A little under month after Freddie Gibbs released his new album, Soul Sold Separately, Gibbs’ former mentor Jeezy has released his own new project, Snofall, a Gangsta Grillz collaboration with DJ Drama. Naturally, he’s doing radio promo for the album, stopping by the Hot 97 headquarters to chat with Ebro In The Morning about it. In the course of the interview, Ebro brought up Freddie Gibbs and how on his new album, the Gary native raps about learning to be his own boss from Jeezy.
Jeezy acknowledged the shout-out, telling the hosts, “I knew he was going to be a star with or without me,” and delving into why it was so important for him to reconnect with Gibbs ten years after their falling out. “I’m really intentional about making sure that I reconnect with a lot of people,” he said. “Not on no Kumbaya — but just like ‘I had love for you,’ and if it was my wrongdoing or me reacting to what you did to me… we had a miscommunication or somebody was talking through somebody else, and the word got to me. That happened before where people think you ain’t keeping your word, but you talking to somebody else, you got my line hit me directly.”
“It’s just like my biggest regret and still will be how I nourished my relationships in the beginning — because I had no idea that 10 years later, that would affect me,” he elaborated. Jeezy also recently settled his long-term dispute with Gucci Mane during their Verzuz battle last year, although that event was a tense affair.
Gibbs also explained how the two men buried the hatchet during a recent interview, saying a chance meeting at an airport led to them hugging it out. He also admitted he handled the situation poorly, letting pride and miscommunication cause him to burn the bridge at an inopportune point in his career. But it looks like they are back on good terms again and if this leads to new music, all the better.
When the weather starts to get cold, often times we reach for bourbon, rye, and single malt whisky to warm our bones. It’s why St. Bernard’s supposedly had whiskey around their necks, after all. While nobody’s going to tell you not to crack open a bottle of bourbon or Scotch this fall, why limit yourself? In my personal opinion, there may be no better dark spirit for fall sipping than extra añejo tequila.
For those unaware, añejo tequila is a designation for the subset of the agave-based spirit that has been matured for between one and three years in oak barrels. And while that might be good enough to scratch your brown liquor itch, I prefer things a little extra (literally). Extra añejo tequila has been aged for three years or more, and this bold, rich, amber-hued tequila is known for its fruity, oaky, slightly spicy, warming flavor profile.
Now that I’ve defended extra añejos suitability for fall, let’s find you some. For today’s blind tasting, I hand picked eight great options. Some are well-known brands and others are lesser-known bangers, but either way, you should be able to find something to love here, whatever your flavor preference.
Today’s Lineup:
Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo Tequila
Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia Extra Añejo Tequila
Tears of Llorona Extra Anejo
Don Roberto Extra Añejo Tequila
Código 1530 Origen Extra Añejo Tequila
Avion Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila
El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila
Corralejo Extra Añejo Tequila
Part 1: The Taste
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A light nose of almond cookies, oaky wood, and slight caramel greets you before your first sip. It’s fairly simple yet inviting. The palate isn’t much more complex with generic vanilla, caramel, oak, and slight cinnamon flavors. It’s not bad, it’s just not that good.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Earthy, ripe, roasted agave is the main note on the nose. But it’s followed closely behind by caramel, cinnamon, toasted marshmallows, and even a little bit of peppery spice. The palate has a ton of fruit flavor from dried cherries and apricots along with butterscotch, vanilla beans, and gentle oak. It drinks more like a whiskey than a tequila.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly sweet for an extra añejo tequila. There are notes of dried fruits, sherry sweetness, vanilla cream, butterscotch, and gentle oaky wood. Drinking it reveals even more rich oak, cooked agave, raw sugar, vanilla beans, dried cherries, more sherry, and a gentle, nutty sweetness throughout.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The first aromas I found on this tequila’s nose were those of oaky wood, earthy cooked agave, and slight vanilla. That was about it on first nosing. The palate has more earthy, vegetal cooked agave, caramel, more oak, and a ton of pepper on the back end. If it wasn’t for the cracked black pepper spice overwhelming everything else, this would be a great sipper.
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Very generic smelling vanilla, oak, and cooked agave on the nose. Definitely doesn’t invite you to take a sip. The palate is slightly more appealing with notes of cooked, vegetal agave, oak, vanilla beans, and some wintry spices. Overall, it was fairly bland and generic tasting. Not a great tequila for the price.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose isn’t overly exciting with light notes of vanilla sweetness, cooked agave, and light spices. Not much else. The palate is slightly more exciting with candied orange peels, rich oak, vanilla, honey, and just a kiss of light smoke. Overall, a little lacking in flavor though. It seems a bit thin.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This tequila starts with a nose of cooked, slightly smoky agave, dried fruits, butterscotch, vanilla beans, and rich oak. It quickly moves to flavors like dried cherries, apricots, vanilla, and caramel candy on the palate. It ends with a warming, sweet combination of gentle spices and sweet, cooked agave.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found aromas of toffee, vanilla beans, baked agaves, and oak. The palate continues this trend with more notes of buttery caramel, brown sugar, vegetal agave, dried fruits, and vanilla. The finish is warming, slightly sweet with a nice hint of agave at the end.
