In a new Instagram post, Kudrow reminisced about meeting Perry during the pilot, and how the two quickly became close thanks to his trademark wit.
“Shot the pilot, Friends Like Us, got picked up then immediately, we were at the NBC Upfronts. Then… you suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded. Thank you for that,” Kudrow wrote. “Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY.”
The Friends actress, who played massage therapist Phoebe Buffay on the hit series, then filled her tribute with numerous thanks to Perry.
“Thank you for your open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise. And a lot of ‘talking,’” Kudrow wrote. “Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for all I learned about GRACE and LOVE through knowing you.”
You can see Kudrow’s full tribute to Matthew Perry below:
There’s a massive misconception out there about what booze — bourbon, scotch, rum, tequila, etc. — to use in your cocktails. It’s the idea that you should never use expensive or elite bourbon, scotch, gin, or whatever. Because it’s just mixed drinks, right? Using a Pappy 20 in an old fashioned is seen as sacrilege. Pearls will be clutched.
The thing is, you want your drinks to taste good, right? To that end, you always want to use the best ingredients available for any recipe you’re making. Cocktails included (now prices may get prohibitive and there’s a case to be made for focusing on the most elite pours without more than a single ice cube added, but those are different than the flawed idea of “never mix good whiskey!”).
To that end, I’m calling out the 20 best widely available bourbons for making cocktails below. And I’ve separated this list into two very distinct categories. The first is a list of 10 bourbons that are perfect for beginners. These are the bourbons that you use at home to practice with while refining your cocktail mixing skills. This is the stuff that you drink when you’re making more mistakes than not. That does not mean these are inferior bourbons. It just means that they’re not going to blow your mind when mixed into your favorite cocktails.
The second list is the bourbons that you use when you want an amazing cocktail that will blow some minds. These are the bourbons that you should be using to make cocktails with once you have the knowhow to make a great cocktail.
One last thing before we dive in, I kept this list open to bourbons that are widely available at liquor stores nationwide. These are all bourbons that you can find at their MSRP (mostly). Look, I mix my cocktails with crazy delicious whiskeys that can cost hundreds of dollars a bottle — again, because the better the ingredients, the better the end product — but I’m not here to give you a list of bourbons that you can’t even get for mixing cocktails (I’ll save that for another day).
The point is that you should be able to find these bourbons easily (your state may vary). Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This is Maker’s signature expression made with Red winter wheat and aged seasoned Ozark oak for six to seven years. This expression’s whiskey is sourced from only 150 barrels (making this a “small batch”). Those barrels are then blended and proofed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling and dipping in their iconic red wax.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has classic hints of caramel and vanilla with a grassy underbelly next to soft cherry, hints of oak, and a touch of apple orchard.
Palate: That grassiness becomes vaguely floral as slightly spiced caramel apples arrive, along with a chewy mouthfeel that leads towards a soft mineral vibe — kind of like wet granite.
Finish: The end holds onto the fruit and sweetness as the oak and dried grass stay in your senses.
How To Use It:
This is kind of the perfect beginner bourbon for home mixologists. It’s very forgiving and works for pretty much anything. You can make sours, smashes, old fashioneds, and Manhattans with this very easily. The low ABVs mean that you’ll be getting the beauty of the mixed-in ingredients a little more brightly while the body of the wheated bourbon will still shine through.
9. Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Heaven Hill makes great whiskey, especially inexpensive bottled in bonds. This “b-i-b” is tailored for the Evan Williams flavor profile. Still, this is Heaven Hill, so we’re talking about the same mash bill, same warehouses, and same blending team as beloved bourbons like Elijah Craig and Heaven Hill releases. This is simply built to match a higher-end Evan Williams vibe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely nose at play with soft taco mix spice next to creamy vanilla, caramel-dipped cherries, a hint of pear skins, and plenty of nutmeg.
Palate: The palate has a minor note of cornbread muffins next to cherry-vanilla tobacco with a dash of leather and toffee.
Finish: The end leans into some fresh gingerbread with a vanilla frosting next to hints of pear candy cut with cinnamon and nutmeg.
How To Use It:
This is a great utility mixer to have on hand for practicing and refining skills. Play around with highballs with this pour. Try a Kentucky Libre — bourbon, Coke, and a squeeze of lime. Or a classic Highball with really good fizzy water and a nice bold garnish (think grapefruit peel or dry lavender).
Once you master the balance of the highball, use this for sours, smashes, and juleps. Experiment with different berries, citruses, and herbs. The spice in the bourbon is subtle but plays well with fruit.
8. Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and mid-ryes with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts. The whiskey is then blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and sweet apple and cherry woods greet with a good dose of sour red berries dusted with brown winter spices, especially clove and nutmeg.
Palate: The palate leans into soft and salted caramel with a hint of those berries underneath while the spices get woodier and a thin line of green sweetgrass sneaks in.
