So you know how Sony has been making movies about Spider-Man characters like Venom and Morbius, but they don’t actually have Spider-Man in them due to a convoluted rights-sharing agreement with Marvel? Well, surprise! Sony is bringing that whole mess to streaming.
Starting with the new live-action series, Silk: Spider Society, Amazon will become the new home for the confusingly expanding Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which again, does not actually have Spider-Man in it. (For now.) The series will feature Marvel Comics character Cindy Moon, a classmate of Peter Parker who also got bitten by the same radioactive spider and became the similarly spider-powered hero, Silk. Angela Kang (The Walking Dead) will act as showrunner with Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) executive producing. Still with us? Okay. Great.
“We can’t wait to bring the adventures of Cindy Moon to life, thanks to the creative dream team of Chris and Phil, Angela and Amy, along with our partners at Marvel and Amazon,” said Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios. “We know this exciting series with new and never-before-seen characters and storylines will wow audiences watching first on linear MGM+ and then around the world on Prime Video.”
Oh yeah, that’s right. Before the live-action Silk series hits Amazon, it will first premiere on MGM+, which is apparently a thing that exists. Although, in fairness, that additional step does add an extra layer of confusion to the whole process, which is entirely on brand for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe that does not have Spider-Man in it.
As Taylor Swift fans curse out Ticketmaster, let’s take a moment to appreciate a service (mostly) working like it’s supposed to. House of the Dragon was a hit, with viewership in the tens of millions, but HBO’s streaming service HBO Max held up pretty dang well with the traffic surges on Sunday nights. It took months of tests to get there.
“Preparation for something as big as House of the Dragon starts like six months before,” Avi Saxena, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Chief Technology Officer, told The Streamable. “We do a lot of events on our platforms, like the Olympics in Europe, and every time we have a very big tentpole event, we start like six months before to make sure the teams and the platform are ready for it.”
To make sure HBO Max wouldn’t crash with every new episode of House of the Dragon, a team was assembled (I’m picturing dragons in glasses and lab coats). The “special operation” was called the “Project House of the Dragon Reliability,” or “Project HODR,” which Saxena called “appropriate for the project. I think these project code names are very important to get the teams excited to rally behind the project.” It’s a fitting name, even if it brings back a flood of emotions, but, I would have gone with Operation HotD.
From there, they turn their attention to making sure that their systems are able to handle the volume of viewers that will be tuning in on a weekly basis. “Load testing basically creates the simulated load on our services,” Saxena said. “Every time you run load [testing], you identify a bottleneck, [or something that] did not work. We go back, fix that, rerun it… And this exercise continues until we successfully run the test end-to-end for all the services.”
If that’s too much techno-babble for you, maybe this will help:
Watching someone dance usually means watching their legs and feet move in creative, graceful or rhythmic ways. Dance steps are called dance steps for a reason, after all.
But for nearly 75 years, Russia’s Berezka dancers have delighted audiences with their dance skills without anyone catching so much as a glimpse of their legs or feet. Berezka dancers’ dance steps are clearly impressive when you see what they do with them, but no one gets to see the steps themselves.
How can that be?
Berezka dancers’ floor-length dresses (called sarafans, the traditional female dress of the Russian peasant class, according to ARTpublika Magazine) hide what their feet are doing as they seem to “float” around on the stage. But make no mistake, they really are moving their feet themselves, without the use of wheels or treadmills or hoverboards or whatever else it might look like they’re using.
You’d be forgiven for not believing it, because check out what they look like in unison:
u201cIn the Russian dance Berezka, women move with short steps, so short that they look like they’re floating.u201d
The original choreographer of the “floating step,” Nadezhda Nadezhdina, described the method to The New York Times in 1972. “You have to move in very small steps on the very low half-toe with the body held in a certain corresponding position.” It is apparently very difficult to perfect.
If you prefer to keep the floating dance steps a mystery, stop here, but if you want to see a tutorial showing how these dancers manage to move around the stage without their heads bobbing so much as an inch, this tutorial shows what their feet are doing. (Skip to minute 4:20 to see her doing the steps quickly.)
Here’s the problem with starting an argument with someone who’s clearly wrong. People with opinions that are not based on facts or logic have trouble with critical thinking, which also makes having a discussion with them terribly tricky because they don’t know the rules of engagement.
