Drake started the year off by making his directorial debut with TVGucci’s “Bora Bora” music video, depicting a lavish party and overflowing wealth. “I visit Bora Bora ’cause I’m bored,” TVGucci flaunts in the hook. Drake’s next collaborative offering with Popcaan figures to deliver the same vibe.
Popcaan posted a teaser video to his Instagram today, January 4, which Drake reposted to his Instagram Story. In it, Popcaan lights one up, Drake cruises the ocean on a jet ski, and bikini-clad women walk around under palm trees. Popcaan’s “We Caa Done” featuring Drake is expected to drop on Friday, January 6, giving it six full months to morph into an undeniable summer jam.
Popcaan has been an OVO artist since 2019. During the Jamaican dancehall artist’s Unruly Fest in December 2018, Drake made a surprise appearance and announced to the audience that Popcaan was “officially” signing with his OVO label.
Popcaan fans have been waiting for his Great Is He album, and the release date appears to be drawing nearer. Yesterday, January 3, he shared the cover art and tweeted alongside it, “New year, new gear, new blessings, new money, new music!”
In 2022, Popcaan released potential Great Is He singles “Skeleton Cartier,” “One Way,” “Next To Me” featuring Toni-Ann Singh, and “Set It.” He also featured on Burna Boy’s triumphant afrobeats album, Love, Damini.
Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As the saying goes, the heart wants what it wants.
On Jan 2, BBC News shared the most unlikely love story—between a nun and a priest whose instant connection inspired them to leave behind celibacy and instead spend the rest of their lives together.
Lisa Tinkler became a nun at the age of 19, moving from her hometown in Middlesbrough, England, to serve a Roman Catholic convent in Lancashire as Sister Mary Elizabeth.
For 24 years, Sister Mary Elizabeth lived the life of a carmelite nun, meaning most of her time was spent in silent devotion and in a small enclosure with a barred window known as a “grille.” There, she was mostly closed off from the outside world, only seeing her family a few times a year and always from behind the grille.
Though the hermit lifestyle deeply fulfilled Sister Mary Elizabeth’s “interior world,” a chance encounter would turn it all upside down in such a way that even the least religious among us might call it divine intervention.
On what seemed like any other ordinary day, Sister Mary Elizabeth’s convent had been paid a visit by friar Robert, hailing from a priory in Oxford. Robert would occasionally stop by to say mass, where she would watch his sermons from behind the grille.
Sister Mary Elizabeth and her superior were tasked with providing lunch to the friar, but when the prioress had to take a phone call, the two were in the parlor room together.
Robert was finished eating and still the prioress hadn’t returned. So Sister Mary Elizabeth opened the door to let him out. When she brushed up against his sleeve, all bets were off.
“I just felt a chemistry there, something, and I was a bit embarrassed. And I thought, gosh, did he feel that too. And as I let him out the door it was quite awkward,” she told the BBC.
It seems that the feeling was indeed mutual—for only a week later, she received a message from Robert asking her to marry him.
Though elated, Sister Mary Elizabeth admitted she found the proposal shocking, as the two knew so little about each other. She had at least caught snippets of Robert’s life through his sermons, like growing up in Poland near the German border and his love of mountains.
Robert, on the other hand, knew nothing about her. “I wore a veil so he never even saw my hair color. He knew nothing about me really, nothing about my upbringing. He didn’t even know my worldly name,” she recalled.
Unsure of what to do, Sister Mary Elizabeth reached out to her superior, who was … perhaps less than supportive, causing her to walk away from the convent for good and choose instead to go meet Robert at a pub that evening.
“The prioress was a little bit snappy with me, so I put my pants and a toothbrush in a bag and I walked out, and I never went back as Sister Mary Elizabeth,” the former nun, now Lisa, told the BBC.
The decision wasn’t an easy one. Becoming a nun had felt like a divine calling for Lisa, and leaving it all behind created inner turmoil. She even admitted having momentary suicidal thoughts.
Robert, who had been a Carmelite friar for 13 years, was having his own existential dilemma. Theology gave his life meaning after a dark period brought on by a former failed relationship. So when Lisa showed up at the pub that night, he was “paralyzed by fear.” Not for questioning his feelings for her, or for guilt over turning away from friendship, but because he was unsure of how to make such a huge life change.
Still, the couple courageously moved forward and eventually got married. The two left behind their former monastic lives in November 2015 and now share a home in North Yorkshire. Robert works as the vicar of their local church and Lisa became a hospital chaplain. Sharing books—and a few cries together—helped them ease through the transition.
