While Brazilians all over the country are reeling following the national soccer team’s heartbreaking World Cup quarterfinal loss to Croatia, perhaps some rogue citizens objected to Harry Styles’ support of the Argentina squad and took matters into their own hands? I kid, but Brazil and Argentina are fierce soccer rivals and one of Styles’ Love On Tour vans was hijacked at gunpoint early Friday morning in Brazil, as reported by Brazilian outlet G1.
According to the report, the driver told authorities that three armed men robbed the van. Styles was not in the van, as this particular vehicle was carrying merch to be sold at his next show. The robbery happened in Campina Grande do Sul, just outside of the Curitiba metropolitan center in the state of Paraná. Styles is scheduled to play in Curitiba on Saturday, December 10th.
The concert promoter told G1 that while the van was headed to the Pedreira Paulo Leminski venue, that gear, instruments, and — most importantly — the talent, were not travelling to the venue by van. They also added that new merch was being shipped to the venue in Curitiba in time for the Saturday show. It’s a highly prudent decision to not have stars like Styles travelling on Brazilian highways, as hijackings and kidnappings are far more common than they should be in the South American country.
On the heels of the release of her sophomore album, S.O.S., SZA sat down with Audacy’s Check-In podcast. The interview took place after last Saturday’s episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was the musical guest.
During the aforementioned Saturday Night Live episode, there was a sketch in which ex-flings of rapper Drake formed a union called “The United Tingz Of Aubrey.”
SZA herself was not in the sketch, however, the irony was not lost on fans. In a song called “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’s 2020 mixtape Savage Mode II, Drake alludes to a past relationship, as he raps, “Yeah, said she wanna f*ck to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08.”
During her podcast episode, SZA noted that she wasn’t aware of the sketch until the episode’s airing.
“In a strange way, I was like, ‘Did they know?’” she said. “But they didn’t ask me to be in it. Nobody said anything. … I feel like Drake has a Regina George quality to him where it’s just kind of like, ‘Have you or anyone you know been personally victimized?’ He’s like a cool kid, you know. When you’re the popular kid in school, it’s entertaining. It’s entertaining, but you sometimes are taking losses in the midst of that entertainment. The honesty, I respect that. But I definitely laughed real hard…I cackled.”
Despite the comparison to the Mean Girls bully, SZA insists that it’s all love between her and Drizzy.
“We’re cool. And we’ve always been cool,” she said. “It’s never been weird. It didn’t come completely out of the blue when he let me know. I didn’t know it was a song with 21 [Savage] or anything like that. But anytime he’s ever mentioned me, it’s always been positive. He’s never said anything negative about me. I’m grateful for that. I think highly of him…He’s King Drake.”
The year was 2007 and French house duo Justice were blowing the minds of hipsters and party bros alike. The Bloghouse era was thriving amid the emergence of electro acts like Chromeo, Simian Mobile Disco, and The Bloody Beetroots, and no song was as anthemic for the NYC-born scene quite like Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” A rallying cry back to the dance floor; there was a future for the convergence of indie and electro house that wasn’t only up to Daft Punk anymore. The fulcrum of Justice breakthrough album, Cross (spelled out with simply a symbol for a cross; one that the duo accused Justin Bieber of ripping off), “D.A.N.C.E” now has a brand new remix featuring Logic that stands out amid a 15th anniversary Deluxe Edition of the album.
Cross effectively ushered in a new era of DJ culture. Justice’s Xavier De Rosnay and Gaspard Augé became huge and other DJ personalities followed suit. Just as “D.A.N.C.E.” represented the rise of indie-electro, the reprised version with Logic shows how hip-hop eventually seeped into the culture as well. Logic is thrust into the mix, but helps carry the beat as if it were a brand new spin. It’s part of six new tracks in a second disc that features demos and an unreleased Justice track called “Donna.”
Listen to “D.A.N.C.E.” featuring Logic above. Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Cross (Deluxe) below.
Justice
Disc 1: † Original
1. “Genesis”
2. “Let There Be Light”
3. “D.A.N.C.E.”
4. “Newjack”
5. “Phantom”
6. “Phantom pt. II”
7. “Valentine”
8. “TThhEe PPaARRtTYY”
9. “DVNO”
10. “Stress”
11. “Waters of Nazareth”
12. “One Minute to Midnight”
Disc 2:
1. “The Party (Demo)”
2. “Valentine (Demo)”
3. “D.A.N.C.E. (Demo)”
4. “Donna”
5. “B.E.A.T. (Instrumental)”
6. “Justice ft. Logic – D.A.N.C.E.”
