Oskar Blue/Sierra Nevada/North Coast/Boulevard/istock/Uproxx
We are firmly entrenched in stout season. The cooler (and sometimes unpleasantly cold) weather is perfect for the rich, robust roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee flavor notes everyone expects from the style. And while classic stouts are well and good, today we want to highlight something a little more potent and richer: the imperial stout.
For those unaware, an imperial stout is higher in alcohol content and has more noticeable roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and smoky flavors than its non-imperial counterparts. Not surprisingly, they make great drinking as the holiday season starts to ramp up and the weather turns cold.
So which imperial stouts should you buy? Instead of picking hard-to-find beers that you’ll never get a chance to drink, we picked eight great choices that are all readily available at grocery stores and beer stores from Bangor to Bakersfield. Then we ranked them all, based on balance and overall flavor.
Keep reading to see if your favorite imperial stout made the list!
First released in 2022, Stone Imperial Stout is known for its pitch-black color and robust, rich flavor. It’s brewed with Magnum hops and roasted malts. Referred to by the brewery as “decedent as sin”, you can age this beer for years if you want to and it will only get better.
Tasting Notes:
A classic nose of dark chocolate, coffee, and caramel greets you before your first sip. The palate is loaded with vanilla, roasted malts, dark chocolate, and freshly brewed coffee. It’s creamy and velvety with a dry finish that leaves you wanting more. Well made, but a fairly straightforward flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
This is a great beer. It’s simple and easy to drink with rich, robust flavors. It’s a great choice for fans of traditional, no-frills imperial stouts.
This 9.7% ABV imperial stout is made with humble ingredients like barley, wheat, rye, and oats. It’s known for its dark obsidian hue and full-flavored, complex flavor profile of roasted malts, dried fruits, and floral, earthy noble German hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all freshly brewed coffee, vanilla beans, toffee, and brown sugar. Drinking it reveals notes of molasses, dried fruits, espresso, dark chocolate, light smoke, and a dry, sweet finish. It’s a classic imperial stout that has countless fans and for good reason.
Bottom Line:
This is a complex, rich imperial stout. It’s heavy on the coffee aspect so if that’s your jam, this stout is completely up your alley.
This year-round, 9.5% ABV imperial stout has won numerous awards over the years, including multiple medals from the Great American Beer Festival. It’s well-known for its balance, including a roasted malt backbone, sweet caramel flavors, and a nice kick of floral, earthy hops at the finish.
Tasting Notes:
Everything begins with a nose of roasted malts, chocolate, dried fruits, and some gentle floral hops. The palate continues this trend with notes of roasted malts, toffee, vanilla beans, chocolate, light spices, and more floral hops at the very end. The finish is dry and lightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
A well-balanced imperial stout, Great Divide Yeti is one for stout fans who enjoy myriad different flavors. Malty, sweet, and eventually bitter — this is a beer that evolves on the palate.
First brewed in 1989, you’d have a hard time finding an older Russian imperial stout brewed in the US. Crafted to spend extra time aging in your basement, it’s beloved for its flavor profile of roasted malts, chocolate, and fruit. At a bold 10.5% ABV, it’s sure to warm you up this fall and winter.
Tasting Notes:
Dark chocolate, butterscotch, raisins, brown sugar, and roasted malts make for a very inviting nose. Sipping it brings notes of molasses, dark chocolate, toffee, roasted malts, and dried fruits, The finish is perfectly dry and gently bitter.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason this beer has been made the same way since 1989. It’s well-balanced and highly drinkable — get some extra bottles and save them for cellaring.
A narwhal is an arctic whale known for its unicorn-like tusk (that’s really a canine tooth). It’s wild and bold which is why Sierra Nevada decided to name its imperial stout after this majestic creature. Brewed with Carafa, Caramelized, Chocolate, Estate Pale, and Honey malts as well as ale yeast and Cascade and Ekuanot hops, it’s known for its indulgent chocolate, roasted malt, and lightly smoky flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is made up of aromas of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and licorice. The palate follows suit with a velvety smooth mouthfeel and a slew of flavors including dark chocolate, roasted malts, molasses, raisins, and coffee. It’s a perfectly balanced mix of roasty malts flavors, sweetness, bitterness, and just a kiss of smoke.
