Category: News

American single malt whiskey is growing fast. The old-school style offers both an alternative to the heavier mash bills of rye and bourbon and a less expensive single malt than the juice from Scotland and Japan. Wins all around.

The definition of American single malt is pretty simple. These are whiskeys made with 100 percent malted barley. The barreling/aging doesn’t have to be done in a specific barrel (as it does with straight rye or bourbon), which means there’s a little more room for experimentation. Some distillers source specialty barley grown to make the best beers in the world, others import iconic barley from Scotland, while other distillers grow their own barley around the rickhouses. It’s a fascinating style that has a lot to offer the whiskey drinker looking to move beyond American bourbons and ryes or anyone looking to find a US compliment to Scottish single malts.

For this blind taste test, we’re doing something a little bit different. I’m tasting six American single malt whiskeys from all over the country. Then I’m adding two ringers. One is an Irish Single Malt from Teeling. This is to see if “single malt” whiskey outside of Scotland has a universal vibe. Will I be able to spot it on sight and taste alone? How will it compare? The second ripple is a Kentucky Malt Whiskey from Woodford. This is a malted barley whiskey that’s treated like bourbon — at least 51 percent malted barley instead of corn and aged in new oak. Will this dram blend in with the others or stick out like a sore thumb???

The full list goes a little something like this:

• Westward American Single Malt Whiskey (WA)
• Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky (VA)
• Balcones Pilgrimage (TX)
• Boulder American Single Malt Whiskey Bottled-in-Bond (CO)
• Teeling Irish Single Malt Whiskey
• Woodford Reserve Kentucky Malt Whiskey (KY)
• Boulder American Single Malt Whiskey (CO)
• Courage & Conviction Bourbon Barrel Finish American Single Malt Whiskey (VA)

I’ve also included a couple of expressions from the same two craft brands to see if they really change all that much. Is a bottled-in-bond the “good stuff” in American single malt like it often is with rye and bourbon? What about a cask finishing? Will it make that much difference? Let’s find out!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of 2021

• A Blind Ranking Of Affordable Blended Scotch Whiskies
• