Jaafar posted the B&W photo to Instagram, where he recreated Michael’s signature fedora pose, as he does the dance move as well. “The journey starts Monday,” he captioned, seemingly referring to the production start date.
The Michael biopic will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (known for The Equalizer franchise) and written by John Logan (Gladiator), per the outlet. Graham King, who worked on the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, is also part of this film’s production team.
“The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances,” the movie’s description stated. “As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”
The world of sports media has seen a number of institutions get kneecapped in recent years, and on Friday, the longtime gold standard for many in the profession saw its staff get pummeled. Sports Illustrated staffers were informed via the following email that mass layoffs are coming to the publication in the aftermath of the Arena Group, which operates and publishes SI, missing a payment to Authentic Brands Group, which owns it.
The missed payment meant that Authentic Brands Group terminated its licensing agreement with Arena Group, the latest in what has been a tumultuous period since Authentic Brands Group purchased SI in 2017 for $110 million. Now, there are numerous questions about what the future holds for the publication, but amid those questions are a seemingly endless cascade of well-wishes for the writers whose livelihoods are negatively impacted by corporate greed and near-universal criticism for the individuals that played a role in things getting to this point.
This included Pablo Torre, who used 30 seconds on Around the Horn to address the situation. After winning Friday’s episode, Torre devoted Face Time to discuss the situation at “my former employer, a childhood artifact, an icon to so many of us.”
Pablo Torre on SI: “What The Arena Group and The Authentic Brands Group have done…running it into the ground without any conscience, using fake writers and also laying off everybody today, is not just a nightmare, but also something that they should never get to forget.” pic.twitter.com/nbrLlWw11y
In a statement released on Friday, the Sports Illustrated Union said “This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship. We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.”
Hozier, Vampire Weekend, and Noah Kahan have been unveiled as the headliners for Iowa’s Hinterland Festival, which is set to take place at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater in St. Charles on August 2-4.
Some other acts not to miss on this year’s lineup include Orville Peck, Chappell Roan, Lizzy McAlpine, Blondshell, The Last Dinner Party, The Japanese House, Palehound, Katy Kirby, Mt. Joy, Hippo Campus, Charley Crockett, Ethel Cain, Madison Cunningham, Flipturn, and many more.
Those interested in attending can purchase tickets to Hinterland right now, as the festival recently opened up presale tickets. They are also offering several different types of passes.
The 3-Day General Admission, GA+, VIP, and SAINTS tickets are all currently sold out. However, there are still other types available. One-day General Admission passes are $145, and could be a possible option for someone still looking to go, except for Sunday which is sold out.
Tickets in the higher tiers also have single-day options available. Although GA+ single-day passes are sold out, VIP ones are still available for Saturday, August 3.
The SAINTS tier still has all the single-day tickets, as of right now. These would start at $750 per day.
For more information about Hinterland Festival 2024, visit their official website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Months after Harmony Korine’s AGGRO DR1FT movie, featuring Travis Scott, ran on the festival circuit, it seems more fans will finally get to see it — and in a very unique, but fitting location. The film, which was shot in infrared, centers around an assassin in Miami who is pursuing a final boss target of sorts. However, he is also torn between his career versus his family.
Scott’s character appears along the way of his journey.
Here’s what to know about when the movie will be available.
When Does Travis Scott & Harmony Korine’s ‘AGGRO DR1FT’ Come Out?
According to Variety, the design collective EDGLRD will be touring and allowing people to experience AGGRO DR1FT in different venues. The first stop will be at the Los Angeles strip club, Crazy Girls, on February 7 and 8.
There will also reportedly be live DJ sets, including performances from Korine and the movie’s composer, Araabmuzik. More performers are set to be announced later, so Scott very well could pop up too.
“The distribution of AGGRO DR1FT goes beyond the limitations of the outdated moviegoing experience,” EDGLRD’s head of film strategy and development, Eric Kohn, told the outlet in a statement. “You don’t just watch AGGRO DR1FT — you step into a new world, and these events will allow audiences to immerse themselves in it.”
