Category: News

In news that you very well may have heard about, back in March, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars. A footnote from that moment, though, is that Rock was on stage to give Questlove the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a win that was of course overshadowed by what preceded it.

Well, today, Smith shared a video in which he apologizes to Rock and also to Questlove (who, like Smith, is a Philadelphia hip-hop icon). In the five-minute video posted on Smith’s YouTube channel, an upload titled “It’s been a minute…” that takes the form of a Q&A, Smith said of Questlove:

“To all my fellow nominees: You know, this is a community. It’s like, I won because you voted for me, and it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes. It happened on Questlove’s award, and… you know… it’s like, ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”

Questlove hasn’t publicly said much about the incident. Shortly after it happened, he shared a tweet from somebody else that read, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.”

Meanwhile, Joseph Patel, one of Questlove’s Summer Of Soul co-producers, wrote in part around the same time, “Once we realized the Chris Rock/Will Smith interaction wasn’t a bit, everything got turned upside down. Everyone was still trying to make sense of it when Chris persevered & started to read the nominees. I think what Will did was selfish. It robbed the category of its moment. It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film. I feel bad for Ahmir. I feel bad for my fellow producers. I feel bad for our whole team. I feel bad for all the people watching and rooting for us. “

In the game of thrones, you either win or you die. That’s still the case for HBO’s latest spin-off series but where GoT gave us feuding houses and white walkers, House of the Dragon is setting up a civil war that will end a dynasty and do away with the one good thing about Westeros: its dragons.

Still, before the bloodshed and violence and political maneuverings take place, it’s good to familiarize ourselves with this particular bit of George R.R. Martin lore — the story of a house divided that takes centuries before the original series. And, to keep track of who the main players are — plus their motivations for the truly heinous things they’re willing to do for power and glory — we’ve crafted a handy guide to the key members of this season’s standout houses.

Let the (new) game for the throne begin.

House Targaryen

King Viserys Targaryen

Good men do not necessarily make for great kings and that seems to be the case for House of the Dragon’s Targaryen patriarch played by Paddy Considine. Warm, kind, and devoted to maintaining the decades of peace the seven kingdoms have been enjoying when this story begins, Viserys won the throne on a technicality and he seems to lack the cunning required to keep it. By naming his daughter his successor, he sparks a civil war within his own house, one that threatens the safety of the realm and signals the end of a dynasty.

Prince Daemon Targaryen

There are some distinct parallels between the rogue Targaryen prince and his distant relation, Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal in the original series). Both are playboys, skilled warriors, and reckless statesmen. Daemon Targaryen (played here by Matt Smith) is a peerless swordsman and dragon rider who seems the obvious choice to wear the crown once his brother’s reign ends but he’s a bit of a divisive figure amongst the lords at court. According to George RR Martin’s writings, “there was never a man simultaneously so loved and so reviled as he was.” So yeah, the jury’s still out on what Daemon’s intentions truly are and whether his own family can trust him.

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

It is said Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) was born with everything, but she was not born a man. And apparently, that last fact is enough to throw the entire realm into chaos. Despite being raised and educated with the intention of ruling, and being a skilled dragon rider in her own right, Rhaenyra faces challenges from all sides when it comes to her plans for Westeros. Betrayals and backstabbings have made her paranoid of those in her inner circle but she has a single-minded determination to prove a woman can be king and she’ll sacrifice anything — even a fleet-full of dragons — to make that vision a reality. Sound familiar?

Princess Raenys Targaryen

Another formidable female figure wielding influence in this power play is Rhaenyra’s cousin, Raenys Targaryen (Eve Best). She was passed over for the throne by her grandfather after her father’s death, with her uncle Viserys being named king instead. The Targaryen’s confusing stance on succession – i.e. they never thought about the rules of it until some of their women were in line for the throne – is what launches an eventual war and heralds the end of the reign of dragons. As the first Targaryen woman to have her crown stolen, Raenys has conflicting feelings towards and complicated motives for both helping and roadblocking Rhaenyra’s path to becoming queen.

Aegon Targaryen

The first-born son of King Viserys Targaryen, Aegon is second in line for the throne but his gender prompts some in court to back his bid to rule. Aegon is also a dragon rider, but he’s inexperienced, quick-tempered, and arrogant – qualities that make for a terrible king-to-be. Because the show is set to take place over decades with multiple time jumps, Aegon will likely have a smaller role when the story starts, but his birth helps set off the Targaryen civil war that’s at the heart of House of the Dragon, so remember his name. You’ll be seeing him again.

