Category: News

While we have created a new sense of normal in our COVID-19-stricken world, the threat of the virus is still present. In some unfortunate news, Twitter users learned that Run The Jewels will no longer be able to perform at Something In The Water this weekend because El-P tested positive. He sent out a public notes app apology coupled with the humorous caption, “looks like i picked the wrong month to stop sniffing glue” (a reference to the 1980 movie Airplane!).

Something In The Water is a three-day festival founded in 2019, and this is the first year it is going to be held in Washington DC. The lineup includes names like Tyler The Creator, Lil Baby, Lucky Daye, Usher, Ashanti and Ja Rule, J Balvin, Pharrell, Clipse, Justin Timberlake, SZA, NORE, and many more.

With it being nearly a full year since Run The Jewels released RTJ4 (Deluxe Edition), fans will now have to a little longer for a big festival set from the group. There are over four decades of history between El-P and Killer Mike both as individuals and together, yet they are still in high demand evident in the many well wishes shared with El-P.

Check out the El-P’s announcement above.

As someone who has been releasing music for over a decade, Zola Jesus is no stranger to the innate catharsis of writing a song. But on her upcoming album Arkhon, she’s leaning on her art as a way to make sense of her own inner turmoil. “I suppose some feelings require you to write a pop song in order to fully understand them,” she said about her recent single “The Fall,” which a down-tempo, confessional track.

It’s this sense of understanding the unknown that inspired Zola Jesus, moniker of musician Nika Roza Danilova, on her LP Arkhon. Taking a new approach to songwriting, Zola Jesus began shirking her need for control in the studio and invited collaborators into her process’s early stages, something she hadn’t done before. The result is a touching 10-track album led by Zola Jesus’ incredible, classically trained vocals that allows her to uncover grief, loss, and disappointment — all while holding on to her inner power.

Ahead of the release of Arkhon, Zola Jesus sat down to talk about Philip K. Dick’s influence and her love of exploring new places in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Emotional, primal, direct, cathartic

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Well, I’ll be 61 so hopefully still making music.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

I like going to new places, so my favorite city is the one I’ve yet to go to.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Philip K. Dick. The way he saw the world changed how I see mine.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Kajitsu in New York. One of the few shojin restaurants in the West. I go there as much as I can afford.

What album do you know every word to?

None, I’m actually really horrible at knowing or remembering the words to songs. Even an album I’ve listened to 100 times I’d only know a handful of the lyrics! It’s sort of weird.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Black Leather Jesus in Los Angeles.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

One that’s easy to move in and doesn’t get in the way of me performing.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

rfedortsov_official_account on on Instagram. He’s a fisherman who posts wild photos of deep sea fish.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Henry Rollins’ Get In The Van audiobook is essential listening on tour.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Inanna in original Sumerian”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Alice Coltrane’s Universal Consciousness. It’s a great vibe to share.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

A bed and breakfast in Ireland that had what seemed to be a two-way mirror between my room and the main office.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I have zero tattoos. I’m too indecisive to have tattoos.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Dua Lipa. Rihanna.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

The people who have been supporting my Patreon the past couple years. Truly kind souls.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

That everything that you think is wrong, and everything you know is right.

What’s the last show you went to?

It’s been since before 2020, I don’t even remember anymore. What’s a show?

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Waterworld. That movie slaps.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

I can run really fast.

Arkhon is out 6/24 via Sacred Bones. Pre-order it here.

Following through on his threat to never vote for another Democrat again, Elon Musk is proudly boasting that he voted for a Republican during a special election in Texas on Tuesday. The embattled Tesla CEO made it known that he pulled the lever for Mayra Flores, who flipped a Democratic seat by running against abortion rights and employing QAnon hashtags in her social media posts.

“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican,” Musk tweeted at The Texan News. “Massive red wave in 2022.”

However, Musk didn’t stop there. After being asked by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley if he’ll vote for a Republican for president, Musk initially said “tbd” before admitting that he’s leaning towards Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

As Mediaite notes, Flores wasted no time thanking Musk for voting for her as Republicans no doubt wouldn’t mind leveraging his massive social media presence going into the midterms. Not to mention, he still could end up owning Twitter.

“I woke up this morning still feeling surreal from everything that’s happened over the last 24 hours,” Flores tweeted Wednesday. “Earning Elon Musk’s vote was just the icing on the cake and I can’t wait to work with his team! The American Dream is worth fighting for.”

Musk’s heel turn to voting Republican has earned him the nickname “The New Mike Lindell” thanks to his increasingly conspiratorial rants. Namely, that the recent allegation that he sexually harassed a SpaceX flight attendant is a “political attack” by the Democrats who Musk claims is now the party of “division and hate.”

(Via Mediaite)

Twitter continues to be both a gift and a curse for up-and-coming artists, as Saucy Santana is now learning due to some of his outrageous early online behavior. After appearing on XXL‘s 2022 Freshman Class feature this week, signaling his impending superstardom, he apparently came under fire from the Beyhive, the aggressive self-declared defenders of Beyonce’s online dignity. Their stinging tweets prompted him to address his “childish, hateful tweets” while encouraging the Stans to do some self-reflection and growing up themselves.

“Fake woke ass bitches!!!!” he wrote. “People don’t care about old tweets. The internet have this weird thing with power! Thinking they have the power to cancel someone… NEWS FLASH! You don’t! Y’all be thinking y’all have someone by the balls about situations you don’t give a damn about.” The old tweets in question saw the outspoken then-makeup artist opining that he thought he was “prettier than” Beyonce and calling then-toddler Blue Ivy “nappy headed.” They likely rankled fans in light of Santana’s new song “Booty” heavily sampling Beyonce’s breakthrough solo single “Crazy In Love.”

