On May 28, 2014, 13-year-old Athena Orchard of Leicester, England, died of bone cancer. The disease began as a tumor in her head and eventually spread to her spine and left shoulder. After her passing, Athena’s parents and six siblings were completely devastated. In the days following her death, her father, Dean, had the difficult task of going through her belongings. But the spirits of the entire Orchard family got a huge boost when he uncovered a secret message written by Athena on the backside of a full-length mirror.
After removing the mirror from the wall, Dean discovered a 3,000-word letter written all the way down its backside in black pen. “She never mentioned it, but it’s the kind of thing she’d do,” her father told People magazine. “She was a very spiritual person, she’d go on about stuff that I could never understand – she was so clever.” The moving letter revealed her deepest feelings about her fight with the dreaded disease. “Every day is special, so make the most of it, you could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day,” she wrote. “Life is only bad if you make it bad.”
Although Athena is gone, the mirror now serves as a powerful memory of her undying spirit. “We’re keeping the mirror forever, it is a part of her we can keep in the house, it will always be in her room,” her mother, Caroline, said. “Just reading her words felt like she was still here with us, she had such an incredible spirit.”
Athena’s full message:
“Happiness depends upon ourselves. Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Happiness is a direction not a destination. Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. You know my name, not my story.
You have heard what I’ve done, but not what I’ve been through. Love is like glass, looks so lovely but it’s easy to shatter.
Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. Every day is special, so make the most of it, you could get a life ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. Life is only bad if you make it bad. If someone loves you, then they wouldn’t let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is. Remember that life is full of ups and downs.
Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about. I want to be that girl who makes the bad days better and the one that makes you say my life has changed since I met her!
Love is not about how much you say I love you – it’s about how much you can prove it’s true. Love is like the wind, you can feel it but you can’t see it. I’m waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to. Love is not about who you can see spending your future with, it’s about who you can’t see spending your life without… Life is a game for everyone but love is the prize. Only I can judge me.
Sometimes love hurts. Now I’m fighting myself. Baby I can feel your pain. Dreams are my reality. It hurts but it’s okay, I’m used to it. Don’t be quick to judge me, you only see what I choose to show you… you don’t know the truth. I just want to have fun and be happy without being judged.
This is my life, not yours, don’t worry about what I do. People gonna hate you, rate you, break you, but how strong you stand, that’s what makes you… you!
There’s no need to cry because I know you’ll be by my side.”
“The Carol Burnett Show” ran from 1967 to 1978 and has been touted as one of the best television series of all time. The cast and guest stars of the show included comedic greats such as Tim Conway, Betty White, Steve Martin, Vicki Lawrence, Dick Van Dyke, Lyle Waggoner, Harvey Korman and others who went on to have long, successful comedy careers.
One firm rule Carol Burnett had on her show was that the actors stay in character. She felt it was especially important not to break character during the “Family” scenes, in which the characters Ed and Eunice Higgins (a married couple) and Mama (Eunice’s mother) would play host to various colorful characters in their home.
“I never wanted to stop and do a retake, because I like our show to be ‘live,’” she wrote in her memoir, as reported by Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “So when the ‘Family’ sketches came along, I was adamant that we never break up in those scenes, because Eunice, Ed, and Mama were, in an odd way, sacred to me. They were real people in real situations, some of which were as sad and pitiful as they were funny, and I didn’t want any of us to break the fourth wall and be out of character.”
It was a noble goal, and one that went right out the window—with Burnett leading the way—in a “Family” sketch during the show’s final season that ended with the entire cast rolling with laughter.
In the scene, Eunice, Mama, Dan (an old friend of Ed’s) and Mickey (Ed’s employee at the hardware store) are playing “Password” and the word they’re trying to get their partners to guess is “ridiculous.” Eunice (played by Carol Burnett) gives Mickey (played by Tim Conway) the clue word “laughable,” and after pondering for a bit, he says “elephant.”
Eunice scolds him for his bizarre answer, then Conway launches into a wild ad-libbed story about a circus elephant that goes on and on and on.
Burnett is the first one to lose it. The cast barely keeps it together through the sketch.
But that was just one take. Between takes, the director gave the actors a note: The elephant story would be different in the next filming—and good luck.
The next elephant story was even wilder than the first, and Burnett and Dick Van Dyke couldn’t stop themselves from laughing. Conway himself breaks a couple of times, and even Vicki Lawrence (playing Mama), who famously never broke character, had to hide her face for a moment.
Then, just when they finally got themselves composed and Burnett was able to deliver her line, “Go on, Mama,” Lawrence delivered the most perfectly timed a-bomb and the whole cast exploded:
So delightful. And for an added bonus, watch Vicki Lawrence tell the story about how that scene came about:
Last summer, Bebe Rexha was hit in the face, after someone in the crowd threw a phone at her concert. Now, the man who did it, Nicolas Malvagna, recently agreed to have the charges dismissed — all he would need to do is “40 days of community service,” according to Rolling Stone. He would also need to “not violate an order of protection for 6 months.”
“This resolution, reached after extensive negotiations, allows Mr. Malvagna to contribute to the community while ensuring the dismissal and sealing of the criminal charges,” Malvagna’s lawyer told the outlet.