Finish: The finish is silky and boils down to blackberry jam with a good dose of winter spice, old wood, and a hint of vanilla tobacco.
How To Use It:
This is a great standard bourbon for mixing. It has great fruitness already, so try it highballs with bright berry or fresh fruit garnishes or maybe a little dry herbs or spices (think clove buds or cinnamon sticks). This also works wonders in fruit-forward shakers like sours and smashes. I like making a blackberry smash with a little lemon, rosemary, and mint with a nice maple syrup add-in. It’s delightful.
You can of course also use a whole bottle to refine those stirring skills by making a dozen old fashioneds with this too.
7. Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey
This is classic Jack Daniel’s made with their iconic mash bill of 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% malted barley. That mashed juice is then sent through massive column stills before it’s slowly dripped through 10 feet of pebbly sugar maple charcoal, which is also made on-site at Lynchburg, from local lumber. After that, the whiskey is left alone for up to five or six years across Jack Daniel’s vast warehouses before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Buttery banana bread with walnuts and raisins (with a hint of the cardboard box they came in) next to bright red cherry and fresh tart apples dominate the nose with a light hint of old cinnamon powder next to the faintest hint of chewing tobacco.
Palate: The palate is thin, there’s no getting around that thanks to the proofing water. But it also presents as a lush banana milkshake cut with fresh vanilla and dusted with nutmeg and plenty of apple and cherry pie with very mild oakiness.
Finish: The proofing water amps up on the finish as the flavor washes out, leaving you with a sense of an empty apple pin tin, hints of banana bread, and an echo of cherry pipe tobacco.
How To Use It:
Jack Daniel’s is the perfect smash and sour base. Use big citrus notes with honey, maple, or a nutty syrup base. Then layer in some fresh herbs. It’ll shine.
On the flip side, this is also a great candidate for highballs with sweet or neutral fizzy drinks. Though given the low ABV, I’d go 50/50 on the soda/whiskey split on any highball recipe. Here’s a pro tip, try Jack with good dry tonic water. It’ll help the fruitier notes in the whiskey pop while offering a botanical counterpoint that just works.
6. Jim Beam Black Extra-Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This expression replaced the old Jim Beam Black Label 8 Year, which was a huge favorite amongst the old-school Beam heads. The whiskey in this bottle is aged longer than your average four-year-old Beam, but there is no age statement on exactly how long. I’ve heard things, but only rumors. The best way to think of it is that it’s aged for as long as it needs to be before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A clear sense of expensive vanilla beans next to apple cotton candy, honey-buttered cornbread, soft oak staves, and Dr. Brown’s Cherry work through the nose.
Palate: The taste has a hint of sourdough apple-cinnamon old-fashioned doughnuts next to vanilla pound cake with a hint of poppy seed and orange zest, a whisper of clove and anise, and a smidge of pecan pie.
Finish: The end has a dried vanilla tobacco vibe by way of spiced apple cider and old cinnamon sticks next to a hint of raisins and bruised peach skins.
How To Use It:
This is a great whiskey to refine those old fashioned skills. You should be able to get 12 cocktails out of the bottle. Buy a case of this and just keep stirring and refining until you get your skills dialed.
This also makes a great 50/50 soda water/bourbon highball with a twist of orange and a dash of bitters. Add a splash of ginger ale on top and you have a delectable Horse’s Neck.
5. George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Handcrafted Small Batch Aged 8 Years
The whisky in the bottle is the same Dickel Tennessee whiskey but pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The whiskey is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with creamy vanilla next to spiced tobacco with plenty of apple pie vibe and winter spices with a butter underbelly.
Palate: The palate has a light bran muffin with a molasses vibe next to vanilla/nougat wafers that then lead to peach skins and gingerbread.
Finish: The end leans into the nutty chocolate and vanilla wafer with a touch of orange zest, marzipan, and mint tobacco with a hint of garden-store earthiness.
How To Use It:
This is a nice change of pace that still feels classic. I tend to use these for sours and smashes primarily. The citrus helps the spices and earthiness shine. I would also use this in tropical cocktails in place of the rum. The nuttiness, spice, and chocolate notes really bring a nice rummy dimension to very fruit-forward shakers.
4. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years
This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash that’s aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into cinnamon sticky buns with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate.
Finish: That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.
How To Use It:
This is a great bourbon to practice stirring skills — old fashioneds, Manhattans, and Sazeracs. The depth and warmth of Knob Creek stand up to the dilution while the floral botanicals and sharp spiciness meld damn near perfectly with this bourbon.
Wild Turkey 101 starts with Turkey’s classic 75/13/12 mash bill. The hot juice then spends at least six years in the cask before it’s batched and just kissed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cherry bomb on the nose with deep notes of burnt orange, buttery toffee, old oak staves, and cumin-heavy taco seasoning with a hint of old leather gloves and clove buds.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla pudding cup vibe next to butterscotch candies, nougat, and a twinge of menthol tobacco next to clove-studded oranges on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end of this is a classic cascade of bourbon notes: caramel, vanilla, cherry, winter spices, and light woodiness.
