It’s been nearly a month since Elon Musk bought Twitter and grabbed the reigns of the social media platform. Things have not gone well. Heck, at one point recently, many thought the site, at any second, was going to shut down for good. Whether that actually happens, it doesn’t look like Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor will be part of Twitter’s future, as he’s gearing up to leave.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Reznor called Musk’s takeover an “embarrassment” and continued, “I’m about to depart. We don’t need the arrogance of the billionaire class to feel like they can just come in and solve everything. Even without him involved, I just find that it has become such a toxic environment. For my mental health, I need to tune out. I don’t feel good being there anymore.”
He also said of making the music for Luca Guadagnino’s Bones And All, “It couldn’t have been better. We went from not knowing him going into this to meeting a genuine, authentic, respectful collaborator who has become a friend. We were able to work on material that, in every iteration, we were amazed by how it blossomed into something beyond our expectation. I know that sounds ridiculous, you can say, but it really was a magical experience.”
On an Instagram post about the reinstatement from the weekend, White wrote, “So you gave trump his twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon. That is officially an asshole move.”
He continued, “trump was removed from twitter because he incited violence multiple times, people died and were injured as a result of his lies and his ego, (let alone what his coup did to attempt to destroy democracy and our Capitol). And how about the division and the families broken apart from his rhetoric and what it did to this country? That’s not ‘free speech’ or ‘what the poll decided’ or whatever nonsense you’re claiming it to be; this is straight up you trying to help a fascist have a platform so you can eventually get your tax breaks.I mean, how many more billions do you need that you have to risk democracy itself to obtain it?”
White concluded with some thoughts on free speech, writing, “I am a believer in free speech, but for example i’m not about to let the KKK hold a rally at our record label’s performance stage. That’s one of the platforms we control and have a say in, it’s not town square operated by the government. And if i owned a gas station, i wouldn’t be selling the KKK gasoline to burn crosses either and then wash my hands as if i didn’t help facilitate hatred. You took on a big responsibility with your purchase, and ‘free speech’ isn’t some umbrella that protects you from that.”
Brandi Carlile chimed in with a comment on the post: “PREACH Jack. What you’re saying and doing is super potent. He will on some level want your approval because you’re brilliant and culturally important. This reproach is both just and effective. He will see this and it may even help.”
Read White’s full post below.
“‘So you gave trump his twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon. That is officially an asshole move.
Why dont you be truthful? Tell it like it is; people like you and Joe Rogan (who gives platforms to liars like alex jones etc.); you come into a ton of money, see the tax bill, despise paying your fair share, and then think moving to Texas and supporting whatever republican you can is going to help you keep more of your money. (How else could trump possibly interest you?) You intend to give platforms to known liars and wash your hands like pontius pilate and claim no responsibility? trump was removed from twitter because he incited violence multiple times, people died and were injured as a result of his lies and his ego, (let alone what his coup did to attempt to destroy democracy and our Capitol). And how about the division and the families broken apart from his rhetoric and what it did to this country? That’s not ‘free speech’ or ‘what the poll decided’ or whatever nonsense you’re claiming it to be; this is straight up you trying to help a fascist have a platform so you can eventually get your tax breaks.I mean, how many more billions do you need that you have to risk democracy itself to obtain it?
You did a lot of amazing things with Tesla, Elon, and you deserve a lot of compliments in that department (i personally supported the hell out of that venture), but you’ve gone too far and are now using your power to promote horrible, violence inducing liars, who are taking the country and the world backwards and endangering the democracy that made you rich and successful in the first place. I am a believer in free speech, but for example i’m not about to let the KKK hold a rally at our record label’s performance stage. That’s one of the platforms we control and have a say in, it’s not town square operated by the government. And if i owned a gas station, i wouldn’t be selling the KKK gasoline to burn crosses either and then wash my hands as if i didn’t help facilitate hatred.
You took on a big responsibility with your purchase, and ‘free speech’ isn’t some umbrella that protects you from that.”
(Spoilers for The Walking Dead series finale will be found below.)
After 11 seasons and nearly 200 episodes, The Walking Dead came to an end on Sunday. It was a remarkable run for the zombie series, one of the highest-rated shows on cable ever; at its peak, over 20 million people watched Rick, Daryl, & Co. escape a group of cannibals. The Walking Dead isn’t nearly as popular these days, but AMC hopes there’s enough interest for multiple spinoffs, including the existing Fear the Walking Dead and Tales of the Walking Dead, as well as Dead City (which is focused on the unlikely pair of Maggie and Negan), Daryl Dixon (in Paris), and Rick & Michonne.