Since Lebron James is one of the owners of Lobos. it’s difficult to not assume this is just a gimmicky celebrity brand. Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo Tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave and is matured for at least three years in American white oak barrels before being finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.
Bottom Line:
I always have trouble believing that a celebrity-driven brand is good. And this overpriced, low-quality tequila isn’t helping that perception.
This award-winning Extra Añejo from El Tesoro was made to pay homage to master distiller Carlos Camarena’s father Felipe. This bold, rich, slightly sweet tequila spent between four and five years maturing in ex-bourbon American oak barrels.
Bottom Line:
I’m not here to say that El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila is even close to a bad tequila. There’s a reason it’s won so many awards. It’s just leans a little too much into the peppery, spicy side of tequila for my liking.
6) Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia Extra Añejo Tequila (Taste 1)
There are few names bigger than Jose Cuervo in the tequila world. The problem is that many drinkers think of the brand mainly for its bottom shelf tequilas. Its Reserva de la Familia, including its Extra Añejo, are trying to change that perception. This 100% blue Weber agave tequila has won numerous awards over the years.
Bottom Line:
This tequila has everything you’d want in an extra añejo tequila. It’s sweet, has some cooked agave flavor, oak, and gentle spices. It’s just that everything is kind of muted. It’s just an okay tequila, but not worth the price.
Made from 100% hand-picked Blue Weber Agave from the fields of Guanajuato, this rich, sweet, memorable extra añejo tequila is distilled twice (using the Charentais distillation method commonly used to distill cognac) before being matured for at least three years in new, charred oak barrels.
Bottom Line:
This is a decent example of the extra añejo style. It just seems more like a young añejo than one aged even longer. It’s a little light on flavor.
4) Código 1530 Origen Extra Añejo Tequila (Taste 8)
Código is a family-owned business. That alone makes me want to support them and their tequilas. It helps when they release expressions like Código 1530 Origen Extra Añejo Tequila. This phenomenal (and pricey) tequila is matured for six years in Napa Valley Cabernet French white oak barrels.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes simple is better. While this isn’t a perfect tequila, it’s well-balanced, flavorful, and warming on a cool fall day.
Name for a Mexican ghost story about a woman called La LLorana who cries for her drowned child, Tear of Llorona is a 100% Blue Weber agave-based tequila that’s matured for at least five years in a combination of Scotch, sherry, and brandy casks.
Bottom Line:
This is truly a complex, exciting tequila. Its maturation is unique, and its flavorful barrels are noticeable on the nose and palate. It’s complex and definitely appeals to whiskey drinkers.
The first time that many of us saw Avion Tequila was when it was featured on Entourage before it was even available. It’s safe to say the brand has easily distanced itself from the show with its high-quality tequilas. Especially Avion Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila. This small batch tequila is matured for at least 36 months in American oak barrels.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a whiskey drinker looking to try a tequila, this is the one for you. Caramel, vanilla, and gentle fruit make up much of the flavor.
This extra añejo tequila is made using a timeless family recipe that consists of 100% Blue Weber agave and volcanic spring water. It’s aged in American oak barrels and is known for its complex, well-balanced flavor profile featuring dried fruits, sherry sweetness, and rich, bold oak.
Bottom Line:
If you can get your hands on this tequila, grab a bottle. This is a unique, nutty, sweet, slightly fruity, caramel-filled tequila that will make you totally rethink how you feel about this agave-based spirit.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
When looking for extra añejo tequilas for fall sipping, it’s obvious that I tend to gravitate towards sweeter, more whiskey-like expressions. They also need to be fairly well-balanced and not lean too much into any particular flavor.
Jhayco has teamed up with his fellow romantics of reggaeton for his “En La De Ella” music video. In the nostalgic video that was released today (October 21), the Puerto Rican singer joined forces with Colombian artist Feid and Panamanian star Sech.
“En La De Ella” is Jhayco’s first taste of new music since his artist rebrand in May. With the release of “Sensual Bebé,” he shortened his name from Jhay Cortez to Jhayco. In 2020, he reached the top of Billboard‘s Global 200 chart with his Bad Bunny collaboration “Dákiti.” The two artists regrouped earlier this year for “Tarot” on Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti album.
In “En La De Ella,” Jhayco is joined by Feid and Sech. This dream team of artists are known for their sentimental reggaeton sounds in their hits. The song was produced by Colombian producers Sky and Jowan, who are behind many of Feid’s biggest songs. Jhayco, Feid, and Sech’s romantic yet sensual flows converge as they serenade the women that they’re interested in. The trio celebrates women living their best lives in the club with this alluring reggaeton banger.
The video for “En La De Ella” was directed by Deathofgian. Jhayco, Feid, and Sech soundtrack a dark city night with their collaboration. The song is part of what Jhayco calls his “Vida Rockstar” era. He is nominated at the 2022 American Music Awards for Favorite Male Latin Artist.
After a former nanny for Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis shared alleged stories about the couple with the Daily Mail, the internet went wild over a supposed text message from Sudeikis where he freaks out over Wilde making Harry Styles a salad with her special dressing. Despite the couple issuing a rare joint statement calling the nanny’s allegations “false and scurrilous,” Wilde eventually leaned into the salad dressing frenzy by posting an excerpt from Nora Ephron’s book, Heartless, which seemingly revealed the recipe.