Bottom Line:
Sierra Narwhal is as complex as the whale it’s named for. It has everything an imperial stout fan could look for and it will take multiple samplings to find all the many aromas and flavors.
This award-winning imperial stout doesn’t mess around. At a potent 12% ABV, it’s on the same level as some of its bourbon barrel-aged counterparts. This beer is known for its mix of caramel, chocolate, roasted malts, and dried dark fruits. But it’s the addition of locally sourced roasted coffee beans that truly elevates this brew.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malts, floral hops, and freshly brewed coffee greet you before your first sip. The palate is a symphony of dried fruits, toffee, molasses, vanilla beans, dark chocolate, roasted malts, and a nice wallop of freshly brewed coffee. The finish is a gentle mix of sweetness and bitterness with a warming, boozy kick.
Bottom Line:
Alesmith Speedway Stout is a popular imperial stout for many reasons. It’s big, bold, boozy, flavorful, and filled with coffee goodness.
Named for Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, an influential Russian mystic in the late 1800s and early 1900s, North Coast Old Rasputin is a Russian imperial stout is a 9% ABV warming brew made in the style of the 18th-century English brewers who made the beer for Catherine the Great. It’s known for its rich, roasted malt, chocolate-centric flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of caramel, semisweet chocolate, brown sugar, roasted malts, and dried fruits. After that inviting nose, the palate is loaded with nutty sweetness, dark chocolate, bold roasted malts, and freshly brewed coffee. The mouthfeel is creamy and indulgent with a bit of pleasing bitterness at the finish.
Bottom Line:
Overall, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of North Coast Old Rasputin. There’s a reason it’s won so many awards over the years.
Few beers are so on the nose with their name. But Oskar Blues Ten Fidy is called “Ten Fidy” because it’s literally 10.5% ABV. This popular imperial stout is brewed with two-row and chocolate malts as well as roasted barley, flaked oats, and specially selected hops. The result is a unique, bold imperial stout you won’t soon forget.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee beans, raisins, butterscotch, and candied nuts. Taking a sip will transport you to a world of cacao, vanilla beans, roasted malts, coffee beans, dried fruits, caramel candy, and just a hint of floral hops. The finish is perfectly dry and semisweet. It’s a very memorable beer.
Bottom Line:
If you only try one beer on this list, make it Oskar Blues Ten Fidy. It’s big, bold, rich, and sublimely well-balanced for such a high-ABV beer.
It looks like there may have been a miscommunication between Lil Uzi Vert and their management regarding their appearance on the Rolling Loud California lineup for 2024 because Uzi appears confused. “I never said I was doing Rolling Loud,” they wrote on Instagram over a repost of the event’s flyer in Stories. “Don’t understand why my name is on here.”
Lil Uzi Vert reacts to news he’s headlining Rolling Loud 2024:
“I never said I was doing Rolling Loud don’t understand why my name is on here.” pic.twitter.com/yLh0DFbpwL
While miscues like this do occasionally happen in the entertainment industry (actually, they happen all the time, just rarely at this scale), it’s unusual that Lil Uzi Vert wouldn’t want to do Rolling Loud. They’ve been a mainstay at the festival since it began to rise to prominence a few years ago, appearing on the roster most years since at least 2017.
However, Uzi has been insinuating lately that they’re fed up with the music business, hinting at retirement and personal issues including a possible breakup with City Girls’ JT. Anyone hoping that their Grammy nomination for Pink Tape would salve those psychic wounds might end up disappointed.
