t express the amount of time it takes to build that trust. Devastated w/the texts I’m getting asking if this is ok. No. Never.
This is extremely infuriating and completely unethical. DON’T FOR ONE SECOND BELIEVE THIS IS THE NORM. This is already a role in a profession that is already stereotyped as just being “eye candy.” Good sideline reporters do their homework, talk to players and coaches throughout… https://t.co/3Hrx6WOg2n
As someone who’s donea number of pieces on sideline reporters, I understand the difficulty of the job, which is to impact the broadcast in short windows and provide something unique to the viewer they otherwise can’t get. There are a lot of them that do that very well and there’s real value in having a sideline reporter who players and coaches trust to provide some actual insight during the game, or anecdotes and stories in meetings prior that can provide some color on the broadcast.
Unfortunately, Thompson’s comments won’t help the idea that sideline reporters don’t do a lot, even if that wasn’t her intent, as well as bringing her credibility into question with some in the process. She is well-liked and respected in her current role as a host by colleagues and bosses who heap praise on her ability to mix professionalism and personality, but in this case the ever-forthcoming Thompson might have accidentally created a much larger story than she intended here.
Finding a great Scotch whisky for a cocktail can feel overwhelming. First of all, there’s just so much of it on the shelf these days. Where do you even start? Then there’s the pressure of some — let’s call them uninformed purists — who insist you shouldn’t dare “ruin” an amazing Scotch whisky by mixing it with something else.
Both of those elements combined make it pretty hard to dip your toes into the wonderful world of Scotch cocktails. Which is a shame.
Let me help you surmount those obstacles. First, don’t let anyone ever tell you how to drink your whisky. The fastest way to know if someone isn’t an “expert” or true whisky devotee is if they tell you that you can’t use x, y, or z bottles of Scotch whisky for mixing a cocktail. One of the best whisky old fashioneds that I’ve ever had was made with a 30-year-old single barrel of single malt scotch that was damn near priceless. This is the one axiom that you should live by — use great ingredients and you’ll get a great result.
Yes, that means using absurdly expensive and rare whisky to make cocktails. Sometimes. When your budget can sustain it and your skills as a mixologist are up to the challenge.
To get to that point, start slowly and build. You have to develop your cocktail mixing skills while building your palate. This takes time. So to that end, I’m calling out 20 Scotch whiskies that are great for mixing and widely availible. I’m doing this by splitting this list of 20 whiskies into two categories — one for blended Scotch whiskies that you can practice with while still making killer cocktails and one for single malts that excel and will deliver exemplary cocktails. There are peated whiskies in both categories, offering a variation on themes but still delivering on greatness.
The catch here is pretty simple. You should be able to find all of these Scotch whiskies at any good liquor store nationwide (your state may vary). That means that there are a lot of crazy expensive or rare bottles that do indeed make killer cocktails but are not listed below. This list is about you starting a Scotch cocktail-making journey right now with bottles that you can 100% score.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This is Johnnie Walker Black that’s been re-casked in deeply charred oak barrels for a final maturation, making this a classic double-cask whisky. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island whiskies’ smokiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-forward spice and billows of softwood smoke — think cherry and apple trees — greet you on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla creaminess that’s punctuated by bright apples, dried fruit, and more peat that leans more towards an old beach campfire than a chimney stack.
Finish: The spice kicks back in late, warming things up as the smoke carries through the end with a nice dose of oakiness, fruitiness, and sweet vanilla creaminess.
How To Use It:
This is where every Scotch cocktail journey should start. This whisky is built for mixing. Start with highballs with really good sparkling water. Then add garnishes like dried florals, woody botanicals, and dried citrus.
From there, try this in very citrus-forward cocktails that beg for a layer of smoke like a penicillin or whisky sour.
This new Beam Suntory whiskey was made from prime Scotch whisky barrels (both grain and malt). Beam Suntory’s Chief Blender of Scotch, Calum Fraser, worked with Suntory’s best Japanese blenders to make a truly unique and new Blended Scotch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Ripe tangerines mingle with fresh pear and sweet apples fresh from the orchard next to a hint of smoked pork fat stewed with cumin, oregano, and more orange vibes.
