Category: News

There’s a new profile of Brad Pitt out in GQ, in which novelist Ottessa Moshfegh visits him in one of his homes, which he bought from Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira. There are a number of curious revelations. One is that he owns a house once owned by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. (“This was the first place I bought when I made some money in ’94.”) Another is that a “close confidant” is Flea. Another is that he once hunted for buried treasure on a chateau he owned with ex-wife Angelina Jolie in France.

But in other ways, Pitt is a normal guy. Like all of us, he tried to adopt new skills during the height of the pandemic. Unlike most of us (but almost exactly like Seth Rogen), he actually succeeded. Yes, that’s right, the big screen Cliff Booth got really into ceramics, including porcelain:

As we’re talking in his living room, Pitt slips away for a moment and then reappears, looming over the couch on which I sit. He slaps two incredibly heavy candlesticks into my open palms. I understand that these are his creations. Over the pandemic, he learned ceramics. The candlesticks are painted black and gold and are very handsome. “That’s porcelain,” he says. “Everything I read, porcelain’s about being thin so that light penetrates, the thinner you get. It’s a cardinal sin to make it thick.” And yet that’s what Pitt has done, and he’s succeeded. “What I love is the heft, like a Leica camera or a quality watch. You could dump this in the dirt and someone could dig it up 2,000 years later, because it’s been under a volcanic reaction.”

Pitt also speculates that he has prosopagnosia, a rare condition in which he has trouble recognizing people’s faces, which has led some to mistakenly think of him as “remote and aloof, inaccessible, self-absorbed,” as Moshfegh puts it.

It’s a fairly deep interview. At one point the two are reciting lines from Rilke and Rumi poems to each other, with the star of Meet Joe Black talking about how “when you carry real pain and real joy simultaneously, this is maturity, this is growth.” At one point, Moshfegh tells Pitt her “heart just might be broken,” to which he replies, “I think all our hearts are broken.”

After the interview is over, Pitt sends her an email in which he elaborates on matters they discussed, which he’s broken into three sections: “Summation, Clarification, Rumination.” He also tells her, “I consider myself on my last leg.”

But there’s also some happier news: After confessing that he’s “always felt very alone in my life,” Pitt adds that he’s changed for the better, that “it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family.” It’s a lovely thing to learn in a story in an issue of a magazine boasting a pretty odd cover image:

(Via GQ)

Since before this past February’s trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to pursuing a trade for Pistons forward Jerami Grant. While a deal didn’t get done during the season, with Portland choosing to tank the second half of the year with Damian Lillard hurt and the Pistons choosing to hold off on a trade til the summer, that interest hadn’t changed as Thursday’s Draft approached.

What Grant’s value was on an expiring was up for debate, and we learned on Wednesday night what it would take to get him out of Detroit. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Grant was headed to the Blazers for a 2025 first round pick (from Milwaukee) and a few second round pick swaps.

There are no other players going to Detroit in the trade, as the Pistons create a massive trade exception and $43 million in cap space for the summer — with the pick headed their way lightly protected — and Portland fits Grant into the trade exception they created in the CJ McCollum deal at the deadline.

This now sets the Blazers up for potentially another big move with the No. 7 overall pick, which has been linked to John Collins trade talks with the Hawks as Atlanta is expected to flip their star forward ahead of the draft. We’ll see if Portland is willing to make another big splash there or if they feel Grant is enough of an addition to push them closer to contending again in the West.

Grant’s fit alongside Damian Lillard has always been apparent, as he’s a solid wing defender with secondary creation abilities on offense. For a Blazers team that has been without that kind of presence on the wing for some time, this is a nice pickup without costing them a major asset and allowing them the flexibility to make another move if they so choose. Detroit, meanwhile, is now able to be the league’s biggest spender in free agency or in absorbing a big contract in a trade, as they look to build around Cade Cunningham and the No. 5 overall pick this year.

