Darvin Ham is the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team opted to fire Frank Vogel on the heels of a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, and after a lengthy search, Los Angeles decided that the longtime Mike Budenholzer assistant would be the best option to take over for a team with perpetual title-or-bust expectations.
Ham, who spent more than a decade playing professionally, was one of the more highly-respected assistant coaches in the league and has long been viewed as someone who paid his dues and deserved to get a head coaching gig for the first time. That sentiment was shared by Charles Barkley during a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, but despite that, he’s not exactly optimistic that he’ll lead L.A. to glory during the 2022-23 campaign.
“Well, I’m glad Darvin got an opportunity, cause he’s paid his dues, he’s a nice guy, we’ll have to see what kind of coach he is,” Barkley said around the 5:16 mark of the above video. “But listen, if one of your coaches is close to the same age as your players, your team’s not gonna be any good, anyway. The Lakers, they got a serious dilemma on their hands. Their best player’s gonna be 40, Anthony Davis has never been healthy. Obviously, Russ is gonna be there one more year. So, what’s really bad about the situation — next year is gonna be the same as this year, and then LeBron’s just gonna be a year older, and then they’ll have Russ off the books.”
Barkley then returned to Davis, noting that he said before last season that he (and, more specifically, his ability to take some of the load off of James’ shoulders) is the key to the team succeeding and that “if he’s one of the top-5 players in the NBA, the Lakers can compete.”
Last season, Los Angeles finished 33-49 and missed the play-in tournament. It marked the seventh time in the last nine seasons that the team failed to make the postseason.
Whether it’s a Snapchat filter, a drawing from a caricature artist, or a customized video game avatar, it’s always fun to see a rendering of yourself that presents you in a different light. Cardi B got a taste of that earlier this week when she shared a photo of dolls that look a great deal like herself and Offset.
In the three photos, the Offset doll lovingly embraces the Cardi figure from behind. Both are decked out in teeny-tiny jewelry, while Cardi wears a pink bikini and Offset has a sleeveless, all-white look. Cardi captioned the post, “Okay then ….MOOD [crying-laughing emoji].”
Speaking of dolls, Cardi B actually once had some big plans of her own on that front. Back in March 2021, she visited Today to announce she was working on a doll that looked like her and hoped to expand the project to include other artists, too, with the end goal being better representation in the doll space for people with different looks. By the end of the year, though, it was reported that the entire line had been canceled due to manufacturing and shipping delays caused by COVID-19, as well as quality concerns.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
New Jersey will honor one of its most iconic residents.
Legendary actor Ray Liotta of Something Wild,Goodfellas, not one but two Muppets movies, and Marriage Storypassed away suddenly in his sleep last week in the Dominican Republic at age 67. Manuel Figueiredo, the mayor of Union Township, New Jersey has confirmed to TMZ that the town will hold some sort of memorial in honor of the actor who grew up there. Figueiredo did not provide any further details on the planned service in Liotta’s honor. Union Township is “looking at a variety of options to honor Ray, but also giving the family time to grieve before making a final decision.” The town also told TMZ of plans to name a baseball field after Liotta, a nod to his role in Field of Dreams.
Since his death last week, Liotta’s meaningful influence on the film industry and on people has been felt everywhere. On top of the entire state of New Jersey paying tribute to him, many former colleagues in Hollywood paid tribute to him upon hearing of his death. Director Martin Scorsese, who directed Liotta in Goodfellas (one of his most iconic roles) said, “He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture.”
Goodfellas co-star Lorraine Braco said, “I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”
Madison Cawthorn has got problems. As if losing his bid for re-election weren’t humiliating enough, the North Carolina congressman (for now—tick tock, tick tock) is now facing some serious questions from the House Ethics Committee about his purchase, promotion, and sale—in that order—of the idiotically-named Let’s Go Brandon cryptocurrency (at a time when the Feds seem to be trying to crack down on crypto insider trading).