House Velaryon

Lord Corlys Velaryon

Nicknamed The Sea Snake after his impressive and intimidating ship, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is a master wayfarer whose house is one of the richest in Westeros. He also commands the largest naval fleet, making him a powerful ally and an even more dangerous enemy. He’s married to Raenys Targaryen but his loyalties to her family aren’t as strong as you might think considering that, when his wife was passed over for the throne, it meant he was too. He has two children by Raenys, a son named Laenor and a daughter named Laena who also factor into the machinations at court.

House Hightower

Otto Hightower

Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, a cunning and cutthroat politician who has served as Hand of the King for three generations of Targaryen leaders. So, either he’s a great ally in the war to come, or he’s intimately familiar with House Targaryen’s weaknesses and can exploit them for his own gain. Either way, he’s decidedly not a fan of Prince Daemon Targaryen who he views as a threat to the realm – or maybe just his own plans for power. But, for all his cleverness, it’s his arrogance that could easily cause his downfall. There’s a reason other Hands of the King view Otto as a cautionary tale.

Alicent Hightower

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is pretty, smart, and ambitious in a time when women are persecuted for being any one of those three. Unlike in the books, the TV version of the character has grown up in court with Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and though the two were close, Alicent’s eventual marriage and her own designs to elevate her family’s status drive a wedge between the women that turns a political battle for power into something bloodier. The comparisons to Cersei Lannister are, honestly, earned – Alicent is just as devious and manipulative – but where Cersei was cold, calculating, and cruel to everyone she met, Alicent is much more adept at playing the game of thrones and convincing people of her love and friendship … before she stabs them in the back.

The Wildcards

Ser Criston Cole

A member of the Kingsguard, Cole (Fabien Frankel) would eventually earn the nickname The Kingmaker for his role in the Targaryen’s civil war but before pulling a Jamie Lannister – you know, shirking his duties and choosing a political side to align with – he was Princess Rhaenyra’s friend and companion. Their relationship is a bit undefined depending on who you ask – either his unrequited love turned to betrayal or her constant romantic pursuit of him threatened his duties – but Cole, like everyone else in this game, has to choose a team and be ready to die for the cause if need be.

Mysaria

Mysaria’s background is murky at best. The show describes her as a prostitute working in Kings Landing’s criminal underbelly, and a slave from Essos before that while Martin’s writings say she was a dancer from Lys before becoming Prince Daemon’s lover. Either way, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) is a trusted ally of the unpredictable ruler and she wields the same kind of spy network and political influence as Lord Varys one day would.

Vladimir Putin waged his imperialistic invasion of Ukraine over a four months ago. Things haven’t gone at all as he planned with Russia becoming increasingly isolated while Putin’s become a near-global pariah. World leaders are mocking his shirtless photos and Russian troops turned on a general and threatened to blow him up. There’s been untold lives lost from both Russia and Ukraine, all while the Kremlin keeps approving the bombing of civilians. Meanwhile, Putin’s inner circle has been angling to install a successor, and the Russian people (on a totally trivial level) can’t even get McDonald’s or Netflix.

It’s a dismal state of affairs, and now, CNN is reporting how — surprise, surprise — Putin’s funding his war in a very illicit way. Russia is plundering gold from Sudan while pretending to export (wait for it) cookies. CNN details an argument on the tarmac between officials, who eventually boarded a suspicious plane bound for Russia:

Inside the hold, colorful boxes of cookies stretched out before them. Hidden just beneath were wooden crates of Sudan’s most precious resource. Gold. Roughly one ton of it.

This isn’t a little bit of gold, either. The numbers are astounding:

A whistleblower from inside the Sudanese Central Bank showed CNN a photo of a spreadsheet showing that 32.7 tons was unaccounted for in 2021. Using current prices, this amounts to $1.9 billion worth of missing gold, at $60 million a ton.

But multiple former and current officials say that the amount of missing gold is even larger, arguing that the Sudanese government vastly underestimates the gold produced at informal artisanal mines, distorting the real number.