The first step to avoiding these situations is not having an argument. But if you have to settle a disagreement, it’s best to frame it as a discussion instead of an argument. The difference? “A discussion is a respectful exchange of information. An argument is a coercive attempt to be acknowledged as right or smart or sensitive,” Steven Stosny, Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today.
“In arguments, we invalidate feelings and undermine perspectives. In discussions, we validate feelings and expand perspectives,” Dr. Stosny continues.
One of the keys to having a good discussion is to listen to the other person and ask plenty of questions. This makes the other person feel heard and more likely for the two of you to find common ground. It can also reveal how much they know about the topic at hand.
But if you wind up getting into an argument, there are some telltale signs that you won the debate because the other person has been thrown from their facts and talking points and has to save face. A Reddit user by the name ViForYourAttention asked the forum, “What statement screams ‘I just lost the argument’? And they received a ton of great tactics and sayings that people turn to as a last resort.
The discussion wasn’t just full of great “gotcha” moments but a frank discussion on how to have an honest debate by learning to spot cheap tricks and personal attacks.
Here are 17 statements that scream, “I lost the argument.”
1.
“Pointing out a small discrepancy in an otherwise factual statement and pretending that invalidates their whole argument. ‘I saw you get in a blue car and drive off with your secret lover when you said you were going for a walk.’ ‘You’re completely wrong. It was a blue SUV, and I did go for a walk after.'” — jiyida8112
2.
“As soon as someone shifts the goalposts. It is important to be able to identify this. It is also important to know the difference between this and someone wording their initial argument poorly. … But in general shifting goalposts means that they were losing an argument because of a unstable basis, so they’ll shift their previously dogmatic basis to something more broad or they’ll change their entire opinion midway through a conversation. The way to combat it is simply to always keep in mind the original intent of the conversation. Know what the initial claims were and move on from there always keeping those in mind.” — Sovreign_grounds
3.
“I concede.” — Southern_Snowshoe
4.
“You spelled ‘x’ the wrong way.” — GustavoAlex7789
5.
“I know you r but what am I?” — MineDamnBrain
6.
“Any personal insult. As soon as you comment on the person and not the topic, you’ve lost.” — Aunt_Anne
7.
“[The moment someone says] ‘I don’t even care’ or ‘this is dumb.”‘ — KarlaKaress
XXXSimply unstable added:
“‘Whatever’ or ‘I’m over it’ or both combined into ‘Whatever, I’m over it!'”
8.
“You just lost a customer.” — Sucros
9.
“When my husband sits there with that look on his face. That look that says he is waiting for me to put together some obvious pieces that I missed. I always find those pieces eventually. And then I concede, with an air of torture because he’s always right. Always! As soon as I see that look, I lost.” — gecepix937
10.
“Saying something completely irrelevant to the argument that they found on your post/comment history.” — PM_ME_UR_FEET_69
11.
“‘Oh yeah? Well, I know someone else who thought that way. Adolf Hitler!'” — hawt_pawket
12.
“Do your research.” — Orenge01
13.
“‘You always have to get the last word.’ A statement made exclusively by people who are trying to have the last word, but are out of points.” — ScruffyTuscaloosa
14.
“‘I’m not talking about it anymore!’ Yeah, because you know youre making absolutely no sense.” — WRA1THLORD
15.
“Bringing up an entirely different topic. Whataboutism as they say.” — TDeath21
16.
“When they start projecting. For example, they start accusing you of something that they’re doing – like being bigoted. Or they start threatening to report or block you even though they’re in the wrong.” — HyperDogOwner458
Jeopardy! is a world where there are right and wrong answers. In a reality full of misinformation and denials of the truth, you either answer correctly or incorrectly with the occasional clarification from the judges. The folks behind Jeopardy! work incredibly hard to make that the case with lots of research and debating how questions are phrased, but it doesn’t mean that things won’t fall through the cracks. And in Wednesday’s episode, the Final Jeopardy question left some fans claiming the show got it wrong.
The Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions has featured some impressive play from Amy Schneider, Andrew He and Sam Buttrey. Tuesday’s episode featured a comeback for Schneider in Final Jeopardy, a tough question no player actually got right. And Wednesday’s episode featured another comeback, with Schneider faltering on a Daily Double in the second Jeopardy! round and He betting big to take a lead he lost before the last question.