How To Use It:
This is another universal cocktail base that you should always have on hand. You can make any cocktail with this and it’ll shine through. So once you start looking for the bourbon in the cocktail (trust me, your palate will start seeking more and more as you go along), Turkey 101 will start to deliver.
I’d also argue that this is strong enough to stand up to a boulevardier application. The heft of the 101 can withstand the boldness of the Campari and the softness of the sweet vermouth while still giving you a clear sense of the bourbon mixed in.
2. Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye. The whiskey is then rendered from “small batches” of barrels to create this proofed-down version of the iconic brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light sense of rickhouse wood beams next to that mild taco seasoning on the nose with caramel apples, vanilla ice cream scoops, and a hint of fresh mint with a sweet/spicy edge.
Palate: The palate opens with a seriously smooth vanilla base with some winter spice (especially cinnamon and allspice) next to a hint of grain and apple pie filling.
Finish: The end leans towards the woodiness with a hint of broom bristle and minty tobacco lead undercut by that smooth vanilla.
How To Use It:
Like all of the other bourbons in this section, this whiskey is made for mixing. You can really make anything with this whiskey and it’ll shine through in all the right ways. It’s versatile while still being accommodating to a wide array of flavor notes. Start with an old fashioned and go from there.
This is bold enough that you can even use this in heavy-duty flavor-forward cocktails like eggnog and espresso martinis. That bourbon note will not get lost.
1. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Michter’s means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows.
Finish: The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.
How To Use It:
Gun to head, this is the best cocktail bourbon that’s widely available and under $50. It works in everything from a simple highball to a complicated AF cocktail.
This is also the only bottle that I’d argue belongs in both categories. It’s inexpensive enough that you can train yourself with it while being refined enough to wow anyone looking for a great cocktail.
Part 2 — The “Master” Bourbons for Cocktails (At Any Price)
10. Baker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel 1007 Proof 8 Years 1 Month
Baker’s is pulled from single barrels in specific warehouses and ricks across the Beam facility in Clermont, Kentucky. The bourbon is always at least seven years old. In this case, it was aged eight years and one month before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans toward old leather tobacco pouches before hitting a classic cherry vanilla cake vibe accented by green herbs and old sourdough bread crusts with a hint of caraway.
Palate: That cherry vanilla stays moist on the palate as sharp cinnamon, allspice, and clove drive the palate back toward green floral rye dill, caraway, and fennel with a sweet pear candy cider vibe.
Finish: The end holds onto the fruit candy as a rush of soft nutmeg eggnog arrives and is countered by a slow warmth from Hot Tamale candy-laced tobacco.
How To Use It:
I’d argue that this is the bourbon you use when you want a rye-forward vibe without using rye. Make a Manhattan with this. It’ll be spectacular. But then that winter spice and creaminess speaks to winter warmers like nogs or toddies. The point is that you can go hot, creamy, light, citrusy, or whiskey-forward with this one and it’ll always be a winner.
9. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Garrison Brothers is a true grain-to-glass experience from Hye, Texas. The juice is a wheated bourbon made with local, Texas grains. That spirit is then aged under the beating heat of a hot Texas sun before the barrels are small-batched (with only 55 barrels per batch), proofed with local water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a caramel apple note on the nose next to a bit of dry straw, worn leather, and … what feels like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Palate: That cereal nature continues through the palate with a sugary and buttery shortbread note mingling with hints of vanilla cake frosted with lemon cream leading to a touch of orange oils.
Finish: The end is very long and warm with a bit of cinnamon that ultimately leads back to the caramel apples plus just a touch of dry campfire smoke at the very end.
How To Use It:
This is the bottle you get when you want something completely different. The bready graininess with the sharp spice and deep hues means that you’re going to get a bold cocktail that’s pure Texas in a glass.
If you do make a highball with this, use real Dr. Pepper (the stuff you get in Texas made with real sugar) and cut it with some orange oils. It’s fantastic.
If you’re making cocktails, lean toward summer berries, floral garnishes, and smoky notes in old fashioneds, Manhattans, or boulevardiers.
8. Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky 1920 Prohibition Style
Getting back to the years on the bottles, this expression “celebrates” the Volstead Act of 1920, which pretty much-banned alcohol in the U.S. What this is really celebrating is that Old Forester was one of only six distilleries that was able to keep making and selling whisky (for medicinal purposes) during Prohibition. And that era’s production is what this blend mimics.
Tasting Note:
Nose: That classic choco-cherry note that a lot of Old Forester has come through on the top of this nose with maple syrup-soaked cedar next to a faint touch of caramel apple.