Though Robert and Lisa anticipated their love would in some way change a core part of their identity, it has instead strengthened their faith. As Lisa put it, they discovered that “love can make a sacrament of everything you do.”
Even if you’re not the religious type, it’s hard to deny that love seems to have a mind of its own, moving us to do things that we otherwise would never dream of. While Robert and Lisa’s story is quite unique, great things can happen to all of us when we follow our hearts.
Even if they’re not sold on him as an actor, people in general love Keanu Reeves as a person. With his down-to-earth vibe and humble acts of kindness, the Canadian star is just a genuinely good guy. Appreciating Keanu Reeves is like an inviolable law of the universe or something.
So it’s understandable that people would be eager to follow Reeves on social media—except there’s one problem. He has made it clear he doesn’t use it.
Some people who come across an “Unreal Keanu” video on TikTok, however, are being duped into thinking he does, despite multiple disclaimers—including the account name—that it’s not really his account.
The @unreal_keanu account has more than 8 million followers, some of whom appear to think they’re following the actual actor. Whoever owns the account shares fun little video creations with “Keanu Reeves” in various relatable scenarios. He never speaks, so there’s no voice to compare to the real deal, but his face and body are a darn good dupe.
The account clearly says “parody” in the bio, but if people don’t click the bio to see that, they may very well believe the video to be Keanu Reeves himself. And judging by the comments, that’s exactly what a lot of people do.
Life with a girlfriend. #keanureeves #relationship #girlfriend
People who are familiar with deepfake videos or who have seen Keanu Reeves more recently (with his scruffy, salt-and-pepper beard) can fairly quickly discern that they can’t be real, but the casual observer who sees these videos in passing can be forgiven for assuming it’s him. The TikTok account has been around for almost a year and the technology has only gotten better and better. The first few videos are pretty clearly deepfakes, but the recent ones are genuinely hard to tell.
Here’s the first video that was shared on January 18, 2022, where the AI element is a lot more obvious:
The progression of AI tech in just under a year is both impressive and a little terrifying. This account is clearly using Keanu’s likeness for silly giggles and is pretty harmless, but it’s easy to see how someone with nefarious intent could create serious problems for public figures as well as the average person.
The future of AI, for better or worse, is a big ethical question mark for us all. But in the meantime, it’s pretty incredible to see what humans have figured out how to do.
Almost as incredible as how Keanu Reeves refuses to age. Unreal, indeed:
Like many of us, Jess Mell, 34, an insurance adjuster in England, had a hard time during the pandemic. During the first two years of lockdowns, she suffered from anxiety and depression, so on December 27, 2021, she decided to fight back by getting out of her comfort zone.
To overcome her mental health problems, she challenged herself to try something new, every day, for 100 days. The challenge was so effective at improving her mental health that she extended the challenge to a whole year.
“The first 100 I did one new thing every day—for the rest of the year I decided I’d do 365 new things in 365 days,” she said, according to The Metro. “I could do ten things in one day if I was free.”
One of the most interesting things about the challenge was the wide variety of new things that Mell attempted. She tried new artistic endeavors such as taking a life drawing class, origami and attempting to play the ukulele.
She gave up on the ukulele, but at least she tried.
She also expanded her life skills by learning to pick a lock, using chopsticks and changing a car wheel. Mell also took a walk on the wild side by drinking moonshine, taking a shot out of a belly button and dying her hair pink.
According to the New York Post, by the end of 2022, she had only accomplished 364 new tasks. She found the perfect number 365 by turning her year of new experiences into her first Instagram reel.
Mell has gotten tremendous benefits from expanding her horizons and she looks to continue the challenge in 2023 as well. “I’m going to keep [trying new things] in that it’s now just part of what I do,” Mell said according to the New York Post. “I’ve always tried to find new things to do, so that will go on. Whether I track it the same way I’m not sure.”
Anxiety and depression are serious health conditions that require professional help, so Mell’s experiences shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all for complex conditions. However, there is some scientific backing to her turnaround.
In Psychology Today, Dr. Jutta Joormann explains that “experiential diversity” (having new experiences) “can improve overall well-being” and leads to an increase in “positive affect.” Dr. Joorman adds that when we experience new things it can lead to a positive “upward cycle” that can “promote subsequent development of more positive emotions.”
That’s probably why once Mell started her challenge, she couldn’t stop.
Mell’s story is a wonderful reminder to all of us of the benefits of getting out there and trying something new. Hopefully, her story encourages people to break free from their routines and have some new experiences. As science shows, it’s bound to improve your outlook on life.
