SXSW is back! And while thousands of badge-holders will be bouncing between official panels, showcases, and networking events, the real magic of Austin in March is that you don’t need a badge to experience the best of it. Beyond the official programming, the entire city comes alive with unofficial parties, pop-ups, and secret shows, many of which are free or just require an RSVP.
From day-to-night ragers thrown by major brands to intimate showcases spotlighting rising talent, Austin’s unofficial SXSW scene is stacked with can’t-miss events. Whether you’re looking for a legendary takeover, an open-bar dance party, a surprise guest performance, or a laid-back networking happy hour, there’s something happening on every corner.
This year, some of the most anticipated unofficial parties include an “Austin Loves House” party with Gene Farris, “Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW” featuring Koe Wetzel, Grupo Frontera, and John Summit, and a “Future of Indie” showcase, promising unforgettable performances, buzzy activations, and all the energy of SXSW, without the hefty ticket price. We’ve rounded up the best events that don’t require a SXSW badge you can navigate the madness and make the most of your time in Austin.
The Do512 Smoke Show
March 7 | 7:30pm | Hotel Vegas & The Volstead Lounge
DO512
Join Hometown Hero and Do512 in an epic celebration of THC, BBQ, music, and comedy at the annual festival kick-off party. Attendees will enjoy a slew of live bands, mediterranean rice bowls by James Beard nominated KG BBQ, and THC drinks from Hometown Hero. Additionally, Texas Hemp Business Council will be onsite speaking to the importance of fighting back against SB3, a legislative initiative to ban all THC from being sold in Texas. Entry is free and open to the public with an official RSVP here.
New Bloom Music and Art Showcase
March 7-8 | 6pm-11pm | Open House Austin
PIETSCH HOUSE
PietschHouse Presents the 4th Annual “New Bloom Music and Art Showcase: The House Party Edition.” New Bloom is a two day music and art showcase including 10 music performances, 25 exhibiting artists, a stocked bar, food vendors, installations, and more. Tickets are $30 for one day or $50 for both. This is even is all ages — ID’s will be checked at the door. PietschHouse’s purpose is to help Austin-based creatives be seen, get paid, and build a community that shares, supports, and revels in that. Friday’s lineup will consist of performances by Deer Fellow, Gilded Lows, Sketch, Kind Keith, and Next of Kin while Saturday’s lineup will be headed by Ragtag, Caravan Strange, Mama Duke, Nemegata, and Rococo Disco. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Kerrville Folk Festival Showcase
March 8 | 12pm | Radio Coffee & Beer (South)
DO512
The third annual Kerrville Folk Festival spring showcase returns to Radio South. Music will begin at 1pm and feature Grace Rowland (of The her), Scott Strickland, Grady Phillip Drugg, Somebody Someone, Creaked Carter Hoga, Anastasia Hera, and a special Shinyribs solo performance. Entry is free with an official RSVP here.
sxsGrass – A Bluegrass Showcase
March 8 | 1pm-9pm | Radio East
SXSGRASS INSTAGRAM
Don’t call it SXSW without some true Texas bluegrass! Featuring eight hours of bluegrass tunes provided by over a dozen folk and bluegrass groups, including Texas String Assembly, Valley Flower, a community jam circle, and more. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Ubiyu Day Party
March 8 | 5pm-2am | Vaquero Taquero
UBIYU
Ubiyu will present a series of day parties featuring local and regional talent. “No hype, just house.” Starting at 5pm the vibes will start with flowing tequila, mezcal, tacos and nonstop grooves all the way through 2am with sets by Dozal, Herb, Horse Opera, AB no C, Slyde Drexler, and Armin. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
Whataburger Museum of Art
March 8-9 | 11am-6pm | Wanderlust Wine Co. – Downtown
SXSW
Celebrate Whataburger’s 75th anniversary at the Whataburger Museum of Art (WMOA) during SXSW 2025! What began as an online community fueled by fan creativity and brand love will now be brought to life for the very first time. Attendees can explore fan-created art, including pieces in mural, abstract and pop culture styles, enjoy interactive installations like the Day Dot Room and Table Tent Mugshot Wall and indulge in samples of Whataburger’s latest limited-time offer, the Monterey Melt. The event is open to SXSW badge holders and the public. For more information, click here.
Skaxdad’s annual “unofficial” SXSW showcase will feature three days supporting underground live Austin talent. A $10 cover per day will grant attendees access to see over a dozen live performances by local Austin artists and bands from across genres. The event is 21+ and tickets will be sold at the door until it reaches capacity. For more information, click here.
Ultranative will host the Cosmic Shindig, a high-energy fundraiser supporting MAPS and the Center for MINDS, two organizations pioneering psychedelic research and mental health innovation at Austin’s iconic Mohawk during SXSW’s Psychedelic Track. Attendees will experience facilitated networking with fellow visionaries, researchers, and advocates, brand activations by Third Eye Cacao and Flores Sagradas, fireside chats with MAPS founder Rick Doblins, MINDS founder Bruce Damer and Jamie Wheal, piñatas, and live music performances by Grain Jones, Eric Bowden & Band, The Human Experience, MattO, and Rechulski. All ticket sales benefit psychedelic research. For tickets and additional information, click here.
KOOP Radio Day Party
March 9 | 12pm-6pm | Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
KOOP
Curated & Produced by Composer Nathan Felix, the annual KOOP Radio Day Party during SXSW will take place on Sunday, March 9th as a celebration of experimental, indie rock, jazz, synth-pop and Americana music. This year will feature two stages –- one inside and one outside -– to feature an array of performances by Frozen Orange, 9 Cycles Cool Kids, Randall Holt, Calico Sky, Moving Panoramas, JD Clark, and more. Entry is free with an official RSVP here.
Spring Fest 2025
March 9 | 3pm-11pm | Drifters Social
sxsw events
Spring Fest will bring artists, industry pros, and music lovers from around the world to Austin, TX for an incredible day of live music, networking, and career-boosting opportunities. Get ready for a full-day lineup of the best new acts and rising stars! Music will be 3pm-11pm and feature eight bands, free drinks, a vendor market, and giveaways from Texas State Tubes and Austin Tour Company. RSVP here.
SXSWampytonk FEST 2025
March 9 | 1pm-11pm | Sagebrush
DO512
SXSWampytonk Fest will host an all-day crawfish boil at Sagebrush. With doors opening at 12pm and music starting at 1pm, attendees can get down to performances by Jesse Lege and Bosco Stomp, Eliza Thorn, Paige Plaisance and Friends, Matt Tedder, The Mellows, and more. Additional information can be found here.
WXSW: A Hill Country Rock ‘N Roll Revival
March 10 | 5pm-10pm | Beerburg Brewing
sxsw events
Join WXSW for an unforgettable evening featuring performances by The Light Aluminum, Rockabilly Filly Rosie Flores and The Talisman, Courtney Santana, and very special guest, Peter Keys of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Parliament Funkadelic. This exciting event takes place just west of downtown Austin at Beerburg Brewing, where attendees can enjoy a nature-crafted experience paired with all the warm hospitality of the Texas Hill Country. Indulge in exceptional craft beer, delicious food, and undoubtedly the best music around! Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Swollen Circus
March 10 | 6pm-9pm | The Continental Club
CONTINENTAL CLUB
A festival within a festival on the Monday of SXSW. An Austin tradition since the 1990s, the party is organized by Walter Salas Humara of the Silos and Texas Monthly senior editor Michael Hall, whose 1980s Austin band the Wild Seeds often regroups for the occasion. Eve Monsees & Mike Buck will open the show followed by Julie Lowry Quartet, Wild Seeds, The Stayres, Jean Caffeine, Daphne Tunes, and more. The event is 21+ only. For additional information, click here.
Radio Day Stage
March 10-15 | 12pm- 5pm | Rivian Park at Brush Square Park
SXSW
The Radio Day Stage features lineups curated by some of the most influential and interesting radio outlets on the planet, including KCRW, KEXP, BBC Radio, KUTX, The Current, KOOP and more. Attendees can discover their next favorite artist at the Rivian Park at Brush Square Park for these free and open to the public stages. HIEN, tiger bae, Cruzloma, Honeyglaze, EL DUSTY, and more are slated to perform. Check out the full lineup and schedule here.
International Nights
March 10-15 | 7pm- 11pm | Rivian Park at Brush Square Park
Following the Radio Day Stage performances, Rivian Park at Brush Square Park will continue its music showcase with its free International Nights showcase. International Nights at SXSW mean a globe-spanning selection of unique international artists. Come and enjoy a tantalizing array of countries and genres. Join us for five nights of stellar performances from a number of international artists at the Rivian Park at Brush Square Park. Get a glimpse at what makes SXSW so special featuring artists from Spain, Czechia, Japan, and India, including Flor, Aiko, Sam Ryder, Tia Ray, Soda Blonde, and more. Check out the full lineup and schedule here.
Rolling Stone Future of Music
March 11-14 | 6:30pm-12am | ACL Live at the Moody Theater
ROLLING STONE
Rolling Stone is set to make its return to Austin with the third annual Future of Music showcase, presented by JBL. Taking place March 11–14 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, this highly anticipated event will bring standout performances from Benson Boone, Megan Moroney, Ivan Cornejo, Rema, and more to SXSW 2025.
The Future of Music concert series coincides with Rolling Stone’s Future of Music print issue, on newsstands in April. The showcase includes talent featured in the third annual Future 25 list, which highlights the artists who have the Rolling Stone staff most excited about the future of music in 2025 and beyond.
While attendees holding a SXSW Badge – Platinum, Music, Film & TV and Interactive, and Music – receive priority admission, those without a SXSW credential may RSVP for admission on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP does not guarantee admission. For the full schedule and to RSVP, click here.