Most of CNN’s insider sources claim that around 90% of Sudan’s gold production is being smuggled out. If true, that would amount to roughly $13.4 billion worth of gold that has circumvented customs and regulations, with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars lost in government revenue. CNN cannot independently verify those figures.

This wasn’t the only time this happened. As CNN’s sources recount, this has happened at least 16 times. It’s an “elaborate Russian scheme to plunder Sudan’s riches in a bid to fortify Russia.” That fortification arrives on the heels of Western sanctions that are dragging Russia’s economic state down, all while the Kremlin keeps unleashing more and more military assets upon Ukrainian civilians. In return for Sudan’s cooperation, Russia’s providing “powerful political and military backing to Sudan’s increasingly unpopular military leadership” to help obliterate democracy in the African country.

All of this, of course, sounds about right from Putin, who has prioritized his extensive Botox supply and continues to have his goons spread the word that his health and mental state are just fine. However, an ex-official describes Russia as a “parasite” upon Sudan, so these developments will probably not go unnoticed. Whether or not this CNN report will actually prompt action, well, that’s up for debate. The entire investigative report is well worth reading and digs into watchdog monitoring and Russian grousing over U.S. interference in anything international. And now we know how a desperate Putin is weaseling around sanctions and continuing to fund his disastrous war.

(Via CNN)

Tyga found himself in some hot water a few weeks ago after the release of his “Ay Caramba” video. Specifically, members of the Mexican-American community took issue with the “racist caricatures,” as the “Rack City” artist is shown wearing a fat suit while eating chips and guacamole. While many artists might have opted to ignore the backlash and keep it moving, fortunately, the rapper took the time to sit down with the Power 106 Los Angeles and Gil from the American Cholo podcast to apologize.

Tyga first expressed his sympathy, saying “I had no intentions of offending anybody… I want to apologize to the Mexican community, and my fans that are Mexican.” He then went on to tell Gil and the LA Leakers team he was initially confused because his true vision for the video was a spoof of Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy.

“I was really just confused, I wasn’t making this video to be offensive, I was really making this video to be creative. The whole concept of the video was just different Latin things, it wasn’t like a Mexican-themed video. The character is just me in a fat suit, the character is not even Mexican. This character was literally a reference from … Nutty Professor. There’s a scene from Nutty Professor where he has the same kind of sweat suit on.”

Gil asked the 32-year-old if he would be willing to take the video down, which Tyga said he would be open to but would need to think further. The damage is already done, but perhaps there is some room for reconciliation in the near future.

Check out the full Power 106 Los Angeles interview and the “Ay Caramba” video above.

Beyonce’s music has always been full of playful lyrics about — or even penned by — her husband Jay-Z, but usually, they’re of a complimentary sort. Her new album Renaissance, though, has a shady line that fans are sure confirms a long-held suspicion about the power couple’s relationship, and they’re reacting accordingly on Twitter. Toward the end of the song “Church Girl,” Beyonce borrows a line from Nelly’s controversial 2000 hit “Tip Drill,” repurposing it to suit a gender-flipped dynamic. “Must be the cash ’cause it ain’t your face,” she crows on the outro.

Naturally, some fans have interpreted this line as a reference to Jay-Z, whose facial characteristics have long been a bit of a target within the world of hip-hop. On Nas’ vicious 2001 diss “Ether,” the Queens native wondered whether Jay was “abused as a child, scared to smile, they called you ugly,” while during a separate beef, Cam’ron joked that the Marcy Projects product resembled the cigarette mascot, Joe Camel. Jay himself even made a self-deprecating reference to this tendency on his own 4:44 track “Familly Feud,” rhyming “Ain’t no such thing as an ugly billionaire.”

All of which have combined to give fans the impression that Beyonce’s new song must be talking about her (very wealthy) husband. I’m sure he’ll be crying himself to sleep on their bed that is presumably made of cash, wiping his eyes with dollar bills, and resting his head on solid gold bricks. Listen to “Church Girl” up top and check out some of the hilarious responses below.

The spirits trade shows are back, baby! If you’re not in the booze industry, you’re probably thinking, “huh?” But the big trade shows — BCB in Berlin, The Whisky Show London, Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Whisky Live USA in Nashville, and several more — are where industry pros meet to network and taste what’s new. I was lucky enough to attend one last weekend in Nashville and do just that, sampling a ton of diverse whiskeys in the process.

Whisky Live USA recently relaunched following a three-year hiatus. The show is one of the most accessible whisk(e)y trade shows around, in that you can 100% buy tickets even if you’re just a whiskey lover who isn’t covering, promoting, or selling. You don’t need media credentials or proof you’re in the industry to attend Whisky Live — and you very much do for other trade shows. For around $160, you can access dozens of brands, panel discussions, and free pours of a great whiskey while mingling with insiders, distillers, and fellow whisky lovers.

Below, I’m calling out 10 exceptional whiskeys that I tasted in Nashville. That in and of itself was very difficult as there were 39 brands pouring several expressions at each booth. That makes this ranking very loose. Naturally, the ridiculous bottles — the unicorns if you will — were the ones that rocketed to the top of the tasting experience. Still, I tried to keep this list balanced, with plenty of obtainable bottles and a wide array of American single malts, bourbons, scotch, limited edition ryes. And, yes, a couple of unicorns, because those are fun to read about even if you can’t always get your hands on them.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best Ten-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskeys, Tasted Blind And Ranked
• We Tasted Bourbon Whiskeys ‘Double-Blind’ And Tried To Guess Each Bottle
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

10. Balcones Lineage Texas Single Malt Whisky

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

This expression starts as a combination of Simpsons Golden Promise malted barley from Scotland and barley from the high plains of Texas. Those malts are fermented and then distilled on stills Balcones imported from Scotland. The spirit then goes into both used bourbon barrels and new American white oak (like bourbon and rye) for a rest under the hot Texas sun. Finally, those barrels are batched and bottled with a little Texas water for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a rush of tea tree oils in a mug of apple cider with freshly chopped and sappy Douglas fir firewood next to notes of raw pancake batter, old peaches, and a freshly cracked can of Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda. The palate builds on that with spicy yet sweet mulled wine, a big dollop of fresh honey, and plenty of soft cedar with a hint of allspice, burnt sugars, and maybe some floral black tea. The finish arrives with a syrupy red wine pan sauce with butter and cinnamon next to dry cedar, wet black tea grounds, and a walnut cake full of spice and vanilla with a caramel drizzle.

Bottom Line:

This is one of my favorite American single malts. So seeing it ranked tenth is a good indication of the great whiskies to come on this list.

All of that aside, this is a mellow pour whisky that packs a hell of a deep punch of flavors. You’ll definitely want to add a little water or a single rock to let this one bloom in the glass to get to some of those flavors, but that journey is part of what makes this one so good.

9. Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction Cuvee Single Cask

ABV: 59.2%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This whisky is made with 100% malted barley. That juice is then loaded into French red wine or Cuvée casks for a minimum of three years (each cask is hand-selected for its distinct flavor profile). These single casks were chosen for their beauty as a stand-alone whisky that doesn’t need any adulteration or cutting with water. The honey barrel is then bottled as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is seriously buttery with a touch of brandy butter next to lightly salted caramel with a vanilla whipped cream that merges into a fruity backbone with hints of raisins, new leather, and maybe a whisper of damp straw. Malts shine through first on the palate as hefty brown spices create a serious heat (from those ABVs) before a cherry tobacco chewiness kicks in with a hint of pear candy under all that malty spice and warmth. The mid-palate really leans into the dark and stewed cherry tobacco vibe as a hint of dry hay, reeds, and umami (sweetish tomato paste maybe?) poke in very late on the finish.

Bottom Line:

This might need a rock to calm it down a bit and let it bloom. Then it really shines in the glass. It’s a really easy sipper with really deep nuances. It’s rewarding but a little sweet (for me), hence it’s ranking a tad lower on this particular list.

8. Bardstown Bourbon Fusion Series #7

ABV: 49.05%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

The Fusion Series from Bardstown carries the tradition of blending Bardstown’s own juice with expertly sourced barrels. In this case, 70% of the blend is from three different three-year-old bourbons with varying high-rye mash bills. The remaining 30% is from two 12-year-old barrels with a low-rye bourbon mash. Those barrels are vatted at Bardstown and touched with a little water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The wood comes through on the palate as a cedar plank that’s had nectarines crushed on it and then thrown on a grill with supporting notes of crushed almonds, floral honey, and buttery toffee rounding out the nose. The taste leans into the sweet wood and toffee as a touch of old malt cookies with a hint of vanilla leads to a spiced mulled wine with a little more of that honey. The finish is bold and warm with plenty of cedar, dark spice, and mellow toffee.

