Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra is a musical side project from the beloved actor, who has a soft spot for jazz. Today, he announced that he’s got a new album on the way titled Still Blooming. Due on April 25th via Verve Records, Still Blooming features duets with his Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Maiya Sykes, and fellow actor Scarlett Johansson, who has dabbled in music herself.
Goldblum and Johansson pair up to cover “The Best is Yet To Come,” the 1959 standard composed by Cy Coleman and written by Carolyn Leigh. Most famously covered by Frank Sinatra, the version that appears on Still Blooming is mellow but bright, led by Johansson’s velvety vocals. Meanwhile, the orchestra lilts and traipses through lighthearted piano solos, punctuated by some very groovy Wurly. Throw on your finest suit and cut a rug with the visualizer above.
Still Blooming is due on 4/25 via Verve. You can pre-order it here to get a signed art card by Jeff Goldblum. See below for the tracklist.
01. “I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do)” Feat. Ariana Grande
02. “The Grease Patrol”
03. “We’ll Meet Again” Feat. Cynthia Erivo
04. “Blue Minor”
05. “The Best Is Yet To Come” Feat. Scarlett Johansson
06. “Bye-Ya”
07. “Stella By Starlight” Feat. Maiya Sykes
08. “Bouncing With Bud””
09. “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” Feat. Jeff Goldblum
With his new album Showbiz! on the way, MIKE releases a double video for two of its songs: “Man In The Mirror” and “Artist Of The Century.” The paired clips create an effective representation of the New York rapper’s duality; on one hand, he’s an introspective thinker, who bares his anxieties and self-analysis over murky production, while on the other, he’s a boastful, confident stalwart of the underground rap scene, boldly declaring his lyrical superiority.
Visually, the videos subvert the vibes of their respective songs, with the thoughtful “Man In The Mirror” backed by colorful videography and rap video tropes like a shiny new SUV, while the second half is shot in greyscale. The video(s) end with some behind-the-scenes shots as a movie sample takes “Artist Of The Century” into a gritty fade out.
MIKE first announced the tracklist for Showbiz! with the low-key video for “Bear Trap.”
Showbiz! is out 1/31 via 10k Projects. Find more information here. You can check out the tracklist below.
01. “Bear Trap”
02. “Clown of the Class (Work Harder)”
03. “Then We Could Be Free..”
04. “Watered Down”
05. “Man In The Mirror”
06. “Artist Of The Century”
07. “What U Bouta Do?/A Star Was Born” Feat. 454
08. “Belly 1”
09. “Da Roc”
10. “The Weight (2k20)”
11. “Lost Scribe”
12. “You’re The Only One Watching”
13. “Lucky”
14. “#82”
15. “Too Hot (Interlude)”
16. “Pieces Of A Dream”
17. “Strange Feeling”
18. “Zombie Pt. 2”
19. “Burning House”
20. “Showbiz! (Intro)”
21. “Spun Out”
22. “Miss U” Feat. Duendita
23. “When It Rains”
24. “Diamond Dancing (Broke)”
It’s no secret that Frank Ocean wasn’t exactly enjoying his career as a world-famous musician. Look no further than the fact that it’s taken him years at a time to even tease new music, let alone actually release it. We won’t even get into that disastrous Coachella performance a couple of years ago.
But for fans hoping for any sort of creative output from the reclusive star, there’s hope on the horizon: rumors he’s been writing and will direct a feature film have swirled online for months. Today, Variety confirmed those rumors, as well as offering up the first casting news from the film’s production. Although plot details remain sparse, Variey reports that the film has begun shooting in Mexico City, with British actor David Jonsson in the lead role. Jonsson’s performance as alternately innocent and menacing android Andy in Alien: Romulus turned heads recently, earning the Rye Lane star the sort of buzz that could lead to more juicy roles in the future.
The only other casting information out there is that Taylor Russell, who had a star turn in 2023’s Bones And All, was “in talks” to star in the as-yet-untitled directorial debut, but speculation to that end has yet to be substantiated. Still, perhaps this could stoke Frank’s passion for creation again — we’ll be hoping he puts together a soundtrack to go with it.
Kentuckians are typically slow to dispel the rumor, and then there are the cocksure few who confidently claim it might as well be true because, they assert, the best bourbon in the world comes from Kentucky. Let’s get real for a second. What is true is that something north of 90% of the world’s bourbon comes from Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean that the remaining 10% are all tepid pushovers!
In fact, we made this list to prove there’s no shortage of non-Kentucky bourbons out there, and many of them are fantastic. We’re so confident that we’ll go a step further and say that most whiskeys on this list can even beat Kentucky’s best bourbon in a blind tasting if you dare to take that test.
Are you up for the challenge?
If so, then let’s dive in as we taste and rank the 25 best non-Kentucky bourbons!
Whistlepig’s brand-new Snout To Tail expression is a 10-year straight bourbon whiskey that was sourced from Kentucky but rested in barrels in Vermont that incorporate VT oak and smoked maple wood with two toasted heads. The unique twist gives the resultant bourbon a mellower profile, and that time spent aging in Vermont brings in more in line flavor-wise with Whistlepig’s award-winning ryes.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes open with splashes of honey and nougat, corn pudding, Rainier cherries, and pie crust. Overall, it’s a predictably mellow but satisfyingly alluring blend of soft, sweet aromas.
Palate: This bourbon begins grain-forward on the palate with youthful oak, black pepper, and dilute honey satisfyingly spreading over the tongue. Honey-roasted peanuts and a big pop of vanilla stand out as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: The medium-length finish here is marked by vanilla, honey, and raw almonds. It concludes the overall mellow affair in a way that will leave you with a smile as you reach for yet another glass.
Bottom Line:
Whistlepig’s forays into the bourbon world have received a tepid reception thus far, but with Snout To Tail, the brand is making its biggest statement yet. This fun, exceedingly easy-to-drink bottle will win a few fans, but it’s even more sure to satisfy Whistlepig’s existing fans.
24. Hillrock Double Cask Solera Aged Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Hill Rock’s Double Cask Bottled In Bond Bourbon, the brand’s latest expression, follows the track of all their flagship products on the production side and goes the extra step of sticking to the bottled-in-bond regulations. After aging in both #3 char and #4 char new American oak casks for over five years, the liquid is bottled and sent to market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey is surprisingly lively and full of aromas like roses, cherries, clove, vanilla, and ginger snaps, with cucumber and watermelon rind notes emerging over time.