The Tequila Sunrise is one of those classics that feels a bit lost to time. It’s a sugar bomb that’s also very delicious when you drink only one or two. The blanco tequila, grenadine, and concentrated orange juice create a kind of alchemy that’s hard to explain on paper but becomes crystal clear the second your lips hit the rim of the glass.

Before we dive in, let’s get a little context, because this drink has a wild history. Back in 1971, two bartenders in Sausalito, California “invented” this drink at the Trident Bar (though earlier iterations were around in Arizona back in the 1930s). Somehow, Mick Jagger — you know, of the Rolling Stones — fell in love with the drink, introduced it to the band, and they all started ordering it on their ’72 tour. So much so that it came to be nicknamed the “Tequila Sunrise and Cocaine Tour.”

By ’73, Cuervo was putting the recipe on its bottles. The same year, The Eagles had a song called “Tequila Sunrise” on their wildly popular album, Desperado. That, folks, is a meteoritic rise to fame for a cocktail. Hell, by the mid-80s, sexy-crime movies were even being called Tequila Sunrise.

While I won’t be serving this with the tradition pile of 1970s blow (this party is strictly BYOC), I’m otherwise keeping this recipe exactly like the Sausalito original, with only four humble ingredients and a shockingly simple preparation. Let’s get pouring!

Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months

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• The Hemingway Daiquiri Is A Deeply Refreshing Summer Cocktail — Here’s The (Very Simple) Real Recipe
• The Godfather Is A Simple Scotch Cocktail To Power You Through Winter
• Recipe: The Amaretto Sour Is The Ideal Cocktail To Close Out January
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Tequila Sunrise

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. blanco tequila
• 3 oz. concentrated orange juice
• 0.5 oz. grenadine
• 1 cherry
• 1 slice of orange
• Ice

I’m using Volcan De Mi Tierra Blanco Tequila since I have some on the shelf. I would recommend going a little higher end with this one as the tequila is what makes this drink.

While it would track that freshly squeezed orange juice would be the way to go, as fresh products generally are vs. frozen, it’s kind of not. The drink calls for concentrated orange juice, because that was in fashion at the time, but concentrate also has a slightly different consistency and texture. It’s smoother and denser and works to create the unique textural experience of a Tequila Sunrise. You can try this with freshly squeezed but I guarantee you it won’t taste quite right.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Paring knife
• Spear
• Jigger

Method:

• Fill the rocks glass with ice.
• Add the 1.5 ounces of tequila and three ounces orange juice. Do not stir!
• Slowly pour the 0.5 oz grenadine into the drink on the inside edge of the glass and let it sink to the bottom. Again, do not stir.
• Top with a cherry and orange wheel on a spear. Serve.

Bottom Line:

First, this is super easy to make. It takes about 15 seconds if you’re in a hurry. That makes this the perfect summer backyard party cocktail for a make-your-own-drinks bar.

Secondly, it’s goddamn delicious. The orange and tequila really accentuate each other, with the sweetness from the grenadine sneaking in as you sip. The top half of the drink is all agave, pepper, and citrus. The bottom half is sweet agave and grasses with a sweet red rock candy underpinning it all.

Overall, this is just really good on a hot day when you need something super cold and sweet with a citrus edge to cut through all that sugar. Just be careful: it’ll create a hell of a hangover the next morning. I guess that was what all the cocaine was for on that Stones tour back in ’72.

It’s kind of an unspoken open secret in pop music that a lot of our favorite singers are actually even more talented than they show. Since simpler, catchier songs tend to be more marketable and popular (thus making a lot more money), many singers with incredible vocal talent often constrain themselves to music they can sell rather than demonstrating their full gifts.

Some fans are getting a taste of this thanks to a TikTok video taken during a Jason Derulo show, as the “Wiggle” and “Swalla” singer demonstrated another facet of his musical gifts. In the video, the classically trained singer launches into an impressively barrel-chested rendition of his song “Goodbye” in the style of the Andrea Bocelli classic “Time To Say Goodbye,” which it samples. The camera swiftly pans over to a fan in the crowd whose jaw is doing its best to find the floor, while the caption explains that the audience was “FLABBERGASTED” by the pop star’s operatic vocals.