Bottom Line:

These expressions always rule. Moreover, the ABVs on this are on the lower side (relatively), making this a great neat sipper. I also really like this as a base for a Manhattan or Sazerac — something where the base spirit can really shine.

7. Barrell Dovetail

ABV: 62.17%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

This is a complex whiskey from one of the country’s best blenderies. Barrell sources a 10-year-old Indiana whiskey that was finished in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels and marries that juice to 11-year-old Tennessee bourbon that was finished in both blackstrap rum casks and port pipes. That blend is then bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with the port notes of dried raisins and plums, leading towards a touch of licorice next to a really rummy sweetness. There’s a sense of spicy stewed cherries (think clove and anise) that supports a touch of charred marshmallow with a bit of soft oak. The end holds onto the fruit and sweeter notes while going all-in on the warmness of the ABVs with a black pepper spiciness and long yet subtle tobacco buzz.

Bottom Line:

This is always a refreshing pour year after year. It’s so deeply hewn while still maintaining an accessibility that’s, well, fresh. Pour this over a rock or two and you’re set.

6. Old Pulteney 18

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $154

The Whisky:

Old Pulteney is a renowned Highland single malt. The unpeated whisky is aged in second-fill ex-bourbon casks for 18 years before being re-barreled into first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a final maturation. Finally, the juice is vatted, proofed down, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Bright notes of floral honey greet your nose as yellow pears, orange blossoms, and tart apples mingle with a thin line of vanilla cream, winter spice, and chocolate-covered raisins. The palate leans into the chocolate while the taste gets slightly bitter like an espresso bean before a minced meat pie drops in with sweetness and meaty dried fruit with a good dusting of brown spices. The end has a nice hit of orange zest that leads to a holiday cake with tons of dried and candied fruits and a good measure of wintry spices.

Bottom Line:

This is just freakin’ good. It’s a quintessential single malt sipper. It’s great neat but really blooms with a rock or a few drops of water. You might even find a little bit of lemon meringue and chocolate/orange pudding in there as it gets creamier and creamier with that water.

5. George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $120

The Whiskey:

The blend is built from four-year-old rye made in Denver at Leopold’s distillery in their bespoke three chamber column still. The mash bill is 80% Abruzzi Rye and 20% Leopold Floor Malt. That’s blended with George Dickel’s un-released new column still rye, which is a 95% rye cut with five percent malted barley.

Tasting Notes:

The nose has clear notes of bright florals (think lavender and orange blossom) next to an almost woody touch of maple syrup with a very mild dusting of dark cacao powder and soft leather. The palate opens with touches of holiday-spiced orange oils and rosewater leading towards light marzipan next to a prickly bramble of berry bushes hanging heavy with dark, sweet, and slightly tart fruit. The mid-palate holds onto the sweet and meaty date while bitter yet floral Earl Grey tea with a healthy dollop of fresh honey leads towards a finish full of more of that powdery dark cacao just touched by dry chili flakes, adding a slight warmth to the backend.

Bottom Line:

This gets better every time I try it. This time around it was a delightful and nuanced change of pace (I had just been tasting a lot of classic bourbons). It’s very fresh and new with a deep flavor profile that invites you back to try it again and again. It also works wonders in a simple cocktail.

4. Gordon & MacPhail Tormore Distillery 1994 Singel Malt Scotch

ABV: 58.2%

Average Price: $216

The Whisky:

Gordon & MacPhail get their hands on some of the best (and rarest) barrels in the whisky game and bottle them as-is. In this case, that was a 1994 barrel of Tormore, which is a very bespoke distillery in Speyside. For this bottling, Gordon & MacPhail chose a barrel that shines on its own without any fussing and at barrel proof.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a mix of orange candies with a hint of winter spice, dashes of clove, cuts of green grass, and a buttery toffee smoothness. The palate leans into dark chocolate laced with a light and almost woody chili pepper as bruised sweet apples (skins and all) counterpoint marzipan and dry cedar bark braids. The end combines those old apples with winter spices to create a spicy apple compote with a hint of vanilla beans and orange marmalade on the backend.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those “whoa” sips. It’s just f*cking delicious. And that’s going to be the theme going forward on this list.