Cross (Deluxe) is out on 12/15 via Ed Banger Records/Because Music.
Nick Carter is denying sexual assault allegations regarding an incident that allegedly took place in 2001. Earlier this week, a woman named Shannon “Shay” Ruth claimed that the Backstreet Boy raped her on the band’s tour bus when she was 17 years old after a concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth has since filed a lawsuit against Carter.
Carter’s lawyer, Michael Holtz, provided a statement to CNN today (December 9).
“This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time.”
During a press conference held in Beverley Hills this past Thursday, Ruth stated, “The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame, and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me.”
This isn’t the first time Carter has been accused of sexual assault. Back in 2017, Melissa Shuman from girl group Dream accused Carter of rape while they were filming a movie in 2002.
As a result of the most recent allegations, ABC has pulled the upcoming Backstreet Boys holiday special, “A Very Backstreet Holiday” from its scheduled broadcast. It was set to air Tuesday, December 14, however, ABC will now reportedly play reruns of comedy episodes in its place.
Last night, at Sharon Van Etten’s concert in Melbourne, she was joined by a famous lead singer — who just also happens to be touring in Australia with his band. The Killers’ Brandon Flowers appeared at Sharon’s show to perform a duet of “Like I Used To.” While Angel Olsen traditionally tackled the part of the song, Flowers got his flowers by doing a fantastic job. In general, the two musicians just jammed out — and the fans who attended the gig loved it.
Just went to see Sharon Van Etten and bonus Brandon Flowers came onstage. Epic pic.twitter.com/Zyg0xLQNkk
“Had such an amazing 2nd show tonight here in Melbourne and the epic Northcote Theatre,” Van Etten posted on Twitter. “Thank you, @BrandonFlowers for being such a sincere , humble , beautiful person. Loved singing with you – and @AngelOlsen gave her blessing. Hope to do it again sometime. X”
Had such an amazing 2nd show tonight here in Melbourne and the epic Northcote Theatre. Thank you, @BrandonFlowers for being such a sincere , humble , beautiful person. Loved singing with you – and @AngelOlsen gave her blessing. Hope to do it again sometime. X https://t.co/17LriMfIO6
The Melbourne surprise marked Van Etten’s second night at the Northcote Theatre. Tomorrow night, she takes the stage at the Meredith Festival before heading to New Zealand for shows in Auckland and Wellington.
As for Flowers, The Killers will continue their Australian run in cities like Sydney and Melbourne until mid-December. The band is then set to return to Las Vegas for a sold-out New Year’s Eve show at The Cosmopolitan. Oh, and because they never slow down, fans can also catch them on a US tour again next spring. More information is available here.
The 1975 returned today with a new music video for their poppy romantic song, “Oh Caroline,” from the band’s recent acclaimed album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language.
While they are currently still touring across the US as lead singer Matty Healy causes more chaos onstage, this latest video finds him wreaking emotional havoc instead. Donning full prosthetics to transform into an old man reminiscing on a lost love, Healy lets fans literally see what his grandpa era will look like.
The video for “Oh Caroline” pans between the past and present, as Healy (in his younger, current form) performs the song with the rest of the band at a club. Alluding to grief, there is also a powerful dancing scene that finds Healy with a female performer before he remembers the same choreography in old age — except he is alone.
In traditional fashion, there’s cigarette smoking and dancing on tables. At the end of the day, she was probably put off by Healy’s meat-eating shenanigans.
“You don’t need to have lived a story to write one,” Healy told Apple Music about the song. “Caroline is whoever you want it to be – you can change that name in your head.”
Watch The 1975’s new music video for “Oh Caroline” above.
After Croatia’s stunning victory against Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinal, Zach Lowe went on NBA Today decked out in a Luka Modric Croatia jersey. Lowe, a Croatia supporter who tweeted his excitement about the win, has been sporting the jersey on the show during the World Cup, and after the win over the favorites in the tournament, he took a second to flex.
Croatia entered the match as significant underdogs to a Brazilian side that had danced their way through the tournament. Brazil couldn’t crack the Croatian defense through 90 minutes, and in extra time, they finally broke through with a brilliant goal by Neymar that looked to be the decisive moment that would put them through to the semifinal.
