Donald Glover doesn’t need to write a memoir about his personal life. He already has Swarm. Janine Nabers, who co-created the Amazon Prime Video series about stan culture, told Insider that a memorable scene from the sexy show was inspired by something that actually happened to Glover.
“Donald told this funny story about a girl who he really liked, and how after they hooked up, he was standing there with a bowl of cherries, just being like, ‘Hey.’ She was, like, so not into it, because it’s so weird to hook up with a guy that you barely know and then wake up with him holding a bowl of cherries,” she said. Something similar (but with a different fruit) happens in Swarm:
In the scene, Dre (Dominique Fishback) wakes up after having lost her virginity to a random man (Rory Culkin) she met at a bar. To her surprise, the man is naked, washing a bowl of strawberries. He then walks over to her and offers her some fruit, with the glass bowl pressed directly against his flaccid penis.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Swarm writers room when they debated whether the hookup should be holding cherries, like Glover did in real life, or strawberries. No one voted for a banana. Too obvious.
Over the weekend, former Nickelodeon actress (and star of several hit movies in the aughts) Amanda Bynes had been scheduled to make an appearance at a 1990s-based convention event in Connecticut. For previously undisclosed reasons, Bynes pulled out of the event, and one of her All That co-stars, Kel Mitchell, expressed that he was “praying” for her. Mitchell and his other co-stars, including Kenan Thompson, further stayed mum on the subject, and TMZ is now following up on the reason why Amanda missed the event.
Notably, this would have been the first public event following Bynes’ bipolar diagnosis and court-ordered conservatorship, which wound down in spring 2022. However, TMZ now provides a sad update, which is that Amanda experienced what she described as a “psychotic episode” and began roaming the streets unclothed. Reportedly, she requested help from a passerby car and phoned 911 on her own accord. Here’s what TMZ is currently reporting:
An eyewitness tells us … Bynes was seen walking near downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning without any clothes. We’re told Bynes waved a car down, telling the driver she was coming down from a psychotic episode. Amanda herself then called 911.
Our law enforcement sources say Bynes was taken to a nearby police station, where a mental health team determined she needed to be placed on a 5150 psych hold.
TMZ adds that Bynes remains on a 5150 hold pending further evaluation.
Bynes starred in All That for several dozen episodes in the late aughts. She went on to theatrical ventures with What a Girl Wants, Hairspray, She’s The Man, and Sydney White before stepping away from Hollywood amid ongoing personal troubles and being placed under the aforementioned conservatorship.
Some things, like peanut butter and jelly, simply go hand in hand. Pasta and wine is one of them. However, when it comes to Sunday Supper, it’s not all about Italian red table wine. Stick with us, we’ll explain.
As with any meal, understanding the foundations of food and wine pairing is key, and actually not as hard as you may think. Simply take the main components in food — salt and fat — and marry them with the structural foundations of wine — which are acid, body, and in the case of red wine, tannins. In short, you definitely don’t want the wine’s body to overpower the pasta dish in question, and taking the acidity/tannins of a wine into consideration will go a long way when pairing a bottle with pasta…
This brings us to the star of the show itself. When pairing wine with pasta, it’s not actually the carb-based noodles you want to consider, but the sauce. Think about the salt, acid, and fat of the sauce in question—is it full-bodied and creamy, such as a carbonara or alfredo? Or light on its feet, such as garlic and oil? These factors will ultimately deem which wines will pair best with your main course.
If you’re still feeling a bit confused, worry not. We’ve got a few go-to pairings to get you started, as well as explanations as to why these wines will pair best with said sauces. Get the water boiling and dive into your one-stop pasta pairing guide below.
Tomato-based marinara sauce is the quintessential pasta topping—so much so, that small Italian restaurants have been called “red sauce joints” for ages. In terms of wine pairing, here’s where we go exactly where you’d expect—the equally quintessential Italian table wine. Sommeliers and industry pros alike will sing the praises of Sangiovese, which is the backbone to Chianti, Rosso di Montalcino, and Brunello, and rightfully so.
Sangiovese’s medium body, high acid, and moderate tannins, as well as its signature cherry-driven flavors and tomato leaf undertones, make it a no-brainer for sipping with simple sauce. Red wines of a similar structure, such as Barbera or Dolcetto, will also pair well here, too.