Additional information about the dates and venues for other AGGRO DR1FT screenings should be revealed soon.
Earlier today, Lupe Fiasco caused chaos after reacting to an interview that Kid Cudi recently did for Apple Music. In it, Cudi described hiding from Fiasco (and all other rappers) who came into his job in 2008 while working at a Bape store. His reasoning? He didn’t want it to be used for any diss tracks — and pointed out that Fiasco “hates me ’til this day.”
“Kid Cudi is a b*tch,” Fiasco posted on Twitter/X. “And continues to be a b*tch. Ain’t nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his b*tch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous b*tch with a cool job.”
Kid Cudi is a bitch. And continues to be a bitch. Ain’t nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his bitch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous bitch with a cool job.
However, instead of fighting back, Cudi appeared to extend an olive branch to Fiasco on social media. “Love u g,” he wrote, tagging the fellow musician directly, along with a prayer emoji. “Im sorry if i hurt u man. Life is too short. Hope u can find it in ur heart to get past this.”
“Lupe love me yall dont get it twisted,” Cudi added in a now-deleted tweet. “He just hurt. He beefin w himself at this point. Holdin that much hate in ur heart for someone for so long holds u back in life bro. Thats the devil using u. Hope he finds some peace man. Now its just sad.”
Fiasco himself has since responded and seemingly forgiven Cudi for the matter. “All I needed…” he quoted of Cudi’s post.
Check out Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco’s tweets below.
Love u g. Im sorry if i hurt u man. Life is too short. Hope u can find it in ur heart to get past this @LupeFiasco
It’s been almost 25 years since “Seinfeld” premiered, marking the beginning of a nine-season run that would result in 68 Emmy nominations, 10 Emmy wins and dozens of other television awards.
No one had ever really seen a show like “Seinfeld,” with its bizarrely iconic characters, scenarios and one-liners that became instant classics in American culture. “No soup for you!” would be a meaningless phrase if it weren’t for the silly sitcom. Who can do the best Elaine dance is still a favorite competition at parties. The tongue-in-cheek “show about nothing” was really something, and the writing and those characters are still etched in the collective conscience.
That’s why Joel Mulinaro’s TikTok skit of a fake “Seinfeld” scene about the Stanley cup craze has gotten over 750,000 views in one day. His Jerry, George and Kramer impressions are impressive, especially considering the fact that he looks nothing like any of the actors who play them. But the writing is where the skit really shines—you might swear the skit was written by Larry David himself.
The video begins with the instantly recognizable Seinfeld bumper music and image of an apartment building before transitioning into Jerry in the kitchen saying, “I don’t get it. It’s a cup.”
“No, Jerry. It’s a Stanley cup,” responds George.
And from there, the banter takes a distinctly Seinfeldian path, from George’s self-deprecation to Jerry’s “I can see you as a Stanley,” to Kramer’s neurotically energetic body language, complete with a laugh track.
“I vote you make 30 minute episodes of Modern Seinfeld,” wrote one person.
“I truly forgot for a second that I wasn’t actually watching Seinfeld,” wrote another.
“Perfection. Now we just need a part two where Elaine comes in bragging about her new Stanley,” shared another.
This is not Mulinaro’s first impersonation of a former television show with a modern twist. He did a skit from “The Office” involving the Wordle game in 2022 and again, it’s like it was written by the original writers. His Jim impression could not be more perfect, and as soon as he opens his mouth as Toby, you know exactly who it is.
Pole dancing might have previously been thought of as exclusively adult entertainment, but over the years it has evolved into a veritable fitness regimen, an empowering form of self expression and even a sport worthy of the Olympics. In many ways, the more modern perspective has brought pole dancing back to its original, ancient roots of circus performers pulling off acrobatic tricks.
But it might be safe to say that the mainstream still views the dance style as more risqué, and therefore, not appropriate for kids. And this is why a pole-dancing school in Atlanta offering a “Mommy & Me” pole-dancing workshop is sparking a debate online among parents.
