Steven and Ian begin today’s episode by celebrating the recent Oscar win for Daniel Blumberg, who picked up a trophy for scoring the The Brutalist, and his apparently disavowed past as the frontman for underrated early 2010s indie-rock band Yuck. The guys stay on the “Remember Some Guys” tip by noting this week’s reunion news for The Beta Band, who will also be reissuing their beloved 1998 album The Three EPs.
After that they discuss the recent album announcement from Car Seat Headrest, their first in five years, and assess the current state of this late-2010s favorite. They also review the new Jason Isbell album out today, Foxes In The Snow.
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the latest from Baths and Steven (in matters unrelated to personal hygiene) recommends the new album from The Tubs.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 229 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
It’d be reductive and silly to compare Hanumankind‘s electrifying “Run It Up” video to Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man, but it’s a good starting place (also, the rapper takes his name from the ape-like Hindu deity, so yeah, he’s technically a “monkey man”). Both highlight and center Indian martial arts, particularly as a form of resistance to oppressive power structures. Both are intense, pulse-pounding visuals depicting the release of pent-up, justified rage from people who’ve historically been denied rights and opportunities. And both have absolutely banging soundtracks, Hanumankind’s provided by producer Kalmi, who draws from both traditional instruments and the hard-hitting sounds of southern rap.
“Run It Up” is the Texas-bred rapper’s second single, following up on the breakout success of his 2024 track “Big Dawgs,” which attracted the attention of ASAP Rocky. Rocky appears on the song’s remix, released last December. Along with its compelling video, “Run It Up” raises the profile of the India-born rapper, who shot both of his recent videos in his hometown, Malappura, Kerala. He’s got undeniable star power, and an agenda that includes more than just his own personal success. That’s a formula for a winner. With his last album, Surface Level, releasing in 2020, the time is ripe for him to stake a claim as one of the most exciting voices in hip-hop today.
Of all the iconic rapper-producer combos in hip-hop, there are few as tightly bonded as Gunna and Turbo. Turbo was one of the few longtime collaborators who stuck by Gunna’s side after he got out of jail, and whenever Turbo gears up to release new music, Gunna always seems to be his first call.
That trend continues with “Classy Girl,” Turbo’s newest single. The song features a bouncy beat, atypical for Gunna’s usual preference for murky trap, but Gunna glides easily on the track, detailing his perfect lady and all the things he’s willing to do for her.
Those things include (but hopefully aren’t limited to): “Takin’ trips to Barbados,” “Takin’ flights out to Europe,” “Stop at Hermès, spend euros,” and “in Bottega, matchin’ slippers to your robe.” Clearly, a lot of travel and a lot of designer shopping.
Gunna and Turbo previewed “Classy Girl” in a surprising venue, dropping by the newly launched Unrivaled women’s 3-on-3 basketball league in Miami, where Gunna seemingly shot his shot at WNBA star and Unrivaled player Angel Reese. While taking in the game action, Gunna and Turbo also sat for an interview with the league’s Chief Growth Officer Chloe Pavlech, explaining they made the song during a trip to Turks & Caico.
Lady Gaga has been rolling out her new album, Mayhem, since October, when she released its first single, “Disease,” after completing press for Joker: Folie À Deux. Since then, she’s released another single, “Abracadabra,” and revealed her August collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile,” is also on Mayhem.
Now that the album is out, one track getting plenty of attention is the aggressive cut, “The Beast.” Where plenty of Gaga’s songs are hard-charging, upbeat dance tracks, “The Beast” is a slower call-to-action, imploring a lover, “Turn on the music / Turn off the lights / I wanna feel the beast inside / I know you’re hungry, ready to bite / I wanna watch you turn tonight / I wanna feel the beast inside.”
“The Beast” isn’t the singer’s only creative curveball this week, though. With her latest turn on Saturday Night Live coming up this weekend, Gaga penned a few funny phrases at the piano in the episode’s promo sketch. Channeling the spirit of Randy Newman, she sang what she saw in the SNL offices, but with a biting honesty that turned her simiple observations into savage reads of the cast. You can check out her comedic and musical chops this Saturday, March 8, and listen to Lady Gaga’s new song “The Beast” above.