Palate: The soft orange takes on a floral note on the palate as vanilla buttercream creates a silken mouthfeel next to very thin lines of smoke from a backyard smoker that’s held plenty of meat over the years.
Finish: The smoke takes on a sweet orange depth as a dusting of white pepper leads back to the dry oregano with a fleeting whisper of smoked pork fat tying it all together at the end.
How To Use It:
This is a wonderful base for a highball with good fizzy water. Add dried herbs, peppercorns, or even clove buds to spice it up alongside citrus peels.
Then start toying with cocktails but stay citrus-focused with sours and smashes. The spice and vanilla will layer nicely with the acids from the fruit.
The lion’s share of this blend — 45% — comes from a single-grain whisky aged in ex-bourbon from Cameronbridge Distillery. 22% is a single malt aged in ex-bourbon that comes from Linkwood Distillery. The rest is a mix of French oak and ex-bourbon single malts and blended malts from the Highlands, Clyneilish, Linkwood, and Balmenach. Those whiskies are vatted and then proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a very clear and concise note of apple candy with a hint of salted caramel ice cream cut with a touch of eggnog spices.
Palate: There’s a nice maltiness that leans into a creamy vanilla, soft holiday spice mix, butter toffee, and a hint of milk chocolate near the end.
Finish: The finish is warming with a whisper of tobacco next to a woody apple, spice candies (maybe ginger), and a final hint of cocoa and caramel.
How To Use It:
This is a great whisky to use for an orchard fruit-forward highball cocktail. Try this with a dried apple or pear chip in highball. Then move on to apple hot toddies and boozy apple ciders.
If it’s summertime, mix this with sparkling apple cider and a dash of bitters — it’ll be delightful.
The heart of Dewar’s is Aberfeldy whisky. This blend is a testament to Master Blender Stephanie MacLeod’s prowess in bringing good whisky together to make great whisky. The juices are aged for 18 long years in American oak before they’re vatted into a large oak tun and allowed to rest before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s that signature Aberfeldy honey on the nose with hints of almonds, stone fruits, and red berries next to a hint of dried leather, Christmas spices, and maybe even some tobacco leaf.
Palate: The palate dials all of this in with a marzipan vibe next to floral honey, bruised apricot skins, and dark chocolate-covered red berries with a hint of tartness and bitterness.
Finish: The end is soft, silky, and brings a final bite of sweet oak with a slight tobacco chew layered with dark chocolate and marzipan.
How To Use It:
This is a classic on the rocks pour. To take that a little further add a dash of two of bitters and the whisky will pop in the glass.
This one also works if you want to start experimenting with replacing bourbon with easy-going scotch in whiskey-forward cocktails like an old fashioned. There’s enough sweet oak, vanilla, and tobacco spice to feel like a good bridge between America and Scotland in that format.
The whisky in the bottle is a blend of sherry-cask-finished whiskies from The Macallan and Highland Park. The whisky is then cut down to a very accessible 80-proof and then bottled in a nicely understated bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sweet malt buried under a buttery scone dripping with raspberry jam with a touch of light spice lurking in the background.
Palate: The sherry really kicks in on the palate with big notes of dates soaked in black tea next to creamy caramel, vanilla cake, and a touch of dry raisins.
Finish: The end doesn’t overstay its welcome and leaves you with a lovely note of chocolate-covered cherries with a sweet/dry vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice whisky for very simple highballs with a 50/50 scotch/sparkling water ratio. This will allow the scotch to shine through. Add a lemon twist or a touch of nutmeg and you’ll be set.
I’d also argue that this whisky works in bolder and creamier whiskey cocktails like nogs and even delicate flips.