In a now-viral post shared on the class’s Instagram account, we see young boys and girls and their mothers learning spinning tricks as “Take Me There” from the 1998 animated movie “Rugrats” plays in the background.
The class was labeled by many as “insane” and inappropriate, arguing that the inherent context of the art form sexualized young kids. Many were even more concerned that the kids were being recorded doing certain moves and that footage was shared online.
“I think it’s very irresponsible of that mommy and me pole dancing studio to record and upload videos featuring kids in their workshops,” one person said on X, adding “it’s even more irresponsible for the mothers to allow their children to be filmed and uploaded on the internet as well.”
Another argued that people who counter that pole is “just like gymnastics’ know dang well that weirdos also watch child gymnastics videos online.”
However, Pink Poles Studio owner, Tiajuanna “Tia” Harris, maintains her stance that there’s nothing wrong with the “Mommy and Me” workshops, and that the backlash is unwarranted.
“These kids aren’t twerking — nothing inappropriate, nothing sexual is going on here,” Harris explained to TODAY.com, recalling how much it “warmed her heart” to receive a call from a mom saying “I wanted to tell you how much my son enjoyed the class. He said he felt like Spiderman.”
Harris further pushed back against critics on the Pink Poles Studios website, assuring that the “Mommy and Me” workshop provides a healthy, fun, phone-free activity.
“Back in the day, before iPads became babysitters, we relished carefree moments—swinging, hanging upside down from the monkey bars, climbing, and sliding down pole climbs and parallel bars at the playground,” she wrote.
“Fast forward to 2024 at Pink Poles Studios: these children are doing the exact same thing! Having carefree fun and staying physically active without electronics — except now, they’re swinging, sliding and flipping on a pole, under the guidance of a trained children’s gymnast instructor (as a bunch of moms and peers cheer them on in the background!)” Harris even stressed that the kids “wear age-appropriate gym wear, and adult students are fully clothed too.”
On the one hand, the dance world, whether involving a pole or not, has been guilty of sexualizing young kids, and parents rightfully want to protect their children from exploitation. On the other hand, seeing pole solely as a sexually implicit activity—given its history and the way it’s expressed worldwide—might be a bit narrow minded and we could benefit from expanding that viewpoint. After all, many report having increased flexibility, core strength, confidence and stress relief from repeated classes.
Either way, Harris has stood firm that her “Mommy and Me” workshops aren’t going anywhere, and that she hopes to “break stigmas and set the bar” by doing so.
With the NBA trade deadline approaching in a few weeks, teams around the league are looking for deals to position themselves for the remainder of the season. Without a clear-cut favorite to win the title, it’s plausible that we see more buyers at the deadline than usual, specifically in the Eastern Conference, where there is a chasm between the top teams and the remainder of the conference.
The Atlanta Hawks have underperformed this season, and currently sit in tenth place with a 17-23 record. The partnership with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has not flourished under new head coach Quin Snyder, and reports have indicated Atlanta may be open to trading Murray at the deadline. The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have been linked to Murray in trade rumors this season, but Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes has brought word that the Milwaukee Bucks are also throwing their hat into the Murray sweepstakes.
The Bucks are currently second in the Eastern Conference with a 28-13 record after making a blockbuster deal for Damian Lillard this past summer. Milwaukee has struggled on the defensive end this season after swapping out Jrue Holiday for Lillard, while Jae Crowder is only just now returning from an injury. Murray would be an enormous addition to their point of attack defense and provide a playmaking boost to their offense. While Murray is an ideal player to help Milwaukee in its efforts to win a championship, it’s fair to question if the Bucks have enough to make this trade happen.
After the Lillard trade, Milwaukee does not have any first-round picks or pick swaps that can be moved right now. They have two second-round picks that could be traded, while Andre Jackson and MarJon Beauchamp are young players who could draw some interest in a trade. It’s difficult to see how Milwaukee could cobble together an offer that would intrigue Atlanta, which acquired Murray in 2022 for three first-round picks. Regardless, their intention for Murray will only draw more intrigue to what should be a fascinating trade deadline.