Like so many other possibly shady dealings, Cawthorn’s involvement in the crypto investment goes back to Donald Trump. According to Fortune, it was reportedly at a Christmas party hosted by the former president in Naples, Florida that the 26-year-old was told about the coin by James Koutoulas, a hedge fund manager and Let’s Go Brandon backer. A few weeks later, Cawthorn sent Koutoulas a check for approximately $150,000 to invest in the coin, and his transaction posted on December 21—then sh*t got real.
Cawthorn later predicted LGB’s price would the next day “go to the moon” in a Dec. 29 Instagram comment. When the LGB team announced a sponsorship of NASCAR driver Brandon Brown on Dec. 30, the coin indeed rallied mightily. The next day, Cawthorn sold off roughly a third of his LGB for a considerably more liquid cryptocurrency, ether (ETH), fetching a 94% return in dollar terms (though it’s unclear if he moved that ETH to cash).
It was a sequence of events that would come to haunt the first-term representative. Six months later—after a sea of scandals sunk his reelection bid—Cawthorn’s LGB trades are under investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee.
While Cawthorn happily promoted the coin and how “well” it had worked out for him, the truth is a bit more complicated. Because cryptocurrency is not closely regulated, it’s difficult to determine how much the political newbie might have benefited from his purported attempt at insider trading. But according to several financial experts, it’s likely that he went to all that trouble—and now put himself in the crosshairs of the Ethics Committee—for nothing. “He’s at best close to even,” according to Fortune. “At worst he’s down bad from a mix of taxable capital gains and the bear market slump.”
Still, there’s a chance Cawthorn will go down in the history books: At the moment, he’s both the youngest Republican ever elected to congress (he was 25 at the time) as well as the youngest-ever Republican congressperson to lose their re-election bid. Let’s go Madison!
Millennials may soon see a familiar favorite on television. Those of us who remember Apple’s silhouette campaigns that accompanied the iPod in the early aughts will be elated to see Harry Styles in a new spot for AirPods.
In the commercial, Styles and a group of people are seen grooving to “Music For A Sushi Restaurant” from his latest album, Harry’s House. Apple users of the past will immediately recognize the color-changing backgrounds as silhouettes of Styles spread across the screen. These are similar to the early iPod commercials in which white silhouettes of figures would dance to some of the top iTunes songs, through their wired headphones and with an iPod in hand.
Technology has evolved quite a bit since those days, so the modern commercial sees Styles wearing AirPods. There is not an iPhone or any other Apple device in hand, likely because the AirPods’ Bluetooth technology allows for the listener to move freely and keep the device in their pockets.
Styles reportedly did not accept money for the ad, but rather, asked that the fee be donated to the International Rescue Committee. “From all of us at the IRC: Thank you to @HarryStyles and @Apple for your generous donation to the IRC,” the organization said in a tweet. “Working in more than 40 countries, your support will help us reach even more refugees and people in need in the world’s toughest places. Honored to have your support!”
From all of us at the IRC: Thank you to @Harry_Styles and @Apple for your generous donation to the IRC.
Working in more than 40 countries, your support will help us reach even more refugees and people in need in the world’s toughest places. Honored to have your support!
— IRC – International Rescue Committee (@RESCUEorg) June 2, 2022
Shortly after a jury found Amber Heard guilty of defamation against her allegedly abusive ex-husband Johnny Depp, both parties released statements about the verdict. “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” Heard wrote. Depp, meanwhile, hopes “that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.”
The statements appeared on Heard and Depp’s Instagram pages, respectively, and BuzzFeed has been compiling a list of who other celebrities are “siding” with (it’s worth noting that a like does not necessarily equal an endorsement). Jennifer Aniston, Taika Waititi, and Ryan Adams, who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women (including Phoebe Bridgers), all liked Depp’s post, while Heard received support from Selma Blair and her Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom co-star Jason Momoa… who was also among the 16.7 million-plus people who clicked the heart for Depp, too.