Mayhem is out now via Interscope Records. You can find more info here.
NBA hopeful turned rapper Gelo (also known as LiAngelo Ball) looks like he’s taking his music career seriously, despite the meme-ready roots of his breakout single “Tweaker.” Not resting on his laurels, Gelo has dropped his new single, “Can You Please?” featuring one of hip-hop’s hottest names at the moment: Memphis rapper GloRilla. Like “Tweaker,” “Can You Please?” embraces a throwback aesthetic, evoking the Cash Money Records ’99-2000 run, which helped sow the seeds of the modern confluence of melody with the genre’s rhythmic rules.
Meanwhile, thanks to “Tweaker,” Gelo was the only one of his brothers to perform at the All-Star Game — although, technically, he wasn’t actually in the game itself. Things are looking up for him, too; in addition to signing to Def Jam, he’ll be performing in front of a hometown crowd at Rolling Loud next week.
You can watch Gelo’s “Can You Please?” video featuring GloRilla above.
Jennie’s debut solo album Ruby is officially out, and with it, a slew of long-awaited collaborations between the Blackpink star and some of music’s hottest voices. While “ExtraL” featuring Doechii and “Love Hangover” with Dominic Fike were already released, now that the album’s out, fans finally get to hear songs like “Damn Right” featuring Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis and “Handlebars” with Dua Lipa.
In the latter, love is just like riding a bike — complete with the hard stop when you crash into someone you just can’t help but fall for. “I always go all in, all in, all in,” sings Jennie, “Over the handlebars / Hitting the ground so hard / If I’m alone, fallin’, fallin’, fallin’.” It’s an evocative image, the kind anyone who’s been in a one-sided crush can relate to. Producer Rob Bisel gives the duo a slinky, drum-driven instrumental, calling to mind the out-of-control beating of a heart that can’t help but pine for someone against all better judgment. In that sense, there’s certainly a powerful throughline for Ruby, from “Mantra” to “Handlebars.” Love can be intoxicating, but you should always handle with care.
You can listen to Jennie’s “Handlebars” featuring Dua Lipa above.
Ruby is out now via Odd Atelier/Columbia Records. You can find more info here.
BTS member J-Hope is just one of a whole wave of K-pop stars who are breaking out on their own after beginning their careers in groups, and like his bandmates RM, Jungkook, and Jin, he’s kicking off this phase of his solo career with a bang. After previously collaborating with a diverse range of rappers, including J. Cole and Don Toliver, he looks to the R&B world on his latest single, “Sweet Dreams” featuring Miguel.
In the surreal music video for the inviting song, a house goes flying through the sky over an idyllic suburban neighborhood (a la Disney’s Up, only without the balloons and existential trauma of the first ten minutes).
J-Hope’s solo career is expanding in more ways than one. The singer is currently on his first-ever headlining tour, which just completed its South Korean swing and is headed for the United States beginning next week. After hitting a handful of North American cities including New York, Mexico City, and Los Angeles, he’s hopping back across the pond for a run of dates in Southeast Asia, including Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, and Osaka.
You can watch the video for J-Hope’s new single “Sweet Dreams” featuring Miguel above.
For years, Charles Barkley has enjoyed taking jabs at TNT’s NBA broadcast counterparts at ESPN. In recent years, his frustration has focused on ESPN’s insistence on talking constantly about the Lakers and Warriors, even when they’ve been on the periphery of the playoff discussion, rather than focusing most of the conversation on the teams at the very top of the league.
Right now, the Lakers and Warriors are two of the hottest teams in the NBA, pushing to second and sixth respectively in the West after big trade deadline acquisitions, but Barkley still thinks ESPN has spent too much airtime discussing those two teams. His biggest problem is with Kendrick Perkins, who both Chuck and Shaq have enjoyed taking shots at over the years, after Perk proclaimed the Lakers have “saved the NBA season” by getting Luka Doncic and making a push to the 2-seed in the West.