Go-to Bottles:
Pagliarese Chianti Classico, Cascina Alberta Barbera d’Alba
PAIRING 2 — PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE
UPROXX
Pairing:
Medium to full-bodied reds with ample acidity — Nebbiolo, Nero d’Avola, Etna Rosso
Explanation:
While Sangiovese will also pair well with meat-based ragus, fuller-bodied red wines will also work here, as the fat in the meat can undoubtedly stand up to more prominent tannins. Nebbiolo-based wines, such as those from Langhe, Barolo, or Barbaresco, will work phenomenally here, as well as a number of indigenous Sicilian varieties. We’d recommend steering clear of anything overly oaked, as the natural sweetness brought on by new oak will clash with the savory notes found in the sauce.
After all, the sauce is the star of the show here.
Contrary to the heavier reds above, lighter-bodied sauces like pesto, garlic and oil, and more, call for equally lighter-bodied wines. However, what makes pesto unique is the innate green flavors that come from the ample amount of basil used to create it. Rather than reaching for any old high-acid white, look for wines that have signature greenness (in other words, herbaceous) flavors, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, or Albariño. However, for the absolute best pairing, reach for a refreshing bottle of Ligurian Vermentino.
They say what grows together goes together, and in this case, the saying couldn’t ring more true.
PAIRING 3 — PASTA WITH CREAM SAUCE (CARBONARA, ALFREDO)
UPROXX
Pairing:
Medium-bodied whites – Chardonnay, Etna Bianco
Explanation:
Heavier sauce calls for—you guessed it—a fuller-bodied wine. However, the trick with cream-based sauces is to reach for a wine with a full enough body to stand up to it, yet also enough acidity to cut through the fat and keep your palate salivating. While Chardonnay can offer a mixed basket of options, looking for one from cooler-climate areas with restrained oak use (think Sonoma, the Côte d’Or, or Western Australia) promises to marry impeccably with your carbonara or alfredo sauce.
A number of professionals will also recommend earthy, lighter-bodied reds (think Pinot Noir or Chardonnay), and while those won’t clash with the dish, a luscious, high-acid Chardonnay will make the sauce feel like velvet.
Go-to Bottles:
Famille Paquet Bourgogne Blanc, Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco
PAIRING 5 — SEAFOOD PASTA (WHITE WINE / GARLIC AND OIL BASE OR RED SAUCE BASE)
UPROXX
Pairing:
Light-bodied, medium plus to high-acid wines – Verdicchio, Pinot Grigio, Chablis (white) or Barbera, Schiava, Pinot Noir (red)
Explanation:
By now, you know where this is going – light and bright sauce calls for an equally light and bright wine. Garlic and oil is pretty versatile, and a number of white wines will go well here. The trick is to keep the oak use neutral, or simply stick to wines aged in tank to ensure that freshness is intact. To keep it classic, reach for a traditional Italian Verdicchio, Vernaccia, or Pinot Grigio, though for a cultural collision that promises to overdeliver, Chablis and aglio olio will never cease to disappoint.
For seafood pastas tossed in red sauce, stick to a light to medium-bodied red with ample acidity, such as Barbera, Schiava, or Pinot Noir.
Taylor Swift launched The Eras Tour with two shows in Glendale, Arizona this past weekend, and it has people excited. JJ Watt was in attendance one night and he was blown away by both the production value and by Swift’s stamina during the 3-hour show. Kelsea Ballerini (who you may have seen on Saturday Night Live earlier this month) is another celebrity Swiftie who is so obsessed that even in the middle of her own concert, she just had to know if one of her favorite songs made the setlist.
While performing in Atlantic City on March 17, between songs, Ballerini needed her curiosity satisfied, so she asked her audience, “Can I just level with you for a minute? Is anyone stalking The Eras Tour? Has it started? I just have one… I’m gonna stalk it after this, but I have one question: Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist?”
The audience cheered in affirmation, and once Ballerini got her answer, she gave a celebratory gesture and added, “Wow, that’s my Super Bowl, I gotta be honest. Alright, wow, that’s all I needed to know. Thank you for that. It’s like live updates.”