“What has been so nice about the whole experience has been that whenever I’ve thought ‘I could try that,’ rather than putting it off, I just ask myself ‘why don’t I?’ I really hope I keep that up,” she said, according to The Metro.
Here’s s partial list of some of the new things that Mell tried. Any sound interesting to you?
Tried origami
Went to hot yoga
Dyed my hair pink
Learned how to do various types of knots
Went to a life drawing class
Completed a paint by numbers
Learned to pick a lock
Ate using chopsticks
Attended a first aid course
Changed a car wheel (or helped to!)
Drank a shot out of a belly button
Made fudge
Played golf
Made a pizza from scratch
Went to Belfast/Northern Ireland for the first time
New Belgium/Upslope/Troegs/Sierra Nevada/istock/Uproxx
Winter IPAs are a beer style for drinkers who either flat out refuse to move on to darker beers in the winter or simply want a change of pace during these darker, frigid months. While there’s no clear-cut definition of what the term “winter IPA” means, you can bet they’ll have at least a slightly higher ABV than some of their summery counterparts (we’re talking 6-8%), more caramel malts, and some even add wintry flavors (like spruce tips) on occasion.
If you’re the type of drinker who would rather enjoy a hazy, juicy, wintry New England-style IPA or a citrus-driven winter IPA than a stout or porter, you’re in luck. Since there’s no standard for what a winter IPA needs to be, brewers are able to experiment with flavors and IPA styles. This means there’s a winter IPA for every IPA fan to find.
We picked eight of our favorite winter IPAs and ranked them on overall flavor and how well they pair with the freezing winter winds. Keep scrolling to see how they all stacked up.
The folks at Peak didn’t want to give up the citrus juice and haze just because it was winter. They crafted this organic IPA with Azacca, Calypso, Citra, and Simcoe hops. This creates a hazy, juicy, wintry New England-style IPA perfect for the months ahead.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all tangerine, grapefruit, lemongrass, and pine needles. The palate is more grapefruit and some bready malts, but not much else. The finish is slightly bitter with dank pine. Overall, it’s a fairly one-dimensional beer.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a bad beer, it’s just a bit of a one-trick pony with grapefruit taking center stage and not much else. It’s just not overly exciting.
This bold, 7% ABV red IPA gets its flavor from the use of Trident and Simcoe hops as well as the addition of rye. This creates a slightly spicy, fruit, citrus-filled IPA you’ll want to drink from now until the spring thaw.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel malts, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, and resinous, dank pine are prevalent on the nose. The palate continues this trend with tangerine, grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, and pine, with just a hint of rye at the end. Not the best winter IPA, but not the worst.
Bottom Line:
The rye spice adds a nice warming element to this beer. It’s just that overall, it’s not the most flavorful winter IPA on the market by a long shot.
According to New Belgium, its Mosaic, Lotus, Stratus, and El Dorado hop-filled Accumulation IPA isn’t just a seasonal release that drops at the end of December each year, it’s also a “Skisanal” release perfect to enjoy after a day spent on the slopes.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of ripe pineapple, tangerine, grapefruit, lemongrass, and herbal, floral hops greet you before your first sip. This is followed by a palate of brown bread, caramel malts, lemon zest, grapefruit, wheat, and a light, spicy, slightly piney finish.
Bottom Line:
Accumulation is a reasonably flavorful, balanced winter IPA. It’s just not all that memorable. It feels like it’s missing something.
Brewed with 2-row, Carared, and Carafa malts, this wintry IPA gets its citrus and tropical fruit flavor from the addition of Simcoe, Comet, Citra, and Cascade hops. Flaked oats give it a creamy, smooth mouthfeel.
Tasting Notes:
The nose begins with caramel malts, candied orange peels, lemons, grapefruit, pineapple, and peach. The palate is creamy, velvety, juicy, and loaded with melon rind, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel malts, and lightly bitter, floral hops at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is labeled as a winter beer and its creamy mouthfeel works well for the season, but we’d drink this juicy, citrus, and tropical fruity-filled beer any time of year.
There aren’t many winter IPAs more well-known than Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Available from October through December, this well-balanced winter IPA features 2-row pale and caramelized malts as well as Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
This is a really hoppy beer right from the start. The nose is filled with an endless pine forest as well as wildflowers, orange peel, lemon, and some light caramel malts to hold it all together. The palate continues this with tangerine, grapefruit, caramel, and resinous, dank, floral pine. The finish has just the right amount of bitter bite.
Bottom Line:
This is an exceptional winter IPA. It’s a hop-lovers (especially fans of the big “C” hops) dream. It’s all pine and citrus and holds back on nothing.