Yes, Scotch whisky has celebrity white-labeled brands too. This one comes from Outlander star Sam Heughan. The whisky’s recipe/build is under wraps so there’s not much more to say besides that Sam Heughan is not simply slapping his name on a bottle. He’s fully involved in the process as a deeply caring whisky fan who wants to put something special on the shelf.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Lemon drops and Almond Joys drive the nose with a hint of honey, bourbon vanilla, and dried apricot.
Palate: That apricot gets leathery on the palate as the malts arrive with plenty of honey and cinnamon-forward spice next to a hint of eggnog nutmeg.
Finish: The finish is concise with a little cinnamon, honey, and almond rounding things out.
How To Use It:
This is a very concise whisky that works if you want to try a Scotch old fashioned and still feel the uniqueness of the whisky (no one would mistake this for a bourbon but there are familiar flourishes).
4. Compass Box Orchard House Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
The blended malt leans into apples as a predominant flavor note of sweet Scotch whisky. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of 39% Linkwood single malt that aged in ex-bourbon barrels, 20% Clynelish single malt also aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and Benrinnes single malt from ex-bourbon barrels. The next 8% is a single malt from a distillery in the town of Aberlour (not the distillery) that is aged in ex-sherry butts with 2% from a Highland malt blend that is aged in custom-built and toasted French oak barrels, and the final 2% from a peated malt from Caol Ila that matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Naturally, apples burst forth on the nose with tart, sweet, and juicy notes next to a soft pear vibe, lemon and lime zest, a touch of sweet pineapple, and a soft echo of dry but fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves.
Palate: The palate leans into fresh ginger soaking in a pot of floral honey next to minor notes of fresh strawberry shortcake with a soft vanilla sponge cake, fresh berries, and a dollop of vanilla-laced whipped cream.
Finish: The finish leans into a light white floral note while the pear and apple return with a ripeness that feels like they’re fresh off the vine and a final note of lightly spiced malts with a whisper of applewood smoke.
How To Use It:
Okay, this is delicious whisky on its own. Drink it over some ice and have a great time. But where’s the fun in that?
The huge orchard fruit notes built into this whisky make it the perfect candidate for apple martinis with a whisky twist, boozy ciders, and seasonal punches with a good dose of spice and stewed fruitiness.
This is a classic Chivas that has finally arrived in the U.S. The whisky is classic Chivas blended whisky (made from malt and grain whiskies) that was left to age for 15 long years before the whisky is moved into French cognac casks for a final rest. Finally, that whisky is vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange marmalade on wheat toast is accented by freshly ground cinnamon, a touch of clove, and mincemeat pies iced with a thin layer of powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Dark dried fruits — think prunes, sultanas, and dates — drive the palate toward soft berries, rich butterscotch, and a touch of caramel-laced toffees dipped in roasted almonds.
Finish: The end is lush and creamy with a hint of vanilla kissed with more mincemeat pie, brandy-soaked dates, and a dark Christmas pudding swimming in brandy butter.
How To Use It:
This is another great on the rocks whisky that pops with a dash or two of bitters. That said, you’ll want to use this in more refined Scotch cocktails like a Blood and Sand (the cherry and orange really adapt well here) or even a Godfather as the Amaretto speaks to the toffee/almond/raisin vibes.
This Speyside blend is crafted as a workhorse whisky. The juice is drawn from the William Grant & Sons stable of distilleries. The juice is then rested for up to six months after blending to let it mellow even more before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice welcoming note of creamy vanilla that almost becomes cream soda, next to hints of zesty orange marmalade, malts, and dark spices.
Palate: The taste delivers on those notes by amping the spices up to Christmas cake territory with a slight tart berry edge next to that cream soda sweetness.
Finish: The end is short and sweet with a nice lightness that really makes this very drinkable.
How To Use It:
This is probably the best overall mixing Scotch whisky on the list (in both categories). This is made by bartenders for bartenders to mix cocktails and highballs. That makes this the perfect bottle to really practice those skills with while delivering truly well-rounded flavor notes.
My advice is to use Monkey Shoulder as a control whisky for cocktails. Try it in them all and then adjust with other Scotch whiskies as you learn and grow.