The Rick in “Rick & Michonne” is, of course, Rick Grimes, who left The Walking Dead in season nine. He hasn’t been seen since — until the series finale, “Rest in Peace.”
Rick appears in the final moments of the episode after Daryl rides off into the sunset (and a bunch of zombies got blown up real good in an impressive-looking explosion). “I think of the dead all the time,” he said in a voice over, while writing a letter. “And about the living. Who I lost. I think about them all every day. Their faces. What I learned from them. How they made me who I am. So much more than all of this made me who I am.”
The other half of Rick & Michonne (last seen in season 10) is also writing a letter at the same time as Rick, or so it seems. They’re actually in two different timelines: Rick in the past; Michonne in the present. Rick is trying to get back to his family, including daughter Judith, but he’s interrupted by a Civic Republic Military helicopter; he’s told that there’s “no escape for the living,” but he has enough time to place his letter into a bottle and toss it into the water, and chuck his bag into a boat, which eventually finds it way to Michonne. The last time we see Rick, at least until the spinoff, he has a curious smile on his face as the helicopter approaches and the screen fades to white.
AMC
The episode then cuts to Hilltop, where Judith and her brother R.J. (Rick and Michonne’s son) are admiring the peaceful scenery surrounding them. The final lines of the show: “We get to start over. We’re the ones who live.” And it’s largely thanks to Rick.
At the American Music Awards last night (November 21), controversial singer Chris Brown found himself nominated for Favorite Male R&B Artist, against Brent Faiyaz, Givēon, Lucky Daye, and The Weeknd. The AMAs are fan-voted, and the fans decided that Brown should come away with the win, so he did.
The in-person audience at the ceremony didn’t take this well. Kelly Rowland presented the award and was showered in boos when she revealed Brown was the winner. She accepted the honor on the absent Brown’s behalf and addressed the crowd as the booing continued, saying, “Now Chris Brown is not here tonight so I’m accepting this award on his behalf — excuse me: chill out — but I wanted to tell Chris, ‘Thank you so much for making great R&B music,’ and I want to tell him, ‘Thank you for being an incredible performer.’ I’ll take this award, bring it to you. I love you, congratulations, and congratulations to all the nominees in this category.”
This comes shortly after Brown accused AMAs organizers of canceling his planned Michael Jackson tribute performance at the show. Sharing a rehearsal video on Instagram a few days ago, Brown wrote, “U SERIOUS?” He later added in a comment, “WOULDVE been the ama performance but they cancelled me for reasons unknown.”
Tulsa King brings Sylvester Stallone to the small screen as a gangster who’s relegated to Oklahoma, where he’ll have the run of the state’s second-biggest city. In the process, he busts up a dispensary and starts to carve out some mafia-like extortion income and discovers the Internet and takes a tour of a honky tonk bar. It’s an amusing show, and Sly is clearly having a blast, but there’s also some emotional layers for his character, Dwight “The General” Manfredi, to sort through as he returns to civilization after 25 years in prison.
We received a hint of this deeper stuff at the end of Episode 2 (actually titled as “Center of the Universe”), which followed Dwight hearing about a real-life Tulsa landmark, known as the Center of the Universe. It’s a weird little anomaly located downtown atop a pedestrian bridge. There, the sound bounces off the surrounding buildings and concrete barriers in a way that echoes can be heard by the person speaking within the circle.
What’s more important and relevant to this episode: no one who is outside the circle can hear what that person is saying (no matter how loud they speak) while standing within it. Here’s a short video from local NBC affiliate KJRH, which demonstrates this phenomenon in action.
Dwight visits this landmark as a place to shout his anguish over being estranged from his daughter, but obviously, no one else would be able to hear him. It’s a pointed choice to have him do so atop this bridge, and the moment says a lot about how he’s suffering inside but would never dare to show it to the world. We don’t yet know what significance the white horse (seen near the bridge in an earlier moment) will hold, if any, but this is a nice nod to the Tulsa as a character of this show, since the Center of the Universe tends to attract tourists and locals who take to Instagram with the results.
