Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly depending on who you ask, menopause and perimenopause aren’t really talked about much. Women sort of fumble through this part of life relaying on whatever information your mother or older relative can remember. For some reason what happens to women’s bodies when hormones start to decline is still a mystery, even to some medical professionals.
Thankfully in the age of the internet and middle aged women who no longer care for many societal niceties, like not talking about menopause in mixed company – women are being educated about their bodies. Kristina Kuzmic, a social media influencer and author posted a video where she and a friend discuss menopause. Out loud.
Earlier in the month, I also posted on my page about those pesky hormonal changes and the things no one tells you about. In both instances, the comments were full of women shocked at the symptoms or sharing their own wisdom. But overwhelmingly, women of varying ages were thankful that the conversation was being had.
Most people know menopause is a thing that happens and is defined by when a woman has not had a period in 12 months. But what happens leading up to that? That’s the stuff we don’t talk about and that phase is called perimenopause and can start as early as your 30s and last for up to 10 years, though some women in the comment sections are saying it can last much longer.
The symptoms are kind of all over the place, which may be why some doctors don’t put things together right away. In Kuzmic’s video they go over symptoms like hair loss, hot flashes, heart palpitations, brain fog and more, in a humorous way. For starters, they call menopause “cougar puberty.”
“Am I going to smell like my teenager’s bedroom,” Kuzmic playfully asks after being told that your body odor changes. While the video is funny, it also brings a lot of information forward in an easily digestible way and the comments prove women are happy it’s being talked about.
“Peri-menopause and I’ve got it all….thanks for making me feel semi-normal today. Some days I know in my head that these changes are normal…. some days my brain says I need to run to a doctor cause I’m totally dying,” one woman wrote.
Another woman said, “Cougar Puberty. Totally love it. Totally glad to see an educational and humorous video about it.”
“A mandatory party no one wants to attend. That sums it up perfectly. Thank you for sharing candidly all we have to look forward to and hope we don’t get 1st prize of all the symptoms,” one commenter wrote.
If you’re ready to learn all about “cougar puberty” check out the video below:
I remember when I heard Måneskin — the Italian band presently marketed as the latest “saviors” of rock music — for the first time. It was about a year ago, and I was in my car and listening to a local rock station. Before Måneskin came on, I’m pretty sure they were playing the Chili Peppers, because this station is usually playing the Chili Peppers. Then, without warning, “Beggin’” entered my airspace.
A garage-y cover of a 1967 Four Seasons hit, it sounded like Buckcherry doing a klezmer-rock jam. I could tell they weren’t American, which gave their Euro take on stateside butt-rock an “uncanny valley” quality, like an android performing a mildly glitchy and semi-human take of “How You Remind Me.” I can’t say I liked it, exactly, but I was intrigued: This, at the very least, is not the Chili Peppers, I thought.
After Shazam’ing the song, I swiftly learned the basics of Måneskin via my phone — quartet from Rome, runner-ups on the Italian version of X Factor, unexpected victors at the 2021 Eurovision song contest, insane viral success, proponents of “sexual freedom,” wardrobe borrowed from The Darkness when they were consuming most of the cocaine in London. Based on the resume, I assumed “Beggin’” was a novelty hit. Difficult to hate, impossible to take seriously, here today and gone tomorrow.
For now, at least, that snap judgment has proven to be dead wrong. “Beggin’” has been streamed 1.2 billion streams on Spotify, which puts it in the vicinity of “Wonderwall.” An original tune from 2021’s Teatro d’ira: Vol. I, “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” has wracked up an additional 750 million spins. And now this month comes their third album (and first mostly English language release), Rush! Co-produced by pop maestro Max Martin, the LP features a guest slot from Tom Morello, who recently declared that Måneskin are “standard-bearers” for the latest generation of rock fans.
Before I assess the merits of Rush!, allow me to go on a mini rant about how bands like this are always covered in the media. Variouspublications have already positioned this record in terms of its relationship with the overall health of rock music. (To be fair, I sort of did the same thing in the first sentence of this column.) For instance, in a positive review of the album, Rolling Stone charged that Måneskin is “the only major-league rock band making any dent in the culture at large.”