Palate: On the palate, it begins grain forward before some lush caramel, cucumber/watermelon rind, and the flavor of rosewater gently wash away the grain notes. The texture is unremarkable, which is perfectly fine because that places all of your attention on the lovely, light bouquet of flavors.
Finish: The finish is full of black pepper, potting soil, and watermelon rind, with a touch of caramel and white pepper entering the fray before tapering off.
Bottom Line:
This is a surprisingly vibrant and summery bourbon with the fresh melon and cucumber notes serving to brighten the overall experience in a way that will leave you smiling between sips, nodding your head in agreement with a question you never knew you asked.
Old Stubborn is following up their polarizing inaugural wheated bourbon release with something a little different — a rye-recipe bourbon. A premium marriage of 10, 11, and 12-year-old pot still straight bourbon went into this second expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Grain-forward with plenty of pot still funk, Old Stubborn Batch 2 is full of malted chocolate and earthy notes on the nose reminiscent of oak and mocha.
Palate: On the palate there’s an unsweetened Apple Jacks note that immediately entices repeat sips before hints of honey begin to bloom at midpalate.
Finish: The finish features the honey in full swing while the earthy oak tones from the nose reemerge along with black pepper and herbal notes.
Bottom Line:
Old Stubborn’s first release may have been polarizing, but Batch 2 seems firmly focused on gaining mass appeal. Classic bourbon notes pair well with the grainy texture and medium-length finish on this pour to make for a rock-solid sipper.
For this year’s Fourteener release, the third in the series from Colorado’s Tincup, the brand decided to honor Mt. Sneffels. This well-aged bourbon began its life in Indiana before seeing extended aging in the Centennial State and being cut to proof with pure Eldorado Spring water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The lush aroma of strawberry saltwater taffy comes tumbling out of the glass at first, and then it’s joined by caramel, graham crackers, and white pepper for a pleasant, harmonious medley.
Palate: The liquid itself is surprisingly viscous, with bubblegum and oak striking the palate at first before brown sugar, peaches, and white pepper crop up at midpalate.
Finish: The finish is medium-length and manages to linger a surprisingly long time considering the proof as nougat and stone fruit sweetness hang around well after the final sip.
Bottom Line:
Tincup’s new Fourteener expression is lip-smackingly tasty and punches above its modest ABV to deliver a great, well-rounded experience. While the nosing notes are rock solid, it’s on the palate and through the finish where this bourbon really shines.
21. J. Henry & Sons La Flamme Reserve Bourbon Finished In Armagnac Barrels
J. Henry & Sons is an intriguing distillery hailing from Wisconsin, making true, grain-to-glass bourbon and rye whiskey. Their annual La Flamme offering is the cream of the crop, featuring some of their most prized bourbon that is then finished in Armagnac casks. For the process, the budding distillery is aided by the guidance of Master Blender emeritus Nancy Fraley, who is best known as the inventor of cigar blends in the bourbon world, which typically empmloy an Armagnac finishing cask.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey is fruit-forward as the Armagnac cask imparts rich, brandy-forward flavors atop a bed of cornbread, honeysuckle, and charred tomatoes, with corn nuts and faint peanut aromas hanging in the background.
Palate: The palate continues the party by leading with that intriguing interplay of tomato paste, sweet Armagnac, and corn nuts. The peanuts and honey emerge at midpalate, along with some freshly cracked black pepper, graham crackers, and oak.
Finish: The finish is where the oak and Armagnac begin to take the lead, but that’s not without the influence of honeycomb — giving it a slightly waxy texture — and black pepper.
Bottom Line:
“Rectifying” is a somewhat dirty term in the bourbon world, and it’s a claim that’s at times levied at finished products that, it’s said, only utilize a secondary maturation to mask the flavors in the base liquid. While J. Henry & Sons’ base product is without any flaws, it’s undeniable that the Armagnac finishing cask truly elevates those flavors and creates something wholly unique from their core products. The results here are a huge win.
Nelson Bros. Whiskey has been carving out an increasingly large niche of true believers in Tennessee since 2009, and now, as it begins a stretch toward its 20th year in existence, it’s their phenomenal distillery-exclusive bottlings that make it worth the trip. One such distillery exclusive is this blend of straight bourbon whiskeys finished in Imperial stout casks from Blackstone Brewing Company.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey reaps the benefits of those finishing casks, as it opens with cacao nibs, rolled oats, and espresso — all reminiscent of Imperial stout beer. Further notes of barrel sugars, sticky toffee, and mature oak are a nod to the base liquid.
Palate: On the palate, it’s the toffee from the nose that stands out most prominently as high-percentage cacao, espresso, and oak keep that sweetness grounded. The base liquid is evident but impressively transformed by the finishing casks, which soften its edges and pierce its body with dark chocolate chunks, cinnamon bark, and rich oats.
Finish: The lingering finish is capped off with honeyed black tea, hazelnut spread, and a surprising touch of raspberry jam with lemon rind.
Bottom Line:
The specs on this whiskey are enough to make any bourbon enthusiast worth his or her salt to salivate, but it’s the execution that’s truly deserving of a hat tip. Nelson Bros. has long known that finishing bourbon is more art than science, and with this release (and many others), they’ve truly established themselves as contemporary masters of the craft.
Frey Ranch Distillery, tucked away in the mountains of Nevada, is a relative newcomer to the American whiskey world, but they’ve been farming since 1854. All of that agricultural know-how finds its way into the bottle as they utilize their own sustainably grown grains in each of their products, putting nearly 170 years of experience on full display in their farm-to-glass bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leather and cinnamon bark come roaring out of the glass as the impressive proof in this whiskey makes itself known vis-a-vis its burly aromas. Buttery pastry notes and a sweetness reminiscent of port wine add refinement to the affair, with custard and torched blood orange elevating it as well.
Palate: The interplay of grain – with corn pudding playing the role here – with tropical fruit, tobacco leaf, black tea, and clove is mesmerizing in every sip. Be sure to suck your teeth as an invitation for toasted almonds and overripe dates to join the party.
Finish: The finish showcases a delicate balance – though this whiskey is anything but delicate – where leather, dates, and big black pepper vibes all claim equal ground and cling to the roof of your mouth for dear life.
Bottom Line:
Believe it or not, Frey Ranch Distillery has been around for nearly 20 years, having been founded in 2006. Time has wrought a level of expertise coupled with high-quality grains to produce a robust bourbon loaded with robust flavor notes and a silky mouthfeel that you’ll want to experience repeatedly until your bottle, like mine, is nearly depleted.