However, one person wasn’t feeling the salad vibes. Jason Sudeikis’ ex-girlfriend and Ted Lasso co-star, Keeley Hazell, shared the same excerpt in her latest Instagram Story, but with some notable annotations. Particularly the part before the recipe where Ephron is asked, “Why do you feel you have to turn everything into a story?” What followed next appears to be some shade thrown at Wilde.
“So I told her why: Because if I tell the story, I control the version,” the model’s post continued. “Because if I tell the story, I can make you laugh, and I would rather have you laugh at me than feel sorry for me. Because if I tell the story, it doesn’t hurt as much. Because if I tell the story, I can get on with it.” While those lines were underlined, Ephron’s salad dressing recipe can be found further down on the page.
Just like the Don’t Worry Darling drama seemingly has no end in sight, it doesn’t look the alleged bombshells from Wilde and Sudeikis’ nanny are going to die down anytime soon.
After a few years of generating buzz with hit singles, Snow Tha Product dropped her hotly-anticipated new album To Anywhere. On the LP that was released today (October 21), the Mexican-American rapper collaborated Juicy J, Lauren Jauregui, and Santa Fe Klan.
Snow Tha Product has emerged as a strong female voice in the Latin hip-hop scene. The Bay Area-based artist noticeably raps in Spanglish, which reflects her bicultural upbringing. Last year, she was nominated for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song for “BZRP Music Sessions #39” with Argentine producer Bizarrap. Their collaboration has over 198 million views on YouTube.
Snow Tha Product’s last major project was 2016’s Halfway There EP. She revealed the EP’s full title was supposed to be Halfway There To Anywhere, but it was shortened. Now Snow Tha Product is feeling fulfilled after using the rest of that unused titled for her album.
“I felt by chopping [the EP’s title] in half, it made me feel like I’m not enough, which is kind of what I always felt in my life,” she told Uproxx. “Finally using ‘To Anywhere’ is giving me the potential that they cut off from my last project, so now this is the potential and the hope that I had been missing for awhile. Thank God it’s coming at a time when I really needed it.”
On the album, Snow Tha Product flexes her bilingual flow across different genres. The explosive “Bájala” featuring Mexican rapper Santa Fe Klan embraces elements of Dominican dembow music. Trap beats back Snow Tha Product on the swaggering “Cash Cash” with Puerto Rican singer Vf7. She also teams up with one of her favorite American rappers, Juicy J, for “Not Today,” which she refers to as the LP’s “ratchet song.”
Snow That Product collaborated with her close-friend, Jauregui, for the alluring banger “Piña.” Both artists, who are openly bisexual, trade verses above winning over the women of their eyes with appetizing pineapples. It was working with Jauregui that inspired Snow That Product to release her album.
“She gave me her blessing to put ‘Piña’ on [the album], and I thought it was very fitting because the balls to have a project really came from Lauren hyping me up, so I love that,” she said. “We’ve been very honest in everything that we’ve worked on together, so that’s all you can hope for as an artist and with a collaboration: to just keep it very cool, very good vibes, and very honest.”
Taylor Swift is a mastermind. She said so herself on the 13th track of Midnights, her 10th studio album out today (October 21), and she reaffirmed it with Midnights (3am Edition)in the middle of the night, giving fans seven additional songs to try and digest. One of them is “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” and the seemingly on-point fan theories are flying.
The early belief is that “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is about John Mayer. The clues are strong. The song is No. 19 on the tracklist. The torching chorus finds Swift lamenting, “I would’ve stayed on my knees / And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil / At nineteen.” Who was Swift linked to when she was 19 years old? Mayer, who was 32 then. They reportedly dated briefly between 2009 and 2010.
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” wouldn’t be the first Mayer-adjacent track in Swift’s discography. Track five of her October 2010 album Speak Now was titled “Dear John” and similarly cites a toxic situationship from her 19th year in the chorus: “Dear John, I see it all now, it was wrong / Don’t you think nineteen’s too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so?”
Elsewhere on Midnights, Swiftie sleuths have spotted a 30 Rock reference and a mysterious voice on “Midnight Rain.” And while all signs indicate another reflection on a regrettable involvement with Mayer, the more important question is whether Swift coyly confirmed an engagement to Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years, in the first verse of “Sweet Nothing.” She co-wrote the Midnights song with William Bowery, Alwyn’s pseudonym, and the first verse might allude to an engagement ring: “I spy with my little tired eye / Tiny as a firefly, a pebble / That we picked up last July / Down deep inside your pocket / We almost forgot it.”
The term “big d*ck energy” was popularized on (where else) Twitter after one of Ariana Grande‘s Twitter followers asked the pop star, “How long is pete???” Pete is, of course, now-former SNL cast member Pete Davidson, who she was dating at the time. Grande replied, “like 10 inches… oh f*ck… I mean… like a lil over a minute.”