This isn’t the first time a big-name festival announced its lineup before the artists involved were informed by their respective teams. In 2020, the Lovers And Friends Festival lineup was disputed by both Mase and Lil Kim before they figured things out. Despite those checks eventually clearing, though, the festival was postponed due to COVID-19, eventually taking place at a later date.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has understandably led to high emotions. Covering it requires a delicate touch. That’s why Fox News brought on a well-known expert on geopolitics: Fabio. On Tuesday the world’s most famous romance novel cover model went on-air to speak with Neil Cavuto about the pro-Israel demonstration that took place in D.C., as well as the pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted over the nation. It was more surreal than informative.
Per The Daily Beast, Fabio (full-name Fabio Lanzoni) spent most of his interview slamming President Joe Biden and hatching conspiracy theories about who was really behind the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. (Hint: It was Hamas.) After calling Biden the “weakest president in the history of the United States,” the former “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spokesperson went on to throw out some ideas about the roots of the conflict, which one would arrive at “if you really do your research,” of course.
“Israel was closing a deal with Saudi Arabia… so that they could ship all the oil to Europe—and, of course, most of the oil comes from Russia—and to Asia,” Fabio speculated. “So, of course, who was selling the oil to Asia? Iran. That is why Iran, all of a sudden, attacked Israel. That’s the real reason.”
Is it, though? Cavuto, who called the Exorcist III bit player a “great student of history,” seemed to think so.
Cavuto also asked Fabio about all the support Palestine has received during the deadly bombings, which have left thousands of civilians dead, including children. Fabio slammed those who would defend “people who want to blow themselves up so they can be with 72 virgins.” He also argued Israel’s response is appropriate.
“Israel is just trying to defend itself,” Fabio said. “If anything would have happened in the United States like it happened on Oct. 7, the United States would have nuked the border country.”
If you’re surprised Fox News was asking Fabio for his opinions on the news, you shouldn’t be. Back on 2018, Tucker Carlson earned jeers when he brought him on to talk about Los Angeles, which he compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. Amazingly, the largest city in California is still mostly doing just fine.
Following ten episodes that aired over the last two months, Power Book IV: Forceseason two came to an end in dramatic fashion, which is typical for shows in the Power Universe. Now, next up is Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Unlike Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force, which depict the events that take place after the original Power series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan jumps back to the past. So with season three set to pick up where season two’s chaotic ending left off, when will fans be able to watch the new season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan?
When Does Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3 Come Out?
Season three of Power Book III: Raising Kanan debuts on STARZ on December 1. The first episode in season three will be available to watch on the STARZ app starting on December 1 at midnight ET/PT and it will then air on the STARZ TV channel at 8pm ET/PT.
You can read the official synopsis for season three below:
Over the last two seasons of “Raising Kanan,” Kanan Stark has slowly learned the truth about not only his mother, but also himself. It has been a tortuous journey for him and everyone around him. With each new revelation, Kanan has been forced to confront his family’s seemingly never-ending web of secrets and lies. He has spent much of this time in a state of denial, but now, Kanan’s blinders are finally off, and he doesn’t like what he sees.
In season three, Kanan finds himself grappling with the very notions of right and wrong. Good and evil. Fidelity and disloyalty. And he’s not alone. Every member of the Thomas family must confront an existential crisis that challenges their very identity. Whether it’s Marvin, who’s still trying to redeem himself, or Raq, who’s finally coming clean, or Lou, who’s wrestling with his own evil, or Jukebox, who’s simply trying to break free from her family’s pathology, they are all attempting to redefine and reinvent themselves.
They won’t all be able to complete this intensely personal quest, but for those who do, the destination may reveal the most terrifying secret of all. There is no right and wrong or good and evil. There are no absolutes. In the end, there’s just you.
‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ will return to STARZ for season three on December 1.
Before I dive in, let’s get some technicalities out of the way. “Rare” does not mean expensive or exclusive. Rare simply means “thinly distributed” or “occurring far apart in time.” Sure, that can mean that those “thinly distributed” items gain popularity that inflates prices, but that’s not crucial or defining for “rare” at all. Hell, rare doesn’t even mean good or special.