On Thursday night, Barkley called Perkins an “idiot and a fool” but also went on a much broader rant about ESPN’s obsession with the Lakers, Warriors, and the never-ending LeBron-Jordan debate — while also joking about how they’re going to be part of the network next year.
Chuck: I saw a fool, idiot talking about how the Lakers saved the NBA. Yeah, he’s an idiot and a fool. What’s his name, Shaq?
Shaq: Which one you talkin about?
Chuck: Kendrick Perkins. He said that. First off, the Lakers are having a great two weeks. He said the Lakers saved the NBA season. That’s because the fools on the other network, who we’re gonna be working for next year, that’s all they talk about. Let me tell y’all something — and I want all the smoke. I don’t whistle when I walk by the graveyard or anything like that.
Hey man, the Lakers are doing great. Got a long way to go, the reason the season’s been going great for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Y’all just wanna talk about the Warriors and the Lakers. They’ve both been doing great, don’t get me wrong. If I turn out to be wrong, I got no problem with that. But y’all are idiots cause y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 12 straight games. The Oklahoma City got the MVP and they are on fire. Y’all are talkin’ about whose in second place. That’s why I get pissed. The Lakers are doing great, I don’t mind being wrong. The Warriors are doing great, but that’s cause you fools on the other network, which we’re gonna become fools next year cause we’re gonna be working on that network, but Oklahoma City and the Cavs have been ballin’ for six months. Y’all talking about teams that had two great weeks. Because they talk about the same stuff every single day…
Between that and this lame ass LeBron-Michael Jordan debate, which is lame and I’ve said it for years. The only people that talk about LeBron and Michael is people on television who got no talent to talk about anything else. I ain’t hanging onto the 90s. I’ve always said LeBron’s great and Michael’s great. But y’all talk about it all the time.
If nothing else, Chuck’s rant delighted Shaq, but he also speaks to frustrations a lot of fans have about the way the league is covered by the biggest shows, most of which are on ESPN. There’s certainly reasons for that, as anyone that works in the NBA content industry knows there are teams and players that always drive traffic and interest, but Barkley is right that it’s also the job to highlight the great stories beyond those. This year, as Barkley points out, the two best stories are the dominance of the Thunder and Cavs.
I do fully understand why right now there’d be plenty of discussion of the Lakers and Warriors as they both look the part of contenders of late and made the two biggest midseason additions. At the same time, saying the Lakers “saved the NBA” this season is pretty outrageous by Perk and Barkley is far from the first person this week to take issue with that take. Perk, unsurprisingly, didn’t appreciate Barkley’s comments and posted to Twitter in response.
Selecting the best bourbon in any single year is challenging.
It requires tasting north of 100 bottles, assessing them all for nosing and tasting notes, and finding a way to organize and rank each of those selections in a tidy list. Okay, it is a ton of fun along the way, but at the end of the day, it’s much harder than it sounds!
Now, try plumbing the depths of recent history to determine the best bourbon of every year for the last quarter-century. Or rather, sit back and read all about it because that’s precisely what I decided to do.
Looking back into the history books and assessing past releases helps us understand the trajectory the industry has been on now that we’ve reached the silver anniversary of the century. It also allows us to understand trends, make quality judgments as to whether things are on an upswing, a decline, or remaining steady, and, finally, it’s damn fun.
A good portion of being a whiskey enthusiast is simply engaging in debates about our preferences and the perceived qualities of various expressions. So, today, we’ll unsheath our proverbial swords and defend these selections to the death!
Or, at the least, we’ll lay them out in a tidy list and encourage you to reminisce on these iconic bourbons of yesteryear. The complete list will show how great things have been over the last 25 years, and we hope it’ll help put recently released expressions in a better context.
Enough yammering. Let’s dive right into our complete list of the best bourbons from each of the last 25 years!