Music For Listeners
March 11-15 | 12pm-6pm | Lazarus Brewing Company
MUSIC FOR LISTENERS
Music For Listeners is going into its 26th year on the radio in San Antonio and is returning to Austin for its 15th round of Daytime Parties. Once again offering amazing lineups at Lazarus Brewing on East 6th Street, it will host indie showcases for five days this year. Attendees can see five days of live music featuring local and national artists and bands, including Consumables, Nara’s Room, Shallowater, Native Sun, La Securite, and more. The event is free and open to the public, though is taking donations to assist with production and equipment costs here.
Howdy Texas
March 11 | 12pm | Still Austin Whiskey Co
BMI
BMI is fired up to present its annual Howdy Texas party at Still Austin Whiskey Co. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature performances from nine diverse Texas-based artists, including Smooth Nature, Sydney Wright, KAZIMI, Mikky & The Doom, and more, with styles ranging from R&B/pop with western influences to southern rap, indie-pop and post-punk. Additional information can be found here.
EQ Austin Presents
March 12-15 | 7pm-11pm | Lefty’s Brick Bar
SXSW will partner with local non-profit EQ Austin to host four nights of local talent with KUTX The Breaks, EQ Austin, LatinATX and Global Primestage shows. Supported by KUTX, EQ Austin, and the City of Austin- Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment, attendees can see free performances by Mason Flynt, Wes Denzel, LYNN, Shanik Hughes, The Tiarras, Faaris, and more. Check out the full lineup and schedule here.
Future of Indie
March 12 | 2:30pm-11:45pm | Sahara Lounge
IRAS Foundation
Discover the next wave of indie talent at the Future of Indie Showcase, presented by the IRAS Foundation. Featuring a curated lineup of independent artists — many performing at SXSW for the very first time — this event highlights fresh sounds, genre-blending performers, and headlining acts that define the future of music. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
C3 Management Official SXSW Showcase
March 12 | 5pm | Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
SXSW
C3 Management will host an evening at the legendary Stubb’s on Wednesday, March 12th! Presented by Do512 and supporting HAAM, performances will be featured artists from the agency’s roster, including Band of Horses, Jack’s Mannequin, Yoke Lore, Claire Rosinkranz, The Criticals, and The Droptines.This general admission showcase is free to the public, but entry is first come/first served. RSVP does not guarantee admission. SXSW Badge and Wristband Holders receive priority admission. RSVP here.
YETI Music Showcase
March 12-14 | 11am | YETI Flagship
sxsw events
There will be something for everyone at the annual BMI sponsored YETI Music Showcase at the YETI Flagship on South Congress. Over the course of three days, attendees will have the chance to check out 18 sets from emerging artists spanning the spectrum from bedroom pop and rock to indie singer/songwriter and country. The event will also include drink specials and food pop-ups. The showcase is sponsored by Agazul, Coca-Cola, Dickel, Karbach, Smartwater, Topo Chico and White Claw. It is free and open to the public. Additional information can be found here.
SoCo Stomp
March 12-16 | 12pm-7:30pm | C-Boy’s Heart & Soul
C-BOY’S HEART & SOUL
The 3rd Annual SoCo Stomp at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul is a free five-day, 50-band live music extravaganza running Wednesday from March 12-16, from 12pm to 7:30pm each day during Austin’s SXSW. Attendees will enjoy a full line-up of bands playing across two stages both indoor and outdoor. The event is free and all-ages (children allowed in parking lot outdoor stage area. 21+ in C-Boys, on VIP deck, and surrounding outdoor areas). There will also be food and drinks available by Halal Y’all ATX Weird Food truck and El Patio. Performances throughout the five days include Greyhounds, Big Freedia, The Point, The Rumble, The Courettes, Sought, The Waco Brothers, Shinyribs, Freedom Rockets, and more. Additional information and the full schedule can be found here.
Third Man Records & CREEM
March 13-14 | 11am-6:30pm | 13th Floor
sxsw events
Third Man Records and CREEM will host a two-day rock n’ roll party from March 13th-14th at 13th Floor. Spanning the two days, performances will include Frankie & The Witch Fingers, Native Sun, Cashier, Golomb, and more. Entry is on a first-come basis. RSVP does not guarantee entry. The event is free with an official RSVP here.
Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW
March 13-15 | 7pm | Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
sxsw events
Taking place at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park, Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW will kick-off on March 13 with a performance by Texas-born country superstar Koe Wetzel. Up next on March 14, música Mexicana stars Grupo Frontera will take the stage for an exhilarating live set. Presented by Carnival Cruise Line, the grand finale will be headlined by electronic music titan John Summit on March 15. With more performers being announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Antone’s 50th x Austin Blues Fest
March 14 | 12pm | Antone’s Nightclub
sxsw events
Introducing Antone’s first-ever SXSW Day Party! Join the venue on March 14th for a day of live performances, free food, Guayakí Yerba Mate, activations, raffles, and more. Artists slated to performance include Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, Jackie Venson, The Rumble, Suzanne Santo, and more. For additional information and a free RSVP for entry, click here.
Soul Session
March 15 | 12pm-3pm | Sushi Endo
POSH
“Soul Session” will host an R&B showcase on March 15th from 12pm – 3pm at Sushi Endo. Come out and celebrate the new wave of R&B with rising artists Teni, Dominique Senshi, Muzeke, Bobbi Rush, Small Town, and Nala Washington. Entry is free with an official RSVP here.
Austin Loves House
March 15 | 9pm-2am | TOATS
POSH
Experience the true artistry of house music with an electrifying night of sound, rhythm, and dance. This will be a night dedicated to the beats, the bass, and the unshakable energy that makes Austin dance. Sets will feature house music royalty with legendary Chicago icon Gene Farris, groundbreaking producer Junior Sanchez, and the prolific JT Donaldson, alongside Austin’s own house music veteran, Erin Millington. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
The new year is in full swing! So much so that it doesn’t really feel all that new anymore.
Do you mean to tell me the Super Bowl wasn’t months ago? At any rate, there are still plenty of new whiskies hitting the market every week, so we figured that now would be a great time to give you a rundown of the ones you should be most excited to chase down.
This list includes bourbon and rye whiskeys, wheat and light whiskey, and even some American Single Malt to highlight America’s newest legally designated whiskey category. With everything from four-year whiskey to 19-year-old juice, there’s genuinely something delicious in this bunch for everyone!
So please sit back, grab your favorite glass, and get ready to enjoy the best of our recent faves. These are the 30 best whiskeys to chase down right now!
Sable Bourbon is the brand-new expression from four newcomers to the whiskey world: Harold Perrineau, Malcolm D. Lee, Taye Diggs, and Morris Chestnut, otherwise known as the gentleman responsible for the cult classic “Best Man” movie franchise. Evading the pitfalls of typical celebrity whiskeys, this one features big name backing and sleek branding but also a ton of great flavor to match. The mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley is most likely produced at the Barton Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, I’m instantly greeted by smoked Manuka honey, Brazil nuts, freshly cracked black pepper, and sticky toffee notes that send my eyebrows to the sky. This instantly familiar yet unexpected aroma profile strays from others of the same mash bill. Further notes of toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and fresh almonds add intrigue.
Palate: On the palate, many of this whiskey’s aroma notes make it to the tongue as toasted coconut, smoked honey, black pepper, and sticky toffee lead the charge. The proof point allows all of them the space to lay claim to swaths of your palate without overwhelming the senses. It’s a medium-bodied, flavorful ride that eagerly encourages a second sip.
Finish: The finish succinctly ties a bow on all of those decadent flavors by leaving you with a kick of black pepper spice to go with caramel-drizzled kettle corn.
Bottom Line:
While whiskey aficionados tend to grow bored of celebrity creations just as swiftly as they initially entice them, Sable Bourbon is primed to buck that trend. With a unique flavor profile that captures the elevated essence set forth by the bottle’s chic branding, this is a serious bourbon worth savoring by newcomers and savants all the same.
29. Edmond’s Honor Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Cognac Casks With Pure Vanilla Essence
Edmond’s Honor, named after Edmond Albius, is an incredibly unique high-corn mash bill bourbon that undergoes a secondary maturation in Cognac casks that previously held pure Madagascar vanilla extract and were enhanced with vanilla essence. It isn’t your typical finished bourbon, but then Albius wasn’t the typical bourbon icon. He was the man who unlocked a method for manually pollinating vanilla.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Delicate cognac notes entice the nose as soon as you extend it towards the glass, with a beautifully subtle undergirding of vanilla, brown butter, honey, cinnamon, and clove. Apples and brown sugar also begin to emerge from the glass after you allow the whiskey some time to rest.
Palate: The first sip of this bourbon is incredibly rich with honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and spiced apple notes, all competing for the bulk of your appreciation. Allspice and a touch of citrus soon begin to bloom as you roll the buttery, viscous liquid in your mouth.
Finish: The medium-length finish is where the influence of honey is most prominent, along with some freshly cracked black pepper, tobacco leaves, and black tea. This is where the cognac cask’s influence is most prominently felt.
Bottom Line:
While one might expect the vanilla notes in this bourbon to be overpowering or come across as artificial, the exact opposite is true. It’s a steadying yet subtle force underlying each sip, but the bevy of fresh fruit flavors and baking spices ring true, as this bourbon eschews artifice in favor of authenticity in every pour.
This is dangerously tasty stuff that you’ll want to try as soon as possible.
John Lee Hooker was a legendary bluesman, and to honor his legacy, his very own grandson — Glenn Thomas — created this brand in 2023, giving blues fans everywhere a reason to smile. Bottled at 100 proof and priced right at the same dollar amount, this four-year bourbon is the brand’s flagship offering.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with notes of caramel apple, vanilla, and oak for a familiar introduction. A slight twist of lemon zest adds some brightness to the overall bouquet.
Palate: On the palate, caramel apple, corn pudding, and allspice are immediate standouts. What surprises, however, is an impressive richness in both texture and flavor profile. Surprisingly viscous for the proof, this whiskey delivers some final flavors of black pepper and rosemary before transitioning to the finish.