Indeed, “Cruel Summer” is on the setlist: It was the second song Swift performed on both nights so far.
Read our review of the debut Eras Tour concert here.
Back in March 2022, legendary action actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia and took an official step away from the spotlight. Then, in February 2023, the beloved “Die Hard” star progressed into frontotemporal dementia, an incurable brain disorder often mistaken for Alzheimer’s that mainly affects personality, behavior and language, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Despite the tragic news, Willis is supported by loved ones, as seen in a video posted by ex-wife Demi Moore. The clip, posted to Twitter on March 19, captures Willis’ family surrounding him in celebration of his 68th birthday.
“Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today,” Moore wrote in the video’s caption. “Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes — we all feel them.”
Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes – we all feel them. pic.twitter.com/vcb50QP9hr
Moore’s tweet took over the internet with over 15 million views. Many left comments sharing how nice it was to simply see Willis so clearly happy with his loved ones, especially given his bleak diagnosis.
“This brought tears to my eyes. He looks great and the entire family looks happy and well. So beautiful to see. Happy Birthday, Bruce!!” one person wrote.
Another added, “Thanks to you for letting us be part of that moment, you know that we love and care about Bruce. Receive a loving hug to all the family and friends.”
One person noted how dementia affects an entire family, and a little compassion can go a long way.
“Dementia is a roller coaster which all the family rides. Ups, downs, spirals, and sudden turns. Relationships are stressed to breaking points. But pales to the depth of fear seen in the patient’s eyes when they can’t trust their mind anymore. Hugs and embraces helps their fear,” they wrote.
Willis’ daughter Scout also made a heartfelt Instagram post that’s simply too poignant not to share.
Alongside a childhood photo showing Scout as a sleepy kid resting on Willis’ shoulders, she praised her “Pisces King” of a father for his mastery of being “both action hero icon and gentle girl dad.”
“Today is not necessarily an easy day,” she continued. “Because it’s a day full of so deep love, and our grief really does show us the depth of our loving for someone. So I’m trying to be with both today.”
Scout’s post concluded with the hope that her message might provide some comfort for “anyone who has ever felt their capacity stretched by the enormity of love and the humanness of grief.”
Losing a loved one is never easy. Losing them to dementia, however, is a very specific type of pain. But as these shared moments show, continuing to cherish life can be a very healing salve for everyone involved.
A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.
Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:
“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches.”
“I felt absolutely appalled when she said this, as me and the teacher have, up until now, always maintained a very friendly relationship. She added that the lunches I’m packing my son are ‘very distracting for the other students and have an unpleasant odor.’ I told her that I understand her concerns, as the lunches I pack are definitely not the healthiest, but the lunches are according to my son’s preferences.”
The mother added that she usually sends her son to school with small celery sticks, blue cheese and goat cheese, kimchi, spam and spicy Sriracha-flavored Doritos.
“I ended the call by saying that I very much appreciated her worries, but that at the end of the day, I am not going to drastically change my son’s lunches all of a sudden, and that it’s not my fault if other students are ‘distracted’ by his meal,” the mother continued. “It is very important to me what my son enjoys, and I want him to like my lunches.”
The teacher replied with an email saying the mom’s response was “unacceptable” and that his lunches were “just too inappropriate to be sent to school any longer.”
“I haven’t responded yet and don’t want to. I want to maintain a healthy relationship with my son’s teachers. I am confused as to what to do,” the mom ended her story.
It’s clear that the teacher is way out of line in this situation because the child is eating food that is entirely normal in Korean culture. It may have a strong odor to those who aren’t used to it, but that’s just an opportunity for the teacher to explain to the children how people from different parts of the world eat different types of food. It’s not that hard.
The only reason the teacher should have any choice over what the child eats is if it is egregiously unhealthy and may cause them harm.
The most popular commenter on the forum suggested that the mother bring the issue to the principal’s attention.
“Report her to the principal,” Thatshygal717 wrote. “Her comments regarding your son’s food are ‘disgusting’ and ‘have an unpleasant tone’ aka cough cough racist tone. She’s too inappropriate to be teaching at the school any longer.”