Following the phone-throwing incident, Malvagna was initially charged with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of third-degree attempted assault, one count of second-degree harassment, and one count of third-degree attempted assault. “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” he reportedly confessed at the time.
Meanwhile, Rexha, whose team did not respond for comment to Rolling Stone, had to receive stitches shortly after performing her New York show. She would go on to post a photo to Instagram of herself with a bruised eye and another seemingly right after she was hit. “I’m good,” she captioned, despite giving a thumbs up through the pain.
Bebe Rexha is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tinashe unveiled her new twenty-minute immersive video project, The BB/ANG3L Experience. Following her recent tour of the East Coast for her album, BB/ANG3L, the visual opens with the definition of “stamina.”
Tinashe then shows off seamless choreography across several different songs, including “Treason” and “Talk To Me Nice.” She served as a creative director on the visual, and Mike Ho was the director. Finally, choreographer Shay Latukolan helped the team pull the pieces and moves together.
“This was a piece of art that I’ve been wanting to create for a very long time,” Tinashe shared in a statement. “The BB/ANG3L Experience is an immersive visual, a live experience, a piece of art that documents the athleticism and creative depths I am constantly striving to deliver in my art whether it’s live or on film. Working alongside Shay Latukolan was amazing, we were really able to tell the story of my project BB/ANG3L through movement.”
“Filming it all with the mindset of delivering the energy of a one-shot one-take visual experience was both challenging and rewarding,” she added. “From curating the lighting, the specific camera movements with the choreography, to the energy it took for us to dance through each song as a whole over and over again perfectly and all in one day, it is an achievement I am very proud of. I hope you all enjoy watching it as much I loved creating it for you.”
Check out Tinashe’s The BB/ANG3L Experience above.
Tinashe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
I’m not sure how highly readers of this column had been anticipating Earthgang’s new EP Robophobia, but it’s been on my radar for some time. Meanwhile, an album that is surely one of the more anticipated seems to be peeking out from over the horizon, suggesting that J. Cole’s long-awaited LP The Fall Off is (hopefully) coming soon:
J. Cole shares a new snippet ‘Might Delete Later, Vol. 1’
He’s currently on tour w/ Drake for Leg 2 of the ‘It’s All A Blur Tour’
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 23, 2024.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
310Babii — Nights And Weekends
310Babii
Inglewood upstart 310babii belongs to the cohort of teen rappers reviving the genre’s youthful roots which includes Luh Tyler, one of XXL‘s 2023 Freshmen. Like Tyler, 310 keeps his focus on sounding as cool as possible, helped along by undeniable production and cosigns from LA’s finest, including Kalan.FrFr, 03 Greedo, Tyga, Mustard, OhGeesy, and more.
Casey Veggies — Nostalgia
Casey Veggies
Speaking of LA-based teen breakouts, few names in modern hip-hop know that life like Casey Veggies, who entered the game alongside names like Pac Div, Dom Kennedy, and Vince Staples when he was just 17 years old himself. Now, he’s older and wiser, with a sharpened pen to match. With production by Dylvinci, he makes his return, following up 2022’s Crypto Veggies.
Earthgang — Robophobia
Earthgang
The only thing knock on Earthgang’s latest five-song effort — which carries over the themes from RIP Human Art and continues the build to the follow-up to their 2022 album Ghetto Gods — is that it’s just so short. Contrary to its title, it embraces technology in its spacey production, but certainly advances the duo’s Luddite beliefs that such tools should be used by humans to create, not to replace our humanity and use us.
Erick The Architect — I’ve Never Been Here Before
Erick The Architect
The Flatbush Zombie has been slowly rolling out the release of his solo debut at a measured pace appropriate to his chosen nom de plume. Now that it’s here, it’s clear that he took his time to ensure that he would deliver something special. Guests range from Compton hip-house futurist Channel Tres to psych-funk pioneer George Clinton. Good hip-hop from beginning to end.
French Montana — Mac & Cheese 5
French Montana
Another album whose release date was moved around a bit, Mac & Cheese is emblematic of both Montana’s well-established signature vibe and his subtle growth over the past few years. There’s a surprising amount of ’90s New York rap traditionalism, innovative sampling, and French’s typical unexpected wit. There’s also a little too much Kanye for my taste but it’s measured and tempered by balancing appearances from stars like JID, Lil Baby, and Rick Ross.
LaRussell & Hit-Boy — Rent Due
LaRussell
I’ve been hyping this project in the column for a while. Why? Because LaRussell is damn near everything you should want from a modern rapper: Passionate, insightful, authentic, and fiercely independently-minded. The Oakland rapper steadfastly operates outside the system, allowing him full creative control; teaming up with Hit-Boy lends him one of those big-name co-signs that’ll ensure his philosophy pays off.
RJmrLA — The B*tch Tape
RjMrLL
Hometown bias? You damn right. RJ has long been a local favorite and his latest exemplifies exactly why. RJ’s commitment to making sunny West Coast bangers — not to mention his consistency in doing so — ensures that fans know exactly what they’re getting, like an In-N-Out Double-Double with Animal-Style fries. It hits the spot every time. On B*tch Tape, he opts for more mellow beats and spotlights rising local stars like Bree Carter (you had to know “they teamin’ up like Drew League” was gonna get the Leo point from me), which is all you could ask.