Palate: The palate is slightly nutty, bordering on Pecan Sandies, with a continuation of that maple syrup leading towards light pepperiness that’s almost like cumin as the cedar comes back into play.
Finish: The mid-palate sweetens pretty dramatically with a Caro Syrup feel to it as the spice hits on a wintery vibe and the taste ends with a finish of (almost smoked) dark chocolate powder on the very backend.
How To Use It:
Normally, I’d stick to classic whiskey-forward stirred cocktails like old fashioneds and Manhattans with this one. But I recently had this in an apple cider whiskey sour and it was spectacular. So I’d use this for cocktails that are elevated beyond the norm. Think a Black Manhattan or a Apple Cider Whiskey Sour or a 50/50 cognac/bourbon Sazerac.
7. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
This was first introduced in 1997. The whiskey is hand-selected from barrels on the upper floors of Jack’s vast rickhouses. The whisky is bottled at a slightly higher proof to allow the nuance of the single-barrel whiskey to shine.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The banana notes are drawn way back here and replaced by a clear sense of toasted oak, dark cherry, apple tobacco, and a hint of molasses.
Palate: That oak is the underpinning for notes of caramel corn, mild winter spice barks, and plenty of oily vanilla beans that are all countered by a soft cherry soda with a whisper of clove.
Finish: The sweet banana fruit is there on the end and marries well to a peppery spice, cherry gum, and mulled wine that amps up as the end draws near with plenty of that toasted wood lingering the longest.
How To Use It:
This makes a great old fashioned that tastes so unique. So do that. Then play around with it. I like a mole old fashioned with this, creme de cacao, and a few dashes of chili bitters. Add some orange oils and you’re set. The dark fruit and nuttiness of the Jack will accent those flavors perfectly.
6. Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than one percent of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with classic notes of vanilla sheet cake, salted caramel, wintry mulled wine spices, and a sense of cherry pie in a lard crust next to a hint of dried corn husk, old broom bristle, and dark chocolate pipe tobacco.
Palate: The palate layers in floral honey and orange zest next to sticky toffee pudding, old leather, and cherry tobacco layered with the dark chocolate with this lingering sense of coconut cream pie lurking somewhere in the background.
Finish: The finish leans into more woody winter spices (especially cinnamon bark and nutmeg) with rich toffee and cherry-chocolate tobacco braided with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
How To Use It:
This is one of those bottles that has no business costing what it does. This blows bottles five times the cost out of the water. So use this to make really good whiskey-forward cocktails. Any of them. It always works. And then sit back when you serve cocktails made with this and watch your friends try and guess what amazing expensive bourbon you must be using.
It’ll be fun when you reveal what you actually used.
5. Noah’s Mill Small Batch Genuine Bourbon Whiskey
This is the bigger and bolder sibling of Willett’s Rowan’s Creek Bourbon. It’s the same whiskey — a no-age-statement bourbon that’s made from four to 15-year-old barrels — that’s barely proofed down with local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried cherries and a hint of rose water next to old leather books and holiday spices.
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in a stewed plum depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils.
Finish: The vanilla and sweet oak kick in late with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip fade towards lush cherry tobacco, soft leather, and winter spice matrix tied to prunes and dates.
How To Use It:
There’s a lot of great stuff for cocktails coming out of Willett these days but this is the pinnacle. Again, this is a bottle you need for very simple whiskey-forward cocktails where the whiskey is the star of the show. Don’t go big here. Go precise, subtle, and delicious. But make sure you know what you’re doing before you start using this one as it can overpower a mixed drink very easily.
4. Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This Single Barrel Four Roses is a slightly proofed version of their famed OBSV recipe. That’s a bourbon recipe with delicate fruit yeast and a high-rye mash bill. A single barrel of that was picked from the north side of Warehouse P (a beloved position for Four Roses’ single barrel fans — yes, barrel position and warehouses make a big difference).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody maple syrup and cinnamon sticks lead to a hint of pear candy with a vanilla underbelly on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets the pear shine as the spices lean into woody barks and tart berries next to leathery dates and plums with a butteriness tying everything together.
Finish: A spicy tobacco chewiness leads the mid-palate toward a soft fruitiness and a hint of plum pudding at the end with a slight nuttiness and green herbal vibe.
How To Use It:
This is another one where you want to let the whiskey shine in the glass, so don’t go too crazy with the add-ins. The bright orchard fruits do support some special and seasonal sour applications while also shining brightly in light seasonal Manhattans — think pear sours and gingerbread Manhattans.
3. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The whiskey is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol layered with smudging sage and orchard barks.
Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy before leaning into a creamy vanilla cream spiked with tobacco and stewed prunes, dates, and figs.
How To Use It:
This is such a beautiful bourbon on its own that you don’t want to go too far with the cocktails. That said, make a clean and beautiful old fashioned with this one and you might not ever go back to any other expression again. The same goes for Manhattans.
2. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a high water mark of what standard Wild Turkey can achieve. The Russells select the “honey barrels” (those special barrels that are as much magic as craft) from their rickhouses for single barrel bottling. The resulting whiskey is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla cream spiked with orange oils and sprinkled with toasted coconut mingle with spicy oak and buttery cake on the nose with an underpinning of winter spices by way of a sour mulled wine.
Palate: The palate opens with easy notes of marzipan, subtle dried roses, vanilla pods, more winter spices, and singed cherry bark.
Finish: The end arrives with a sense of Almond Joy next to cherry tobacco dipped in chili-infused dark chocolate with a flake of salt and a pinch of cedar dust and old leather saddles.
How To Use It:
This is another product that stands up well to anything while still holding onto its integrity. The bourbon will shine through when layered correctly whether it’s a funky and fresh seasonal sour or smash or a simple but well-stirred old fashioned, Sazerac, or Manhattan.
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from their very low rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee draw you in on the nose before a sense of old fallow fruit orchards with falling leaves hints at old brick barrelhouses in the distance with a whisper of dried apple.
Palate: Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce before deep and earthy barrel warehouse vibes arrive with a sense of the cobwebs, mold, and ancient wood takes over.
Finish: The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar wrapped with smudging sage, old fall leaves, and bourbon-soaked oak stave from decades ago.
How To Use It:
This will actually make the best whiskey-forward cocktail of any bourbon on this list. I’d steer clear of citrus-based cocktails or shakers but not always. This makes a great New York Sour with a good red wine float, but it’s in an old fashioned or Manhattan where Eagle Rare 10 truly shines.
This is one of those bourbons that’ll wow in any cocktail.
The holidays are upon us, and there’s no greater gift than the gift of music. This holiday season, you can give the Drake fan in your life all sorts of goodies and treats.
Uproxx has put together a nifty little guide for Drizzy fans, for those who simply can’t have too much of the prolific rapper. At the time of writing, no Black Friday deals have been announced, but fans can purchase some fun items just in time for jolly season (and some of the options below might just get price cuts as Black Friday approaches).
Dave’s-giving Party Pack from Dave’s Hot Chicken
Drake fans who wish to get the festivities started early with the Dave’s Hot Turkey Party Pack from Dave’s Hot Chicken — a chain in which Drake is an investor. The Dave’s-giving party pack comes with Winter Sports-Themed Bibs, a Floral Centerpiece Cutout featuring Dave’s heads as tulips, photobooth props, and much more. Guests of Southern California- and Detroit-area Dave’s stores can add this pack to orders of sliders, tenders, or fries for $10 more, or purchase for an additional $12. Granted, this merch isn’t directly related to Drake, but makes for a fun addition to Drake memorabilia.
Items are available in select stores only.
Tickets to Drake’s It’s All A Blur — The Big What? Tour
Drake and J. Cole will kick off 2024 with their North American It’s All A Blur — The Big What? Tour. While they won’t be hitting too many major cities, Drake does plan to touch on the cities he missed on the first go-around of the tour. This is ideal for Drake fans who also didn’t get to make the first iteration of It’s All A Blur.
Drake and Kendra Samir’s Titles Ruin Everything poetry book
Drake and longtime collaborator Kendra Samir released a poetry book called Titles Ruin Everything, a collection of words and lines Drake previously described as a “stream of consciousness.” While Drake’s most recent music has prompted some mixed reactions, the poetry book makes for a lovely addition to one’s coffee table.
The book is available for purchase through Drake’s official merchandiser, Drake Related.
Drake’s Views hoodie and sweatpants
Keep it cozy with loungewear embedded with the logo from Drake’s 2016 album, Views — which many fans hail as the quintessential Drake project.
Manifest positive energy into your home with the Good Thoughts candle. Crafted with orange and fir balsam and paired with rose and sandalwood provides a spiritual experience within the house.
Kick it like Drake in these stylish new NOCTA Glides, which he designed as a partnership with Nike. These may be a bit more pricey than some of the aforementioned items, but they’ll run you cheaper than some of the tickets for the It’s All A Blur shows. Granted, you may have to fight some Ticketmaster-esque crowds.
The Glides are available for purchase through NOCTA.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. Next weekend is the dreaded (or beloved, depending on who you are) Black Friday — so you might assume the big sneaker brands will hold back their best releases until we can pick them up on the cheap, right?
Wrong! It’s the opposite.
This week brings a flood of dope releases at full price including a Nike and TIGHTBOOTH SB Dunk, an Off Noir Jordan 3, a Jordan 4 in Craft Olive, new LeBrons, a BAPE and Adidas collaboration, and the latest from New Balance’s Tokyo Design Studio. It’s as if the sneaker brands are trying to drop a sneaker for every type of sneakerhead.