Naturally, the TikTok quickly made its way to Twitter, where fans did a 280-character written version of the shocked face of the girl on the TikTok. From having trouble reconciling the booming voice in the video with Derulo’s role in the mind-breakingly bad 2019 film version of Cats to being utterly floored by yet another hidden talent from the constantly surprising singer, fans couldn’t contain their amazement at Jason’s previously unacknowledged gift.

The Duffer Brothers are basically pulling out all of the stops to say “don’t say we didn’t warn you” when the final two extremely long episodes of Stranger Things season four drop on Netflix next week.

The creators have been dropping hints that a beloved character may or may not die, which caused many of the diehard Stranger Things fans to panic. When asked if any fan favorites would perish in the finale, Ross didn’t exactly admit it, but he did give fans a warning.

“I don’t really want to say, but I would be concerned about the characters going into Volume 2, for sure,” Ross Duffer told Empire Magazine. “I hope that that is sort of the sense, because it is a darker season and the kids are no longer kids. And there’s sort of an ominous feeling that things might not go well. Now, whether they do or not, you’ll have to watch.”

Strange Things is known for making quirky, lovable characters and then giving them the most traumatic deaths imaginable (RIP Samwise Gamgee) so there will definitely be some sort of mourning. But, as always, the cast isn’t giving up any hints, so we will have to wait until July 1st for a conclusion. Even then, there is still another season in the works, which means they can probably find a way to resurrect their former loved ones. If they can have demonic dogs, why can’t they bring back Barb?

(Via ComicBook)

One of the most high-profile marriages in the world is reportedly coming to an end: Sources tell The New York Times that, after seven years, News Corp honcho Rupert Murdoch is filing for divorce from Jerry Hall, the model and actress who spent over 20 years in a long-term relationship with Mick Jagger. It will be Hall’s first divorce. For Murdoch, it will be his fourth.

Details are still thin on the ground, though some close to Hall expressed surprise at the end of their marriage. What’s up in the air is how a divorce will affect Murdoch’s media empire. NYT notes that it’s “unlikely” to change the structure of the businesses in which he has a stake, including Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. But, they speculate, the split “could reverberate throughout his business empire” in some fashion.

The October-December pairing — Hall is currently 65 while Murdoch is 91 — turned a lot of heads at the time. (Though it’s worth noting Hall’s ex Jagger, 78, is in a long-term relationship with a woman in her mid-30s, meaning his relationship has over a decade on Murdoch and Hall’s.) There was lots of head-turning when news of their divorce went public, including lots of jokes.

Some noted that there sure are a lot of divorces amongst conservatives like Murdoch, who peddle traditional family values to their audience.

Murdoch and Hall were married in 2016, and at the time Murdoch was so elated that he vowed to devote less time to work and more time to his fourth wife. He went so far as to tweet that he was considering quitting Twitter, which he joined in 2012. “No more tweets for ten days or ever!” he wrote the day of his wedding. “Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in world.”

Well, guess what? As of this writing, that remains his last tweet. Whereas most people who dramatically announce they’re quitting Twitter, like Chrissy Teigen (who, granted, hasn’t posted since April), tend to last about two hours, the guy who runs a company that peddles vaccine misinformation stuck to his guns. Good for him. Of course, let’s see if he returns now that he’ll have more free time.

(Via NYT)

The cast for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes isn’t as long as the movie’s title, but it’s getting there. It was announced last month that the Hunger Games prequel will star West Side Story breakout Rachel Zegler, the only Oscar attendee to call into a talk show co-hosted by “George Lucas” and Watto after presenting an award. The Ballad of Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones But Peeta’s Disguise Will Always Haunt Me also stars Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules on HBO’s Euphoria.

Variety reports that Schafer will portray Tigris Snow, the “cousin and confidante of Coriolanus Snow,” the evil ruler played by Donald Sutherland in the Hunger Games original trilogy. In the prequel, Coriolanus will be portrayed by Tom Blyth. Here’s more:

It follows the Snow family, which has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, Snow is is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler), a girl tribute from impoverished District 12. From there, things get gladiatorial and, Lionsgate dearly hopes, so gripping that its most successful franchise will be relaunched to sequel spawning effect.