In 2016, a pair of local artists replaced some of the bridge’s bricks with a lighted display, and it appears as though the series paid tribute on that note (blinking bricks are seen from above as Sly departs the structure), although the landmark itself is currently in disrepair with the City of Tulsa soliciting suggestions on how to overhaul and improve the area. Perhaps Tulsa King will give the area enough of a boost to get it going.
So, the show has conquered one landmark, and hopefully, we’ll see Sylvester Stallone threaten the Golden Driller at some point in the future. Hey, a girl can hope.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King streams on Sunday evenings.
Tulsa King brings Sylvester Stallone to the small screen as a gangster who’s relegated to Oklahoma, where he’ll have the run of the state’s second-biggest city. In the process, he busts up a dispensary and starts to carve out some mafia-like extortion income and discovers the Internet and takes a tour of a honky tonk bar. It’s an amusing show, and Sly is clearly having a blast, but there’s also some emotional layers for his character, Dwight “The General” Manfredi, to sort through as he returns to civilization after 25 years in prison.
We received a hint of this deeper stuff at the end of Episode 2 (actually titled as “Center of the Universe”), which followed Dwight hearing about a real-life Tulsa landmark, known as the Center of the Universe. It’s a weird little anomaly located downtown atop a pedestrian bridge. There, the sound bounces off the surrounding buildings and concrete barriers in a way that echoes can be heard by the person speaking within the circle.
What’s more important and relevant to this episode: no one who is outside the circle can hear what that person is saying (no matter how loud they speak) while standing within it. Here’s a short video from local NBC affiliate KJRH, which demonstrates this phenomenon in action.
Dwight visits this landmark as a place to shout his anguish over being estranged from his daughter, but obviously, no one else would be able to hear him. It’s a pointed choice to have him do so atop this bridge, and the moment says a lot about how he’s suffering inside but would never dare to show it to the world. We don’t yet know what significance the white horse (seen near the bridge in an earlier moment) will hold, if any, but this is a nice nod to the Tulsa as a character of this show, since the Center of the Universe tends to attract tourists and locals who take to Instagram with the results.
In 2016, a pair of local artists replaced some of the bridge’s bricks with a lighted display, and it appears as though the series paid tribute on that note (blinking bricks are seen from above as Sly departs the structure), although the landmark itself is currently in disrepair with the City of Tulsa soliciting suggestions on how to overhaul and improve the area. Perhaps Tulsa King will give the area enough of a boost to get it going.
So, the show has conquered one landmark, and hopefully, we’ll see Sylvester Stallone threaten the Golden Driller at some point in the future. Hey, a girl can hope.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King streams on Sunday evenings.
Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
Flight 828’s first chunk of Season 4 episodes came and went with no real answers on what the hell caused the passengers to blip off the earth’s radar for five years, so of course, people want more answers. Plenty of Cal and Zeke drama (some of it tragic) will take us into the final touchdown whenever we receive a release date, and maybe (just maybe) we’ll see a Michaela and Jared reunion. Too soon? Nothing is too silly for this sci-fi soap opera, so bring it, Jeff Rake.
The title of this show won’t reel you in on its own, but this show takes takes a departure from the usual “divorced dad” story with Jesse Eisenberg taking a sexy jaunt into singledom. Eisenberg does awkward like no other, and here, he’s a doctor juggling a madcap social life with a satiric twist. Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody co-star as his supportive buddies while Claire Danes plays the incredibly distant ex-wife as Fleishman, also a doctor, struggles to keep it all together without falling in love with everyone.
If this movie isn’t a case for maintaining the fine art of the RBF, then I’m not sure what else would qualify. This horror movie freaked out theater audiences, and now, you can be afraid of literal smiles from the comfort of your own home. They marketed the heck out of this movie with an unsettling, baseball-themed campaign, so tune in to be afraid of happiness right before the holiday season goes into full drive. The timing!
Those streaming aficionados who could stand to see more Dark will want to tune into another mysterious story from the same creators. This show’s a nightmarish voyage about a migrant steamship who discovers a companion ship where something slightly supernatural might be happening. Yes, this is another Lost imitation, but people seemingly cannot get enough of them, if you don’t mind some frustration and a zillion upfront questions.