1. Johnnie Walker Green Label Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years
Johnnie Walker’s Green Label is a solidly crafted whisky that highlights Diageo’s fine stable of distilleries across Scotland. The whisky is a pure malt or blended malt, meaning that only single malt whisky is in the mix (no grain whisky). In this case, the primary whiskies are a minimum of 15 years old, from Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft notes of cedar dance with hints of black pepper, vanilla pods, and bright fruit — think red berries, fresh pear, and nectarines — with a wisp of singed green grass in the background.
Palate: The palate delivers on that soft cedar woodiness while edging towards a spice-laden tropical fruit brightness with grilled peaches covered in salted caramel, honey malt biscuits, and bitter yet sweet marmalade with a dash of winter spiciness.
Finish: The finish is dialed in with hints of soft cedar bark, singed wild sage, bark-forward winter spice, and stewed stonefruit leading toward a briny billow of smoke at the very end.
How To Use It:
This is excellent scotch, period. The subtle peat and deep dark fruitiness with plenty of warming spice make a great base for most whisky-forward cocktails. Try an old fashioned first. Then a Manhattan (well, Rob Roy technically), and you’ll be hooked. Then go a little experimental with a Scotch boulevardier or Sazerac. Finally, bring it back around to classic Scottish cocktails with a Churchill or a classic 50/50 highball (but clean so without a garnish).
Part 2 — Single Malt Scotch Whiskies For Cocktails
10. The GlenDronach Original Aged 12 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This Highland malt is blended by Scotch icon Dr. Rachel Barrie to highlight the beauty of the Scottish Highlands. The juice is a blend of whiskies aged for 12 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with spicy berries next to tart apples with a hint of lemon/lime and old leather.
Palate: The sip leans into a honey sweetness with vanilla beans, dark plums, and spicy malts.
Finish: The finish smooths out with a mineral water softness as old cedar boards mingle with a raisin tobacco chewy spice on the very end.
How To Use It:
Speaking of clean highballs, this is a great place to start with The GlenDronach 12. The whisky speaks to good sparkling mineral water and vibes perfectly with it.
From there, layer this into a penicillin with plenty of lemon and sweetness. Or go a more whisky-forward route with a Scotch old fashioned. You’ll be set with any path you choose.
This is Ardbeg’s signature bottle and a true gateway to the peaty style of single malt scotches. The real highlight of this expression is the peat smokiness filtered through sherry casking. The phenol count tends to be on the higher end with this expression, so you’ll know you’re drinking a smoky whisky from the first nose. But it won’t absolutely floor you.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic Ardbeg with hints of BBQ smoker ash full of fat, tart red berries, lemon pepper, and a touch of creamy dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead while layering in sea-salt brined pork fat, hints of bourbon vanilla, and an echo of Nutella.
Finish: The finish has that deep salted black licorice vibe leading to a slow fade through the peppery smoked fat, charcoal ash, chocolate nuttiness, and finally smoked red berries with a sweet/tart edge.
How To Use It:
Want to add some serious funk, fat, and smoke to your cocktail? Welcome to Ardbeg country! If the idea of a fat-washed whiskey old fashioned or Manhattan sounds like too much work, skip the fat-washing and use Ardbeg 10. The texture won’t be exactly there but the flavor profile will be — plus so much more.
That fatty spiced smokiness also really counterpoints citrus beautifully, so don’t be afraid to use this one in sours and smashes. Lastly, this works well in a smoky boulevardier too. It stands up to the Campari and shines with a lush sweet vermouth.
8. The Balvenie DoubleWood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
This is the whisky that launched the “double aging” trend back in 1982. This unpeated single malt spends 12 years mellowing in ex-bourbon casks before it’s transferred to ex-sherry casks for a final maturation of nine months. Finally, the whisky is vatted in a “tun” where it rests for three to four months before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and floral honey mixed with a hint of vanilla extract, sweet red berries, and wine-soaked oak.