That question was about a Jeopardy! mainstay: the bible. But it involved a question some New Testament scholars say doesn’t have a clear answer.
“Paul’s letter to them is the New Testament epistle with the most Old Testament quotations,” the question read.
But!
As CNN detailed, the answer got a number of scholars talking about the question on Twitter, and there’s been plenty of formal discussion about the subject in the past.
All of the answers refer to books in the Bible that are collections of epistles, or letters, ostensibly from Jesus’ apostle Paul to different groups in the formative days of the Christian church. However, experts have varying opinions on whether Paul actually wrote the letter to the Hebrews – and thus, whether the answer was actually correct. In fact, there are bitter divisions among different schools of Christian thought regarding Paul’s Biblical influence and authorship.
Many “Jeopardy!” viewers thought Buttrey’s answer should have been the correct one, since scholars generally agree Paul was the author of the book of Romans.
Both Buttrey and He’s answers were deemed incorrect on Wednesday, with a big bet from the former making He the champion for the day. But as many scholars weighed in online, a different ruling would have given Buttrey his first win of the tournament and evened the matches at one win apiece.
When you need to study theology to answer Jeopardy…
The challenge: Hebrews has the most OT quotes of any NT letter; it was historically attributed to Paul; but today most argue he didn’t write it based mainly on internal evidence. (Romans is right if Paul didn’t write Hebrews.) https://t.co/iBf5Y1jSSL
So far, however, there’s been no correction from the Jeopardy! crew. And since the tournament has been pre-taped, the results are unlikely to change. But it’s certainly giving biblical scholars something to talk about this week, which is always fun.
It’s always time for a classic Manhattan cocktail. But cards on the table, right now is when they really start to hit that perfect sweet spot. The mix of rye whiskey, herbal bitters, sweet and botanical vermouth, orange oils, and dark cherry just sings more brightly when the snow is about to break out in the air and the weather is cold enough for a crackling fire.
And with Thanksgiving just about here, now feels like the perfect time to break out the classic Manhattan. Like today. And tomorrow. And maybe all of next week.
The best part of this recipe is that you can dial it into your current palate and adjust it as you go. Some people find the whiskey a bit much. In that case, add a little more sweet vermouth. Likewise, if you like your cocktails on the stiffer side, dial back that vermouth and add a splash more whiskey.
All of that said, the perfect sweet spot (for anyone with good taste me!) is below. It’s a 5:1 mix of rye whiskey and sweet vermouth. That allows the whiskey to shine through clearly while adding just the right amount of herbal sweetness to calm things down and create something greater than the individual parts.
Okay, that’s enough preamble. Let’s get stirring up some cocktails!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
Naturally, the whiskey is the most important component here. I like to stick with rye and a good one at that. Per my own Thanksgiving tradition, I like to make what I call a “$50 Manhattan” with Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Rye. The rye really helps this cocktail sing. There’s a beautiful layer of soft green herbs that leads to creamy notes of cherry, vanilla, and apple fritter which all really meld nicely with the botanical and herbal notes from the bitter and vermouth. Yes, it’s a spendy bottle, but it’ll make the best damn Manhattan you can get.
When it comes to sweet vermouth, I’m using Noilly Prat. There’s a nice subtly to the French fortified wine. It’s not overly herbal or woody but has a nice sense of sweet spice next to tart red fruits and slight caramelization.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Coupe, Nick & Nora, cocktail glass, or lowball (pre-chilled)
Mixing glass
Cocktail strainer
Barspoon
Jigger
Fruit peeler
Garnish stick
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer, preferably overnight but an hour or so is fine.
Grab a mixing glass. Add the rye, vermouth, bitters, and a large handful of ice. Stir the drink until the glass is ice-cold to touch (about 15 to 20 seconds).
Use the strainer to pour the cocktail into the pre-chilled glass.
Peel off a thin orange peel and express the oils over the cocktail (bend the orange side of the peel toward the glass between your thumb and index fingers gingerly). Discard the peel.
Spear two cherries. Place them on the rim of the glass. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This is a truly phenomenal cocktail. The rye whiskey shines through and becomes a softer and more floral spirit with this sense of soft botanical sweetness. The orange oils, which are often skipped, help tie this whole cocktail together. They add a counterpoint with brightness and slight spice that’s very Christmas-time, especially with the woody botanicals in play.