The O.G. toxic vampire romance rose from the undead in a series that proved to be more scintillating than the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt (closeted) coupling of the 1990s. You can now watch through the first season finale while counting down for the next round of chess-playing tantrums and campy gore from a dancing Sam Reid. It’s heady and glorious and also updated for the 2022 audience amid trips to the past. On the rarest of occasions, reboots can actually get things right!
Princess Diana more than stands her ground with this season full of (“fictionalized”) episodes that showcased her misery and really upset the royal family, particularly because King Charles III will soon officially be coronated. Tune in for the too-hot prince (also fictionalized) as well while listening to the infamous “tampongate” conversation with now-Queen Consort Camilla. They do know how to get randy sometimes.
Zoe Saldana leaves blockbuster mode for this limited series that follows a European-set love story including an inspiring chef. The location moves to Los Angeles, where all is not sunny and bright and, in fact, things grow pretty tragic. It’s a nice switch up from all of the superhero stories and the dark-fantasy stories that recently proliferated the TV realm, and this proves to be a nice little bingewatch for when you’re either preparing for or attempting to digest all of that Thanksgiving food.
We love to see a show that we can actually see, and that’s only one of the high points for this big swing of a Western starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. Together, they’re crossing 1890s middle America while dodging danger at every turn and considering exactly how this country can turn people inside out, for better and often worse. Blunt can even whoop some ass while dressed in aristocratic getups and toting a massive bag full of money, and the story also commits to joining the newfound influx of Indigenous perspectives that eschew the stereotypes of yesteryear.
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini love the hell out of each other, and it shows. This dark comedy returns for one final round of homicidal fallout. Much of the season was filmed following Applegate’s MS diagnosis, and get ready for more chaotic James Marsden(s) and the threat of the FBI amid this continued celebration of the rarest and deepest of friendships. As a bonus, Applegate’s Married With Children mom shows up to stir some drama, and yes, we’ve got more headbanging. Fans will be sad to see this show go, but the final flourishes are worth the tugs at heartstrings.
Sylvester Stallone has been leading up to this role for his whole career, and he’s truly having a blast as a mafia boss with the run of an entire city, which yes, simply happens to be Tulsa. Who would have thought that this city would be so hot on TV these days? After Watchmen and amid the ongoing Reservation Dogs, TV characters cannot seem to stay away from the semi-appealing armpit of Route 66. Stallone delivers a fun and emotional performance in an irresistible show that’s directed by Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter and dreamed up by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame. Giddyup.
This show has already been renewed for a third season, thank god, and hopefully, Jennifer Coolidge will once more be the connecting thread. Her boozy socialite is miserable, but I feel worse for her assistant (Haley Lu Richardson). Aubrey Plaza and Theo James lead the rest of the troubled characters who can’t seem to be totally happy in idyllic surroundings. Mike White is putting first-world humanity on blast in a way and considering lofty issues like whether morning sex can make or break a relationship. In other words, this show is a sleeper hit in more ways than one.
The Dallas Mavericks played host to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night, and took what they thought was a 59-52 lead into halftime after a stepback three-pointer from Luka Doncic just before the halftime buzzer.
However, the play was reviewed during halftime and it was determined that Luka’s heel stepped on the boundary line and, as such, there was no basket and should be two seconds left on the clock.
So, when the teams came out of the locker room after halftime, they actually played out the final two seconds of the first half, with Denver inbounding the ball from the other side of the court with the Dallas lead 56-52. Denver got the ball to Vlatko Cancar who launched a 50-foot shot that hit nothing but net to cut the deficit to one.
That six-point swing proved very costly, as the game remained very close throughout the second half, with Michael Porter Jr. hitting what ended up being the game-winning three with just under a minute to play.
The Mavs didn’t score again, as a deep three from Doncic went begging at the buzzer, and the Nuggets ended up swiping a 98-97 win in Dallas despite the absences of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. It was a rough loss for a Dallas team that’s made something of a habit of losing to shorthanded teams this season, and after the game Luka was none too happy about the overturned three to end the half.
Luka Doncic in Mavs’ locker room on wiped-off 3 at halftime buzzer: “I saw some videos. It doesn’t seem like it even touched the line. My heel was up.”
On Slovenian pal Vlatko Cancar’s Q2 heave after half: “It’s a real momentum, you know, but we can’t say that decided the game.”
It was a bizarre situation, but the league determined on review that Doncic’s foot hit the line and the Nuggets capitalized thanks, in part, to Cancar’s apparent obsession with hoisting halfcourt shots every day at practice.