Hanson of Sonoma/Smirnoff/Crop/Absolut/istock/Uproxx
Anyone who tells you that vodka doesn’t have any flavor is just wrong. Maybe they just haven’t taken the time to sip it neat and notice the nuanced flavors or perhaps they just have preconceived notions of the spirit that are difficult to shake. Sure, the spirit is distilled and filtered to be a smooth, easily mixable neutral spirit. But it does carry flavors from its base ingredient of choice.
Rye gives it a lightly spicy, peppery flavor. Potato adds a creamy element. Wheat adds softness and a mellow flavor.
Still, even though there are light, sometimes hard-to-pinpoint flavors, many distillers also add flavors to their vodkas. Popular flavors include berries, cucumber, and even jalapenos and habaneros. But, if you ask me, the best flavor to pair with vodka is citrus. Grapefruit, lime, lemon, tangerine, I love them all. Not only do citrus fruits pair best with most underlying vodka flavors, but they also mix well into cocktails like the vodka soda, vodka gimlet, sea breeze, or screwdriver.
As with all flavored spirits, not all citrus vodkas are created equal. That’s why I decided to blindly nose, taste, and rank citrus-flavored vodkas to find the best. Keep scrolling to see how it all turned out. Did your favorite citrus-based flavored vodka make the cut?
Today’s Lineup:
Absolut Citron
Crop Organic Meyer Lemon
St. George California Citrus
SKYY Infusions Citrus
Grey Goose Le Citron
Ketel One Citroen
Smirnoff Citrus
Hanson Of Sonoma Meyer Lemon
Part 1: Citrus Flavored Vodka Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A nose of Mandarin orange, lemon zest, tangerines, and light spices make for a very welcoming beginning to this vodka. Lemon is center stage on the palate. Real, fresh lemon. Behind that is more mandarin orange, clementines, and other light citrus flavors. It has a nice combination of sweetness and tart citrus flavor with a crisp, lightly dry finish.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
There’s an herbal quality to this vodka’s nose that draws you in for more. Maybe some pepper and botanical aromas. Also, there is a major, fresh lemon aroma on the nose that mingles perfectly with the other scents. There’s more of the same on the palate with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, peppercorns, licorice, honey, and gentle spices making for a memorable, vodka, to say the least.
This is a very fresh-tasting citrus-centric vodka.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This is a massively citrus-filled vodka on the nose. Fresh lemons, tangerines, and grapefruits fill your nostrils before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find lime zest, mandarin orange, lemon peels, honey, vanilla, and light spices. The finish is tart, dry, and gently sweet.
This is as perfect as a citrus-flavored vodkas come.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is heavy on the synthetic, generic orange aroma. It smells like orange candy, There’s also a little bit of lemons reminiscent of Lemon Heads candy. There’s an odd aroma to it as well. Luckily, the palate is a little more muted.
There’s orange, lime, and lemon, and not much else. It’s fairly light on flavor and not very memorable.
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a subtle sweetness and a nice kick of aromatic, fresh lemon and other citrus scents. It smells like freshly squeezed lemon juice. Nothing generic about this vodka. Drinking it reveals a zesty, tart, lemon-filled palate that holds a ton of tangerine, honey, and light spices.
It’s very fresh and well-suited for mixing.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this vodkas nose. There’s a ton of fresh, ripe orange, tangerine, and other citrus flavors. It smells like a fresh-squeezed glass of orange juice mixed with vodka. Maybe like a well-made screwdriver. The palate is dry, warming, and loaded with tangerine and orange flavor. There’s also a hint of bergamot. It’s tart, lightly sweet, and well-suited for mixing into your favorite cocktails.