Davidson wasn’t thrilled that Grande “talked all that sh*t for my penis,” he said during a standup show. “Everything is huge to her. Why would she tell everyone that I have a huge penis? So that every girl who sees my dick for the rest of my life is disappointed.” But it wasn’t all bad: at least the “BD” in “BDE” really freaked out Kanye West.
Kanye West was full of stress after his ex-wife Kim Kardashian started dating comedian Pete Davidson — telling friends he was upset about his longtime partner being with a “white boy with a” large member. The revelation came out on The Brilliant Idiots podcast with hosts Andrew Schulz and Charlamagne Tha God.
After West spewed anti-Semitic bullsh*t on a now-deleted episode of the Drink Champs podcast, Charlamagne recalled a phone call he had with the “abusive psychopath” rapper, who was not thrilled about Kardashian dating Davidson. West allegedly said, “My wife is out here f*cking a white boy with a 10-inch penis and you won’t help me? My wife is out here f*cking a white boy with a 10-inch penis and you’re telling me that’s your friend, but you’re supposed to be culture?” All Charlamagne could do was laugh at West.
You can listen to the The Brilliant Idiots podcast below.
On his podcast, @cthagod says Kanye West called him last November about Pete Davidson:
“He’s going on and on and then finally he goes, ‘MY WIFE IS OUT HERE FUCKING A WHITE BOY WITH A 10-INCH PENIS AND YOU WON’T HELP ME!'” pic.twitter.com/ffm9AMeOgH
JID, whose third Dreamville album The Forever Story has become a sleeper hit since its release in August, has been much more visible of late than he was before the project’s release. In a prior interview this year, though, he talked about how his career could have gone in a different direction with a deal from Quality Control instead of Dreamville. And while it’s fun to imagine that alternate branch of the hip-hop multiverse, it turns out that JID was in higher demand than previously suspected, giving us even more possibilities to contemplate.
In a new interview with The Breakfast Club, JID explained why he turned down another, “disgusting” deal from another Atlanta-based label, which was fronted by one of the city’s own rap royals. “Me and EarthGang was about to sign -– not ’bout to, we was not about to do it once we saw the deal –- we got offered a deal from Rich Homie Quan,” he recalled. “I don’t even remember specifically, but … straight crack sandwiches.” However, he clarified that all the communication was with representatives of the label, not Rich Home Quan himself. Ultimately, though, both he and Earthgang signed with Dreamville and it’s paid off so far.
Watch JID’s full interview with The Breakfast Club above.
The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items could vary, as could the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday, and we are here to have some fun.
ITEM NUMBER ONE – It could work
England is in turmoil. You might have heard about it. Their Prime Minister, Liz Truss, resigned after a chaotic 45-day run that sent financial markets into the toilet and general confidence in the government down there with it. It was almost impressive, really, especially when you consider the thing where she will now, apparently, collect a pension of somewhere around $125,000 a year. England, here is my promise to you: If asked, I will give you 50 days of leadership for that price. I’ll go as high as 60. Two full months. The cost-savings are undeniable. Ask any economist.
There are a few small issues with this plan, though. Mainly that I am not British. I’ve never even been to England. I feel like that could be a problem. Also, I do not want to do it. It seems hard and really just not very fun. What we need here is someone who is familiar with the area. Someone who has experience tackling difficult jobs. Someone with the type of natural leadership skills and gravitas to unite a troubled nation. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen.
Miramax
Presenting the three-part case for letting Jason Statham be the next prime minister of England.
Part One: I think people would listen to Jason Statham
I would. If I were a member of Parliament and Jason Statham walked in and gave a speech and maybe banged a gavel a little bit, I bet I would get all pumped up and follow along with whatever he said. I suppose this could be a problem if Jason Statham goes mad with power and starts ruling like a tyrant, but I do not think he would do that. Jason Statham seems pretty cool. The people need someone to rally around in these troubled times and I think Statham is the man for the job.
Part Two: He can do stuff like this
CANAL+
I do not know when or even if the need will arise for the Prime Minister of England to slide down an American flag and onto a jet ski and then flip a model over his shoulder and scream off into the high seas to right some sort of current or historical wrong, but I think I would feel better knowing that option is on the table. Just in case. Just to be safe.
Not all crises take place at sea, though. Some take place above ground. Luckily, Statham has the people covered here as well.
Summit Entertainment
Any dork with a calculator can balance a budget. It takes a real leader to leap from a gondola to a passing hang glider when the situation calls for it. Which it might. You don’t know. And you’ll feel really dumb if you go ahead and install some feeble old man in the position and then he’s up on top of a gondola but is too scared to leap to the passing hang glider. The whole country could be at risk. You need to consider things like this. For the good of the land.
Part Three: I would like it
I really would. It would make me so happy. I would like to see him meet with various heads of state and pose for photos and grip their hands so tight while they are shaking that you can see little winces of pain in their eyes. I want to see him roundhouse kick a rival who is holding up a signature piece of his legislation. I want to see him show up to negotiations with Putin on a dirtbike that he ramps up over a gate and flies into the Kremlin straight through an open window. I think it could work. Probably.
Maybe.
I will also accept Paddington Bear as an alternative. I do not know many other British people or bears. I feel like this is a good start, though. Thank you and good luck to the people of England.