However, in the 117th minute, Bruno Petković scored an equalizer on a shot that deflected off of Brazilian defender Marquinhos — if the NBA Today producers want an Emmy, we highly recommend that they find and air footage of Lowe watching and reacting to the goal.
In penalties, the Croatians calmly converted four, while Brazil missed their first and Marquinhos hit the post in brutal fashion to send them home for good. Croatia will move on to face Argentina — which likewise won a thriller — in the semifinal, while Lowe gets to sport the Croatia jersey on air for another week.
‘Tis the season for a good bottle of bourbon whiskey. The corn-fueled American whiskey is the perfect gift for many reasons, from the deliciousness to the complexity of the brown sauce. But the best reason that bourbon whiskey is a great gift is that it hits every price point. You can check every level of gift price-taggery off of your shopping list with a different bottle of bourbon at a different price point while being confident you’re getting something special.
Breaking down all the bourbon fit for gifting isn’t always the easiest thing to do though since there are about a gazillion bottles on the shelves these days. That’s where I come in with a little bit of expertise. As a full-time whiskey writer, spirits judge, and whiskey consultant, I have access to so much bourbon from the bad to the mediocre to the good to the transcendent. So I’m going to name some true gems for you and whomever you’re shopping for.
For this list, I’m sectioning these bourbon bottles out by price instead of ranking them (they’re all good whiskeys, folks). There are five options in each of the five price points from cheap ($30 or less) to out-of-this-world prices ($250 and up) and in between. If you have a lot of bourbon whiskey lovers in your life, you’ll be able to find a bottle for all of them from this list. Lastly, I tried to keep these bottles findable. That said, the higher-end bottles are going to cost a lot for access but it’s the gift-giving season so that’s just part of the deal.
Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Jim Beam’s single-barrel bottlings are pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than 1% of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this an exceptional bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with vanilla pound cake drizzled with salted caramel, mulled wine spices, and a cherry hand pie with powdered sugar icing that’s just touched with dark chocolate and maybe some broom bristles and corn husks. The taste leans into floral honey cut with orange oils next to sticky toffee pudding and cherry tobacco packed into an old leather pouch. There’s a hint of coconut cream pie next to woody winter spices on the finish with a touch more of that cherry tobacco married to salted dark chocolate all layered with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a great bottle for someone who likes shots at the bar and maybe the odd old fashioned and is looking to get into whiskey a little more. It’s familiar yet a little bit more refined to help develop a palate.
This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown but Sazerac does mention that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could really mean anything. The juice is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a woody cherry bark next to sour apple pies, distiller’s beer, and caramel candies next to vanilla cream with a counterpoint of cumin and dry chili lurking in the deeper reaches of the nose. The palate opens with a Cherry Coke feel next to rich and buttery toffee, vanilla malts, and sharp Hot Tamales cinnamon candy with a nod toward allspice and root beer. The end is soft and lush with vanilla smoothness leading to black cherry tobacco braided with cedar bark and wicker.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a great bottle for a whiskey lover who doesn’t have a big collection. The unique bottle — and quality juice at the price point — is always a welcome addition to any home bar cart.
This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye. The whiskey is then rendered from “small batches” of barrels to create this proofed-down version of the iconic brand.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a hint of taco seasoning mix next to vanilla malts, caramel apple, and a touch of fresh mint. The taste opens with smooth vanilla and spicy winter spice mix that’s cinnamon and allspice heavy with a touch of anise next to oaky tobacco. The end has a nice woodiness that leans more toward pine tar and broom bristles with a soft and sweet vanilla cream cut with toffee and vanilla lattes.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This bottle is great for what it is but really shines as a cocktail base. So grab this one for the home mixologist in your life.
This is a sourced bourbon from around Kentucky. The age, mash, and vital details are undisclosed. What we do know is that the team at Jefferson’s spends a lot of time tinkering with their barrels to create accessible and affordable bourbons.
Tasting Notes:
This opens pretty thin with hints of caramel, vanilla pods, and maybe a touch of leather and oak with a mild berry vibe. The palate is either subtle or thin … I can’t decide. There are notes of classic bourbon caramel and vanilla countered by a hint of stewed apple, buttery toffee, and maybe a hint of nutmeg. The end stays pretty mild but does build to a nice finish full of classic bourbon notes.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a soft and very bespoke bottle of bourbon for the casual drinker who wants likes easy drinking pours and not hardcore high-proof bombs.