Today, we all know William Larue Weller’s quality is nearly unrivaled, but in 2000, the brand was just starting, and what a way to kick things off! Despite only clocking in at 90 proof, this future icon of the bourbon world jump-started the new millennium with a bang thanks to this stunning 19-year-old bourbon, which was distilled in the fall of 1980 at none other than the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery.
2001’s Bourbon Of The Year: Wild Turkey 17-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Wild Turkey bourbon with a 17-year age statement was something the world hadn’t seen back in 2001. We’ve since been blessed with two gems in the Master’s Keep lineup (the initial release in 2015 and Master’s Keep 17-Year Bottled In Bond), but this 2001 offering is definitely the best of the well-aged bunch.
The world’s foremost Wild Turkey historian, David Jennings, said of this release, “The 2001 17-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon is truly a masterpiece for those that appreciate mature bourbon whiskey.” We’re inclined to agree.
2002’s Bourbon Of The Year: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The first release of Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon was a total game-changer. The annual release was created to honor Old Forester’s founder, George Garvin Brown. Still, beyond doing that, it succeeded in giving Old Forester fans a limited release to anticipate each year excitedly. While President’s Choice has emerged as a better bottle in modern times, enthusiasts still eagerly seek out this expression thanks to the reputation it built on stellar early releases like this one.
2003’s Bourbon Of The Year: A.H. Hirsch 16-Year Gold Foil Bourbon
If you want to talk about legendary American whiskey, there’s simply no overlooking what one writer called: “the best bourbon you’ll never taste.” 2003 was a different era in the bourbon world, one where the rise of the internet had a major impact on how people consumed both the potable brown liquid they loved and information about said liquid.
Thanks to a convergence of internet forums, bourbon groups, and what was at the time a mysterious and overlooked series of bottlings from A.H. Hirsch, the legend of this expression was born. By the time word got out about how good these expressions were, the stock was dwindling, and one of, if not the first, limited bourbon to be hunted into extinction thanks to internet hype disappeared from shelves.
Dusty hunters — the name reserved for bourbon fans who obsessively seek out vintage expressions — should be aware that 2004 saw two versions of this release, one for the domestic market and another for the export market. Pictured above is the bottle generally considered the better of the two, which was reserved for the export market.
In the early 2000s, and even before then, Wild Turkey and other brands kept the lights on by supplying foreign markets with some of their best bourbon. Domestic consumers were not interested in the stuff, whereas places like Japan and Australia couldn’t get enough. As a result, some of the most legendary bottles from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s were created to be sent overseas. The export version of Wild Turkey Tribute is a prime example.
2005’s Bourbon Of The Year: Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year Bourbon
This was the year that “Pappy” replaced the Old Rip Van Winkle 15-Year Bourbon, and while observers at the time weren’t pleased with the switch (does anyone in the bourbon world like change?), history has been kind to our dear old Pappy. This, of course, would go on to become one of the defining expressions of the aughts and the bourbon world at large, winning lavish praise from the late Anthony Bourdain, earning marks as one of the best American whiskeys of all time, and spawning heists, documentaries, and knockoff versions along the way.
2006’s Bourbon Of The Year: Wild Turkey Master Distiller Selection (Export)
Is this the best Wild Turkey bourbon of all time? Many people, including this professional whiskey critic, seem to think so. While the specs on this release are impressive, aged for 14 years and bottled at 107 proof, they aren’t particularly special on their own. On the other hand, the liquid in this unassuming bottle is perhaps the finest bourbon Wild Turkey has ever released.
While it was reserved for the export market, thanks to domestic Wild Turkey nuts, many of these bottles were repatriated to the United States and now fetch sums north of $1,500.
2007’s Bourbon Of The Year: Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
I want you to close your eyes and imagine a time when it was taboo to release American whiskey with a big fat age statement. It wasn’t uncommon for consumers at the time to think that older bourbon was actually of a lower quality; after all, if it was so good, then why did it sit around unsold for a decade or more?
Luckily, Michter’s knew then what we know now — some of that liquid is absolutely magical, and they were one of the few brands pushing for double-digit age statements and premiumization at a time when even many legacy distilleries were still playing catch up. The superlative quality of Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon (and rye) is a testament to that forward thinking.