In a follow-up thread, he explained why he tweeted such things and highlighted some of the changes he’s made since then. “Stop all that cap! Tryna ruin ppl Careers cuz you at home miserable and broke. I was miserable and broke too making childish, hateful tweets in 2014. Im 28 years old. A grown a– adult. A completely different mindset on life from when I was 20. But, yall knew dat. It be the people in the comments… tryna force you to apologize or say sorry. To who?! To y’all?! If I did something to offend someone I should I apologize to them!!!! Not u bitches. Told y’all, y’all think got power over ppl. But, go head.”

He certainly has a point. Everybody — and I do mean “everybody” — seems to be way too invested in other peoples’ lives online and while it may seem like the folks we target for fun are distanced from the fallout, having hundreds or even thousands of people tweeting such horrible things at you would eventually get to anybody. If anything, perhaps the Hive was stressed out because they thought Beyonce was going to announce a new album and didn’t. If that’s the case, then they should really give another listen to her self-titled album and do their best to chill out. Meanwhile, it’s nice that Saucy has learned his lesson; let’s just hope the time comes when apologies for boorish online behavior are no longer needed at all.

The Philadelphia 76ers have two All-Stars, one of the brightest young players in the league, and a whole lot of questions about whether or not they are capable of competing for a championship. As such, this offseason revolves around examining everyone on the team beyond Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey, and figuring out what needs to happen to maximize the likelihood that the Sixers can field a contender with those three at the heart of things.

According to a new report by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team is kicking the tires on a number of players and the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft in an attempt to try and answer that question. The most prominent player of the bunch is veteran forward Tobias Harris, while soon-to-be third-year wing Matisse Thybulle — who Pompey says “was deemed untouchable before last season’s trade deadline” — is likewise getting discussed.

Multiple league sources have said the team is gauging team’s interest in Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton, in addition to potential trade partners for Danny Green and the No. 23 pick.
…

The Sixers realize their current roster is not suited to win a NBA championship. They’re determined to upgrade it with established players that can help propel them.

Philadelphia finished the 2021-22 season with a 51-31 record, but got taken down in the conference semifinals by the Miami Heat in six games.

Rye whiskey is booming, much like the rest of the whisk(e)y industry around the world. But rye whiskey is no flash in the pan. The style was being made in Europe long before Dutch and German colonizers landed on these shores with their mash bills and stills. Historically speaking, rye whiskey was the first whiskey actually made in the American colonies, all the way back in the 1600s.

So there’s a deep heritage the brown juice still carries with it to this day. Of course, rye did comparatively fall out of fashion for a time, and most of the classics we see on shelves today are from the last half-century or so — though some labels may bear names and dates that pre-date those decades.

All of which lead me to ask: what’s a great, classic (modern or not) rye whiskey that’s actually worth stocking on your bar cart? To find out, I decided to taste 10 bottles blind. My wife pulled bottles off the rye shelf and poured and listed them for me, and then I started nosing and tasting.

Our lineup today is:

• Basil Hayden’s 10-Year Rye
• Wild Turkey 101 Rye
• Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye
• Michter’s Single Barrel 10-Year Rye
• Woodford Reserve Rye
• Sagamore Spirit Rye
• Sazerac Rye
• Knob Creek Rye
• Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye
• Jim Beam Prohibition Rye

Let’s get into the thick of it!

Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX

• All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The 50 Best Rye Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• We Tasted Rye Whiskeys Blind To See If Any Of Them Could Beat Willett
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This is somehow both rich and thin on the nose, with light black pepper countered by soft oak, rich vanilla, and a sense of proofing water. The palate leads to a buttery toffee sauce with a flake of salt next to orange zest and a winter spice mix that leans more nutmeg than cinnamon. The finish layers in some vanilla and caramel with a hint of cherry wood before cinnamon-chocolate pipe tobacco adds a light dryness on the very end.

There was a thinness and lightness at play that gives this away as a pretty low proof (guessing Basil here). That said, a promising start.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Interesting, rummy savory fruit, peppery spice, old cedar, and a hint of firecracker black powder lead the way on the nose. The palate veers away toward creamy vanilla sauce with a hint of poppy seed that’s accented by holiday fruit cakes full of nuts, spices, and candied fruits. The mid-palate is a little tinny with a hint of mint-chocolate ice cream leading towards a finish that’s full of spicy apple pie pipe tobacco with a hint more of that old cedar.

This was good. Wild Turkey good.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Huh… This has a nose that feels like the plastic lid and cardboard cup from a berry Slushie with a hint of vanilla extract next to “oak” and “spice.” The palate is largely the same with a black pepper spice that hints at lemon and orange as the wood stays kind of blank, like a two-by-four fresh off the dock. The finish is short and plasticky with hints of the berry syrup and cardboard cup again.

“Huh” sums this up nicely.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Rich and buttery toffee greet you on the nose with a nice flake of smoked sea salt next to rose water and marzipan, apple-cider-dipped cinnamon sticks, and an old leather jacket layered with decades of cigarette smoke and drug store aftershave. The taste leans into a whole box of Red Hots with orange oils layered into a vanilla cake with a dark and bitter espresso-chocolate frosting next to a tiny whisper of dried chili pepper. The whole sip goes super lush on the mid-palate as the vanilla and rose water lead to a soft and sticky chili-chocolate tobacco leaf wrapped around an old bunch of sweetgrass and cedar bark.

Yeah, this is the pour to beat.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This opens nicely with soft green grass next to a dusting of freshly cracked black pepper and dry cedar that’s countered by pear and marzipan. That pear infuses into the marzipan on the palate as floral honey balances a rye pepperiness and hint of clove. A whisper of fresh mint drives the mid-palate toward more of that sharp clove with a final note of honey-soaked pear on the thin finish.