This popular seasonal IPA is brewed with a selection of malts and Cascade and Simcoe hops. That would be all well and good for a flavorful winter IPA, but this beer gets an added jolt in the flavor department from the addition of hand-picked Colorado spruce tips.
Tasting Notes:
Grapefruit pulp, caramel malts, wet grass, pine, and spruce are big on the nose. The palate follows suit with a ton of spruce right off the bat. Luckily, instead of drowning out the dank, floral, piney hops and grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and bready malts, it only enhances them.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for the pine lovers of the IPA world. If that’s your jam, you’ll absolutely love this sip of wintry heaven.
This 6.8% ABV winter IPA was crafted to be a bigger, bolder, more flavorful beer for the winter months. The folks at Half Acre did this by propping up the orange peel, pine needle, and ripe berry flavor of Mosaic and Simcoe hops with rich, warming specialty malts.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of brown bread, ripe berries, dried fruits, caramel, orange zest, and fresh pine are highlighted on the nose. Drinking it reveals notes of candied orange peels, bready malts, more berries, and resinous, dank pine. The finish is a mix of citrus sweetness and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
There are few IPAs more balanced and well-suited for winter drinking than Half Acre Tend. It’s bold, higher in ABV, and has just the right amount of hop aroma and flavor for the winter months.
This might be the most aptly-named winter IPA on the market. This 6.4% ABV winter IPA is only available from November through January. It’s brewed with white wheat, unmalted wheat, and Pilsner malts as well as ale yeast and Centennial, Chinook, El Dorado, and Galaxy hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with caramelized pineapple, tangerine, grapefruit, honey, bready malts, and resinous pine needles. The palate is orange peel, lemon zest, more honey, caramel malts, and a heavy dose of dank pine needles. The finish is pleasantly bitter and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This beer is the beer equivalent of a blizzard of hops. It’s an explosion of wintry hop aroma and flavor. The kind of beer you’ll look forward to every winter.
Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet and where to buy them. It’s the first week of 2023, which means the search for the best sneakers of the year officially begins today! Does that mean any of the sneakers we’re shouting out will make that list?
We have doubts!
No shade to this week’s picks, but we have a whole lot of days ahead of us and if last year is anything to go by, the best sneakers tend to drop toward the middle of the year during the summer. But hey, 2023 might surprise us, because although we’re light on drops this week what is coming out is pure fire. New releases include collaborations between JJJJound and BAPE, a new Jordan 7, the latest LeBron, a BRED-inspired New Balance drop, and the return of the Smoke Grey Air Force 1. All five releases would be highlights on any other week, so although we’re only shouting out five sneakers this time around, it’s one hell of a strong five.
Let’s get into it.
Nike Air Force 1 Color Of The Month
Nike
We generally ignore Nike’s Color Of The Month series but this smokey AF-1 is impossible not to love.
Featuring a Smoke Grey colorway with an all-over suede upper and an iced-out midsole, this sneaker sports a jeweled swoosh, ribbed laces, and vintage Nike Air branding at the heel. It’s got that classic ‘80s vibe which is when the AF-1 looked its best. The sneaker drops with a Nike-branded cleaning brush because this is the sort of look you’re going to want to keep in pristine condition.
The Air Force 1 Color Of The Month is set to drop on January 5th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
NikeNike
Nike LeBron 7 Florida A&M University
Nike
A reimagining of a 2009 release, the LeBron Florida A&M University colorway returns! The design is built upon a plush pigskin nubuck upper with rattlesnake graphics at the tongue to rep FAMU, a full-length Nike Air unit, and speckled details along the swoosh and translucent midsole.
It’s one of the more elegant and simple LeBron designs in recent memory, which is always welcome!
The Nike Lebron 7 Florida A&M University is set to drop on January 7th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
NikeNike
Nike Air Jordan 7 Olive
Nike
MJ loved to golf (it’s why the Jordan 2 went for a country club luxe design), which is why occasionally you’ll see a Jordan draped in the sort of luxurious colorway you’d expect to find on a super expensive club bag like this week’s Olive Jordan 7.
Featuring a mix of cherrywood red and olive tones over a premium leather upper, this sneaker oozes luxury. Rounding out the design are stealthy black panels and gold accents outlining the cherrywood.
The Nike Air Jordan 7 Olive is set to drop on January 7th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
NikeNike
Bape x JJJJound BAPE STA
JJJJound
In what is hands down my favorite drop of the week, JJJJound is teaming up with BAPE for their second BAPE STA collaboration. Featuring a 100% calf leather upper in white with navy leather accents, this collar sports round laces, laser etched branding, and metal aglet in silver.
