Only seven games remain in the 2023-24 NFL season. That is a wild reality after watching six Wild Card matchups across a three-day period, but the field of contenders for the Super Bowl is shrinking with haste. As the Divisional Round approaches, the full-game opportunities are also slimming down in this space but, fear not, there is more to come. The first week of the playoffs was quite solid, even without the help of the Dallas Cowboys, and we’re back for more.
But first… the season-long record.
Wild Card Weekend: 3-1
2023 Season: 49-39-4
Come get these winners.
Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) over Houston Texans — Widely Available
Because I was on Houston last week, I can say this with perhaps a bit less blowback, but I think the Texans are in for a long day. This is a different animal than facing the Browns at home, as Baltimore is better, deeper, and more rested, plus the game is on the road for Houston. Long-time readers may recoil at seeing me hand out a big favorite like this, but anything under 10 would be a go from me.
Green Bay Packers (+9.5) over San Francisco 49ers — Widely Available
I don’t love this, but I think it’s the side. Green Bay’s defensive line should, at least in theory, be able to heat up Brock Purdy on one side. On the other, it will all be about whether the Packers can stay on schedule. Aaron Jones looked great last week. So did Jordan Love. Maybe the backdoor will be open if we need it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5) over Detroit Lions — Widely Available
Wait, no teaser? Well, unfortunately, I am writing this on Thursday evening and the six-point teasers that I could realistically advocate for are just not available right now. I’d love to take the Chiefs up from 2.5 to 8.5, but there isn’t an ideal partner for them at the current numbers. Alas, we are taking the Bucs. Detroit had an incredibly emotional win last week and, honestly, it would’ve been better for us with this number if the Eagles didn’t absolutely lay down on Monday night. Still, I think 6.5 is a good buy for the Bucs, even if it’s possible Tampa overachieved last week.
Noah Kahan is making his tours even more memorable. Today (January 18), Kahan took to social media to announce his 2024 Tour Patch Adventure.
Kahan is booked in several cities this year, and in each city, fans can purchase a limited edition patch.
“I’m excited to introduce Tour Patches,” said Kahan in his post. “So many of you have told me you’ve been to multiple shows of mine, which is incredible. I wanted to launch this patch program to offer a unique keepsake for every show. We’re going to try this out by creating a custom limited-edition patch for every headline date in 2024. The only way to get them is at the merch booth one of my shows. Collect them, trade them, put them on anything you want!”
A video clip on Instagram shows that patches will be available for purchase at the North American shows, as well as the international shows.
The European leg of Kahan’s upcoming We’ll Be Here Forever Tour is set to kick off in Dublin on Feb. 8, and the North American leg will begin at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on March 26. Fans can find the full list of tour dates here.
In more Kahan-related news, the singer-songwriter teamed up with Sam Fender for a new version of his Stick Season cut, “Homeless,” which is set to arrive tomorrow (January 19).
Even though Richard Simmons dropped out of the public eye in 2014, the world clearly wants more of the exercise guru. That was made clear when a new teaser trailer for “The Court Jester,” a short film where Simmons is played by Pauly Shore, dropped before its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
On the first day of the trailer’s release, it received over 230,000 views on YouTube. The top commenter does a great job of explaining why people are so interested in Shore as Simmons.
“Richard Simmons is an incredibly fascinating man and I’m very eager to see how this turns out,” Dilapsor wrote. “I also think Pauly Shore is long overdue for some sort of career revival and I really hope this helps him achieve that.”
“The Court Jester” appears to be a sneak peek into what we can expect seeing Shore as Simmons in an upcoming full-length biopic being produced by The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. In a statement to CNN, the company’s president, Mark Wolper, said the company is in “serious discussions with a major writer to develop this as a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”
The Court Jester | Official Teaser | Pauly Shore is Richard Simmons
That news may excite those who feel Pauly Shore was born to play Simmons. However, the real Richard Simmons isn’t very excited about the news. He commented on the situation in a rare public statement on his official Facebook page.
“I have never given my permission for his movie. So don’t believe everything you read,” he wrote. “I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
No one is sure why Simmons refuses to be part of the project; it could be that he’s enjoying his retirement. He could also be reticent for fear that Shore’s casting may make him the butt of the joke in the movie. That would be unfortunate for a man who spent his life helping people overcome their body issues, discuss their mental health challenges and get fit.
“While we would love to have him involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story,” the Wolper Organization said in a statement to CNN. “We know he is deeply private, and we would never want to invade that; however, he is an amazing person who changed millions of people’s lives, and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized.”
Shore believes that now is the perfect time to celebrate Simmons’ life.
“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s life with the world. We all need this biopic now more than ever,” Shore said in a statement. “Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self!”
Simmons was ubiquitous on American TV from the ‘80s until he stepped out of the spotlight in 2014. His disappearance was the subject of much speculation, with some claiming that he was being held hostage by his housekeeper or that he had transitioned into a woman. However, a 2022 TMZ documentary, “What Really Happened to Richard Simmons,” set the record straight.
According to TMZ, Simmons suffered from knee troubles that prevented him from being the same big, gregarious personality that people have loved for decades. So, he left it all behind.
“He wanted to be remembered as a vibrant, healthy man,” the documentary claimed, “not an elderly man with medical problems. Richard wanted to retreat before his image was recast as an old man. And his knee problems were a huge factor in his decision… He had a right knee replacement a few years back. And still needed a left one. He was in a lot of pain.”
A pair of Madonna ticketholders have filed a lawsuit against the musician, as reported by Billboard. Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, who attended Madonna’s Celebration tour back in December, are reportedly claiming that the singer “caused real legal harm to buyers” who had attended the December 13 concert, as she started the show two hours later than planned.
The lawsuit specifically notes that several fans “had to get up early to go to work” the day after the show, and that by starting the show at 10:30 p.m., and not the originally planned 8:30 p.m., she violated New York state laws.
“Defendants’ actions constitute not just a breach of their contracts … but also a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices,” said attorneys for Fellows and Hadden in the lawsuit.
Attorneys also noted that Fellows and Hadden “would not have paid for their tickets had they known that the concerts would start after 10:30 p.m.”
Billboard notes that Fellows and Hadden didn’t leave Barclays Center, where Madonna was performing, and were “left stranded in the middle of the night” and “confronted with limited public transportation” options. Rideshare options were in surge pricing mode.
The lawsuit also reportedly names Live Nation and Barclays Center as defendants, alleging breach of contract; violation of New York’s business practices and false advertising laws; and several other forms of wrongdoing, including unjust enrichment.