Since its founding in 2014, Redwood Empire has gradually established itself as one of the premier bourbon and rye whiskey brands out of California. Redwood Empire blends whiskey sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, aged between four and 12 years, for the cask-strength version of their flagship Pipe Dream Bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Aromas like toffee, barrel char, and the leather from a baseball glove are immediately evident on the nose. There’s a touch of smokiness hiding in the background as well as some caramel that emerges after a few swirls in the glass.
Palate: On the palate, there’s a lovely green apple note that slowly diffuses over the length of the tongue and joins the flavor of honeyed pecans, aged oak, and nutmeg accents at the midpalate. The texture is full and robust here, and once you become acclimated to the heat, this bourbon is a treat to roll over your tongue and mine for flavor.
Finish: The finish on this whiskey doubles down with more baking spice and oak before relenting as some of the toffee from the nose and a sweet, albeit slightly tart, green apple note closes things out.
Bottom Line:
Redwood Empire’s Pipe Dream Bourbon at full cask strength is as unabashedly bold as any California whiskey on the market, and it showcases the brand’s self-assured blending team at its best. With barrel-proof bourbon, you can’t hide any flaws in the base liquid, making blending it a precarious act that requires as much confidence as prowess. Rest assured, the results here are a total success.
Still Austin is one of the fastest-rising stars in America’s craft bourbon scene, and that’s largely due to the influence of their Master Blender, Nancy Fraley. Fraley, who is also responsible for notable expressions from Wyoming Whiskey, J. Henry & Sons, and Jos. A. Magnus, to name a few, is well known to favor techniques like slow-water-reduction that are more commonly found in the world of Brandy.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A caramel, pie crust, and brown sugar fusion leaps out of the glass to greet the nose at first. A bit of nougat and some oak round things out, giving this bourbon a distinctly candy-bar type of vibe.
Palate: Grilled pineapples, salted caramel sable, overripe bananas, and oak hit the palate at first for a savory-sweet melange that makes you smack your lips. The mouthfeel is fairly impressive as well, with a robustness across the palate that helps send all of those well-developed flavors to the furthest corners of your mouth before the finish unfurls.
Finish: The finish is a tad shorter than you’d hope, given the viscousness of the texture and solid display of flavors, but with a bit of cucumber and oak capping things off in concert with some caramel, it’s an intriguing close out to an otherwise flawless pour.
Bottom Line:
What makes Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon so worthy of your attention, aside from its formidable array of flavors, is that the brand employs those aforementioned Brandy-style techniques to bourbon production in one of the climates most infamous for producing “hot” bourbon. By delivering a lighter take on Texas bourbon and eviscerating the presumption of its supremacy in the process, Still Austin is proving both the viability and the variability of the style.
A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon is the premier annual release from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Bottled at an eye-watering 135.1 proof, this expression is always highly sought-after, and previous editions have been known to top “best bourbon of the year” lists.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon is a bit disjointed, but it plays all the hits from gooey caramel to cigar ash, milk chocolate, apple pie, and bruised bananas. It’s a rich bouquet that is indicative of its proof but draws you deeper into the glass for deep inhalations anyway.
Palate: Once on the palate, the liquid’s lean texture underscores the sense of disjointedness indicated on the nose. It’s not thin, per se, but it almost feels like the high heat keeps the flavors from coalescing on the tongue as well-developed caramel, tobacco leaf, and deep oak tones struggle to coexist despite their relative richness.
Finish: The lingering finish does tie things together a bit more as black pepper spice and barrel char join vanilla extract and bananas foster before the ethanol overtakes those tasty sweet notes, leaving you with the spices.
Bottom Line:
A. Smith Bowman’s Cask Strength series has been marred by inconsistency. The first release was a stellar expression that kicked in the door and marked the arrival of a new heralded annual release on the scene before the 2nd expression showed signs of slipping. Now, in its third iteration, the series has yet to return to the heights of Batch One, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t impressive liquid. However, it does mean that you should seek it out at its SRP of $99 and not its secondary market average of $800+.
Garrison Brothers has been cranking out the best craft bourbon in Texas for a long time, and as one of the OGs, it’s only right that they have a premium cask-strength expression. That expression is Cowboy Bourbon, which is made with Food Grade #1 white corn and aged for six long years under the Texas sun.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a blend of pink eraser, cotton candy, and bubblegum at first on the nose, which is almost a smokescreen for the deep oak richness, black tea, smoked caramel and grilled red apple notes, which are the real stars of the show.
Palate: Incredible dark chocolate tones wash over your palate with some bacon fat, candied walnuts, clove, and vanilla flavors swoop in. The liquid is remarkably dense and heavy on the palate, but the heat is simultaneously assertive and coy, pushing down on your tongue and seeping out at its edges, but it doesn’t dry you out or scorch your mouth.
Finish: The lengthy finish introduces a bit of peanut brittle and hazelnut spread to go with the candied walnuts and dark chocolate, which make the most significant impression on each sip. Of course, there’s some rich oak, but those more interesting and well-developed notes relegate it to the background on the finish.
Bottom Line:
Cowboy Bourbon by Garrison Brothers is probably the best, the boldest, and, by those measures, the most quintessential Texas whiskey around. That’s no slight to other distilleries who are also making excellent expressions in the Lone Star State, but when folks talk about the high heat and brash flavor profile that Texas bourbons are known for, this is the category’s exemplar.
14. Southern Star Paragon Cask Strength Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon
Southern Distilling Company is helping to put the North Carolina bourbon scene on the map with their fleet of impressive wheated bourbons. Still, none are as remarkable as their Single Barrel Cask Strength offerings. Made with a mash bill of 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley, this is a whiskey that, despite being produced in limited batches, is making a major impact among bourbon drinkers in the know.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sticky orange marmalade comes wafting out of the glass set against an earthy backbone of nutmeg, robust barrel char, and the floral, musky aroma of jasmine.
Palate: On the palate, one can expect the pleasure to increase tenfold as chocolate truffle dust graces the tongue before walnut meat and sassafras kick things into high gear. Those semi-sweet, earthy notes are then bolstered by a treacle sweetness accented by cardamom and a sprig of mint.
Finish: On the finish, it’s the sweetness that overtakes the robust earthy character of this bourbon with apple skin, clover honey, and vanilla extract to be found, along with a touch of white pepper to balance it all out.
Bottom Line:
Boldness with balance is really the right way to describe Southern Star Paragon Single Barrel Bourbon. Despite being new to the stage and facing stiff competition in the wheated bourbon category, this is one expression that proves North Carolina deserves a seat at the table when discussing superlative cask strength bourbon.