I don’t mean to single out one review, as this sort of thinking is common. It speaks to the weird cultural amnesia that exists in relation to the latest generation of bold ‘n’ brash rock resuscitators. Whenever we talk about one, we seem to instantly forget all of the other ones. The truth is that the world is positively swimming in rock bands, and a significant number of those are in the dent-making business. Even if we set aside the scores of legacy bands that continue to do big business on the road, Rolling Stone just this monthput Boygenius on its cover and posed them in a manner intended to evoke the most iconic rock band of the 30 years.
Oh, but that’s not a “rock” rock band, you might say. Herein lays the rub with the deathless “is rock dead or not?” conversation — a “rock band” is defined only in the narrowest of terms, and always by a standard that resembles an anachronistic caricature of the music. A “rock band” therefore must resemble an arena act that sold millions of records between 1986 and 1993. Which means they need to traffic in the most laughable of outmoded clichés. This requires projecting a “decadent” image that seemed dangerous back when Rikki Rachtman was a gainfully employed television host, while also feeling safe enough to exist inside of the corporate record label industrial complex.
But even if we only count cartoonish caricatures of rock stars as “rock stars,” there are other recent successes — Yungblud (a “divisive Gen Z rock star,” according to the U.K. Rolling Stone), Machine Gun Kelly, Ghost, my own guilty pleasure Greta Van Fleet, even the ubiquitous “true rock star” Harry Styles. (I almost put The 1975 in that rundown, though I fear this compliment might be construed as a putdown.)
My point is that there is something inherently limiting about reducing rock to a band like Måneskin. It’s like basing the “health” of hip-hop as a genre on whether rap stars are still dressing like the cover of Run-DMC’s Raising Hell. Then again, I’m probably burying the lede here — the fact is that cartoonish caricatures of rock stars are clearly popular. Because the caricature is fun, even if it is an artistic dead end.
Fun and artistic dead ends both appear in abundance on Rush! A good amount of the former comes from Martin, who is joined by a battery of producers whose credits include other rock-flavored pop hits from the likes of Walk The Moon, Grouplove, and Imagine Dragons. (The songwriting and production credits stretch as long as most pop records.)
In the aughts, Martin was responsible for co-writing and co-producing one of the era’s best pop-rock confections, Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” Måneskin similarly emulates the post-Strokes rock that dribbled down to dozens of enjoyably sleazy knock-offs that have long since been forgotten. While their posturing and iconography feels borrowed from Netflix’s low-rent 2019 Motley Crue biopic — a foundational text for modern caricature rock co-starring (of course) Machine Gun Kelly — musically they’re closer to the bump-and-grind riffitude of Jet. (“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” is like the first Velvet Underground album for these acts.)
I have a decent amount of tolerance for this sort of thing, so I couldn’t help but smile when Morello did his best C.C. DeVille impersonation on the stupid-good single “Gossip.” I could even get behind the part in “Kool Kids” when singer Damiano David — who in the past has looked like Timothée Chalamet playing Jason Todd in a Woodstock 99 biopic — sings, “We’re not punk, we’re not pop, we’re just music freaks!” Sure, man, whatever you say! They’re not punk, but they do have some secondhand post-punk affectations, like the talk-singing in “Bla Bla Bla,” which is like if Jack Black wrote a Wet Leg song.
But over the course of an album, the relentless disco-rock thump inevitably feels one-note and wearying. (Actually, the power ballads are worse — “Timezone” is like one of the Alicia Silverstone songs from Get A Grip after a handful of Xanax.) I prefer the memory of this band appearing out of nowhere on the radio, making a singularly weird impression, and ultimately signifying nothing greater. Don’t expect Måneskin or anyone else to “save” rock. Thankfully, rock is strong enough to withstand the existence of all these messiahs.
Freddie Gibbs showed off his “Aquaman lungs” on Monday night (January 23) on The Tonight Show with Anderson .Paak to perform a medley of songs from his major-label debut album, Soul Sold Separately. Gibbs’ gift for breath control is already legendary but last night, a huge audience got to witness his prowess as he blazed through satin-smooth renditions of “Blackest In The Room” and “Feel No Pain.”
Dappered down in an all-black two-piece suit, Gibbs appeared not to take a breath as he recited his rapid-fire lyrics backed by The Roots. .Paak kept his usual ’70s-inspired look, with a fur-cuffed jacket and his signature cabbie hat, brushing the dirt off Gibbs’ shoulders.