This is pretty nice. A little thin and short, but nice.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Winter spices and orange oils mingle with candied walnuts and deep umami, kind of like tomato paste. The taste marries dried orange peels with nutmeg and vanilla cream with more candied walnuts and a hint of pecan. The vanilla amps up with a cookie vibe that leads to more of those winter spices and a good dose of wet brown sugar with a wet wicker end.

Interesting… I’ll just leave it at that.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

There’s a vanilla underbelly that’s pretty luscious which supports star anise, sasparilla, clove, cardamom, and a hint of red peppercorn. The palate has big Christmas time vibes with fruit cakes full of candied fruits and nuts with plenty of dark spice, mulled wine, more of that red peppercorn, and a hint of black licorice with old pine wood paneling lurking in the background. The finish is bold yet soft and lush with anise and candied fruits creating a spicy cream soda with an old sweetgrass rope drying things out.

This is a contender!

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Cherry-Vanilla Coke with cedar, black pepper, and old oak staves? Hello, Knob Creek. The palate builds on the nose with a supple vanilla cream sauce next to fresh and ripe cherries, a hint of orchard wood, old tobacco leaves, and pepper before a whisper of dried dill and fennel hits on the mid-palate. The end layers cherry and dark chocolate into the dry tobacco leaf, adding a nice chewiness to it, while dry black potting soil and old porch wicker round out the end.

We have another contender here…

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

This is very mellow with soft layers of rich vanilla pudding, peach/apricot, rum-raisin, and cinnamon-heavy oatmeal cookies on the nose. The palate lets the cinnamon sharpen a bit as the silky vanilla takes over and leads to applewood, floral honey, and a hint of nutmeg. The mid-palate lets the fruity sweetness fade as a vanilla/cinnamon tobacco chewiness leads to an old oak stave.

The last six pours have all been pretty freaking good. It’s going to be interesting.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Cherry, caramel, vanilla, oak… This feels more like a bourbon. There’s a hint of pear on the palate that leads back to the cherry, which has a candy sweetness. The vanilla kicks in and adds a smooth layer to a hint of winter spice, which is very cinnamon heavy. The finish is soft and thin with a cherry/vanilla tobacco note next to cinnamon sticks.

This has to be Jim Beam. It’s good but not one of the greats.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye Rye — Taste 3

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $29

The Whiskey:

This rye is very much a bourbon drinker’s rye. The mash bill is only 51% rye with 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. The juice then matures under the federal regulations allowing it to be “bottled-in-bond” and is barely proofed down to 100 proof with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was so thin and plasticky. I guess I’d put it a rye and Coke, but that’s about it.

9. Jim Beam Prohibition Rye — Taste 10

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $22

The Whiskey:

This rye was designed by the master himself — Master Distiller and whiskey legend Fred Noe — as a return to the bigger and bolder days of rye before Prohibition defanged a lot of the industry and its recipes. The juice is a throwback recipe to the 1920s version of Beam’s rye, giving the whiskey a fruitier and spicier edge in the process.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. It was leaps and bounds above the Rittenhouse above. Still, it felt like a mixer for highballs or maybe a cheap and easy cocktail.

8. Sagamore Spirit Rye — Taste 6

ABV: 41.5%

Average Price: $43

The Whiskey:

This Maryland whiskey (though part of it is still sourced from Indiana) is two rye mash bills that are put together for maximum ryeness. The low and high rye whiskeys are aged four to six years before vatting. The juice is then proofed with limestone water from a Maryland spring ahead of the bottling.

Bottom Line:

That umami note on the nose always throws me off. For the lineup today, it was just too out of place as it didn’t seem to tie into the journey of the flavor profile at all.

7. Basil Hayden’s 10-Year Rye — Taste 1

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $72

The Whiskey:

This is Beam’s high-end brand and their high-end rye within that brand. The barrels are the ones that made it to 10 years and hit just the right marks of flavor and texture to be batched, proofed down to a very accessible 80 proof, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

Had this been less washed out by the proofing, it’d be a lot higher. There are a lot of good notes under all that water, begging to get out and shine.

6. Wild Turkey 101 Rye — Taste 2

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $36 (1-liter)

The Whiskey:

Wild Turkey’s signature rye benefits from the brand’s signature moves in making all their whiskey. The juice is matured for around six years in heavily charred “alligator” barrels. That heavy char and longer aging imbues a lot into the whiskey before it’s batched, lightly proofed down to 101 proof, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is where things get interesting (and good). While this feels like a really solid cocktail foundation, it didn’t wow me today. Still, I’d pour this over rocks in a heartbeat any ol’ day of the week.

5. Woodford Reserve Rye — Taste 5

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was a long time coming. Master Distiller Chris Morris tinkered with this recipe for nine years before it was just right. The juice has a fairly low-rye mash bill — for a rye, that is. The bill only calls for 53% of the spicy grain. The rest is made up of local corn and malted barley. The whiskey then spends up to seven years maturing at their Versailles, Kentucky facility before its blended, proofed with soft limestone water, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was refined and very easy to drink. I’d still say it felt more like a cocktail base but it works as an everyday sipper in a pinch with a nice level of refinement.

4. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye — Taste 9

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $36

The Whiskey:

This release from Jack asks “what would straight rye whiskey taste like if it was given the ol’ Lincoln County treatment?” Jack’s mash bill utilizes 70% rye mash bill and water from the nearby Tennessee mountains. They then treat the hot distillate as they would a standard Tennessee whiskey, with sugar maple charcoal filtration and new oak barreling.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty goddamn good, all things considered. The flavor profile was complex yet approachable with a nice depth. Plus, it was super easy to drink with no rough edges at all.