The sneaker has dual branding with the JJJJound logo at the heel and a woven BAPE label on the tongue and drops in a special navy-colored camouflage BAPE box. The sneaker is also dropping alongside a matching apparel collection in navy blue featuring hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts, and mesh caps.
The Bape x JJJJound II is set to drop on January 7th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $230. Pick up a pair at the JJJJound and BAPE online stores as well as in-person at BAPE locations.
JJJJoundJJJJound
New Balance 650R Black with Red and White
New Balance
It’s impossible to look at this New Balance 650R and not instantly think of the legendary Air Jordan 1 BRED. So… bold move New Balance! While this shoe looks a lot like another very famous shoe, who cares? It’s 2023 and New Balance is coming for Nike’s crown, we love to see that.
Featuring a leather upper and a high-top style that recalls vintage b-ball kicks, the 650R Black with Red and White sports raw-edged leather eyebrows and a cushy puff and stitch collar.
The New Balance 650R Black with Red and White is out now for a retail price $139.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.
Everyone wants a piece of the Original Beef of Chicagoland. Or rather, everyone wants to see how The Bear‘s Carmy will switch up the family sandwich joint in Season 2. Of course, some people also want to know if Carmy will get busy in some other context than the kitchen, but here I am, getting carried away again about this show. It’s the good kind of stress, y’all.
Season 2 of the popular FX show is on the way, at some point. The show will be more about community, according to creator Chris Storer and co-showrunner Joanna Calo, who recently spoke with Variety, but when will this happen on our small screens? Well, hang tight there. In the same Variety piece that dropped this week, it became clear that stars “[Jeremy] White and [Ayo] Edebiri haven’t read Season 2 scripts yet,” meaning that filming surely hasn’t begun as of yet. The shows cast and crew are currently in Golden Globes mode, too, so they’re undoubtedly busy, and besides, White has a handful of newfound film roles on his plate, so all of that must be taken into consideration.
However, NME relays a November 2022 statement from Storer and Call:
Although no exact release date has been given at present, Storer and Calo said that they couldn’t “wait to bring you all back to The Bear in 2023”. If the second season premieres around the same time as the first, the show should return to screens next summer.
So, there you have it. It’s vague, but it’s something: 2023 seems to be a sure thing, and please don’t hold out hope that Carmy and Sydney would get together. That would ruin their dynamic and maybe even the whole show. That ‘ship is misplaced here, so let’s instead hope for some type of return cameo from either Jon Bernthal or Joel McHale. Maybe even both of them. Yes, that’s better.
For the last two days, the House of Representatives has been a mess. The GOP now has control over the chamber, but only by a razor-thin margin. To make matters worse, a small but pivotal cadre of MAGA Republicans have sabotaged former House minority leader Kevin McCarthy’s wish for a promotion. There’s in-fighting. There’s in-fighting among the in-fighting. And then there’s one of the fresh fish: accused prolific fabulist George Santos, who appears to have lied about…well, everything. So when he repeatedly failed to recognize he was being called on for votes, that only made people even more suspicious.
It was Day Two of the House’s failed attempts to name a new Speaker of the House, which, as of this writing, has yielded six separate votes. So far McCarthy has accrued fewer ballots than even Democratic nominee Hakeem Jeffries. It’s a chaotic scene, which may explain why Santos — who arrived on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and spent most of his first day alone, avoided by everyone — may have repeatedly missed his own name being called to vote.
How do you not recognize the sound of your own name over a loud mic right away? https://t.co/OQfYtuqhaA
In video of him missing his name, Santos appears to be looking down at something. Maybe he’s playing around on his phone. It happens. But many hatched the same theory: that either Santos isn’t the serial fibber’s real name or he has so many aliases that he’s forgotten the real deal.
remember, kids: always choose a fake name that has personal meaning to you, so you remember to respond when it is called at the deli counter or when trying to cast a vote in congress https://t.co/attHDlEj5k
Again, it could be an innocent mistake. Lots of people miss their own names being called out at take-out joints, restaurants, in classrooms, etc. But given the sheer range of Santos’ alleged fabrications, it was inevitable that people smelled something fishy.
Any true festival-goer ought to have a bucket list of experiences. In all honesty, if Your Paradise Fiji is not on that list, it could be because a sedative mud root drink called cava, the national drink of Fiji, is somehow working its magic on you from over 5,000 miles away. Because this party is lit.
Held in a lush utopia in the South Pacific, Your Paradise Fiji prides itself on featuring some of the world’s most exciting artists in an equally stunning setting. From December 10-16, a very lucky group of 600 music-loving adventurers enjoyed six days and nights of action, culture, music, and wellness on the remote Islands of Mamanuca, an archipelago off the coast of Fiji’s mainland.
