We are just weeks away from Taylor Swift‘s 10th studio album, Midnights. As of now, we don’t know much about the album, aside from the title of a few tracks, and the fact that Swift worked with Jack Antonoff on the album’s production. However, fans are anxious for the new era, and for Swift to tour with all the material she’s released during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will Taylor Swift go on a stadium tour in 2023?
Since June 2020, Swift has released four bodies of work, including her eight and ninth studio albums, Folklore and Evermore, as well re-recordings of her albums, Fearless and Red. Each of the re-recorded albums contained re-recorded versions of the albums’ original tracks, as well as re-recordings of previously unreleased tracks recorded during those times. Midnights will mark the fifth project Swift has released over the course of two years, and since she hasn’t toured since 2017, its safe to say that the set list for the Midnights tour will be extensive. Especially because her planned series of festivals for her seventh album, Lover, was cancelled due to COVID.
According to a report by Daily Mail, the Hits Double Daily Twitter account shared, then deleted, a post saying that Swift is supposedly planning a “massive” stadium tour next year.
Though Swift has not confirmed a tour, Swifties are already certain the pop star will make an announcement soon.
“Why do some of you not believe that global superstar Taylor Swift would announce a massive stadium tour for 2023,” said one Twitter user, “months after releasing a new album, after she hasn’t toured in five years? It literally makes more sense than ever!!!”
Why do some of you not believe that global superstar Taylor Swift would announce a massive stadium tour for 2023, months after releasing a new album, after she hasn’t toured in five years? It literally makes more sense than ever!!!
Poker can be a silly game. Much like that one Fort Minor song, luck and skill often come together to create names that folks remember forever, but of course, you can get the best of someone by getting really, really lucky. In fact, there are times when a player can be so brave, so daring, that you can’t help but think something is going on.
I say all of that to say this: My friends, we have a good ol fashion poker cheating scandal. Here is the video at the center of everything. It features Garrett Adelstein, who has an 8 and a 7 of clubs, going head-to-head with Robbi Jade Lew, who has a Jack-4 offsuit, during a Hustler Casino Live stream. Things start out innocently enough — Adelstein raises pre-flop, Lew calls, Lew gets a whole lot of nothing on the flop, and then, they go from 0-to-60 really, really quickly.
THIS JUST HAPPENED…@RobbiJadeLew vs @GmanPoker in one of the strangest poker hands you’ve ever seen
Adelstein has a straight flush draw and a gigantic chip advantage, so his decision to be ultra-aggressive after the turn and bet $10,000 makes some sense. Lew, meanwhile, is technically ahead with a Jack high, but she has considerably less money and decides to raise to $20,000, so Adelstein tries to drop the hammer and go all-in … only for Lew to call and eventually win the hand with nothing more than her Jack.
You can hear on the stream that the broadcaster cannot believe what he is seeing, nor can Adelstein when Lew turns her cards over — she straight up says that “you like like you wanna kill me” several times. The two discussed after the hand, with Adelstein saying he didn’t understand what was going on. Here’s what happened after, per the New York Post:
After the two had a private conversation, Lew gave Adelstein the money back from the hand. Why did she do that?
“I said that I wanted minimal destruction and asked, ‘What is going to make you happy?’” Lew told the table. “He said, ‘To give me my money back.’”
She then claimed that she misread the three — the turn card — thinking that it gave her a low pair against what she believed was a bluff. She said that she thought she had jack-three.
Lew said that she would “win the money back” that she gave Adelstein and “I’m not gonna deal with drama.”
Things eventually spilled over to Twitter, where Adelstein posted several tweets and a lengthy note to explain his side of things, while Lew claimed that Adelstein “cornered me & threatened me” and challenged him to a heads-up game so “whole world can watch me read you all day.”
My thoughts on the hand in question from today’s livestream, screenshots 1-4 (of 6) pic.twitter.com/gWQOI6sg4o
Garrett blocked me. Guilty as charged. What an honest man. He cornered me & threatened me. If he has the audacity to give me the death stare ON camera, picture what it’s like OFF camera. I was pulled out of the game & forced to speak to him in a dark hallway. Full details to come
In the aftermath, Hustler Casino Live put out a statement saying that while they “are extremely confident in our game security,” they will investigate the allegations of cheating, writing that “we will be looking into every aspect of this incident before putting out the results of our findings.”
While Adelstein tweeted out a video that includes a summary of the events that lead him to believe something strange happened here, Daniel Negreanu, one of the greatest players of all time, expressed his belief that Lew didn’t do anything sketchy beyond finding herself in an “I’m calling the bully situation.” Regardless, unless there is some sort of smoking gun, it is very hard to see allegations of cheating can be proven beyond any reasonable doubt.