Palate: The palate meanders through light touches of marzipan with a hint of cinnamon and fields of plum trees with a whisper of tree bark and leather lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish lets the spicy malt kick in with a dose of hot cinnamon and honey tobacco.
How To Use It:
This is a great candidate for berry-forward and orchard fruit-forward smashes and sours. Get experimental with the citrus too. Lime and mint smashes are delightful with The Balvenie 12. So are Amaretto sours. This a good whisky to have fun with when using acidic fruits and nutty bases.
7. Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
This single malt hails from a tiny yet beloved Speyside distillery. The actual whisky is also made on their smallest still, nicknamed “Wee Witchie.” That juice then goes into ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 12 years. Finally, those whiskies are married, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is subtle yet engaging, with a nose of almost burnt toffee next to bright red berries, mild spice, hints of oak, and a bit of cedar.
Palate: The palate leans into the berries by becoming jammy with more of that toffee and a mild sense of spicy tobacco arriving late.
Finish: The end is long-ish with a plummy chew next to that tobacco and malty spice.
How To Use It:
This is a very concise whisky that works wonders in simply whisky-forward cocktails. Try this in an old fashioned and then let your imagination run away with it. This is a delicate whisky though, so try to keep things more on the soft side (avoiding acidic citruses and harsh botanical-heavy bitters).
This may sound wildly basic, but this tastes amazing in a really good deli cream soda like Dr. Brown’s or Boylan as a simple but delicious highball.
6. Talisker Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillers Edition 2023
The 2023 Distillers Edition is a classic Talisker that’s aged by the sea and finished for six months in Amoroso sherry casks. The whisky was distilled in 2012 and bottled at 10 years old. It was then finished in another Amoroso sherry cask, making it “double cask” matured.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep on this whisky with mild hints of beachside campfire smoke whispering in the background as hints of red fruit, wet driftwood, and green peppercorns draw you in.
Palate: The palate embraces the red berries with a slight tartness next to the sweetness as the peat remains dry and distant and tied to the brine of the sea with an almost oyster liquor softness.
Finish: The finish lingers for just the right amount of time as sweet berries and dry peat lead towards soft dark cacao powder with a tiny note of vanilla and one last spray from the sea.
How To Use It:
This is the perfect whisky to use for a whisky-forward cocktail with a hint of smoke and salt. That makes this versatile as salt makes almost everything better from citrus to sweet vermouth to herbs. Still, this is a very gentle whisky so I’d stay more toward the old fashioned, Sazerac, and Manhattan (Rob Roy) end of the cocktail spectrum.
5. Oban West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years
This is a great gateway to both Oban and scotch, in general, to have on hand. The whisky is classically made and then matured in the Oban storehouses for 14 long years — all within a stone’s throw of the sea. The whisky barrels are then blended and proofed by Oban’s tiny distillery team (only seven people work there) before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Citrus, salt, and a whisper of briny peat smoke open this one up on the nose as this sense of dry orchard fruits at the end of fall mingle with soft honey drizzled over spiced malted crackers with a hint of smoked orange saltwater taffy lurking in the background.
Palate: That smoked citrus carries on as a foundation for mild winter spices as a note of honeycomb, hints of fresh pears, and plummy dried fruits with a fatty nuttiness mingle on the palate.
Finish: The oaky spice and extremely mild peat smoke meet at the end with a slight malty sweetness, old pear, and the faintest whisper of dried seaweed.
Bottom Line:
This is another incredibly delicate whisky that works wonders in subtle cocktail concoctions. A simple whisky old fashioned with seasonal fruit (apples in winter or berries in summer) would be wonderful with Oban 14.
4. Aberfeldy Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Casks Napa Valley Limited Edition
This whisky was made with Aberfeldy’s iconic and very honey-forward 17-year-old Highland unpeated malt. That whisky was then re-casked into old Cabernet Sauv casks from Napa Valley for an additional 15 months of aging. Finally, those barrels were vatted and the whisky was proofed for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey drives the nose toward cranberry sauce with a hint of spice oak layered with caramel apples and toffee candies rolled in dark chocolate.