Word from within the Nuggets is that Vlatko Cančar legitimately hoists roughly 50 practice halfcourt shots a day … apparently to stay ready for opportunities like he got tonight when the final two seconds of the first half were replayed. https://t.co/ZusuYj04AK
They say practice makes perfect and his execution on that shot, swishing one from well beyond the midcourt line, was proof of concept and proved to be a massive swing in a one-point game.
The blind tasting breaks down into two price points. On the bottom, we have five bourbons that sit in the $30-$60 range. On the top, I’ve selected bourbons that start at over $160 and reach into the stratosphere (especially on the aftermarket). Look, there’s no way a $20 bottle is going sneak in as a better-tasting option than a $500 bottle of Michter’s or Eagle Rare. Sorry, it’s just not. But there are some true gems in the $30 to $60 price range. It’s the proverbial sweet spot for great-yet-accessible bourbon bottles.
So … maybe?
As for the ranking, well, that’s easy. This is all about the flavor profile. I’m looking for a bourbon that takes me somewhere, has a deep nose and taste, and feels like something. All of that makes the big names listed below pretty hard to beat.
Today’s lineup is as follows:
Michter’s Single Barrel 10 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Unicorn Bottle)
George Dickel Bottled In Bond Tennesee Whisky (Regular Bottle)
Eagle Rare 17 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey BTAC 2022 (Unicorn Bottle)
Kirkland Signature Single Barrel By Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Regular Bottle)
Rare Hare 1953 Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in XXO Cognac Casks (Unicorn Bottle)
Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Regular Bottle)
Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Special Reserve (Regular Bottle)
Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies (Unicorn Bottle)
There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose. The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns. The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet singed marshmallow on the very end.
Yup. This is elite bourbon. There’s so much going on. So much depth. So much confidence in the blend.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with buttery pancakes and maple syrup countered by chili pepper and cumin that leads to mulled wine and cherry vanilla wafers with a hint of almond cookies. The palate has a light maltiness with apple chips, walnut, and winter spices next to vanilla malts (milkshakes) next to blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate powder. The end leans back into the woody spices with star anise, clove, and cinnamon sticks leading to marzipan and cherry tobacco.
This was nice and hinted at Tennessee with that vanilla wafer vibe. Overall, this was easy drinking but didn’t have quite the same depth as the last sip. I’m calling this a cheaper bottle but a damn good one … from Tennessee.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Leather and fresh pipe tobacco draw you in on the nose with a medley of dried sour cherry, salted dark chocolate, vanilla pods, and woody maple syrup cut with clove, anise, and cinnamon next to musty old cellar beams and crushed red bricks and a whisper of old oak bark. The palate leans into the maple syrup and buttery toffee with a vanilla pounds caked vibe covered in dark chocolate with orange and salt flakes and filled with dried cranberries. The woodiness comes back late with a spicy edge that’s part apple-cider-soaked cinnamon stick and part salted black licorice with creamy eggnog nutmeg and clove smoothing things out on the dry end full of caramel tobacco packed into an old cedar box.
Well, this is a contender for the top tier. This is fantastic whiskey that has so much going on while still feeling classic. It’s 100% a spendy pour.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is deep nose with salted caramel cut with dried red chili flakes, Mounds bar, sour mulled wine full of star anise, clove, and allspice, and creamy malted vanilla ice cream cut with candies cherry and tobacco crumbles. The palate lets those cherries sour toward cranberry as a woody sense of huckleberry arrives with brown sugar and butter next to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans dusted with cinnamon and orange zest. The arrives with burnt orange, marzipan, and woody clove edge as fir firewood bark with a twinge of black soil in it arrives next to cherry-apple tobacco with a buttery and rummy feel.
This is also fantastic and clearly something special and spendy.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is Tennessee heavy on the nose with bran muffins and wet grains next to dark fruit leather, rum-raisin, brandy-soaked cherries, and gingerbread. The palate has that same Tennessee vibe with cinnamon candy, orange Starbursts, and black licorice next to vanilla Necco Wafers and old musty oak staves. The end leans toward dark chocolate-covered espresso beans ever so slightly before hitting that graininess again with a hint of peach cobbler and eggnog ice cream eaten in a dank cellar.
