The world of Sex and the City transformed into a bit of a horror show when And Just Like That… debuted in 2021. Granted, the “Death By Peloton” episode got that vibe started, and Che Diaz grabbed that torch, although to be fair, Che ended up being one of the most watchable parts of the second season. Rather than simply being an intentionally abrasive presence, Sara Ramirez’s character grew some shades. They did things other than serve as Miranda’s motivation to let Steve Brady fly on his own (where, let’s be honest, he will probably be much happier without her), and Che loves animals, which made me dig Che. A little bit? More than that, actually.
However, it looks And Just Like That… might have a Che Diaz-shaped hole when it returns for the third season. Speculation went into overdrive this week (especially after Melissa Barrera’s recent dismissal from Scream) after Ramirez (who has regularly been posting support for Palestine and calling for a ceasefire) began vague-Instagramming in a way that made people wonder: “Our industry is so duplicitous. While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.”
Another added wrinkle: Cynthia Nixon, who portrays Miranda Hobbes, has also voiced support for Palestine and participated in a hunger strike for the cause, and there haven’t been any rumors that Nixon has been let go. Well, The Daily Mail claims to have spoken to a source who knows that Ramirez was “fired,” allegedly over nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
‘Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the cease fire,’ they told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Sara was fired because Che brought nothing to the show anymore. They were on the chopping block since last season.
‘After Che split with Miranda, the character really held no value anymore and fans found them annoying. The storyline as a struggling comedian was a waste of airtime and Sara knew it.’
The source added, “Sara needs to accept that this is not Grey’s Anatomy, and her character was not a pivotal part of the storyline.” Now, is this true or not? The And Just Like That… writers gave Che a new romance in the second season finale, and there was no inkling that the character was going to leave the show. Instead, Che kind-of seemed like another Miranda casualty (i.e., like Steve) who would go on to do their own thing in separate arcs, but maybe not?
Neither Ramirez nor HBO/Max has delivered any confirmation on the subject, so we might be waiting until the third season to find out.
Once every few years, a spunky young actress makes waves on the scene with soul-crushing sarcasm and a touch of wit, and everyone loves it before they begin to slowly turn on her until she retreats from the spotlight. It’s like an ongoing prophecy at this point! So it’s always a little scary when a new and cool actress arrives on the scene, because how long will it take for everyone to turn against her? This is the fun of Hollywood!
Recently, Mean Girl Renee Rapp has been paving her way in the industry, not only with her debut album but also as the vicious Regina George in the movie musicalMean Girls.Rapp also portrayed George in the Broadway run in 2019. During her press cycle, the Gen Zers have been living for her seemingly filter-less comments and all-around out-of-pocket nature. We love her for it! Or is it too much? Maybe we are all just online too often.
Rapp has been going viral on just about every platform for her interview one-liners, call-outs, and powerful defense of her friend Megan Thee Stallion (“best ass I’ve ever seen in my life”). But there’s so much more than that!
Here she is doing an ASMR lecture on how “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child helped her overcome anxiety as a child:
And whatever is happening in this Stephen Colbert interview that ends with them eating cake and covering Drake.
At least she’s self-aware! Rapp made an Instagram post where she poked fun at herself and “lack” of media training by captioning a selfie with “her lack of media training is outrageous.” Maybe she is still in Regina George mode.
Maybe it’s not about the media training…but all of the jokes she made along the way.
It seems Selena Gomez is heading back to her roots. The pop star is set to be executive producing a revival of Wizards Of Waverly Place for Disney, alongside David Henrie, who played her brother on the original show.
Gomez cheerfully announced the news on her Instagram Story, complete with a photo of herself and Henrie from their time on the series years ago. “We’re back,” she captioned.
According to Deadline, Disney Branded Television ordered a pilot of the series. Gomez will be appearing in the first episode to reprise her role as Alex Russo. The plot of the new series’ start will find Justin Russo (played by Henrie) going about his life as an adult, after giving up his wizard powers. However, while living with his wife and two children, a young wizard shows up at his house looking for training. This would set up the rest of the first season’s apparent plot from there.
Some of the new cast members joining the show include Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll With It), Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat), and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess). The new reboot was written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who are known for their work on Disney’s Raven’s Home spin-off.