Finish: While the finish is fairly succinct, it does a fine job of leaving all of those well-integrated flavors on your palate before dissipating into nothingness. You’ll definitely be inclined to go in for a second sip before long.
Bottom Line:
Perhaps the most surprising bottle on our list, this excellent expression from a relatively unknown upstart brand knocked our socks off from the first sip. With a distinct richness that left us more impressed each time we returned to the well, John Lee Hooker Bourbon is an outstanding everyday offering that you’d do well to procure before the hype train leaves the station.
Made using 73% locally grown non-GMO white corn, 10% winter wheat, and 17% malted barley, Castle & Key’s Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon goes big on flavor. Once that distillate is laid in barrels, they rest in Castle & Key’s famous stone warehouses, which tend to push flavor in unexpected directions.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of cinnamon, nutmeg, floured pie crust, and brown sugar peaches. While the sweet notes are evident and welcome, it’s the beguiling aroma of flour and other subtler baking spices that cast the most intrigue. Accenting notes of ripe apricots, orange rind, and cloves can also be discovered over time.
Palate: Across the palate, this whiskey is burly with a medium-bodied texture that has some teeth and quickly uses them to sink into your tongue. Again, there’s a kind of floured doughiness that leads the way before nutmeg, torched mango skin, brown sugar, black pepper, and maple candy notes sweeten the ordeal.
Finish: The medium-length finish features a flourish of black pepper spice and more mango before receding to reveal burnt caramel, burnt pie crust, and oak.
Bottom Line:
This is a really intriguing pour that shifts over your tastebuds with guile, depositing ores of rich flavor at the tip of the tongue and along the sides of your jaw. While many bourbon fans are busy chasing hard-to-find wheated bourbons, Castle & Key just delivered a delicious option that you’re more likely to find on the shelf than most of its competitors.
26. New England Barrel Company Small Batch Select Cask Strength Bourbon
New England Barrel Company, the northeast region’s biggest home-grown whiskey brand, was founded by James Saunders in late 2020, and they’ve been on quite the ascent since then. For the brand’s premium cask-strength offering, they bottle it undiluted after at least three years of aging.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes open with some peanut shell, sticky toffee, and rich oak notes that soon morph to include dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, and barrel char in their complement.
Palate: As you take your first sip of NebCo’s cask strength bourbon, hazelnut spread, tobacco leaf, and brown sugar, consume the palate in dense layers, indicating that this is truly well-made whiskey. Further notes of nougat, milk chocolate, and black pepper spice round things out as it takes a turn for earthier notes at mid-palate with an almost chalky texture leading the way towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is lingering, and the chalky texture continues with notes of dark chocolate, slight smokiness, and savory dates concluding the sipping experience.
Bottom Line:
New England Barrel Company has been wowing us with its stellar selection of ryes, but this barrel-proof bourbon stands as proof that they’re competent switch hitters. This bottle is a home run, if not a grand slam, just in time for spring.
Bulleit’s brand-new bottled-in-bond bourbon really hits the sweet spot for fans of the brand who love their classic flavor profile but would love a little extra flavor even more. What makes this one so special is the fact that it’s comprised 100% of Bulleit’s own distillate — a first for the brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with floral notes accompanied by black currants, fresh hazelnuts, juicy clementines, caramel, and nutmeg.
Palate: On the first sip, it’s clear that this whiskey has a really clean mouthfeel, with distinct notes of fresh hazelnuts, sweet, gooey caramel, and fresh red apples coating the tongue at first. It has very well-defined albeit limited layers of flavor, and it’s very tasty; you’ll want to take repeat sips.
Finish: The finish is medium length, surprisingly, but fairly mild, with black pepper and seasoned oak joining red apples before sage emerges as it fades off.
Bottom Line:
Bulleit has made a resounding splash in each of the last two years, first with the return of its celebrated 12-year rye and now with a bottled-in-bond line expansion comprised entirely of their own distillate. This new expression deserves praise as it strikes a nice balance of flavors and indicates a ton of promise for future tasty offerings.
Larceny Barrel Proof has been getting uneven reviews since it first launched, but over the last year or two, things have really leveled off, and the praise has been rolling in. This is the first batch of 2025, and as always, it features a blend of 6-8-year-old Heaven Hill wheated bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Juicy orange notes are immediately striking, with vanilla pods, corn husk, plums, and freshly risen biscuits sans butter soon emerging as well. While it isn’t an “off note” per se, there’s also a slightly soapy aroma that casts intrigue throughout each nosing approach.
Palate: Wow, this is really balanced. Juicy oranges and candy apple notes seize the lead at first, with brown sugar, faint menthol tones, sassafrass, and barrel char soon following. It dries the palate significantly as the heat begins to settle in, bringing with it some notes of hazelnut spread and toasted coconut shavings.
Finish: The finish is really lingering and marked by barrel char, red apple, brown sugar, and peppercorns.
Bottom Line:
Larceny’s Barrel Proof lineup has been improving in fits and starts since its inception in 2020, and now we’re finally seeing both steadfast improvement and consistency with each batch. The latest release aligns with previous highs and makes a strong case for those who either have overlooked these releases or haven’t revisited them in a spell.
Now back for its third batch, Raconteur Rye, for the first time, features a blend of both Indiana 95/5 rye and Kentucky 95/5 rye. This batch was finished in the same Mizunara casks that previously held batch 2, which was one of our top rye whiskeys of 2024.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stewed peaches, apricots, and candy apple with sandalwood, cedar, and white pepper hit the nose before some submerged caramel aromas surface along with vanilla, plum skin, and saline. This is intriguing stuff.
Palate: This whiskey has a lovely, lush mouthfeel with sugar plums, Brazil nuts, brown sugar, and black cherry. There’s some black pepper spice and thyme as well. Once you get beyond the layers of sugar plum, brown sugar, Brazil nuts, and black cherry, it gets a bit muddled, but that nondescript foundation serves to add nuance and intrigues as you attempt to tease out the full complement of flavors.
Finish: The finish is lingering and full of black cherry syrup, white pepper, and apple core. Some honey and vanilla extract close things out.
Bottom Line:
Raconteur Rye has been steadily improving with each batch after an auspicious start. Now, with batch 3 introducing Kentucky rye in the blend along with Indiana juice, the expression is more complex than ever and primed to impress newcomers to the scene as well as folks who have been fans from day one.
Old Louisville, founded in late 2022, has quickly caught our attention with stellar release after stellar release of classic Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey. This 7-year offering follows in those footsteps and is bottled without chill filtration at full cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a surprising hint of floral notes before ascending into the prototypical bourbon profile that you might expect. The greatest hits are here in impressive form: sticky toffee, brown sugar, and oak, with accenting notes of roasted coffee beans and nutmeg.
Palate: Once this whiskey crosses your lips, the palate is greeted by all of those classic bourbon notes — only their intensity is dialed up to 11. The sticky toffee flavor finds crevices between your teeth and threatens a cavity or two, while freshly cracked black pepper, roasted peanuts, and rich oak notes round things out.
Finish: The lengthy finish is flush with black pepper and oak, while semi-sweet hazelnut spread and almond butter give it an approachable, velvety note to end on.
Bottom Line:
Old Louisville has yet to register a miss in my book, and this robust, classic 7-year bourbon expression is the best place to begin your exploration of the brand. I’ll need a backup for this bottle pretty soon, and I’m not mad at it.
Kinfolk Trust is a brand-new blend of American whiskeys from Taste Select Repeat’s Orlando “OJ” Lima, launched in late 2024. The unique blend takes barrels sourced from Dark Arts Whiskey House (potentially Danville-distilled bourbon) and Bainbridge Distillery. While there are only three batches of the cask strength version planned per year, the same is anticipated for the lower “Preferred Proof” version.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma notes unveil hints of beeswax at first, while butterscotch, oak, and orange blossom aromas follow close behind. It has a very creamy, approachable nose despite the proof, with a faintly vegetal note pulsing throughout as well.
Palate: Bubblegum reaches the palate first, then the faintly citric, sweet note of orange pith comes in. It’s big and flavorful at midpalate, with loads of butterscotch, slightly floral notes, orange marmalade, and restrained spice blossoming. The heat fans out over the edges of the tongue and then dart up the roof of the mouth, with black pepper leading the charge.
Finish: Kinfolk Trust’s Cask Strength offering has a lingering finish that hangs on the palate for a long time, with some nougat and black pepper leaving the most lasting impression.
Bottom Line:
As part of an intimate product reveal in Louisville, Lima indicated that he wasn’t intent on creating an empire with Kinfolk Trust, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is whiskey fit for a king. If this thoughtful, well-constructed inaugural blend is indicative of what we can expect from the future of the brand, then you’ll want to keep it firmly on your radar for 2025 and beyond.
Penelope’s new 17-year light whiskey has some big shoes to fill. The brand’s well-received 13- and 15-year light whiskeys were sensations, and now the brand is back with its oldest age-stated whiskey ever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Curry powder, black pepper, vanilla frosting, and apple leather notes strike the nose at first for a surprising melange. Further notes include a touch of cumin, lemon zest, and pound cake. It’s an interesting nose that is striking in that those savory curry powder and cumin notes help to prop up the sweeter notes one expects.
Palate: The palate is strikingly balanced with some mango skin, vanilla frosting, candied orange peel, and smoked honey serving as a counterpoint to a steadfast savoriness reminiscent of tagine-prepared chicken, black pepper, and faint pimento wood. It drinks well below the proof at the tip of the tongue and midpalate, but you feel the crackle of heat as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: On the lingering finish, the heat crescendos but maintains a manageable temperature as smoked honey, nougat, white pepper, vanilla frosting, and dried mango notes close the curtain on this pour.