Stress, they say, is a killer. And they mean it literally. Even if you might not ever see “stress” listed by name, many studies link it to leading causes of death like cancer, heart disease, accidents prompted by behavioral impairment, and suicide.
But what is stress? Before we teach you to combat it, it’s important to know your enemy here. Stress is a natural human response to challenges or threats in our lives, actual or perceived. Is being chased by an African lion through the desert going to stress you out? No question. But so will a homework assignment that you need to turn in next week. Or a humanitarian crisis happening across the globe that you have no power over. Or a hypothetical interaction at a party you might not even actually attend, with a person you just don’t want to see at the moment.
In our hyper-connected age, it’s easier than ever to find reasons to be stressed about the intangible. An errant IG “like.” A perceived sub-tweet. A text left on “read.”
These intangibles make stress a very difficult foe to face head-on. But that doesn’t mean that we are helpless and finding ways to fight stress can not just make you a healthier person, it can also help you be a calm and composed person for the people you care about. Below you’ll find six simple, yet effective, ways you can move towards a stress-free existence.
1. GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
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Sleep is a critical factor in our ability to process information and our overall brain health. It should come at no surprise that if you don’t get a quality sleep, you are going to be less effective when to comes to problem solving and the processing of emotions. And as you can imagine, it can cause a lot of stress when you aren’t able to act or react properly at work, at home, or out with your friends.
Even worse, a vicious cycle can develop when you miss out on quality pillow time. Being stressed during the day because you are easily irritable can lead to higher cortisol levels, which in turn make it difficult to sleep.
See the pattern here?
The best way to reclaim your rest is to practice good sleep hygiene. Remember everyone has different needs when it comes to a quality sleep so it’s important to find ways to study your own whether that’s with a Whoop, Oura ring, or an app on your phone. Eliminating blue light devices from your nighttime routine at least half an hour before bed can have tremendous benefits. Look into temperature-regulating bedding options like Eight Sleep, sound devices like Hatch, or vibration technology like Apollo Neuro as ways to improve your REM sleep.
2. CREATE A SUSTAINING AND SUSTAINIBLE (!) MORNING ROUTINE
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Stress can be aggravated or even induced by feeling out of control. Studies show that you can benefit greatly by creating a morning routine that makes you feel strong and in control. This means completing small tasks that are easily accomplished and implementing sufficient self-care into the schedule. Remember that you are setting the course for your day, and you likely want that to be a course toward confidence.
Find two or more activities that you can complete without fail every morning. Perhaps that is making a healthy breakfast for your family or taking the dog out for a walk. They don’t have to be chores either, you can choose to make sipping a cup of coffee or reading the newspaper part of your morning routine for success.
The secret is that these need to be “sustaining” as in “they give you energy” and “sustainable” as in “not so intensive that you stop doing them.”
3. GET OUT IN NATURE
Being Outdoors Can Combat Stress
There is scientific research that suggests that just looking at a photo of trees or the sea can help our overall mood. So imagine the positives that can come from actually being out in nature! You may have heard the term “forest bathing” which is the healing practice of meditating while exploring the wilderness, but you don’t need to go on a week-long retreat to see the benefits.
Getting outside for even 20 to 30 minutes can reduce stress. In fact, that is when you will experience the greatest drop in cortisol levels. Every additional minute after that is just bonus. That is the perfect amount of time for a lunch break in a nearby park or a jog around the local track. The more trees and water you can encounter on your route the better.
Try trading in your treadmill time at the gym for a morning or evening run. Or see if your afternoon business meeting can be held at a park instead of on a Zoom call. Even better, see if you can do either activity while the sun is out, as having natural Vitamin D in your system can lower stress potential.
4. PRACTICE INTENTIONAL BREATHING
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Do you ever feel the need to take quick, sharp breaths when you are feeling anxiety or stress? This is a natural reaction that occurs when you feel a threat, and indulging in that kind of rapid breathing can only make matters worse. One way to prevent the kind of spiral that might start with these shallow breaths is to launch a practice of intentional breathing.
Why? Because this type of breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn signals to your body that everything is okay.
The best way to go about starting an intentional breathing practice is to treat it like a “workout.” The majority of people out there don’t realize their full lung capacity and haven’t coached their bodies to take breathe properly into the diaphragm. Like a workout, you can start anytime by taking 15 minutes to sit upright at your desk or nearby on the ground and observe your breathing. You might be surprised at how much progress you can see just by trying to breathe slower, more effectively, and steadier.
There are many ways to advance this practice though and a number of great instructors out there. For additional coaching, try browsing tutorials online to find a coach that you connect with.
5. GET EXERCISE
Charles Thorp
Speaking of workouts, traditional exercise is also a great way to fight off stress. Not only is it great for your physical health and longevity, but it takes your focus away from nonproductive thoughts. Studies show that regular exercise has been proven to build emotional resilience in healthy adults.
Remember that your feelings of stress can be aggravated by perceiving a physical threat, even when there isn’t one. So it stands to reason that on a base level, the stronger and more capable you are physically as an individual, the less threatened you are going to feel. On the other side, the more stagnant you are throughout the day, the more susceptible you are to feeling vulnerable.
That means you can do a lot of good just by getting out from behind your desk at regular intervals or maybe looking into a standing desk. For a workout, you can pick your potion, whether that’s lifting weights, going on a job, or playing a game of basketball. Getting half an hour of regular exercise a day is a great way to ensure you are stress-resistant.
6. PRACTICE JOURNALING
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No matter where your stress is coming from, whether it be from work, school, or personal, journaling is a great way to process those concerns. So often we hold too tightly onto our worries and our anxieties, so it makes sense that purging them onto paper (or computer) could have a positive effect. Studies show that people who wrote for at least 15 minutes, three days a week, saw a consistent improvement in their stress levels.
Once again, for those who haven’t journaled before, it can feel daunting at first. But just like the other practices mentioned, it will get easier with each session. This writing should be used as a way to let go of any traumas, small or large, as well as an opportunity to identify any mistakes we might have made in haste. Sometimes our stress can come from repeating errors in judgment over and over again. Being honest with yourself in these moments is a great way to break the cycle.
There is also the benefit of sustained focus that occurs when you are journaling, which is unlike most computer work that we do these days. Put on some classical music and pull out some paper, you won’t regret it.
Game Of Thrones heroNed Stark was right when he galvanized his people with his speech in the opening episode to warn them that “winter is coming.” Because winter is here. After getting over the frenzied weeks leading up to the holly jolly jam-packed holiday season, January and February leave us melancholy.