It’s unclear if any other of the original Wizards Of Waverly Place cast members will be returning.
Check out Gomez’s announcement below.
Selena Gomez confirms ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ sequel series:
In Eric Andre Live Near Broadway, a new Adult Swim comedy special that debuts tonight, the veteran comedy maniac incorporates various liquids, visual aids, guests, and set pieces while playing to a raucous live audience that seems to super charge the proceedings. It’s the perfect proof point for why Andre’s show has endured, showing an audience clamoring for and being rewarded with something real. Because, while some parts of Andre’s show are, of course, scripted and expertly planned out, the show (both the classic version and this live edition) just feels like a primal comedy scream, born from pent up anxiety and boundless creativity manifested through on-the-spot inventiveness and comedy guts of steel. Not quite anarchy, but something quite close and quite real.
As we do when Andre has a new project set to hit screens, Uproxx spoke with him, checking in on this new special, performance anxiety, crafting the exact right kind of jizz cannon, shocking the hell out of guests, taking to the high seas, and his earliest pranks.
We’re both fellow anxiety sufferers. Is doing this in front of an audience helpful to your anxiety or is it just a speed-run through chaos internally?
I think more the latter. I get more comfortable doing the show as the show goes on. My anxiety isn’t totally logical. I definitely have dealt with performance anxiety stage fright for years, which is normal, but my anxiety manifests at weird parts of the day that aren’t totally based on logic or external stimulus. Anxiety is a fiction. Anxiety is a fiction and anxiety is just a sensation, but it’s not totally logical. It’s misplaced. It’s a distraction.
How much does the live audience aspect feed the improvisational aspect of these shows?
A good amount. It’s prank-based, so you’re relying on whoever you bring up on stage. If they’re a great guest, you got a great show. If they’re so-so, especially at the end where I’m FaceTiming their ex, it’s in their hands more than it’s in my hands. We’ve had a couple shows where it was a total bust, and it’s really stressful and frustrating. But it’s worth the risk because when I do pull it off, it works really well and the crowd erupts. It’s a high wire act a little bit, especially that stuff. But I lucked out completely with the New York show because Billy Porter was so engaging and he was so reactive to each and every twist and turn. And also the guy, the audience member at the end, that guy Ryan and his ex-girlfriend were so perfect, without spoiling anything.
Yeah, Billy seemed to be completely surprised by everything that was going on.
He was baffled. He had never seen me or the show. He had no idea what he was getting into. People always ask, “Why do people do the show if they don’t know what they’re getting into?” And I say, anytime I’ve done any talk show or any press, “I have no idea what I’m getting into.” And you want to promote whatever you’re working on. We like attention.
I’m sure there’s an aspect of the unknown that’s appealing to someone coming on the show as well.
Billy Porter knew nothing. He really had no idea. I really caught him off guard. He was perfect. He was a perfect guest.
How did he feel after the show? Do you check in after the show to see how someone is?
He was gone after the show by the time I got off-stage. No. I think he had a good time. I gave him a hug and a kiss.
Can you take me through the construction of the ejaculate canon?
That’s mule semen. No, I couldn’t tell you. It’s Joe Holiday, Gizmo Joe, the guy that builds our props. He built that rig and he has some jizz-like substance that he’s created. And he also uses some, I don’t know, he has a crazy contraption. He’s brilliant. He’s a genius prop master. He’s like Christopher Lloyd in Back To The Future. He has a TikTok that’s really famous for crazy gizmos and contraptions that he makes. He’s awesome.
What was behind the choice of the Simpsons porn in the background? Why not Family Guy?
That was a last minute decision. We only did that for that show. On the road, we were having rappers on the show and stuff and we would have people drink the hot sauce and beer and Red Bull and all this stuff and do dizzy bat, and then rap. Some people would handle that actually well, so in the last few shows leading up, we were like, “Why don’t we go further?” In the Philly show the night before, we had a dog pooping backwards and nobody cared. It looked cool. So then we were like, “Why don’t we show cartoon porn or something?” So that was a last minute. We weren’t sure if that was going to work or not. It worked really well.
Aside from the special, you’re going on a comedy cruise coming up in the next couple weeks. What is Eric Andre’s show in international waters going to be like?
Completely lawless. The law books don’t apply.
How big is the waiver that people have to sign to go onto this thing?