2008’s Bourbon Of The Year: Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23-Year Bourbon
By this time, Pappy Van Winkle had won over hardcore bourbon fans and was just beginning to pierce the zeitgeist. Though it was still four years away from Anthony Bourdain espousing its greatness on his hit show “The Layover,” rumors had begun to swirl that the brand’s stock of Stitzel-Weller whiskey was drying up, and enthusiasts began, well, enthusiastically seeking out the last of these bottles.
Wild Turkey’s 14-Year Tradition release genuinely doesn’t get enough love in the brand’s storied history. It clocks in at Wild Turkey’s iconic 101 proof point and features 14-year-old distillate, which is exciting on its own, but it also comes housed in what may be the most beautiful, ornate package of any Wild Turkey expression. Historians compare this one favorably to some of Wild Turkey’s best, and if it’s among Wild Turkey’s best, then you know it deserves a spot on this list.
As an honorable mention for this year, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give a nod to the stunning third edition of Parker’s Heritage: Golden Anniversary.
2010’s Bourbon Of The Year: Jefferson’s Presidential 18-Year-Old Select
Jefferson’s Bourbon hit the market hard with early releases of Stitzel-Weller sourced bourbon, which was an instant sensation. This 18-year-old bourbon was “aged in Stitzel-Weller” barrels, though the source of the liquid is a bit murkier, and we can probably assume, thanks to that dodgy wording, that this one did not actually feature Stitzel-Weller whiskey. In any case, there’s no denying that this outstanding expression from 2010 won over whiskey fans.
Though it wasn’t the best of those early Jefferson’s Presidential Select offerings, it was certainly significant enough to win Bourbon of the Year in 2010.
2011’s Bourbon Of The Year: Elijah Craig 20-Year Bourbon
Looking back from our perch in 2025, it’s fascinating to see the number of alleged and proven expressions that have sourced 20-year-old bourbon from Heaven Hill. Back in 2011, the brand was treating us to that liquid itself, courtesy of this hyper-aged Elijah Craig expression, which helped put the brand on the map. It would go on to win “whiskey of the year” commendations from one of the most prominent trade magazines at the time.
While Elijah Craig has since sunsetted its 20-year-old offering, there are unconfirmed rumors that there’s still some 20-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon floating around in other bottlings from brands like Oakley, Watch Hill Proper, and Willett.
Also of note, as an honorable mention this year, the Colonel E.H. Taylor brand released what is perhaps its most famed expression: The Tornado Surviving Batch.
2012’s Bourbon Of The Year: Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon
Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon is one of the best bourbons ever produced. Full stop. When it was initially released in 2012 to the tune of $450, Michter’s was way ahead of the curve in terms of releasing both hyper-aged bourbon and rye whiskeys. Few brands had the inventory or interest in producing such well-aged whiskey; indeed, few newer brands ventured even to try. Thirteen years later, after being named the world’s most admired whiskey brand, Michter’s prescient planning has clearly paid off, and this is one of the bottles that set that success in motion.
Another notable release from 2012 that was a bit outgunned but still worthy of an honorable mention: the first edition of Elijah Craig’s celebrated Barrel Proof Bourbon batches.
2013’s Bourbon Of The Year: Four Roses Limited Edition 125th
Honestly, this was the thinnest hair we split on this list. In 2013, whiskey fans were in for a seriously delicious duo of allocated releases in Four Roses Limited Edition and Parker’s Heritage Promise of Hope. Despite that stiff competition, we’re giving the slight edge to Four Roses, who released one of their Limited Edition Small Batch’s most extraordinary bottlings, this 125th Anniversary Edition.
2014’s Bourbon Of The Year: Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon
Booker’s has repeatedly done well when celebrating anniversaries. Honoring Booker’s legacy began at the ten-year mark, and despite skipping its 20th anniversary, the good folks at Beam captured lightning in a bottle for this release on its 25th anniversary. This bottle is still heralded as one of, if not the best, Booker’s bourbon of all time. Such high praise is certainly worthy of naming it the best bourbon of 2014.