This is a special vodka and one that would range fans among all citrus lovers.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Nosing this vodka brings forth scents of orange zest, fresh lemons, and lime. It’s a trus-filled start. The palate has more of the same, but some tartness, bitterness, and acidity. It’s appropriate for the flavor, but it might not be for everyone. The finish is dry, and warming, and ends with more citrus zest.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I noticed a lot of lemon zest aroma, but nothing else. I assume this is only a lemon-flavored vodka because there were no other discernable citrus fruits on the nose. It did smell like real lemon though. That’s a plus. The palate has more lemon flavor as well as some vanilla and honey. But I had to reach to find them.
Smirnoff Citrus is as simple as flavored vodka gets. It begins as a smooth, triple-distilled vodka that’s then infused with citrus flavors. It was created as a base for your favorite citrus-centric cocktail. It’s no frills and inexpensive.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the cheapest vodkas on this list. It shouldn’t be surprising that it has a rather generic, synthetic aroma and flavor.
We all know Ketel One for its high quality and surprisingly low price. Well, this flavored vodka begins with that same vodka and infuses it with not only four different types of lemons but two types of lime. That’s an awful lot of citrus flavor.
Bottom Line:
This vodka is listed as having other citrus fruits besides lemon, but that’s ould smell or taste.
Skyy Vodka is well-known for its bargain price and this bottle will only set you back about $14 as well. Skyy Infusions Citrus is known for its mix of lemon flavor, light bitterness, and acidity. All are well-suited for a Cosmopolitan or other vodka-based cocktail.
Bottom Line:
The acidity and tart flavor is what you expect when you squeeze a lemon into a glass. This vodka, however, could do with a little more sweetness.
When it comes to vodka, there are few names bigger than Grey Goose. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that the brand has a popular citrus-based expression. But like with all of its vodkas, it doesn’t cut any corners. This flavored vodka is with essential oils from various lemons, including some from the Menton region in France.
Bottom Line:
This vodka tastes like they somehow squeezed lemon and orange juice into a spirit and then somehow removed most of the acidity, tartness, and bitterness.
While some of the flavored vodkas on this list are made with flavoring or citrus oils, Hanson of Sonoma sourced locally-grown Meyer lemons from an area farm, peels them by hand, and then macerates them in their organic original vodka. This gives this vodka tart, fresh lemon flavor.
Bottom Line:
The herbal, fruity, citrus aroma and flavor of this vodka make it unique. That’s enough to make this a bottle that belongs in your home bar.
St. George is one of those distilleries where you can’t go wrong with whatever you buy. Vodka, gin, and other spirits, everything they make is quality. St. George California Citrus is no different. It gets its outstanding aroma and flavor from the use of California-grown Valencia oranges, Seville oranges, and bergamot from the nearby Lindcove Ranch.
Bottom Line:
While many of the vodkas on this list lean in the lemon range, this is one for the orange fans. Multiple different, fresh oranges tend to do that.
The second Meyer lemon-based vodka on this list, Crop Organic Meyer Lemon is known for its bright, tart, memorable flavor. This award-winning, highly-rated vodka was created to be used as the base for a cosmopolitan, gimlet, or other vodka-based cocktail that calls for a nice kick of lemon.
Bottom Line:
This vodka might seem simple with only a few notable aromas and flavors. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. This is one of the most balanced, flavored vodkas I’ve ever tried.
Absolut is a big name in the vodka world. This Swedish-made vodka is one of the most popular in the world for a reason. Not only is its original, soft, mellow, highly mixable vodka great, but so aree its flavored options. Specifically, Absolut Citron. First launched in 1988, this citrus vodka’s release led to the creation of the now iconic Cosmopolitan.
Bottom Line:
Absolut Citron is one of the most popular flavored vodkas on the market for a reason. It’s balanced, complex, and loaded with citrus aromas and flavors.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
When it comes to blindly nosing, tasting, and eventually ranking these citrus flavors vodkas, it’s clear that fresh, real citrus is key. Generic, synthetic, and simply fake-smelling and tasting citrus vodkas just didn’t cut it. It was also clear that the cheaper vodkas just didn’t fair as well.