Another commenter, muffiewriters, assured the mother that she was doing nothing wrong. “Your son’s food is perfectly normal,” they wrote. “For a 5-year-old. Your family’s food is normal. The teacher is TA for not recognizing that.”
The mother hasn’t shared what she did next, but she’s handled the situation perfectly so far. She told the teacher that it’s not her fault if other kids are distracted by her food and that she will not change her son’s diet to please other people.
The beauty of America is that we are a country of many different cultures mixed like a beautiful bowl of salad. It’s great that so many people supported the mother and reminded her that her family has every right in the world to eat the food they love, and if it bothers anyone, they can keep it to themselves.
P.S. That teacher has no idea what she’s talking about. Korean food is delicious.
If you, a Better Call Saul fan who has watched every season except the last one because you’re waiting for it to be on Netflix, have somehow gone this long without having the ending spoiled for you, you probably stay off Twitter and Reddit, and therefore, live a happy, fulfilling life. It’s about to get even happier: Better Call Saul season six premiere is coming to Netflix next month
“The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul premieres April 18 on Netflix (in The US),” the streaming service’s Twitter account wrote. I will not spoil what happens in the final season, other than it’s great and you should check to see where the nearest Cinnabon is located before April 18th. Believe me.
Bob Odenkirk recently took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything to promote his new AMC series, Lucky Hank. When asked of all the roles you’ve played, which one would you say is the closest to your actual personality?” Odenkirk replied, “In some ways Hank Devereaux Jr. [from Lucky Hank] is closest but he’s still pretty far away from me. I would say that Jimmy McGill as you see him in the final episode of Better Call Saul I felt was closer to me than any other Jimmy played and at any other time and by a fair margin.”
I thought he was going to say the triples guy from I Think You Should Leave, because triples is best.
The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul premieres April 18 on Netflix (in The US) pic.twitter.com/phmCw1Atih
While most fan-favorite, critically acclaimed shows seem to get better with every season, there are a few exceptions (sorry to The OC and Killing Eve). When a show becomes a hit, the pressure is on the writers to live up to the hype, which can sometimes make or break a show (see HBO’s short-lived Gossip Girl reboot).
The showrunners of Showtime’s dark hit Yellowjacketsknow that the is a lot riding on the upcoming season. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson described the high expectations for season two as “soul-crushing,” but they had some solid advice from actor and friend Jason Segel, who worked with the duo on the 2020 drama series Dispatches From Elsewhere.
Nickerson explained, “Before [Yellowjackets] premiered, Jason Segel told us, “Don’t worry! There are three or four shows that everyone talks about and loves. There are three or four shows that everyone talks about and f*cking hates. The other 595 fall right in the middle. Find a little audience and it’s fine.’” Nickerson added that they never thought the show would become such a massive hit. “We thought we’d be one of those, so this season feels different.”
The fact that many shows are being canceled left and right doesn’t help, though Showtime seems confident in the series, seeing as they already ordered a third season before season two drops later this month. But they are jumping headfirst into the next season of the culty drama. Lyle added, “We go right into season three. We’re starting the writers’ room in April. No break.” How could you even take a break when those poor girls are stuck in the 90s out there in the Canadian wilderness?!
Season two will bring back the key cast alongside some fun guest stars, including Elijah Wood! It seems like fans will enjoy it no matter what… as long as they love cults, murder, and cannibalism.
Yellowjackets season two will premiere on March 26th on Showtime.
A bottle of bourbon for $200 is… kind of a crazy ask. You can get a great bottle of bourbon for $50, there’s no getting around that. So when you start looking at price points around $200, it’s important that you’re talking about something ~more~ than your average tasting bourbons. Whiskeys at this price (SHOULD!) go beyond charred oak barrels or whether or not we’re talking about wheated bourbons, like Pappy Van Winkle (which doesn’t even appear on this list). This is about finding something extra and truly special from the bourbon scene.
To help you find those special bourbon bottles, I’m going to call out 12 bourbons that actually do merit the high price tag.