3. Knob Creek Rye — Taste 8

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $29

The Whiskey:

This is a bourbon drinker’s rye with a mash bill that’s believed to be a very low rye. The barrels are batched and proofed at a higher ABV, allowing more of the barrel and rye to shine through than, say, a Basil Hayden’s Rye.

Bottom Line:

This was a solid pour. While I wanted to build a cocktail around this rye, I also wanted to just enjoy it as-is. That’s a good rye.

2. Sazerac Rye — Taste 7

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $34

The Whiskey:

Sazerac Rye is a great entry point for a refined touch and a throwback to the 1800s. The brand was named after the famed Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street in New Orleans where the Sazerac cocktail was born. Today, this expression is a true classic made at Buffalo Trace from their iconic rye mash bill.

Bottom Line:

This was complex but familiar. It went down softly but delivered something engaging and fun. It wasn’t as complex as the next entry (by a mile) but holds its own just fine.

1. Michter’s Single Barrel 10-Year Rye — Taste 4

ABV: 46.4%

Average Price: $416

The Whiskey:

Michter’s 10-year rye is a true modern classic. This release goes through the same rigorous barrel-selection process as the Michter’s 10-year Bourbon. However, because the point of Michther’s was to bring rye back to mainstream prominence, this bottle holds a very special place in whiskey drinkers’ hearts. In fact, this is the rye flavor profile that other distillers are still chasing to this day.

Bottom Line:

This was the best pour by a fair amount. There were some nice pours, but nothing really came close to the complexity and ease of this dram. It was just so engaging and deep without being pretentious or over-done. It’s just nice.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I was surprised to see Sazerac Rye so far up in the rankings. I rarely reach for that bottle but this blind tasting has given me a reason to.

Overall, the Michter’s 10 is hard to deny, especially on this lineup. Though, I could have seen (and maybe bet on) Knob Creek pulling an upset. But here we are. And trust me, that Michter’s 10-Year Rye lives up to all the hype (and price) with every single sip.

New Scotch whiskies are dropping left and right. It’s hard enough to keep up with new bourbon whiskey drops, so you can be forgiven for not keeping up with the scotch ones too. It’s a lot. But that’s why you’ve got me. I’m lucky enough to get to taste a lot of these whiskies when (and sometimes before) they drop.

To that end, I gathered up a whole bunch of tasters and new bottles and put them to a blind taste test. For this lineup, I’m only focusing on new labels and/or new editions of limited-edition releases. As for the blind tasting, I do know the lineup but I have no idea the order. This is about finding the best-tasting new Scotch whisky for you to track down and add to your bar cart.

With the exception of one pretty rare bottle (rare in the U.S. anyway), these are all pretty easy to find and relatively affordable.

Anyway, the lineup today is:

• Mossburn Vintage Cask No.12 MacDuff 10-Year
• Bowmore Aston Martin Masters Selection 21 Year Old
• Lochlea First Release
• Springbank 10
• Kilchoman Madeira Finish
• Longrow Peated
• Ardbeg Ardcore
• Laphroaig Cairdeas PX Cask Finish

Let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2021, Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50, Ranked
• Every Scotch Whisky Brand From Diageo’s Massive Portfolio, Ranked
• The Best Value-Per-Dollar Scotch Whiskies, Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose is kind of like a bowl of raw oats and fresh red berries drizzled with floral honey and just touched with fresh mint. The palate spices things up with a dusting of ground cinnamon and a hint of fresh ginger sharpness as the mid-palate sweetens with a hint of salted caramel and more of that honey. The finish builds towards an oatmeal cookie with raisins, walnuts, and another hint of cinnamon with an echo of old oak and a touch of water.

This is a nice start. We’ll see where it goes.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This is pretty interesting with a balance of creamed honey next to woody maple syrup, Nutella, boot wax, and a hint of creamy peanut butter. The palate is part sweet and spicy mulled wine and part savory fig and almost squash with mocha lattes, smoked cherrywood, and bespoke Almond Joy hitting on the mid-palate. The finish slows the sweetness of all that lush chocolate and candied fruit and hits notes of burnt marshmallow, sticky chili-chocolate tobacco, and dark fruit leather with a whisper of smoked plum and maybe singed cedar bark.

This is complex and luxurious. This is definitely the dram to beat out of the gate.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There’s a touch of black licorice with old peaches and honey but it’s all very light and malty. The palate leans into spiced malts with bruised banana and melon next to a hint of non-descript oak and maybe some dry oats. The finish has a nice peppery warmth with a hint of bourbon vanilla smoothing things out on the short and slightly watery end.

This is very young but very promising. I’m not so sure it’ll rank too high though.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This is soft on the nose with layers of bourbon vanilla, prunes, toffee, spiced honey, and an earthy mix of wet moss and dry sage. The taste is very orchard forward with sweet, tart, and dark fruits leading to a slightly spicy hint of black pepper and cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and clove. The end sweetens with salted caramel as dried peat adds a dark soil and moldy grass vibe to the end.

Bourbon vibes and mossy/peaty funk? This has to be a Springbank.

It’s a little sharp on the tongue though. I’ll have to think about this one.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of oaty malts next to sweet plums, Christmas spices, singed cotton candy, candied citrus peels, and a hint of new leather. The palate dives further into those notes while bringing about a spicy mulled wine vibe next to red berry leather and rock candy with a good dose of cinnamon and nutmeg rounding things out. The end is a lush slide into sticky berry tobacco with a dash of sharp cinnamon, an echo of old cellar beams, and a fleeting hint of mince meat pies with a sugar frosting.