13. River Roots Barrel Co. 13-Year Bourbon Finished In Port Wine Barrels
Made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, this well-aged expression from River Roots Barrel Company was then finished for an impressive six long years in port wine barrels. The brand, founded in 2023 by Michael Symon and partners, is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has quickly established a reputation for sourcing premium, double-digit age-stated bourbon with the added benefit of being housed in interesting secondary maturation casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fidge, hazelnut, and oak make up the core of this whiskey’s nosing notes, while further accents of nondescript red berries, peanut shells, and marzipan flesh things out a bit.
Palate: Once on the palate, those core aroma notes spring to life with a mellow richness that subsumes the palate and belies both the base whiskey’s age and the lengthy finishing process it underwent. The mouthfeel follows the path laid by the flavors, as its full-bodied texture gently coats the tongue and allows you to appreciate each decadent layer of flavors at your leisure.
Finish: The finish is medium-length and marked by an uptick in black pepper spice to go with the hazelnut spread, peanut shell, and jammy red berries found throughout the palate. There’s also an undulating backbone of oak and vanilla extract that makes this one a treat to the last sip.
Bottom Line:
This lush, decadent expression is an exemplar of what River Roots Barrel Co. has been releasing to date: high-quality, well-aged whiskey. They’ve also produced some incredible younger bourbons and malt whiskeys, but it’s these unique finished products that seem to be winning them the most praise and fueling the excitement around their potential moving forward.
12. Old 55 Single Barrel 100% Sweet Corn Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
Newtown, Indiana, is home to Old 55 Distillery, which is deploying proprietary enzymes and producing both a wheated bourbon as well as some truly magnificent, albeit extremely limited, 100% sweet corn bourbon. Cask strength is where their sweet corn bourbon shines brightest, as it showcases all of that unsprayed, organic sweet corn in all its glory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s an earthy aroma reminiscent of tree bark that is quickly supplanted by gobs of sumptuously sweet corn pudding, melon, white peach, and overripe apricot.
Palate: On the palate, the viscousness of the liquid is immediately remarkable, which lays the foundation for corn pudding, blackberries, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon bark to coat your tongue in nearly equal measure.
Finish: On the finish, you’ll find the kick of cinnamon bark, cola nut, and jammy blackberry sweetness kissing you goodbye after every sip.
Bottom Line:
Producing 100% sweet corn bourbon is not only more labor-intensive, but it’s also extremely expensive — which goes to explain the high sticker price for Old 55 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon, but the results are so damn worth it. Not only is this one of the more unique bourbons on the market from a production standpoint, but it really goes to show the potential of bourbon as a category when the cost is thrown to the wind, and talented distillers set their sights on one simple goal: flavor.
This ain’t your average Starlight Double Oaked Bourbon. This Limited Release was put out as part of the brand’s allocated Family Reserve release lineup late last year. It features Starlight bourbon that was aged for 8.5 years and finished in French oak.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The involvement of French oak is immediately evident on this creamy nose which is marked by notes of cinnamon, French vanilla, caramel, cream cheese, black pepper and fresh apples. It’s a unique and inviting melange that demands an initial sip as you wonder which of those notes will stand out in the mouth.
Palate: The first sip gives you a hefty splash of toffee and brown sugar, while oak and barrel char notes emerge at midpalate along with some dark chocolate, baked apples, and black pepper spice. The mouthfeel is just hefty enough to keep you intrigued as you pick apart each of those well-developed tasting notes.
Finish: The medium-length finish gives you a final kick of black pepper spice, oak, baked apples, and leather as you smack your lips and wonder where all the whiskey went before diving in for more.
Bottom Line:
Look, we’ve been singing the praises of Starlight ever since they only had four-year-old whiskey and a dream. It’s been that good from day one. Now, with 8+ year-old bourbon hitting the market, their output is not only better than ever, but it’s also an ideal time to get familiar with the Indiana distillery with the best shot at upending MGP for regional supremacy.
10. George Dickel 15-Year Tennessee Single Barrel Whisky
This 15-year-old offering from George Dickel is notable for both its price and its age. With bottles regularly clocking in well over the 15-year age statement, its modest cost makes it an incredible value. Made from the same mash bill that goes into Dickel’s Bottled in Bond expression, this hyper-aged single barrel version is bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose are notes of leather, toffee, coffee beans, and maple syrup to entice the senses. Spin the glass then return to it to find an abundance of stewed stone fruits, vanilla extract, and waffle cones as well. Palate: While the nosing notes travel to the palate, the real fun is in discerning the degrees to which they’re amplified or muted. Stewed stone fruits seem to pop along with flavors like maple candy, marzipan, and vanilla extract. There are also elements of hazelnut, barrel char, and rosewater to be found. Finish: The finish has plenty of hazelnut spread, vanilla, and marzipan to offer before tapering off with moderate length.
Bottom Line:
George Dickel’s 15-Year Tennessee Whisky might just be the best value on this entire list — indeed, it’s one of the most underrated values in all of American whiskey. There aren’t many, if any, other 15-year-old single barrel offerings out there, and the ones that come close aren’t typically offered at cask strength. Value aside, George Dickel’s 15-Year-Old Tennessee Single Barrel Whisky is a delicious spirit that shows finesse and nuance, taking an iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove approach in a marketplace that too often reaches for unrepentant bludgeons.
This 17-barrel batch of wheated bourbon is jam-packed with flavor and showcases some of High Wire Distilling’s oldest juice. Bottled in this unique jug and topped with black wax, not only is it eye-catching, but the whiskey inside will raise your eyebrows.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with strawberry jam, creme brulee, black pepper, and cola syrup as it gives a distinctly mature impression from the outset. This is a fantastic nose, and it really draws you in to enjoy your first sip.
Palate: The whiskey hits your palate with the lush flavors of vanilla, caramel corn, white pepper, and graham crackers. As you swirl this creamy-textured whiskey a bit in your mouth, the sweet notes deepen with honey and butterscotch emerging alongside a faint touch of maraschino cherry.
Finish: The finish is silky and long-lasting, with honey, white pepper, and pie crust notes clinging to the palate and rewarding you long beyond the final sip.
Bottom Line:
We have a confession to make: we overlooked this release on our 2024 “Best Bourbons of the Year” list as it would’ve comfortably found a home there. No matter; we’re rectifying that error in 2025, and if you’re unfamiliar with the pride of South Carolina, then you should check out High Wire Distilling’s whiskey as soon as you get a chance.