The modern justice system is certainly not without its flaws, however most can agree that the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” is one that (when not abused) stands as the foundation of what fair due process looks like. This principle, it turns out, isn’t so modern at all. It can actually be traced all the way back to nearly 3,800 years ago.
English barrister Sir William Garrow is known for coining the “innocent until proven guilty” phrase between the 18th and 19th century, after insisting that evidence be provided by accusers and thoroughly tested in court. But this notion, as radical as it seemed at the time, can, in fact, be credited to an ancient Babylonian king who ruled Mesopotamia.
During his reign from 1792 to 1750 B.C., Hammurabi left behind a legacy of accomplishments as a ruler and a diplomat. His most influential contribution was a series of 282 laws and regulations that were painstakingly compiled after he sent legal experts throughout his kingdom to gather existing laws, then adapted or eliminated them in order to create a universal system.
Those laws were inscribed on a large, seven-foot stone monument, and they were known as the Code of Hammurabi.
The Code of Hammurabi was extensive and included rules and penalties pertaining to economic, family, criminal and civil law. On top of the stone sits a carving of the king receiving the laws from Shamash, the Mesopotamian god of justice and equity, implying that the laws are divinely ordained.
Historians only know of one earlier recorded law collection, created just 300 years before Hammurabi, and it was much less detailed by comparison. As Dawn McCormack, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Middle Tennessee State University, explains, this was most likely due to the growing group of different peoples conquered during Hammurabi’s reign. “As the population diversified, the law codes adapted to meet the new circumstances.”
Some of the laws in the Code of Hammurabi might be seen as barbaric by today’s standards, with punishments being the removal of the guilty party’s tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear. On the other hand, many laws were quite progressive. Kelly-Anne Diamond, an assistant teaching professor of history at Villanova University, told History, the code provides the first recorded alimony payment law.
Diamond also notes that Mesopotamians “put a lot of emphasis on getting to the truth of a case,” and therefore mandated the use of witnesses, oral testimony and written evidence to prove guilt. They also established having individuals swear they were telling the truth by oath. “Oaths were particularly effective because of the people’s profound belief that the gods would punish them if they lied under oath,” she explained.
Presuming innocence in today’s legal system has had its fair share of negative impact on victims, primarily in sexual harassment cases, not to mention the heavy use of media coverage for court cases of public figures, which can certainly sway public opinion. Still, the fact that evidence-based, fair and impartial justice has been a goal throughout history offers an encouraging outlook for humanity as a whole. Perhaps it’s an ideal that will never fully be achieved, but the fact that people continue to pursue integrity is something worth noting.
Last night (September 29), Pusha T performed at The Pageant in St. Louis. During this stop of the rapper’s It’s Almost Dry tour, a fan may have gone a little too hard. Following the show, Twitter user @endeylive says he lost his prosthetic leg during the concert.
“i lost my prosthetic leg at your stl show,” he said. “still had fun tho.”
Push immediately responded, saying, “We gotta find that man…if you were at the STL show and know where my guy’s prosthetic leg is…pls hand it over.”
We gotta find that man…if you were at the STL show and know where my guy’s prosthetic leg is…pls hand it over. https://t.co/bzQyq2qFrT
While we have not received an update on the prosthetic leg since the show last night, the Twitter user, who appears to be named Mitchell, is seemingly maintaining a sense of humor about the situation.
“How son get home with no leg,” asked one Twitter user.
Push is currently on the second leg of his It’s Almost Dry tour. Throughout his tour, Push said in an interview with Complex that one of the most rewarding parts of touring was seeing people get deep into each song, even the album cuts that weren’t released as singles.
“Watching the world react to “Brambleton” [from It’s Almost Dry has been surreal,” Push said. “It’s a very personal song, but people really honed in and really tuned in to that record. I know there’s not a Brambleton Avenue in every city all over the world, but they act like there is”
Fall is officially here, so it’s time for yet another snack roundup of our favorite new grocery store items! This time around we won’t just be focusing on the latest snacks that have caught our eye and kept our stomachs satisfied, but also on products that speak to the spooky season we’re about to enter. So expect some horror-themed treats and a whole lot of pumpkin-infused snacks. If you’re living in a part of the country that’s still pretty warm — we’re looking at you Southwest, Midwest, and the stormy South — and you’re not exactly feeling the cozy spirit of autumn, we’ve got a few sweet treats that’ll keep you cool as your marinate in the final days of the hot season.
Hopefully, our list will give you a good idea of what’s out there on shelves right now and whether it’s worth buying, this way you don’t have to take any Ls trying the latest foods. Does that mean over the past couple of weeks we’ve had a bunch of really bad snacks that seemed like good ideas but failed to deliver? You better believe we have! But you won’t see the duds today — we’re in the winner’s circle, baby!
Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robertson’s name is vaguely similar to the words “Dijon Mustard,” so he went ahead and created his very own mustard and called it Bijan Mustardson, — wouldn’t you do the same? But this isn’t just a fun vanity project that plays on a famous person’s name, Bijan is a true mustard lover and he teamed up with top-quality chefs to produce it and it shows.
Bijan Mustardson has that distinct bold sharp and slightly spicy flavor of a good dijon, but by using apple cider vinegar in place of typical white vinegar, it has an earthier, sweeter, and slightly less tangy aftertaste, allowing you to better zero in on the depth of flavor it offers.
It’s a great mustard, we look forward to how it performs in a blind taste test.
This year the Disney Classic Hocus Pocus is getting a sequel, which is dope if you have a lot of nostalgia for the original, but if you don’t, like me (it’s fine), the idea that the franchise is getting a cereal is a lot more exciting.
I probably won’t watch Hocus Pocus 2, but I’ll eat a specially branded cereal in a second! The Hocus Pocus 2 flavor is listed as ‘Berry Brew,’ so if you don’t like fruit cereals this isn’t for you. The cereal features a strong berry-forward smell and flavor with star-shaped pieces in yellow, orange, and purple, meant to match the three Sanderson sisters’ hair.
Berry-flavored cereals are nothing new so you can expect this to taste a lot like Froot Loops, but with a darker berry flavor. It has less of the citrus-y notes of Froot Loops, making this come across as slightly sweeter, but it pairs with milk a whole lot better than Froot Loops. Overall, I think it’s one of the best berry-flavored cereals.
Generally, I think mayo is unjustifiably hated by way too many people, which is ridiculous because mayo can infuse a lot of savory goodness into meals and makes for a great sauce base. I almost always like mayo with something mixed in it, and luckily Sir Kensington does that for us with its very delicious, smokey, and sweetly spicy chipotle mayo.
The Chipotle Mayonnaise features smokey notes courtesy of a mix of chipotle peppers and smoked paprika, with cumin and black pepper adding more earthy complexity to this blend of smoked and savory flavors.
If you’re looking for a cheap and easy way to elevate your Thanksgiving dinner this year (yes, we know it’s only September) then look no further than Trader Joe’s new Pumpkin Stick Toffee Cakes. This tiny microwaveable cake is bursting with rich autumnal flavors, offering a pumpkin and brown sugar-forward flavor further sweetened with dates and subtly floral caramel sauce.
Despite being frozen and then microwaved, the cake itself comes out unbelievably moist, and its mixture of pumpkin spice and cinnamon really speak to the season, even though I live in LA where it’s f*cking 80 degrees outside still.
The Toffee Cakes aren’t going to be better than a fresh homemade pie, but it’ll save you some time while you’re planning your big dinner, which allows you to focus on the true star of Thanksgiving: the sides.
People will swear by green tea mochi and we get it, it’s delicious, but if you want a truly transformative experience for your tastebuds, it’s gotta be ube baby! Ube has this distinct sweet and nutty flavor that tastes amazing translated into ice cream.
Sweety is an AAPI family-owned and operated ice cream brand and they nail the consistency of their mochi. It’s not quite as spongey as fresh mochi, but it’s pillowy and soft with a rich and creamy ice cream center that works as the perfect bite-sized dessert.
Okay so this isn’t exactly a snack or a sauce (one of them is), but these three seasonings, made by Loisa brand using organic ingredients, will seriously level-up your kitchen game, opening up a world of distinct flavors to season your best meals.
If you’re unfamiliar with sazón, adobo or sofrito, let us break it down for you. Sazón is a Puerto Rican staple that blends spices including cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and coriander, with achiote giving it a distinct red color. The flavor adds a savory smack of fragrant earthy flavors that pair excellently with just about any meat in a marinade, stews and soups, and rice.
Adobo is slightly less flexible and adventurous but features a similar and simpler blend of salt, garlic, turmeric, black pepper, and oregano and works wonders in a pot of fresh beans, stews, and on fresh grilled veggies.
As great as Sazón and Adobo are, sofrito is where it’s at. It’s commonly referred to as “Spanish pesto,” I don’t think that’s really a fair descriptor for what this flavor-packed sauce is. It’s way spicier and more pungent than pesto (which isn’t spicy at all so I don’t get the comparison) made from ajicito dulce peppers, with tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and turmeric — offering a bouquet of spicy and earthy flavors, with a fresh vegetal aftertaste that adds a whole lot of depth to anything you put it on.
Like sazón and adobo, sofrito works amazingly on meat, stews, and beans. You don’t have to get these seasonings from Loisa, but what makes this brand special is the organic ingredient sourcing and lack of preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. It tastes homemade, and with these spices, that’s the best way to enjoy them.