Damn, this is good. It’s like Christmas in a glass.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla pudding mingles with a line of smoke from a smoldering backyard firepit while a savory herb garden grows nearby and then the nose veers toward singed marshmallows and burning fruitwood. The palate leans into that burning fruity wood before creamy vanilla leads to a brand new Ace Bandage. That medicinal note gives way to a wet clay with a nice minerality before the sweet and fruity smoke kicks back in and layers together vanilla, winter spice, and leather sandwich on the finish.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

There’s a hint of wet charcoal next to sour and almost waxy cacao nibs on the nose next to white pepper, grapefruit, and a hint of dried florals. The palate has an old cigarette ashtray vibe (Hello, Ardbeg!) with a hint of black licorice, buttery scones, dark chocolate, and cardamon. That Islay medicinal note hits on the mid-palate like a fresh box of Band-Aids before a menthol-chocolate tobacco cigar ash leads to a whisper of dry asphalt.

This is by far the boldest whisky so far. Now, I just have to figure out what that means against these other whiskies.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

There’s that bold medicinal note right up top. It’s like taking a deep inhale on a bin of used Band-Aids next that’s immediately countered by Nutella and marzipan with a touch of apple pie filling and vanilla tobacco ash. The iodine and medicinal notes give this away as Laphroaig immediately. The palate confirms it with more of that old Band-Aids vibe (with a hint of iron) next to salted licorice, smoke apple chips, and dill or fennel. The funk really kicks in on the mid-palate with smoked bacon wrapped in nori next to hints of seawater and Red Hots rounding things out.

There’s just a lot going on here.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Lochlea First Release — Taste 3

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $52

The Whisky:

This brand new release from a brand new distillery is aiming to put the Lowlands of Scotland back on the map. The juice is a 100 percent malted barley whisky (naturally) that’s aged for three years in a combination of first-fill bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Those barrels are blended and the result is proofed down with local spring water for bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is young whisky. It’s clear from the nose onward. That said, this wasn’t bad by any stretch. I just think it needs two to five more years to really reach its initial potential.

7. Mossburn Vintage Casks No.12 MacDuff 10-Year — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $75

The Whisky:

Mossburn Vintage Casks releases are all about finding the orphan barrels out there and giving them a home. This release is from a few select casks from the Macduff Distillery in the Highlands. The barrels are masterfully blended by the crew at Mossburn and proofed down before bottling with no other fussing.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. It didn’t blow my mind. I could see this being a great highball whisky or a cocktail base to build your empire upon.

6. Longrow Peated — Taste 6

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $82

The Whisky:

This Campbeltown whisky is distilled at the iconic Springbank Distillery. The whisky is a no-age-statement release that leans into the peatier end of the Springbank offerings. The whisky is bottled with a little water added to cut the proof down but without filtration or added color.

Bottom Line:

This was good but didn’t pop today. Again, this felt like a solid highball or cocktail base more than something you have to have in your life every single day.

5. Laphroaig Cairdeas PX Cask Finish — Taste 8

ABV: 58.9%

Average Price: $124

The Whisky:

Laphroaig is always innovating. 2021’s Càirdeas is a triple-matured, cask-strength whisky. The whisky first mellowed in ex-bourbon casks before being moved to quarter casks and, finally, finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. That whisky was then bottled as is.

Bottom Line:

This was a lot. The experience was lush for sure, but it’s really hard to get past “old bloody Band-Aids” if you’re not into that. That said, there’s a lot of love in this pour once you do get past that.

4. Springbank 10 — Taste 4

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This is the gateway to Springbank, the heart of the Campbeltown whisky region of Scotland. The single malt is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks with a 60/40 split respectively in the final blend before proofing with local spring water and as-is bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is where things get good on this list, but not “great.” I think this is a solid mixing whisky for a killer cocktail that works on the rocks in a pinch.

3. Ardbeg Ardcore — Taste 7

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $135

The Whisky:

2022’s Ardbeg Day release is an outlier for the distillery. The juice is made with a mash of peated Islay barely mixed with a heavily roasted barley in the mix. That dark barley imbues a layer of dark chocolate to the juice that lasts through the aging process.

Bottom Line:

This hit nicely today. All that chocolate kind of made it feel like a good digestif whisky with a dessert feel that still had some serious Islay peat vibes. All of that aside, this whisky took me on a journey and it was a fun, chocolate-y ride.

2. Kilchoman Madeira Finish — Taste 5

ABV: 56.2%

Average Price: $160

The Whisky:

This young whisky from the youngest distillery on Islay packs one hell of a punch. The juice is made from peated malts made in-house on Islay. The whisky then spends four years aging in Madeira casks before it’s bottled as-is at cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This was nearly number one. It’s complex, deep, and really f*cking tasty. That said, it was just a tad less interesting than the next pick. But that’s splitting microscopic hairs on the back of a flea for the sake of this ranking.

1. Bowmore Aston Martin Masters Selection 21 Year Old — Taste 2

ABV: 51.8%

Average Price: $999

The Whisky:

This collaboration between Islay’s Bowmore and Aston Martin is about luxury. The blend of this single malt follows the golden ratio to create an aesthetically pleasing vibe. The base is 61.8 percent 21-year-old single malt aged in first-fill Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks. The rest of the blend is equal parts of Bowmore’s other casks that are at least 21 years old ranging up to 35 years old.

Bottom Line:

Yeah, this was the clear winner from the jump with only Kilchoman nipping at its heels. This is just lush and inviting with such a deep yet accessible palate. It’s easy but rewarding. Pretty goddamn great.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Yeah. I know, I know. The most expensive whiskies won the top three spots. But that value is in that those are just more refined and better built. That’s something you have to pay for in the whisky world, whether it’s from Scotland, Kentucky, Japan, or anywhere else.