Although Soul Sold Separately (and its recently-released deluxe edition) is barely half a year old, Gibbs refuses to rest on his laurels. He recently revealed that he’s currently working on as many as four albums at once, including his oft-teased R&B album.
Watch Freddie Gibbs’ late-night performance on The Tonight Show above. He’s also expressed a wish to branch out dramatically with more film and television roles after the positive reception for his feature debut, Down With The King, so don’t be surprised if the next time we see him with Jimmy Fallon and the gang, he’s sitting on the couch with that 1,000-watt smile beaming.
Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Uproxx’s Vince Mancini reviewed both films and had nice things to say about Styles’ performance in Don’t Worry Darling, noting that he and the rest of the cast were “mostly acting their butts off” in a movie that’s “very alluring and sexy and intriguing right up until the point when it reveals that it has nothing to say.” As for his work in My Policeman: “I’m not going to say pop star Harry Styles is a terrible actor; he’s not. Mostly he’s perfectly adequate at saying the lines in the script convincingly enough that it doesn’t take you out of the story or make you think, ‘Jeez, this guy sucks.’ Mostly you think, ‘Eh, he’s fine.’”
Find the full list of this year’s Oscar nominees here and some more Styles reactions below.
y’all were expecting a movie starring harry styles to be oscar nominated? https://t.co/5EjNT5awQP
Kim Petras, on the heels of dropping her fiery new single “Brrr,” popped by Late Night With Seth Meyers to deliver the debut performance.
Keeping to the visual theme, Petras opens surrounded by blue smoke and backed by an icy mountain visual. She’s also covered in blue sparkles. However, the black leather coat and gloves fit the song’s actual aesthetic, as it relies on a heavy electronic beat and some seriously suggestive lyrics in typical Petras fashion.
She also sat down with Meyers for an eight-minute interview where she spilled some serious tea. Petras talked about what it was like to perform “Unholy” with Sam Smith on SNL, where she had to hide under a massive dress.
“Someone on TikTok predicted it, but other than that, it was a surprise,” she joked.
Petras also attended the afterparty where she posed for some viral pics with Madonna and the episode’s host, Aubrey Plaza. “We talked and I was really obliterated drunk and I was just like, ‘You’re my queen!’” Petras said.
Later in the interview, they also touch on her Grammy nomination and Petras’ singing dog, Karl. Oh yeah, and she also revealed that she’ll be hitting the road on tour this summer, giving fans something to look forward to.
Watch Kim Petras perform “Brrr” and her interview on Late Night above.
Madonna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Wanda Sykes had quite the meal for her first night as guest host of The Daily Show. During Monday’s episode, the comedian tore into Donald Trump for his bizarre eulogy at the funeral for Diamond of “Diamond and Silk” fame. The two women were, for lack of a better term, “celebrities” in the world of MAGA, which merited an appearance from the former president. However, Trump mostly complained about the length of the ceremony, and he made things especially awkward by saying that he didn’t even know there was a Silk despite meeting the duo numerous times.
“Normally, I don’t find funerals funny,” Sykes joked. “But here’s a story about a funeral that I found hilarious.”
After roasting Diamond and Silk for “setting the Black race back 50 years,” Sykes then went to town on Trump telling the crowd that he didn’t know there was a Silk. Via The Daily Beast:
Shaking her head, Sykes replied, “Oh my God! Trump showed up to that funeral like, ‘Diamond’s dead, but I’m gonna bury Silk. There’s room for two in that casket.’”
“I mean, c’mon, to say you know Diamond but don’t know Silk is wild because they’re always together!” she continued. “That’s like saying, ‘I know Bert, but I’ve never heard of this Ernie fella, what’s his deal?”
Sykes ended the segment with a theory on what might have happened to Trump.
“He probably only has room for one Black woman in his brain at a time,” Sykes said before joking that Trump was probably watching the comedian right now thinking. “Wow, Diamond’s hosting The Daily Show. A week ago she was dead, but thanks to me, she has risen!”