2015’s Bourbon Of The Year: Russell’s Reserve 1998
You might’ve noticed by now that legacy distilleries dominated the early 2000s. This was before the bourbon boom kicked off the wave of craft distilleries across the country that now find themselves on the cutting edge of bourbon’s (supposedly near-bursting) bubble. The tides may be changing, but whether we’re talking about ten years ago or today, Wild Turkey is a large part of this conversation, and its fifth entry on this list is easily one of its best.
2015 also saw the debut of the Master’s Keep lineup and yet another stellar Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, two expressions worthy of the top spot in many other years…just not one in which Russell’s Reserve 1998 was released. Even with the recent addition of Russell’s Reserve 15 to the lineup, this remains the most outstanding Russell’s bourbon to date and one of the best Wild Turkey offerings of all time.
2016’s Bourbon Of The Year: Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2016
2016 was a banner year for bourbon fans as we welcomed the initial release of Old Forester’s 1920 expression. It’s a bold and flavorful bourbon that continues to win fans today as a mid-shelf workhorse, capable of besting more expensive bourbons in a blind tasting. It’d take a real powerhouse bourbon to shine brighter than that bottle’s debut, and Four Roses Limited Edition Small batch is the expression above all others that fits the bill.
Four Roses was really ascending to the peak of its game around this time, with Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge passing the reigns to his successor Brent Elliott the year before. For one of Elliott’s first tricks, he managed to outdo the entire bourbon world with this potent blend of two 12-year bourbons and one 16-year bourbon from two mash bills: OESO and OESK.
2017’s Bourbon Of The Year: Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon
It’s said that Al Young was one of those paternal figures who had a way of charming and disarming anyone he met. Whether in an ambassador role or leading single barrel selections, the man made a significant impression on Four Roses fans. His 50 years of service for the brand were honored in 2017 with the release of this special limited edition bottle, which belongs on a short list of the greatest Four Roses expressions ever made.
2018’s Bourbon Of The Year: Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon
Booker’s 30th, the well-received follow-up to 2014’s Booker’s 25th, was a release that immediately entered the pantheon of all-time great bourbons from the Jim Beam Distillery. With 70% of the liquid coming from nine-year stock and the remaining 30% from barrels aged for at least 16 years, the age only tells one part of the story. The whiskey itself is as bold and unrelenting as the legacy of the man whose name adorns every bottle.
Honorable mentions from that year included two formidable challengers: Russell’s Reserve 2002, a release that nearly soared to the heights of the fabulous Russell’s Reserve 1998 three years prior, and the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon’s 130th Anniversary bottling.
All hail the King! After debuting in 2018, Brown-Forman beefed up the number of King of Kentucky bottles released into the wild. While the initial release certainly caught folks’ attention, with fewer than 1,000 bottles available, it wasn’t widely celebrated. The 2019 release changed all that, as it featured over 2,000 bottles (limited to the Kentucky market) from 27 single barrels, many considered the best of Brown-Forman’s modern bourbon output.
2020’s Bourbon Of The Year: Colonel E.H. Taylor 18-Year Marriage
This whiskey, which began its life in 2002, is still the only age-stated release from the E.H. Taylor lineup, and it’s also one of the best ever. One of the things that makes it unique, in addition to its impressive age, is that it features a blend of all three of Buffalo Trace’s mash bills.
Colonel E.H. Taylor’s offerings are always popular releases from one of bourbon’s biggest brands, and with the lone exception of its first release and the Tornado Surviving batch, this is the most sought-after whiskey from the lineup.
2021’s Bourbon Of The Year: Russell’s Reserve 13-Year Bourbon
Russell’s Reserve bourbon, by 2021, had become a much-beloved expression, championed by whiskey enthusiasts in the know for representing some of Wild Turkey’s best readily available stock. So, when the news broke that the brand would be putting out a new age-stated product, the hype machine flew into overdrive. By the time this bourbon finally hit shelves, in an impressive price range of $80, fans were in a frenzy.