Each day featured experiences such as surfing Cloud 9 (one of the most sought-after surf breaks in the world), yoga on white sand beaches, flying over bright coral reefs, as well partying in sun hats while skipping across the turquoise sea on Fiji One. In addition to nonstop enjoyment, Your Paradise travelers also balanced their experience by giving back to the fragile ecosystem by planting mangrove trees and participating in other carbon-offsetting activities.
Each action-packed day ended at Your Paradise’s oceanfront main stage, where artists and fans kicked off each night of festivity with a wave goodbye to one of the most beautiful sunsets on the planet. Performances by Ben Böhmer, Netsky, and the eclectic duo Illustrious Blacks, only added overkill to an already perfect setup. Side note, check out this lineup bio for Illustrious Blacks. This is such an epic and fitting intro for a duo that’s produced an album titled, “Neo Afro Futuristic Psychedelic Surrealistic Hippy.”
Bottom line: If music travel is your bowl of cava, it could be time to add one of the world’s most iconic music-travel experiences to the list. These photos speak for themselves, so check them out and get ready. Spots are limited and Christmas is only twelve months away.
Barrel proof bourbon whiskey — or “cask strength” or “barrel strength” depending on the brand’s preferred wording — is one of the hottest styles of bourbon at the moment. The idea is that barrel proof bourbon is “more authentic,” thanks to no proofing with water. That’s not really true. Barrel proof whiskeys are simply made from barrels that hit certain flavor notes which make them better tasting without water. Other barrels shine brighter with a little water added. Neither is inherently better.
Semantics aside, with so many barrel proof bourbons on the shelves it felt like it was the perfect time for a barrel proof bourbon blind taste test. For this blind taste test, I lined up the following bottles:
When it comes to ranking these barrel proof bourbons, it’s pretty simple. What tastes the best? Sometimes it doesn’t have to be harder than that. Still, there is the ABV factor at play with barrel proof bourbons. Do those higher ABVs/proofs blow the palate out? Or is there a real balance where the higher proof/alcohol becomes part of a more cohesive whole? That’s what’s fun about tasting these blinds, finding out answers to questions like that. Let’s find out together by tasting some fantastic barrel proof bourbon whiskeys.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.
Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamed soft nut butter, vanilla cake, and apple cider spiked with spiced cherry tobacco.
Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.
Initial Thoughts:
This is classic Sazerac bourbon (Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792, A. Smith) from top to bottom. It’s just kind of classic with a big ABV push through the mid-palate to the finish. That said, it really felt well-rounded and tasted really f*cking good.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a classic bourbon on the nose with deep flavors of buttered buttermilk biscuits, salted caramel, singed marshmallow, Almond Joy, cherry cream soda, and a touch of Nutella and maple syrup.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry root beer with a hint of vanilla cream soda next to eggnog spices and creaminess, old dried roses in older leatherbound books, and a whisper of red peppercorn cracked over some sweet pipe tobacco.
Finish: The end has a candied chili pepper vibe next to burnt orange, marzipan, and creamy dark chocolate with a hint of walnut and cherry saltwater taffy.
Initial Thoughts:
This was supple and kind of soft but delivered a nice overall profile. The heat wasn’t really there in any overwhelming way but popped in from time to time. Still, this felt more “fine” than “wow.”
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep leatheriness with a bright line of green hatch chilis next to a warm sense of dry powdered dark chocolate and dried sour cherries with an underlying dry earthiness and this tiny whisper of sourdough starter.
Palate: The palate opens with a hint of peach before kicking in some serious ABV buzziness and heat and then quickly rollercoastering down toward cinnamon and clove-laced dark chocolate, dark caramel, apple chips soaked in root beer, and a hint of clove and orange.
Finish: The end has a mild sense of dry sweetgrass and plenty of heat that gives way to an echo of that cinnamon and dark chocolate with a smidge of smoldering cacao husks and cinnamon bark.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty nice but has a slightly… cheapish finish — kind of like pleather instead of leather. It was complex and tasted good overall but felt way more like something you’d make a cocktail with than sip neat.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Burnt caramel candies and lush vanilla lead the way on the nose with hints of dry straw, sour cherry pie, and spiced apple cider with a touch of eggnog lushness.
Palate: The palate has a sense of spicy caramel with a vanilla base that leads to apricot jam, southern biscuits, and a flake of salt with a soft mocha creaminess.