3. Benromach 1978 Single Cask

ABV: 55.8%

Average Price: $2,300

The Whisky:

This ultra-rare single cask single malt from Speyside is a thing of beauty. The juice is from a single barrel — a sherry cask — that was filled in 1978 and left alone for 40 long years. That barrel yielded 184 bottles, all of which were bottled as-is with no fussing.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with this mix of kiwi skins, sandy pear flesh, saffron threads, and creamy honey with a thin line of old vanilla husks. The palate layers orange and lime citrus into the honey as soft notes of black and green peppercorns mingle with a faint whisper of wet chili pepper, old lemon candy wrappers, and dark chocolate powder laced tobacco. The end softens considerably toward a lush and silky finish full of chocolate malts, rich toffee, marzipan, and this almost invisible line of peaty yet sweet fireplace smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is just magnificent. There’s nothing more to say.

2. Belle Meade Single Barrel — Barrel 2947

ABV: 67%

Average Price: $768

The Whiskey:

This expression is all about the barrel-picking prowess of the team at Nelson Green Brier. Each of these barrels is hand-selected for its beauty and then bottled at cask strength to let that barrel shine through in the finished product.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with deep vanilla that mingles with hints of dark chocolate sugar cookies with a touch of mint and maybe a little dried ancho chili with a woody vibe. The palate centers the creamy vanilla while adding in cinnamon bark with notes of black pepper and floral honey moved into the background as a chocolate-mint espresso bean pops in. The end is long-ish and carries more of that vanilla cream while that cinnamon becomes slightly chewy like a Red Hot with a dried choco-mint tobacco buzz on the tip of the tongue and a lush feeling around.

Bottom Line:

This was one of the biggest surprises at the fest. I hadn’t had a Belle Meade Single Barrel in a while and tasting it again more than lived up to my fond memories. It’s just a spectacularly well-rounded bourbon that will make you whisper “wow” to yourself.

1. Michter’s 20-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $6,000

The Whiskey:

Master Distiller Dan McKee personally selects these 20-year-old (at least) barrels from their rickhouses based on, well, excellence. The juice is bottled as-is with no cutting with water.

Tasting Notes:

Imagine dark and sweet cherries smothered in rummy molasses with a touch of dried roses, nuts, and cedar all leading towards the soft — almost wet — tobacco leaf. That’s just the nose. The palate doesn’t veer too far from those notes but adds in a touch of burnt ends from vanilla pods with a light spice that leans more towards that tobacco than woody brown spices. The finish really embraces the cherry but more towards the stem and seed as the nuttiness leans marzipan and the tobacco takes on an ever-so-slight chewiness.

Bottom Line:

This ran out pretty quickly once people said that Michter’s opened the bottle. That aside, this might be as close to perfection in bourbon as any brand has gotten since Julian van Winkle stopped making whiskey. I think it might be time to put this in a head-to-head against a Pappy 20 and see which one reigns supreme. But that’s a tasting for another day.

Lastly, this is also the perfect example of why you should consider going to these types of events. This pour will cost a minimum of $200 at any high-end whiskey bar. Michter’s was pouring it for free to guests at Whisky Live USA last weekend. That, along with the other insane bottles that were poured listed above (and not even listed on this ranking), is the real incentive to hit up this whiskey fest. You simply won’t get this level of whisky poured — again for free — at a fest you can attend without being in the industry.

Donald Trump is being blasted by 9/11 survivors after attempting to wave off their concerns about the former president hosting a tournament for the Saudi-backed LIV golf series. Despite specifically blaming Saudi Arabia for the 9/11 attacks during his 2016 campaign, Trump had a convenient and pretty jarring change of heart (even for him) after the tournament pumped a significant amount of money into his Bedminster golf course.

“Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately. And they should have,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “As to the maniacs that did that horrible thing to our city, to the country, to the world. So nobody’s really been there, but I can tell you that there are a lot of really great people that are out here today, and we’re gonna have a lot of fun, and we’re going to celebrate.”

Adding insult to injury, Trump also told the Wall Street Journal that he has no idea what the 9/11 families want even though they had reached out to him with their exact concerns about the tournament. “I don’t know exactly what they’re saying, and what they’re saying who did what.”