Have I been sleeping on Trader Joe’s ice cream? I didn’t even know the market had ice cream (when I think ice cream, I just don’t think TJ’s!) but once I saw this seasonal treat, I knew I had to try it. Sweetened with real maple-syrup and balanced out with a hint of sea salt, the Salted Maple ice cream is creamy, rich, and offers a sort of overwhelming maple cream flavor.
While I think this is a little much to eat on its own, once you trick it out a bit it works as a great base for mix-ins. Throw your favorite nuts and some granola in there, and this ice cream becomes a decadent next-level snack. My favorite low-budget hack is eating it on a freshly toasted Eggo (I don’t have a waffle maker, I imagine a real waffle would taste even better) with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Try it, and then thank us in the comments.
EDITOR’S PICK: Mercado Famous — Charcuterie Newbie
The packaged goods revolution has been really great for diners. You can get ingredients these days that someone without serious vendor relationships couldn’t even access a decade ago. In 2022, you can order A5 Japanese Wagyu and Jamón Iberico online to arrive at your door in days.
Speaking to the latter (and all of Mercado Famous’ cured meats), the quality of those internet-ordered fine foods is absolutely impeccable. These feel, taste, look, and smell just like what you would find in the markets of Spain. The entire sensory experience is on point, especially if you take the jamón out of the fridge, plate it, and let it warm up a tad before eating. It’s at its most aromatic that way.
I try not to be overly influenced by packaging but it is nice that this product looks upscale because… well, it is upscale. You want people to know how special it is when you give it to them and I think that definitely translates with the Mercado Famous. Value-wise, go for the La Familia, which comes with all the essentials and gives you $10 off.
Bottom Line: The hyped around this product is deserved. It’s rapidly becoming the go-to dinner party gift in LA and NYC for a reason.
One of the buzziest hip-hop releases of the weekend is Freddie Gibbs‘ new album, Soul Sold Seperately. Upon its release, the album has received much praise from fans, many of them praising the dedication to his craft, as he continues to deliver cohesive, conceptual bodies of work throughout his long-spanning career.
“I appreciate Freddie Gibbs at least having a theme with his project,” said one Twitter user. “Most of these projects that are released these days sound like a bunch of tracks that were randomly recorded and slapped together.”
I appreciate Freddie Gibbs at least having a theme with his project.
Most of these projects that are released these days sound like a bunch of tracks that were randomly recorded and slapped together.
“Freddie Gibbs is unable to miss for some reason,” said another Twitter user. “I’ve been onto his music for 10 years since BFK and hasn’t had a project that wasn’t pure flames since.”
Freddie Gibbs is unable to miss for some reason, I’ve been onto his music for 10 years since BFK and hasn’t had a project that wasn’t pure flames since #SSSpic.twitter.com/VYHe7wtJh7
Soul Sold Separately marks Gibbs’ first major label album, after nearly two decades of releasing independent albums and mixtapes. In an interview with Paper, Gibbs said that he has lasted in the rap game for so long thanks to his consistency.
“I think I get better every project,” Gibbs said. “I think being consistent is better than peaking. So many guys have peaked and they’re just trying to get back to that spot again. We’re in the business where guys chase big records and big hits. I ain’t never have to do that to be ‘good.’ I just always made music to satisfy my core and my fanbase hoping that it will grow. When it grew, I thought that maybe I could get out of the streets. Once I was able to get out of the streets from making music, why would I look back on that? Why would I throw that away trying to go commercial? This is probably my most commercial album but I didn’t try to be commercial.”
Soul Sold Separately is out now via Warner Records. Stream it here.
Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As we rapidly approach the holiday gift-giving and partying season, amazing whiskeys are starting to drop fast. October is when things get very interesting and basically non-stop. Over the last week, dozens of new whiskeys have hit shelves; and over the next week, dozens more will. So, I’m going to do my best to keep track of them all for you by calling out (a mere) 15 whiskeys that I think you should track down in October below.
As you can probably tell from the first paragraph, this list is only scratching the surface. Some of these whiskeys have been released in the last week and some are hitting shelves right now or about to, others dropped in the last couple of weeks at distilleries only and are going wider on store shelves currently. Moreover, this list isn’t looking forward to releases that haven’t dropped yet — we’ll cover those as they do (things like Buffalo Trace’s 2022 Antique Collection and the 2022 Pappy line, which drop later in October).
Look at it this way, the 15 whiskeys below are some of the best bottles you can stock on your bar cart right now. Yes, the list is bourbon heavy, but there are also new rye whiskeys, a brand new US-exclusive Scotch single malt, an Australian drop, a new Irish blend, and plenty of one-off special releases that slap. So without further ado, let’s dive in and find you a great whiskey to drink this October.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The juice in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. The Kentucky bourbon was then bottled in an extremely small batch that only yielded 2005 bottles this year.