The Jennifer Lawrence-less The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — which is not set in Oklahoma — comes out on November 17, 2023.

(Via Variety)

We’re in the thick of summer now and feeling the heat across the United States. If you’re already sweltering this year and also don’t totally dig the firecracker thing (or need to stay inside and take care of your pups), then there’s a bucket full of content waiting for you in July. I’m assuming that you’ve already binged The Umbrella Academy as well, right? Good, and now Netflix is bringing you more of The Upside Down as well as a ridiculously good cast in The Gray Man, starring Chris Evans’ wily mustache. Also, Dakota Johnson’s starring in an Austen adaptation that looks like it’s designed to upset a few people, so just have some fun with that one.

Comedy and documentaries are also the name of the game. Bill Burr returns for a stand-up comedy special, and there’s a true crime story coming your way that you’ve probably heard about many times before, but it’s compelling enough for a new spin. Also, Boogie Nights, Goodfellas, and many other classics come to this streaming platform, too.

Happy binging. Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix in July.

Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 (Netflix series streaming 7/1)

Yes, yes. Again with the bifurcated season approach, and that’s no complaint. This second batch of Season 4 episodes promises to destroy fans in a way that they’ll hopefully love. War is definitely in Hawkins with Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) doing the psychic-monster thing. Millie Bobby Brown’s out there somewhere, and the Duffer Brothers have warned that maybe not everyone will make it out alive. Does that sound ominous enough for you? It’s almost time to find out why, and hopefully, we’ll get some more Kate Bush, too. That would be a good rule for life.

The Gray Man (Netflix film streaming 7/22)

Come for the Chris Evans mustache and stay for… Chris Evans? Hey, Ryan Gosling (also with a mustache) and Anna de Armas are onboard, too, in this story about a CIA agent who stumbles upon information that the agency doesn’t want getting out there. And then a rogue operative comes for him (with a bounty), and we’ve got intrigue and action. This will either be a brilliant sendup or another over expensive, A-list Netflix movie, but maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll be both of those things.

Persuasion (Netflix film streaming 7/15)

Dakota Johnson’s bangs star in this evident retooling of the Jane Austen classic novel. Johnson portrays Anne Elliot, who decided not to marry a poor but handsome dude, and they get a second chance. Hopefully, someone will toss some limes into the frame for fun. If they’re gonna go off book, then why not go all the way and get meta with Limes Lies?

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (Netflix documentary streaming 7/13)

Does the world really need another D.B. Cooper take? Well, we’re getting one, even after countless pop culture references (including Loki and Justified) and an HBO documentary. Netflix gives this story a whirl, too, so sign on to watch more about the 1970s skyjacker who disappeared with all that cash and a never-surfaced identity.

Boo Bitch (Netflix series streaming 7/8)

Lana Condor is a gem, and here, she’s a gem that realizes that she’s a ghost who (naturally) decides that this is the best time to live her best life. This looks charming as heck and like a fuzzy summery confection.

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks (Netflix comedy special streaming 7/12)

The above compilation doesn’t reflect Bill Burr’s upcoming (and fifth) Netflix comedy special because the new trailer hasn’t materialized as of yet. But expect Bill (following the end of F Is For Family) taking on how his wife gives him bad reviews, and yeah, he will obviously address cancel culture again. Get ready.