Hype alone, however, isn’t enough for you to win bourbon of the year. Needless to say, Wild Turkey delivered the goods, and it’s been rumored that this expression was filled with liquid that matured for much longer than 13 years and one day, which helps explain its superlative quality.
2022’s Bourbon Of The Year: Rare Character Obliteration
It’s highly atypical for such a new brand to claim the top spot on “bourbon of the year” lists, but this rare W for Rare Character is warranted. What we have here is 14-year-old bourbon, bottled at a staggering 143.8 proof and hailing from Indiana — but here’s the kicker — this expression was so-named because during a period spent resting in California’s wine country, an exceptional lot of barrels managed to survive wildfires that left them almost entirely depleted of the bourbon inside.
Producing only 36 bottles and initially selling for $600, the legend of this release has since grown astronomically. The popular consensus for 2022’s bourbon of the year might belong to the highly impressive Old Fitzgerald 17-Year Bottled in Bond Decanter Series Bourbon, and we don’t blame most people who feel that way. However, if anyone tells you that Rare Character’s Obliteration wasn’t the best bourbon of 2022, they haven’t tried it yet.
2023’s Bourbon Of The Year: Eagle Rare 25-Year Bourbon
Many people thought 25-year-old bourbon was a thing of the past. With shifting production methods, increased demand, and skyrocketing prices on one side of the ledger and the intense impact of new American oak on the other, it would have been reasonable to assume that distilleries would forego even attempting the feat. Buffalo Trace, however, is not most distilleries.
Utilizing the innovative Warehouse P, one of the distillery’s two experimental warehouses, Buffalo Trace took barrels earmarked for its 20-year-old Double Eagle Very Rare expression and matured them in the temperature-controlled experimental rickhouse for the final stage of its life. The resulting whiskey is expensive but undeniably magnificent.
2024’s Bourbon Of The Year: Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon
The latest edition of Michter’s 20 is every bit as dazzling as previous releases, and that’s about as impressive as Lebron being in the conversation for GOAT with Michael Jordan. In a year full of strong competition (namely from Wild Turkey and Rare Character), there could only be one bourbon to stand above them all, and Michter’s 20 managed to outclass the field with one of its most premium expressions.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been the hottest team in the NBA since the trade deadline, winning nine of their 10 games since acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas in a stunning middle of the night move.
That run has vaulted the Lakers from the Play-In race to second in the Western Conference, as they’ve taken advantage of a stretch where a lot of teams in the West have been sputtering. What’s stood out in particular is that the Lakers have done all of this without Luka operating at his absolute best for much of their recent hot streak. Doncic is averaging just 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists on 40/30/72 shooting splits since arriving in L.A., as it took him a couple of weeks to process the trade and get back into a rhythm.
While Doncic has gotten acclimated to his new digs, it’s been LeBron James that has been dominating in his new role playing a bit more off the ball and embracing life alongside Luka. James won the NBA’s Player of the Month honors in February, averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game as the Lakers went 10-2, and there seemed to be some renewed pep in his step after the trade. That has been noticeable to just about everyone that’s watched a Lakers game recently, including James’ friends, as Carmelo Anthony talked on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast this week about how he’s never seen LeBron look this happy on the court.
As Anthony explains, James seems to thoroughly enjoy playing with a playmaker of Luka’s caliber and is freed up to just run the floor, make cuts, and hunt mismatches, knowing he finally has a teammate that will see him and get him the ball on time and on target. While Doncic’s shooting touch has been slow to make the move to L.A., his passing touch has been on full display and James has been the recipient of more than a few outlet passes from Luka.
On the other end, Anthony highlighted the way the Lakers have managed to craft a defensive game plan that leverages their long-armed wings to switch all the time and keep Doncic roaming and moving so he can’t be hunted. All of that seems to have LeBron fully engaged in the game on both ends, and for any fans who have felt there’s been a little more joy in James’ game of late, it’s nice to get a little confirmation of that from someone that knows LeBron as well as anyone.
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