Here’s a partial list for both (a longer list can be found here):
Depp:
Ryan Adams
Jennifer Aniston
Ashley Benson
Hailey Bieber
Gemma Chan
Zoey Deutch
Bella Hadid
Paris Hilton
Vanessa Hudgens
Riley Keough
Juliette Lewis
Jason Momoa
Jason Priestley
Norman Reedus
Emma Roberts
Zoe Saldaña
Molly Shannon
LaKeith Stanfield
Taika Waititi
Heard:
Selma Blair
Jason Momoa
Sarah Steele
The Daily Beast also notes that “some stars opted not to ‘like’ Depp’s post but did lend a little red heart to a separate post from Greg Williams Photography, a portrait photo of Depp,” including Florence Pugh and both Fannings, Dakota and Elle.
When Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away, I wrote a bit about the unique friendship he shared with the Dalai Lama. Though they came from very different worlds—different nationalities, different faiths, different backgrounds—they shared a kinship based on compassion and joy.
And when I saw them together in “Mission: JOY”—a documentary on five days the two leaders spent together—I saw how beautiful that kinship truly was.
“Mission: JOY” is as much a reminder of what connects us as human beings as it is a celebration of these two iconic spiritual leaders. I laughed at how they teased one another like schoolboys. (It’s also just impossible not to laugh along with Desmond Tutu’s infectious laughter.) I teared up as they described how they responded to their own sufferings and showed so much care for one another. I smiled each time one of them lovingly reached out to take the other’s hand as they shared stories, wisdom and jokes together.
But mostly, I walked away with a sense of calm hope for what is possible. If a Christian theologian from South Africa and a Buddhist monk from Tibet can form a strong bond of friendship like this with one another, then anyone can. This is a film the whole world needs to see. I think it’s safe to say that every person would take something valuable away from it.
MISSION: JOY • Official Trailer • Documentary About the Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu’s Friendship
Filmmaker Peggy Callahan shared some of the extraordinary experience of making “Mission: JOY” with Upworthy. Our Q&A with her provides some personal insight into the film and what it felt like to spend five days with two of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time.
How and why did you get involved in making this film?
“It was Thanksgiving Day almost seven years ago when I got a call from my ‘brother from another mother,’ Doug Abrams. He said, ‘Do you want to come to Dharamsala and film a conversation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu?’
“Of course, there is only one answer to a once-in-a-lifetime invitation like that. And that is how I got to spend five days with two of the people on the planet that I admired most.
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu shared deeply about how they managed to create joy for themselves, even during their darkest days. Doug and the two holy men used the transcripts from that days-long conversation to co-author ‘The Book of Joy,’ which became an international bestseller. And the footage from that conversation was the basis for our film, ‘Mission: JOY – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times.’
“It seems to me that documentaries—and most meaningful things in life—require an unreasonable love. The kind of love that propels you. Compels you. Sustains and inspires you to get off the ground and keep going. It’s been a seven-year journey to create this film with a great team of artists. But I suspect the film recreated us all in some way. Unreasonable. Beautiful.”
Why was it important to you personally that you create this film?
“I grew up in South Carolina at a time when racism was even thicker than the humidity. My mom is from Canada and didn’t buy into it one bit. You can imagine the salty words she’d whisper in my ear about systemic racism, as if systemic and racism were four-letter words.
“I remember parents of my white friends not allowing their kids to play at my house because my African American friends were there. The prejudice was so stark and so ugly that it never made sense on a primal level, leaving me out of step with the world I walked in. I think there is value in feeling like an outsider who sees the world differently. It’s easier to question. Examine. Appreciate or not. It’s perfect for a journalist or storyteller. Fighting injustice can be a great motivator in your career, and tricky in your personal life.
“Archbishop Tutu and His Holiness, along with people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mary Robinson were beacons for me because not only did they get up and do something about injustice, their actions were effective at changing power relationships. Their actions made a measurable difference in the daily lives of people who most of the world had forgotten.
“Also, many years ago Archbishop Tutu joined the International Advisory Board of an anti-slavery organization I co-founded called Voices4Freedom, so we had that personal connection as well. It’s the honor of a lifetime to help share Arch’s and His Holiness’s messages with the world, especially now when so many are hurting so much.”
What words would you use to describe the relationship between these two global icons?
“These two are FUN, as is obvious within just the first few minutes of the film. They joke and tease each other with abandon. Having lunch with them in the Dalai Lama’s compound was an absolute riot. It had the feeling of getting together with your long-time friends where you knew going in that your stomach was going to hurt from laughing so hard.