It’s giant. It looks like butcher paper.
I have not had a chance to read Dumb Ideas yet, but looking forward to that. What was that process like writing the book?
We (Andre and Dan Curry, The Eric Andre Show head writer and exec producer) were trying to make a prank cookbook at first. It was like pranks you could do at home and a prank kit and all this stuff. I don’t know, it didn’t have enough meat on the bones, so we just started writing stories and behind the scenes tales of the trials and tribulations of the show and the movie and everything else, and then we hit our stride.
What was the first prank that you did, or what inspired the first prank that you did when you were younger?
That’s a good question. The first prank, I don’t know, they’re all crude. I’m trying to think of from when I was a little kid. My buddy got expelled from high school for pooping in the history textbooks, but I can’t claim that one. I remember one time I bashed my head through a fire hose glass enclosure in the English building. It was 11th grade. Everybody was walking to class in the hallways. I bashed my head through the glass, I pulled my head back, and the glass sliced my forehead and my hands up, but it was coming out of the center of my hands, the blood. I didn’t mean to do that, I was just trying to make a big loud noise. I didn’t think the glass would break. I wasn’t really thinking it through, I was fucking crazy. I bash my head through the thing and I lean back and blood was coming out of my forehead and my hands and I was like, “Stigmata!” And I bled all the way to the other building. They made me go to the hospital.
You got the laugh?
No, my friend was like, “Jesus Christ.”
Mortified.
Mortified.
You’ve been in this obviously for a while, are you having to train yourself in any different ways? Are you having to guard against certain injuries more than not?
Yeah, I still get injured. I try not to. Getting injured sucks now. I’m in my forties. You always make mistakes.
I’m assuming it’s not the Johnny Knoxville getting tossed around by a bull to the point of near comatose level?
No, he goes really fucking hard. He’s gotten 16 concussions.
You’ve worked with him obviously over a couple of projects. Is there a competitive streak to you when you’re in the same room with him?
No, not at all. He’s like my big brother. I look up to him and look at him in awe. I don’t feel competitive at all. I feel like I’m trying to learn from him.
Yeah, it feels like I don’t think anybody could really match him. It feels like that’s probably flirting with death if one tried to match him at this point.
I can’t believe he’s alive.
‘Eric Andre Live Near Broadway’ premieres tonight at midnight on Adult Swim
HBO Max may have rebranded as Max, but one thing has definitely remained the same: A steady stream of cancellations. Rap Sh!t, a hip-hop comedy series from Insecure creator Issa Rae, is the latest victim of the ongoing bloodbath at the streamer.
While fans were hoping that Rap Sh!t would return for Season 3, Max has confirmed that the series is no more in a statement announcing its fate.
“We are extremely grateful to Issa Rae for creating Rap Sh!t, a one-of-a-kind comedy with compelling social commentary that reached viewers in a way only Issa’s talents can accomplish,” a Max spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “A huge thank you to Issa, showrunner Syreeta Singleton and the teams at Hoorae and 3 Arts Entertainment for introducing us to Shawna and Mia, a duo whose journey fans have been invested in and who they have continued to root for through everything. We’ll never get ‘Seduce and Scheme’ out of our heads and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Rap Sh!t joins a growing list of recent cancelations at Max, which now includes Warrior, Julia, and Our Flag Means Death. However, HBO chief Casey Bloys has confirmed that the creators of the Taika Waititi pirate series are free to shop the show to another platform. As of this writing, no such plans have been announced for Rap Sh!t. Yet.
The lineup for New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (also known as just JazzFest) has arrived today (January 18), and it’s awesome. It’s led by The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Killers, Queen Latifah, and Hozier. Also on the poster are folks like Vampire Weekend, Big Freedia, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and plenty of others.
If you’d like to head down to The Big Easy and check out the festivities (from April 25 to 28 and May 2 to 5), here’s what you need to know about buying tickets.