Tasting Notes:
This nose is subtle with echoes of sticky toffee pudding, black-tea-soaked dates, sharp cinnamon, salted toffee sauce, vanilla cream, and a twinge of cedar sticks wrapped in old leather. The palate is a lush and silky crème brûlée with dustings of allspice, nutmeg, orange zest, and dark cacao with just a flake of salt and a whisper of dry cedar bark. The end stays lush as prunes and figs mingle with marzipan with a fleeting hint of orange lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is often called “secret Michter’s” and that’s pretty apt. The expression is a yearly release that always hits high marks amongst those in the know. This year’s drop is stone-cold classic bourbon with a deep flavor profile and satisfying nature.
Not for nothing, but this makes one the best Manhattans you can make.
This Highland single malt is classic malted whisky from The Dalmore that spends 14 years mellowing. Then The Dalmore’s Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass hand-selects specific barrels for vatting and re-barreling in very rare Pedro Ximénez casks from the House of Gonzalez Byass in Spain. Once Glass deems those barrels just right, they’re vatted, proofed, and bottled exclusively for the U.S. market.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is light and almost playful with hints of pomelo rind, burnt orange, and salted black licorice next to salty, rich caramel ice cream with a hint of brittle toffee and maybe some poppy seed. The palate is all about the sticky toffee pudding with black-tea-soaked dates, soft cinnamon and nutmeg, a sprinkle of orange zest, and a flake or two of salt next to brandy butter and maple-infused toffee syrup. The end has a moment of sharp cinnamon warmth before descending toward dried figs, a pinch of marzipan, and a fleeting sense of dark chocolate next to sweet prunes.
Bottom Line:
This is a delicious pour of single malt. It has a very fall/winter vibe on the palate with all that dried fruit, spice, and sticky toffee pudding vibes. Still, this isn’t heavy. It’s silky and luxurious.
The second to last Fusion Series this year highlights Bardstown’s 100% estate-distilled bourbon whiskey in a lead-up to them releasing their own line — the Origin Series — early next year. The blend is a mix of 58% of a four-year-old Bardstown Bourbon Company bourbon with 70% corn, 18% rye, and 12% malted barley, 30% a 12-year-old sourced Kentucky bourbon with 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and 12% a four-year-old Bardstown Bourbon Co. bourbon with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those barrels were vatted and just touched with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a full orchard on the nose with tart apples, ripe apricots, and a hint of pear next to fresh honey, mild winter spices (especially clove), and a hint of green tea with little ginger. The palate leans into the ginger and spices with a spiced Christmas cake next to minced meat pies just touched with powdered sugar icing while the apricot gets dried out and the cinnamon turns toward dried chili on the mid-palate. The finish has a subtle layer of vanilla that supports woody cinnamon and allspice berries next to an apricot-laced tobacco leaf braided with some soft cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is a subtle whiskey that hits all the right marks. It’s deep yet fresh and light. It really goes down easily while delivering a full-bodied tasting experience without over-challenging your palate. It’s great on a couple of rocks but also works wonders in a cocktail as well.
This brand new whiskey from Redemption is going deep on drawing out flavors from the spirit and wood by utilizing the “wine less” method. Very basically, when MGP is contract distilling Redemption’s 95% rye, they take the backset or “whiskey lees” that usually would be redistilled and instead put that into the barrel to activate the wood before the heart cut of rye distillate goes into the barrel for its aging period. The barrels are then rolled and rotated throughout that aging spell before vatting, non-chill filtering, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a sense of bitter orange next to pecan and walnut shells with hints of dried apricot, dried apple chip, and floral honey. The palate leans into the nuttiness with a sense of pecan waffle cooked in butter next to eggnog lattes and singe marshmallow with a hint of caraway rye bread crusts and a hint of fennel. The end is lush with a hint of apple pie in a lard crust next to salted popcorn with a dash of brown butter before a woody sense of dried figs and old cedar leads to a whisper of cinnamon-orange on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another winning release from the team at Redemption. It’s well-balanced and has serious depth but not overly so. In the end, this is going to be a great old fashioned base as the leaves start to fall this October.
Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another winner. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
It’s a complex whiskey, folks.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a sense of those grains with oatmeal cookies with walnuts, raisins, and plenty of cinnamon next to buckwheat pancakes cooked off in brown butter with a hint of dried apple, vanilla wafer, and maybe some cherry-infused honey with this faint hint of dried sage and maybe some sweet basil in there. The palate has a light sense of vanilla sauce beneath layers of cherry barks, prunes, dates, woody cinnamon, allspice berries, and maybe some cumin and dried red chili with a dash of old leather. The end is dry with dark chocolate tobacco leaves on top of cedar planks, dried mint, dried-out orange rinds, and maybe a whisper of lime leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is complex, yes. But that’s only if you really want it to be — that is if you take your time going back and forth on the nose and taste. You can just drink it over some rocks and it’ll be delightful and fun. In fact, maybe just do that.