ITEM NUMBER TWO – I am ready for the good movie
It’s kind of wild that the first Creed movie worked. It would have been easy for all of that to miss in tremendous fashion. A movie about a kid Apollo Creed never knew he had getting trained by Rocky to be a fighter like his dad is… there’s a lot of room for error there. Especially given the trajectory of the whole franchise to that point. Things could have gotten really corny really fast. And yet! It was good! So good! Like, legitimately in the conversation for best and most rewatchable sports movies ever! It’s basically a magic trick.
And now, here we are, closing in on a decade later, and there’s a trailer for a third movie in the spinoff of a franchise that started 45 years ago and saw Sylvester Stallone fight both Hulk Hogan and Mr. T and end the Cold War with his fists on Christmas Day and I’m… god, I’m pumped up. Watch that trailer. Watch Jonathan Majors glare and glisten and look just generally like he could put his fist through a cement wall if the urge struck him. I’m ready for it right now. It doesn’t come out until next year but I’m ready now. Look at the description!
Five years after Creed II, after dominating the boxing world, Adonis “Donnie” Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Donnie must put his future on the line to battle Dame – a fighter who has nothing to lose.
I love it. I love all of it. I love that the antagonist is lit and posed like he’s the devil and he is literally named Damian. I love that Michael B. Jordan has taken ownership of the franchise to the degree that he’s directing this one. I love that Jonathan Majors is kind of playing Mike Tyson but more menacing. It’s great. I hope they make 100 of them.
Good for everyone involved in this. Including me. We are all doing great.
ITEM NUMBER THREE – This is going to be the best press tour
Getty Image
Harrison Ford is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I know this because I am a professional and because my Twitter timeline was filled with headlines like “Harrison Ford Is Joining The Marvel Cinematic Universe” and because a lot of those headlines were on top of articles like this one at Deadline that read like someone was running into your living room and telling you about it while they were catching their breath.
EXCLUSIVE: It’s official. Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones franchise) will be taking over the Marvel role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, beginning with Phase 5 title Captain America: New World Order. He’ll star opposite Anthony Mackie, with Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson and Carl Lumbly also among the ensemble.
So, the three things are notable here, and I think I can rip them out via bullet point:
Reasonable arguments can be made that no one in history has more experience dealing with breathless nerds than Harrison Ford, given his 50-year history as Han Solo in Star Wars
Harrison Ford is also so old and famous and wildly successful that he has no obligation to play nice when someone asks him a dumb question, or even a good question, and he seems to really enjoy being cranky whenever he can
I honestly cannot wait for this press tour just to see if Harrison Ford goes to Comic-Con and some kid asks him if he thinks Han Solo could defeat Thanos and Harrison Ford just stares at him and sighs and says “Kid… who cares?”
Yeah, that about covers it. Also, when things like this happen, it’s fun to pretend like you have never heard of Star Wars. Like, just act dumbfounded when people mention it. Act all righteous about Harrison Ford joining some fantasy franchise like he doesn’t have a whole lifetime of dealing with it all. People hate it. It’s really a lot of fun.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR – Your periodic reminder that two things can be true at once
HBO
Okay. Here’s what’s going on. GQ interviewed Alan Moore, a legend in the field of comics who always gives quotes in interviews about how much he hates when his comics are adapted for any size of screen anywhere, and they asked him about the HBO adaptation of Watchmen that Damon Lindelof did, the one that starred Regina King and James Wolk and Jeremy Irons. You remember that show. The one where James Wolk said the phrase “squid pro quo” and Regina King shouted emmeffers every episode or two, like in the screencap up there.
Anyway, Alan Moore hated it and did not like the way Lindelof approached him about it. Which he was happy to elaborate on.
I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, “Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again.”
When I saw the television industry awards that the Watchmen television show had apparently won, I thought, “Oh, god, perhaps a large part of the public, this is what they think Watchmen was?” They think that it was a dark, gritty, dystopian superhero franchise that was something to do with white supremacism. Did they not understand Watchmen? Watchmen was nearly 40 years ago and was relatively simple in comparison with a lot of my later work. What are the chances that they broadly understood anything since? This tends to make me feel less than fond of those works. They mean a bit less in my heart.
What we have here is yet another one of those situations where two different things can be true at the same time. The first thing is that, yes, sure, Alan Moore — anyone who creates something, really, the person who made a thing where there was once nothing — is allowed to be annoyed that other people are taking his stories and characters and adapting them in new and different ways than he intended when he first dreamed them all up. That’s fair. Imagine how mad you would be if you made something and some other joker came along years later and was like “I loved it but actually I think what you meant was this…” You get to hate it if you want. That’s your right.
But the other true thing is that the Watchmen series in question here was really, really good. Just a blast, a take on good versus evil and race in America that was still enjoyable from beginning to end. At one point, Regina King’s character was chasing a dude called Lube Man and if you never watched the show and are wondering why he was called Lube Man then it brings me great pleasure to share this clip with you.