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The juice is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
This has a really nice nose full of woody cherry, salted caramel with a tart apple edge, and a soft leatheriness. The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco. The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This also comes with some serious name recognition thanks to Evan Williams Black Label dominating the bar scene. This takes a known commodity and refines it enough to make it something truly special for an amazing price thanks to true refinement on the palate.
This is a celebrity-owned bourbon from UFC’s Bruce Buffer. The juice in the bottle is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons from Kentucky that are touched with a little proofing water after blending.
Tasting Notes:
This has a slightly tannic nose (think old, red-wine-soaked oak) with woody vanilla, nutmeg, and a lush vibe. The palate mixes up the sweet vanilla with sweet yet sharp spice, some dark chocolate, and a hint of orange zest. The end combines everything into a lush finish that highlights old oak, soft nutmeg, and a soft orange-chocolate vibe with a hint of clove and anise.
This whiskey is from Jack’s bonded warehouse. The mash of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye is twice distilled before it’s run through Jack’s very long Lincoln County process of sugar maple charcoal filtration. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with that Jack Daniel’s limestone cave water, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Yellow sheet cake with vanilla frosting leads the way on the nose with dry cherry candy, new leather jackets, sweet fir bark, and a hint of orange tobacco. The palate is full of still-warm apple fritters with plenty of winter spice and a sugar glaze that hits a moment of nutmeg-rich creamy eggnog. The mid-palate veers away from all of that with a sweet white grits vibe with brown sugar and butter that’s topped with stewed cinnamon apples and a raisin or two. The finish mellows toward a Cherry Hostess Pie stored in a cedar box with a leaf or two of sticky pipe tobacco.
Who It’s Perfect For:
There’s bound to be a Jack Daniel’s fan somewhere in your friend circle. This new release is a big step up from Old No. 7 and is truly a tasty and complex whiskey.
This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy. The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into a cinnamon sticky bun with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate. That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a quintessential whiskey for novices and whiskey nerds alike. It delivers a great and deep flavor palate that always slaps.
George Dickel Tennessee Bottled in Bond Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.
Tasting Notes:
Another classic nose! Maple syrup on buttery pecan waffles leads toward apple chips, old leather, and a mix of winter spices and sour cherry vanilla wafers. The palate leans into an apple pie with plenty of nuts, spices, and raisins next to malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and a hint of dark chocolate milk powder. The end has a hint of dry anise mixed with cherry and brown sugar with a slight nuttiness leading toward a cherry-cinnamon tobacco finish.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a great whiskey for a whiskey aficionado who knows all the awards bourbons and niche stuff that’s actually really good for a great price.
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This juice is made from their very low rye mash bill. The whiskey is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee round out the nose. Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce. The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar.
Who It’s Perfect For:
A bottle of this would make any whiskey lover happy. It’d probably make a whiskey novice ecstatic.
This is the mountaintop of what Wild Turkey can achieve. This is a blend of the best barrels that are married and bottled untouched. That means no filtering and no cutting with water. This is a classic bourbon with nowhere to hide.
Tasting Notes:
This opens like a dessert table during the holidays with crème brûlée next to a big sticky toffee pudding with orange zest sprinkled over the top next to a bushel of fresh mint. The palate hits an early note of pine resin as the orange kicks up towards a bold wintry spice, soft vanilla cream, and a hint of honeyed cherry tobacco. The end keeps the winter spices front and center as a lush pound cake feeling leads to soft notes of cherry-spiced tobacco leaves folded into an old cedar box with a whisper of old vanilla pods lurking in the background.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a very hyped bourbon for a reason, it’s truly delicious and wonderfully priced (still).
Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Tasting Notes:
Cinnamon, brown butter sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream. The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates. The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is the whiskey you get a true whiskey nerd. It’s so unique and complex. It’s kind of like getting someone a story and a bottle that they can enjoy on several levels.