Bottom Line:
Penelope’s light whiskey has been turning heads since 2022, but now they’re back with what might be their most definitively delicious expression yet. Those delicate, sweet notes commonly associated with light whiskey are on full display but with impressive integration and remarkable balance for a mature, assertive pour that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up even as its stout proof puts a few sprigs of hair on your chest.
Rare Character first began producing this intriguing Limited Release label in 2024, teasing fans with the fact that it was a blend of 5-and-15-year bourbon. While the percentages of each bourbon’s age in the blend is undisclosed, the rumor is that they’ve been slowly adding more of the oldest stock in each subsequent release, making this an incredible bang-for-your-buck option in their coveted lineup.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a ton of butterscotch and vanilla as the mature oak begins to give off notes of polished leather, damp tobacco leaves, and black cherry syrup. Overall, the aroma notes seem to fall in line with the fact that this is a carefully calibrated blend of younger and older bourbons.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey opens with a big pop of butterscotch and black cherry before receding and allowing space for vanilla extract, honey, white pepper, and cigar ash. It’s a bit lean on the front end but progressively expands on the palate, getting juicier and more robust as the whiskey transitions to the finish.
Finish: The lengthy finish is marked mostly by cigar ash, cedar, dried apricots, and butterscotch. It’s a surprising return to some of the more youthful notes found at the tip of the tongue, making this one a really fun ride to savor from beginning to end.
Bottom Line:
I’ll be frank, I don’t give a damn about the percentages of the aged bourbon in these blends. They’re all exceptionally easy-drinking delights. The first batch of 2025 is finally hitting retailers, and with it building on the success of 2024’s feverishly sought-after expressions, we’re already anticipating what Rare Character does with batch two.
You’ve got to love Barrell Craft Spirits. After knocking it out of the park for years with cask-strength offerings across spirits categories, last year, they delivered their first proofed-down bourbon, and it was a major hit. Now, they’re giving fans more of the same, with yet another 100-proof bourbon with a five-year age statement, but this go-round, they’re double-oaking it for more pronounced barrel-driven flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Spiced pears, fresh rubber, vanilla pods, and white pepper hit the olfactory senses at first for an intriguing blend that will make you lean forward and take notice. After some time I picked up a touch of green apple and clove as well.
Palate: Juicy pears and caramel tones come crashing over the palate with a whisp of sassafrass, black pepper, French vanilla, and barrel char along for the ride. This one has a really impressive medium-bodied mouthfeel, and chewing the whiskey unlocks subtler accents like almonds and dark chocolate.
Finish: The finish is lingering and leans sweet with pear, butterscotch, green apple skin, and barrel char, concluding each sip.
Bottom Line:
This richer, more viscous take on Barrell’s original Foundation Bourbon is a killer display of what can happen when you double down on a winning formula. With juice from Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and Tennessee in the mix, some of it as mature as 9 years old, this whiskey further proves the company’s already lauded blending prowess.
Woodford Reserve’s Double Double Oaked isn’t named by mistake. Launched initially as a member of the Distillery Series in 2015, the longtime distillery-exclusive fan-favorite features Woodford bourbon that rested for 5-7 years before being finished in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon opens with cedar, rich brown sugar, cinnamon, and nougat. It’s an alluring medley that draws you deeper into the glass and reveals subtler hints of dark chocolate chunks, black pepper, and sticky toffee.
Palate: Once on the palate, this bourbon detonates with a richness the nose only hinted at. The flavors of milk chocolate, cedar, sage, cinnamon, vanilla pods, and brown sugar cascade over the tongue and cling to the palate convincingly. This is a bourbon that spites its proof by being relentless from start to finish, and that’s worthy of extended appreciation.
Finish: The finish ties a tight bow on those many layers of flavor with a sage smudge ribbon accented by cinnamon flecks, sunflower butter, and semi-sweet dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
While the price point and relatively low proof might give you pause, make no mistake — this is delicious whiskey. Woodford Reserve is famed for its 90.4 proof point, and this is the best bourbon they’ve ever released that fits those specs.
Comprised of barrels that Michter’s deems too good for blending, this single-barrel expression showcases the best of their rye whiskey at undiluted cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Smoked caramel leads the way, with milk chocolate, mint, and graham cracker aromas following closely behind on this whiskey’s robust nose. It immediately comes across as a proofy, dense ride, and it will leave you salivating in anticipation of the first sip.
Palate: Smoked caramel and barrel char with leather lead the way on the palate before mint flows in at midpalate, cooling the tongue and introducing milk chocolate before the finish.
Finish: The finish is full of black pepper and nutmeg, but the smoked caramel is the note that most stubbornly persists. There’s also a touch of mocha present before the liquid completely evaporates.
Bottom Line:
Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye is always an absolute treat. It’s a versatile sipping whiskey that can make a kickass, boozy cocktail just as well as it can be a standalone delight. This year’s release once again gripped our attention, and after tasting it, it has a hold of our palates as well.
Bottled at barrel strength and aged for at least five years, these brand-new Green River Single Barrel Wheated Bourbons immediately caught our eye. Green River has been delivering the goods for the past two years, and having already given their standard wheated bourbon our seal of approval; we were anxious to try these full-octane variants.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Smoked honey and dates billow out of the glass, with black pepper, caramel, and black olives rounding things out. Finally, you can pick up the aroma of sugar cookies and graham crackers.
Palate: The mouthfeel is dense, expansive, and decidedly sweeter than the nose let on, with sugar grapes, nougat, honeycomb, dates, sage, and clove standing out. This is a surprisingly nuanced pour with a lot going on for the patient sipper to appreciate.
Finish: The finish is lingering and slightly spiky on the tongue, with some vanilla and youthful oak accenting black pepper as it dries your mouth and leaves that sugared grape flavor in the end.
Bottom Line:
Green River’s winning streak remains firmly intact with this fantastic release. Thanks to the variance of the single-barrel format, you’re guaranteed to find one that you like, and having it at full cask strength only enhances the fun. Don’t sleep on anything coming out of Green River this year.
Binder’s Stash releases used to be black and white: either you loved them, or you hadn’t tried them yet. The same could be said for the brand’s color scheme, which previously only came in black and white, but for 2025, Binder’s Stash is shaking things up and debuting new colorways, including this one, reminiscent of Tiffany blue, to house some premium 9-year bourbon from Indiana.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey opens with candied almonds, dark chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon before it takes an intriguing turn toward Tajin-like aromas of lime, chili pepper, and salt. This is a light but multilayered nose that’s really enjoyable.
Palate: The palate leads with notes of tobacco leaves, vanilla frosting, chili peppers, faint black pepper, and lime. The texture is lean and spry, with the whiskey easily traveling over your tongue and depositing sweet butterscotch notes along the edges of the tongue.
Finish: “Swing Juice” has a short and sweet finish with almond shells, barrel char, and butterscotch, leaving the final impression.
Bottom Line:
Binder’s Stash has been putting out an eclectic bunch of high-quality whiskey blends over the last few years, and this “Swing Juice” single barrel is right up there with the best of them. While supplies are generally limited on Binder’s Stash bottles, and the demand is always feverish, you definitely should seek them out to add to your personal collection as soon as possible.
Seelbach’s Private Reserve label has been humming along now with stellar releases too numerous to name, so it should come as no surprise that they’re back again with another fantastic blend of bourbon from two sources in Kentucky. The mash bills of those two bourbons in the blend are 74% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, and 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey begins with mango skin, honeyed green tea, milk chocolate-dipped orange peels, and peanut shells. It’s a chimeric nose that initially shifts a bit when you try to identify the leading note, but over time, you’ll find that the mango skin, milk chocolate, and citrus notes are the most steadfast aromas.
Palate: This whiskey has a noticeably heavy mouthfeel with honey-roasted peanuts, dried mango, and seasoned oak anchoring the entire pour. It’s a lovely, viscous experience that will make you want to chew the whiskey, smack your lips, and admire how well-developed each layer of flavor is.
Finish: Seelbach’s Private Reserve 8-Year Bourbon has a nice lingering finish with black pepper, honey-roasted peanuts, and artificial cherry candy, lasting longest on the palate before tapering off with a nice sizzle of ethanol kick.
Bottom Line:
The Seelbach’s Private Reserve label has been delivering outsized quality compared to the fanfare it gets, and if you’re a savvy bourbon enthusiast, you’ll want to take note of that. These releases are prone to flying under the radar, but there’s no denying their outstanding quality with every batch.
After releasing a stellar 15-year bourbon last year, said to be sourced from the ill-named stock of “Buff Turkey” floating around the industry, O.K.I. is back again with a 16-year version. Let’s see what one extra year does to this well-rounded, hyper-aged stock.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Candied pecans stand out on the nose in addition to fresh figs, pie crust, and a slightly vegetal note. Black pepper and hazelnut spread soon enter the fray and add a bit of depth, but the top notes definitely dominate the aroma profile.
Palate: Peanut brittle, creamy vanilla and hazelnut spread immediately detonate on the palate. I’m not one to call whiskey an *insert tasting note* bomb, but this one definitely lands with explosive assertiveness. The thick, oily mouthfeel helps to contain the heat as blackberry jam, allspice, and mature oak grow in prominence at midpalate.
Finish: The lengthy finish welcomes butterscotch and nougat to the mix, while the blackberry note from midpalate carries over and ends with a bit of peanut brittle.
Bottom Line:
While we’re proponents of the popular wisdom that bourbon hits its sweet spot between 8-12 years of age, there’s no denying the brilliance that well-managed barrels can reach at a more mature age. OKI’s new bourbon is proof positive that under careful stewardship, bourbon old enough to celebrate its sweet 16 can maintain a vibrancy typically reserved for younger stock. This is an absolutely killer release.