Look, I get it, people out there conflate “rare” with special or better or expensive. But that’s just not always the case.
Today, I’ve chosen bourbons that are mostly single barrel picks because that means there are 200 bottles or less of that expression — and there never will be any more of that specific release, ever. Yes, you might see another barrel pick from that brand out there but don’t expect it to taste anything like the last one you saw. I’ve also included highly allocated bourbons that are damn near impossible to get unless you know where to look (but not impossible if you’re willing to pay far above MSRP). The first covers the “occurring far apart in time” and the latter covers the “thinly distributed”.
That makes our lineup today the following rare bourbons:
Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Warehouse PN Barrel No. 86-3E
Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Single Barrel Aged At Least 15 Years
Shortbarrel Single Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Hirsch Selected Whiskeys The Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Double Oak
Rare Character Single Barrel Select Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength
Doc Swinson’s Hand Selected Exploratory Cask Series Rare Release Aged 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon
After the blind tasting, I ranked these bourbons based on taste alone. And ho boy, these were some magnificent whiskeys. Still, some had more depth, nuance, and balance than others so it wasn’t that hard. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
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.
Initial Thoughts:
This is delicious whiskey. It’s nuanced and deep with a bourbon vibe that goes well beyond classic to something much more.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of vanilla pods and orange next to old saddle leather and cedar bark with cinnamon and caramel apple fritters.
Palate: The palate feels like a cream soda float with malted vanilla ice cream cut with cherries, dark chocolate chips, and espresso flakes next to cinnamon cherry bark tobacco on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end dives toward a thick braid of cedar bark, sage, and blackberry tobacco with a thin line of sweetgrass and vanilla pods woven in there.
Initial Thoughts:
This ended a little thin overall. It was classic bourbon but didn’t slap.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is all about the cherry pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to a slight apple-tobacco vibe with a clear multi-vitamin chalkiness that leads to a deep cedar woody spice with a rich tobacco feel.
Palate: Red berries lead toward a cherry-choco soda pop, more vanilla cream, and a light touch of bourbon-soaked oakiness on the taste with a sense of woody winter spices and cedar bark braided with sweetgrass and smudging sage.
Finish: That woodiness leans into a musty corner of a cellar as a spicy cherry tobacco finish leaves you with a dry, almost chalky, yet sweet mouthfeel.
Initial Thoughts:
Well, hello Dickel. This is really good bourbon — Dickel or not. It’s so easy to sip as a neat pour. It’s distinct though and has a vibe all its own.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of fresh orange zest and dark cherry on the nose with a hint of winter spice, old dried prunes, and a hint of black tea.
Palate: The winter spice leads to creamy vanilla and eggnog on the taste as a peach cobbler with fresh vanilla whipped cream leads to warming tobacco spices and hints of old oak.
Finish: Marmalade and leathery dried apricot counter the vanilla creaminess with a light sense of winter spice barks rolled up with soft pipe tobacco leaves and dipped in black cherry soda.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another really good pour that leans very classic. I’m not sure if there’s more here though.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich cherries soaked in maple syrup mingle with a light sense of cedar cigar humidors, apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, and cloves buried in orange peels with a hint of marzipan lurking in the background.
Palate: That cinnamon and clove blend with eggnog and nutmeg as the palate leans into mincemeat pie, vanilla cake, and a hint of toasted marshmallow dipped in dark chocolate.
Finish: The end gets a little dry as white pepper and old boot leather mingle with rich maple syrup over blueberry pancakes with a light sense of vanilla sugar cookies.
Initial Thoughts:
This pour starts as a stone-cold classic Kentucky bourbon and then dives so much deeper. The heat amps up on the end pretty significantly but never overpowers the overall experience (for me anyway).
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic notes of dark cherry cola, cinnamon barks, and rich pipe tobacco dance with lightly buttered whole wheat toast, roasted marshmallows, and a whisper of pecan waffles on the nose.
Palate: Those pecan waffles take on more butter and rich and sweet maple syrup on the front of the palate as rum raisin and sticky marshmallow lead to soft grits cut with brown sugar and winter spices.