Woodinville Whiskey Co., out of Woodinville, Washington, has been a strong pillar of the American craft distilling scene for 15 years now. After getting help in their early days from the late whiskey legend Dave Pickerell, they began winning awards left and right — including for this very whiskey. What began with a 24-month stave seasoning process that they inaugurated in partnership with Independent Stave Company turned into an additional 8.5 years of aging once they finally put liquid in the barrel to produce this bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The intense aroma of toasted coconut, milk chocolate, pot still funk, and chestnuts comes bubbling out of the glass with this whiskey, which is creamy just on the nose alone.
Palate: Wow! An explosion of roasted almonds, milk chocolate syrup, gooey caramel, cayenne, and oak flavors tumble over your tongue and find the crevices between your teeth on the first sip. This is fun stuff. It has a far richer mouthfeel and smoother edges than the 90-proof standard, which is a credit both to the Woodinville team’s barrel curation and the additional time this bourbon spent maturing in Washington State. It has a great, oily texture and a depth of flavor that left me knocked sideways.
Finish: The finish is medium-length with some dense oak, a touch of leather, mocha, and chocolate-covered almonds.
Bottom Line:
If this is what we can expect from Woodinville’s future age-stated, limited-editions bourbon release, then I can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for the ten, or even the nine-year mark. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be waiting because if you don’t already have a bottle of this, you should find one as soon as you can.
7. Ben Holladay Bottled in Bond Soft Red Wheat Bourbon
Holladay Distillery in Weston, MO, is a beautiful destination where a new generation of bourbon makers are casting the dye for an incredible future. With Master Distiller Kyle Merklein steering the ship, Holladay is putting out two excellent 6-year bourbons from a rye-based and a wheat-based mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright stone fruit, spiced pears, cinnamon bark, clove, and white pepper with a touch of celery root hit the nose at first with a waxy note rising in the background in addition to ginger and slight mint sprig.
Palate: The first sip is remarkably rich. It has honey, cream of wheat, pears, and apricots, but it doesn’t stop there. The flavors of clove and cinnamon also come through in spades. The mouthfeel is impressively creamy, substantially gripping the edges of your tongue.
Finish: That creamy texture aids the lengthy finish full of stone fruits, vanilla custard, black pepper, and dense oak.
Bottom Line:
Holladay Distillery made the bold (and costly) choice to hold all of its core products until they reached six years of age, with this Soft Red Wheat Bottled in Bond Bourbon being their second offering. The results have been decidedly delicious, and as one of the more under-the-radar options on the shelf, this bottle will blow away whiskey newbies and savvy veterans alike.
For this year’s Remus Repeal Reserve Series VIII, Ross & Squibb blends three different bourbons. 9% of the blend is a 2007 bourbon (17 years old) with a 21% rye mash bill, 24% is a 2014 bourbon (10 years old) with the same rye content, and 67% is a 2014 bourbon (10 years old) with a 36% rye content mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This bourbon unfurls with aroma notes of pine, crème brûlée, and caramel, with pecans, leather, and black pepper following closely behind. It’s a multi-layered nose that punches above its weight and draws you in deeply from the outset.
Palate: Maple candy and Fig Newtons greet the palate with the first sip and then introduce vanilla, oak, brown sugar, and milk chocolate at mid-palate. Remus Repeal Reserve Series VIII has a bit of heat and a robust texture that coats the palate and will have you double-checking the proof point while it grabs hold of your tongue and makes a fantastic, forceful impression.
Finish: The finish is lingering with date syrup, black pepper, and leather, joining a fresh influx of vanilla extract on the back end.
Bottom Line:
Remus Repeal Reserve Series represents the pinnacle of Ross & Squibb’s prolific bourbon output, notable for the fact they provide sourced whiskey for seemingly more brands than anyone in America. While 2024’s edition of the lineup delivers some of the rich oak notes found in standout iterations from earlier years, it also brings some fun new flavor to the fore in the form of pine while balancing the leather and chocolate notes brought on by the 17-year-old whiskey in the blend. Simply put, your 2024 bingo card deserves bourbon from Ross & Squibb, and if you could only have one bottle that they proudly put their name on, it should probably be this one.
Dream Spirits, out of Leesburg, Virginia, is a non-distilling producer on a rapid ascent. Dreamed up by the proprietor of the world-famous 1 West Dupont Circle Wines & Liquors store, Prav Saraff, the brand is sourcing standout barrels of bourbon from Kentucky and Indiana and bottling it at their home base in Old Dominion. This special release, launched in mid-December, is an exclusive blend of 95% 6-year high rye MGP bourbon with 5% 16-year Tennessee bourbon. The blend then rested in stainless steel for 3 weeks before being dumped into Mizunara barrels for 21 months, an unprecedented period for finishing casks of that type.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey opens with rosewater and Rainier cherries before sandalwood, black pepper, and cedar perk up in the glass. Tahitian vanilla, butterscotch, and nougat can also be found once you stick your nose deeper into the glass, while dried raspberry top notes begin to emerge after a short period of resting.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey really follows through on the nosing notes. Dried raspberries and black pepper spice open the door for faintly floral notes, sandalwood, butterscotch, and vanilla bean flavors to stroll right through. The texture is spiky, in a good way, with flourishes of baking spice accenting the otherwise flavorful, full-bodied, fruit-forward experience.
Finish: The lengthy finish is where the Mizunara casks have the last word, as cinnamon, sandalwood, and black pepper spice tickle the palate while figs, dark chocolate, and vanilla extract sweeten the send-off.
Bottom Line:
Mizunara-finished bourbons are a rarity due to the expensiveness of the rare casks, but when utilized correctly, they can create marvelous results, as this bourbon goes to show. Dream Spirits isn’t yet known as a premier blending house, but having tasted several of their single barrels throughout the year and enjoying the hell out of this Mizunara-finished offering, it’s obvious they’ve got incredible liquid on their hands and a bright future ahead.
4. Nashville’s Finest Small Batch Bourbon “Connected Spirits”
Nashville Barrel Co. has been cleaning up at awards and winning accolades for a few years now, yet they still manage to fly under the radar of most everyday consumers. If it’s a brand you haven’t explored yet, drop everything and start today. This bottle from the brand’s Nashtucky lineup (the result of Kentucky-born distillate that was aged and bottled in Nashville) is the standout expression you should start with.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, this whiskey opens with a faint French Toast slathered in maple syrup aroma, which quickly gives way to a pronounced nuttiness combined with caramel chews, circus peanuts, and baked apple notes.