The upside? We have a bit of an open-ended agenda. No major holidays coming. Festival season is still out on the horizon.
As we already know, in the realm of everything travel, maximizing rewards and points on credit cards is essential. After hearing from flight and point experts on the most valuable credit card sign-up bonuses and sure-in strategies for maximizing your credit cards and redeeming them for an epic early-year trip, we asked our panel for their best tip for scoring the last-minute deals for your winter escape, wherever that may be.
Let the travel commence!
Thomas Lonergan (@travelliketommy): Book Last Minute To Secure Great Deals
If you want to live life on the edge a little bit, book your flights last minute!
In order to successfully do this, you must be flexible and spontaneous with your dates. If you’re itching to get out to Southeast Asia this winter but don’t exactly know when set some flight alerts for last-minute deals and be prepared to head to the airport the next day if you have to.
Specifically search for flights out of major hubs like JFK, IAD, ORD, LAX, and SFO.
Adam Hill (@adamhillyeah): Set Hotel & Flight Alerts On Seats.Aero, Point.Me & Awayz To Use & Transfer Points For Last-Minute Deals
I get this a lot from people looking to book a vacation or escape in a relatively short amount of time and with specific dates. It’s hard to get the best deals when you aren’t flexible or wait until the last minute, however, fear not as there is hope. Let it be known that I recommend booking as early as possible, sometimes up to almost a year in advance, by setting alerts or diligently, and tediously searching for whatever coveted hotel or flight you are looking at.
Many times, some of the best award spaces or hotels become available at the last minute. Prime examples of this are booking Lufthansa First Class seats which often become available 1-14 days before the travel date, or even with Japan Airlines first class. This last-minute method typically works best with one person but having a player two isn’t impossible either. Many airlines will release last-minute saver business class award space or even have saver economy available if you have more than two people. It may not be sexy to fly economy, but saving money and getting the family somewhere to have a memorable experience is the ultimate goal here.
Hotels can oftentimes have last-minute rates open up for unsold rooms on a cheap cash fare, or at a reasonable award rate. It may not be the lowest off-peak rate, but if it saves you from paying a huge amount of cash, that’s a win in my book.
People looking for last-minute deals, or looking to set alerts for hotels and flights can use websites like Seats.Aero to find last minute deals or Point.me as both websites will show you how to transfer points and from what programs you can do it. The other great hotel award finder I like to use is AWAYZ as it has been helpful in the past for myself. If you are looking for cheap cash fares, you can download the chrome extension of Travel Arrow which you can then search the hidden hotels on priceline.com and see what the hidden hotels are
Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): Let The Points & Miles Guide Your Destination
Let the point and miles deals guide your destination. If looking for a beach escape, don’t settle on a location. Take a look at all the warm beaches during your dates and choose the one with the cheapest points options.
Don’t forget to check nearby airports as well. Want to go skiing in Aspen or Vail during peak season? It may be difficult to find points options into those airports. Don’t forget about Denver. It’s a shuttle ride to your final destination.
Look into positioning flights. For example, you can take a flight to catch another flight if there is a deal there. For example, my Delta One flight is out of JFK (and not LAX my home airport) because there was a Virgin Atlantic deal to fly Delta One Business Class. The Delta flight was 50,000 points + $5.60 in taxes with Virgin Atlantic (a transfer partner of the bank) vs. $3,782 or 252,080 in the bank portal!
To get to New York, I’m taking a cheap flight out of LAX. Currently, I’m booked with Southwest Airlines, but I’m going to cancel this flight if I find a nonstop flight out of JFK on red eye.
Angelo Minella (@paidwithpoints): Look For Increased Point Transfers To Partnered Airlines And Hotels
Once you have a grasp on earning and how to redeem points by transferring them, you’re going to want to look for two things. First, keep an eye out for increased transfers to partnered airlines or hotels on a bonus. For example, if American Express points regularly transfer 1:1 into your Emirates account but you notice that there’s currently a limited time offer of 30% bonus, that means that for every point you transfer you will get 1:3 Emirate miles.
Secondly, you want to search for Saver Award flights. This is essentially a discounted award redemption. For example, if it normally costs 50,000 to fly business class from JFK to Dubai, a Saver Award seat may be 37,500.
Using these two strategies can be very effective and a great use of your points.
Ryan Horn (@profitsandpoints): Use Specific Strategies To Secure The Cheapest Flight Possible
There are five different strategies that I always use to make sure that I find the cheapest flights possible:
1) Join a Cheap Flight Newsletter: There are a growing number of cheap flight newsletters out on the market. For the price of a subscription, most of these newsletters will send the lowest-priced flight deals they can find right to your inbox. The companies that run these newsletters typically employ people who spend hours each day searching for the cheapest flights meaning you won’t only save money, but you’ll also save time.
2) Set Price Alerts: Google Flights has an awesome feature that allows you to receive an email whenever the price of a flight you’re looking at goes up or down. These alerts can help you time when to commit to purchasing your flight.
3) Consider Flying Out Of/Into Alternate Airports: Probably the biggest factor at determining the price of a flight is where you’re flying from or where you’re flying to. By looking at other airports that may be a short drive from your first choice airport, you open up the potential to save a lot of money. Advanced travelers may want to also consider positioning flights. A positioning flight is a flight that you would take to get to an airport who’s airfare is cheaper to your final destination. It’s basically like creating your own layover. Just be careful to leave enough time in case something goes wrong with your positioning flight.
4) Rebook Your Flight If The Price Drops: Many airlines will allow you to receive a credit/points/refund if the price of your flight drops. My favorite example is Southwest Airlines. If the price of your flight drops, you can rebook your flight through Southwest and receive a credit for future travel equal to the difference in the fare. If you paid with points, the difference in Rapid Rewards points will automatically go back into your account.
5) Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility: Finding cheap flights ultimately comes down to flexibility. Are you willing to fly on a different day? Are you willing to have a longer layover? Are you willing to travel somewhere slightly different than you had first planned? The more flexible you are, the more likely you are to save money on air travel.
Sierra Smith (@highsierrapoints): Use Last-Minute Flight Deals With Points
SIERRA SMITH
Winter holidays are peak travel time, so the cash cost of flights will surge. The good news is that last-minute flight deals using points will often show up a few weeks prior to departure if you’re flexible. I will sometimes book a refundable cash flight several months out as a backup, and wait for last-minute award deals to be released. You can also find amazing flight deals for quieter times like early morning or late-night flights.
Spencer Howard (@straighttothepoints): Optimize Winter Travel Deals With Flight & Hotel Points
Summer travel might get all of the hype, but there are some amazing winter destinations. Plus, you can score some great deals on flights and hotels and it’s often easier to use points to book both!