Singles/Videos
Audrey Nuna — “Starving” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
The Korean-American star often rejects the “rapper” classification although she’s shown aptitude at getting bars off, but on this pop-rock anthem, I can’t fault her for that. It’s Teezo’s verse that earns it a “best hip-hop” column nod, as I personally love it when rappers slap verses over genres that ostensibly aren’t really meant to have them. His elastic approach here highlights why he’s so popular of late, and the nostalgic vibe would have made this a hit in a less fractured listening landscape.
Guapdad 4000 — “So Into You Freestyle” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
Speaking of Teezo… the kid really is everywhere lately, both appearing on and directing the video for Guapdad’s latest standalone freestyle. Technically, this came out last week but are you really complaining about getting new Guapdad 4000 bars? Especially ones over one of the most grooving Y2K-era beats ever.
Ray Vaughn — “Problems” Feat. Pusha T
The Long Beach rapper has not-so-quietly been TDE’s most impressive third-generation weapon for the past year or so. The only thing missing has been the attention he deserves — and that’s sure to come, thanks to his latest collab with Pusha T. Two versions were released; my preference is the one that refers back to Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.” for what should be obvious reasons. Just press play.
Strick — “Kisses Make Sure” Feat. James Blake & Young Thug
In all the fuss over the YSL RICO trial in Fulton County, it’s easy to forget that there’s another member of the crew that escaped prosecution (and the resulting “snitch” accusations from accepting a plea in exchange for freedom). Strick has flown under the radar compared to YSL standouts like Gunna and Lil Keed, but has always deserved just as much consideration. His latest demonstrates his diverse skillset and willingness to experiment — attributes that should stand him in good stead as he forges the next part of his career without the direct support of his incarcerated mentor.
TK — “TK”
youtubelink
TK
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The weekend is here and it’s time for an easy but delicious bourbon cocktail. The Black Rose hits that mark perfectly. It’s an easy stirrer that kind of a Sazerac-lite concoction. That doesn’t mean it’s lesser, it’s just a little more approachable and sweeter, which makes it feel right on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon.
The drink is a modern classic — from the New York bar scene of the early aughts — and adds a nice sweet fruity layer to the iconic Sazerac while removing the brash absinth variable. The idea is the same, the execution is easy, and the results are light and delicious. The mix of bourbon, cognac, fruity syrup, and bitters just works.
The key here is stirring up a simple and easy-to-make-at-home cocktail that delivers. The Black Rose is the perfect candidate so let’s dive right in!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
This is all very easy to source. Use a good bourbon like Rabbit Hole Cavehill as the base. The four-grain bourbon has a good punch that shines through in cocktails and enough fruitiness to vibe with the cognac and grenadine.
I’m using Martingale Cognac which also vibes well here thanks to a deep dark fruitiness that’s light and playful. The rest is all available at any good liquor store.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass (prechilled)
Cocktail mixing glass
Cocktail strainer
Barspoon
Jigger
Paring knife
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer (for at least 30 minutes).
Add the bourbon, cognac, bitters, and grenadine to a cocktail mixing glass. Add a large handful of ice and stir until the glass is ice-cold to touch (about 15 to 20 seconds).
Strain the cocktail into the prechilled glass sans ice. Express the oils from the lemon peel over the cocktail and discard. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Boozy and fruity is what comes to mind from the first sip to the last. The bourbon and cognac really bring out fruity tobacco notes in each other while the grenadine brings the sweet fruitiness to the table. This is amazingly easy to drink.
The overall vibe is almost like an adult boozy Hawaiian punch that leans into the booze. The fresh lemon oils really help this one pop with a brightness that’s enthralling. There’s a soft sense of spice that adds a nice extra “x-factor” to the whole drink and elevates it beyond the juicy fruit and into the iconic cocktail territory.
This is as easy to make as it is to drink. It’s great.
Hazmat bourbon is a very niche category of whiskey. You have to really want something unique to even try to get into this stuff. The whole idea of the category is about the hottest highest-proof bourbon you can get into a bottle. It’s so high-proof that it’s volatile. Legally speaking, bourbon bottled at or over 70% ABV (140 proof) is labeled “hazmat” due to the real danger it poses as an accelerant and possible explosion risk when flying.
Yes, people seek this stuff out to drink. Kinda crazy, right?
This begs the question — are there any hazmat bourbons that taste good? And in my professional opinion (insert long sigh here), yes and no. You’ll rarely find a hazmat bourbon bottling that isn’t meant to be poured over ice or proofed with water at home. Still, some legit bottles do sneak through that are drinkable neat. It’s rare… but it happens.
Below, I’m calling out 10 hazmat bourbons that are truly worth trying. I had to dig deep for this list though and these bottles are not for the faint of heart or penny pinchers. Hazmat bourbon is not a category for populists — these expressions are often only dropped in limited edition releases. That’s especially true if you want this whiskey to be drinkable in any real way.
Translation: nothing is cheap in this category. Even the lower-ranked bottles.