“And they are congruent within themselves. There are lots of impressive, powerful leaders in the world that garner respect. Admiration, even. But few of those are so beloved. Why?
“I think it’s because with these two, what is real for them on the inside is what we see on the outside. They lived/live out their values in ways big and small every day, in every interaction, with everyone they encounter. What you see is what is actually real within them. It’s utterly compelling. As evidenced by the fact that, even though they are/were leaders of their respective faith traditions, people from ALL faith traditions and no faith tradition are inspired by them.”
What were some things that surprised you as you were making this film?
“Can you believe that we had not one technical glitch during the filming in Dharamsala? We had the team members from four countries and needed to truck in equipment from Delhi, which is 12 hours away. If any equipment broke we had no way to get replacements in fast enough. But not one thing went wrong. Which is all the proof I need that holy men were in the house.
“Another surprise was that despite the complications of COVID, we were able to complete the film on time and within budget. Hollywood has technical terms for such occurrences: A miracle. Once in a blue moon. When pigs fly. You get the picture. That’s a huge tribute to the phenomenal team that came together to make this film, including four Academy Award winners.”
Why do you think this story is important right now?
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if no one was hurting and a film like this wasn’t needed? And everyone on the planet already knew about the latest neuroscience and psychology research-based actions to help ourselves feel better? That, incidentally, look astonishingly like what spiritual traditions have been telling us for millennia?
“Even before the pandemic, there was a dramatic uptick in anxiety and depression, especially among young people. Now, one in four people report they are experiencing anxiety and depression. We see this even in our own families and circles of friends, right? People are hurting.
“That’s why we took the messages of the film one step further and operationalized what the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu shared. We partnered with researchers at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good In Action, UC San Francisco, Harvard and a consortium of other universities to create The BIG JOY Project. Anyone can sign up for free, and spend seven minutes a day for seven days trying out a different micro action that science shows boosts moods. At the end of seven days, you’ll get a cool BIG JOY Report that will show you which micro-act of joy works best for you!
“Already people from 108 countries have participated and have completed 38,572 micro-acts of joy! The BIG JOY Project is now the largest ever citizen-science project on joy. You’ve got to see the map of these people from all over the world. It’s a tidal wave of joy! We get excited about each and every additional dot on the map that appears, because we know that means that one more person is getting the quick start owner’s manual of how to be human and create more joy for themselves!”
If there were one lesson you hope people will take from this film, what would it be?
“Arch and His Holiness wanted everyone to know that, no matter their circumstances and no matter how broken they may feel, they are worthy of joy, and they are capable of creating it for themselves. If after seeing the film, people walk away with only that message, we have done our job.
“Archbishop Tutu and His Holiness joined forces one last time before the Archbishop passed away for a final shared mission: to help us create more joy for ourselves. They saw joy as that critical. To me, joy is the ultimate ‘clean fuel’ that powers everything we want to do in life. These great teachers put their hard-earned wisdom about the how-to of joy into movie form, as their final gift to each of us. It is yours to enjoy.”
The Dalai Lama’s team has organized a global watch event for the film via Facebook on June 2. You can learn more about the film and how to host a screening at missionjoy.org
Never one to pass up a chance to parrot right-wing talking points, former The View co-host Meghan McCain dedicated her latest Daily Mail column to championing Top Gun: Maverick as an anti-woke “wake up call” for Hollywood. Earlier in the week, far-right radio host Steve Gruber claimed the film is a “warning” that Democrats will lose the midterm elections because the sequel shows that “American pride” is at an all-time high. McCain echoed similar thoughts by staking Top Gun: Maverick‘s box office success on its unbridled patriotism and… the Taiwenese flag on Maverick’s flight jacket that everyone totally remembers from the first movie?
The movie isn’t overly political, it isn’t depressing, it isn’t focusing on the flaws of the United States of America and why we suck and why our flag and national anthem aren’t worth honoring. The filmmakers also took a stand against the sickening Hollywood trend of pandering to the demands of the totalitarian Chinese government.