Palate: On the palate, it’s the baked apple notes from the nose that lead the way. With that curtain lifted, the show begins in earnest with notes of caramel, dense oak, dark chocolate, red pepper flakes, and raw almonds hitting the palate. The liquid is viscous enough to easily traverse your tongue before gripping its edges to display its impressive staying power.
Finish: The finish, as alluded to above, is nice and lengthy, with a touch of mocha joining the smokey nuttiness and hints of barrel char before brown sugar washes away all of those earthy tones and gives you a sugary send-off.
Bottom Line:
This is incredibly impressive stuff that once again goes to show how formidable Nashville Barrel Co. is in the modern bourbon landscape. If you want proof that it isn’t the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog, take a bite out of NBCo’s prodigious small batch and single barrel bourbons.
We’ll certainly be barking about it all year long.
Widow Jane’s brand-new Black Opal expression is the new pinnacle of the Red Hook, New York distillery’s range. By painstakingly marrying bourbons that were aged for at least 20 years (some of those barrels likely came from parent company Heaven Hill), Head Blender Sienna Jevremov came up with the final blend, which was then subjected to further maturation in expensive Mizunara oak casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of Tahitian Vanilla, Frankincense smoke, dried apricot, and rose hip stand out from the brand’s nosing notes, but I’d add toasted coconut, the burnt sugar of crème brulée, and dense oak tones to that medley.
Palate: Again, the brand notes are spot on with walnut, black strap molasses, crème brulée, and poached plum flavors combined with fainter flavors like sage and brown butter. There’s a creamy nuttiness along with sweet oak providing a base layer for those more far-flung flavors to blossom, and the texture is smooth and viscous, coating the palate and clinging to the back of the teeth.
Finish: The honey introduces some honey and chocolate ganache as well as some cooked apple notes for a medium-length send-off that will leave you marveling at the proof point as the flavors maintain great structure down to the last drop along with ample richness that you’ll want to savor long after every sip.
Bottom Line:
With only 5,000 bottles available globally, this rare expression will disappear quickly. It is worth finding before it’s all gone because it features exceptionally aged bourbon blended by one of the industry’s most underrated teams utilizing well-vetted stock. Unlike some hyper-aged expressions, which are slapped together with whatever barrels a brand can scrounge up, Widow Jane has been fielding some of the best-sourced bourbons since its inception. With their highest age-stated release ever, they’ve also made their biggest splash, producing their best whiskey yet.
Kings County is New York City’s oldest distillery and all that experience is brought to full bear with their Barrel Strength Bourbon. For their premier undiluted offering, the brand uses some of their oldest barrels which are aged between 4 and 7 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Green grape skin and brown sugar are striking at first, but wait…there’s more. Enter the custard with lemon zest, black pepper, nutmeg, Brazil nuts, and honey to add to the depth.
Palate: The flavor of corn pudding, honey, and golden raisins splash across the palate, adding surprising levity to the dense and dark liquid in the glass. It coats your palate at once and beckons the back of your tastebuds to explore more as each sip slowly dissipates.
Finish: The finish is incredibly long-lasting, and it’s there that you’ll find more baking spices and barrel char to corral those sweeter top notes.
Bottom Line:
It’s well-known by now that Kings County produces bourbon that can punch above its weight on the national scene. If more people were to try the best of their bourbon — and these barrel-strength releases are definitely among the best of their bourbon — next to some of Kentucky’s heavyweights, it would be more well-known that Kings County can hold its own in any race, and at any price point.
Hopefully, its placement on this list is all the indication you need to seek these bottles out at your earliest convenience.
1. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8
Jack Daniel’s new Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 expression is intended to showcase their famed Coy Hill location again but with a refined look, specifically at Barrelhouse 8. Utilizing Jack Daniel’s traditional mash bill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye, the barrels for this release were aged at some of Jack Daniel’s highest elevations. Still, in contrast to previous releases, which featured barrels plucked from the very peak of those warehouses, this release was drawn from barrels that sat on the middle floors (primarily the 6th).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is one complex nose, so stick with me here. Cherry leather, clove, cola nut, and wet leaves make the initial impression on the nose, which draws you in to explore under the hood. From there, you pick up notes like rickhouse funk in the best way possible, dark chocolate, and gooey caramel. We aren’t done yet. White pepper, Mesquite spiciness, and molasses kick in once some of the top notes blow away, and despite its proof, this whiskey isn’t very hot on the nose. Lastly, there’s a big, dense oak backbone to cap off all that complexity with brown sugar, vanilla, and blueberries. Unpack that.
Palate: Yup, the palate lives up to all that promise. Unlike some previous Coy Hill single-barrel releases, which can go big on the boldness at the expense of nuance and depth of flavor, this year’s expression delivers a robust tasting experience commensurate with its proof point. The most prominent flavors to prevail on the palate are, well…how much time do you have? Because they’re all there, sticky toffee, cayenne powder, cinnamon bark, and blueberry parfait are some of the standouts.
Finish: There’s a blast of chocolate ganache and leather on the finish, along with some nutmeg and molasses. It’s predictably lengthy as all hell, and it ends with smoked caramel.
Bottom Line:
Jack Daniel’s latest Coy Hill release is a mellower take on a series that has featured, to date, some of the boldest and brashest whiskeys on the market. That’s a great thing because this release is still jam-packed with flavor but is far more accessible to a wider swath of consumers thanks to its measured restraint.
If you can’t find this expression, hunt down Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey instead. It will get you 75% of the way there.
Kylie Jenner has a new RTD vodka soda called Sprinter, and we’re pretty psyched about it. Not because we’re massive KUWTK fans, we’re not, I’ve personally never seen an episode and don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. But I do know one thing about the Jenner clan — Kendall makes a damn good tequila. And as Uproxx’s resident drinks and tequila expert, that endears her to me. In fact, in a blind taste test, we concluded that Jenner’s 818 was the best of the celebrity tequilas, so I have high hopes for Sprinter.
I believe in healthy sibling rivalry, so I’m assuming Kendall’s sister, Kylie, will at least try to deliver something legitimately good and not just flood the market with another average RTD alcohol. We have enough of those already!
So we bought the four-flavor, eight-can variety pack of Sprinter and put each to a scrutinous taste test. Here are our thoughts.
Sprinter Taste Test
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Let’s get stats out of the way. Sprinter is a ready-to-drink canned vodka soda that utilizes a vodka base topped with sparkling water and flavored with fruit juice in four flavors: grapefruit, lime, peach, and black cherry.