Below, I’ve chosen 10 hazmat bourbons that I’ve tried and loved. These are hazmat bourbons that are drinkable, offer a seriously delicious flavor profile, and (most importantly) balance that amazing heat with the profile successfully. Huge Disclaimer: If you’re not into drinking higher-proof bourbon, these whiskeys are going to taste like they’re burning (sometimes painfully so). Period. You have to attune your senses and palate to find the forest by getting past the trees with these. And it is 100% okay to do that by adding water or ice. No one in their right mind is going to belittle you for proofing these whiskeys down to enjoy them.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This Colorado bourbon is a very low-corn whiskey. The mash bill has only 51% corn, which is the legal minimum, supported by 44% malted barley and a mere 5% rye. That whiskey rested in a single barrel up in the Rockies for six years before Lost Lantern bottled it as-is at cask strength, yielding only 151 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Huge chocolate brownie notes drive the nose toward chili-chocolate tobacco hot chocolate with marshmallows before bold apple pie filling arrives with plenty of winter spice.
Palate: The ABVs instantly numb my whole mouth on the smallest of first sips — seriously, even my lips and outer cheeks are numb this is so hot. Once the bombastic warmth fades slightly, there are notes of rich apple crumble, Cherry Coke, spiced pipe tobacco, and soft vanilla with the chocolate returning and almost cooling my mouth.
Finish: Those notes fade as the finish just gets hotter and more buzzing on the senses until everything is muted and you’re left with a deep sense of numbness.
Bottom Line:
The throughline here is that chocolate chili vibe that just builds and builds toward this explosion of heat. It’s barely drinkable neat. Poured over a nice big rock, it’s amazingly creamy and well-spiced with a sense of a chocolate brownie cut with vanilla, nuts, and creamy choco nibs with a nice Cherry Coke on the side.
And all of that is why we’re starting here. You really need to proof this one down to get the full picture. Once you have a little water or ice involved, this is actually a very nice and dessert-forward sipper.
This hot batch from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on the last bold ABV release. Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.
Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamy Nutella and maybe some cherry tobacco.
Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that builds a massive amount of heat from the jump. By the mid-palate, your mouth will be numb. But then a magic trick happens and that numbness fades toward spiced orange and soft vanilla with a touch of cooling chocolate nuttiness. By the end, you’re left with just as much of the flavor profile as you are with warming heat.
I’d still 100% pour this over ice, but there is some fun to be had with a neat pour too.
Last year’s Cowboy Bourbon from Garrison Brothers is a blend of only 118 barrels of six-year-old Texas bourbon. 1,000 bottles of the crafty Texas whiskey were available in mid-September at the distillery last fall. The rest — 8,600 bottles — are now in the wild and available nationally.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
Bottom Line:
This is always a bold release from Garrison. The key here is that heat really helps accentuate every flavor note by sort of turning them up to MAX volume without washing them out. It’s a great balance of flavor, warmth, and deep Texas bourbon vibes.
7. Binder’s Stash Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 14 Years
This bottle from bespoke bottlers Binder’s Stash in Louisville is a hell of a find. The whiskey is a classic 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley mash bill that was left to age for 14 long years. Then the Binder’s Stash team bottled that barrel at cask strength, 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Corn husks and toasted vanilla pods drive the nose toward rich nutmeg-heavy nog, singed black tea leaves, and a whisper of menthol tobacco loaded into an old pine humidor.
Palate: The palate is warm from the jump but countered by raw sugar rock candy, lush vanilla oils, salted caramel, and almost sweet and fresh roasting herbs with a hint of nasturtium leading to raw red chili pepper flakes and hot woody spice notes.
Finish: That woody spice amps up on the finish toward rich vanilla-laced pipe tobacco, singed marshmallow, and almost burnt salted caramel with a hint of dried red ancho chilis swimming in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
Okay, this is where we get into the real sippers on the list. This has so much going on that it’s easy to almost forget it’s a hazmat bourbon. Yes, the warmth is there but it’s always in service to the flavor profile. Try this one neat and really take your time with it. Add water, re-nose, and taste, and find those beautiful nuances built into the profile. You’ll be pleasantly rewarded with greatness.
6. Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Aged 13 Years Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a very niche brand out in rural Kentucky that’s sourcing old barrels of the good stuff. The whiskey in the bottle is a Kentucky straight bourbon that rested for 13 years before it was bottled completely as-is both unfiltered and at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of old barrel houses full of sweet and spice bourbon next to a gentle moment of creamy vanilla honey with old corn husks stuffed in the honey which is poured over spiced winter nut breads with a hint of butteriness and earthy nutshells.
Palate: The clove, allspice, and anise of the nut bread amp up the buttery palate with a sense of Earl Grey tea leaves, salted caramel, and mocha-heavy espresso beans next to a light marzipan moistness and hints of burnt orange next to old dry black cherry bark.
Finish: The end lingers for a while as the marzipan and orchard barks fade toward sharp eggnog spices and soft creaminess before the vanilla creamed honey slathers old oak staves with a good dose of earthy fall vibes kind of like a forest floor on a frosty day.
Bottom Line:
This never betrays any obscene heat at any point in the flavor profile. It’s delectable and warming but the profile is so nuanced and delicate that you can sip this one neat all day.
This is the legendary “Hazmat Bottling” of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof from late 2014. This is the sort of whiskey that you still here real whiskey nerds talking about to this day with reverence. The actual whiskey in the bottle is classic Heaven Hill bourbon — made with 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley — that was left for 12 years before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Black currants and spiced cherry open the nose with a deep sense of woody clove, star anise, cinnamon bark, and soft orange zest next to a deep and creamy vanilla that’s warmed by the sun next to cacao beans rubbed into old boot leather.