Getting into Scotch whisky is fun. Don’t forget that. It’s not supposed to be a drag. It’s a recreation.
That said, it can also be overwhelming. Have you been to a liquor store lately? The Scotch whisky aisle is massive (if you have a good liquor store in your town). And let me tell you, it’s all not created equal. You can just as easily grab a shitty bottle and be done with the style as you can grab an amazing bottle and start a journey that carries you through the rest of your life.
Long story short, I can guide you — as a beginner — to the good stuff. But also, I can guide you to the right stuff. See, getting into a spirit is multi-faceted. You have to trust yourself and — perhaps most importantly — want to do the work to build a palate that is well-tuned to savor Scotch whisky. To be crystal clear, no one likes their first sip of whiskey. If someone says they did, they’re lying. Whisky — like all things in this life of ours — is an acquired taste we build, mold, and refine over a lifetime. And that means that you have to start somewhere. Let’s take that first step!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
The first thing you have to do is open your mind. No one’s palate is static. We start building our palates in the womb. Our parents then feed and nourish us, which further builds our palates. Then, as young adults, we all choose to continue building that palate independently or close ranks and stop expanding beyond the foods we “like” or “grew up with.”
You also need to understand the palate fed to you by a parental figure in your youth is nothing more than a lottery of geography. Had you been born in India instead of Indiana or even Berlin instead of Beijing, you’d have a completely different palate and set of desires for foods, drinks, tastes, and textures. What does that mean, exactly? It means that you can learn to like literally anything … if you open your mind. Yes, some DNA markers make things like cilantro taste like soap to some people. But I can tell from working in a sensory industry, you can find people who love the taste of soap out there, too!
To wrap this up, if you’re not willing to open your mind to new experiences and flavors, then the rest of this is pointless. At the end of the day, learning, drinking, and enjoying Scotch whisky — or any whiskey for that matter — is about a flavor profile that transports you to places in your memory. The profile of a whisky is a story being written by the whiskey maker in chemicals that touch our tongue, turn into electrical impulses, travel to our brain, and then become keys looking for doors to unlock into our past experiences. When each key finds its door in your brain, it unlocks a sense memory of your grandma’s vanilla sugar cookies or that time you had a picnic with your lover in a sunflower field or the time you went skiing and sipped on the best hot chocolate of your life.
That’s exciting — that’s what makes it fun!
Step 2 — Understanding the Styles
Edrington
When you get started with Scotch whisky, you can kind of ignore the regional designations (Islands, Campbeltown, Lowland, Highland, Speyside, Islay). While each region does have a semi-throughline, there are a gazillion examples of every type of whisky from each region. Islay is known for peated whisky, for instance. There are also distilleries there making unpeated whisky. Highlands are known for unpeated whiskey. There are also distilleries there making peated whisky. We can talk about regions another time.
The biggest difference to know in styles is “Peated” versus “Unpeated.” This is the biggest flavor difference by far and trumps both region and style when talking about the flavor profile of a Scotch whisky.
Peated Whisky is a whisky made with “peated malt”. Peated malt is barley that’s malted with peat (flammable, carbon-rich, oil-rich soil dug from a peat bog). In the malting process, barley is wet, and just as it starts to sprout for germination, heat is applied to halt the process and dry (malt) the grain. In the case of “peated malt,” peat is used as the heat source, which produces a lot of smoke. That smoke imbues itself into the barley grain as it dries. These are called phenols (but you don’t have to worry about that now). Depending on how smoky the peat is will impart how “peated” the malt is. This can vary massively from a hint of earthy campfire smoke in the distance to feeling like you’re licking the inside of an asphalt mixer on a hot day or stuffing medical bandages into your mouth.
And yes, some people seek those flavor notes out. Their palates even crave it.
“Unpeated” malt is made with a neutral heat source. Steam is the main one. That heat source doesn’t impart any smoke/phenols into the malted barley as it dries. That means that the sugars that eventually make their way into the distiller’s beer are not smoky. That’s… pretty much all you need to know to start.