With less competition for award space on flights and at hotels, you can often find great deals in the weeks before your travel dates. Don’t be afraid to book last minute to secure some exceptional deals. Sign up for my business and first-class flight alerts here.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. We’re still in dark days over here, January has shown 2024 to be off to a pretty rough start in regards to sneakers and I’m sorry to say that this week isn’t any different. Look on the bright side, since we’re not drowning in great sneaker release after great sneaker release, we have a chance for our bank accounts to replenish themselves for the inevitable week when you try and cop more than a couple of pairs.
From what we can see on release calendars currently, it looks like things are finally going to start picking up next week. While things are grim, this week isn’t without its highlights, so there are still a few pairs worth copping. Let’s dive into the best sneakers to drop this week.
Timberland Men’s Lunar New Year 6-Inch Lace-Up Boot
We’re still in the depths of winter which means it’s time to put the lightweight mesh sneakers away and bundle up. What better way to do that than with Timberland’s 6-inch Lace-Up, which features a waterproof leather upper with PrimaLoft insulation for extra warm and support.
The sneaker is dropping in new colorways in celebration of the Lunar New Year with a special patterned collar and dragon hang tag in a beautiful dark red colorway.
The Timberland Men’s Lunar New Year 6-inch Lace Up Boot is out now for a retail price of $198. Pick up a pair via the Timberland website.
Hiking boots are a big reference in modern sneaker design, and while we’re not mad at it, nothing beats the functionality of the real thing. Timberland’s Mt. Maddsen sports a premium leather upper with Timberland’s ReBOTL fabric lining, a compression molded EVA midsole, and rubber lug outsoles for enhanced traction.
Aside from all the tech, the sneaker sports an olive nubuck upper that’ll blend in with the trail terrain.
The Timberland Men’s Mt. Maddsen Mid Lace-Up Hiking Boot is out now for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at Timberland.
Crocs has teamed up with Hello Kitty in celebration of the famous character’s 50th anniversary. The Classic Clog takes direct inspiration from the color scheme of Hello Kitty and features a big red bow, whisker graphics on the upper, and a Hello Kitty logo on the rivet.
To help customize the look, the Hello Kitty Classic Clog releases alongside a set of five themed Jibbitz. If you’re all about that cutesy kawaii aesthetic, the Hello Kitty Crocs are a must-cop. Something we never thought we’d write!
The Crocs Hello Kitty Classic Clog is out now for a retail price of $69.99
BEAMS and Paperboy Paris have linked up once again for a collaborative take on the Asics GT-2160. The sneaker is a women’s exclusive (hence the PaperGirl Paris branding) with a white mesh base, metallic silver overlays, BEAMS branding at the heel and gentle pink accents via the laces.
The sneaker rides on the GT-2160 midsole, which sports enhanced cushioning atop a black rubber outsole for enhanced grip.
The PaperGirl Paris x BEAMS x ASICS GT-2160 is set to drop on January 19th online and in-store at Paperboy Paris.
Last year A Ma Maniére brought the Air Ship (a precursor to the AJ 1) back into the Nike rotation and while its hard to beat that collaborative drop, we’re happy to see Nike dropping an iteration of its own (mostly because the price is much lower).
The sneaker sports a leather upper in Sail with a suede collar, swoosh and outsole in diffused blue. It’s a simple makeup but it really highlights just how great the Air Ship’s core design is.
The Jordan Air Ship PE SP Diffused Blue is out now for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair at Nike.
You don’t have to be a fan of the Miami Dolphins to love this low-top Dunk. I mean, just look at it! With its soft turquoise and clay tones over a white base, who wouldn’t want a pair of these?
The sneaker sports a leather upper with leather overlays, toebox perforation, and that classic Dunk rubber outsole with its enhanced grip. The Dunk is one of Peter Moore’s (father of the Jordan 1 and 2) greatest designs and it’s amazing that in 2023, 39 years later, it’s still able to look ultra fresh.
The Nike Dunk Low Miami Dolphins is out now for a retail price of $115. Pick up a pair at Nike.
Adidas has teamed up with skatewear brand Fucking Awesome for a new take on its most popular silhouette. The FA Samba sports a full-grain leather upper with synthetic leather stripes, a translucent black outsole, and Fucking Awesome branding at the heel.
The colorway keeps things classic with a Core Black upper with Cloud White accents and Gold Metallic details across the insole. It’s not the most radical reimagining, but Fucking Awesome managed to pay tribute to one of Adidas best designs while slightly elevating it in a way that feels unique to the brand.
The Adidas FA Samba is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Adidas webstore.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery is hallowed ground in the whiskey world. The Frankfort, Kentucky distillery is a National Historic Landmark thanks to a distillery existing on-site since at least 1775. Over the years, that distillery was expanded, rebuilt, and rebranded many times — 249 years is a long time, folks.
Across all those eras, one constant stayed the same — the distillery on the Kentucky River has remained a great spot to make whiskey. And it’s thriving more than ever today.
Since there’s so much product coming out of the almost two dozen brands made at Buffalo Trace Distillery, it’d be easy to get lost in the weeds. Below, I’m going to name the absolute best bottle from every brand and collection made by Buffalo Trace. The vast majority of the brands made by Buffalo Trace focus on straight bourbon and straight rye whiskeys. They also make bourbon cream, vodka, and have an experimental line. So there is a fair bit of variation at play.
The function of this list is to highlight the absolute best bottle under each label/collection so that you can cut straight to the chase when reaching for a bottle at the liquor store. Just to be clear, that means that I’ll be calling out the best E.H. Taylor, Pappy, and so on as well as the best Antique Collection or Experimental Collection bottle (not all of any one line).
Lastly, you cannot talk about Buffalo Trace whiskeys without talking about price. Most Buffalo Trace brands are highly allocated products. That means that a small quantity of bottles is sent to a small list of retailers, bars, and restaurants. Then those establishments set a price based on the recommended MSRP set by Buffalo Trace, demand, and scarcity. This means that a lot of these whiskeys are extremely hard to find at MSRP. For this list, I’ve purposefully set each price link at the real-world retail price and not the MSRP.
If you want to get these bottles are MSRP, you’re simply going to have to work for it. You’ll need to do the following:
Learn the delivery schedule of Buffalo Trace’s trucks.
Learn which liquor stores get an allocation in your area.