This brand from Luxco is still sourced juice though they did start distilling their own in 2018. This bottle is a seven-year-old blend of barrels with a bourbon mash bill of 78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and ten percent rye, which just so happens to be Heaven Hill’s bourbon mash bill. These barrels are blended down and left as-is at cask strength for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
This is a pretty classic bourbon from nose to finish with a strong sense of rich caramel, pancakes with plenty of vanilla, sweet oak, wet brown sugar, and a whiff of cherry tobacco. The palate leans into the woody brown spices as a dark cherry vibe sweetens the mid-palate. The end circles back to that sweet oak and spicy cherry tobacco on a short finish.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is another great gift bottle for whiskey lovers in the know since this is a very highly awarded and beloved bourbon.
This expression takes the standard bourbon above and gives it a finishing touch. The bourbon is blended and moved into new barrels that have been double-toasted but only lightly charred. The juice spends a final nine months resting in those barrels before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with blackberries and marzipan next to toffee and honey with a sense of pitchy firewood in the background. The palate adds Nutella to the mix with dried tart berries and apple cider next to burnt toffee and cinnamon bark. The end arrives with a sense of woody and spicy tobacco next to creamed honey and old nutshells.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a sleeper hit. It’s from a huge brand, sure, but it’s also just really good whiskey that even the biggest snobs admittedly like.
This is a high water mark of what standard Wild Turkey can achieve. The Russells select the “honey barrels” (those special barrels that are as much magic as craft) from their rickhouses for single barrel bottling. The resulting whiskey is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla cream spiked with orange oils and sprinkled with toasted coconut mingle with spicy oak and buttery cake on the nose with an underpinning of winter spices by way of a sour mulled wine. The palate opens with easy notes of marzipan, subtle dried roses, vanilla pods, more winter spices, and singed cherry bark. The end arrives with a sense of Almond Joy next to cherry tobacco dipped in chili-infused dark chocolate with a flake of salt and pinch of cedar dust and old leather saddles.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This premium side brand from Wild Turkey is a great step up for any fan of Wild Turkey 101, of which there are many.
$100-$250 Bottles To REALLY Impress Someone
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a lush and creamy grit vibe with spicy cinnamon and clove next to pecans, maple syrup, singed cherry bark, and old lawn furniture with dead leaves strewn about. The taste hits on a buttery toffee vibe with a dark and old leatheriness next to dark chocolate tobacco, dried ancho chili peppers, and more of that sharp woody cinnamon with a whisper of salted black licorice lurking in the background. The end has a sense of salted caramel and cinnamon candy next to malted vanilla ice cream, huckleberry pie, and dark cherry tobacco rolled into an old leather pouch.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This likely isn’t going to be on your liquor store shelf so you’ll need to order it. Still, this is a damn near perfect whiskey gift at this price point.
BLACKENED x Wes Henderson Master of Whiskey Series
This new collaboration from Metallica’s whiskey finds Master Distillers Rob Dietrich of BLACKENED working with Wes Henderson, Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy, to create a new expression. The whiskey is a classic Kentucky bourbon aged for six years. Those barrels are vatted and then refilled into white port wine casks for a final rest. Finally, the port barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a good bit of fruit on the nose with pear skins, rum-raisin, and burnt orange next to dried-up old cinnamon sticks and tobacco leaves. The palate stews the pear with honey and wintry spices while a hint of dried chili flake leads to walnut cake and a very mild echo of old wet straw. The end is lush and full of oranges studded with cloves and allspice next to pear tobacco and old cedar humidors.
Who It’s Perfect For:
Is there a Metallica fan in your life? This is the gift for them.
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:
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. The palate has a silky vanilla foundation with more sultanas over top, fresh and meaty dates, ginger snaps, and prunes mingled. 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.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a bespoke whiskey that delivers an incredible flavor profile, making it perfect for the bourbon drinker who’s always looking to go deeper.
This year’s Remus Reserve is a mix of six to 14-year-old bourbons. Buckle in. The blend is made from 2% of a 2008 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 27% from a 2012 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 29%from a 2014 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 17% from a 2012 bourbon with a 36% rye mash bill, and 25% from a 2014 bourbon with that same very high rye mash bill. Once vatted, the whiskey is just touched with water for proofing and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is complex and meaders through mint fields and caramel apple stands as hints of old boot leather, plum jam, winter spice, and a hint of sweet oak round things out. The palate opens with a rich toffee before a warmth takes over with a soft spice (nutmeg and allspice) before woody vanilla and creamed honey take over. The end feels like a handful of candied fruits wrapped up in leathery tobacco leaves with a hint of cedar bark and dried mint in the background.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a high-end bottle that delivers truly deep flavor notes while still feeling accessible, making it perfect for someone who’s into bourbon but not fanatical about it.