Avail. 7/1
Stranger Things 4: Volume 2
A Call to Spy
Big Daddy
Blue Jasmine
Boogie Nights
Catch Me If You Can
Deliverance
Falls Around Her
Final Score
GoodFellas
I Am Legend
Insidious
LOL
Mean Girls
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Natural Born Killers
Old School
Police Academy
Semi-Pro
Seven
Snatch
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dirty Dozen
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Terminal
Vampires
Wyatt Earp
Zero Dark Thirty

Avail. 7/3
Blair Witch (2016)

Avail. 7/4
Leave No Trace

Avail. 7/6
Control Z: Season 3
Girl in the Picture
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
King of Stonks
Uncle from Another World

Avail. 7/7
The Flash: Season 8
Karma’s World: Season 3
VINLAND SAGA: Season 1

Avail. 7/8
Boo, Bitch
Capitani: Season 2
Dangerous Liaisons
How To Build a Sex Room
Incantation
Jewel
The Longest Night
Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls
The Sea Beast

Avail. 7/10
12 Strong

Avail. 7/11
For Jojo
Valley of the Dead

Avail. 7/12
Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks
How to Change Your Mind
My Daughter’s Killer

Avail. 7/13
Big Timber: Season
D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!
Hurts Like Hell
Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres
Sintonia: Season 3
Under the Amalfi Sun

Avail. 7/14
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight
Resident Evil

Avail. 7/15
Alba
Country Queen
Farzar
Love Goals (Jaadugar)
Mom, Don’t Do That!
Persuasion
Remarriage & Desires
Uncharted

Avail. 7/16
Umma

Avail. 7/18
Live is Life
My Little Pony: A New Generation: Sing-Along
StoryBots: Laugh, Learn, Sing: Collection 2: Learn to Read
Too Old for Fairy Tales

Avail. 7/19
David A. Arnold: It Ain’t For the Weak

Avail. 7/20
Bad Exorcist: Seasons 1-2
Virgin River: Season 4

Avail. 7/21
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 5

Avail. 7/22
Blown Away: Season 3
The Gray Man
ONE PIECE: New Episodes

Avail. 7/25
Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 5

Avail. 7/26
August: Osage County
DI4RIES
Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl
Street Food: USA

Avail. 7/27
Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 4 –
Dream Home Makeover: Season 3
The Most Hated Man on the Internet
Pipa
Rebelde: Season 2

Avail. 7/28
A Cut Above
Another Self
Keep Breathing
Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation

Avail. 7/29
The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem: Season 2
Case Closed: Zero’s Tea Time
The Entitled
Fanático
Purple Hearts
Rebel Cheer Squad: A Get Even Series
Uncoupled

Avail. 7/31
The Wretched

Leaving 7/2
The Social Network
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Seasons 1-7
We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Leaving 7/6
Brick Mansions

Leaving 7/7
Home Again
Midnight Sun

Leaving 7/11
The Strangers: Prey at Night

Leaving 7/14
The Brave

Leaving 7/15
Radium Girls

Leaving 7/19
Annabelle: Creation

Leaving 7/21
Chicago Med: Seasons 1-5

Leaving 7/23
Django Unchained

Leaving 7/25
Banana Split

Leaving 7/31
21
30 Rock: Seasons 1-7
The Edge of Seventeen
Forrest Gump
Friday the 13th
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
Lean on Me
Little Women
Love Actually
My Girl
Poms
Texas Chainsaw 3D
You’ve Got Mail

In the post-Pink Floyd era, guitarist Roger Waters has been producing some of the greatest live performances of all time. Both his Dark Side of The Moon and The Wall tours are among some of the finest live concert productions you’ll ever see, bar none. Now Waters is gearing up for his rescheduled This Is Not A Drill Tour that begins next month, and stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night to give a taste of what’s to come.

Playing a medley of Pink Floyd classics taken from The Wall, the performance begins with “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” complete with Waters doing the spoken word re-enactment at the top. The six-minute medley then morphs into “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2” (just as it does on the album), before crashing into “Another Brick In The Wall Part 3.” Waters also has a very full band on stage with him, including a chorus of backing singers as they coursed through the songs from the 1979 album.

Watch Roger Waters perform a Pink Floyd medley on Colbert in the video above and heck out the This Is Not A Drill Tour dates below.