All of that said, I think you can easily reach for any of the top five depending on your palate. With the top three getting my biggest seal of approval.

Protip: Look out for the Bowmore 21 Aston Martin Edition the next time you’re at Duty-Free at the airport. The price should be much closer to $400 per bottle.

For a few brief and glorious moments back in late May, Fox News viewers witnessed the faintest glint of a teeny tiny spark of empathy from Tucker Carlson when he railed against the inactions of the police in Uvalde, Texas while 21 people were murdered at Robb Elementary School. It was a short-lived dalliance with compassion, as Carlson was back on his bullsh*t the following evening—and hasn’t stopped since.

On Tuesday night, as Mediaite reports, Carlson decided to launch a mock endorsement campaign for Kamala Harris as president in 2024. After playing a montage of some of the vice president’s less eloquent speeches, Carlson feigned outrage that anyone would “deny” Harris the chance to rise to the highest office in the land and, yet again, brought up the fact that she once dated Montell Williams (an odd tidbit the Fox News is oddly obsessed with repeating):

You would deny that person a chance to serve? That is the person that Democratic insiders are tonight, ladies and gentlemen, trying to remove from the public stage. And if no one else will say it, we will: it’s wrong. Despite appearances, Kamala Harris is not a disposable consumer product. She’s a pioneer. Do you know what she went through trying to get a fair shake in this systemically racist country as the daughter of college professors? It wasn’t easy. You know how hard she worked? At one point, she even dated Montel Williams…

Now, simply because she’s a moron and no one likes her or even agrees how to pronounce her first name, the Democratic Party is trying to throw Harris away—toss her out the window like a used Big Mac wrapper. Now, Kamala Harris may be stained with secret sauce, but she deserves more than that. Yes, she does. Mediocrity is no excuse for firing someone. A low I.Q., terrible personality, total inability to do the prescribed job—those are not reasons to deny someone a job.

With that, Carlson announced that he was “endorsing Kamala D. Harris for the 2024 Democratic primaries” because “She deserves it and so do Democrats. They created her. They should be forced to live with her.”

(Via Mediaite)

Ryan Gosling has been shirtless a lot. It’s not uncommon for him to rip off his clothes for dramatic effect (is that what it is?) in a movie like Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Notebook or in every meme from 2013. We are delighted to inform you that Gosling is at it again! Only this time he’s shirtless while wearing some denim cutoffs. Also, he may or may not be a plastic doll. The plot is unclear.

Warner Bros released the first look at Gosling in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie that’s slated to be released next July. Gosling will play Ken, the world’s most popular boyfriend who has abs instead of a personality. And he sure looks the part, sporting some KEN underwear (in case he forgets!) while just hanging out beside a neon-pink set.

Gosling will act alongside Margot Robbie, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Michael Cera, and Emma Mackey, with a script from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. Details about this movie are kept under wraps, but early reports allude to there being some sort of Barbie Multiverse situation. Robbie herself told Vogue that nobody knows what to expect: “People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…’”

People are…thrilled? Confused? Excited? All of the above!

Barbie opens on July 21, 2023.

Rare and expensive bourbon whiskeys are an investment, and I’m talking more than just money. These bottles are an investment in time, effort, and cash. To dare pour all the bottles we’re featuring today in a blind taste test, you have to know someone, have very deep pockets, or… be me. You might be able to find a few at a really good whiskey bar for $50, $100, $250 a pour but elite, rare, and expensive bourbon is just that — elite, rare, and often really expensive.

Buying one or two of these for special occasions is much more approachable. But if you’re investing in a splurge bottle, it’s a good idea to know what you’re buying. To that end, I had my wife pull ten bottles from the “please don’t touch”-shelf in my office for a blind tasting. The prices ended up ranging from around $200 to over $3,000 per bottle, which is a good range for the high-end stuff.

Of course, that also means that it’s going to be really hard to rank these. Once you get to the highest end, it really comes down to your personal palate over craft — all of these are very well-made.

Our lineup today is:

• Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2022 Edition
• Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 1st Edition Aged 17 Years
• Eagle Rare 17 BTAC 2021
• Michter’s Singel Barrel Bourbon 10-Year
• William Larue Weller BTAC 2021
• Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select
• E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel
• Four Roses 2021 Limited Edition Small Batch
• Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon
• George T. Stagg STAC 2020

Let’s dive in and see how these monster bourbons stack up against each other.

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

• The 50 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• Every Winning Bourbon From Our 2021 Taste Tests, Blind Tasted And Re-Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• The Best Ten-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskeys, Tasted Blind And Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Oh, shit. We’re already off to the races on this nose. There’s this sense of blackberry jam filled into a yeasty doughnut that’s covered in powdered sugar with hints of old boot leather, dried braids of cedar bark, and black-tea-soaked dates, cinnamon, and nutmeg baked into a rich and moist sticky toffee pudding. On the palate, there’s a sense of creamy and lush eggnog next to more of that sticky toffee pudding with salted toffee drizzle bespeckled with orange zest that leads to cloves, floral black tea, and sticky pipe tobacco. That sticky tobacco binds to the blackberry jam on the finish with a pure silk mouthfeel.

The moment I nosed this dram and looked at the other nine, I realized that I’m f*cked. It’s going to take forever to rank these.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with a mix of maple syrup over a pecan waffle with a salted butter next to spiced cherry tobacco packed into an old wooden pipe and just lit before nutmeg and dried roses waft in, leading to old library books, worn boot leather, and a hint of burnt toffee. The palate has a slight warming feeling around the mouth that isn’t hot at all but leads to mince meat pie tobacco with a rich and spicy cherry pie filling topped with eggnog ice cream and wrapped up in old leathery tobacco leaves and packed in an old cedar box. The end is luxuriously soft and lush with the spicy cherry melding with the sticky tobacco and Christmas cake vibe to create a silky end.