Premier Drams is a new brand that was launched early this summer by the same man behind Washington D.C.’s legendary whiskey bar, Jack Rose, Bill Thomas. 8 years ago, Thomas began procuring contract-distilled whiskey from an elusive producer in Bardstown, Kentucky, and aging it at the site of the historic Old Taylor Distillery, which today is the home of Castle & Key. Due to Castle & Key’s uniquely cool maturation facilities, many of the barrels that went into these Premier Drams single barrels saw a significant drop in ABV, with the majority hovering right around the 100-proof mark at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Strawberry saltwater taffy escapes the grasp of the glass to greet the nose at first before evolving into a cherry Luden’s note and partnering up with truffle honey, white pepper, and peanut brittle for a mellow and intriguing medley.
Palate: On the palate, it’s a delight to discover that the Luden’s cherry note has evolved into a full-blown Rainier cherry, carrying white pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and honey in tow. The flavors here are markedly rich, defying its moderate proof and delivering a depth and richness that will have you sucking your molars, frantically trying to prevent even a single drop from slipping through the cracks.
Finish: Vanilla pods, salted butter, fatty Brazil nuts, and white pepper prevail on the finish with a dollop of honey and Rainier cherries, adding a sweet closing kiss as it succinctly slides off your palate.
Bottom Line:
Premier Drams is quietly revolutionizing the modern bourbon landscape by delivering cask-strength bourbon at a moderate proof point, and more people should be taking note of that. In the fashion of any groundbreaking innovation, I’m not entirely sure the public is ready for it yet, but that’s what makes discovering excellent single-barrel offerings like this so awesome.
You’ll want to seek out Premier Drams in 2025 so you can tell everyone you know, “I told you so” in 2026 and beyond.
Jack Daniel’s age-stated series kicked off back in 2022 with a 10-year whiskey, and ever since then, we’ve welcomed ever-better entries into the lineup. This year, we’re welcoming the inaugural batch of Jack Daniel’s brand-new 14-year Tennessee Whiskey, marking the first time since the mid-1900s that the brand has released an expression at this age. Most intriguing of all? This is the first barrel-proof expression in the lineup, and it clocks in at a respectable 126.3 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bananas foster comes tumbling over the edge of the glass with a strong rum-like overtone, followed by the aroma of hazelnut spread, pineapple chunks, clove, black pepper, and duck fat to round things out.
Palate: Once on the palate, the flavor of bananas foster, molasses, brown sugar, and tobacco leaf coat the tongue with a slightly chalky mouthfeel. Further notes of Brazil nuts, vanilla pods, faint leather, marzipan, and restrained oak soon bring more life to the party. This is a multilayered and delicious sipper.
Finish: The lingering finish is drying at midpalate but juicier at the edges of the tongue where the banana and marzipan linger with closing notes of sage smudge and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
Expectations for this release were sky-high ever since preliminary mock-up labels first hit the TTB and social media soon after. Was the wait worth it? Most definitely.
Almost every new limited edition in Jack Daniel’s lineup has immediately entered the debate for “best modern Jack Daniel’s expression.” While the influence of oak is more prominently featured on this release than any of the previous age-stated series bottles, which may not be for everyone, this is yet another stiff competitor for that honor.
A. Smith Bowman’s Cask Strength Bourbon is essentially the crown jewel in their lineup. The annual release, now on its fourth batch, features their premium bourbon unfettered by chill filtration and undiluted by water; it’s the purest whiskey you’re ever going to taste from the Fredericksburg, Virginia, distillery.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of cherries drizzled in salted caramel comes wafting out of the glass almost immediately, and given some time to settle, there’s also plenty of nougat and lemon zest to balance things out. Vanilla beans, nutmeg, and golden raisins can also be found.
Palate: Once this whiskey crosses your lips, it unfolds a delicate matrix of sweet notes from honey, vanilla ice cream, and coffee cake to Chelan cherries and apple cider. The texture is pretty heavy on the palate, which makes rolling the whiskey over your tongue and seeking out each layer of flavor a lot of fun. At midpalate, it takes a slight turn, with citrus notes joining oak and pie crust flavors before it barrels towards the finish.
Finish: The finish features juicy oranges, vanilla extract, cloves, and cedar before it gently fades away, which is impressive because at no point does this whiskey drink as fiery as its proof.
Bottom Line:
A. Smith Bowman’s Cask Strength releases are always cause for fanfare, as the underrated expressions regularly compete for bourbon of the year accolades. This year’s release is no different, with a bold flavor profile and an unctuous texture that hugs the palate and begs to be chewed and enjoyed at length, A. Smith Bowman has another instant classic on its hands.
How does the highest-proofed nationally released Stranahan’s whiskey of all time sound? Pretty damn good to us, and that’s exactly what’s in this bottle. Aged for 12 long years in Colorado, this American Single Malt is made from 100% malted barley and aged in new American oak barrels. It’s worth noting that some of the barrels in this blend were finished for one to four years in second-use bourbon barrels and blonde ale casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honeydew, golden raisins, and apricots come tumbling out of the glass almost immediately. Sweet barley notes and organic honey soon follow, with a hint of allspice, amaretto, and oak tying it all together. This is a truly lovely nose.
Palate: The heavy mouthfeel stands out immediately because I’m not used to Stranahan’s liquid being so dense. Oily and viscous, yes…but this is a different animal. Sweet malt, honey, and cinnamon over buttered biscuits make a striking first impression on the palate, and those notes only grow richer as they sit on your tongue. Brown sugar peaches, freshly cracked black pepper, torched lemon peels, and a faint dusting of chocolate truffle powder cap things off.
Finish: The finish is lengthy and concentrates the notes of honey, cinnamon, and sweet malt for an exceedingly satisfying conclusion.
Bottom Line:
With all due respect for Snowflake releases from years past, this just catapulted to the top of my favorite Stranahan’s releases ever. What it lacks in a variety of flavors, it more than makes up for with the richness of its limited notes, and that’s before you add points for its robust mouthfeel and extensive finish.
Whether you’re already on the American Single Malt train or not, this is a release you’re sure to instantly fall in love with.
7. Bardstown Bourbon Company Distilled Reserve Cathedral French Oak Barrel Finish Bourbon
Bardstown Bourbon Company’s latest release is more than 300 years in the making. Utilizing a blend of Kentucky bourbons between the ages of 9 and 18 years old, with the lion’s share coming from 14-year and 18-year stock comprising 45% and 37.5% of the blend respectively.
As for the three-centuries-in-the-making, that’s due to the oak staves that made up the barrels this blend was finished in. The 300-year-old French oak staves hail from the Bercé Forest and were originally harvested to restore the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the fire of 2019, thus the name.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cinnamon bark, chocolate-covered raisins, cedar, black cherry, and vanilla ice cream notes stand the tallest on the first pass over this glass. Some orange rind and maple syrup notes soon emerge as well for an indulgent, well-developed nose that will keep you coming back to the glass for enjoyment.
Palate: Maple syrup, French vanilla, roasted coffee beans, and brown sugar flood the senses on this remarkably robust bourbon from the first sip. The flavors border on decadent as the richness finds every corner of your mouth. There is a slight astringency, but it doesn’t detract from the boldness of the flavors as the liquid glides to its conclusion.
Finish: That astringency is present on this lengthy finish, but maple syrup, vanilla bean, faint black cherry notes, orange rind, and mature oak overrun it.
Bottom Line:
This is exceptionally delicious bourbon, and after reading the back label and seeing the ages and percentages of the whiskeys in the blend, the flavor notes make a lot of sense. It’s also hard to discount the impact of the 300+ year French oak used for the barrels that this blend was finished in, as decadent, mature, woodsy notes are well-integrated from the nose to the palate.
To put it plainly, this might be the most “must-try” bourbon that Bardstown Bourbon Co. has ever released.
Oakley Spirits is a brand-new producer with some absolutely jaw-dropping whiskey in its portfolio. Case in point: its inaugural release, a 20-year Kentucky Bourbon forged from single barrels and aged to its optimal peak.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with stunning force as fresh Brazil nuts, gooey caramel, and mature oak aromas set the tone. From there, crisp red apples, marzipan, and palo santo notes emerge alongside honeycomb, cinnamon, peanut butter, and white pepper. It’s the sort of nose that makes the hair on the back of your arm stand up as you anticipate the first sip.
Palate: Caramel sweetness seizes the palate, allowing the flavors of Rainier cherries, vanilla bean ice cream, stunning oak, milk chocolate, and faint whisps of polished leather to take turns delighting the center of the tongue. At the tongue’s edges, you’ll pick up more forceful oak and baking spice tones like cinnamon and clove, which help to balance the sweetness and elevate its richness.
Finish: The long and lingering finish welcomes the reincorporation of Rainier cherries and an uptick in the vanilla bean flavors, while dark chocolate chunks and well-developed oak notes offer earthier layers of nuance that enhance each sip.
Bottom Line:
From a quality standpoint, there’s no good reason why Oakley Spirits’ inaugural bourbon offering should be flying under the radar. The combination of an unknown name in the space and a prohibitive price point is surely to blame, but tasting is believing, and we’ve been head-over-heels in love with this bourbon from the first sip, so much so that we have it earmarked as an early bourbon of the year contender.
While the first two barrels from this lineup took a few hours before being hunted into extinction, the brand’s third release of these 20-year-old bourbon barrels met its fate in mere seconds. These incredible Collector’s Edition offerings are highly difficult to hunt, but they’re the real deal.
Dream Spirits is based in Leesburg, Virginia, but they’re sourcing barrels from all over to deliver outstanding bourbons and rye whiskeys to market. One of their best expressions to date is this single-barrel selected by a group of industry veterans that includes Denaya Jones, General Manager of Seelbach’s, Da’Mon Brown, co-founder of River City Whiskey, and UPROXX Head Whiskey Critic, yours truly.
This is an 11-year bourbon sourced from Indiana that was bottled without chill filtration at full cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon is resplendent with bright cherry pie notes, complete with the flaking crust and a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. That sweet opening salvo is soon joined by robust oak tones, with black pepper, orange rinds, vanilla pods, and clove.