Finish: The end is all about the buzzy tobacco spiciness with a soft vanilla underbelly and a hint of cherry syrup.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty nice but very light compared to the last few pours. That lightness really made this feel like a cocktail bourbon more than anything else.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Mocha and leather mix on the nose with fresh-cut green grass and piping hot cornbread dripping with butter and caramel sauce, creating a very grain-forward/crafty vibe.
Palate: The palate starts off with a nice and subtle barrel char leading toward Almond Roca toffees, cherry-chili tobacco, and velvety vanilla cream before those sweet porridge grains kick back in, confirming this as a very crafty bourbon.
Finish: The finish leans into a stewed apple with a hint of clove and sassafras that, in turn, leads to almond tobacco and plenty of cedar wrapped in old leather.
Initial Thoughts:
While this was clearly a craft bourbon thanks to those sweet grain notes, it was still deep and well-rounded with just the right hit of high-proof warmth. Long story short, it had a nice balance.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft sense of classic bourbon on the nose with dark cherry, vanilla pod, light caramel sauce, and pecan waffles with pancake syrup and cinnamon-brown sugar butter next to a whisper of old boot leather and a very distant echo of sweet grits.
Palate: The palate has a soft creamed honey sweetness with a twinge of Cherry Coke next to buttery toffee dipped in crushed roasted almonds with a hint of Mounds Bar and chewy caramel. A good dose of ABV heat kicks up on the mid-palate with a mulled wine spiciness and a touch of sour cherry.
Finish: The end is nutty and full of dark cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate and dark brown spices.
Initial Thoughts:
This had a whisper of crafty grain on the nose but ended up hard-core classic bourbon by the end. It’s a great balance.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a very classic Kentucky bourbon nose with big winter spice notes tied to barks and buds with a hint of nutmeg before leaning into oily vanilla pods and salted caramel chews with a nice hint of apple cider and black cherry cola.
Palate: Clove buds, cinnamon bark, and allspice berries lead on the palate with a hint of chili pepper spiciness before a lush sense of vanilla white cake with toffee frosting and burnt orange creates a luxurious mouthfeel with a hint of alcohol warmth.
Finish: The end arrives with a deeply classic vibe that’s slightly tied to old oak cellars next to cherry bark, old bottles of vanilla, and easy-going salted caramel sweetness next to a hint of apple cider tobacco rolled with cinnamon bark and cedar.
Initial Thoughts:
This is just a classic bourbon from top to bottom that has just the right amount of kick balanced out with a deeply satisfying flavor profile.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of Graham Crackers dipped in dark chocolate with a hint of singed marshmallow next to orchard wood, dried cherry, and mild winter spice.
Palate: The palate opens with soft brown sugar next to cherries dipped in dark chocolate, allspice berries, and eggnog creaminess.
Finish: The end has a Cherry Coke vibe next to cinnamon bark, buttery gingerbread, and a hint of apple-cinnamon tobacco wrapped up in leather and cedar.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty nice and refined overall. There was a little jaggedness around the edges but it was barely noticeable.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a crafty, sweet grain nose that opens toward a pile of freshly chopped firewood, lemon pepper, creamy vanilla-laced honey, winter spices, and Kiwi boot soap.
Palate: The palate has a hint of caramel malts next to Vanilla Coke, a buttery and spiced apple pie with plenty of brown sugar, and a hint of ginger next to some orange blossoms in the background.
Finish: The end is solid with a spicy warmth next to more of that dry firewood and a smidge of sweet oatmeal cookies.
Initial Thoughts:
This has a nice crafty base but feels about a year too young. It’s just not quite as refined as the other pours today. Still, it tastes pretty good overall, and I imagine a rock would sand off those rougher edges quite nicely.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is full of dark brown sugar vanilla pods and winter spices that start to lean toward chili and cumin and then a sense of a well-seasoned pork butt before it goes into the smoker — it’s kind of like raw leather.
Palate: The palate is classic bourbon with a rich vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream next to bold dark cherry, woody notes of dry reeds, and salted caramel with a twinge of orange oils.
Finish: The end has a mild sense of tangerine flesh and star fruit that leads back to warm ABVs and dark winter spices layered into fresh tobacco and old cedar bark.
Initial Thoughts:
This is funky Beam through and through. The proof really does hit a high on the end but never overwhelms anything going on in the flavor profile. Overall, this felt really good on the nose and the palate, but I don’t think it was my favorite.
The last Elijah Craigh of 2022 is also the highest-proof release this year. The whiskey is made from a very low rye bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. That juice then ages for at least 12 years before the barrels are vatted in very small batches and bottled without proofing or filtration.