George Dickel Bottled In Bond Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.
Tasting Notes:
Another classic nose! Maple syrup on buttery pecan waffles leads toward apple chips, old leather, and a mix of winter spices and sour cherry vanilla wafers. The palate leans into an apple pie with plenty of nuts, spices, and raisins next to malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and a hint of dark chocolate milk powder. The end has a hint of dry anise mixed with cherry and brown sugar with a slight nuttiness leading toward a cherry-cinnamon tobacco finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great value for a truly great whiskey. This is one of those bottles that you should buy two of every time you see it on a shelf. One for you and one to give as a gift. Or just two for you in case your store runs out this season.
This brand-new whiskey from Woodford Reserve takes classic Woodford bourbon that’s aged at least four years and finishes it with some honeyed oak. The bourbon is filled into barrels that aged honey for a final maturation before blending, very light proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a lovely floral honey note with a hint of orange peels studded with cloves next to Almond Joy and a touch of Graham Cracker dipped in honey and dusted with cinnamon. The palate has a touch of fresh ginger next to more fresh honey with a hint of sticky toffee pudding underneath it all. The end has a touch of old cedar with a whisper of coconut tobacco next to creamy honey cut with vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and easy sipper. There’s a real sense of fresh honey, so the whiskey delivers on what’s promised on the label. This also makes for a nice cocktail base thanks to that sweet and smooth honey base.
The new Slainte Irish Whiskey Smooth Blend starts off with classic barrels of grain whiskey aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Those barrels are batched and then the whiskey is re-barreled into new ex-bourbon casks for a final maturation before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Minor notes of black pepper and soft lemon oils mix with vanilla and a hint of banana bread on the nose with a touch of green grass. The palate leans into a buttery brioche with orange marmalade, almonds, and vanilla next to a hint of oak and floral honey. The end is light and quick with a sense of dried honey wafers next to a final touch of that black pepper from the nose.
Bottom Line:
This is a quality Irish whiskey. It’s very much for mixing drinks so treat it that way.
Chinquapin oak is at the core of this release as well. The variable here is that this isn’t bourbon. This straight whisky leans heavily into rye but isn’t rye, not by law, anyway. The juice is devised to highlight the best of both worlds with a unique barreling that really brings something unique to the table and palate.
Tasting Notes:
Soft leather, burnt orange, spiced Christmas cake, fresh vanilla beans, sultanas, and a hint of fresh firewood round out the nose with a hint of almost sweet oak char. The palate has a nice sweet spiciness to it like a box of Hot Tamales next to allspice and orange with raisins, nutmeg, and a whisper of espresso bean sneaking in late. The end marries the orange oils to soft cedar notes with a woody spiciness next to soft notes of sweet cinnamon, stewed plums, minced meat pies, and brandied cherries layered into chewy tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
This sour mash whiskey is just goddamn delicious. Pour it over a rock or sip it neat. Either way, you’re in for a treat.
Five Trail Blended American Whiskey Small Batch Limited Release
This is another big blend of whiskeys that leans into the new Coors Distilling out in Colorado (yes, that Coors). The whiskey is a blend of sourced whiskeys from Indiana (a four-year wheated bourbon), Kentucky (a four-year, four-grain bourbon), Tennessee (a 17-year TN whiskey), and Colorado (an eight-year-old American single malt). Those whiskeys are vatted in a small batch and bottled proofed down a tad with that Coors Rocky Mountain water.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a classic sense of burnt orange, cardamom pods, dried chili pepper (only a dash), and soft leather with a touch of ginger lurking in the background. The palate leans into Honey-Nut Cheerios with an almost floral honey vibe next to creamy vanilla sauce. The mid-palate leans back into the burnt orange with a hint of spicy apple pie filling and a touch of spiced cherry tobacco on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This was a pretty nice surprise when I cracked it open. It’s not the greatest whiskey ever, but it works as an on-the-rocks sipper or solid cocktail base for your favorite drink.
Lost Lantern 2022 Single Cask #13 Cedar Ridge Iowa 5-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This single barrel from Lost Lantern’s latest 2022 barrel release is a special one. The juice is from Iowa’s famed Cedar Ridge and is made with 74% corn against 14% rye and 12% malted barley. The barrel they picked was aged for five years before they found it. It turned out to be a “short cask,” meaning that the standard 53-gallon oak barrel only yielded 100 bottles (a little less than half of what’s normal at that age). What was left from the angel’s share was bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is luxurious with salted caramel drizzled over apple pies full of walnuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg with plenty of brown sugar and butter next to oily vanilla pods and a hint of bruised peach and sun-kissed wicker lawn furniture. The palate simmers those old peaches in winter spice with a woody edge and plenty of brown sugar with a hint of cardamom and mace next to supple vanilla cream sauce with poppy seed and a hint of warmth from those woody spices. The end levels off toward rich toffee next to very creamy eggnog with a hint of cream soda before old cedar bark and sweetgrass are braided together and wrapped up in an old cinnamon/apple tobacco leaf and put into a leather pouch.