Palate: Once this whiskey crosses your lips, you’re immediately struck with that cherry hand pie note from the nose, and it’s deepened by the presence of candied orange peels, vanilla bean, faint tobacco leaf, and just a touch of clove to curtail the sweetness. The mouthfeel is restrained yet supple, allowing the liquid to easily travel over your tongue and burrow into your tastebuds with staying power.
Finish: The concise finish gently coats your tongue with a thin blanket of red cherries and butterscotch before red pepper flakes, barrel char, and nutmeg notes round things off as the liquid recedes from detection.
Bottom Line:
This “It Was All A…” Dream Spirits single-barrel selection has been called “one of the best MGP whiskies…in years” by other prominent sources in the whiskey space, but I’m content just to call this damn fine bourbon. Bottles are dwindling by the day, but for those who manage to buy one — you’re in for a sweet, unique treat.
4. Michter’s Bomberger’s Declaration PFG (Precision Fine Grain)
Michter’s brand-new expression of Bomberger’s Declaration, which they call PFG, or Precision Fine Grain, is a fun one. For this release, they take their aged bourbon and dump it in a second new French fine grain oak barrel with proprietary toasting and a uniquely specified char level. That secondary barrel is also made using a blend of oak from various places, including the Tronçais, Allier, Nevers, and Vosges forests, and staves that naturally air-dried outdoors for a minimum of 40 months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes are full of allure, with cedar, Brazil nuts, French vanilla, black cherry, red peppers, star anise, blood orange, and black pepper making up its tightly wound core. It’s a multi-layered experience that will have you discovering new nuggets each time you bring your nose to the glass.
Palate: The palate comprises gooey caramel and black cherry notes, which coat the tongue with accents of cedar, clove, and sage, which fan out from that base of flavors. It’s remarkably smooth and viscous. Dark chocolate, toasted coconut, and allspice emerge at the back end.
Finish: The influence of caramel, star anise, dark chocolate, and candied walnuts marks the medium-length finish, along with some cinnamon bark and cedar.
Bottom Line:
I don’t know what’s more remarkable, this bourbon or the hot streak that Michter’s has been on for the last two years. Despite the heights they’ve soared to in recent years, this new Bomberger’s release (and 2024’s bourbon of the year) proves they still have plenty in the tank.
I’m impressed with standard Bomberger’s Declaration annually, but this diffusion brand might be their best yet.
Woodford’s original release of Chocolate Whisper in 2021 was met with a ton of fanfare. So much so that the brand held back some of those barrels and decided to re-release them, now at 12 years of age. To rehash how these releases got their name: this whiskey was distilled immediately after a run of bourbon that utilized chocolate malted rye, which left a “whisper” of chocolate flavor in the succeeding batch that the distillery found too intriguing to pass up.
One final note that makes this re-release special is that while 139.4 proof is the highest-proofed Woodford Reserve release of all time, this whiskey was actually slightly proofed down. It isn’t even at cask strength! That’s impressive.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A bounty of chocolate truffle notes fuses with gooey caramel, Macadamia nuts, flan, cinnamon bark, and polished leather on the nose of this bold whiskey. Subtler accents of brandied cherries, Earl Grey tea, melon rind, and vanilla pods really help elevate all of the top notes as well.
Palate: Once on the palate, notes of caramel, French vanilla frosting, cinnamon bark, and brandied cherries seize the lead while the robust chocolate notes from the nose emerge at mid-palate with a creamy, full-bodied chocolate fudge flavor that becomes an anchor for the entire pour.
Finish: The medium-length finish feels perfectly proofed as the fudge notes roll over with accents of almonds, mild barrel char, and vanilla pods.
Bottom Line:
Woodford Reserve fans don’t frequently gripe about the label delivering their favorite whiskey at a modest 90.4 proof, but on the sparing occasions when the Versailles, Kentucky, distillery opts to push the boundaries and produce cask-strength bourbon, it certainly always generates excitement. Now that we’ve had a chance to try the highest-proofed Woodford Reserve release ever, we can’t help but hope that singing its praises will result in a third Chocolate Whisper in the future.
This is one of the best Woodford Reserve releases we’ve ever tasted.
If you think this bottle has some serious vintage vibes, you’re on the right track. Old Commonwealth is on a hot streak of reviving brands, but for this Colonel Randolph 106-Proof bourbon, not only have they resurrected one of the early 90s most iconic labels, but they even enlisted the assistance of the man responsible for the OG to select the inaugural single-barrel offering for the brand: Gordon Hue.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried strawberries and cherry syrup notes perfume the air once you pour this whiskey, with a touch of dustiness, dense star anise aromas, black pepper, smoked honey, and faint milk chocolate-covered orange peels. After nosing this glass for 15 minutes, I’m pleased to report that this is one of my favorite noses ever on a bourbon.
Palate: The dustiness I picked up on the nose comes through on the palate, with a ton of caramel and faint leather notes, but the fruitiness is surprisingly restrained. However, those sweet, fruit-forward notes do still come through, and the flavor of strawberry saltwater taffy, vanilla ice cream, rosehip, clove cigarettes, and black pepper permeates each sip.
Finish: The finish is medium-length but leaves a resounding impression on the palate as smoked honey and crisp apple notes cling to your tongue and cause you to salivate, which leads to chewing the whiskey and mining every sip for those final flavors.
Bottom Line:
Colonel Randolph’s brand-new 16-year single-barrel bourbon was launched with a ton of hype and yet the nose on this whiskey manages to exceed that excitement in every way. It’s at that point before the initial sip that you should temper expectations, as the delicately nuanced palate performs famously but notably loses steam after its stellar nosing notes.
That said, this is one of the few costly bourbons that punches right at its price point, delivering a memorable experience that you’ll undoubtedly decide to savor at length.
Heaven Hill’s vaunted Heritage Collection, launched in 2022, has been home to some of the brand’s most hyper-aged and limited expressions over the past three years, and this year’s expression is truly special. Made from a mash bill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley, this 19-year wheat whiskey comes from 277 barrels that were laid down in August and September of 2005 and aged on the 5th and 6th floors of rickhouse Y.
Of note: this is the oldest wheat whiskey that Heaven Hill has ever released.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woah, what an instantly enthralling nose! Sweet oak, leather, fresh black cherries, cinnamon bark, sticky toffee, and tapioca pearls come emanating from the glass as soon as this whiskey is poured. It’s extremely effusive for such a modest proof point, with rich and distinct aromas worth extra time to enjoy.
Palate: Sugared Chelan cherries and significant leather kick off the flavor notes and soon milk chocolate trickles in with stewed peaches in brown sugar, Tahitian vanilla, wheat funk, and tapioca pearls again popping up on the palate. This has a surprisingly viscous, medium-bodied texture.
Finish: The moderate finish is full of vanilla and brown sugar peaches with a touch of tobacco leaf and faint leather that threatens to throw things out of balance before receding to reveal cinnamon and fading away.
Bottom Line:
Heaven Hill’s Heritage Collection causes quite a stir every spring, and while 2025’s announcement that we’d be seeing a 19-year Wheat Whiskey was met with cautious optimism, the results deserve liberal praise. This balanced, borderline decadent whiskey is everything fans had hoped for and more. It just serves as a notice that while Heaven Hill’s primary advantage over other distilleries is “time,” they can produce genuinely magical results when that edge is coupled with artful craftsmanship.
If your preferred protein at Chipotle is chicken, rejoice — because the brand just added a new chicken option to its menu that it’s calling “Chipotle Honey Chicken.” Yes, it includes the brand’s namesake in its name, so you know Chipotle strongly believes in this one (a wildly successful test run in Nashville and Sacramento last year probably helped boost that confidence). The new meat is available beginning today at all Chipotle restaurants nationwide. We’ve tasted it, and we’ve got thoughts, but before we get into that, let’s take some time to shout out the Smoked Brisket, which is now sadly unavailable.
The Smoked Brisket, which we named the second-best protein option at Chipotle, had to die so the Chipotle Honey Chicken could live. But we’re not mad about that — It only means we’re going to have to revamp our Best Chipotle Protein Ranking and slot this one in where it belongs.
For now, let’s deep dive into the Chipotle Honey Chicken and determine whether it’s worth inspiring a trip to Chipotle this weekend.
Chipotle Honey Chicken
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I sampled the Chipotle Honey Chicken in two different dishes, the burrito and quesadilla. I kept the burrito ingredients to a minimum to better taste the chicken, though after tasting how flavor packed this meat is, I didn’t need to do that. I have no doubt that no matter how complicated your build, the flavor here is going to cut through. My build consisted of pinto beans, white rice, red salsa, cheese, and lettuce — I think we can all agree on that being a pretty bland build, but the Chipotle Honey Chicken really brought in a lot of savory flavor to the mix, which I appreciate.
The Chipotle Honey Chicken has an earthy and herbaceous flavor, I’m tasting some mild zesty heat, floral peppery notes, oregano, and a dry smokiness with a sweet finish. The chicken itself is tender and melts in your mouth. Easily, I think this is Chipotle’s best chicken option ever. It absolutely dunks on the OG, and for those that remember the discontinued Pollo Asado, this tastes similar, but has a stronger emphasis on the smokey and herbaceous notes.
Dane Rivera
I was surprised by how different the dish tasted in a quesadilla. The quesadilla was pretty bare-bones, just tortilla, a whole lot of melted cheese, and the chicken, which really allowed the flavor of the meat to cut through and further emphasized both the smokey and sweet qualities. I love how savory this chicken is; it’s mouthwatering.
Considering how great it worked in a burrito and quesadilla, I imagine this protein option is going to taste great in a bowl, and as a taco, though the latter would be my last choice as this savory meat deserves a more indulgent build, and that’s tough to do on a small tortilla.
The Bottom Line:
Smokey and herbaceous with a touch of sweetness, Chipotle’s Chipotle Honey Chicken is in the running for the brand’s best protein option ever.