Bottom Line:
It’s weird to say this felt “cheap” but it just did. That said, this would work perfectly well in a cocktail.
This special release from Maker’s Mark is their classic wheated bourbon turned up a few notches. The batch is made from no more than 19 barrels of whiskey. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the barrel at cask strength with no filtering, just pure whiskey-from-the-barrel vibes.
Bottom Line:
This was on the thinner said, which is par for the course with Maker’s Mark. That’s what makes this the perfect bourbon to build your cocktail with.
The bourbon in this bottle was contract distilled in Ohio at Middlewest (but it’s now being made in Kentucky too). The juice is a wheated bourbon that spent eight years mellowing before bottling. Each barrel was hand-picked before being married into a barrel strength expression that’s bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was a little rough around the edges, but still had a great depth and overall profile. Plus, that roughness will go away once you make an old fashioned or whiskey sour with this one.
Barrell’s New Year Bourbon is one of the most beloved releases of the year. This year’s batch is made from a grouping of five, six, seven, eight, and 10-year-old straight bourbon whiskeys distilled in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, Texas, and Maryland. Those whiskeys were batched in Kentucky and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was nice overall but felt a little light as well. And if you’re looking for big “barrel proof” vibes, this might be a slight letdown. That said, this works on every other level as a tasty sipper or cocktail base.
6. Smooth Ambler 6 Years Old Founders’ Cask Strength Series 2022 Batch #1 — Taste 8
This whiskey is made from a high-rye mash of 71% corn, 21% rye, and 8% malted barley. That whiskey is then left alone for six years before it’s batched and bottled without filtering or proofing.
Bottom Line:
While I did find a twinge of roughness to this one, I was really trying to find it. If you’re just looking for an easy-going and classic bourbon with a little kick to it, this will 100% deliver.
This craft darling from Washington state is all about local ingredients. The mash is rendered from locally grown corn, rye, and barley. The spirit is distilled in Western Washington and then shipped to Eastern Washington to age for at least five years. That whiskey is then batched and bottled as-is with no fussing or cutting.
Bottom Line:
This was able to balance the craftiness of it all — that sweet graininess — with a really solid overall high-proof bourbon flavor profile. And while I’d probably use this for a cocktail, I can see sipping this easily over a few rocks and never being disappointed.
The last batch of Booker’s of 2022 is a nod to Booker Noe’s father, Pinkie Noe. The whiskey in the bottle was created from barrels from the middle/sweet spot of four warehouses. The average age of the batch ended up being 6 years, 10 months, and 10 days old when it was bottled completely as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was a funky Beam product and I kind of dig it. It was a tad warm, but that high ABV heat never overpowered the unique profile. That said, this feels like it needs a little time and water to really find its full potential in the glass.
This uncut and unfiltered version of Redwood Empire’s beloved bourbon is a four-grain whiskey built from a blend of California, Kentucky, and Indiana whiskeys. The mash ends up being 74% corn, 20% raw rye, 4.5% malt barley, and a mere 1.5% wheat. The barrels in the final blend range from four to 12 years old with the older stuff coming from the Ohio Valley.
Bottom Line:
This leaned hard into classic territory with a whisper of craftiness lurking beneath. Overall, the profile was spot on and felt very satisfying as a cask-strength bourbon experience with good flavor and warming heat in the chest. This is a good sipper.
2. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2 — Taste 1
This new batch from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on last year’s bold ABV release. This year, Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.
Bottom Line:
I was shocked this ranked this high. The ABVs really didn’t overwhelm but added to the overall spiciness and warmth of the bourbon flavor profile. It was deep and rewarding from nose to finish. That said, I want to revisit this with some time and water to find what’s lurking beneath those hot ABVs.
1. Frank August Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel No. 0002 — Taste 7
This brand-new release from awards-favorite Frank August dials things into a single barrel of whiskey. The whiskey in the bottle is a 5.1-year-old Kentucky bourbon from an undisclosed source. That barrel is bottled 100% as-is with no cutting, filtering, or fussing.
Bottom Line:
This was just f*cking delicious. It had the perfect balance of single-barrel warmth with a deep and delightful bourbon profile. It’s an instant classic through and through.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
I kind of just want to talk about that Frank August Single Barrel all day. It’s quintessential and yet somehow fresh. There’s a lot of vibrancy that speaks to deeply classic bourbon notes while still offering a sharp sense of uniqueness. It’s so good, folks.
Effusiveness for Frank August aside, this was a killer lineup of bourbons. Each one had its own vibe and moxie that makes it a great pick. Still, the top five really are the ones you want to focus on if you’re looking for a truly fantastic barrel proof bourbon pour.
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