How To Buy Tickets For New Orleans JazzFest 2024
You can pick up tickets right now via the JazzFest website. There are multiple types of tickets you can get at multiple price points, so check out your options:
1st Weekend 4-Day (April 25, 26, 27, 28): Early Bird Ticket ($290) or Advance Ticket ($320)
2nd Weekend 4-Day (May 2, 3, 4, 5): Early Bird Ticket ($465) or Advance Ticket ($495)
2nd Weekend 3-Day (May 3, 4, 5): Early Bird Ticket ($240) or Advance Ticket ($270)
GA+ 4-Day 1st Weekend: Early Bird Ticket ($499) or Advance Ticket ($549)
GA+ 4-Day 2nd Weekend: Early Bird Ticket ($749) or Advance Ticket ($799)
On top of that, there are also the Big Chief and Grand Marshal VIP-tier packages. The Big Chief VIP 1st weekend tickets go for $1,850, while the Big Chief VIP 2nd Weekend option starts at $2,550. There’s also a 2nd Weekend 3-Day option at $1,700, but VIP parking and VIP shuttles are no longer available in that tier. Grand Marshal VIP is similar, with 1st Weekend ($1,750 base price) and 2nd Weekend ($2,350 base price).
To get even further into the weeds regarding the most up-to-date info on ticket pricing and options, head to the JazzFest website.
New Orleans JazzFest 2024 lineup poster
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Human personalities range from super laid back to extremely picky and everything in between. But even the chillest among us have something we’re particular about—that “thing” we can’t stand or that has to be a certain way whether we have a logical reason for it or not.
Some of us have multiple “things,” but precious few people have none.
We asked our audience what they were weirdly finicky about and the answers ranged from food to bed sheets to grammar. But what was fascinating was to see how many people’s “things” overlapped.
Check out some of the most popular answers and see if any of these resonate with you:
Removing the egg chalazae
Don’t know what a chalazae is? You probably do but didn’t know you know. It’s that stringy thing that we often mistake for an umbilical cord that connects the egg yolk to the white in a raw egg. (Don’t worry, I didn’t known it was called a chalazae until I looked it up. Perfect spelling bee word, though.)
Anyway, many people shared that they have to remove the chalazae before they can use an egg for any purpose.
“I have to take the ‘umbilical cord’ off of the egg before I use it – for anything.” – Sande H.
‘We call them squigllys and, yes, they must be removed.” – Jan J.
“Me too!!! I call them goobers. There are two per egg. Ugh.” – Jess M.
Food = no touchy
A whole lot of people do not want different foods to touch on their plate.
“Mine is that certain foods can’t touch, no matter how many people tell me that it all goes to the same place.” – Janice C.
“I like a plate with dividers because I don’t like for my food to touch one another.” – Pat. W.
“I love pickled beetroot and I love mashed tatties. Can’t have them on same plate – nooo pink tatties!” – Sheila D.
Line up those $ bills
Some people need their Abes and their Benjamins all facing the same direction, preferably in ascending order, in their wallet.
“My money has to all go in the same direction in my wallet. When a cashier gives me change I have to put the bills all the same way before putting them away.” – Michelle M.
“I don’t carry cash much these days, but I can’t stand if it’s not all facing the same way and organized smallest bill to largest.” – Josh C.
“Paper money that comes out of the ‘Hole-in-the-wall’ has to be sorted so the notes are all the same way and then kept like that until they are spent. I can’t bear them to be upside-down and back-to-front with each other.” – DA O.
Where the table is in a restaurant
This one was interesting. Several people commented that they can’t sit in the middle of a restaurant.
“I have to sit next to a window or wall in a restaurant. Hate sitting in middle of the room.” – Reed K.
“I dislike being seated where people pass behind me while I eat. I also prefer an end seat while rehearsing or watching a show. I like to move around.” – Judy J.
Improper spelling and punctuation
There were a lot of grammar police in the comments. Some complaints betray a lack of understanding about different English dialects, but some things are universal no-nos.
“I have a physical reaction to apostrophes being used for pluralizing words.” – Sarah R.
“Must have correct spelling and punctuation.” – Annette L.
This one was just hilariously specific:
“Being able to spell the breed of the dog you own.” – Amy P.
So much bed finickiness
“Climbing into a bed that has wrinkles and isn’t tucked in with hospital corners.” – Yvonne M.
“My pillowcase open end has to face the outside edge of the bed.” – Karen M.
“Having my sheets straight when I go to sleep. I hate having one side long and the other side just barely covering the other foot.” – Laura H.