R&B is losing a lot of recipes lately. D’Wayne Wiggins, co-founder and member of R&B pioneer trio Tony! Toni! Toné!, has died from cancer at age 64.
The Oakland-based band is widely credited with the revival of “old-school” soul sounds in the ’80s and ’90s, constituting a precursor to the explosion of neo-soul in the mid-90s. Wiggins was the group’s lead vocalist alongside his brother, Charles Ray Wiggins — better known as Raphael Saadiq.
Despite only releasing four albums between 1988 and 1996, Tony! Toni! Toné! is one of the most pivotal groups in R&B/soul of the past three decades; their contributions extended far beyond the group’s disbandment in 1996 following the release of their fourth album.
As producers, Wiggins and Saadiq created with some of hip-hop and R&B’s most pivotal figures, including A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo, En Vogue, Snoop Dogg, and more. D’Wayne’s solo accomplishments include signing Destiny’s Child to his Grass Roots Entertainment imprint, recording and producing Keyshia Cole, and running the “House Of Music” studio, at which Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, India.Arie, Jamie Foxx, and more recorded.
With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D`Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones. Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer. Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.
D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California. He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.
For now, we ask that you continue to respect our privacy. We mourn with you, and are deeply grateful for your love and support.
In Solidarity, The Wiggins Family
Mack Keane is back. The young singer, who is the son of producer Tom Keane and actress/singer Paula Mulchay, returns today with his third project, Entries, and the understanding that it’s been a while since he released a project.
“I hadn’t put out music in a long time because I was stuck on this idea that it had to be a certain way,” he tells Uproxx over a Zoom call. “I realized it didn’t need to be a certain way. There’s no ‘way’ that this really has to be. It is the way I created it to be.”
This realization helped Keane take the necessary steps to craft Entries, a project he says marks the moment of “stepping into the next phase.”
“This concept came about very naturally with these journal entries that I was doing, where it was jotting down my feelings to a beat that I made,” he continued. “I made these little camcorder videos I was just posting them on socials for fun, and it just came about naturally where I was like, I can make this a thing. I could do a little mixtape, or a tape, or a project that’s these journal entries to reintroduce Mack in a way.”
Consider Keane’s mission accomplished.
Entries marks the return of Mack Keane soulful elegance through its ten songs that put the full realm of his artistry for the world to experience. His charming songwriting is back above the surface, but so are his impressive talents as a producer, something he believes fans will be taken aback by as his production contributions from his beloved Intersections EP with producer ESTA went under the radar.
“This [Entries] project is the first domino,” he notes on our call. I want my dominoes to keep falling from this point on.”
With Entries out now, we placed Mack Keane under the Uproxx Music 20 spotlight to learn more about her influences, inspirations, and aspirations. Scroll down to discover the best of Mack Keane.
My dad had a studio in our house growing up, he’s a songwriter, producer, and mixer. We had a studio in our garage growing up, and there were always different artists cycling in and out. In my earliest memory, I remember I was on his lap in the studio and there was a board, and then there was another computer to the left of me with his producing partner Roy. I forgot, honestly, exactly what artists they had in there, but it was just that. It was a very early memory, one of those memories that’s hazy, but yeah, I was just in the studio watching this stuff happen. I remember I was pretty scared though because I’m like, “Who are these people? What is this?” That’s my earliest memory of being in the world of music.
Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?
“Who” would be Stevie Wonder. I think that music, from the first moment I heard it, I was just like, “Wow, this is the best thing I’ve ever heard. I love this.”
To be honest, as long as I can remember, this is just what I wanted to do. I think I was raised in a very musical household, with both my parents as creatives and artists as singers, and it’s just what was around me and it’s all I saw and loved and wanted to do. I had such a fun time playing piano as a kid and singing, and it was like, “This is what I’m doing!” So, I would say family inspired me, and as an artist, Stevie Wonder.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
I play keys and drums. I’m trying to pick up the guitar, that’s been my one that I want to get nice with, but it is difficult. It’s a lot more technique-oriented. I need a teacher, for sure, but I’m trying to get the guitar right. I can kind of play, I could do chords and stuff, but I want to get better. I’d love to play the bass, that’s definitely one I want to play, and it would be sick to play the trumpet, honestly. That’d be tight.
That’s another thing: On Entries, the guitar was inspiring me for a lot of the songs. You could hear this guitar in everything on that project. This project has also been my journey of figuring out how to play guitar.
So, yeah: guitar, drums, keys… I want to learn bass. I want to learn trumpet. There’s this arpeggio thing that’s really sick that I want to learn. I think every instrument that you learn inspires the music that you make. So as I progress and learn another instrument, my songwriting is going to change, the music I make is going to change. I think that’s such a great way to step into a new phase of your art and your artist life. It teaches me a lot about me as an artist as I learn a new instrument.
What was your first job?
I went to college in New York, and I tried to do Postmates while I was in school, and that was really not working. I was in New York City, so I was going around trying to make that work. I also tried Rover as well. I’d say a more serious job was after college, I worked at a restaurant for a couple of years. I was a barista bartender at this restaurant for like two, two-and-a-half years. That was my first job, and it taught me a lot. Early mornings on my feet for like nine hours and I met so many personalities.
I can do latte art, but it also gave me a good appreciation for working in a restaurant with a team on your feet. It’s tiring, man. People work so hard in that industry, and really just don’t get paid a lot. Especially people in the kitchen, they’re there the full shift. I made a lot of friends that way. It was a fun environment.
What is your most prized possession?
I’m not the most material-oriented person, but if we’re talking about that, I would say my most prized possession would honestly be my Rhodes. That thing is very special to me. The fires out in LA that were happening, I was thinking, ‘Man, if the fire was coming here, what would I take?’ I’d probably take some photos, but other than that, I’m not too attached to some of those things.
What is your biggest fear?
On an existential level, my biggest fear would be at the end of my life, not feeling like I lived my life with purpose and authenticity. I think that is my biggest fear — not doing and living the way that I want to live when all is said and done. A different fear of mine is just swimming in the middle of the ocean with thousands of feet below me. Thinking about it makes me feel weird, but I’ve done it before and it’s weird.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
I’d probably go somewhere like Costa Rica and be amongst the forest and the beach. I’d probably have a dope crib in the jungle not too far from the beach. I’d have some of my best friends with me, definitely have music available, some substances, and just explore nature. See some animals and sh*t, walk to the beach, swim, go in the ocean, just be outside all day and enjoy it with my best friends, and just honestly, have a good time. When I want to, go walk over to a piano while I’m feeling kind of lit and sing and play some sh*t, maybe make some music, and eat good food. I’d probably have a fire chef cook up some crazy meals — breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe some Italian food, some Japanese food, and a fire breakfast, like some bougie, diner breakfast type sh*t. Fire, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and eggs, but honestly, that. Just celebrating with my friends in a beautiful place.
What is the best song you’ve ever made?
“Sophia.”
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Probably Severance. I’m watching Severance right now and I love that show. What I like about it is it deals with humans and our brains — the way we work, the way we think, our emotions, hiding emotions, showing emotions. It feels very human-oriented about the human experience. I think for me with my art, I definitely want to share the human experience in all forms, whether it’s my experience, a story I write and make a story about. I really like that about Severance.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
I would say, in terms of music, I really like how Kendrick [Lamar] kind of goes about things. He doesn’t really need to explain himself, other than with his music and his art, whether you like him or not. I really like the way he moves: It’s pretty under the radar, but he’s very consistent with his art and what’s true to him.
I like how Keanu Reeves moves low-key, he’s cool. He’s just a cool dude. He just does dope sh*t and he’s very normal. Again, I really like celebrities that have and show their humanity.
André 3000 is one, too. Erykah Badu, I love watching her interviews. But yeah, just people that just keep their humanity and completely are themselves, and you can see that they’re just trying to be the best version of themselves that they could be and not try to be somebody they’re not, or above people.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
Something nobody could change my mind about is that California is the best state. That’s kind of crazy [laughs]. People are gonna not like me for that. I love California, but you know, there’s give and take, but for the reasons why I love it.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life, and what do you love about it?
The first thing that comes to my head, just because of my own personal thing with it, would be “As” by Stevie Wonder. I think just the energy, the feeling, and what they captured in the studio at that time — because at the time it was all live — whatever energy they captured in that whole record is f*cking spiritual, it’s magical. It’s moved me multiple times as the song progresses, and just the feeling that they captured. I think that’s my favorite thing about records: It’s really capturing the moment and the feeling. It’s not “perfect,” but it’s perfect, you know what I mean?
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
Man, I haven’t performed in many cities, but as of now, I would say LA because it’s mainly where I perform. I’m really excited to tour for my first time. I’m really excited to do some shows in Europe, Paris, and London. Excited to do some shows in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago as well.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you.
D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, and Stevie Wonder.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I’ve asked myself that before, and I always come back down to: nothing. This is all that I would do, but if I had to think about other interests of mine? I love everything creative, like acting, writing, I’d like to be a part of films. I’d probably do something with nature preservation. I don’t know what that would look like, but probably traveling the world, helping in some aspect. I really don’t know what that job would look like or what it would be called, but something that allows me to travel and help with nature preservation.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
Five years into the past because I would like to take the knowledge that I have now and give it to my younger self, so that I could be more present in my life, enjoy it, and be grateful for the people that I have around me, and some of the people that maybe I don’t have around me now. I’d like to cherish that more.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
I would probably just be like, “Yo, it’s gonna be okay. Just stop caring about what other people may or may not think. Stop trying to please people and focus on yourself and your energy and being the best you could be.” Yeah, just stop people-pleasing.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I would like it to be remembered as a soundtrack to people’s lives, different eras of their lives. When I think of my favorite artists, it captures a moment of my life, and it almost reminds me of who I was and who I am. So yeah, I would like it to be remembered as a soundtrack to an era of somebody’s life. Whether it was falling in love, them going through a break-up, family troubles, an area of their life that was depressed and it helped them move forward. So just as a healer.