This bottom-shelf bourbon is functional and cheap. The juice is the same mash bill as Buffalo Trace’s much-lauded and beloved Blanton’s Single Barrel and Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel — or “Mash Bill #2.” Granted this is not a single barrel but it’s the same whiskey that’s then blended with other barrels that weren’t deemed quite good enough to become Blanton’s.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear note of corn up top with vanilla, caramel, and a bit of butter.
Palate: The sweetness leans into toffee territory with a mild hint of spice next to a caramel corn feel.
Finish: The end is cut short by a rush of citrus and you’re left with a slight warmth.
Bottom Line:
Every ranking has to start somewhere. This whiskey isn’t bad by any stretch. But it’s cheap and made as a rail whiskey for dive bars. This is a shooter that you chase with beer immediately after throwing it back.
This is Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley’s pet project of sorts. The vodka is made on a special micro-still at Buffalo Trace with wheat at the core of the mash bill. The spirit goes through the still ten times before it’s triple filtered, cut down with soft limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re drawn in with this essence of vanilla that’s kind of like rainwater that’s been soaking vanilla husks overnight.
Palate: The taste has a very mild greenness (think cut grass and bell peppers) that leads back to a soft rainwater mouthfeel and no rough edges whatsoever.
Finish: The end has this very enticing and almost creamy vanilla vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfectly fine mixing vodka. Use it for making cocktails.
21. Buffalo Trace White Dog — Mash #1 Corn, Rye, and Malted Barley Recipe
This is the base spirit that eventually becomes Eagle Rare, Stagg, E.H. Taylor, Jr., Benchmark, Old Charter, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon. The mix of corn, rye, and malted barley is bottled clear and unaged right off the stills.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is almost creamy with a sense of sweet creamed corn, a hint of dry grass, and a note of raw leather.
Palate: The taste really leans into that cream corn with a note of almost … cilantro … next to the faintest hint of vanilla next to apple chips.
Finish: The end has a vanilla oil vibe that leads to an orchard alongside corn cobs.
Bottom Line:
This is a fascinating pour of whiskey. It gives you a great insight into the quality of the base spirit of Buffalo Trace’s core whiskey before it touches wood. There’s a lot of vibrance found in this whiskey. That all said, this is more of a learning sip than a practical one. You can also use this for cocktails (but at that point… just use vodka).
This expression is from the single barrels that hit that prime spot/flavor profile to be bottled one at a time. This is the best of the best of the barrels earmarked for Benchmark in the Buffalo Trace warehouses. Those barrels are watered down slightly before bottling at a healthy 95-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: That orange and caramel really come through on the nose with a thin line of creamy dark chocolate and some nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate largely adheres to that flavor profile while adding in layers of dark fruit, old leather, mild oak, and orange cookies.
Finish: The finish arrives with a sense of winter spices and dark chocolate oranges next to a twinge of cherry-kissed spicy tobacco chew and a final note of old porch wicker.
Bottom Line:
Benchmark is another budget bourbon that feels “budget.” There’s nothing off-putting with this whiskey, it simply feels like something that’s made to be mixed with Coke or ginger ale.
Bourbon Cream is a funny thing. The base is a mix of vanilla-infused cream cut with Buffalo Trace’s signature bourbon. There’s not a lot known about this product besides those few facts.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is kind of like Bailey’s Irish Cream turned up to eleven on the nose.
Palate: It’s thick, very vanilla-forward, and has a minor hint of bourbon in the sense of an almost chocolate-cream spiked eggnog.
Finish: There are holiday spices that pop up nicely next to all that creaminess that helps it not get too heavy (that’s not to say this isn’t very heavy, it is).
Bottom Line:
This is pretty tasty over a single rock as a dessert pour. Outside of that, this has some uses in cocktails, especially with a coffee base.
Sazerac Rye is an entry-point whiskey and a throwback to the 1800s. The brand was named after the famed Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street in New Orleans where the Sazerac cocktail was born.
Today, this expression is a true classic made at Buffalo Trace from their iconic rye mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a vanilla base that supports anise, sasparilla, clove, cardamom, and a hint of red peppercorn with a very soft minerality.
Palate: The palate has big Christmas-time vibes with candied fruits and nuts with plenty of dark spice alongside more of that red peppercorn with old pine wood paneling lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish is soft with candied fruits creating a spicy cream soda with an old sweetgrass rope drying things out that ultimately leads to a proofed finish.
Bottom Line:
Since the other Sazerac labels fall under the Antique Collection category only, this is the only Sazerac to buy from this label. It’s readily available and priced pretty well.
The gist is this: This is a cocktail whiskey, period. Make Manhattans and Sazeracs with it. It’s great for those.
This is the whiskey that heralded a new era of bourbon in 1999. Famed Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee came out of retirement to create this bourbon to celebrate the renaming of the George T. Stagg distillery to Buffalo Trace when Sazerac bought the joint. The rest, as they say, is history, especially since this has become a touchstone bourbon for the brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic notes of vanilla come through next to a dark syrup sweetness, a flourish of fresh mint, and raw leather that veers towards raw steak.
Palate: The palate cuts through the sweeter notes with plenty of spices — like clove and star anise — next to a hint of tart berries underneath it all.
Finish: The end is long, velvety, and really delivers on the vanilla and spice.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the easiest whiskey to get on the list. It’s also a great cocktail bourbon. It makes a mean old fashioned and whiskey sour.
This new whiskey from Buffalo Trace is the summation of years of collaboration between Country icon Chris Stapleton and Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. After testing 50 different blends, this is the one that landed. The whiskey in the bottle is a special blend of Buffalo Trace rye and bourbons that hit just the right note for Stapleton’s whiskey palate.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into rich Buffalo Trace bourbon with a deep vanilla buttercream over soft spiced brandied cherries just kissed with dark chocolate and old oak staves with a whisper of salted caramel.
Palate: That caramel has a hint of sweet corn to it on the palate before the vanilla rushes back in with a creamy lusciousness and layers of winter spices, orchard barks, and musty barrel houses — classic Buffalo Trace.
Finish: The end warms nicely for a moment with plenty of woody winter spice and a touch of grassy rye notes before the lush vanilla, cherry, and oak finish lingers for just the right amount of time.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey was purposefully built to be accessible to a wide array of American whiskey drinkers (and to be widely available at a great price). I guess you could call that pop whiskey.
And look, it’s perfectly good whiskey. It’s just one that works best in cocktails or as an everyday table pour over some rocks, if you’re so inclined.
15. Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection — Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Straight Bourbon Whiskey Made With Peated Malt
This whiskey is made from an experimental mash bill of high-rye bourbon that replaces the classic malted barley with peated malted barley. That’s barley that’s kilned (dried to stop germination) with peat as a heat source, which imbues smoke (phenols if you want to get all sciencey about it) into the barley grains. The whiskey was distilled and barreled back in November 2012 in only six barrels. Those barrels were stored on low floors of warehouses C and D for 10 years.
Over that time, 65% of that whiskey evaporated. Finally, the whiskey was batched and proofed down before bottling before a run through a chill filter.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a mild sense of old cigar smoke in a leathery old library with a layer of vanilla pods, dark chocolate-covered marzipan, and rich and butter toffee next to deeply stewed stone fruits with a dash of woody spice.
Palate: The palate is silken and lush with a sense of gomme syrup (it’s almost velvety) that gives way to brown butter vanilla malt over salted toffee and smoky campfire burnt marshmallow with a faint whisper of smoked prune and cherry.
Finish: The end leans into the campfire smokiness as the vanilla, fruit, and marzipan fade out, leaving you with a sense of burnt sugars and vanilla tobacco pouches next to a lingering sense of burning sage, cinnamon bark, and allspice leaves that just inch into ashy bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most interesting Experimental Collection releases in a while. It’s a fascinating smashing together of two very distinct whiskey worlds — sweet bourbon and very earthy peated whiskey — that just works. While this is very rare, it’s a great example of something truly unique and palate-expanding.
That said, this is very much an “acquired taste” prospect.
14. Prohibition Collection — Golden Wedding Brand Rye Whiskey
This brand goes beyond even the old George T. Stagg Distillery to the time Shenley Distilling owned the property and split the brand’s production between the campuses in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Eventually, Shenley moved the brand to Canada and turned it into a Canadian whisky before it was killed off in the late 20th century. Buffalo Trace decided to resurrect this brand with a signature batch of their straight rye whiskey to honor that long and varied history on and in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of rye bread crust bespeckled with caraway next to dry smudging sage, roasting herbs, and cedar bark that gives way to a soft sense of dark fruity leather, soft vanilla creaminess, and a hint of mulled wine in an oak barrel.
Palate: Those roasting herbs drive the palate back toward the rye and caraway with a fleeting whisper of dried dill before circling the palate back around to dark dried berries, old vanilla pods, and a mild sense of eggnog.
Finish: The woody spice barks spike on the finish with a sense of smoldering smudging sage and old tobacco leaves stacked in an old cedar box and wrapped in worn leather before a sense of an old apple orchard on a rainy and cold fall day sets in.
Bottom Line:
Of the five bottles in the new Prohibition Collection lineup, this is the sweet spot. Buffalo Trace works some real magic with their rye whiskeys and this one is magical. If you can get your hand on a set, pour this neat and then add water slowly to open up all that’s hiding in that profile.
Buffalo Trace Kosher provides a truly kosher spirit that also fully delivers on the palate. The juice is made from the same wheated bourbon recipe as Buffalo Trace’s Weller and Pappy lines. The difference is that the mash is loaded from fully cleaned stills and pipes into kosher barrels (that means the barrels were specially made and purchased under the watchful eye of a rabbi from the Chicago Rabbinical Council).
The whiskey then ages for seven years at Buffalo Trace before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a familiar note of Red Hots and vanilla cream on the nose, with a hint of semi-dried florals.
Palate: The palate mellows out the cinnamon towards a woody and dry bark as the florals deepen towards summer wildflowers right at the moment that a touch of plums and berries arrive, adding sweetness and brightness.
Finish: The end holds onto that dry bark, as a hint of anise pops late with a slight vanilla cream tobacco touching off the medium-length fade.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good wheat whiskey, another thing Buffalo Trace is very good at. Look, this isn’t going to hit the heights of the Wellers or Pappys, but it’s well-rounded, nuanced, and classic. Pour it over ice or into your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail for best results.
12. Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Elmer T. Lee is another hugely popular release that’s very limited (and sought after). The mash bill has a higher rye content and the barrels are kept in a special location. It’s said that the barrels for Elmer T. Lee are stored where the master distiller himself used to store the barrels he kept for his own stash.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is like a decadent breakfast of pancakes smothered in cinnamon butter, dripping with the best maple syrup, and topped with a hand-made scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Palate: The palate holds onto the vanilla and spice but settles into more of a floral honeyed sweetness with touches of cedar, old library book leather, and a hint of tobacco buzz.
Finish: The end lingers for a while and leaves you with a dry pear tobacco warmth next to a cinnamon heat and maple bar sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This is the other Blanton’s on the shelf. It’s very close to that standard bottle, especially given the ABV. This is a very easy-drinking and satisfying pour of bourbon. It hits all the classic marks and is approachable with a deep profile. It’s a winner that works best poured neat or into a very subtle whiskey-forward cocktail.
11. Blanton’s — Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This expression is the purest form of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. The whiskey in these bottles is from the same Blanton’s barrels, but they’re perfect just the way they are. This whiskey goes into the bottle straight from the barrel with no proofing water whatsoever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of very bespoke dark chocolate-covered salted hard caramel toffees encrusted with almonds and pecans — the kind you get from a chocolate shop that imports their goodies from somewhere like Belgium — next to full fall leaves falling on wet grass outside musty old warehouses with a hint of well-worn boot leather lurking beneath it all.
Palate: The nutty toffee carries through into the taste as oily vanilla pods mingle with cedar boxes of dried tobacco leaves and a touch of floral honey jars with old wooden spoons and more of that old boot leather before sharp winter spices and dried red chili pop on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is very long and lingers in your senses with a hot buzzing thanks to the barky spices and dry chili that subtly fades through all that sweetness before ending up in an old cedar box full of choco-chili tobacco layered with old dark fruit leather sheets.
Bottom Line:
Blanton’s probably has the second most name recognition on this list (with Pappy at number one, of course). If you want to get into Blanton’s skip the lower proof expressions and go straight to this. This is unequivocally a great whiskey. The cask strength ABVs allow the full breadth of the whiskey’s complexity to shine through — and allow you to proof down as you drink, which gives you a longer and deeper experience overall.
This also makes one hell of an old fashioned.
10. O.F.C. Vintage — Old Fashioned Cooper Vintage Distilled in the Year 1995
This label harkens back to Colonel E.H. Taylor’s O.F.C. Distillery in the 1800s. That distillery became what is now Buffalo Trace and the steam-heated warehouses used back then by Taylor are still in use today. These whiskeys are exceedingly rare releases. The whiskey in this bottle went into the barrel back in 1995 and mellowed in an exact spot before it was proofed and bottled in a crystal decanter.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with ripe and sweet cherries soaked in rich brandy with hints of cedar and holiday spices lurking in the background.