In the 1986 original movie, there is a patch depicting the Taiwanese flag on Maverick’s flight jacket. But during 2019 previews, the patch had been removed to alleged appease Chinese censors. Movie-goers were happy to see the flag had been restored in the film — a signal that neither the filmmakers nor Cruise are content with being lapdogs to the Chinese regime.
As McCain wonders “why has it taken modern Hollywood so long to realize how to make a successful movie,” conveniently sidestepping massive blockbuster hauls from recent films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman, she claims that Top Gun: Maverick is definitive proof that “Hollywood must wake up to the reality that ‘go woke, go broke’ is real.”
Here’s the thing though, while Maverick’s opening weekend is obviously huge and a career best for Cruise, its domestic box office haul was only $124 million. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness beat that total by almost 50% with a box office take of $184 million. That film openly featured a lesbian superhero and her two mothers. But, yes, Meghan, it’s the lack of “wokeness” that made Top Gun: Maverick the only successful movie of the year. You really stuck it to Hollywood.
There are a few movie tropes that work well when it comes to a comedy/crime thriller: there’s the lone soldier who teams up with a comic relief sidekick, the case of mistaken identity which brings normal people into the crime world, or just the general intimidating group of beautiful people who commit crimes, but in a “they had it coming!” type of way. The Man From Toronto has all of these tropes, and more!
Woody Harrelson stars as the titular Man From Toronto, a violent assassin who is sent on a deadly mission. But, due to a string of mishaps, Kevin Hart is mistaken for the killer and has to pretend to be the killer after meeting the real man from Toronto. Chaos ensues!
As per the official description: “A case of mistaken identity arises after a screw-up sales consultant and the world’s deadliest assassin—known only as The Man from Toronto— run into each other at a holiday rental.” Oh boy, does this one sound like a doozy! But Harrelson isn’t one to phone in his performances, so it might actually be good.
The film also stars The Flight Attendant‘s Kaley Cuoco, Jasmine Matthews, Lela Loren, Pierson Fode, and Ellen Barkin. The Man From Toronto is the latest story from Jason Blumenthal (not to be confused with Jason Blum) directed by Patrick Hughes. It drops on June 22nd on Netflix. Check out the trailer above.
When it comes to Scottish single malt whisky, it’s easy to assume that it’s all for sipping given the generally higher price tag. That’s very much not true. There are plenty of kerosene-level rot-gut Scotch whiskies on the shelf at any given liquor store. Look at it this way, just because a scotch bottle has an elk on it doesn’t mean it’s going to be the good stuff.
Quality is something that’s found. It’s not a given — not in Scotch, bourbon, rum, tequila, or beer.
So what do I mean when I say “sipping” scotch? I’m talking about single malt whiskies that have balance to them that also take you a journey from the nose to the finish. There are clear notes that have specificity both on the nose and the palate — think “vanilla frosting” or “vanilla pudding” instead of just “vanilla.” But perhaps more importantly, a good sipping single malt leaves you with a warm and comforting feeling. Sure, the flavor notes are important, but how that sip leaves you is just as important.
Do you want another pour? Do you want to tell your friends about it? Do you stop caring about the price tag? These are all feelings that good sipping whisky leaves you with.
To that end, I’m calling out ten great sipping single malt Scotch whiskies below that I personally vouch for. Each one offers something a little different, so I’ve ranked them according to which I personally reach for the most. Hopefully, you can find one that speaks to you and go from there.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This Highland whisky is a stop between the brand’s entry-level 12-year and their bolder 18-year. In this case, the single malt spends 14 years mellowing in ex-bourbon casks before it’s transferred to French Limousin casks for a final touch of maturation.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice mix of fresh apple fritters with yeasty cinnamon rolls with a vanilla frosting trying them together as a quiet note of winter spice and old cedar planks mingle on the nose. The palate leans into the apple with a spiced apple cider with plenty of anise, clove, and cinnamon that’s countered by a svelte nougat, a touch of leather, and more of that old wood. The end is part of apple pie and part creamy nougat with a tiny whisper of fireplace smoke on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start. Loch Lomond 14 isn’t overly complicated but it still delivers clear and precise notes on the nose and tongue. Moreover, as someone from the Pacific Northwest, which is apple country. I always appreciate a good, apple-forward soft single malt like this.