Southern rap legend Bun B joined People’s Party with Talib Kwelilast week as the first solo returning guest outside of Yasiin Bey. The conversation spanned rap music, Pimp C, hip-hop’s therapeutic elements, and his new hamburger concept. Plus there was talk of a Kweli-Bun full-length album:
Bun B has paved his own path as an entrepreneur, college professor at Rice University, and a respected thinker in the culture of hip-hop. The music he made as half of the duo UGK altered hip-hop’s understanding of the power, scope, and potential of Southern rap. But even as UGK’s renown grew they needed a little extra light shone on them with bi-coastal audiences. Kweli noted that few people know that Jay-Z did exactly that — sourcing the opening four bars of the third verse of “99 Problems” from a Bun verse.
“People be like ‘Yo, Jay-Z took a piece of your rhyme. I didn’t know that was your sh*t,’” Bun recalls. “I’m like dope, it’s all good bro!”
Bun B then discussed how many artists display lyrical admiration and tribute by dropping these lines. Sometimes, it is taken as it is meant. Other times, an artist may have to compensate the person who was quoted. Bun stresses he never pursues cash from rappers who have quoted him.
“Hov has shown love,” he noted. “So much love to UGK. ‘Big Pimpin’’ is my international calling card. This is a record that is 22 years old. We can go to any country on the planet where people go to a club and dance. You can play that record and everybody that came to party will party to that record.”
To check out more of this incredible conversation about music, culture and art watch People’s Party with Talib Kweliand co-host Jasmin Leigh.
We are just weeks away from Super Bowl LVII, and while the game is a thrill in and of itself, fans look equally forward to the star-studded commercials. Over the past few weeks Doritos has teased a scandalous love triangle-themed spot with Jack Harlow. Now, it seems like hip-hop icon Missy Elliott is joining in on the fun.
In the clip, Elliott answers a phone call from the “First Class” hitmaker himself.
“What’s up? Collab? You know I’ve been waiting to collab,” she says on the phone.
Shortly after, Elliott looks puzzled.
“A love triangle?” Elliott says. “I don’t know about that.”
Though Harlow himself is neither seen nor heard during the sneak preview, Elliott’s reactions say it all. At the end of the clip, the screen reads “2.12.2023,” suggesting that both stars will appear in the Doritos ad set to air during the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LVII will take place on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kick-off will begin at 6:30 EST and the game will broadcast on Fox.
You can check out the sneak peek of the Doritos spot above.
Jack Harlow and Missy Elliott are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Well, one film is already blowing up social media heading into this year’s Oscars. You ready for it? My Year of Dicks. The title, which we swear to God is real, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film, and presenter Riz Ahmed had the room in stitches when he announced it. Of course, it probably didn’t help that the actor put a little extra mustard on the word “dick” while reading the list, and you can hear laughter all throughout the production.
Once he finished the list of Animated Short Films, Ahmed was still giggling as co-presenter Allison Williams tried to keep it together and joked “No comment” before they moved onto the next category. However, Twitter was not ready to let go of the hilarious ordeal. Ahmed’s reaction quickly went viral as tweet after tweet poured in of people loving that we’re all just a bunch of schoolchildren, even the prestigious Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science.
You can see some of the reactions below:
Riz Ahmed just said “My Year of Dicks” so this is already the best awards season ever
Honestly homophobic that we didn’t get to see Riz Ahmed’s handsome face when he spoke the words “My Year of Dicks” during the Oscar nominations. pic.twitter.com/upxp87mywv
Directed by Sara Gunnarsdottir, My Year of Dicks is about “a young girl on a mission to lose her virginity in the early ‘90s” and is adapted from the book Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn’t Share in Public by Pamela Ribon. Via Variety:
A fictionalized version of Ribon (the prolific film and TV writer) is the protagonist who chases a series of conquests — from an actual vampire to harrowing frat boys — in hopes of sexual awakening in a podunk town outside of Houston. Upon release, her uniquely etched characters drew comparison to those of “Superbad” and “Dazed and Confused.”
You can see the full list of nominees for Best Animated Short Film below:
When it comes to cheap(er) but still great Scotch whisky, you really start to hit a stride around $50 to $60 per bottle. Though, to be completely fair, we’re still mostly talking about whiskies that you’d largely use for mixing up a killer cocktail or highball. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that you’re going to see the clouds part and the sun shine through like a revelation at this price point. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t good-tasting whisky to be had either — there certainly is.
For this list, I pulled 10 bottles of really good Scotch whisky that you can buy for just south of $60. These are all good whiskies, sure, but some do have that little something special about them. So I’ve also ranked these entries, according to how tasty they are.