Palate: Dark and spiced oak open the palate with a sense of blackberries, black currants, and cranberries that have just started to dry and were dipped in salted dark chocolate with a touch of vanilla oils, orange oils, and dried spearmint before a hint of toasted marshmallow and fudge arrives.
Finish: That fudge slowly fades into peanut brittle with a hint of Pecan Sandie next to a flourish of old corn husks, blackberry pie, and cinnamon bark dipped in cherry-laved apple cider with a layer of oaky tobacco cut with clove and cedar on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those pours where you might miss the heat altogether. It’s so well-balanced that it’s mesmerizing. It’s delicious Kentucky brown sauce that takes you on a journey through an old rickhouse with a thick and darkly fruity pour in your hand.
Look, this is a vintage bottle. It’ll be hard to find and very expensive. But I can tell you that this is a dusty worth hunting down. It lives up to the hype (and beyond it really) as a truly iconic pour of bourbon. Once you taste, you’ll “get” hazmat bourbons finally.
4. Jack Daniel’s 2021 Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill High Proof
The whiskey in the bottle is the classic Jack Daniel’s mash of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. The Tennessee whiskey was filtered through Jack’s drip-drop sugar maple charcoal system before barreling and aging at the very top — where the air is dry and warm — of rickhouses number eight and number 13. The whiskey is bottled straight from the barrel with no other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is soft with a whiff of classic Jack Daniel’s dark fruit that feels very much like a deep and dark cherry cordial with a dry woody cinnamon stick dipped inside with a touch of worn library leather, dry pecan shells, and rich — almost smoked — butterfat.
Palate: The taste embraces the sweetness with a wet brown sugar vibe that’s married to a touch of dried apple cores next to a holiday cake full of dark spices, brandied fruits, and fatty nuts that’s all then soaked with fiery whiskey.
Finish: That butter returns as the mid-palate sweetness ebbs toward salted burnt toffee and a soft but old leather pouch full of sticky tobacco before the slow fade leaves you warmed and happy with dark fruit, spice barks, and creamy toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that’s so delectable that you almost miss the heat. It sings on the palate with those fruits and creamy notes while the heat gently warms your senses and chest. Ultimately, you’re left with a creamy — almost fatty — pour of fruity whiskey that’s comforting. And “comfort” is a rarity in the hazmat realm.
3. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey BTAC 2010
The 2010 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection George T. Stagg is another legendary bottle of whiskey. The juice was distilled back in 1993 and rested in prime locations across four warehouses in Frankfort, Kentucky. Then after 17 years of mellowing, 142 barrels were selected for blending and bottling at full cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This incredibly deep and lush chocolate opens the nose toward rich and oily vanilla beans soaking up the sun, fermenting coffee beans, a twinge of orange pith, and this earthy sense of cottonwood trees swaying on a warm sunny day with fresh sweet black dirt and old brick barrel houses in the distance with a thin line of wafting pipe tobacco smoke floating by. What a nose.
Palate: The palate leans into a deep and creamy sense of espresso cut with bitter salted dark chocolate, orange oils, rich vanilla oils, and a cut of nutmeg, clove, and allspice that melds into a mulled wine-infused fruitcake with brandied cherries, candied citrus, and soft fatty almonds.
Finish: The finish leans into the nuttiness and winter spice cake vibes before building a soft warmth with sharp tobacco leaf, smudging sage, and cedar bark layered with spearmint, cinnamon bark, and star anise with a hint of old world absinth.
Bottom Line:
This is a “F*ck, that’s delicious!” pour of whiskey. On the nose alone, you instantly understand why whiskey lovers lost their shit over Stagg bottlings back in the day (and are still chasing that dragon). This pour makes it really hard to enjoy the later bottlings once you know how amazing this used to be. Though, I’d argue that the 2023 George T. Stagg BTAC was close to getting back to these amazing heights.
And again, this is a vintage pour. It’s not impossible to find, you’ll simply have to pay for it. But, my lord, is this worth the cost.
2. Rare Character Presents “Obliteration” Selected by Pablo Moix Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey is a very rare release from 2023. The whiskey in the bottle is a 14-year-old bourbon made from a classic mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The barrel was stored out at a winery in California that then burnt down during recent wildfires — but this barrel survived the firestorm. There was actually whiskey left in the barrel and it was still delicious. The barrel was then bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 36 and a half bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of dark chocolate powder next to hazelnut wafers with a dash of bright orange oils before a dark and sharp sense of Szechuan peppercorn arrives to spice things up.
Palate: The taste leans into the sharp red peppercorns with an earthy underbelly before deeply salted and lush caramel leads to roasted almonds and buttery walnut cake cut with vanilla, allspice, and dried red berries dashes with brandy and apple cider cut with more butter.
Finish: The end leans into sharp winter spice barks and more whole red peppercorns with a deep warmth that gives way to luxurious salted toffee, vanilla buttercream, and tobacco kissed with spearmint, smudging sage, and almost fatty roasting herbs.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the only modern release that hits those high notes of the mid-aughts to early 2010s in the same way. This is an amazing pour of whiskey, hazmat or not. The heat is there but it never overpowers anything. The profile is front and center and runs so goddamn deep. It’s delightful, rewarding, and an instant legend.