This feels like an old Tennessee whiskey. That “oldness” feels more like an additive than a part of the overall complexity of the profile though.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Sour cherries over malted vanilla ice cream pull you in on the nose with toasted coconut and spiced pine cones, buttery vanilla cake, and burnt orange. The palate hit on a rich and moist marzipan with a hint of dried rose next to woody holiday spices, German chocolate cake with a heavy almond cream vibe, and a twinge of cinnamon candy tobacco. The end has an Almond Joy feel that leads to sour cherry and chocolate tobacco with a slight hint of old porch wicker.
This is nice stuff, but clearly cheaper thanks to the Almond Joy and German chocolate cake vibe. It felt like something you’d buy off the shelf at Krogers. I mean that endearingly since this is really tasty overall.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Sweet chocolate with mild spice pops on the nose with a whisper of old oak, sweet cherry, vanilla cookies, and a hint of new leather. The palate has a creamy texture that leads apple pie with ice cream, plenty of cinnamon, and walnut cake countered by Frosted Raisin Bran and cherry root beer. The end has a sense of cherry hand pies, vanilla-laced griddle pancakes cooked in butter, and apple-cinnamon tobacco with a whiff of … Old Spice and cedar?
This is another one that’s really nice but clearly on the cheaper end. Frosted Raisin Bran? Old Spice? Again, it’s like I’m walking around a supermarket here.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose leans into old leather tobacco pouches stored with boxes of toffees, marzipan, sultanas, Nutella, and dates with a sense of nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon bark, and even some wild sage all making appearances. The palate is lush and full of soft vanilla and rum-raisin next to dried figs and black-tea-soaked dates, gingerbread dipped in salted dark chocolate, and brand-soaked prunes floating in spiced mulled wine with a dash of tart apple stems and skins. The end leans into orchard barks with more soft winter spices, dark and dried fruits, and dried tobacco leaves with layers of plum, clove, and anise next to soft cedar kindling and old musty cellar cobwebs all wrapped up in soft and well-worn leather.
This is not cheap. This is like sitting next to a crackling fire and sipping slowly while cigar smoke wafts past. It’s about a million miles away from the candy aisle at the local grocery store.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Old leather boots and sour cherry mingle with a vanilla cake frosted with cinnamon butter icing, dark chocolate tobacco, and old cedar humidors with a whisper of falling leaves and cold applewood. The palate has a sense of that vanilla cake that leads toward cherry and dark chocolate this time next to orange-laced marzipan, cloves, and old sappy pine with a sense of dried dates and figs over some browned butter and large strips of cinnamon bark. Then comes a huge wave of ABVs that buzz all the senses and eventually fade toward spicy star fruit, pear tobacco, and smoldering cherry bark.
That high ABV was a lot. Still, this is so complex that it has to be a spendy bottle.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
A hint of chocolate pops on the nose with woody apples, caramel, taco seasoning, and some sharp spearmint over vanilla ice cream. The palate has a nice vanilla base that leads to cinnamon and allspice with a hint of eggnog nutmeg over apple pies. The end is lighter and hints at mint tobacco and vanilla woodiness with a touch of chocolate cake cut with stewed cherry and pine.
This was pretty standard overall. It’s a cheaper but classic-leaning bourbon for sure.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
10. Rare Hare 1953 Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in XXO Cognac Casks — Taste 5
The juice in the bottle is a blend of 17-year-old bourbons from undisclosed sources. Those 17-year-old barrels were blended and then re-barreled into XXO Cognac casks (barrels that held brandy for at least 14 years in Cognac, France) for an additional 12 months of mellowing. Finally, that juice is vatted and bottled as-is into 1,953 bottles.
Bottom Line:
This never lands for me. It’s not too Tennessee. It’s more that it feels a bit too built — too meticulous and aimed at winning awards — as opposed to just flowing.
This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye (12% and 10% respectively). Originally, this was branded as a 12-year-old whiskey. The brand decided to move away from that labeling and started blending younger whiskeys to create this label.
Bottom Line:
Yeah, this felt affordable from the jump. It’s made for mixing cocktails.
8. Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Special Reserve — Taste 7
Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills. Educated guesses put the wheat percentage of these mash bills at around 16 to 18%, which is pretty average. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown as well. Overall, we know this is a classic wheated bourbon, and … that’s about it.
Bottom Line:
Another nice pour but didn’t quite hit the same depth as the big bottles on this list. Again, this felt like a solid bourbon for mixing cocktails.