Bottom Line:
This might be the best Cedar Ridge bourbon out there. It’s supple and nuanced and inviting. You’ll have to move fast though, there are only 100 bottles of this one.
Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky Muscat Barrels
This whisky from Down Under is made with 100% locally grown malted barley in the mash. The juice is aged in Muscat wine barrels from local wineries for three years. Those barrels are then batched and proofed down with local pure water from the nearby Snowy Mountains.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a matrix of dried fruits — dates, prunes, figs, cherries, sultanas — next to blackstrap molasses sweetness with a twinge of bitterness, soft vanilla smoothness, and a touch of caramel malts. The palate leans into those roasted caramel malts and layers in vanilla chewing tobacco, cinnamon bark, fresh nutmeg, and almond shell. The end meanders through dried orchard wood, cedar bark, cinnamon sticks, and allspice berries with a hint of malted vanilla tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-going sipper. It really opens up with rock or water, which makes it a good candidate for some simple whisky cocktails too.
This whiskey starts as Woodinville’s award-winning five-year-old bourbon. That juice is then re-barreled into Moscatel wine casks for a finish maturation period. After nearly a year, the whiskey goes into the bottle having just been touched by water but otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose presents as sweet with hints of sweet prunes and dates but runs deep and dark with smoked apricot, five spice, dark chocolate creaminess, and black tea cut with burnt orange. The palate mixes Almond Roca (toffee covered in roasted almonds) with peach pits, vanilla pound cake, poppy seeds, black molasses, rum-raisin, black-tea-soaked dates, and rich Christmas cake spices with candied zests. The end leans into those dark spices and adds a woody edge that leads to dry porch wicker, choco-date tobacco, and cedar bark dipped in toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is slowly becoming one of my favorite pours of the year. It’s delicious yet approachable. It’s also finally available nationwide, so you might be able to find it finally outside of Washington.
Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Limited Release Rickhouse Collection Camp Nelson C
Campari
ABV: 56.2%
Average Price:$249 (Limited time and only in CA, FL, TX, and CO)
The Whiskey:
For this release, classic Wild Turkey barrels were stored in Rickhouse C at Camp Nelson (an off-site warehouse campus). They were left alone on floors three and four for several years (those are the central floors of the seven-story rickhouse). As the rickhouse started falling apart (it was built in the late 1800s), it became clear it was beyond repair. So the Russell crew started tasting whiskey to see what they could do with it. 72 barrels rose to the surface with a parallel flavor structure that became this whiskey, which was then bottled completely as-is without filtration or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with soft marzipan fondant that leads to plenty of rum-raisin, brown sugar, and mild cinnamon/nutmeg/clove spice with a sense of brandy butter, salted caramel, and vanilla taffy next to a faint whisper of apple fritters. The palate is lush and silky with rich buttery toffee rolled in roasted almonds and toasted coconut and dipped in dark and creamy chocolate sauce with plenty of orange zest and flakes of salt. The mid-palate leans into cinnamon bark, allspice berries, and a freshly ground nutmeg next to tart apple pies loaded with pecans. The finish circles back around the brandy butter, rum-raisin, and powdered sugar frosting for a sweet and luxurious end.
Bottom Line:
This is another one of the great pours of 2022. But it’s very limited, so good luck whiskey hunting out there!
Cowboy Bourbon is Garrison Brother’s signature bottle of whiskey. This year’s release was made from hand-selected 118 25-gallon barrels, aged between eight and nine years. Master Distiller Donnis Todd went through all of their small-format barrels over the course of the year to find a dozen or so that he thought met the high standards of Cowboy Bourbon without filtering or cutting with water. That makes this a very as-is representation of what makes Garrison Bros. special.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, and old cedar bark with dried wild sage and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers. The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next to a soft vanilla creaminess. The mid-palate works through spiced Christmas cake made with plums and dates and dipped in dark chocolate sauce. The end leans into salted caramel, stewed plums, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
Bottom Line:
There are only 8,600 bottles hitting shelves in 42 states. They’re going to move fast when they hit shelves. And, as always, this one is worth seeking out. It’s a great and very unique bourbon that just tastes wonderful.