Finish: The end gets lush with caramel and dark chocolate over brandied cherries with a nice layer of tobacco-stained leather rounding things out.
Initial Thoughts:
This nails classic bourbon. It’s super easy to drink but doesn’t go beyond the ordinary.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rips of winter spice barks and clove-studded oranges pop on the nose next to oily toasted vanilla beans, perfectly roasted marshmallows, cherry cotton candy, a whisper of caraway seed on rye bread crusts, and pine-y honey tobacco packed into an old humidor.
Palate: That rich vanilla takes on a deep creaminess with eggnog spices and sweetness on the front of the tongue as sharp marmalade over buttermilk biscuits lead to shark cinnamon-laced apple cider and warm vanilla buttercream.
Finish: The cinnamon, clove, and allspice really amp up on the finish as dry tobacco and smudging sage braid with cedar bark before dank dried chili pepper and sharp cinnamon bark add some serious heat to the very end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is outstanding bourbon. If I had to nitpick, it’d be the heat at the end of the sip. By the end, it was begging for a drop of water or a single ice cube.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich notes of sweet and spice oak mingle with old leather tobacco pouches on the nose before a deep sense of winter spice cakes brimming with roasted nuts, candied citrus and dark fruits, and dark chocolate notes combine with brandied pear and ribbon candy with a fleeting sense of dried spearmint layered into caramel candy.
Palate: That leathery tobacco pouch gets a little chewy on the front of the taste as dark Christmas puddings and mincemeat pies drive the taste toward brandied fruits, candied citrus, and toasted nuts before a deep dark salted chocolate arrives with a hint of espresso oils and vanilla syrup all countered by a dank and musty barrelhouse.
Finish: That dank and dusty barrel house leads to dried tobacco leaves just kissed with black cherry and pear brandy before echos of Christmas treats and nogs create a lush and vibrantly spiced sweet finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is phenomenal whiskey. It does so far beyond average or classic and delivers a truly deep and delicious experience when sipped neat. Even now, I want to make the best Manhattan ever with this after slowly sipping some after a huge holiday meal … next to a crackling fire … on a snowy morning … with a dog sleeping at my feet.
The point is that this is deeply experiential, rewarding, and exciting bourbon.
Part 2 — The Rare Bourbon Ranking
Zach Johnston
8. Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2
This non-age-statement bourbon is still called “Old Weller Antique” (OWA) by those who love the old-school vibes of the expression’s previous iteration. The ripple with this wheated bourbon from Buffalo Trace’s Weller line is the higher proof. The barrels are vatted and barely proofed down to 107-proof before bottling (the entry proof is 114).
Bottom Line:
This felt like a pretty average bourbon overall. It was made for mixing cocktails back in the day and still sort of is. The rarity of the release (it’s highly allocated in most states) kind of programs newbies into thinking this is something special. It’s really not. This is just a really good cocktail bourbon. Ignore the hype and treat it as one.
7. Hirsch Selected Whiskeys The Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Double Oak — Taste 6
Only 30 barrels were released of these Hirsch bourbons this year. That’s rare. The whiskey in those barrels was a blend of eight and three-year-old Kentucky bourbons. Once those whiskeys were batched, the bourbon was re-filled into a lightly toasted used finishing barrel for a final rest before someone picked a single barrel for cask-strength bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is really good classic bourbon. It doesn’t go beyond that and that’s just fine. Is it worth the $99 price tag? Sure. Again, this is good stuff and super rare. That said, you can get two Wild Turkey Rare Breeds for basically the same price. Maybe do that because that expression goes beyond classic into something much more.
6. George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Single Barrel Aged At Least 15 Years — Taste 3
This is a very old whiskey for a great price. The whiskey is from single barrels — “aged 15 years or more” — and the proof varies accordingly (sometimes it’s cut with water, too). This actual whisky is made from an 84% corn mash and stored in Dickel’s famed single-story warehouse. In this rare case, the whisky that ended up in the bottle is from a barrel that was 17 years and 7 months old when bottled this year.