Palate: Those caramel apples lead on the palate with a lush vanilla foundation next to bitter orange marmalade, apple pie filling, and a cup of regular drip coffee.
Finish: The honey arrives on the finish with a honeycomb earthiness before fresh and very sweet raspberry drives the taste back toward old oak with a hint of mince pies and mulled wine sneaking in at the very end.
How To Use It:
Yes, this is a limited edition Scotch whisky but it’s one that you can actually get. That said, this is where we get into great whiskies that can replace any bourbon or rye in your favorite cocktail while still holding its own in Scottish penicillins or Rob Roys. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.
3. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years
Glenmorangie’s 14-year expression spends 10 years resting in used American oak casks. Those barrels are vatted and the whisky is re-barreled into Quinta Ruban port wine casks from Portugal for another four years of mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of burnt orange layered into dark chocolate and then melted over a singed marshmallow with a hint of malted vanilla cookie tying it all together.
Palate: That dark chocolate drives the palate with a hint of waxiness and woody winter spice next to whole black peppercorns, fresh tangerine, and a whisper of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Finish: The dark chocolate, woody spice, bright orange, and sharp spearmint all collide on the finish with a sense of soft malted sweetness and faint old oak staves.
How To Use It:
This makes an excellent Manhattan, full stop. If you’re making a 50/50 cognac/whisky Sazerac, use this because it’s awesome.
I also like this in boulevardiers when I want something a little fruitier as it 100% stands up to those big flavors from the Campari.
2. Aberlour A’bunadh Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the whisky in this Speyside bottle represents that idea for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. The whisky then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: That sherry plumminess is evident right up top, with hints of bright orange oils, clumps of dark chocolate, honey, and nuts, and a hint of oak.
Palate: The taste shines with notes of dark, ripe cherries, prunes, more bright orange zest, dark chocolate, and a good measure of svelte vanilla.
Finish: The slow finish leaves you with a creamy mouthfeel next to bitter chocolate next to sweet cherries and plums, all of which lead towards a warming spice on the tongue at the end.
How To Use It:
Okay, you can straight-up replace this in all of your favorite bourbon cocktails. And … you might like them better with this in them.
This is the most recognizable Lagavulin out there. The malts are smoked just down the road from the distillery at Port Ellen and the mash is crafted expertly by the sea at Lagavulin Distillery. The whisky then spends 16 long years mellowing in old American and Spanish oak before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Imagine a beach fire that’s using dried seaweed as fuel next to mugs of honeyed black tea and a clump of wet moss on the nose.
Palate: The taste of this dram meanders through dried pipe tobacco smoke laced with hints of vanilla and tart apple while notes of briny caramel lead towards an oyster shell minerality.
Finish: The finish is pure silk as the seaweed grows wetter and the smoke sweetens towards that caramel, vanilla, and apple.
How To Use It:
While I love a good Laga old fashioned or Manhattan with this, it really shines best in a Smoky Cokey. Yes, that’s a 50/50 mix of Lagavulin 16 and Coca-Cola (preferably the good stuff out of a glass bottle). It’s delightful and probably the best use of Coca-Cola and whisky in the whole cocktail game.
Even though Frozen 3 is still new on the brain, it’s never too early to look even further into the future. It’s kind of like going into the unknown, right? While there is still little information about the threequel, it seems like the big boss at Disney is sure that a fourth film will be in the works soon.
While speaking on Good Morning America, Bob Iger told the hosts, “Well, I’ll give you a little surprise there, Michael. Frozen 3 is in the works and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too.” Iger is promoting the new “World of Frozen” land at Hong Kong Disney.
Iger added, “But I don’t have much to say about those films right now,” Iger continued. “But Jenn Lee, who created the original Frozen and Frozen II, is hard at work with her team at Disney Animation on not one but actually two stories,” he confirmed.