Well, the 9/11 families and survivors are not going away quietly. During a press conference on Friday, survivor Tom Frolich called out Trump for pretending to not know who perpetrated the attack. “You lied to our face and you’ve continued your bullsh*t comments as recently as yesterday in your ESPN interview,” Frolich said. “It’s simple: The Saudis did it.”

Juliet Scocco from 9/11 Justice also flamed Trump for his stunning reversal. “How much money does it take to turn your back on your country?” Scocco said during the conference. “We 9/11 families would trade any amount of money in the world just to see our loved ones again.”

Trump has yet to respond to this latest round of concerns for hosting the Saudi-backed tournament, but when he does, we’re sure it will be a calm and measured response that in no way continues to downplay the severity of one of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil. (It’ll be exactly that.)

(Via The Recount on Twitter)

Even though Arden Cho won’t be appearing in the Teen Wolf revival season, she will be dealing with people who are just as scary as supernatural demons: male lawyers! Cho stars as a head-strong lawyer in Partner Track, a new comedy-drama from Netflix.

Based on the novel of the same name, the series follows Cho as Ingrid, a young lawyer in a sea of Wall Street bros who are determined to rise to the top. When Cho’s ex, played by Shadowhunters’ Dominic Sherwood, shows up to work at the same law firm, drama ensues! Ingrid soon has to juggle her unresolved feelings for her ex, her job, and her fiance, all while being a top-tier lawyer, which is not easy to do (shout out to Kim Wexler). From the synopsis:

“At an elite NYC law firm, Ingrid Yun fights to make partner — and hold onto her principles — while balancing romance, friends, and family expectations. Not only does Ingrid need to break the elusive glass ceiling to achieve her dreams, but she also has to battle old-minded attitudes toward race and inclusion on her way to the top.”

Partner Track is developed by Georgia Lee and stars Cho, Sherwood, Bradley Gibson, Alexandra Turshen, Rob Heaps, Nolan Gerard Funk, Matthew Rauch, and Roby Attal. The 10-episode series drops on August 26th on Netflix. Check out the trailer above.

The reviews of Beyonce’s brand new album Renaissance are rolling in. Listeners are raving about the sequencing; singer Kelis is upset about having been sampled without knowing. Now Lil Nas X has shared a humorous take on the album.

The “Industry Baby” rapper wrote, “this beyonce album so c*nty hunty i’m finna slay the boots chew chew chew vogue pussy pussy kitty kitty kat!”

That’s all he offered, but that’s enough! It’s definitely a compliment, and many are agreeing.

Lil Nas X is known for being quite the Twitter personality. He’s not afraid to share his opinions; recently, he replied to a fan who said that he milked the success of “Old Town Road” for a while by offering remixes. “i don’t wanna milk any of my songs like that again. it takes the fun out of creating new things,” he stated.

He also used Twitter to discuss receiving no nominations from the BET Awards. “Thank you bet awards,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “An outstanding zero nominations again. black excellence!” He added afterwards, “I just feel like black gay ppl have to fight to be seen in this world,” he said in another deleted tweet, “and even when we make it to the top mfs try to pretend we are invisible.”

MAGA insurrectionist cheerleader and fist-pumper Josh Hawley hasn’t had the greatest running from the scene of the angry January 6 mob has led to him being mocked as a “laughingstock” and a “fleeing coward” by his Kansas City hometown paper, and somehow, he’s not done yet.

The far-right congressman kept on fundraising, somehow, with merch that showed him doing that fist pump, and then he trotted over to the Turning Point USA student summit, where he insisted that he wouldn’t “run away” from anyone (including his enemies), despite evidence to the contrary that he did so with people who were so-called friendlies to him. “I’m not gonna bend the knee,” he insisted, while not realizing that he continues to publicly humiliate himself.

And that’s about the point that people realized how Hawley’s about to release a new book that is curiously titled, Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs. Oh boy, are people having fun with that one. The jokes are flying while people simply cannot see how a “coward” could teach anyone about “manhood.” This feels a lot like Tucker Carlson’s testicle-tanning-filled montage that lamented the end of the alpha male or something. It’s odd stuff to fixate upon, and people wonder whether Hawley needs to brush up on his Hamlet or maybe write a book about stretching before another Capitol Hill sprint.

Or maybe he misspelled “manhood” and really meant, “Man In A Hood”? Anything is possible.

The hits keep coming, and they’re all hits that Hawley asked for.