7. George Dickel Bottled In Bond Tennesee Whisky — Taste 2
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.
Bottom Line:
This hinted at Tennessee but overall felt like a well-rounded whiskey that doesn’t cost a fortune, which is the point. Sometimes it’s good to just be great and easy.
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 barreling. The juice is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.
Bottom Line:
This certainly had a nice flavor profile but really felt like a standard crowd-pleaser whiskey.
The latest Booker’s is a nod to “Kentucky Tea” which isn’t tea at all. It’s when you add a little whiskey to a glass of water and then that looks like tea. The juice 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.
Bottom Line:
This was a big whiskey with a huge ABV buzziness that sort of derailed the profile for a moment. That said, this over some ice is where it’s at.
4. Michter’s Single Barrel 10 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 1
The juice in this bottle is a little under wraps. 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 10 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.
Bottom Line:
This was an easily identifiable upper-end bourbon. Hell, it’s even more of a unicorn this year since the new batch was delayed until next year. I’m kind of shocked it didn’t rank higher but nowhere near as shocked by what did. This leads us to…
3. Kirkland Signature Single Barrel By Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4
This Costco release is sourced from Sazerac’s other Kentucky distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is very likely the same distillate/barrels as 1792 Full Proof. However, this is proofed down a tiny bit below that at 120 proof instead of 125 proof, adding some nuance to this release.
Bottom Line:
This blew me away. I would have sworn this was a high-end bourbon. I called it as such. Yet, here we are. This had a clear complexity with a real depth that felt old, nuanced, and super refined.
2. Eagle Rare 17 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey BTAC 2022 — Taste 3
Back in the spring of 2005, a humble bourbon was made with Kentucky distiller’s corn, Minnesota rye, and North Dakota barley. That hot juice was then filled into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds) and stacked in Buffalo Trace’s warehouses H, K, and L on floors one and four. It was left alone for 17 years, which allowed 70% of the whiskey to be lost to the angels. In 2022, the barrels were batched and the bourbon was proofed down to 101 proof and was bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
No matter what I said about the bottle above, this was miles ahead. This is a damn near-perfect whiskey. No notes!
1. Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies — Taste 8
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.
Bottom Line:
This was such a nice departure while also feeling so freaking refined and complex and fun. This is one of those once-in-a-year pours that sticks with you until you find another pour or the next batch is released next year.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
Costco strikes again! I was truly astonished it presented as a high-end and spendy bourbon so clearly. I didn’t question that it wasn’t at all. But I can logic it out. It’s a single barrel, high-proof bourbon from an elite distillery. It’s not rocket science, it’s just math. The crazy math is how the Sazerac Company (Barton 1792 Distillery’s parent company) and Costco are able to pull that off for only $30.
I think it’s time to hit up Costco, folks. After that, you need to head over to Bardstown Bourbon Company and try and snag at Chateau de Laubade. That bottle is phenomenal. Unless, of course, you stumble across an Eagle Rare 17, then buy that for sure.
Actors are chameleons and some go further than most to change for a role. Some, like Robert De Niro and Christian Bale, have gained or lost a whole mess of weight. For The Fabelmans, Seth Rogen shaved back his hair line a bit so he looked like he was going balder than he was. It’s no big deal, but what was a bit worrying was when his friends assumed it was real.
In the film, loosely based upon director Steven Spielberg’s youth, Rogen plays his father’s (Paul Dano) best friend, who develops a close bond with his mother (Michelle Williams). When Spielberg asked him to adjust his hairline, Rogen couldn’t tell the legendary filmmaker no. After doing what he was told, he found the change “drastic.”
“I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s all everyone’s going to talk about.’ I’m going to see everyone and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Rogen said during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Unfortunately, few noticed, which was not a good sign. “Instead, I kept running into people I know and seeing them, and no one said anything and that made me realize, to them, I’m balding!” he recalled. “I was already balding! It wasn’t a shift.”
Eventually he was able to make peace with it. “I work with a lot of actors who, now in their career, they have more hair than when they started,” Rogen said. “It’s a stressful double life they have as a balding actor who is pretending not to be balding.”
The Fabelmans is now playing select theaters. It opens wide on November 23. You can watch Rogen’s Fallon appearance below.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
🙁
MICHAEL PORTER JR. GIVES THE NUGGETS THE LEAD 