While we likely have a while until the fourth film, Frozen 3is becoming more real every day. Last month, Lee had expressed interest in more Frozen movies as long as the fans are on board. “Our philosophy is this, and it won’t change: If there is more story to tell, the filmmakers have to drive it.” Lee explained. From where Iger is standing, there seems to be more story to tell.
Earlier this week, Will Smith‘s alleged former assistant claimed that he saw the Oscar winner and actor Duane Martin, who appeared in one episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, having sex in a dressing room. The “absolutely ridiculous” allegation was made on the Unwine With Tasha K podcast hosted by Tasha K, who earlier this year filed for bankruptcy after Cardi B won a nearly $4 million defamation verdict against her (a judge upheld the decision). The “WAP” rapper sounded like she was ready to forgive her, but not anymore.
“I don’t like how I got fooled a couple of weeks ago… some people just never change,” Cardi D said on Instagram Live on Wednesday night, seemingly referencing Tasha K. Vibe reports that she then defended Will Smith.
“I don’t like what people be doing to Will Smith. I be feeling like Will Smith is very unproblematic and I feel like he has a nice heart, and that’s the thing. I found out that Will Smith is a Libra… Libras, we be getting tried, we be getting tried, and then when we outburst, we outburst so f*cking heavy, that we become the ones in the wrong.”
Cardi D continued, “I don’t like that some people never f*cking change. I’m so tired of people picking on that man, dead ass. Your job as a journalist, you should be able to detect whether somebody is bullsh*tting or not. Because anybody can say something about anybody. Look what happened to me in 2018 when a b*tch… I didn’t even know her f*cking name was saying that she know me… Anybody can say a f*cking fake ass story about you and people gonna f*cking fake ass believe it. So it should be your job to detect whether something is a lie or not.”
You can watch the Instagram Live below.
“I don’t like what people be doing to Will Smith.
“I be feeling like Will Smith is very unproblematic and he got a nice heart.” – Cardi B pic.twitter.com/EVEMzneR2a
Just in time for the holiday season officially arriving next week, Olivia Rodrigo is treating fans to a special holiday merch collection centered around her recent album, Guts.
For those looking to purchase the items, Rodrigo currently has them listed on her website. If you are entering from Rodrigo’s main homepage, you would click the Store section to be redirected.
There’s a lot of cute stuff to choose from, whether you’re buying it as a gift for yourself or to the Livie in your life. Among the new items is a pair of white satin long-sleeved pajamas that feature symbols from the Guts era, and it costs $85.
There is also a new purple ornament and a stocking that bear Rodrigo’s signature butterfly logo and designs — making them the perfect additions to either hang on the tree or fill with extra gifts. Either way, it helps channel the holiday spirit as a fan.
Rodrigo has some smaller items available on her site as well, including different color variants of her “Lacy” hair bow set, a charm necklace, socks, stationary, and even some stickers.
More information about the rest of the items that Rodrigo has in her new holiday capsule can be found here.
Robert Pattinson is known to be a quirky guy. There’s no way around it, he doesn’t really care what you think of him or what you think of Twilight, he’s just happy to be able to have a job. Not only is he an actor and gourmet chef, but now he can add “couch designer” to his resume.
Pattinson showed off his abstract couch to Architectural Digest, complete with floating side cushions that are known to celebrities and the rich as a “conversation piece.” But the actual conversation with Pattinson was much more entertaining than an Ear Couch.
The actor was asked about the worst sofa he’s ever owned, and in true Pattinson form, he responded with a fascinating anecdote about his weird life.
“My least favorite could also be my most favorite,” Pattinson explained. “There was a time when the only piece of furniture I had for about six months was an inflatable boat that would double as my couch, bed, and dining table. I loved it very much but it caused a lot of back problems.” It sure seems like carrying the Batman legacy also caused some back problems for the actor but he handled it gracefully.
As with many Pattinson stories, it’s important to take whatever he says with a grain of salt, mostly because he is a self-proclaimed liar when it comes to sharing his life with the world. Who knows if he even really designed that couch???! It looks like a Sims 4 design.
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