It’s going to be very hard to find, but worth the hunt as there are few whiskeys out there this good.
1. Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years
Willett is probably the best-known distillery that nails the hazmat bottling. This whiskey is a very rare bottling (barrel no. 5284) of bourbon that rested for eight years and eight months on the top floor of their famed Warehouse G. When bottled, it only yielded 117 bottles, making this one fleeting.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The oak warms on the nose with a sense of creamy banana smothered creamy caramel with a hint of malted cracker, vanilla oils, and soft buttermilk that slowly leads you to caraway seeds and a whisper of cardamom with a flicker of dry wild rice.
Palate: That rich and creamy caramel drives the palate toward more spice — cardamom, clove, star anise, sassafras — before leaning into vanilla cream, chinotto leaf, and rich pipe tobacco cut with apple cider, mulled wine, and dark chocolate cut with espresso cream and dried ancho chili.
Finish: The end dries out and warms up as the caraway makes another appearance with a hint of black licorice, star anise, cardamom, and absinth next to toffee cream over marzipan covered in soft dark chocolate and just kissed with rose water and cedar essence.
Bottom Line:
This is a “woah…” pour of whiskey. It stops you in your tracks. The warmth is certainly there but it never feels “hot” or numbing. It’s just this build of warmth in your mouth and chest that amplifies the flavor notes toward this melange of everything you could want from a quintessential corn-forward Kentucky bourbon.
Again, this is going to be hard to find. But go forward with confidence knowing that Willett Hazmat bourbon bottlings are going to be amazing when you do find one.
Fast food is getting more and more expensive. We should probably discuss whether or not the means of production related to fast food should garner an even higher price than we already pay (it should!), but that’s a deeper conversation for another day. For the sake of this article, the high price of fast food stings so badly because while the food is getting pricier, it isn’t getting any better in quality. So when you’re dropping nearly $20 for a single combo meal that doesn’t taste nearly as good as what you could make at home for less money it’s… pretty easy to feel like you’re getting ripped off.
An expensive Big Mac meal will make headlines, but people aren’t as quick to scoff at paying around the same price they would for a Big Mac combo as they would for a burrito, a side of guacamole, some chips, and a drink at Chipotle. That’s because what you get for your money at Chipotle is objectively better. The meat, which is made of whole cuts rather than heavily processed, is cooked in a restaurant, the guacamole is prepared in a restaurant, and the beans are slow-cooked in a restaurant — all from fresh ingredients.
Feel however you want about Chipotle, but that’s pretty amazing. And it equals better value per dollar. This is also why Taco Bell gets a pass. The food at Taco Bell is lower quality, but who cares when you can feed a family of four for just over $20?
With Chipotle and Taco Bell as outliers, we have a whole lot of chains in the middle. This got me thinking: there must be some sort of menu change that the center of the bell curve can implement to make dining there feel worth it. So we’re going to suggest one improvement each of our favorite fast food restaurants can make to win us back. Some of these suggestions will be quick and easy fixes, like bringing back a forgotten classic, and some will be asking more than our favorite restaurants will ever probably be willing to undertake.
There isn’t anything particularly special about the potato cakes, they’re essentially fried hashbrowns but thicker. And yet they made the perfect side order. Crispy enough to be crunchy but thick enough that you could taste the buttery potato inside.
This was a menu hacker’s dream, take any sandwich, slide a potato cake in, and instantly improve your meal, whether you’re eating roast beef, brisket, or one of Arby’s chicken sliders.
Why Arby’s removed these from the menu, we’ll never understand.
I think the biggest thing holding Burger King back is the brand’s obsession with speed. BK is operating with a business model that tries to get you out of the drive-thru as quickly as possible, and that’s appreciated for people on the go, but there is a reason an In-N-Out burger is so much better than the Whopper.
If BK would spend a little more time preparing its Whopper, it would be a much better sandwich. In an ideal world that means using fresh beef, cooking the burger on a grill rather than through some conveyor toasting system like it uses, and getting better buns. I know BK is capable of doing this because they hand-breaded the Ch’King sandwich and focused on process and it was legitimately one of the best chicken sandwiches in fast food.
But then BK decided the Ch’King took too long to make, simplified the recipe, and now… it’s utterly forgettable. I want BK to succeed and the best way they can do that is by focusing on process rather than speed. As for the Whopper, there’s currently a $1M contest to design a better one — so it looks like I’ll get my wish!
Carl’s Jr used to have a motto: “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face.” The chain’s burgers were thick, juicy, messy, and decadent as f*ck. But lately, the burgers have been getting smaller and the quality has been dropping.
The concept of the Six Dollar Burger was that it was the sort of burger that you could get at a restaurant. It was thick, meaty, juicy, and high quality. Ironically, I think it was always more expensive than six dollars, and given how prices have risen at restaurants, the name doesn’t make sense, so I get why they dropped it. But when they dropped the name, they also dropped the quality.