The Balvenie is renowned for doing everything in-house from growing grains to making their own barrels while also being the distillery that spearheaded the whole “finishing whisky in a different cask” movement. In this case, the juice spends 14 years maturing in ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky is then batched and transferred to barrels that The Balvenie aged their own blend of West Indies rum in.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a welcoming rush of buttery toffee up top with hints of brown spices, bright red berries, and a touch of sweet malts. The palate brings around creamy vanilla dotted with those sweet and slightly tart red berries next to a very soft and sweet oakiness. The finish is medium-length and full of soft wood, vanilla cream, and a touch of that brown spice.
Bottom Line:
This is a good entry-point sipper in general. It’s easy drinking while having some serious depth. It’s also pretty goddamn smooth all things considered. The only reason it’s a little lower on the list for me is that it is a little… forgettable for me. There’s nothing that really grabs your attention.
That said, I’d never turn down a pour of this one.
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.
Tasting Notes:
You get a big whiff of vanilla pudding on the nose that leads towards singed marshmallow and a backyard firepit vibe with fresh, savory herbs growing nearby and fruit trees (think pear and peach) hanging overhead, adding a light fruity woodiness. The palate lights those fruity wood on fire and lets the soft and sweet smoke drive the taste as the creamy vanilla is counterpointed by a slight Ace Bandage note and an earthy dry clay. The finish takes its time and lets the sweet smoke slowly fade away while a hint of sweet vanilla lingers underneath the pall.
Bottom Line:
This is like Springbank, Jr., and you can actually find it for a good price. That said, if you’re really into Springbank, this will feel a little one-note in contrast to that iconic sibling brand. If you don’t know Springbank, then this will be one hell of a nice pour.
High up on the Orkney Islands, Highland Park is making whisky for modern-day Vikings. Valknut (a knot of three triangles honoring those who fell in battle) uses locally grown “Tartan barley” that’s malted with a bit of local peat. That whisky spends an undisclosed amount of time aging in American oak that held sherry. The juice is vatted, proofed with Orkney’s soft water, and bottled in a bespoke Viking-inspired bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine vanilla pods warming up in a pan and just starting to release their oils and smoke next to a hint of black pepper and cedar. The palate holds onto that vanilla while adding a touch of black licorice and clove next to more cedar and maybe some fennel-crusted rye bread. The finish holds onto the spice with a chewy tobacco vibe next to an almost fatty smoke from a backyard salmon smoker and a touch of orange oils.
Bottom Line:
This has an interesting bourbon/rye vibe that builds upon that pure Northern Scottish peated malt. It’s briny and full of smoked fish fat, which hits a hardcore nostalgia for me.
Glenmorangie has finally made this a regular drop on the North American market. The juice is made from Highland barley grown exclusively on the 440-acre Cadboll Estate, which surrounds the distillery. The juice is then filled into French casks which held Muscat and Sémillon wines. It’s then left alone for 15 years to mature. Finally, those barrels are batched and brought down to a low 86 proof with local highland spring water.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a sense of buttered scones with lemon curd next to a good dose of vanilla and a touch of savory herbs on the nose. The palate really holds onto that biscuity nature while adding in a caramel candy note next to a bit of butter with a white sugar cube vibe. That lemon comes back on the short finish with hints of old straw and strawberry jam.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those sippers that’s just nice. You take a sip and you’re immediately put at ease. You exhale and your worries melt away for a moment. That’s a quintessential sipper. The only reason I have it a little lower is that it’s a little thin on the palate for me. I’d like it closer to 50% ABV to get a little more oomph. But that’s just me.
“Oog-a-dal!” This dram from Islay is a blend of old and young single malts aged in ex-sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks. The final product is a single malt that’s deeply flavored yet still approachable.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a definite peat smoke on the nose but it’s kissed with sea brine and counterpointed by notes of holiday cake stuffed with candied orange, fatty nuts, dried fruit, and plenty of dark spice. Those spices marry to the smoke as the palate sweetens with toffee and becomes almost like silk with a rich choco-tobacco chew arriving late, bringing a buzz to the tongue. The end really embraces that chew as notes of toffee, dried fruit, and spice lurk behind the billows of briny smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a true classic peated Islay malt. It’s complex, fresh, fun, and truly takes you on a journey from the craggy and long sandy beaches of the Inner Hebrides to your grandma’s kitchen during the holidays.