This is a non-age-statement bourbon that’s called “Old Weller Antique” (OWA) by those who love the old-school vibes of the expression’s previous iteration. The ripple with this expression is the higher proof. The barrels are vatted and barely proofed down to 107 proof before bottling (the entry proof is 114).
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a lovely sense of vanilla pods and orange blossom with a hint of old saddle leather and cedar bark next to wild sage, cinnamon and caramel apple fritters, and salted black licorice with a bundle of holiday spices and barks tied up with burnt orange and pine. The palate is lush with a cream soda float with malted vanilla ice cream cut with cherries, dark chocolate chips, and espresso flakes next to cinnamon cherry bark tobacco on the mid-palate. The end dives toward a thick braid of cedar bark, sage, and blackberry tobacco with a thin line of sweetgrass and vanilla pods woven in there.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is a rare bottle that you might actually be able to find for a little cheaper than listed (but that’s really rare now). Still, this is another bottle that you get for the whiskey drinking in the know in your life. It’s instant happiness upon opening up this as a gift.
This is the same whiskey as Master’s Keep 17-Year. In this case, after vatting of minimum-17-year-old barrels, the whiskey was only proofed down to 50% or 100-proof for bottling as per bottled in bond laws. The resulting whiskey is then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a bold nose of spicy Christmas cakes spiked with orange oils, candied cherries, and dried apples next to vanilla pods and worn saddle leather that leads to this subtle hint of fresh cinnamon rolls with a cream cheese frosting cut with lemon and vanilla. The palate is the epitome of smoothness with a subtle warmth derived from woody winter spices — star anise, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon — that then branches toward this whisper of burnt sugars and fats from an old brisket smoker with a hint of salted red taffy and singed marshmallow next to vanilla pound cake with a hint of poppy seeds. The end has a sweet cinnamon candy flourish before smoldering wild sage and old boots arrive with a dark chocolate espresso cherry tobacco layers into an old cedar box with a hint of black dirt lurking in the distant background.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is the mountaintop of the Wild Turkey line, so if you know someone who loves Turkey, this is the play.
Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
The juice in this bottle is a little under wrap. Michter’s is currently distilling and aging its own whiskey, but this is still sourced. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the juice 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:
The nose draws you in with big notes of fresh leather, sweet cedar bark, tart cherries and currant, burnt orange, salted caramel, spiced Christmas cake, and a hint of blackberry jam on a stack of sourdough pancakes grilled off in butter (or maybe I’m just hungry for breakfast?!). The taste leans into a lush vanilla tobacco warm with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to marzipan, orange blossoms, and brandy-soaked cherries with a hint of black pepper spice. The finish is velvety and supple with a black cherry and cinnamon/nutmeg spiced tobacco leaf braided with old wicker canes and dry cedar bark next to orchard wood and burnt marshmallows.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This bottle is perfect for the whiskey drinker who loves classic vibes and deep complexity from a beloved brand.
King of Kentucky Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel (5th Edition)
This year’s King of Kentucky is a 15-year-old bourbon made from a mash of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley. The spirit — made at the Brown-Forman Distillery in West Louisville (Shively) — went into the barrel on December 18, 2009, at 125% entry-proof. After 15 long years, only about 35% of the whiskey was left in the barrel. 43 single barrels were then chosen for this release and individually bottled as-is, yielding about 3,500 bottles of King of Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
This opens very tannic-y (and old) with a mix of pitchy firewood, old honey barrels, dried cranberry, nutmeg, old vanilla husks, cornmeal pancake batter, and a hint of chili-laced tobacco. The taste is bold with a hot spice mix of cinnamon and dried anchos that’s tempered by lush vanilla and creamy dark chocolate with a hint of sweet cherry and old wicker rounding things out. The end is woody and full of potting soil with a hint of old chewing tobacco next to orchard wood.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is the whiskey for the bourbon fanatic in your life. It’s a true “holy shit” bottle both as a gift and on the palate.
The third Booker’s of the year 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:
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. 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. 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.
Who It’s Perfect For:
If you know a Jim Beam super fan, then this is the ultimate gift for them since this is that whiskey refined to the highest degree.