Yup, f*cked.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Black Forest Cake with the dark and damn near creamy stewed cherry, moist chocolate sponge, rich vanilla-laced cream frosting, and flakes of dark and salted dark chocolate counters a layer of mulled wine spices and soft, almost green cedar. The palate amps up the dark and stewed cherry while adding in plenty of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and ground ginger with a thin line of black licorice and maybe some bespoke root beer. That whole vibe combines into a fleeting note of Cherry Coke on the back end before the sweetness fades toward garden boxes made from old railroad ties and filled with dark potting soil, mint, and nasturtiums.

Me thinking about ranking these first three:

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This is much lighter on the nose with layers of old leather jackets next to dark red berries, orange oil, plenty of eggnog creaminess, a stack of sourdough doughnuts, and a hint of singed marshmallow. The palate has a deep maple syrup sweetness and woodiness that leads toward berry brambles full of tart and sweet berries, green leaves, sharp thorns, and plenty of rich black soil. The mid-palate has a nice balance of spiced maple syrup, vanilla tobacco leaves, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans. The end has a sweet oak feel that leads to dry almond shells, dry braids of sweetgrass, and another dose of those dark berries.

Okay, I feel like I have my feet under me with this one. This is great but a slight (and I mean slight) step down from the first three.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

There’s creamy vanilla that’s part vanilla cream sauce, part eggnog, and part creme anglais with a hint of salted caramel that’s just “wow” on the nose. That continues toward this soft yet airy fried doughnut vibe with a hard sugar icing, kind of like a croquembouche with salted cream filling and a dusting of nutmeg. The palate leans into a lemon and vanilla-laced shortbread with roasted cinnamon sticks dipped in spicy cherry syrup, more of that svelte vanilla creaminess, and a hint of smoked apricot and plum with a leathery edge. The finale is sweet, savory, bitter, and a little smoky with a matrix of marzipan covered in salted dark chocolate next to choco-cherry sticky pipe tobacco layered into an old cedar humidor and the wrapped in old yet supple suede with a fleeting hint of dried mint on the very end.

Johnny just swept the leg and I fell flat on my face. Now, little birds are singing and flying in a circle over my head. I thought I was getting a handle on this but this was a knockout. It’s just brilliant.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

This is completely different with a nose full of ripe peaches, Hostess Apple Pies, vanilla icing, cherry Necco Wafers, sweet black licorice, and old cedar all mingling. The palate is super fruity and has an ultra-plush Cherry-Vanilla-Cream Coke vibe that leads to cherry multivitamins with a hint of old boot leather, a hint of dry reeds, and some soft winter spices. The finish is, again, ultra-plush with marzipan end layered with hints of orange oils and dark chocolate tobacco laced with dark cherry syrup and a hint of apple core and stems leading to a final beat of soft vanilla oils.

Well, this is clearly something from Tennessee (that Necco Wafer and multivitamin note is a dead giveaway). That said, this was pure silk, and all the fruitiness made sense. Not sure where this will go… It doesn’t feel top five right now but there’s a ways to go.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Red fruit leather and old cellar beams mingle with vanilla wafers with a nougat, buttery toffee, and a good dose of orchard fruit and wood. The palate has a sharp and warm cinnamon tobacco vibe that leads to more of that dark fruit leather with hints of old leather, mulled wine spices, and old cedar bark countered by a sweet mid-palate full of cotton candy and doughnut balls. The end is all about those dark and leathery berries with a slight blackberry pie vibe that attaches to the spicy tobacco on the very end.

Okay, I’m getting a better handle on these. This is delicious, but a pretty big step down (just in form and depth) from the first five sips.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This opens with honey and butter melting over a hot sourdough biscuit with tart berry compote on the side next to a dry humidor and a touch of dry mint. The palate is all about a dark plum jam layered with allspice, cloves, and nutmeg countered by orange oils and dark chocolate flaked with salt. The end arrives quickly and layers cinnamon and ginger to the spice mix before veering into an orange-choco tobacco chewiness with a mild layer of mint-chocolate ice cream on the back end.

Hum. This was really good but a little thinner than expected. There wasn’t that “wow” factor.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Dark cherry and candied ginger lead the way toward fruity multivitamins (hello, Tennessee) on the nose with nice doses of sourdough crusts, pine tar, and Key lime pie with a buttery Graham Cracker crust. The palate counters the creamy lime with dark cherry tobacco and bruised peaches swimming in black tea, dried hibiscus, black licorice, and cherry root beer. The mid-palate has a waxy and sour cacao nib vibe that’s accented by orange blossoms and cherry-choco tobacco leaves stacked in an old leather pouch with a hint of cedar lurking in the background.

This is the good stuff but not the “wow” stuff. Feels very mid-range amongst these pours.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Boom! The nose is full of Red Hots, sharp ginger, cloves, anise, sassafras, and nutmeg countered by rich vanilla, apple blossoms, and a hint of old cellar beams. The palate then blows out with a lot of ABVs and numbs the spices toward a hint of cotton candy and smoked apricot before the vanilla arrives and smooths things out. The finish is creamy and sharp with those ABVs and spice sneaking back in with a note of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and old cedar next to a hint of spicy cherry tobacco.

Damn, that was an ABV bomb.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel — Taste 7

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $225

The Whiskey:

The whiskey in this case is a 12-year-old barrel of E.H. Taylor. After the right barrels are found, they’re then cut down very slightly to bottled-in-bond proof, or 100 proof, with that famously soft Kentucky limestone water.