Overall, this is the perfect cold-weather sipper that’ll last you through February. It’s spiced, herbal, full of orange, and has a wonderful whiskey depth with just the right amount of soft brightness, kind of like the sun cutting through the clouds on a snowy day.
Ticketmaster seems to really be doing their best to get everybody to dislike them. This past Tuesday, the ticketing giant’s servers were flooded with millions of Taylor Swift fans (and bots) who were attempting to purchase pre-sale tickets for Swift’s The Eras Tour. Ticketmaster grossly underestimated the demand for the stadium concert tour and the servers frequently crashed, booting users who were in the queue and worst of all, denying them the ability to purchase tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert. Fans were up in arms and even congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sounded the alarm.
Now the situation has gotten even worse. It seems as though there was so much demand for these pre-sales and priority access sales, that Ticketmaster has made the decision to cancel the general public on-sale window that was set to begin tomorrow altogether. “Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow’s public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has been canceled,” read a cut-and-dry tweet from the official Ticketmaster Twitter account.
Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow’s public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has been cancelled.
“Reality is, it’s a function of the massive demand that Taylor Swift has,” Live Nation chairman Greg Maffei said earlier in a feeble attempt to explain how the Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster platform had failed to account for the supply and demand of the very industry that they appear to dominate (and nearly monopolize). “The site was supposed to be opened up for 1.5 million verified Taylor Swift fans. We had 14 million people hit the site, including bots — another story — which are not supposed to be there.”
So it seems as though there were so many pre-sale purchases, there was likely not even a need for a public on-sale to begin with. Business and political implications aside, the cancellation of the public on-sale leaves countless Taylor Swift fans out in the cold. This is not how fair market ticketing is supposed to work.
Bizarrap has finally released his highly-anticipated “BZRP Music Sessions #50” video. The Argentine producer teamed up with rapper Duki for his latest session that was released last night (November 16).
In 2019, Bizarrap launched the “BZRP Music Sessions” on YouTube, where artists spit rhymes or sing over his hip-hop beats with an electronic edge. This past year, his recent sessions have gone viral. In March, Puerto Rican rapper Residente used “BZRP Music Sessions #49” as a diss track against J Balvin. The video for that session has over 130 million views. Bizarrap achieved the biggest hit of his career with “BZRP Music Sessions #52” featuring Spanish singer Quevedo. In July, the song topped reached the top spot on Billboard‘s Global 200 chart.
Bizarrap notably held off from releasing “BZRP Music Sessions #50” and kept the collaboration a surprise up until last night. Instead of collaborating with more international artists, he kept it local by working with fellow Argentine act Duki. Duki is one of the leaders in Argentina’s Latin trap wave. Bizarrap backs him with triumphant trap beats as he raps about his come-up as an artist while proudly representing their country. “I accomplished my mission as a rapper / Bought my mom the house she wanted,” Duki sings in Spanish. “Session #50” feels like a victory lap for Bizarrap following his global success this year.
Bizarrap has yet to release “BZRP Music Sessions #42,” so it will be interesting to see who is featured on that track. When Bad Bunny‘s World’s Hottest Tour visited Argentina earlier this month, he brought out Duki as a special guest to perform their song “Hablamos Mañana” live.
It has certainly seemed a long time coming, but Brockhampton’s final album as a group, TM, arrives tonight after what was originally billed as that album, The Family, turned out to be more of a Kevin Abstract solo album. The group surprise-announcedTM after fans were baffled by The Family‘s exclusion of most of the members of the massive, self-described boy band, leaving fans to wonder whether all of Brockhampton’s dramatic pronouncements over the past couple of years had just been theater. Some also wondered whether, with two new albums to promote, the group might head out on a farewell tour.
However, it appears that the answer is, conclusively, no. TM will apparently be an album of unfinished cutting room floor material, described in a press release as “an album made up of songs that were started by the group during a two-week stint in Ojai, California in 2021, but were never fully completed during those sessions.” And since The Family consists of Kevin Abstract’s solo tracks, it seems unlikely that he’ll need Bearface, Dom McLennon, Joba, Matt Champion, or Merlyn Wood around to help him perform them.
There is good news, though. The group will play one last show on Saturday, November 19, at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, and it will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video’s Twitch channel for the world to watch as they take their final bow.