I am sad that Alan Moore did not like the show. I really am. I get it, again, but it is a bummer, just generally. I’ll tell you who did like it, though: me. I might watch it again over the winter when it’s too dark and cold to go anywhere. You can do it, too, if you want. Let’s just agree to not tell Alan Moore any of this, though. It seems like it bums him out a lot. We can keep this one between us.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE – Sick
It brings me great pleasure to inform you all that Zac Efron’s eco-travel series Down to Earth is returning to Netflix for a second season very soon and that he and his buddy Darrin are off to Australia this time. For the whole season. They play with cute little animals and zipline through trees and learn about all sorts of cool Australian nature stuff. That’s the trailer for it up there.
I need to stress here that my excitement about this is not ironic. I can understand why you might think that, given who I am and what I do and the words I used to describe all of this in this first paragraph. I am not being ironic though. I actually, truly enjoyed the first season of the show. It was the most pure and sincere thing I’ve ever seen and Zac Efron would listen to some scientist explain how some turbine is saving the environment and Zac would ponder it for a second and reply “Sick.” Which, like, he wasn’t wrong. It was pretty sick. We should all go through life with this attitude.
Look at this screencap from his trip to Sardinia in season one, where he learned that the inhabitants of the island live to 100 years old in greater numbers than most places on Earth thanks to a diet that features reasonable consumption of carbs, which Zac had just eliminated from his life for months to film the Baywatch movie.
Netflix
Look at this screencap, which does not need any context and sums up everything I said about the show much more efficiently than all the words I typed.
Netflix
It’s a good show. It’s fun. It teaches you stuff and it teaches Zac stuff and it’s all so earnest and nice and sincere and I kind of can’t believe how excited I got when I saw this trailer earlier this week. It’s all pretty sick.
READER MAIL
If you have questions about television, movies, food, local news, weather, or whatever you want, shoot them to me on Twitter or at [email protected] (put “RUNDOWN” in the subject line). I am the first writer to ever answer reader mail in a column. Do not look up this last part.
From Phil:
Hey man, just wanted to say thank you for reminding me about the “WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST, BRO” video. I have watched it a million times this week after not watching it at all for a few years. Every part of it is so good, but I’m mostly surprised I never noticed that the guy in the front PULLS OUT A KNIFE AT THE END. How did I miss that until now? It makes me want to go back and rewatch other viral videos from years gone by to see what else I missed. Maybe Bigfoot is in the background of “Charlie bit my finger” and no one ever noticed.
Hmm. Yes. Good email. And a great excuse for me to post the video again.
I had noticed the knife thing before this recent revival in my brain, but it took me probably 20 times before that happened. It’s such a wild little chaotic touch on what is already maybe a perfect video. Part of me wants to see everything that happened leading up to this that convinced someone to start filming. Part of me wants to let the mystery be. Most of me is just looking for excuses to get into arguments that I can storm away from while shouting “Grow up!” at people.
This section took me 20 minutes to write because I watched the video five more times while typing.
A milk truck was stolen from a Lower Sackville parking lot early Monday afternoon.
BROAD DAYLIGHT MILK TRUCK HEIST
RCMP say it was being used to make a delivery on Sackville Drive at the time.
Three things here:
I need you to get a good image in your head of this driver calling his supervisor just after lunch on a Monday and explaining to him or her that someone just stole his milk truck
I have a lot of respect for the dude who saw an idling milk truck with the keys in the ignition and was like “today is the day”
This seems like the kind of story we shouldn’t research too much more because it has the potential to get less fun real quick
Let’s proceed… carefully.
The truck was spotted heading down the Bedford Highway towards Halifax, but when an officer tried to pull it over, the suspect didn’t stop.
Officers started patrolling the area and found the truck abandoned on the end of Basinview Drive.
MILK TRUCK HIGH-SPEED CHASE QUESTION MARK
Mounties called in police dogs to help search for the driver and they were able to track the suspect down in the woods just before 3 p.m.
Okay, one more visual, then we can put a pin in this…
You’re at work on the 15th floor of a downtown high-rise. It’s a Monday. You just got done with lunch and are staring at a pile of papers you need to sort through before a meeting. You have that post-meal drowsiness kicking in, which isn’t helped by the sun blasting in through your window and making everything just warm enough to be exhausting. Your eyelids begin to droop.
But then.
You hear a commotion outside.
Tires screeching, people shouting.
You look down to the street and see a milk truck come screaming around a corner with a dozen Mounties on horseback behind it.
You watch them fly past you and continue on down the street.
You blink.
You blink again.
You try to comprehend what you just saw.
You sit back down.
You would think about this every day for the rest of your life.
Peated whisky is probably the most divisive juice in the whole whiskey world. Some folks love it for its medicinal vibes, ashen qualities, and tarmac depths, while others feel like they’re being forced to drink from an old ashtray full of used Band-Aids.
The whiskies I tasted below have a pretty wide range, from Scotland (obviously), Japan, the U.S., and Israel. Some of them are very peated. I mean, massively, heavily peated. It was… a lot. Others are so lightly peated that they might even pass as un-peated to the uninitiated. The point of that range was to point out that peated whisky isn’t a monolith. Multitudes, and so forth.