“Dishwasher loading: Can you PLEASE wash the pots by hand, put the glass and heavy things on the bottom, and fragile, or noteworthy (heirloom/souvenir) items on the TOP RACK. Gee… help a sister out.” – Charlotte T.
“How I load the flatware into the dishwasher, handles up. Safe because when unloading you only touch the handles, not the business end that goes in the mouth.” – Kim D.
“Stacking the dishwasher, I re-stack it if it’s untidy.” – Joanne O.
Flatware and cutlery having to feel just right
I get this one, personally. I have a thing with the size of spoons (can’t stand the big ones). Apparently, I’m not alone.
“My husband’s pickiness about silverware and its length, weight, and balance. He’s not really OCD either. It’s weird.” – Diana M.
“Matching cutlery. I can’t stand a mismatching knife and fork.” – Tracey M.
“Forks , they have to be long and lite weight.” – Leona S.
That wasn’t all. Lots of people also commented on washing hands before handling food, keeping countertops spotless, closing cupboard doors, putting things back where they belong and other cleanliness/organization dos and don’ts. Some people joked about having the list of things that they aren’t finicky about being shorter. But the main takeaway is that whatever you’re particularly finicky about, you always can find others who understand because somebody, somewhere shares the same “things.”
In Barbie, America Ferrera gives a powerful monologue about what it’s like being a woman. “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong,” she says, adding, “I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.”
Emily Ratajkowski put it another way: “I just don’t really give a f*ck.”
The model, author, and podcaster spoke to Glamour UK about how she’s perceived as a woman.
“In the past two years, how I feel is I just care a whole lot less what people think,” she said. “So, if I am in a certain type of mood where I want to post something or wear something that I could be judged for because it’s, quote-unquote ‘desperate,’ I’m a little bit like, ‘Well, that’s where I’m at.’ I’ve learned to prioritize my own happiness, probably because of my son. I feel I have bigger fish to fry than caring about the politics of whether or not I’m appealing to the male gaze in a given moment.”
Ratajkowski then quoted “Vigilante Sh*t,” a song by Taylor Swift. “Because I know there are plenty of times where I don’t – and I just am living my life and it feels great,” she said. There’s this huge conversation happening with Gen-Z or the Taylor Swift lyric, ‘I don’t dress for women. I don’t dress for men. I dress for revenge.’ Who do you dress for? Female gaze? The male gaze?” Ratajkowski continued, “So I guess where I am is a little bit of a true liberation, in a personal sense, in the way that I just don’t really give a f*ck.”
1st Weekend 4-Day (April 25, 26, 27, 28): Early Bird Ticket ($290) or Advance Ticket ($320)
2nd Weekend 4-Day (May 2, 3, 4, 5): Early Bird Ticket ($465) or Advance Ticket ($495)
2nd Weekend 3-Day (May 3, 4, 5): Early Bird Ticket ($240) or Advance Ticket ($270)
GA+ 4-Day 1st Weekend: Early Bird Ticket ($499) or Advance Ticket ($549)
GA+ 4-Day 2nd Weekend: Early Bird Ticket ($749) or Advance Ticket ($799)
Additionally, there are two VIP packages: Big Chief and Grand Marshal. The base price for the Big Chief VIP 1st weekend is $1,850, while Big Chief VIP 2nd Weekend starts at $2,550. There is a 2nd Weekend 3-Day option with a base price of $1,700, but VIP parking and VIP shuttles are no longer available.
Similarly, Grand Marshal VIP is separated into 1st Weekend ($1,750 base price) and 2nd Weekend ($2,350 base price).
All of those ticket packages are currently on sale, and single-day tickets are expected to become available in February.
See the lineup poster below.
New Orleans JazzFest 2024 lineup poster
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Scotch whisky really starts to get good in the $40 to $50 range. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still deepin the “beginner” bottles. But this is the price point where hidden gems start to sneak in. That’s kind of exciting. But it’s also tough as this is still a low enough price point where garbage bottles still dwell too (beware of the random “stags” and “glens” on cheap-looking bottles).