Entries is out now via Mack Keane/Ditto. Find more information here.
Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to having people mad at him about things he says on ESPN’s airwaves (or his podcast, or Fox News), but typically the backlash he faces is on social media. On Thursday night in Los Angeles, it was much more direct and face-to-face when LeBron James came over to Smith after the Lakers comeback win in overtime over the Knicks and confronted ESPN’s biggest personality.
Video of the brief but clearly tense interaction went viral on social media, and on Friday morning Smith spoke about it on First Take. According to Smith, it had nothing to do with Smith’s recent comments about James that prompted LeBron to respond on social media or the never-ending GOAT debate or anything like that. Instead it was about comments Smith has made about Bronny, and LeBron saying, in words Smith couldn’t repeat because the FCC wouldn’t allow it, that he needs to watch what he’s saying about his son.
Did this need to be a 10-minute long segment? Of course not, but despite his insistence he wasn’t going to discuss the conversation on the show, Smith got the absolute most out of it. Smith chose his usual method of defending himself by insisting there are better ways to get in contact with him to have a conversation about things, which is particularly funny because LeBron opted for the most direct route for getting in contact with him: walking straight up to him and talking to him face-to-face in a public setting. Also, it’s pretty clear LeBron wasn’t trying to engage in some intellectual debate about the merits of Smith’s arguments, but to make a very stern and clear point.
Smith continued on to explain the comments he’d made and why they weren’t attacks on Bronny but rather more comments on LeBron and how he was handling the situation. That may be true, but it’s not surprising that LeBron would take a moment to send a message to Smith as a father without caring all that much about the nuance or context of everything Smith has said.
A highlight of Griff‘s headlining Vertigo tour and supporting slot on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet Tour was “Last Night’s Mascara.” The fan-favorite track has over 23 million streams on Spotify after nearly being lost in a pile of demos (it was an “album reject song,” as Griff put it). On Friday (March 7), the “Tears For Fun” singer released a music video for the cathartic song.
“It’s definitely a continuation of Vertigo, but I’m not boxing it in,” Griff said about “Last Night’s Mascara” to Rolling Stone. “It’s kind of just there. Again, it’s a bit of an experiment, so it’s not that defined in any kind of spot. But I like the idea that people could discover ‘Last Night’s Mascara’ and go back to the album and still love it in the same way and hear the same emotions and feelings. I think now I’m just in a spot where the pressure’s off. The debut album suffocating cloud is gone now.”
Ahead of releasing that debut album, Vertigo, Griff spoke to Uproxx about her love of pop music. “As soon as I learned to play chords [on the piano], I felt like I knew everything I needed to know,” she said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Oh, I can cover and sing anything I want to now,’ because most pop songs are four chords. That was a big eureka moment for me when I started to neglect all the classical stuff. I just wanted to sing and play pop songs.”
You can watch the “Last Night’s Mascara” video, directed by Candice Lo, above.
There were only two good things that happened in the first six months of 2020. One was Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite winning Best Picture. The other: Robert Pattinson blowing up his microwave while trying to invent a pasta dish involving cornflakes and nine packs of pre-sliced cheese. Would it surprise you that, five years later, these two isolated incidents are now connected?
This weekend sees the release of Mickey 17, the long-delayed sci-fi dark comedy directed by Bong and starring Pattinson and… Pattinson. It also brings the end to another wild press tour, where the actor has talked about everything from “scent dyslexia” to his preference of getting a dog over visiting space (?), and participated in a viral TikTok game involving a cow.
Here’s the thing about Robert Pattinson: he’s a great actor, someone who excels at action (The Batman), comedy (The Lighthouse; yes, it’s a comedy), sci-fi drama (High Life), Westerns (Damsel), animation (The Boy and the Heron), and panic attacks (Good Times). But he’s also a total weirdo. Let it be known that I say this with complete and utter affection. Admiration even.
Take an incident that happened in 2011. During an interview with Matt Lauer (I must reiterate: this was 2011) on Today, Pattinson told a story about witnessing a clown car blowing up at the circus. “The little car exploded — the joke car exploded on him. Yeah, seriously,” he said. “Everyone ran out. It was terrifying… The only time I’ve ever been to a circus.” Over a decade later, Pattinson confessed he made the whole thing up. “There was absolutely no hesitation at all [in my voice],” he said in 2024 after revisiting the interview. “I’m like, ‘What on earth? Are you possessed?’ The only thing people would ever ask me about was being famous. You go into, like, a fugue state.”
This is not the only thing that Pattinson has made up because a) he was bored, and b) he’s a scamp:
Did Mr. Waterhouse lie about watching a horror movie while holding “two kitchen knives” because he was scared someone was going to break into his house? We’ll find out someday!
No offense to Timothée Chalamet, who was very good at playing Bob Dylan, but Pattinson better embodies the singer’s mischievous “I was with the carnival off and on for six years” spirit. He understands that sometimes a ridiculous lie is better than the boring truth.
Pattinson’s freakiness (not that kind; now who’s the freak?) extends beyond making sh*t up, though.
A-list stars typically don’t conceal their recognizable pipes when they’re doing voiceover work for an animated movie. Not Pattinson, though. In The Boy and The Heron, he sounds like he’s regurgitating a pile of cigarettes. He also loves doing (non-problematic) accents — the wilder, the better. Pattinson refused a dialect coach for The Devil All The Time, where he plays a fire-and-brimstone Southern reverend, and didn’t let anyone in the cast and crew hear the (insane) voice he came up with until the first day of shooting. More actors should listen to that “little gremlin” inside of them, and take wild swings like finding inspiration from Ren and Stimpy mixed with Steve Buscemi in Fargo.
There’s something Pattinson loves even more than weird accents, however: playing freaky lil’ guys. “In the last five or six years, I’ve almost exclusively played weirdos,” he said, presumably proudly, to Vanity Fair in 2020. And that was before he portrayed cinema’s most notorious loner weirdo.
The early, overwhelming success of Twilight has allowed Pattinson a creative (and financial) freedom that really only Kristen Stewart and Daniel Radcliffe can relate to. He wants “to do strange things,” and auteur filmmakers like Claire Denis, Robert Eggers, and Christopher Nolan are thrilled to work with him for his talent and for “the madness in his eyes,” as Bong told USA Today.
In that sense, Mickey 17, which features Pattinson playing multiple versions of the same character, is the perfect movie for him. He’s finally found someone who can match his freak: himself.
From The Private Collection Of Saba & No ID is one of the most highly anticipated projects in hip-hop. After multiple false starts, the Chicago rapper-producer tandem has, at long last, revealed its expected release date: March 18.
In a short video called “The Darkroom – Chapter I,” Saba offers his thoughts on the process in a voiceover. Using the metaphor of learning old-school photography and developing film negatives in a darkroom, Saba narrates, “I metered correctly. I Google F-stop. I learned about aperture, ISO. We took a class, it’s gotta be something in here worth using. It’s me, I’m good at sh*t.”
However, he’s got some frustrations with his partner, who is also working behind him. “Meanwhile, he ain’t got a worry in the world,” Saba huffs. “His ass really nice like that, huh?” Saba’s intensity gets the better of him, though, as he drops several rolls of film. The elder calms him down, reminding him, “We got this… You just gotta know what you’re looking for.”
If this is a glimpse of their actual working dynamic, it’s no wonder there’ve been so many delays. Saba and No ID have put out a slew of singles over the last two years — “Back In Office,” “Hue_man Nature,” “Head.Rap,” “How To Impress God,” and “Woes Of The World” — but if Saba’s really such a perfectionist, it’s a good thing the OG, No ID, is right next to him. Otherwise, we might not get a release ever.
You can watch “The Darkroom – Chapter 1” above.
From The Private Collection Of Saba & No ID is due on 3/18 via ARTium Recordings/Pivot Gang Records, LLC. You can find more info here.
Canadian country musician Cameron Whitcomb has been busy since his time as a contestant on American Idol in 2022. After leaving the show, the 21-year-old got to work and released his debut EP, Quitter, in late 2024. He has a handful of singles to his name, most of which have landed on the US Rock and/or Canadian charts. Now, he has another candidate.
Today (March 7), Whitcomb shared “Options,” a dynamic track that fans of Mumford & Sons and Zach Bryan should enjoy. Whitcomb says of the song, “I think a huge part of what keeps me sober is knowing I’m in control. Knowing my life will be whatever I make it. My entire career, my sobriety, my choices are up to me. I have options.”
Listen to “Options” above. Below, find Whitcomb’s upcoming tour dates.
Cameron Whitcomb’s 2025 Tour Dates: Hundred Mile High Tour
03/13 — Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
03/14 — Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
03/15 — Columbia, SC @ St. Pat’s in Five Points
03/16 — Myrtle Beach, SC @ Boathouse
03/19 — Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
03/20 — Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
03/21 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
03/22 — Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
03/24 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/26 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre
03/27 — Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/28 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/29 — Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy at Mahall’s
03/31 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
04/02 — Oxford, OH @ Brick Street
04/03 — Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
04/04 — Indianapolis, IN @ HI–FI Indy
04/05 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
04/09 — St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
04/10 — Chattanooga, TN @ Barrelhouse Ballroom
04/11 — Winterville, GA @ Georgia Rodeo
04/12 — Opelika, AL @ Auburn Rodeo
04/22 — Perth, Australia @ Freo.Social *
04/23 — Perth, Australia @ Freo.Social *
04/25 — Adelaide, Australia @ Lion Arts Factory *
04/26 — Melbourne, Australia @ Forum Theatre *
04/27 — Melbourne, Australia @ Forum Theatre
04/29 — Sydney, Australia @ Roundhouse *
04/30 — Sydney, Australia @ Roundhouse
05/01 — Brisbane, Australia @ The Fortitude Music Hall
* supporting Sam Barber
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