Our lineup today is:
Octomore 13.3
Bowmore 15
Benriach Smoke Season
Yamazaki Peated
Ardbeg Hypernova
M&H Elements Peated
Lost Lantern 2022 Single Cask #12
MacNair’s Lum Reek
Laphroaig Càirdeas Warehouse 1
When it comes to ranking these peated whiskies, I went on taste alone. But with peaties, that means a little more. I was looking for depth of flavor, sure, but it was also about, what else is there? Are there layers of flavor that make sense and tell a story with the peat? Or is it just whisky-filled ashtrays with Band-Aid floaters? Let’s find out!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
The nose is a subtle mix of salted caramel with sweet caramel malts, apricot jam, gingerbread, and a touch of nasturtium with a whisper of smoked apples and pears before the ashen peat starts sneaking in. The palate opens with smoked brown sugar next to rich marzipan with a hint of Almond Joy next to Kiwi boot wax, orange marmalade, dried roses, lemon pepper, and a hint of oyster liquor. The end has a caramel maltiness that’s just kissed with sea salt and potpourri cut with mild dark spices and more of that marzipan, finishing on a light fruit soda vibe.
This was pretty nice overall. It was very peaty, but more tied to fruit and caramel than ash and tar.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a dash of chocolate malts next to rum-raisin, meaty dates, and sourdough bread crusts with a hint of butter and fig jam. The palate has a woody vibe that’s part cedar box and part orchard wood smoking chips next to prune, dried cherry tobacco, salted pear chips, and a hint of smoked cinnamon. The end boils down some plums and figs into a hazelnut spiced cake with a touch of oatmeal cookie, walnut, sultanas, and nutmeg leading to cinnamon-apple tobacco packed into that old cedar box.
Damn, this was smooth and delicious. It’s also very lightly peated and much more akin to a sweet malt (or bourbon even) with a hint of sweet smoke lurking in the far background.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Rich caramel comes through with old oak and burnt orange next to smoke vanilla pods, cold charcoal, and a hint of tarmac. The palate leans into that soft vanilla with a bold singed apple wood smokiness next to creamed honey, burnt cinnamon sticks, and more burnt orange rind. The end amps up the citrus and spicy smokiness with a smoked salted caramel maltiness next to burnt citrus peels and apple chips.
This was a lot. The peated fruitiness verged on bitter and burnt more than sweet and smoky.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a light line of smoke that has a minerality to it alongside nuances of a pipping hot fireplace burning dried fir and cedar that leads to dried caraway on whole wheat toast with sour salted butter and bitter orange marmalade and a hint of orchard bark ash. The palate veers away from all of that toward seared pineapple and salted papaya with a sense of red-hot rocks in the dirt next to smoldering lime leaves and burnt orange. The end singes some cedar park and pine coal while leathery dark dates and prunes mingle with mulled wine spices, dark molasses, and rich vanilla cream on the lush finish.
This takes you on a journey. There’s nuance and depth throughout. But wow, this ends luxuriously. It’s kind of amazing.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is massively peated from the jump with freshly lain asphalt mingling with fireplace ash, old Weber grills left out in the rain, and hurricane lamp oil with a burnt wick and maybe some burnt apple chips next to smoldering hickory. The palate opens with burnt cacao nibs and over-roasted espresso beans with a clear peatiness tied to burnt oyster shells and fresh Ace Bandages with a mix of star anise, salted black licorice, clove, and fennel next to Mounds bars. The end has a heavily smoked vibe that’s kind of like smudging some wild sage while boiling heavily roasted coffee on the stove with a sense of an electric-coil burner raging in bright orange underneath the pot.
This is a slap in the face with a diamond ring turned toward the palm of that slapping hand. …I kind of want another slap.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice sense of light orchard fruits next to sea salt malts with a slight caramel vibe and some fresh lemon oils with a dash of black pepper. The palate has a mild brininess with a hint of vanilla pudding, gingerbread, and more of that bright lemon. The end brings it all together with a lemon cake vibe with smoked sugar icing and a dash of vanilla and winter spice.
This whisky feels downright soft compared to the last pour. That said, it’s subtle but vibrant.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Holy shit! You can smell the ABVs on the nose of this one alongside heavily smoked maple bacon with freshly cracked black pepper and a hint of smoked brisket fat next to old figs, smoked almonds, and some bitter orange soda. The palate is blown out by the massive ABVs. Hints of bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers mingle with prune jam and old burnt caramel malts next to burnt cacao nibs and orange rinds. The end just keeps getting hotter as a whisper of old porch wicker and boot leather sneaks in under the fire of a thousand suns burning malts and coffee beans.
This needed a rock ASAP.
[I had to take a five-minute break and palate cleanse after this. It completely blew out my palate.]
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Soft toffee and old leather mingle on the nose with a dash of freshly ground nutmeg over a mocha latte with a hint of cinnamon and toasted clove/orange. The palate leans into the chocolate malts with a slightly singed twinge that leads to spiced honey, fresh heather, and old boot leather. The end is full of that dark chocolate malt and spiced honey with a touch of smoked espresso and salted caramel.