If the upcoming Black Friday has you feeling a bit more conservative about copping any pairs this week, don’t let it — next week’s releases are considerably weaker. And in-demand shoes rarely go on sale. It’s sad but those are the breaks.
Let’s dive into the best sneakers dropping this week!
Shinpei Ueno’s TIGHTBOOTH label has linked up with Nike this week for what is easily the best skate sneaker of the season. The sneaker takes inspiration from Ueno’s 2005 underground video series Lenz, which helped introduce the world to the Japanese nighttime skate scene.
The design features a black base with white paneling that sports textural overlays that are meant to emulate metal street grates. For enhanced visibility, the design uses reflective swoosh panels and contrasting Safety Orange accents.
The Nike SB x TIGHTBOOTH Dunk Low Pro is set out now for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
The latest Nike Terminator pays tribute to Alabama’s HBCU the Tuskegee University. The sneaker is draped in Golden Tigers colors with golden laces, a premium leather upper, embroidered heel details that read “Tuskegee Institute,” and other little touches that refer to the school’s iconography.
Whether you’re a current student or an alumni, these feel like a must-cop.
The Nike Terminator High Tuskegee University is out now for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Right now the best Jordan colorways are going strictly to women’s sizes. This week we have the Off Noir Jordan 3, which features a mix of Off Noir, Sail, Black, and Cement Grey colors with a mixed leather and synthetic upper atop a foam midsole.
That iconic elephant print mudguard serves as a nice contrast to the black base of this premium Jordan. Truth be told, it deserves a spot in the best Jordan 3 colorways of all time.
The Nike Women’s Air Jordan 3 Off Noir is out now for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
What am I supposed to say about this sneaker other than it looks f*cking crazy?! Look at it! LeBron never fails to go all out. This LeBron 2 reissue sports a pony hair leather upper with zebra and cheetah print, laser etched graphics, and embroidered and embossed LeBron branding.
If you really want to turn heads at the holiday party this year, roll up in these shoes and you’ll be the talk of the night.
The Nike LeBron 2 Maple and University Red is set to drop on November 16th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $250. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Converse has linked up with Korean fashion brand Kasina for a classic but slightly altered take on the Weapon. The sneaker features a white leather upper with black paneling and green tongue and logo accents with graphics inspired by the hand-drawn plans for the first Kasina store.
It’s a cool design but it’s pretty much reserved for hardcore Kasina fans only.
The Converse x Kasina Weapon is set to drop on November 16th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Kith has teamed up with New Balance this week for a new take on the 990v6 that celebrates Madison Square Garden. The design looks to the exterior of the Garden for inspiration with a mesh upper with pigskin suede and synthetic overlays in faded white with accents in orange and blue. The accents are an obvious reference to the NY Knicks and feel how you want about the team, it looks great!
The sneaker rests on ENCAP midsole cushioning with a TPU heel tab and a co-branded sock liner.
The Kith x New Balance Made in USA 990v6 is set to drop on November 16th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $219.99. Pick up a pair via the New Balance webstore.
If you have big feet and you’re crying over the Jordan 3 Off Noir’s limited sizing option, stop, because while you won’t be able to rock a stealthy pair of 3s to Thanksgiving this year, you can wear this olive-toned Jordan 4. And I’m just going to go ahead and say it — the 4 beats the 3 every time!
The sneaker features a suede upper with leather and textile overlays in a two-toned color scheme of olive and black. It’s the best release of the week, hands down.
The Nike Air Jordan 4 Craft Olive is set to drop on November 18th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
NikeNike
New Balance Tokyo Design Studio 610S
New Balance
Price: $129.99
If your vibe leans loungey and modern, the latest from New Balance’s Tokyo Design Studio is for you. Built on a 610S silhouette, this trail sneaker is altered with a slip-on design which yes, seems like a contradiction of the shoe’s main function, but it’s hard to care because this looks super dope.
Would I wear it during a hike? Maybe! The sneaker features a mesh upper with suede overlays, a stretched collar and a lugged outsole for enhanced traction.
The New Balance Tokyo Design Studio 610S is set to drop on November 17th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $129.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard a peep from BAPE and their return isn’t exactly bringing us anything radically new but if you’re into classic designs by the brand you’re going to be all about this Stan Smith in Cloud White.
The sneaker features a synthetic leather upper with metallic gold lace jewels, 30th-anniversary gold foil branding, and a stealth white camo pattern design across the upper. The heel features that classic BAPE green camo too so that everyone from a distance can know you’re rocking BAPE and not just a regular pair of Stan Smiths.
The BAPE x Adidas Stan Smith Cloud White is set to drop on November 18th at 8:00 AM PST for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.
It’s quite the feat for an independent music festival to be running for 10 years. Even more so if it sells out. Suwannee Hulaween did just that as the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary over Halloween weekend at its home in Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida.