Palate: The taste is almost unbelievably soft with notes of dark chocolate tobacco leaves mingling with well-spiced sticky toffee pudding, a touch of black tea bitterness, and a drop of salted caramel.
Finish: The end has a soft cedar vibe as the fade slowly offers up warm peppery spice with a cinnamon edge and a final note of an old leather tobacco pouch drifts on by.
Bottom Line:
These super rare releases are pretty freaking amazing. But they’re so fleeting that it feels like a tease to even mention them. That all said, this is all about the year the whiskey was made and a time machine of sorts to go back to that era. It’s insanely high-quality whiskey that feels almost too special to actually drink, which defeats the whole purpose, I think.
9. Single Oak Project Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Barrel #192
This was a fascinating set of whiskeys. The project started with finding the exact right barrel to age the best whiskey. That meant forest stewardship and sourcing specific oak from the Ozarks to build 192 unique barrels with varying levels of toasting and charring or some combination of the two. The whiskeys were then aged for various times and all were eventually released and tasted by 5,645 people (and their lucky friends).
Turns out Barrel #80 was the prime spot. That’s what’s being replicated for a 2025 release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There are classic Buffalo Trace notes of salted caramel, Cherry Coke, deep vanilla, and distinct soft woods — think orchard woods and cedar.
Palate: The overall taste is a balancing act between the orchard fruit and sweeter caramel/vanilla notes with the mild woody spices and rich tobacco with a vanilla backbone.
Finish: That spicy tobacco note drives the finish toward cinnamon bark, clove buds, and whole nutmeg with a cherry/apple soda sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This is another very rare whiskey. It’s fascinating in that it allows the drinker to truly feel the difference a single tree can have on the aging process. But wow, you have to be so deep in whiskey to actually get to any of that.
For the consumer, this is a trophy bottle.
However, it tastes amazing… if you dare open it.
8. Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is Buffalo Trace’s other other single barrel brand (Blanton’s and Elmer T. Lee being the two icons). The whiskey is made from the same mash bill as those two, which is Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill No. 2 (they’re higher rye recipe). Basically, this is a higher ABV version of Blanton’s with a slightly varied flavor profile from that brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright apple and cherry burst on the nose with a sense of almost tart red berries swimming in cream just kissed with vanilla and salted caramel next to a hint of cinnamon bark and allspice.
Palate: The palate is lush and moves from creamy cherry/vanilla toward winter spice barks, burnt orange, marzipan, and maybe even a hint of black licorice.
Finish: The woodiness of those winter spices kicks up on the finish before softening into a silken end of vanilla creamy, cherry syrup, and a very faint hint of mint chocolate chip.
Bottom Line:
Of the single barrels that Buffalo Trace puts out, this is close to the top thanks to a bold ABV. This whiskey just works, carries a deep profile that goes beyond the classic, and leaves you feeling fulfilled after a sip or two.
7. W.L. Weller — Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This expression is a marriage of some serious barrels of unknown age. That vatted whiskey goes into the bottle at “full proof” which is not “barrel proof.” The “full proof” this refers to is the proof of the hot juice when it goes into the barrel for aging. That whiskey will come out of the barrel somewhere around 57% but not right at it. So there may be a little proofing water involved. Hence, it is always 114 proof and not 114.7 one year and 113.1 the next year or 115.9 the year after that.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Ripe and sour cherries lead the way with a thick vanilla underbelly, a hint of salted caramel, and woody cinnamon next to whole nutmeg bulbs on the nose with this slight echo of almost singed cherry bark.
Palate: The palate leans into the sharpness of the cinnamon and the lushness of the vanilla as a foundation as layers of buttery caramel cake frosting with a hint of sassafras and licorice next to dry cedar bark braids with a thin line of sweet grass and a whisper of sourdough fritters.
Finish: The end leans into creamy brandy butter cut with dark-chocolate-covered dried sour cherries sprinkled with salt and rolled in fresh tobacco leaves and stacked next to orange-laced marzipan in an old and slightly sweet cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This expression from Weller has become one of the most beloved over the last couple of years. The ABV is perfect for this wheated bourbon, allowing the deepest of flavors to shine through.
Pour this over a rock or with a drop of water and enjoy the ride.
6. George T. Stagg — Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch #22A
Stagg is Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill no. 1 (a low-rye mash) turned up to MAX volume. The whiskey spends about a decade resting in the old Buffalo Trace warehouses before it’s batched and bottled (in this case in Spring 2023) 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is rich on the nose with deep senses of dark chocolate brownies just kissed with stewed black cherry and old vanilla pods before a soft sense of red chili tobacco and wet brown sugar tobacco lead to a whisper of smoldering fall leaves.
Palate: That dark chocolate and chili-laced tobacco drives the taste toward a Christmas cake brimming with candied cherry, orange rind, rum raisin, clove, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and creamy vanilla icing with a dash of salt, marzipan, and brandy-soaked apple and pear orchards.
Finish: The rich and boozy holiday cake fades on the finish as deep earthiness — think firewood bark and smudging sage — drives the end toward a big Kentucky hug of warmth that’s just right.
Bottom Line:
2023’s Stagg release was a killer bottle of whiskey. Arguably, this is one of the best Staggs of the last decade. It’s hot, sure. So pour this over a single rock and dive into the wonderful profile of essential Kentucky bourbon notes.
5. Van Winkle — Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line truly shines. The whiskey in this expression is pulled from wheated bourbon barrels that are at least 15 years old. Once batched, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring it down to a sturdy 107-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with freshly fried sourdough fritters dusted with ground almonds, sharp cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, burnt sugars, and maple frosting with a hint of old vanilla pods next to soft figs.
Palate: The palate leans into rich toffee with a sense of minced meat pies covered in powdered sugar frosting right next to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel, orange zest, and tons of brown wintry spice countered by a moment of sour mulled red wine cut with dark maple syrup.
Finish: The end has a soft cedar vibe that leads to vanilla and dark cherry tobacco leaves and a hint of pine next to old white moss.
Bottom Line:
If you’re going to get into Pappy, this is where to start and end. This is the best expression right now. It has everything you’ll want from a deep and beautiful flavor profile to just the right kick to that feeling of elegance that elite whiskey should have. Pour this over a big rock and enjoy the ride.