To drive that home, I’ve ranked these bottles based on how deep they go. There’s something for everyone below with unpeated and peated single malts, diverse blends, and special oak finishes. So read those tasting notes, find the whisky that jumps out to you, and then hit that price link to buy a bottle (prices will vary based on your region). Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This single malt from Diageo is a great gateway to good single malt. The juice is aged for 12 years — mostly in ex-bourbon barrels and a few ex-sherry cask-matured whiskies — before it’s cut with that iconic Speyside water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a delicate sip of whisky that leans into notes of dried florals and sweet fruits counterpointed by spicy oak and worn leather.
Palate: The palate lets the spice amp up a bit while the fruit touches on both orange oils and orange blossoms with whispers of bourbon vanilla, dried fruits, and fresh honey.
Finish: The end really holds onto that lightness while fading fairly quickly, leaving you with a cedary leather, more of that sweet fruit, and almost creamy vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start any Scotch whisky journey. This is one of the most approachable unpeated single malts out there. It’s so easygoing yet offers a nicely nuanced and deep profile of fruit and honey. That all said, this is a cocktail whisky more than a sipper. Think big floral and citrus flavors in spring and summer cocktails.
9. Mossburn Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Island Smoke & Spice
This blended malt (that means only single malts are in the blend and not single malts and single grain whiskies) is made from a mix of whiskies aged in American oak. Those barrels came from the “Island” region of Scotland which is very wide-reaching. Mossburn vatted those barrels and then re-barreled the whisky into ex-bourbon barrels that were refitted with toasted new European oak heads for a final rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels like it’s almost salted with a sense of smoked apples and plums next to vanilla cream cut with fresh lemon zest.
Palate: The citrus turns into lemon meringue pie on the palate as caramel malts sweet toward digestive cookies with a hint of chocolate lurking somewhere deep in the palate.
Finish: The end kind of thins out the lemon pie toward a soft sweet grain roundness and a hint of salted vanilla sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is a young-ish-tasting whisky (that sweet graininess gives it away). That doesn’t take away from the depth and nuance of the overall profile though. This works really well as a classic highball whiskey with some good sparkling water and a briny or botanical garnish (think of a cinnamon stick wrapped in nori).
8. Speyburn Arranta Casks Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Arranta translates to “bold” and this whisky leans into that. The hot juice is aged for an undisclosed amount of time in first-fill ex-bourbon casks (that means this whisky was the first thing to go into those casks after they were emptied of bourbon). Those barrels were then vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pear candy and honey lead the way on the nose toward woody spices, light leather, and a hint of sour apple skins and stems.
Palate: The palate is sweet and malty with a drive from pear flesh to pit, skin, and tree with floral honey and wet coconut leading to a hint of creamy vanilla sauce dusted with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Finish: The end leans into pears soaked in honey and nutmeg with a hint of old porch wicker and worn leather gloves on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and fruity unpeated malt that’ll be easy for anyone to get a start with. There’s a hint of bourbon in there, but it’s the soft fruits that shine the brightest, especially in cocktails or over a lot of rocks.
7. Ardbeg Wee Beastie Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This expression from Ardbeg was first released back in 2020 and instantly became a mainstay of the line (especially for bartenders). The hot juice is aged for only five years in both ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks before marrying for the final product. The idea is to give a sense of the quality of the peaty whisky from Port Ellen’s malting house without too much wood influence.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a little abrasive on the nose with alcohol soaking through dried berries and raisins next to a hint of pear candy, woody vanilla, and dried dirt.
Palate: The palate has a hint of smoked plums that lead directly into pear candy with a touch of smoked pork belly buried in BBQ ash.
Finish: The finish is a mix of hot asphalt and soft pear tobacco with a thin layer of salt water calming everything down.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect “beginner peated malt”. This whisky does not hold back on the dark and earthy peated ashiness. But there’s more to it than just that with soft pear and vanilla adding real depth. My advice is to take it slow with a lot of ice and ease your way into the darkness slowly. You may just find out that peated whisky is your thing.
6. Johnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky
This is Johnnie Walker Black that’s been re-casked in deeply charred oak barrels for a final maturation, making this a classic double-cask whisky. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island whiskies’ smokiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-forward spice and billows of softwood smoke — think cherry and apple trees — greet you on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla creaminess that’s punctuated by bright apples, dried fruit, and more peat that leans more towards an old beach campfire than a chimney stack.