Carl’s Jr used to have a pseudo-gourmet approach to fast food. Their burgers and shakes were thicker than the competition, their chicken was hand-breaded, they had a salad bar at one point, and now the chain is a pale imitation of what it used to be. I don’t want the Six Dollar Burger to return by name, but that earlier ethos would do a lot to bring customers back and help separate them from the competition.
Chick-fil-A
Dane Rivera
What We’d Like To See:
More Experimentation
Chick-fil-A is pretty good at everything they do, so I get why they don’t take chances often, but I wish they would. Chick-fil-A has done this in the past, just last year they dropped a pimento cheese honey chicken sandwich, and it was delicious. If we could get a new sandwich remix or a spicy version of the nuggets once per quarter, that would be great!
Generally the chain restaurant only experiments with its iced tea flavors and milkshakes, which is appreciated, but I’d love to see more experimentation with some actual food.
Chipotle
Chipotle
What We’d Like To See:
More Protein Options
In 2022 Chipotle had new protein options once every few months. They were so delicious that I’ve committed the names of two of them, the Pollo Asado and Guajillo Steak, to memory.
Seriously, both of these options deserved permanent menu status especially when you consider how much of an improvement the pollo asado was to the stock chicken option. Since 2022 the new protein options have slowed down considerably as the chain instead experiments with things like putting fajitas in a quesadilla (which they should’ve been doing to begin with) or introducing new flavors of tea.
Adding more protein options would do a lot to keep Chipotle’s bare-bones menu exciting.
One major thing Popeyes has over KFC is a spicy chicken option. KFC has experimented with spicy chicken in the past with its take on Nashville Hot Chicken, but that’s not quite what I mean. What I want is a spicy version of its Original Recipe chicken, the way they have an Extra Crispy version.
All it would take is adding some cayenne pepper to the 11 herbs and spices. Heat is the one thing missing from KFC’s menu.
Adding bacon is a big ask and I know we’re probably not going to get it because that would require In-N-Out to find a special supplier that is near all of its restaurants, but just think about how good a bacon cheeseburger from In-N-Out would be.
Let’s face it, In-N-Out doesn’t need to do anything to win customers over that it isn’t already doing. Few fast-food restaurants can accomplish the consistency of quality and service that In-N-Out provides and for many, this is already the best burger in fast food, and for good reason.
Bacon would solidify In-N-Out as the greatest burger chain in all of fast food.
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box
What We’d Like To See:
Triple Down On The Weirdness
Jack in the Box is at its best when it gets weird. I’m talking about weirdness like the decadent Snoop-Dogg-themed munchie meal, Red Bull-infused soda cocktails, those addicting tacos, and the fact that they have a teriyaki rice bowl on the menu. JiB has perfected stoner food, so I’d like to see them lean even deeper into that.
Why not have a burger that has mozzarella sticks inside of it? What about a ‘build your own’ option for the Munchie Meal? What else can we put in a milkshake aside from Oreos? The weirder the better!
McDonald’s
Dane Rivera
What We’d Like To See:
More Menu Hacks
McDonald’s menu has a lot of great hack potential, but they don’t make it easy. There aren’t many customization options either in-restaurant or via the app so everything requires a lot of self-assembly. A couple of years back McDonald’s added famed menu hacks like the Land, Sea, and Air sandwich or the Hashbrown McMuffin to the app but they still required you to build them yourself.
We’d love to see a bit more customization, like what you’ll find at Taco Bell. A bigger dollar menu wouldn’t hurt either.
Popeyes has a near-perfect menu. The bone-in chicken (mild and spicy) is some of the best in all of fast food. The tenders are great. The sides are perfect. The biscuits are buttery and delicious. Do I even need to say anything about that chicken sandwich? But the nuggets are awful.
In our ranking of the best fast food chicken nuggets, Popeyes couldn’t even break into the top five, which is sad when you consider how well the tenders, chicken sandwiches, and bone-in chicken perform on our rankings of each respective category.
We know Popeyes can do better.
Raising Cane’s
What We’d Like To See:
A Proper Chicken Sandwich
I’m talking about a single breast filet between two pieces of buttery Texas toast with some sauce and pickles. What Raising Cane’s has right now is kind of a joke.
Currently, Raising Cane’s stuffs three chicken tenders between a bun and calls it a day. I love Raising Cane’s chicken tenders but this is the absolute worst way to make a chicken sandwich considering as soon as you take a single bite, the sandwich starts to fall apart.
A proper chicken sandwich from Raising Canes would be delicious enough to compete with Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, the current kings of chicken sandwiches.
Shake Shack
Dane Rivera
What We’d Like To See:
More Burger Builds
Shake Shack does a pretty good job of keeping its menu exciting by introducing new burgers and sandwich builds every few months. We even named the Spicy Burgermeister our favorite burger of 2023. While we appreciate the variety, it would be nice to see some more permanent options on the menu to accompany the Single and Double Shackburger, Avocado Bacon Burger, the SmokeShack, and the Roadside Double.
The same could be said about the chicken sandwiches.
Taco Bell does this thing where it’ll remove a menu item like the Double Decker Taco, Mexi-Melt, Mexican Pizza, or the Nacho Fries from the menu, only to bring them back as a “limited time” exclusive under the guise of a new item. I find this very annoying because Taco Bell has all of the ingredients on hand to make these dishes, and they just choose not to give them to us.