As one of the last truly independent, large-scale music festivals thriving in today’s corporatized concert landscape and selling out its last five events, Hulaween commemorated a decade of success with one of the most exciting editions yet. Headliners for the 2023 fest included sets from festival founders The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Smino, Dispatch, and an exclusive East Coast festival appearance from Pretty Lights, who played two sets.
Heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, the festival brimmed with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers for a full-fledged, truly immersive art program. Attendees reveled in 360-degree lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations with both visual and performance art, and catch performances at Spirit Lake’s four stages.
Immerse yourself in Hulaween’s biggest event to date with these stunning photos of the festival and all the spooky attendees crawling through the grounds.
Will Smith has been ensnared in a whirlwind of tabloid headlines after his alleged former assistant Brother Bilaal claimed he caught the actor having sex with Duane Martin. Smith has been hounded by salacious and homophobic rumors about his sexuality for years, and Bilaal only added fuel to the fire with his latest claims. However, Jada Pinkett Smith is not going to take the allegations quietly.
TMZ caught up with the actress as she was leaving iHeartRadio on Wednesday morning, and she had exactly two words to say when asked about the Will and Martin rumors: “We suin’.”
Jada’s words corroborated TMZ‘s earlier reporting that cited a Smith source who said that Will is considering legal action. His rep also issued a statement in response to the Martin rumors. “This story is completely fabricated and the claim is unequivocally false.”
Of course, the Smith’s marital issues being played out in public is par for the course. Leading up to the release of Jada’s memoirs, she revealed that the couple had been secretly separated since 2015. After that bombshell generated headlines for a week, Jada then dropped a new bombshell by revealing that, actually, she and Will got back together in the immediate aftermath of his infamous Oscar slap.
The couple were later spotted together as Will crashed one of Jada’s book-signings and proceeded to gush about his wife and their “brutal and beautiful” relationship.
The holidays are right around the corner, and considering just how many Taylor Swift fans there are, it might come in handy to know what to gift the Swiftie in your life. Christmas was a tradition in the fandom, with Swift herself even delivering special gifts for fans — as it was previously dubbed Swiftmas. While she likely won’t be knocking on any doors this year, Santa can still carry the surprises in her place.
While there has not been a Black Friday announcement for deals on Swift’s store items, it is worth continuing to monitor in the coming days — as the sales tend to pop up.
Here’s Uproxx’s Taylor Swift-themed Holiday Gift Guide.
Taylor Swift’s Folklore, Speak Now, And 1989 Cardigan
A staple in any Swiftie’s wardrobe is the coveted cardigan. The item was first released in 2020 as merch for Swift’s Folklore era. Since then, she has also made themed cardigans in purple for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and blue for 1989 (Taylor’s Version). While these aren’t currently on Swift’s official website, they can easily be found on resale sites. Plus, it will keep a fan warm through the winter, and who wouldn’t want that?
You can find these for purchase on spots like Poshmark.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), And Midnights On Vinyl
Speaking of Swift’s albums, another great gift idea (for those who don’t already own a copy) is any of the Taylor’s Version records on vinyl. Swift currently has a vinyl-dedicated section on her official store, which has four albums currently available on vinyl: 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), and several variants of her 2022 record, Midnights. You can buy these here.
The only Taylor’s Version vinyl missing from the shop is Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), but that can be found with a simple Google search of other retailers.
Tickets To See Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour In Concert (Or In Theaters)
What better gift could there be than tickets to see Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour? While these might be the most expensive out of the recommended items, there is truly nothing like being able to experience one of Swift’s concerts, even if you’re in the nosebleeds — it still is a special time. Tickets can be found on resale sites like StubHub, as she will be playing shows around the globe through next year. Or, as a cheaper option, the Eras Tour movie is still playing in theaters.
You can buy the tour tickets here, or find the Eras Tour movie tickets here.
Taylor Swift’s Album Eras As Holiday Ornaments
Swift’s site has a complete collection of holiday ornaments, allowing fans to add a personal touch to the tree. You can purchase the ball ornaments that feature Swift in each of her eras, depending on your favorite. This year, it appears there are new additions, too, like a guitar for her debut album, or the ghosts from the “Anti-Hero” music video, and many more.
Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) Snow Globe
Earlier this week, Swift dropped her annual holiday capsule. In typical fashion, there is currently an Easter egg item on the site: a Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) snow globe. It features the album cover inside, with purple glitter floating throughout when shaken. The base of the globe has a lyric from “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version),” which she performs on tour. As Swift has put out snow globes for past albums as merch, this would be a nice addition for a Swiftie who has a collection going.
Coi Leray isn’t happy her father Benzino has been contradicting her recollections of her upbringing. On a recent episode of Angie Martinez’s podcast, IRL, the “Players” rapper recalled her mom “cooking up nickels and dimes” to support them (as in, selling crack) and sleeping in cars. However, Benzino disputed this during a recent Instagram Live session, arguing, “She ain’t never slept in no f**king cars that I knew about.”