Finish: The spice kicks back in late, warming things up as the smoke carries through the end with a nice dose of oakiness, fruitiness, and sweet vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
This is a very softly peated blend. That smoke is tied to sweet fruits more than anything else, making this an easy sipper in highballs with a berry garnish or a touch of dried florals. Or both!
This expression is a marrying of whiskies from all over Scotland. 65% of the blend comes from single malts from a “distillery near the town of Aberlour,” Laphroaig, and Clynelish. The rest is part Highland malt blend (from the Glen Moray, Tomatin, and Balmenach distilleries) and a grain whisky from Cameronbridge distillery. Those whiskies were barreled in sherry and bourbon casks with a French oak barrel thrown in too.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with this subtle peaty malt that feels more kissed by a hint of smoke than drowned in it in a malting room with a hint of stewed stone fruit.
Palate: The first sip is “malty scotch!” That then leads to dry straw, very mild plum, the memory of opening up a bag of charcoal, and almond shells.
Finish: You’re left with a slightly sweet straw and a buzzing maltiness that is more reminiscent of a cleaned-out fireplace than “smoke.”
Bottom Line:
This is a great cocktail base. The smokiness is kind of sneaky when you mix with it, providing a soft base for citrus, honey, and florals.
Chivas is renowned for its iconic blended whisky. This expression — created for the Japanese market and released in the U.S. in 2019 — adds a unique dimension to the classic blend. A portion of the whisky is finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, adding a layer of nuanced flavors to the standard Chivas.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel and dark dried fruits mingle with tasty pears, soft orange zest, a touch of leather, fresh and floral honey, and maybe some old oak staves on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a dash or two of winter spice next to walnuts and honey-soaked raisins with a hint of sunburnt heather and wildflowers.
Finish: The finish lets the spiciness warm the palate as pear and leather fade through the end.
Bottom Line:
Chivas has always been the best on-the-rocks whisky on the market. This one is no different.
3. Kingsbarns Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Doocot
This whisky is from a new(ish) Lowland distillery in Scotland. The whisky in the bottle is a single malt that was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-red wine barriques (a slightly bigger barrel by a few gallons). Those barrels were vatted and proofed with Lowland water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The light nose opens with a sense of banana bread, pineapple skins, and floral honey with a moment of wet brown sugar and pancake batter.
Palate: That pineapple gets sweet on the palate with a sense of winter spice and dark red berries dipped in vanilla chocolate sauce.
Finish: The fruitiness builds at the end toward more pineapple, mango skins, and kiwi while the spice leans into some soft wood.
Bottom Line:
There’s a lively fruitiness to this whisky that feels almost tropical. So give this a shot in a tropical cocktail with a lot of fruit, spice, and botanicals.
2. Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years
Glengoyne uses unpeated Highland barley that they airdry themselves before fermentation. The uniqueness of this whisky doesn’t end there. They also season their own American and European oak barrels with sherry for six years before filling them with their juice. After ten years of maturation, those barrels are vatted, proofed, and bottled for this expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts fairly familiar for a sweet Highland malt with notes of apple candies, butter toffee, and a few chocolate-covered almonds.
Palate: The taste leans back into the apple but it’s more tart and juicy now as minor notes of anise and wet cedar bark lead to a little bit of warm cream sitting on top of a shot of espresso and a hint more of those almonds.
Finish: The finish lets the malts sweeten with a hint of orange marmalade on toast rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
There’s a deepness to this whisky that just doesn’t stop. It’s like a rollicking ride through Highland malt, Kentucky bourbon, and Speyside bakeries. That makes this a fun sipper over some ice or a nice cocktail base. It’s especially great in a Scotch old fashioned.
This bespoke whisky is made from special Andalucia sherry casks that are blended with malt aged in ex-bourbon casks. The final product is then finished in fresh Olorosso sherry casks before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sharp marmalade over scones with a hint of cream drives the nose toward ginger candy and soft vanilla.
Palate: That orange bitters toward chili pepper spice in the creamy malts with a hint of salted caramel and floral honey.
Finish: The sharp spice gets a little woody at the end with a hint more of vanilla and orange rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a special bottle of whisky, especially at this price. It’s a wonderful example of how sherry can help malt find its brightest and deepest points of beauty. This is refined and dialed in a way that makes it a rewarding sipper — neat or on the rocks. This is also a whisky that could cost $100 and no one would blink an eye. So buy two.
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