Next, you’ll need to know the basic styles of Scotch whisky that you’ll see on the shelf. They are as follows:
Single Grain Scotch Whisky — A whisky from a “single” distillery that’s made with “grain” (wheat, barley, rye, and corn mostly). Can be peated or unpeated.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky — A whiskey from a “single” distillery that’s made with 100% malted barley or “malt”. Can be peated or unpeated.
Blended Scotch Whisky — A blend of single malt and single grain whiskies from different distilleries in Scotland. Can be peated or unpeated or a mix.
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky — A blend of single malt whiskies from different distilleries in Scotland. Can be peated or unpeated or a mix.
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky — A blend of single grain whiskies from different distilleries in Scotland. Can be peated or unpeated or a mix.
Once you get these styles down, you’ll be ready to hit the liquor store.
Step 3 — Choosing The Right Bottles
Diageo
This is probably where you might get the worst advice of your whisky-drinking life. It usually goes something like, “Start cheap and work your way up to the expensive stuff.” That’s a dangerous ask in the world of Scotch whisky. There’s a ton of super shitty bottom-shelf scotch that costs $15 to $40 per bottle. Beware of bottles with stags or glens on the label that just say “Scotch Whisky” and cost $20. They’re almost always garbage.
Here’s my professional advice. Start mid-range with the best stuff that’s approachable. Of course, as a beginner, you won’t know what that is, really. That’s where I come in. But I can tell you, you’re going to need to spend anywhere from $40 to $120 to find good palate-expanding scotch. Do you want your first steak to be a slice of chuck that should have been ground into burgers or a nice grass-fed ribeye? And to take the steak metaphor to its end, you also don’t need to start with A5 Wagyu either.
A nice middle ground of great flavor and structure is where you want to start. It’ll give you a foundation of what’s great about Scotch whisky without throwing you in the deep end. At the same time, you’ll get really good whisky that if you don’t love immediately, you might grow to love.
Here’s where to start with each style of Scotch whisky:
The Strathisla Distillery in the Scottish Highlands is where Chivas comes together. The whisky is well-rounded and built from malt and grain whiskies that harken back to centuries of whisky blending in Scotland.
The Taste:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of dried apples and pears dipped in fresh honey and then rolled in roasted almonds and walnuts with a whisper of barrel spice sneaking in late.
Palate: The palate hints at dried florals before touching a buttery toffee, soft spiced tobacco leaf, and almost musty oak.
Finish: The end is a little chewy thanks to that spiced tobacco leaf with a nice hint of apple/pear cider cut with winter spices and honeycomb.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
This is the quintessential “on the rocks” whisky. The nose, palate, and finish are so soft and welcoming with almost universally understood flavor notes (honey, apple, and florals). The taste goes deeper so take time to find those notes — you’ll likely never be overwhelmed.
Beginner Blended Malt Scotch Whisky — 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.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
This is a great Scotch whisky, full stop. It’s also a stellar example of how amazing single malts can come together to create something greater than their individual parts. This is a subtle yet bold pour that builds palates and eventually gets people hooked on Scotch whisky.
Compass Box is one of the best blenderies operating today. The London-based shingle created its Hedonism expression as a bit of an outlier. The juice is 100 percent grain whisky from North British Distillery and Cameronbridge Distillery, with a focus on first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred American oak. Those barrels are married into this masterful blend. It’s then proofed down to a very accessible 86-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of bourbon vanilla and caramel that draws you in (especially if you’re a bourbon drinker).
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in soft orchard fruits and a buttery, rich toffee silkiness and sweetness.
Finish: The end smooths out the vanilla into a pudding, with a mild spiciness next to a final note of salted caramels covered in toasted coconut surfacing on the slow finish.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
Blended grain whiskies are a little rarer these days. That means that fewer of them actually reach these shores and the ones that do tend to be limited editions. That means that the price tags are often steeper. That all said, this is a fantastic example of how multiple grains in Scotch whisky can bring a wider spectrum of flavor notes to the finished product.