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old 2022 Release
This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line starts in earnest. The whiskey in this expression is pulled from barrels that are at least 15 years old. Once batched, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring it down to a sturdy 107-proof.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with freshly fried sourdough fritters dusted with ground almonds, sharp cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, burnt sugars, and maple frosting with a hint of old vanilla pods next to soft figs. The palate leans into rich toffee with a sense of minced meat pies covered in powdered sugar frosting right next to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel, orange zest, and tons of brown wintry spice countered by a moment of sour mulled red wine cut with dark maple syrup. The end has a soft cedar vibe that leads to vanilla and dark cherry tobacco leaves and a hint of pine next to old white moss.
Who It’s Perfect For:
This is just a motherf*cking mic drop. Give this as a gift and you win the holidays.
The Sacramento Kings and their vast, innovative offense are one of the most dazzling nightly watches around the Association. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are playing like All-Stars. Kevin Huerter is en fuego. Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes flank that trio with complementary scoring on the wings. The ball, flowing through Sabonis as the hub, pings across the floor. They race up the court at every chance.
And when they turn to the bench, there is Malik Monk to continue the waves of electricity. After a stellar year with the Los Angeles Lakers, Monk ventured northward to join Fox, his former collegiate teammate, in Sacramento. He was one of the NBA’s most prolific reserves in 2021-22 and has expanded upon that this season to fortify the Kings’ attack.
Through 23 games, the Arkansas native is averaging 14.8 points (60.3 percent true shooting), 4.1 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He’s shooting a career-high 60.5 percent on two-pointers (6.5 points above league average, the best mark of his career). Despite playing 5.6 fewer minutes per game than last year, his 14.8 points eclipse his mark from 2021-22 by a full point. Per 100 possessions, he’s averaging a career-high 30.9 points. With some help from Davion Mitchell, he’s piloting Sacramento’s bench unit and doing it damn well.
The biggest differentiator between Monk as a Laker and Monk as a King is the level of responsibility he holds. His usage rate has swelled from 19.4 percent to 26.5 percent. Per 36 minutes, his touches are up from 58 to 65.1. He’s gone from largely being deployed as a multifaceted scorer to a legitimate secondary creator. He’s showcasing substantial strides in his playmaking — his assist rate is a career-high 27.5 percent (14.3 percent in 2021-22).
His chemistry with Sabonis, both in handoffs and angle pick-and-rolls, is palpable. Monk pitches punctual pocket passes, flicks wraparound feeds from either hand, and is fluent delivering reads off a live dribble. He’s a genuinely reliable facilitator nowadays rather than being a pure scorer with noteworthy flashes of playmaking.
Back in 2020-21, his final season with the Charlotte Hornets, Monk discovered the outside shooting stroke that made him such a coveted prospect and drilled 40.1 percent of his long balls. But to that point, ventures inside the arc he remained precarious. He was a career 47.3 percent two-point scorer, including 47.1 percent that year.
The past two seasons, Monk has remedied those concerns, especially this season. He’s washed away the finishing woes of his Charlotte tenure, cognizant of how to mitigate the shortcomings of his spindly frame, while also being tasked to engineer those chances less often. This year, he’s shooting a career-high 69 percent at the rim (79th percentile among wings).
Whether it’s leveraging his slippery handle into vigorous downhill forays or migrating off the ball, Monk is a constant source of paint pressure. He trampolines off the ground and is stupendously flexible. The way he either plows through or gyrates around rim protectors is uncanny. His solace in busy spaces enables him to thrive as a slasher. He hosts a flying trapeze show at the basket. There’s a vibe of controlled chaos in all he does, but it routinely results in profitable conclusions for the Kings.
Monk’s interior opportunities are derived from the stress he inflicts beyond the arc. While his 35.6 percent clip is only a hair above league average (35.5 percent), his volume and malleability paint him as a clearly high-value gunner. He’s adept on the move, will launch in the face of lively closeouts, and hoists 12 threes per 100 possessions.
Sacramento is sixth in three-point rate, and Monk’s a prominent component of that. The release is picturesque and snappy. He’s been particularly lethal on catch-and-shoots, canning 38.6 percent of his 83 looks. If the ball swings his way with an advantage, he will relish it.