Dark rum is a great choice this time of year. The aged spirit often carries deep flavor notes of wintry spices, dark fruits, and rich sweetness that speak to fall and winter vibes. That’s not to say that dark rum isn’t as good on a hot beach with the waves lapping at your feet because it absolutely is. It’s more speaking the versatility of the aged sugar-based spirit.
Since dark rum is so wide-reaching, I figured it was time for another dark rum blind taste test. Yes, even as we head into winter. Specifically, as we head into winter.
For this blind tasting, I grabbed some hardcore classics and a couple of newbies across several regions and price points. It’s a smorgasbord of dark rums that suit every level of interest (and cash flow). As for the ranking itself, I’m going on taste alone. That means that I’m looking for depth (how short or long does that flavor profile go and does it take you on a journey?) and balance (does everything make sense and create a cohesive entity?).
At the end of the day, it’s the taste and experience that matter most, folks. Since I do this for a living, be assured that you’re in good hands for this ranking. The lineup today is as follows:
Papa’s Pilar Bourbon Barrel Finished 24 Solera Profile Dark Rum (New)
Botran Ron de Guatemala No. 18 (New)
Flor de Caña 18 Years Old (Classic)
Don Papa Rye Aged Rum (New)
Tommy Bahama Tommy No. 2 Rum Finished in Bourbon Whisky Barrels (New)
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Classic)
Ron Zacapa XO Solera Gran Reserva Especial (Classic)
Mount Gay Andean Oak Cask Barbados Rum (New)
Let’s dive in and find you a great dark rum to sip as the holidays kick off!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Blind Taste Test Posts Of The Last Six Months
There’s a mild sense of tannic old oak on the nose with a dark and dry chili pepper spice and maybe some molasses sweetness but not much. The palate holds onto that charcoal-filled tannic note while adding wet brown sugar that turns into buttery caramel sauce. Finally, the sip fades through vanilla husks and maybe a hint of orchard fruit with woody spices lurking underneath.
This was pretty good overall. It feels very whiskey adjacent with a good amount of vanilla and fruit on the end next to all that spice.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a brief moment of sour funk that gives way to white pepper, waxy chili pepper skins, and apple pie. The palate has a mild sense of caramel and sugar cane juice next to maybe some rum-raisin. The sip ultimately fades out pretty fast into a light sense of pepper, chocolate, and spice.
This started off so strong and then sort of petered out into very little.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mild sense of old oak and leather next to dark winter spices, dark berries, and a whisper of potpourri. The palate has a rich blackstrap molasses sweetness and bitterness that leads to woody winter spices, red berries with a candied edge, and a hint of that dried floral vibe. The end gets a little light but it’s more minerality than watery proofing as wet pipe tobacco and sweet vanilla candies dominate.
This is a pretty nice pour. It’s balanced and has some depth without being too washed out on the finish.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Holy f*ck, this is wildly weird. The nose pops with lemon iced tea powder and wet tobacco next to celery salt, caraway, and cardamom pods. The palate leans into the sweet and citrusy iced tea with a clear sense of tobacco juice (yes, like having a chaw in your mouth). The end sort of leans into woody winter spices, old vanilla, and a hint of rock candy.
This is outlandish yet somehow enticing. It beckons you back for more because it feels like there’s no way it can taste that … kooky.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mild sense of dark spices next to fruity tobacco, a layer of vanilla, and some mild candied sweetness. The palate is very light and delivers molasses, spice, and maybe some tropical fruit notes but eventually feels a little washed out.
This is pretty weak but does have a sense of dark rum in there.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a very sweet sense of molasses and brown sugar on the nose with a touch of bright florals and dark berries. The palate is very caramel-forward with a bold sweetness that’s part rock candy and part molasses with a hint of pancake syrup and vanilla. The end has a sharp tobacco bite with orange zest and a touch of walnut cake cut with raisins and wintry spices.
This was nice but very sweet.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a sense of vanilla beans next to old leather, salted butter, mild dried florals, and new pipe tobacco with a hint of cedar humidor. The palate adds in layers of salted caramel with dried fruits and dates alongside plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove with a hint of dark chocolate tobacco. The end has a distinct edge of lush caramel-chocolate cake feel with a return of that pipe tobacco and cedar from the nose on the very end.