That’s incredibly old Tennessee whisky.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent Dickel bourbon. It’s so nuanced and delicate while still offering a clear sense of Tennessee whisky vibes. And that’s the only reason this is a little lower in the ranking, it’s very locked into classic yet delicious TN whisky and doesn’t go deeper.
That all said, this is also an excellent deal. Dickel’s own 18-year expression (basically only months off being the exact same thing) costs $300 per bottle. Look at the price link again. You know what to do.
5. Shortbarrel Single Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon — Taste 4
These Shortbarrel Single Barrel releases are all over four years old and sourced either from Green River Distilling in Kentucky or MGP in Indiana. In this case, the whiskey was made in Kentucky and bottled in Georgia.
Bottom Line:
This is just good sipping bourbon. It goes beyond classic bourbon notes to something a little more nuanced and deep. You kind of can’t go wrong getting a bottle of this if you want something that’s just damn good bourbon.
This barrel pick from ReserveBar is a masterpiece bourbon. The whiskey in the bottle is a nine-year-old barrel made with Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill (78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley). The barrel rested in Heaven Hill’s famed warehouse KK for all nine of those years before it was bottled for this special release.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the spectacular stuff. Single Barrel Barrel Proof Elijah Craig is like finding a four-leaf clover. Hell, regular Barrel Proof Elijah Craig is getting harder and harder to find.
Rarity aside, this is great bourbon. It delivers all the Kentucky notes you want and then takes you deeper. It’s a great sipper neat or on a rock. And oddly, right now it’s easier to buy than a mainstream Barrel Proof Elijah Craig. Just hit that price link above and get some! And then when you go to your bottle share and someone excitedly busts out their Barrel Proof EC, you can bust this out and really wow the crowd.
3. Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Warehouse PN Barrel No. 86-3E — Taste 1
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).
Bottom Line:
This was damn near number one today. It’s so freaking good — by that, I mean amazingly well-built whiskey that delivers layer after layer of depth and nuance that takes it well beyond the ordinary.
If you’re looking for a great yet kind of fun and fresh Kentucky bourbon sipper, get this ASAP.
2. Rare Character Single Barrel Select Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength Helix Liquor — Taste 7
This rare release was distilled all the way back in May of 2016 in Indiana. That barrel was then sent over the Ohio River to Kentucky to age for six long years. Finally, the barrel was bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is beyond good and is more transcendent as a pour of bourbon. There’s just so much going on that you need to really take your time, add water, go back and forth, and you’ll be deeply rewarded for your effort. The only reason it’s not number one is that the end is really hot and there’s no getting around that fact. You can easily adjust that with a little water or a single rock. And then this whiskey will bloom even more, offering a wild ride. But I tasted this one neat against other neat pours so here we are.
1. Doc Swinson’s Hand Selected Exploratory Cask Series Rare Release Aged 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Release No. 008 — Taste 8
This rare whiskey was distilled in Kentucky from a unique mash of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley. 27 of those barrels rested in Kentucky for 15 long years before heading to Washington state for blending and bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Bottom Line:
This is a “F*ck, that’s delicious!” bourbon. It’s so deep and funky and fun. The pour gives you this layer of classic and dark bourbon and then just keeps going into new corners and nuances and they all make sense until you have a palate that’s filled with pleasure.
Yes, this is an expensive and rare bottle of bourbon. Hell, you probably can’t even get this batch anymore without paying a massively marked-up secondary price tag. I don’t care. This is one of the best bourbons out there right now.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Rare Bourbons
Zach Johnston
Obviously, rare bourbons can be special, unique, and expensive. Like I said above, that’s just not the basis for what makes them rare. The specialness comes from the people behind those rare bourbons taking the time to release something truly special that goes beyond the average, and I think there are plenty of examples of that above.
In the end, rare doesn’t automatically mean good or even special. Moreover, special or expensive doesn’t automatically mean rare either.