This is also an excellent learning whisky as you’ll be rewarded with more and more depth the more time you take with it, adding water, and going back in for more as it blooms in the glass.
Beginner Single Grain Scotch Whisky — Haig Club “Clubman” Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Scotch isn’t only single malts. David Beckham’s signature whisky with Diageo is a single grain whisky made with a mix of mainly wheat with a touch of malted barley. This grain whisky hails from Cameronbridge Distillery. The whisky aged over seven years before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a very fruity nose with stewed apples mingling with banana bread, orange, and lemon with a touch of oak spice.
Palate: The palate adds an eggnog spice vibe to the mix with a nice vanilla depth and a touch of cedar before the citrus and stewed fruits take back over.
Finish: The spiciness peaks with a bit more banana bread and walnut at the end.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
Single grain whiskies aren’t as popular as single malts, which also means that not as many make it over here. This one is an exception thanks to being tied to one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. And while this is closer to a budget whisky than most on this list, it does present a clear sense of what single grain whisky is. It’s much closer to a light bourbon than a single malt in many cases.
That makes this a good bridge if you’re looking to move from American whiskey to Scotch whisky.
Beginner Unpeated Single Malt Scotch Whisky — 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.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
Quick Note: I decided to break single malt into two categories since peated and unpeated single malt are so distinct.
This is an amazing whisky. It’s familiar to a Western palate in so many ways while eliciting sense memories of holidays, summers roasting marshmallows, and pure sweetness.
This is also a great bridge whisky between bourbon and single malt. There’s a lot of connective tissue while still feeling purely like a Scotch whisky. It’s also freaking delicious.
Beginner Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This no-age-statement whisky has an interesting aging process. The whisky is aged in a combination of used barrels and re-charred barrels. They take old barrels, strip the charring, rebuild them, and then re-char them to Talisker’s standards. The process adds a new layer of depth by rejuvenating the staves. The whisky from those barrels is then blended into a darker, smokier, and deeper single malt.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This sip amps up the peat a tad while bringing in the brine next to a clear caramel maltiness, honey-stewed pears, and a touch of charred beach driftwood.
Palate: The smoke at play here is more akin to a seaside campfire, while the brininess is reminiscent of oyster liquor with a dry chili spice lurking in the background that’s just kissed with salted plum preserves.
Finish: There’s a hint of the bright berry leftover from the Talisker 10 with a touch more peppery spice by the end that leans towards a salted toffee that’s laced with faint campfire smoke and charred oyster shells.
Why It’s Perfect For Beginners:
Throwing a beginner into the deep end with peated single malt is a lot to ask. A medicinal Laphroaig or ashy hot Ardbeg might turn the uninitiated off whisky forever. Talisker is neither of those things. This is subtle and fruity with a touch of campfire smoke that takes you back in time. This is more like chasing a bowl of smoked salmon chowder with a smoked plum cake next to a campfire on a drizzly beach. It’s always soft and soothing, making this a great place to start a peated whisky journey.
Step 4 — Keep A Journal
Brad Neatherly/Unsplash
Okay, you’ve got some basic information, some whisky, and hopefully tired it. Now, write down what you’ve sampled.
This is sort of a crucial step for a beginner or a pro. I write down every whisky I taste with tasting notes (there’s no way to remember thousands of whiskies a year without a journal).
Writing down what you feel and taste will give you a chance to refer back and build forward. You don’t have to be overly wordy either. Just take a sip, close your eyes, and feel the tastes that come forward. Simply writing down “apple” or “vanilla” or “honey” or “campfire” is enough in the beginning. Then take another sip and see if you can refine those notes toward something succinct like “apple fritters” or “vanilla cookies” or “campfire on a beach” and so forth.
The key is starting somewhere. Having a journal to reference back to will be critical in building your palate and enjoying whisky along your journey — wherever it may take you.
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