07/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
07/08 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
07/09 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
07/12 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
07/15 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
07/17 – Quebec, QC @ Videotron Centre
07/20 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
07/23 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
07/26 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
07/28 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
07/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
08/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center
08/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
08/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
08/10 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
08/13 – Elmont, NY @ UBS Arena
08/16 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
08/18 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
08/20 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
08/23 – Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
08/25 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
08/27 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
08/30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
08/31 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/03 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
09/06 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
09/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Arena
09/10 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/13 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
09/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/17 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
09/20 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
09/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
09/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
10/01 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
10/03 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
10/06 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/08 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

Tequila has progressed light-years beyond the cheap shooters that dominate the American marketplace just a decade or two ago. That’s not to say there wasn’t great tequila out there back then (there always was). It’s more to say that we, as consumers (and specifically American consumers), are finally waking up to it.

Today, there are plenty of aged reposado and añejo tequilas readily available on any liquor store shelf. But they’re not all created equal, naturally — with some gems, some duds, and some great value picks. That’s where a blind taste test comes in.

For the taste test below, I’m pulling three reposado tequilas (aged two months to 11.9 months in oak) and three anejo tequilas (aged over a year). The point is to see if that extra aging really adds that much difference to the agave distillate. The tasting also introduces a bit of a “is there a cheaper bottle that can beat the big-ticket ones?” question. In this case, the reposados range from $20 to $70, and the anejo and extra anejos range from $130 to $350, which is a pretty big price variable.

Our lineup today is:

• Codigo 1530 Origen Extra Anejo
• Lobos 1707 Reposado
• Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila
• El Tesoro Anejo Single Barrel Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig Edition
• Codigo 1530 Tequila Reposado
• El Mayor Tequila Extra Anejo Port Cask Aged

Let’s dive in and see how these tequilas stack up!

Also Read: The Top Tequila Articles From The Last 6 Months

• Full List Of Tequila And Mezcal Finalists From The SF Spirits Competition, Just In Time For Cinco De Mayo
• The Best Reposado Tequila: All The Double-Gold Winners From This Year’s SF World Spirits Competition
• We Asked Bartenders To Name Their Favorite Shots Of Tequila
• This Sweet, Smoky Oaxacan Old Fashioned Is The Perfect Cinco De Mayo Cocktail
• Beloved Reposado Tequilas Between $30-$60, Tasted ‘Double Blind’ And Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This has a deep nose with echos of vanilla, cinnamon, and sweet bell pepper. The palate is full of peppery agave spears next to a hint of caramel and thin lines of dried fig and prune. The finish is peppery with nice layers of vanilla wafers, nougat, and cinnamon spice cake.

This was a nice place to start but didn’t blow me away.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a dose of sour cherry next to raw agave, plenty of spice, and a hint of old oak staves. The taste leans into agave with a sour cream vibe next to firewood and moss. That all leads to a rich black pepper spice with notes of sweetgrass, vanilla, and fresh honey making appearances.

This was okay, but a little light in the middle.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This is just classic. The nose is full of freshly cracked black pepper over cottage cheese with a hint of vanilla and caramel leading to a sweet toasted agave note. The palate leans into the black pepper with a hint of clove and anise next to vanilla tobacco leaves and a hint of toffee with a buttery underbelly. The finish leans into the sweetness with a nice counterpoint of black pepper, dried chili pepper, and a dash of ginger.

This really feels like a true classic through and through.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a classic note of tannic black pepper oakiness with hints of floral honey, soft vanilla, and dried fruit. The palate leans into the honey as the black pepper fades toward gentle chili spice with a fresh edge. Then the taste veers dramatically toward asphalt paper laying on a hot road with a deep tannic and almost iodine vibe. It’s bizarre and great at the same time.

This has to be the Laphroaig cask.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

The nose has a raw agave feel that leads to subtle notes of pepper, cinnamon, and clove with a hint of bar simple syrup. The palate is soft with a slight pepperiness but kind of washed out. The finish peters out too without echos of woody spice, honey, and roasted agave.

This is just okay.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

The nose is super dark and sweet with plenty of figs, plums, and dates (this must be the port cask finish). The palate edges toward a tannic old barrel vibe with plenty of sour red wine next to rich vanilla, orange zest, and a drizzle of salted caramel. The end marries the plums and spices into a plum jam with a good dose of sharp cinnamon and maybe a little bit of cardamom next to a vanilla-plum tobacco leaf.