When the Kings acquired Sabonis last winter, they had a vision for an elite offense. At that moment, though, they didn’t roster the personnel to actualize it. The offseason additions of Huerter, Murray, and Monk helped manifest the vision. They want Sabonis as the interior nucleus, a screening and DHO waterhole functioning in tandem with various ball-handlers and dangerous off-ball shooters. Versatility and spacing around the Lithuanian are paramount.
Monk is exactly that. He’ll commandeer some possessions and is simultaneously equipped to slide away from the action, capitalizing on whatever his teammates cook up. The Kings are scoring 114 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the hardwood. He ranks 51st in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (plus-1.8).
Sacramento’s stellar starting backcourt limits his minutes, but he’s been absurdly productive when he plays. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 23.6 points and 6.6 assists. He’s one of the league’s top reserves and might be its most impactful through early December. At the very least, he’s probably elicited the most joyful viewing experience of the bunch, flourishing as he further expands his game.
Still only 24, the bench might not suffice for him in the coming seasons. For now, however, it’s proving to be the ideal spot. He’s enjoying a feature role and helping extinguish the Kings’ 17-year playoff drought behind a vivacious offensive identity, one that he brightly amplifies.
The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Mount Westmore, and more.
There is no question, this week’s new music Friday belongs to SZA and her long-awaited return in S.O.S., but that doesn’t mean there’s no new hip-hop to look forward to this weekend. In fact, depending on your taste, there might be too much good stuff (shout-out to AMPM) this close to the end of the year.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending December 9, 2022.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — Me Vs. Myself
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
After pushing his album back — allegedly to duck Drake and 21 Savage, whose Her Loss was guaranteed to be a No. 1 — A Boogie returned with his fourth full-length project on Atlantic Records. Led by “B.R.O (Better Ride Out)” featuring Roddy Ricch, the album is a solid entry to his catalog.
Kamaiyah — Keep It Lit
Kamaiyah
Yaya is enjoying being independent and the freedom it gives her to release what she wants when she wants. Case in point: this seven-song EP, her second this year, continues her consistent tradition of turnt-up, Bay Area anthems.
Kool G Rap — Last Of A Dying Breed
Kool G Rap
The Queens rap legend is 30-plus years deep into his career, but you won’t find a speck of rust on him — especially not in his set, his first since 2017. He raises up a few youngbloods and reunites with some of his fellow pioneers (Grandmaster Caz!), but he remains the star of the show.
Mount Westmore — Snoop Cube 40 Short
Mount Westmore
Although the California supergroup ostensibly made its debut earlier this year with the NFT-only Bad MFs, they couldn’t just leave their fanbase hanging. Rather than chasing trends, they stick to their guns, and the album is all the better for it.
Stalley — Somebody Up There Loves Me
Stalley
I promise this isn’t meant to be hate, but I cannot for the life of me understand how rap fans just moved on from Stalley right as he got really good at rapping. He’s in a good groove now, and hopefully, the casual consistency of his independent releases will start garnering some of the buzz he genuinely deserves. Maybe this will be the one to do it.
Xian Bell — Crenshaw At Midnight
Xian Bell
The Los Angeles rapper/singer firmly established himself with some standout appearances on projects from the likes of Reason, Jayson Cash, and Katori Walker (the two former both appear here), but on his latest solo release, he makes himself the focus — and really earns that attention.
Singles/Videos
Meek Mill — “Don’t Give Up On Me” Feat. Fridayy
Well, this is a departure. Although Meek has been in mixtape mode lately, here, he slows it down a whole bunch for a ruminative track that works despite being way outside his usual wheelhouse.
Smoke DZA & Girl Talk — “Season”
Building on the chemistry from their April collaboration Full Court Press (which featured Wiz Khalifa and Big KRIT), Girl Talk teams up with Harlemite Smoke DZA once again for an upbeat, loft party-ready single that promises more gold from their partnership.
Tiron & Ayomari — “More Than Like”
Here’s a name we haven’t seen in quite some time. Once upon a time, Tiron & Ayomari were blog rap mainstays whose every release was met with excitement thanks to their willingness to experiment and get vulnerable. Times have changed, but fortunately, their chemistry remains as potent as ever.
Wynne — “Glass Slipper Flows”
Portland upstart Wynne takes a step into a new lane, grabbing a beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Drake album, and goes for broke, detailing her mindset as her profile gets higher on the back of relentless independent hustle.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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