This was complex and distinct. It’s a solid pour.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is deep with notes of old oak staves next to a spiced holiday cake full of candied fruits, raisins, dark spices, and buttery vanilla with a hint of espresso bitterness and maybe a whisper of gooseberry. The palate leans into the wintry cake spice with a focus on nutmeg and clove creating a lush eggnog feel next to candied ginger, woody huckleberry, pine resin, and Almond Joy. The end has a flourish of marzipan and fresh mint next to pineapple tobacco and more of those dark holiday cake spices all wrapped up with soft cedar bark and dry sweetgrass.
This is the best pour by a country mile.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
8. Tommy Bahama Tommy No. 2 Rum Finished in Bourbon Whisky Barrels — Taste 5
This is a sourced “Central American” rum. The juice was aged in American oak (bourbon barrels) for a minimum of five years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was fine, but only just. It was super light on the finish. I’d probably just pass on this one.
This Guatemalan rum uses estate-grown sugar cane varieties to create sugar cane honey (instead of molasses). After distillation, the hot juice is aged using the solera method (by never fully emptying aging containers). The rum ages for five to eight years in bourbon, sherry, and port casks before it’s blended, proofed, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was fine but really dropped off into the proofing water my the mid-palate. That said, this would be perfectly fine for building cocktails.
This new Filipino rum is fully matured in American rye casks. The molasses comes from the Philippine island of Negros Occidental. Once distilled, the hot juice rests in those rye barrels for about four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was so out there. It didn’t taste like a classic dark rum at all. And that’s what kind of endeared it to me. It was interesting and felt fresh and new. That said, if you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing classic dark rum, look elsewhere. This is not that in any way.
This Venezuelan rum is a blend of a minimum of 12-year-old juice made from both sugarcane honey and molasses. The rums were aged in ex-bourbon barrels high up in the Amazonia before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This read very sweet today. It wasn’t bad. There was serious depth and nuance beyond that sweetness. Still, this felt more like something I’d make a solid Tiki-style cocktail with rather than use as a sipper.
This Nicaraguan rum is made on the slopes of the San Cristóbal Volcano. The molasses is made from estate-grown sugar cane from that volcanic soil. The rums are then aged in ex-bourbon barrels for varying amounts of time before blending. It’s important to note that “18” is the average age of the barrels involved and not the age of the expression.
Bottom Line:
This was a nice all-around easy-to-drink dark rum. It didn’t pop as a sipper but certainly would as a really solid cocktail base. You can build some great flavor notes off of this one’s profile.
3. Papa’s Pilar Bourbon Barrel Finished 24 Solera Profile Dark Rum — Taste 1
Named after Hemingway (or Papa if you will), this is a blend of sourced rums from all over. Both column still and pot still rums from the Caribbean, U.S.A, and Central America are in the mix. Those rums were aged in bourbon barrels, port wine casks, and sherry casks before batching and going on a final finishing run in more bourbon casks.
Bottom Line:
This was pretty nice overall. There was some depth at play and the finish wasn’t washed out. I can see sipping this over some rocks or mixing it into a decent cocktail.
2. Ron Zacapa XO Solera Gran Reserva Especial — Taste 7
This expression is a blend of Guatemalan rums that spent six to 25 years resting in their solera warehouse in former sherry casks at high elevations. The rum is then finished in French cognac casks to add that little extra refinement to the final taste.
Bottom Line:
This was clearly built for easy sipping. There’s some nice depth to the flavor profile with balance. Overall, this is an easy sipper that won’t challenge your palate.
1. Mount Gay Andean Oak Cask Barbados Rum — Taste 8
Master Blender Trudiann Branker is creating some amazing Barbadian blends with Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection. The fourth release takes Mount Gay rum that spent 14 years mellowing if former bourbon barrels just a stone’s throw from a beach and finishes that rum in South American oak from the Andies. After eleven months in those barrels, the rum is proofed and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was far and away the best rum on this panel. The depth and nuance were extraordinary with a real freshness to it. Overall, this feels like the best and more rewarding sipper on the list — and it wasn’t even close.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
That Mount Gay Andean Cask is a stellar rum. It’s so refreshing yet familiar. It’s also spendy but worth it this time of year. After all, what are the holidays for if not to treat yourself and/or your loved ones with great rum pours?
Naturally, that bottle is pricey. So, I’d recommend grabbing Papa’s Pilar rum as a good alternative, especially if you’re looking to make some killer cocktails too. Or any of the rest really, except for maybe the bottom two. You can safely skip those.
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