When it comes to this panel of whiskeys, you can’t really go wrong with any of them. Still, the top four are where you want to focus your time and money. And if you’re in Washington State, go your ass over to Doc Swinson’s right now and get yourself some of that 15-year-old juice before it’s all gone forever.
In a relatively short time, Cash App has become one of the most indispensable tools of the 21st century. In addition to letting users send and receive money and pay for goods without credit cards or cash, it’s also now the best way to buy tickets for shows thanks to a special presale for Drake and J. Cole’s upcoming It’s All A Blur — Big As The What Tour. Cash App Cardholders will have access to a special presale on November 15, giving them a chance to secure the coveted tickets before anyone else.
How To Use Cash App To Buy It’s All A Blur Tour Tickets
Starting at 11 am local time on November 15, Cash App Card users can visit the main tour site (drakerelated.com) and enter the first 9 digits of your Cash Card into the passcode box on the event page. Checkout using your Cash App Card, and that’s it. You must use the Cash App Card to take advantage, with a limit of 6 tickets per order. The presale ends at 10 pm on November 16, and only a limited number of tickets will be made available. For more information, you can visit Cash App’s event website here.
What Are Drake And J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? Tour Dates?
Check out the tour dates below:
01/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
01/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
01/22/2024 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
01/25/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
01/29/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
01/30/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/02/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/07/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/08/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
02/12/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
02/16/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/20/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center +
02/21/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
02/24/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/27/2024 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/02/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/05/2024 — Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
03/10/2024 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
03/14/2024 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
03/18/2024 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center ~
03/23/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
03/27/2024 — Birmingham, AL @ The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~
While some hip-hop fans remain skeptical of Ice Spice’s stardom, her core fans love her more by the day. A big fan of the turn-of-the-millennium aesthetic, she gave fans something to look forward to with a cheeky photo of a very 2000s lower back tattoo teasing what might just be a new project.
Ice Spice-related tattoos seem to be the theme of the day, as another tattoo photo cropped up on social media. As it turns out, this one was posted by a tattoo artist but the ink itself was drawn by Ice Spice herself. In a video, the Bronx rapper can be heard saying, “Did my first tat, y’all,” while showing off her handiwork, a tattoo on the artist’s wrist reading “Ice was here.”
The tattoo artist, @crybabyhunter, certainly appears to be enjoying his bragging rights, posting a photo of Ice actually doing the tattoo on his Instagram.
Perhaps he’s hoping that as Ice’s star continues to rise, he’ll experience a little bit of a halo effect. The rapper was recently nominated for four Grammys for next year’s 66th annual awards ceremony, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Barbie World” with Nicki Minaj, and Best Pop Duo or Group for “Karma” with Taylor Swift.
Over the weekend, the Washington Post published a big profile on OnlyFans creator Bryce Adams, who claims to have “the largest OnlyFans account on the platform” with “1.3 million active fans.” The gist of the story is this: along with her longtime boyfriend Brian (they’ve been together since high school), the 30-year-old Adams has built a legitimate multi-million dollar business empire that employs a team of people who all work from a sprawling 10-acre “farm” in rural Florida, where Bryce and Brian also live. Adams and her team spend their days on “the farm” creating content, editing it, engaging with fans across multiple platforms, etc. (Not to mention working out in the world-class gym they built on the property.)
In the mornings, the workers of Bryce Adams’s OnlyFans empire buzz in through a camera-wired security gate, roll up the winding driveway that cost $120,000 to pave and park outside Adams’s $2.5 million home-office-studio complex. A large American flag waves from a pole above their office door. So does a banner depicting Adams, in tight shorts, from behind.
…
Inside, a storyboard designer opens the day’s publishing plans for not just OnlyFans but all of their customer feeder sites — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Editors start splicing video into short looping clips, optimized for virality.