And honestly, from this point on in this ranking, it comes down to mood and flavor notes more than anything else because all of these bottles slap…
This Highland malt has made a roaring comeback (the expression went on hiatus from 2015 to 2018). Revival 15 takes its sherried nature very seriously. The juice is aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks for 15 long years. Those casks are married and this whisky is brought down to a very easy-drinking 92 proof with that soft Highland water.
Tasting Notes:
Dark berry brambles with tart and sweet fruit, stems, thorns, and even a little black dirt draw you in on the nose with a hint of walnut shell and cherry pie. The palate is a creamy-yet-bitter dark chocolate orange that leads toward a semi-savory fig countered by ripe apricot. The chocolate comes back with cinnamon spice and more dark berries and walnut on the end.
Bottom Line:
I’m going to contradict myself and say that the lower ABV is perfect for this expression. It never feels light or thin, even though it’s a very standard 46 percent. Instead, you’re met with a rich and complex whisky that delivers from top to bottom with comfort and ease.
A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the juice in this Highland bottle represents that for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. The juice then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.
Tasting Notes:
That sherry plumminess is evident right up top, with hints of bright orange oils, clumps of dark chocolate, honey, and nuts, and a hint of oak. The taste shines with notes of dark, ripe cherries, prunes, more bright orange zest, dark chocolate, and a good measure of svelte vanilla. The slow finish leaves you with a creamy mouthfeel next to bitter chocolate next to sweet cherries and plums, all of which lead towards a warming spice on the tongue at the end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskies that immediately elicits a reaction of “Oh, yeah, that’s f*cking good, isn’t it?!” when sipped neat. If that’s not a great sipper, I don’t know what is.
The 2021 Distillers Edition is a classic Talisker, aged by the sea, that’s finished for six months in Amoroso sherry casks. The whisky was distilled in 2011 and bottled at 10 years old. It was then finished in another Amoroso sherry cask, making it “double” matured.
Tasting Notes:
The nose runs deep on this whisky with mild hints of beachside campfire smoke whispering in the background as hints of red fruit, wet driftwood, and green peppercorns draw you in. The palate embraces the red berries with a slight tartness next to the sweetness as the peat remains dry and distant and tied to the brine of the sea with an almost oyster liquor softness. The finish lingers for just the right amount of time as sweet berries and dry peat lead towards soft dark cacao powder with a tiny note of vanilla and one last spray from the sea.
Bottom Line:
If you know my whisk(e)y writing, you’d know there was no way a Talisker wasn’t showing up. That aside, this is one of the subtlest yet most unique sips on the list. If you’re looking for a kiss from a mermaid that leads to a slow walk on a rainy beach toward a campfire with a brief stop at the berry patch, this is the whisky for you.
This is the most recognizable Lagavulin out there. The malts are smoked just down the road from the distillery at Port Ellen in Islay and the juice is crafted expertly by the sea at Lagavulin. Then the whisky spends 16 long years mellowing in old American and Spanish oak.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine a beach fire that’s using dried seaweed as fuel next to mugs of honeyed black tea and a clump of wet moss on the nose. The taste of this dram meanders through dried pipe tobacco smoke laced with hints of vanilla and tart apple while notes of briny caramel lead towards an oyster shell minerality. The finish is pure silk as the seaweed grows wetter and the smoke sweetens towards that caramel, vanilla, and apple.
Bottom Line:
This feels like the whisky you drink when you’ve graduated from the entry-level pours to the “good stuff.” This narrowly beats out Talisker on this list for having a little more going on that might feel familiar to an American bourbon drinker. And as I mentioned above, these top five are pretty much interchangeable in my mind and on my shelf, so I’d recommend finding the flavor profile that speaks to you the most and going from there.
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