What a nice pour. It was pleasant.

Part 2: The Ranking

6. Codigo 1530 Tequila Reposado — Taste 5

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $75

The Tequila:

This goes through an autoclave and roller mill. Then this expression is aged in old wine and bourbon barrels for less than a year before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was just too washed out to stand up to the rest of the bottles on this list. That does, however, make this a good candidate for a shooter with a beer back.

5. Lobos 1707 Reposado — Taste 2

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $51

The Tequila:

Lobos 1707 comes from the southern Los Altos region of Jalisco (NOM 1460, Compañia Tequilera de Arandas distillery). The front end of the tequila-making process is pretty much the same — Weber, autoclave, ex-bourbon barrels, etc. — with the finishing on this one standing out.

After six months in bourbon barrels, this is aged in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks for a final rest.

Bottom Line:

This was very much in the “that’s fine” section of the tasting. It’s well-rounded and tastes fine but there’s no wow factor. I’d probably use this more for making cocktails than sipping.

4. Codigo 1530 Origen Extra Anejo — Taste 1

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $350

The Tequila:

Codigo comes from NOM 1616, just outside of Tequila, Mexico. The juice in the bottle is made from Tequila Weber agave and runs through both autoclave and roller mills before fermentation and double distillation. The spirit then spends six years mellowing in Napa Valley Cabernet French white oak barrels. Those barrels are then batched and the tequila is brought down to proof with local deep well water.

Bottom Line:

This was very solid. Looking at the price now, I’d have likely ranked it lower because it’s not that good. That said, I need to try this over a rock to let it bloom a bit in the glass and see what else is there.

3. El Tesoro Anejo Single Barrel Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig Edition — Taste 4

ABV: 40.4%

Average Price: $150

The Tequila:

This tequila from Jalisco Highlands is about that finishing barrel. Before the juice gets to that barrel, it’s made in old stone overs and ground with a stone Tahona wheel before open-air fermentation in old wooden tanks. After all of that, the tequila spends time aging in old Laphroaig barrels, which is one of Islay’s peatiest whiskies.

Bottom Line:

This was funky and weird. I really dig it but I need more time to love it. It’s a lot to take in thanks to that hardcore tar/asphalt vibe on the palate. Still, there’s a lot to dig into with this pour.

2. El Mayor Tequila Extra Anejo Port Cask Aged — Taste 6

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $130 (Coming Soon)

The Tequila:

This tequila is made in the Southern Highlands of Jalisco via autoclave and roller mill. There’s a long fermentation and double distilling involved before the hot spirit rests in ex-bourbon barrels for a spell. Finally, the tequila is re-filled into old Port casks for a final maturation before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This very much felt like it was trying to hook bourbon drinkers on high-end tequila. And … it worked. This is really good, deeply hewn, and keeps your attention from nose to finish as it takes you on a journey.

1. Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila — Taste 3

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $21

The Tequila:

This tequila from the Southern Highlands of Jalisco is fairly modern. The pinas are cooked in brick ovens but autoclave (high-pressure cooking) and diffuser are used as well. The twice-distilled juice then goes into oak for 60 days before it’s proofed down with deep well water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

I can see why this is winning so many awards lately, it’s bold yet refined. There’s a real depth that’s also easy drinking. Plus, it just tastes damn good.

Obviously, this is my ultimate tequila value pick.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Well, look at that! A cheaper reposado carried the day.

Moreover, that Camarena felt bigger and more refined that anything else on this list. It was a deeply structured tequila that felt as distinct as it felt classic. It’s just damn good stuff.

As for the higher-end pours, I think they all have their place. But, they’re not for the everyday sipping. That Laphroaig Cask bottle is still haunting and I can’t decide whether or not to dive back in or forget it forever. I am thinking about it, so maybe it’s already won the battle.

In the end, that Camarena was the true stand-out and unequivocal winner today.