Each can is 355mm, a stunningly low 4.5% ABV, clocks in at 100 calories, with no gluten or added sugar. We appreciate Kylie’s decision to go with vodka rather than a grain alcohol or malt liquor base, which tend to taste blunt and lifeless.
On the branding front I have to give it to Kylie. Sprinter looks great. The logo and can design are incredibly minimalistic and each flavor is differentiated simply by color, which makes them easy to grab out of a cooler or fridge without having to read any labels.
While good design is always appreciated, what makes or breaks a drink is flavor. Luckily, Sprinter delivers on that front too.
Dane Rivera
I would describe each of the four Sprinter flavors as juicy, and fruit-forward. There is no mystery to these flavors, no flavor combinations, Sprinter’s strength is its simplicity, allowing you to focus fully on the juicy flavors.
Good vodka is pretty neutral, and while there is a bit of bluntness to the aftertaste here, the vodka base is quality enough that it doesn’t stain the palate between sips. The prevailing aftertaste is fruit, and that’s a good thing.
Of the four, I have a strong preference for the peach, which captures the soft tang and creamy sweetness of a real peach. The grapefruit has a tart, zesty bitterness to it. While the black cherry has a darker berry quality to it, offering the strongest fruit flavor of the four.
My least favorite would have to be the lime, which when combined with the bluntness of the vodka provides a stale combo. The lime isn’t so bad that it feels like two cans out of eight are wasted, but it doesn’t taste all that different from the endless amount of lime-flavored RTDs out there.
My hope is that the brand starts offering single-flavor cases so I can quadruple down on the peach. My only major complaint is that at just 4.5% ABV, a single can isn’t enough to get a buzz going if you’re a regular drinker. That ABV is in keeping with similar RTD’s on the market, but I would’ve preferred a stronger concentration of alcohol, so I wouldn’t feel like I needed to drink two to have a good time. At two, you’re looking at 200 calories, and at that point you have to ask yourself if you’re not just better off whipping up a cocktail. For convenience, obviously Sprinter reigns supreme, but if you’re looking for a party drink, this one leaves a bit to be desired.
The Bottom Line:
From aesthetics to flavor, Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter knocks it out of the park. With its juicy fruit-forward people-pleasing flavor, a single case might be enough to make you a hardcore fan.
Basketball and football aren’t the only sports with deep connections to hip-hop. Some of your favorite rappers, like 2024 breakout star Doechii, also grew up playing soccer (which is also football in most of the world), so it’s only right for the premiere soccer league in the US to show some love to hip-hop (see what I did there?). Doechii appears in MLS’ “Game On” campaign to hype up the upcoming 2025 season — the league’s 30th (time flies, right?).
Amid clips of thrilling headers and game-changing goals, Doechii runs down a list of things that are officially “on,” including: Doechii herself, stars (like Messi!), rivalries, and more. She certainly makes the sport sound more exciting than its reputation stateside, with a declaration that distinguishes Major League Soccer from the many longer-established leagues worldwide: “This is our soccer.” Yup, now, if we could win a world cup or something, maybe they’ll give our soccer some credit.
It certainly helps to have a breakout star like Doechii representing. The release of her debut mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, has made her a bona fide supernova, with a Grammy nomination, a slew of fan-favorite performances, and a newly minted Hot 100 single to her name.
This weekend is the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, where one of hip-hop’s pioneers will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the culture. Roxanne Shanté is widely thought to be one of the first female rappers with a solo hit — 1984’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” — and will soon be the first solo female rapper to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. The other artists being honored at this year’s ceremony include Frankie Beverly, The Clash, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal, Prince, and Frankie Valli.
The award is given to “performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording” — a bill Shanté certainly fits, considering she was one of the first female rappers ever to be embroiled in a rap feud, a proud legacy that continued into last year thanks to Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Ice Spice, and Nicki Minaj.
Other members of the hip-hop community to be honored for their contributions to the genre’s growth include Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick, and N.W.A.
The 2025 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted once again by Trevor Noah, will air at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
We now know the 24 players that will be headed to San Francisco in two weeks for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game (in its new format) after reserves were announced on Thursday night, and as is always the case, there were more than 24 players that had legitimate cases for a roster spot.
This year felt particularly difficult to narrow down the field, as some of the long-time standbys for the All-Star Game slid back and a bunch of young players emerged as legit All-Star talent. Add in a dominant team in each conference (which usually leads to multiple selections) and some surprise teams (headlined by the Houston Rockets), and you create quite the conundrum for the coaches as they pick the seven reserve players in each conference. We saw that play out on Thursday night when reserves were announced, as there were a number of players that will feel they got snubbed from an All-Star spot.
As is always the case, it’s easy to yell about snubs but anyone you add to the roster means someone has to be taken off. To be honest, I don’t think there are a ton of clearly egregious selections — if anything, this year is a reminder that it’s past time for the All-Star rosters to expand as the league has expanded — but these are the players I feel had the best resumes that got left off and have an argument to be in over someone else that made it.
EAST
Trae Young
The East backcourt was the biggest logjam in terms of players with similar resumes going up against each other. It’s an incredibly difficult group to separate and it was always going to be where the most players felt legitimately snubbed, because so much of the selection process would come down to what someone values personally in a guard. Young is the NBA’s assist leader (by a lot, 78 more than Nikola Jokic in second) on a Hawks team that was overachieving largely because of his play (and Jalen Johnson, who is now done for the season with a shoulder injury but had an All-Star case in the frontcourt as well). Young’s shooting efficiency (40.2/34.2/85.6 splits) and more pedestrian scoring average of 22.7 points per game played a role in him being left off, but the biggest problem for Young is that the Hawks have dropped from the battle for sixth all the way to ninth in the East. Despite the entire season being factored in, recency bias does tend to come into play and the Hawks have fallen off a cliff of late with injuries, losing their last six coming into Thursday.
Tyrese Maxey
Maxey, similarly to Young, has had efficiency issues this season (43.8/33.7/87.1 shooting splits) on a banged up team that leans heavily on him for scoring. That said, he’s still averaging 27.1 points and 6.0 assists per game, and has had to carry the load on a Sixers team that has spent most of the season without Joel Embiid and Paul George. Team record always plays a role in reserve selections, as coaches tend to reward winning, and more than anything else, Maxey’s candidacy takes a hit with the Sixers at 19-27, good for just 11th in the East. He did make a very strong closing argument for an All-Star selection, scoring 28 or more in each of his last 12 games, with Philly winning their four most recent games going into selection night.