When it comes to which of these bourbons to drink, well… that depends on you. Read through my tasting notes and find the whiskey that piques your interest or sounds enticing. Then click on those price links to see if you can find that whiskey in your region. Okay, let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This new expression from Jim Beam is about highlighting the beautiful high-end barrels from Beam’s vast rickhouses. The whiskey in the bottle is a classic low-rye Beam that rested for 16 years and a 15-year-old high-rye bourbon. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the bottle as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a rich spice mix of woody cinnamon, soft nutmeg, almost bitter cloves, and dusty allspice with a hint of black licorice leading to a buttery caramel sauce with a flake of salt, twinge of vanilla oil, and whisper of cherry tobacco in an old cedar humidor.
Palate: The palate builds on that classic foundation with layers of old boot leather, hard sultanas, meaty dates, stewed plums, and rum-soaked Christmas cake with candied orange rinds and cherries.
Finish: The end soaks the raisins and candied fruit in maple syrup with a hint of sour cherry laced with ancho chili peppers and woody spices.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey has really grown on me over the last few months. It’s a damn fine Jim Beam whiskey that highlights its spicier edge while still holding onto the dark fruitiness the brand is known for. Basically, if you’re looking for an older age statement Jim Beam at cask strength, then this is the bottle for you.
11. Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This sourced bourbon is built from 11 and 18-year-old bourbon barrels. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in Armagnac, Cognac, and sherry casks before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with sticky toffee pudding that really amps up the cinnamon and nutmeg next to black-tea-soaked dates next to some stewed prunes wrapped in chili-chocolate-laced tobacco leaves and dripped in honey and then walnuts.
Palate: A savory fruitiness opens the palate with figs and pumpkin that leads towards an apricot jam with a hint of clove and cinnamon next to light touches of old library leather and funk.
Finish: A faint hint of dark berries arrives on the mid-palate before the finish luxuriates in burnt toffee, almond shells, more of that leather, and dried-out apricots.
Bottom Line:
This is a deep bourbon with a classic feel that’s dailed up to 11. It’s sharp yet 100% approachable as a slow sipper. It also has a nice stone fruit feel at the end, which adds a nice extra layer of nuance. Overall, this is the bottle you grab when you’re looking for a classic that goes the extra mile.
10. Old Carter Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch 3-KY
Old Carter is a hidden-away bottler right off Whiskey Row in Louisville. It’s still very insider. Their process is all about finding great barrels of whiskey, blending them, and bottling them for whiskey lovers in the know. In this case, that was a very small batch blend that yielded only 1,116 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A thickness comes through on the nose with creamy vanilla and maple syrup vibe with a buttery underbelly accented by old corn husks, woody cinnamon, allspice, and lush nutmeg with a hint of hazelnut.
Palate: Thick salted caramel sauce vibes with a black-tea-soaked date feel as cinnamon syrup and smoldering orchard wood leads to a big mid-palate Kentucky hug.
Finish: That warmth fades quickly as hints of dried cranberry tobacco and cedar braids filled with wicker and sweetgrass end the sip on a dry note with a touch of floral honey lurking underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
Old Carter’s team just cannot miss. Their sourced barrels are kind of magical and these releases always deliver. This will be harder to find outside of Kentucky, but worth the hunt, especially if you want to have a real in-the-know bourbon on your shelf.
9. Frank August Case Study: 01 Mizunara Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
For this first “case study,” the team at Frank August picked five bourbon barrels to finish in Japanese Mizunara casks. While those barrels were finishing the elixir within, the team checked the whiskey every 30 days to assure they batched and bottled the whiskey at just the right moment.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rich sense of butterscotch candy on the nose with freshly fried sourdough doughnuts dusted in brown sugar, cinnamon, and maybe some spearmint next dusting of white pepper.
Palate: The taste starts off creamy and full of toffee as apple pie filling with plenty of cloves and cinnamon leads to peppery mint chocolate and salted caramel drizzle with a twinge of pine resin.
Finish: The end is lush and spicy with a hint of caraway-encrusted rye next to cinnamon bark and clove buds next to warm menthol tobacco dipped in dark chocolate and wrapped with cedar bark and wild sage.
Bottom Line:
This is a whiskey that goes somewhere new with its bourbon profile. It’s funky and fun with a hint of malt whisky in the mix. Get this if you’re looking for a bourbon with subtle hints of malted whisky — definitely a win for anyone eager to expand their palates!