This past Thursday (September 29), singer and actressSelena Gomez took to TikTok live to address behavior from fans. Despite apparently not having used the internet for over four years, the hater some of the Selenators have sent to other public figures seems to have been brought to her attention.
“I think some of the things that I don’t even need to be aware of are just vile and disgusting,” Gomez said in her livestream. “And it’s not fair because no one ever should be spoken to in the manner that I’ve seen and all I have to say is it’s incredibly ironic that I would release something that is all about kind words [referring to her new makeup line Rare Beauty’s Kind Words Matte lipstick and lip liners] ’cause that’s exactly what I want. That’s it. If you support Rare, I cannot thank you enough, but know that you are also representing what it means and that is words matter. Truly matter.”
Though she did not name anyone specifically, the stream arrived the day after Hailey Bieber, the wife of Gomez’s ex Justin Bieber, addressed the hate she received from Gomez’s fans with Alex Cooper on the latter’s Call Her Daddy podcast.
“You’re not obligated to like me, but I believe that no matter what, there can always be mutual respect between people,” Hailey said. “To me that means, you don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to like me, but you don’t have to say anything either.”
Soon, “The Daily Show” will have a new face with a different style of delivering the news in a way that takes a bit of the sting away. Comedian Trevor Noah delivered some unexpected news to his live studio audience, and I’m sure I’m not the only one having some big feelings about it. Noah announced that he will be leaving “The Daily Show” in pursuit of other things, including doing more standup.
When Noah first sat behind the familiar “Daily Show” desk, he had the blessing of the iconic host before him, Jon Stewart, who had hosted the show for more than a decade. “Daily Show” watchers quickly grew to enjoy Noah’s unique perspective as a South African immigrant able to point out things about America and American politics from the viewpoint of an outsider looking in. His takes were witty, funny and laced with stories from his home country where he learned to speak multiple African languages and didn’t hesitate to slip into one of them every now and again. Noah has been truly a gift of comedy and culture to “The Daily Show.”
In his message to the audience, Noah explained that after seven years on the show, he felt it was the right time to move on. Noah told an audibly sad audience that hosting the show has been not only one of his greatest challenges but one of his greatest joys. He further explained that after spending two years in his apartment during the pandemic he realized he missed going to other countries and learning other languages.
But if you’re one of those people who needs time to adjust to the news, no worries, he’s not leaving right now. During the announcement he actually didn’t give a hard date, but he assured the audience he would sit behind the famous desk a little longer. I’m hoping for another five years, but I’m sure he has a shorter goodbye in mind. Watch the announcement below.
Yep, we already have a winner for “Coolest Halloween Decor” this year, and this one’s a doozy.
Dave and Aubrey, a “horror prop making family” in Chicago, have left horror fans stunned with their hyperrealistic recreation of arguably THE most iconic scene from season 4 of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
If you haven’t seen it (um, where have you been?), the season’s main monster antagonist, Vecna, traps Max and other characters in the alternate dimension of the Upside Down, and just before they meet their doom, these characters begin to float midair in the human world.
Luckily (spoiler alert) our heroes are able to figure out how to save Max before it’s too late, by playing “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush—her favorite song.
Dave and Aubrey somehow managed to make their own life-size replica of Sadie Sink’s character that, no joke, looks like it’s levitating using nothing but some kind of dark magic.
More than 14 million people have been mesmerized on TikTok, including Jimmy Fallon, who called the trick “amazing.”
Dave and Aubrey mentioned in the comments that nothing in the video was edited, which left folks baffled as to how the heck this image was made possible … especially without a tree or a telephone wire to attach a wire to.
“There’s clearly a string connected to a satellite in outer space. How don’t y’all know this?! 🙄🙄,” one person joked.
Though he wouldn’t disclose his secret, Dave did tell WRAL News that it’s “not drones, helium or balloons.” He also shared that he and his wife “go big” every year for Halloween. This year, in an attempt to outdo themselves, they began their project on Aug 1.
Unsurprisingly, a floating Max isn’t the only thing that Dave and Aubrey have up their sleeves this year. It’s actually part of a massive, all encompassing “Stranger Things” display, which includes:
“Excuse me, I thought my house was gonna be the spooky one on the block this year w/ my dollar tree props, maybe I’ll just be the Christmas one. Jk lol,” one person quipped.
“There’s so many people out there who are fanatics like we are, so we wanted to make something that was the most iconic scene from the show; something maybe no one else could try and do,” Dave told WRAL News. Mission successful, Dave. Well done.
For folks in the Chicagoland area, this amazing “Stranger Things” display will be part of a haunted tour for Chicago Haunt Builders. For everyone else: Have no fear, TikTok provides.
Inspired to create your own haunted masterpiece? We’ve rounded up some easy, unique decor ideas to make your house effortlessly spooky this year.
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(@SavLovesSwift) September 30, 2022