Zach LaVine
The Bulls struggles meant LaVine faced an extreme uphill battle to make the All-Star Game, but he’s had a similarly fantastic season to Herro, just on a worse team. He’s averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for Chicago on some truly staggering shooting splits (51.1/44.6/79.7). The Bulls being 20-28 made it very difficult for him to earn a third All-Star nod without having crazier averages, but if nothing else he has rebuilt his value around the league after being unmovable for the Bulls this summer.
LaMelo Ball
The leader in fan voting among East guards will not be in San Francisco, a scenario that was not hard to see coming once you started doing the math on the starter vote. Once Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson were voted as starters, with the media and player vote being enough to override Ball’s lead in fan voting, it was hard to see him getting a spot via the coaches. Ball is putting up some big averages at 28.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game, but his shooting splits are fairly pedestrian (41.9/33.7/82.0) and the Hornets have been truly dreadful this season with or without him. Making an All-Star team on a 12-32 team requires some truly outrageous stats, and I think Ball needed to be leading the NBA in scoring to make the team on the coaches vote, rather than being fourth (and missing 11 games and counting).
Franz Wagner
The frontcourt picks in the East were much more straightforward than the guards. Jalen Johnson had a pretty strong case pre-injury, and Jarrett Allen’s been key for the Cavs but just doesn’t really have the statistical profile for a selection. However, the guy that was likely closest to making it that didn’t was Wagner, who was trending as an All-Star lock before his injury, but playing in just 28 games made it tough for the coaches to put him on the roster. Wagner is averaging 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 46.2/31.7/87.2 shooting splits, but the Magic took a big tumble down the standings without both he and Paolo Banchero, and even with both back they have not been able to do much other than tread water at .500. With other teams like Indiana surging (which pushed Pascal Siakam into an All-Star spot), Wagner got pinched by his lengthy absence and Orlando’s slide.
WEST
Kyrie Irving
Most All-Star lists that got written by various members of the media over the past few weeks had Kyrie Irving alongside Anthony Edwards for the second West guard slot, but with James Harden getting that nod, the Mavs got shut out. Luka Doncic’s injury took him off of the ballot and for awhile it looked like Irving would be a near-lock for a spot. But the Mavs struggles over the last few weeks have them down in eighth in the West at 26-22 and Kyrie’s averages of 24.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on 48.2/41.9/89.7 shooting splits were apparently not enough to get a spot. With both Wild Card spots going to frontcourt players as coaches looked to reward the Rockets strong season with a spot for Alperen Sengun and the Thunder getting a second selection with Jalen Williams, the 8-time All-Star guard ended up missing out.
Domantas Sabonis
West frontcourt was the next toughest group to narrow down behind the East guards, and Sabonis, like Sengun, was among those left on the outside looking in. Sabonis’ numbers this year in Sacramento are staggering — 20.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game on 60.1/48.1/77.1 splits. The problem he ran into is, Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis were always going to be locks with LeBron and KD getting starting spots, the Thunder were always getting two guys in which elevated Jalen Williams over him, and the Grizzlies best player this year has been Jaren Jackson Jr., and he is more than deserving of a spot. That made things particularly tight and it came down to a Wild Card battle with some of the West guards.
De’Aaron Fox
Like his Sacramento teammate, Fox finds himself just on the outside despite strong averages (25.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds per game). Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving picked up the two West guard spots and with the stacked frontcourt battle, there were limited opportunities for a Wild Card selection for Fox. The Kings have been better of late and that surge certainly gave him a chance, but he’ll have to wait until next year, when he’s possibly playing somewhere else, to make another push for a second All-Star selection.
Devin Booker
Booker’s production this season is very similar to Fox (25.5 points, 6.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game) and he will miss out on an All-Star trip for the first time in five years. Booker’s biggest issue is that the Suns have just not lived up to expectations and he’s taken a slight step back both in overall productivity and efficiency this season. Durant’s spectacular season earned him a starting nod, but putting two players from the current 9-seed was a tough ask for Phoenix.
Norman Powell
Snub might be a strong word, but Powell’s season deserves a mention here. His averages aren’t so eye-popping that you feel he was robbed of a spot (24.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game) but he’s been lights out shooting the ball (49.4/43.5/84.6 splits) and is a major reason why the Clippers are in a playoff position in the West past the midway point of the season despite the departure of Paul George this summer. James Harden getting a selection was a bit of a surprise, and there
Last week, the NBA announced the 10 players who earned the distinction of being a starter in the 2025 All-Star Game. Fast-forward to today and the league rounded out the player pools from each conference, as the Inside the NBA crew announced the reserves from both the East and the West.
Here’s how things break down:
Eastern Conference
Jaylen Brown
Pascal Siakam
Darius Garland
Cade Cunningham
Evan Mobley
Damian Lillard
Tyler Herro
Western Conference
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Davis
James Harden
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Alperen Sengun
Jalen Williams
Victor Wembanyama
This, of course, will not be the final list of players who participate in All-Star this year, as some of the names on this list will be out due to injury. There’s also the curious case of Victor Wembanyama, who was selected to the Rising Stars Challenge — because of the new format that the NBA has put together for All-Star, the winning Rising Stars team will get an invitation to play in the 4-team mini-tournament, and presumably, the team that has Wemby on it will have a pretty big advantage over everyone else, if he chooses to participate instead of doing the All-Star Game.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Last week, FYI and Uproxx Studios, in collaboration with will.i.am’s charity, i.am. Angel Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, and WalkGood LA raised over $250,000 for people affected by the devastating LA Wildfires in a series of livestream telethon-esque events. Dubbed the “LA Check In,” the event saw donations come in from people who live and breathe LA, but the work isn’t done just yet.
The LA Check In is set to continue this Friday, January 31st, live from the FYI Campus, opening the doors to the community to join in on the festivities.
This week’s event will include appearances from will.i.am, DJ Drama, DJ and songwriter Samantha Ronson, DJ HED, and a surprise performance by viral rap sensation Coast Contra, as well as unannounced surprise guests, and an open bar providing premium drinks for everyone in attendance.
Given the talent already in question, you’re going to want to be there, but this is also a unique opportunity to be a part of doing what LA does best — coming together to care for its community.
Space at this event is limited, but you can secure your spot with a donation here. 100% of the proceeds raised by the LA Check In will be directed to LA fire relief efforts, providing immediate financial assistance to affected families in need via organizations on the ground floor, including the LAUSD Foundation, Pasadena Educational Foundation, and Core Foundations.
Come through and come together to support LA. Reserve your ticket here.
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