8. Kentucky Senator Bourbon 15 Years Release #1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This sourced whiskey celebrates both Kentucky’s bourbon heritage and U.S. Senators from the Bluegrass state. The juice is made with a mash of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley. The whiskey is left alone for 15 years before the team at Kentucky Senator Spirits blends and bottles this one, without filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This whiskey opens with a medley of dry cedar, black cherries, burnt toffee, buttered sourdough pancake, old leather, cinnamon bark, and spiced chewy tobacco.
Palate: The palate leans into the woody spices with cloves and anise taking center stage as soft maple syrup and pecan-cinnamon-butter create a spiced/sweet/creamy vibe on the palate.
Finish: In the end, more woodsy spices mingle with rich cherry tobacco as old oak, salted caramel, and vanilla cream pie round everything out.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, nutty Kentucky bourbon that feels like a warm hug on a cold day. It’s sweet, quintessential, and a bourbon lover’s bourbon.
7. The Prideful Goat 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength
This whiskey is a sourced masterpiece of Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Texas. The mash bill is corn heavy with 78.5% corn next to 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley. That hot juice is left in barrels in Kentucky for 15 long years before they’re shipped to Texas, blended, and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is classic bourbon with a deep sense of buttery toffee next to dark cherries with a sour edge, slightly tannic oak, a hint of worn boot leather, and a spicy tobacco leaf.
Palate: The palate hits on a soft ginger snap with sharp cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg leading to a handful of allspice berries before wet brown sugar and maple candy kick in and mellow the mid-palate toward dark cherry tobacco wrapped up with old wicker canes and pine needles.
Finish: The end subtly drops toward old oak staves, the cellar floor, and caramel/cinnamon syrup with a dash more of that tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a spicy and woody bourbon with a nice creaminess, especially when you add a little water. If you’re looking for something more oak and spice-forward, then this is the bourbon for you.
6. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years
This limited-edition release celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Knob Creek, which started back in 1992 during the darkest days of bourbon. The whiskey is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.
Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a masterpiece of bourbon. It’s endlessly sippable and one of the purest examples of well-aged Kentucky bourbon that you can actually find (for the most part). If you’re even remotely a fan of Knob Creek, then this is a must-have. If you love a really good bourbon… then this is a must-have as well.
5. Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies Finished in Armagnac Casks
This bourbon is a blend of 12-year-old, low-rye bourbon from Kentucky and 10-year-old, very-low-rye bourbon from Tennessee. The whiskeys were re-barreled into Armagnac casks from the famed Chateau de Laubade. One set spent two years mellowing on the bottom floor of the rickhouse while another set spent 16 months mellowing on the top floor. After that, the barrels were vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This hits on complex notes on the nose from old leather, dried sage, cellared oak, roasted almonds rolled in toffee, sultanas, and then deep winter spice: freshly ground nutmeg, mace, cardamom, sharp cinnamon.
Palate: The palate has a silky vanilla foundation with more sultanas over top, fresh and meaty dates, ginger snaps, and prunes mingle.
Finish: The end has a gingerbread vibe next to cherry bark and grape must with more of those spices pouring into an old cedar humidor that used to hold tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the best brandy-driven bourbon you can buy in 2023. The balance of the armagnac barrels on the bourbon is pretty much as lush as you can get. In short, this is the brandy-finished bourbon profile that all the other brands are chasing.
The latest Booker’s is a nod to “Kentucky Tea” which isn’t tea at all. It’s when you add a little whiskey to a glass of water and then that looks like tea. The whiskey in this case is a blend of bourbon barrels from seven locations across six different warehouses. The final product was bottled without any fussing at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of sour cherry and vanilla cookies on the nose with a supporting cast of dark tobacco packed into old cedar boxes with a rough and worn leatheriness tying everything together.
Palate: The palate opens with a vanilla white cake frosted with cherry and chocolate — a bit like a Black Forest cake — that leads to orange oils, clove, and old pine boards with a touch of sap.
Finish: The end has a fruitiness that leans towards a spicy star fruit with a fresh vibe next to light pear tobacco with a pine humidor edge.