4. Old Charter — Old Charter Oak Spanish Oak Barrel Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace’s Old Charter Oak series is expanding with a Spanish Oak edition this month. The whiskey in the bottle is from the famed Mash Bill No. 1, which forms the base spirit for Old Charter, Eagle Rare, Stagg, Benchmark, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and Taylor expressions. In this case, the whiskey in the bottle is completely aged in new Spanish oak barrels (bourbon laws only require “new oak” aging and do not specify an oak species) for around nine years before batching, proofing, and bottling completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of dates, plums, and mild winter spice barks and berries next to rich bourbon vanilla buttercream, soft chewy tobacco, and a hint of tart cherry.
Palate: That tart cherry darkens on the palate toward a honeyed sweet biscuit with marmalade and leathery dried prunes next to a murky dark chocolate with salt and some dried lavender underneath it all.
Finish: The end softly lands on dark yet tart cherry chewing tobacco next to gentle woody spices, floral black tea leaves, and a moist sticky toffee pudding with a touch more of that honey sweetness.
Bottom Line:
The Old Charter special oak program has been so varied — and a little hit and miss from time to time. Well, this is such a bullseye win that it pretty much blows all the other expressions out of the water.
This is just delicious whiskey. The sherry (Spanish oak) works so well with the Buffalo Trace bourbon. Every single moment is just right, so deep, and freaking fun.
This also makes a crazy good Manhattan… an expensive one, but a great one nonetheless.
Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon is made from Mash Bill #1 at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s their low-rye mash bill, and that’s all that’s known about the juice. That whiskey was then left to rest for nearly two decades in a warehouse before being moved into Buffalo Trace’s new state-of-the-art Warehouse P facility. When the whiskey hit 25 years old, something magical happened to the barrel and it was ready for bottling.
The single barrel was proofed down to Eagle Rare’s 101-proof and otherwise bottled as-is, yielding only 200 bottles. The bottle is also a collectible with a hand-hammered sterling silver eagle wing wrapped around a hand-blown crystal decanter. That striking bottle comes in a custom display box that opens like an eagle’s wings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks.
Palate: The rich vanilla gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice on the lush palate has dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs lead to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.
Finish: The finish hugs you gently with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingle with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake.
Bottom Line:
While everyone should have an Eagel Rare 10 on their shelf, this whiskey is in another dimension. This whiskey is the kind that changes you when you drink it. You feel the importance and the work of the people who created it in the sip.
That said, this is so fleeting that you’ll probably only see it at really high-end whiskey bars.
2. E.H. Taylor, Jr. — E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This whiskey is aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their Mash Bill No. 1. In this case, single barrels are picked for their perfect Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco.
Finish: The finish lingers on your senses for a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
I know everyone chases Blanton’s Single Barrel. But this is the Single Barrel from Buffalo Trace that they should be chasing. This whiskey is f*cking perfect while offering a beautiful profile that’s quintessential Kentucky and Buffalo Trace. Also… a great value, all things considered.
This is Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon. 2023’s Weller BTAC was distilled back in the spring of 2011 and left to rest in warehouses C, L, M, and N for 12 long years. Those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Deep and dark candied black cherry mingles with dry cedar bark, molasses, real vanilla beans, nutty brown butter, and old leather rolled in pipe tobacco and just kissed with smoldering sage and dry chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate opens with a full blast of ABVs, making the front of your tongue tingle, as floral honey, cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and brown butter streusel cut with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove lead to a hint of dry orange tobacco.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and clove buds floating in maple syrup arrive on the finish with a sense of old leather boots, the oak in an old rickhouse, orchard barks, and soft notes of vanilla and cherry cake.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best example of Buffalo Trace whiskey right now. It’s certainly the best example of what they do best — wheated bourbon with a deeply special vibe. Yes, this whiskey is delicious AF. It’s also amazingly approachable while offering so much soft nuance and warming Kentucky bourbon vibes.
Everything just works. Pour it over a single large ice cube, take a sip, and exhale all your worries away. This one has that effect.
Upvoted, an online publication from Reddit featuring the most compelling content from their site, recently republished this “classic” piece originally posted around 2011. The beautiful piece of writing was done by a commenter in response to a poster asking for advice on grief.
The original post simply read: “My friend just died. I don’t know what to do.”
“Alright, here goes. I’m old. What that means is that I’ve survived (so far) and a lot of people I’ve known and loved did not. I’ve lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, co-workers, grandparents, mom, relatives, teachers, mentors, students, neighbors, and a host of other folks. I have no children, and I can’t imagine the pain it must be to lose a child. But here’s my two cents.
I wish I could say you get used to people dying. I never did. I don’t want to. It tears a hole through me whenever somebody I love dies, no matter the circumstances. But I don’t want it to “not matter”. I don’t want it to be something that just passes. My scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that I had for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are a testament that I can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and that I can heal and continue to live and continue to love. And the scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are only ugly to people who can’t see.
As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.
In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything…and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life.
Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming. An anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O’Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. And when it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out.
Take it from an old guy. The waves never stop coming, and somehow you don’t really want them to. But you learn that you’ll survive them. And other waves will come. And you’ll survive them too. If you’re lucky, you’ll have lots of scars from lots of loves. And lots of shipwrecks.”
In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.
Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.
Most of us have never seen, or heard, anything like it.
Imagine walking along the picturesque Adriatic Sea, treading lightly on a set of white stone steps as a cool breeze rolls past.
Carved into the steps are narrow channels that connect to 35 organ pipes, each tuned to different meticulously arranged musical chords.
As the waves lap against the steps, they push air through the pipes and out whistle-holes in the surface above, making a harmonious and completely random musical arrangement.
But you don’t see what’s happening below the surface. You close your eyes and all you hear is a song like you’ve never heard before, one completely unique to the movement of the sea at that exact moment.
Take a listen: Here’s what it sounded like at one particular moment, on one particular day. On any other day, it might sound completely different.
The Sea Organ, or the Morske Orgulje, is an incredible feat of architecture designed to bring life back to one of the world’s oldest cities.
Zadar, a 3,000-year-old city on the coast of Croatia, was almost completely destroyed in World War II –– so many of its ancient landmarks lost forever. Years after a rebuilding that featured lots of plain, concrete structures, award-winning architect Nikola Bašić was brought in to bring some delight back to the coastline.
That’s when he came up with the idea.
No doubt he was inspired by the hydraulis — a nifty little instrument built by the ancient Greeks that used water to push air through tuned pipes — or even the Wave Organ in San Francisco — a set of curved tubes built in the 1980s that amplify the gurgles and howls of the Pacific Ocean.
But the intricate design of the Sea Organ is what sets it apart and makes it truly something to marvel at.
This article originally appeared on 11.06.15
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