It looks like Coi is fed up with Benzino offering counterexamples of his good parenting because she lit into him in an Instagram session of her own. “[I watch] him go online and just create craziness for no reason,” she said. “And if you notice, it has been a pattern for some time now…. It just seems like every single time, instead of you congratulating me and being happy for me, you want to go online and try to use me to prove yourself to these people and this industry on why you feel like you didn’t get the respect or whatever it is that you deserve. I don’t want to be your clout kid.”
She also pointed out, “I don’t have to get on here and lie about struggle. I don’t think anybody wants to do that. But, yeah, I think that’s corny. I have a mugshot. Ask my mom… I don’t [want to] have to speak on this ever again. He made it very clear that he never wants to speak to me again… Again, the interview was done in June. I haven’t said anything since. But, respectfully, I wish that we could kind just keep everything offline moving forward. I’d rather you just do that on a respectful level of just me being your daughter at the end of the day.”
In a memorable scene from Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Johanna Mason (played by Jena Malone) takes off her clothes in an elevator with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), who is a little too excited by what he’s seeing. At the premiere of the prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Malone was asked what it was like to get naked in front of two Oscar nominees. It turns out, only one of them was on set that day.
“The scenes that are fun are never fun to do. Jen was sick that day, so I ended up doing it without Jen, and so there wasn’t a lot of people in the elevator,” she recalled. “So I think we were just winging it and trying to get as much as we could get, because it was [shot] in a real hotel.” Malone added, “That’s the magic of filmmaking, is you only need a few seconds to really create something that lasts.” It’s no Peeta disguising himself as a rock, but what is?
Some kids can wow us with their abilities, from being precocious philosophers to musical prodigies. Whether a child’s extraordinary talents are due to “nature” or “nurture” is always a big question mark, but there’s no question that some kids stand out among their peers for the things they can do.
Sometimes they even stand out from grownups. Take young Aldie, for example, whose ability to articulate his feelings exceeds many adults. When you find out he’s barely 4 years old, hearing him calmly talk about his emotions and good choices is all the more remarkable.
Aldie’s mom, Jonisa Padernos, tells Upworthy that she’s felt he was “really special” since he started talking in full sentences at 20 months. “Believe it or not, he had no major tantrums in his toddler years because he was always able to express [himself] with his words,” she says.
Padernos started young, asking Aldie questions and giving him time to answer without interrupting. “I’d always ask his opinion or feelings towards something and I don’t rush him to answer,” she says. “I give him time and just listen. I make sure I also tell him how I feel and explain to him because I think kids copy us, and if we do that, they would think that it’s normal to feel all those emotions as long as you can express it with words and [are] able to process it.”
Check out the conversation between Aldie and Padernos at bedtime as he goes through a recap of his emotions that day, which has racked up more than 17 million views on TikTok.
Bedtime conversation. The last part made me ❤️🥹 #fyp #momlife
The way Aldie shared what he was feeling about his mom not letting him go outside, how he helped his papa make a better choice with his emotions, and how he described the different emotions he feels is more than most adults can muster when they’ve had “a hard time doing emotions” during the day. And the way Padernos listens and reflects and reassures him is so, so beautiful.
People in the comments agreed.
“Emotionally intelligent, articulate and able to string super sophisticated sentences together,” wrote one commenter on Instagram. “I taught 7-year-olds that weren’t this advanced – heck, most adults aren’t this emotionally intelligent. I have confidence in his future and the consequences are working beautifully Mama. We have to raise kids other people will like too. 😍👏”
“Wowwwww….. I’m so amazed by this baby’s EVERYTHING … the emotional intelligence, the vocabulary, empathy, the processing skills…all of it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️” wrote another.
“The most mature conversation I’ve heard about emotions – tbh I don’t think I’ve ever been as honest about my feelings as this little one was 🙌🏽 feeling so inspired by both of them. ♥️🫶🏽✨” shared another.
There’s a lot that parents can do to help their children develop this kind of emotional intelligence, and this interaction between Aldie and his mom is a prime example.
“My advice is just be present, encourage kids to tell you how their day was or anything, listen and give them time to express without rushing,” says Padernos. “Be patient, consistent and honest when communicating with them. Always remember that kids mirror us and so we have to show and express our emotions so they will be encouraged to also express their feelings to us. And when we get mad or frustrated, also let them know and explain why and apologize if you feel that you’ve let your emotions get in the way.”
While not every child will be able to understand and articulate as clearly as Aldie did at such a young age, most kids are far more capable of understanding and processing emotion than we give them credit for. Proactively teaching them how to communicate what they’re feeling and explaining how emotions work can go a long way toward helping them develop the self-regulation tools they’ll use throughout their life.
This article originally appeared on 4.4.23
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