Bottom Line:

This was the most “one-note” whiskey on the list, which is kind of a crazy thing to say because this is unequivocally a great pour. That said, when stacked up against this murderer’s row of whiskeys in this tasting, this was the least engaging overall.

9. Four Roses 2021 Limited Edition Small Batch — Taste 8

ABV: 57.2%

Average Price: $770

The Whiskey:

2021’s LE Small Batch is a blend of four bourbons. Four Roses is renowned for its ten distinct recipes with two mash bills and five yeast strains. This whiskey marries four of those recipes with two from Mash B (very high rye) and two from Mash Bill E (high rye). The yeasts at play are “delicate fruit,” “spice essence,” and “floral essence.” The barrels ranged from 12 to 16 years old, making this a fairly old bourbon, all things considered.

Bottom Line:

Again, great whiskey but just didn’t hit the heights it needed against this lineup. Overall, this is a tasty sipper that felt a little thin compared to the others today.

8. George T. Stagg BTAC 2020 — Taste 10

ABV: 65.2%

Average Price: $1,532

The Whiskey:

We started off with the biggest whiskey of the line-up. This juice is distilled from Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and a touch of malted barley from North Dakota. The whiskey then spends 15 years and four months in oak in three different warehouses on three different floors. Over that time 59 percent of the whiskey is lost to the angels, leaving a high-proof bourbon.

Bottom Line:

This had so much potential but those ABVs just blew everything out on the palate. That’s a shame. One single rock would have catapulted this whiskey higher on this list.

7. Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select — Taste 6

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $200 (1-liter bottle)

The Whiskey:

Frank Sinatra was one of Jack’s biggest fans. So much so that the crooner was buried with a bottle. The actual juice in this expression is a throwback to how Jack was made in Sinatra’s day. They use special “Sinatra Barrels” that have concentric grooves carved into the newly charred oak, giving the whiskey more surface area to do its thing. Once that’s aged, it’s blended with traditional Old No. 7 and proofed at 45 percent, as it also would have been back in Sinatra’s heydays.

Bottom Line:

This was a massive fruit bomb but still made sense. It was bold and unique. It just tasted really f*cking good. But that wasn’t quite enough today.

6. Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon — Taste 9

ABV: 56.77%

Average Price: $606

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a blend of Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky bourbons. Each barrel in that blend is a minimum of 16 years old. The barrels were specifically chosen for their cherry, nutty, high-proof, and chocolate profiles. Half of those barrels were then finished in new American oak for a final touch of maturation before vatting and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

Interesting, I blindly ranked two whiskeys with Tennessee in the mix back to back. This was way more wild and crazy than Jack, which was very enticing. That said, it didn’t quite hit the “wow, this is what I do this job for”-levels of greatness today.

5. Michter’s Singel Barrel Bourbon 10-Year — Taste 4

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $552

The Whiskey:

Michter’s is currently distilling and aging their own whiskey, but this is still sourced. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the juice goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Bottom Line:

This is where things get close to splitting hairs. This is just classic, refined, and delicious. Still, it didn’t blow my socks off like the next four.

4. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2022 Edition — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $1,275

The Whiskey:

This wheated bourbon whiskey — 68 percent corn, 20 percent wheat, and 12 percent malted barley — was distilled and laid down in barrels back in 2004. The barrels were vatted after 17 years and proofed down to the bottled-in-bond standard of 100 proof and then bottled in the iconic Old Fitz decanter for a Spring 2022 release.

Bottom Line:

Okay, this is the splitting hairs section. I legit wrote “perfect” in my notes while tasting this pour. I guess that means that the next three are not only perfect whiskeys but somehow added more perfection to the mix.

3. Eagle Rare 17 BTAC 2021 — Taste 3

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $3,205

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was produced in the spring of 2003. Since then, it lost 73 percent of its volume to the angels as it rested in warehouses C, K, M, and Q on various floors. The barrels were then vatted, barely proofed down, and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This might as well have been a tie with the next two. It’s so deep and interesting while delivering a serious classic vibe that’s pure bourbon to its core.

2. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 1st Edition Aged 17 Years — Taste 2

ABV: 59.1%

Average Price: $3,200

The Whiskey:

The base of the spirit is Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon 78 percent corn mash bill. This particular whiskey is built from several barrels from four warehouse campuses in the Bardstown area. In this case, the whiskey is made from 28 percent 20-year-old barrels, 44 percent 19-year-old barrels, and 28 percent 17-year-old barrels. Once those barrels are vatted, the bourbon goes into the bottle as-is, without any cutting or fussing.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is a perfect whiskey. I don’t know what else to say. This could have been number one had the order of drams been different, more on that next.

1. William Larue Weller BTAC 2021 — Taste 5

ABV: 62.65%

Average Price: $3,200

The Whiskey:

Distilled back in the fall of 2009, this barrel-strength bourbon skips the Minnesota rye and instead uses North Dakota wheat with that NoDak barley and Kentucky corn. The juice spent 12-and-a-half years mellowing in warehouses C, D, K, L, and Q on floors one through three. While maturing, 64 percent of the whiskey was lost to the angels before it was small-batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was the last amazing bourbon in the lineup. The pours directly after this ranked seventh, tenth, ninth, sixth, and eighth respectively. So, did this edge into the first place slot because of that placing?

Maybe….?

You know what, it doesn’t matter. This is still my all-time favorite bourbon. It’s so refined while offering true depth, surprises, comfort, and nostalgia in every sip, every time.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

It’s interesting how a top-five shook out almost immediately. Which is wild given that the “bottom” five on this list are all stellar pours of whiskey. But there’s always nuance to be found, even at the highest echelons.

In the end, great bourbon tends to be revered for a reason. It’s usually pretty f*cking great. So, good luck out there tracking any of these down!