Lastly, these bottles are all priced according to either Total Wine or Reservar Bar delivery in Kentucky. Your local prices may vary depending on a laundry list of factors. Let’s dive in and find you a great Scotch whisky to stock on your bar cart right now!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This Speyside whisky is all about Spanish wood and Scottish malts. The whisky is matured exclusively in sherry casks for 12 years before vatting and proofing without any additives or coloring.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft sense of blackened bananas next to vanilla beans, a hint of lemon oils, and a whisper of dried roses on the nose.
Palate: The palate marries that lemon and banana into a banana bread with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg with a touch of vanilla next to a savory melon vibe.
Finish: That savory fruit drives the mid-palate towards a finish with almost a lemon cream pie feel next to a hint more of spice and soft vanilla rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a solid unpeated malt that really leans into citrus and sweet baked goods with a fruity vibe. I like this nice highball with good fizzy water and a twist of orange or grapefruit peel.
9. Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years
Glengoyne uses unpeated Highland barley that they airdry themselves before fermentation. The uniqueness of this whisky doesn’t end there. They also season their own American and European oak barrels with sherry for six years before filling them with their juice. After ten years of maturation, those barrels are vatted, proofed, and bottled for this expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts off fairly familiar for a sweet Highland malt with notes of apple candies, butter toffee, and a few chocolate-covered almonds.
Palate: The taste leans back into the apple but it’s more tart and juicy now as minor notes of anise and wet cedar bark lead to a little bit of warm cream sitting on top of a shot of espresso and a hint more of those almonds.
Finish: The finish lets the malts sweeten with a hint of orange marmalade on toast rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is another unpeated whisky that’s really going to make your highball shine. It works well in a Scotch old fashioned too.
8. Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Select
Master Distiller John Campbell created this whisky to highlight the diversity of the casking process behind Laphroaig’s classic expressions. The juice is a blend of four casks. Their quarter, Pedro Ximénez, triple wood, and ten-year-old casks are married to create a deeply satisfying bottle of whisky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whisky draws you in with hints of red fruit, plums, nuts, and a bit of peated maltiness.
Palate: The fruit leads the way on the palate while the wood leans mildly spicy with a bit of alcohol warmth, Ace bandages, smoked salts, and more of that malt.
Finish: The end lingers as the fruit and wood come together with an ever-so-distant wisp of smoke and Band-Aid.
Bottom Line:
This is an acquired taste that really grew on me. I tend to like this in a penicillin or highball, but it does work as an on the rocks sipper too.
This is an entry whisky to Speyside and single malts in general. The juice is aged in a combination of used American and European oak before it’s married, rested, proofed with Speyside’s iconic water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This dram is creamy like a vanilla pudding with a bright pear orchard vibe, some mild toffee, and hints of sweetgrass next to mild oak.
Palate: That leads towards a very easy and soft woodiness with a touch of candied pear and more vanilla cream before hints of soft cinnamon spice poke up in the background with those soft malts.
Finish: By the end, it’s clear how light and approachable this whisky is as that pear, vanilla cream, and mild spice slowly fade away, leaving you with a silken mouthfeel and just enough malts and toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is purely quintessential Speyside unpeated malt. The fruit orchards, honey, and vanilla all combine to make a very classic albeit light sip of whisky. Since it is so light, use it to build a great cocktail or highball.
This Island’s whisky is all about reaching over the pond. The 100% malted barley juice is aged exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels (for an undisclosed amount of time) before it’s vatted, proofed, and bottled as-is to highlight that barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a nose full of ripe apples and pears with stems and cores alongside soft and damp cedar and chewy vanilla-laced toffee.
Palate: The palate counters with grapefruit pith, silken vanilla cream, and apple butter brimming with dark spice.
Finish: The finish comes about with a singed cedar bark feel next to soft powdery spices, orange oils, and a very light vanilla ice cream scoop.
Bottom Line:
This is the bottle you want to buy if you’re looking for a bourbon bridge to Scotland. It works nicely as a sipper over some rocks or in an old fashioned cocktail.
5. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bruichladdich’s philosophy on whisky making is pretty unique. Each batch highlights local, unpeated Scottish barley that’s fermented and distilled. That juice then goes into some combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-wine casks for a varied amount of time. That means each batch is unique. Bruichladdich then provides a code on their bottles so that you can go to their website and find out what makes the bottle in your hand special.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wildflowers and granola bars draw you in on the nose as a hint of brine and salted caramel linger on the back end with orange oils and softwood.
Palate: That brine becomes a full rush of seaspray as tart apples lead towards a Caro syrup mid-palate sweetness.
Finish: That sweetness fades into a spicy malt as sea salt and sweet oak dominated the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice seaside unpeated malt. That salinity makes this a great candidate for simple whisky cockatiels or highballs, but it’s also perfectly suited to easy sipping over a glass full of ice.
4. Compass Box Orchard House Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
The blended malt leans into apples as a predominant flavor note of sweet Scotch whisky. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of 39% Linkwood single malt that aged in ex-bourbon barrels, 20% Clynelish single malt also aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and Benrinnes single malt from ex-bourbon barrels. The next 8% is a single malt from a distillery in the town of Aberlour (not the distillery) that is aged in ex-sherry butts with 2% from a Highland malt blend that is aged in custom-built and toasted French oak barrels, and the final 2% from a peated malt from Caol Ila that matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Naturally, apples burst forth on the nose with tart, sweet, and juicy notes next to a soft pear vibe, lemon and lime zest, a touch of sweet pineapple, and a soft echo of dry but fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves.
Palate: The palate leans into fresh ginger soaking in a pot of floral honey next to minor notes of fresh strawberry shortcake with a soft vanilla sponge cake, fresh berries, and a dollop of vanilla-laced whipped cream.
Finish: The finish leans into a light white floral note while the pear and apple return with a ripeness that feels like they’re fresh off the vine and a final note of lightly spiced malts with a whisper of applewood smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is just good, especially if you’re looking for a very fruit-forward whisky for highballs, cocktails, or your rocks glass.
3. Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
Glenfarclas is a bit of an outlier. The whisky is distilled with old-school fire-heated stills (most stills use steam) to this day, imbuing a hint of smokiness to the juice. The whisky is then aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks for 12 long years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rumminess to the nose that touches on molasses, prunes, nuts, and jam that’s all just touched with a thin line of smoke, kind of like an old sweater after a backyard campfire.
Palate: The taste holds onto that vibe to the point of having an almost spiced rum sweetness and clear notes of holiday spices, plenty of dried fruit, and a roasted almond element.
Finish: The end is long and spicy, leaving you with a warming Speyside hug that hints at smoked plums and apricots with a dash of old honey sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and very subtle whisky. It’s deep though, which makes it a fun sipper over some rocks or to play with in a cocktail.
2. Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
This single malt hails from a tiny yet beloved Speyside distillery. The actual whisky is also made on their smallest still, nicknamed “Wee Witchie.” That juice then goes into ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 12 years. Finally, those whiskies are married, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is subtle yet engaging, with a nose of almost burnt toffee next to bright red berries, mild spice, hints of oak, and a bit of cedar.
Palate: The palate leans into the berries by becoming jammy with more of that toffee and a mild sense of spicy tobacco arriving late.
Finish: The end is long-ish with a plummy chew next to that tobacco and malty spice.
Bottom Line:
This is a damn fine whisky. I like it over some rocks but also put it into very simple whisky cocktails from time to time.
This is Ardbeg’s signature bottle and a true gateway to the peaty style of single malt scotches. The real highlight of this expression is the peat smokiness filtered through sherry casking. The phenol count tends to be on the higher end with this expression, so you’ll know you’re drinking a smoky whisky from the first nose. But it won’t absolutely floor you.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic Ardbeg with hints of BBQ smoker ash full of fat, tart red berries, lemon pepper, and a touch of creamy dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead while layering in sea-salt brined pork fat, hints of bourbon vanilla, and an echo of Nutella.
Finish: The finish has that deep salted black licorice vibe leading to a slow fade through the peppery smoked fat, charcoal ash, chocolate nuttiness, and finally smoked red berries with a sweet/tart edge.
Bottom Line:
This is bold and fun whisky that’s perfect served over a single large rock in a big ol’ rocks glass. That said, it also works nicely in a cocktail. But if you want to get the full thrust of the Islay peatiness with that seaside smoker vibe, then stick with the big cube of ice.
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