I’d like to see less of this sales strategy so it could make more room for menu items that are truly new like Taco Bell’s crispy empanadas or those wings they roll out during Super Bowl season.
Wendy’s
Dane Rivera
What We’d Like To See:
All-Day Breakfast
Wendy’s has one of the best breakfast menus in all of fast food. Sure, maybe that’s because they have strict breakfast hours which helps the workers to focus on making sure the breakfast is on point, but if they were able to scale this to an all-day thing it would make Wendy’s one of the all-time greatest fast food chains.
Some of our favorites include the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffin (Wendy’s version of the McMuffin), the Breakfast Baconator, and the potato wedges which are one of the greatest potato sides of any fast food restaurant. We wish there were a way we could enjoy these breakfast items during later hours.
Hell even if Wendy’s shifted to having breakfast only available mornings and late at night, we’d take that too!
Not everyone enjoys flying. The level of non-enjoyment can range from mild discomfort to full blown Aerophobia, which is defined as an extreme fear of flying. While flying is the quickest way to get to far away destinations, for some people being that far off the ground is terrifying and they’d rather take their chances on the ground.
A passenger flying from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina to JFK International Airport in New York confronted that fear while flying with Delta. The woman, who is currently still unidentified expressed that she was nervous to fly according to Molly Simonson Lee, a passenger seated behind the woman who witnessed the encounter. Tight spaces don’t make for much privacy, but in this case, the world is better for knowing this took place.
According to Lee, who posted about the exchange on Facebook, the Delta flight attendant, Floyd Dean-Shannon, took his time to give the nervous traveler his undivided attention. Lee told Upworthy the unidentified passenger, “was very nervous and even before the plane took off, she was visibly shaken by each sound.”
Approximately 25 million people in the United States have Aerophobia according to the Clevland Clinic and most of them probably wish Dean-Shannon was on their flights. “He took notice and began explaining what each [sound] was, with the warmest, calmest tone,” Lee said. That wasn’t even the most amazingly sweet part of the story.
While the explanation of noises helped, Lee said about halfway through the flight the passenger was fighting back tears, which prompted Dean-Shannon to sit on the floor and hold the frightened passenger’s hand. He comforted her for the rest of the flight while sitting on the floor. “His tone was so kind and soothing,” according to Lee.
Dean-Shannon’s kindness didn’t stop there. Lee explained, “the woman next to me was celebrating a birthday and he sang to her and made her a ‘cake’ with all of the goodies he could round up.”
I’m not sure what Delta pays him but he needs a raise immediately and it seems the people of the interwebs agree.
Commenter, Miranda Anderson, tagged Delta Airlines and wrote, “I hope you see this! These are the types of people that deserve raises and make your company worth flying with. This is what pits [sic] you above the others so show these employees this is what you want and what you need.”
“I love this. This is what society is lacking. Empathy and kindness towards people in time[s] of need” wrote Diane Lawrence.
While Mary Beth Acker Ford, said, “I was on a flight with him today. He exudes joy and is intentional about making a connection with each person!”
This level of engagement with passengers is not a common experience but clearly people are happy to see this type of connection between humans. Flying anywhere can be stressful for any amount of reasons. From leaving the house late and having to participate in an involuntary 5k to catch your flight, to making your way through the devil’s backyard, also known as Atlanta International Airport…just for them to change your gate 10 minutes before boarding.
So having a flight attendant like Dean-Shannon is just the breath of fresh air people need. “The way he’s looking at her…letting her know she’s safe!!! This is just one of the many reasons I will always fly Delta Air Lines,” Liz Martin wrote in the comments.
“It was obvious he is just a good, kind soul who shares that generously with everyone he encounters. Such kindness is rare and a true gift when encountered,” Lee remarked. That level of kindness is rare indeed and we sure are happy someone thought to capture it.
McHale will appear in an upcoming episode of Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone where the actor opened up about raising his two kids, Edward and Isaac, with his wife Sarah. When Stone asked how the actor deals with challenges with parenthood, McHale speaks candidly about his son Edward. “He’s on the autism spectrum, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. And then he would walk up to you and go, ‘Tell me about a time you got hurt.’ And then wait for your answer,” McHale said.
The actor then explained how he and his wife try not to pressure their kids to choose a specific path, “We’re not sure what his trajectory is, but he loves video games, and he’s good at them. So I think he might just skip college,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Go ahead. Just start work. Just learn that C++ language and start writing video games. Great,’” he joked. Working on video games might be more profitable than acting in the coming years anyway, so he might be onto something.
Stone then complimented McHale’s approach to parenthood, to which he responded, “There’s no other choice other than to just love that kid and see what he wants to do,” McHale replied. “Life throws you all sorts of things. And the journey with the kids has not been a traditional one, because everyone else around us is doing more typical things. And I’m like, ‘Hey. It’s all good. Let’s see what happens,’” he explained.
McHale also confirmed that his kids inherited his signature (and sometimes excessive) sarcasm. “They’re both extremely sarcastic and make fun of me,” he said. “Isaac will be like, ‘Hey dad. When are you going to be relevant again? Do you think people will like you again at some point?’ Yeah, there’s a lot of that.” Hopefully, once the Community movie comes out, McHale will finally be relevant enough for his children.
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