Bottom Line:
This was my favorite Booker’s release last year. It’s pure Kentucky bourbon through and through with a nice sweetness that’s countered by a hint of pear and spiced tobacco to balance things out wonderfully. This is a great sipper to have on hand. It also makes one hell of a Manhattan.
This age statement released from Jack Daniel’s is a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The whiskey is aged for at least 10 years before batching. During that time, the barrels spend time in the “Buzzard’s Roost” at the top of the rickhouse. Once they hit the right flavor profile, those barrels are moved to the bottom floors of other warehouses to slow the aging down. Finally, the whiskey is batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a rich matrix of cherry syrup, apple cores, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream, and a bold line of wet and sweet wood.
Palate: The palate opens up towards the dark fruit but dries it out and marries it to a woody and spicy tobacco leaf alongside toasted cedar soaked in salted caramel paired with dry corn husks that are just singed.
Finish: The finish really takes its time as the cherry attaches to an old cinnamon stick and the tobacco takes on a sticky chewiness with an almost smoked oak woodiness.
Bottom Line:
Batch 2 of this whiskey was just released, meaning that you might actually be able to find this right now. Batch 2 is far woodier than Batch 1. So, if you’re looking for an oak-forward whiskey with a bright fruitiness as a counterpoint, then grab this while you still can.
2. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 13 Years Old
This whiskey was made by Eddie Russell to celebrate his 40th year of distilling whiskey with his dad, Jimmy Russell. The blend is a collection of a minimum of 13-year-old barrels that Eddie Russell hand-picked. Those barrels were married and then bottled as-is with no proofing or filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and dried fruits invite you on the nose as a touch of fresh, creamy, and dark Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices, dried almonds, and a sense of rich pipe tobacco just kissed with sultanas.
Palate: That dark chocolate and cherry fruit drive the palate as a hint of charred cedar lead towards vanilla tobacco with more of that dark chocolate and a small touch of honey, orange blossom, and a whisper of dried chili flake.
Finish: That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a thin line of cherry bark smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry all combining into chewy tobacco packed into an old pine box and wrapped up with worn leather thread.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best Wild Turkey releases of all time. It’s on shelves now and still (kind of) gettable. Basically, if you’re a fan of Wild Turkey in any way, this is a no-brainer addition to your bar cart.
1. Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.
Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.
Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet toasted marshmallow on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is classic Kentucky bourbon and the essential sipper that most other bourbons are measured against (that few actually live up to). Although this whiskey wasn’t released last year, 2023 bottles are hitting shelves right now. That means that you might be able to find this at MSRP right now. Start hitting those bourbon streets. You might get lucky and find one or two of these out there!
The release of Chlöe’s long-anticipated solo debut album, In Pieces, is just weeks away, and the “How Does It Feel” singer has just unveiled the tracklist. Consisting of 14 tracks, the album will include a pair of unexpected features in addition to the Chris Brown feature on the aforementioned single. Future will make a fitting contribution to the track “Cheatback,” while Missy Elliott appears on “Told Ya.” You can see the full tracklist below.
As Chlöe has rolled out her album, she’s also drawn headlines for some of her acting roles as well. In February, it was announced that the singer would star alongside Woody Harrelson and Oliva Colman in a musical film inspired by Bob Dylan, North Country, while last week her sex scene in the Amazon Prime social media satire Swarm set Stan Twitter abuzz. And in April, just one week after her album drops, she’ll star in Peacock’s musical comedy, Praise This, ensuring that the spring will belong to the Bailey sisters (Halle, the other half of the duo, stars in The Little Mermaid in May).
In Pieces is out 3/31 via Parkwood/Columbia. Pre-save it here.
Tracklist:
1. “Someone’s Calling (Chlöe)”
2. “Pray It Away”
3. “Body Do”
4. “I Don’t Mind”
5. “Worried”
6. “Fallin 4 U”
7. “How Does It Feel” Feat. Chris Brown
8. “Feel Me Cry”
9. “Make It Look Easy”
10. “Looze U”
11. “Told Ya” Feat. Missy Elliott
12. “Cheatback” Feat. Future
13. “Heart On My Sleeve”
14. “In Pieces”
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