This was nice. It wasn’t amazing but hit the spot for something easy-to-drink and rewarding.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Here we go again. The nose opens with a huge note of smoked grainy malts next to an un-opened box of Band-Aids, peppery smoked brisket with plenty of smoked fat, and smoked sea salt counterpointed by vanilla sheet cake with a honey icing and dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate opens with burnt yet buttery toffee next to white wildflowers, dried fennel, and rich and creamy honey smoothness and sweetness. The end gets a little woody with a fatty smoked peppery vibe next to more toffee and a dash of seawater-washed granite.
This is a pretty solid finish to this panel. It’s not my cup of tea but, goddamn, it’s well-rounded and easy to drink.
This whiskey is made from a mash bill of 100% malted barley imported from Scotland to Colorado. The hot juice is filled into a new American oak barrel and left to mature for five years. Then the good folks at Lost Lantern came along and found this single barrel to bottle completely as-is, only yielding 164 bottles.
Bottom Line:
This Hazmat whiskey (any bottle over 70% ABV/140 proof) was just too hot. It needed a lot of water and a rock or two to both calm it down and let it bloom in the glass. On its own, it blows out your palate and you’re left with a buzzing mouth more than any flavor profile. But hey, maybe that’s your thing.
This new whisky from the famed Dr. Rachel Barrie is a blend of peated malts from deep in the warehouses. The blend is a mix of American virgin oak and bourbon barrels that held peated malt for an undisclosed amount of time. Those barrels were vatted for this batch and just kissed with that iconic Speyside water before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was nice enough. There was a lot of peatiness that was very burnt though, which was ashy and bitter. Again, that might be your jam. It’s just not mine.
This blended malt from the famed Glenallachie Distillery in Aberlour is probably better known for providing juice for iconic blends like Chivas. This blend marries peaty malts with sweeter Speyside malts to create a sherry-forward dram.
Bottom Line:
This was subtle but a little unremarkable. It got the job done and had a nice flavor profile. It just didn’t stick out as bad or great. It was just… fine.
This Israeli peated malt is aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Islay peated malt casks for an undisclosed amount of time. Those barrels are vatted and then proofed down with local water before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was pretty good overall. It wasn’t revelatory but had a good balance and delivered a subtle peated flavor profile with layers. Though I think I would use this more for cocktails than as a sipper.
This year’s Càirdeas release celebrates the Friends of Laphroaig and how they keep the brand going. The juice in the bottle is made from Laphroaig’s high-phenol peated malt right next to the sea on Islay. The hot spirit was then filled in first-fill limited edition single barrel Maker’s Mark bourbon barrels. The barrels were then stored in the famed four-story Warehouse 1 right next to the crashing sea until they were just right and then bottled as-is after vatting.
Bottom Line:
This was really solid but just not my cup of tea. That said, the layers, complexity, and depth were spot on and delivered a really great overall profile. If you’re into those medicinal peaties, then this is for you.
This whisky starts with heavily peated malts with phenol levels above 170ppm. Translation: this is a peat monster. From there, mad scientist Dr. Bill Lumsden selected the peatiest of the peaty barrels for a batch and dumped them into Ardbeg’s special tun (mixing vat) for a final rest before adding a little Islay spring water and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was a lot, but in the best way possible. It almost is daring you to not like it. And that’s somehow endearing and delicious. I don’t know how the math works but it just does.
This brand-new limited edition Octomore from Bruichladdich is all about Islay. The whisky is made from heavily peated malts grown on the island (most malts are shipping in from the mainland) back in 2015. In 2016, the whisky was distilled right by the sea at Bruichladdich and then loaded into first-fill, ex-American whiskey casks and second-fill European oak casks from the Rivesaltes region of France and the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. After five years, the casks were vatted and then bottled completely as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was subtle and really nice overall. The sweetness helped calm down the peat to the point that you had a nice balance where nothing overwhelmed you on the palate.
This bottle from Islay’s Bowmore is a 15-year-old whisky that’s a blend of American and European oak. For the first 12 years, this whisky rests in ex-bourbon barrels. For the last three years, the whisky is transferred to Oloroso sherry casks. The whisky is then finished with local spring water, bringing it down to a very approachable 86-proof.
Bottom Line:
This was super supple and subtle. There’s a very minor note of peat that’s an accent to the rest of the palate. This also has a subtle bourbon-y vibe that makes it a great candidate for anyone looking to test the Islay-peated waters if coming from the bourbon world.
This “hidden” gem from Japan is made from heavily peated malted barley, grown and malted locally. Once barreled, those whiskies are left to mature until they hit a stellar flavor profile (not a year number). Those casks are then masterfully blended and just touched with local spring water.
Bottom Line:
This was above and beyond. It was so clearly the best whisky. It’s also just a delight to sip on. You’ll always find something new and interesting that’ll only deepen your love for this amazingly well-crafted juice.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
This was a bold flight of whiskies. I think that Yamazaki Peated Malt is impossible to beat this year — in the peated whisky world. And look, I get it, the price is crazy. But, my god, that’s an amazing pour of hooch.
Coming down from the stars, grab yourself a bottle of Bowmore 15, especially if you’re already into bourbon or rye whiskeys. It’s a great stepping stone and has a wonderfully nuanced and subtle vibe. And if you want to go hog wild on the peat, then the new Ardbeg Hypernova is the bottle for you. It’s a peaty slap in the face with a nice sting that’s a little addicting on the palate.
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