The WaPo piece is, in addition to being a profile on Adams and the empire she’s built selling sex online in the “creator economy,” also a snapshot of America right now, where more and more people are turning to sex work as a side or full-time gig in an era where the cost of merely being alive continues to soar. Affording housing, healthcare, etc are obviously increasingly expensive, but just going to the grocery store for eggs, blueberries, and oat milk these days can be an exercise in pain. Even a meal at McDonald’s costs significantly more than it did just a few years ago, with a Big Mac combo now costing $18 in some places.
But of course, rather than celebrate this uniquely American success story (or maybe take a moment to reflect on what life in the American plutocracy has wrought for people not born into wealth and privilege who are merely trying to survive and pay rent), some are wringing their hands over the “immorality” of it all. Ben Shapiro is one of those people.
In an almost 9-minute rant posted to YouTube titled “This OnlyFans “Model” Needs A Rude Awakening,” Shapiro railed against porn and took issue with Adams and the Washington Post for merely reporting the piece, which he equated with “rooting for OnlyFans.”
“So, um, nowhere in this article, so far as I am aware, do they ever at any point question the morality of women being paid to bare their bodies,” Shapiro lamented. “You want to talk about a society that objectifies women and treats them like trash, this would be the way to do it.”
Shapiro went on to read an excerpt from the article in which Adams and her boyfriend talk about the years-long evolution of their open relationship, mocking them with disgust.
“Ugh, the heroism of self-discovery…the genius of this relationship,” the WAP-challenged Shapiro sarcastically bloviated. “Because after all, love is love and that relationship is just like any other relationship. These are just good, wonderful people who are not making the world worse in any available way.”
Shapiro closed his rant by slamming “empowered feminist hero” Adams as “this lady who degrades all women and by the way men, by selling sex for a living.”
You can watch Shapiro’s full rant below.
And you can also watch the Washington Post’s video feature on Adams and her OnlyFans empire below as well.
The whole thing was very Kendall Roy rapping about his daddy in Succession Season 2, and that comparison came up a lot on Reddit. You can check out some of the reactions below:
“How Kendall Roy of him.”
“I opened this thread literally praying this would be the top comment.”
“First thing I thought when I saw this.”
“But even Ken wasn’t rapping at his own party.”
“It’s definitely giving off ‘Eldest boy’ vibes.”
“All bangers, all the time.”
However, as Page Six reports, others came to Leo’s defense. Many felt the Titanic actor should have the right to cut loose at his own birthday party without being called “cringe”:
“I don’t find this cringe. It’s his birthday party. He’s having fun and everyone is enjoying themselves,” a person penned.
Someone else pointed out: “I don’t understand the problem? I would love to turn 49 in a room packed full of people who want to celebrate me and have a good time singing, rapping, dancing and acting a fool. He looks like he’s having a great time! Good for him.”
“I’m not a fan of him but I see nothing wrong with this video,” one added. “He’s just having fun.”
Eventually, others took a more diplomatic approach by agreeing that Leo was “cringe,” but “who among us hasn’t delivered a less than stellar karaoke performance?”
Some Thanksgiving traditions are non-negotiable: you eat pie and/or turkey, you sit on your relative’s fancy recliner, and you watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. But that has been hard to do when the Peanuts gang has been so elusive as of late. Luckily, the Thanksgiving classic will have a free run on Apple TV+ to accompany your slice of apple pie. Or pumpkin if you’re into that.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be available on Apple TV+ for subscribers, but if you’re not subscribed, you’re in luck. Non-subscribers can catch the movie on the service for free without an account on both Saturday, November 18th and Sunday, November 19. This is the only place to find the movie online, as it’s not even available to purchase on Amazon or any of the other usual suspects.
Apple acquired the rights to the gang back in 2020 and is currently developing a feature-length movie with Charlie Brown & co. on a brand new adventure in the big city (we don’t know which city yet).
If you want to be able to watch the movie year-round, you’ll have to pay up for Apple TV, which is currently $9.99 after a 7-day free trial. But then you’d be able to watch Snoopy’s cute little dance all the time, so that’s worth it.
(Via Apple)
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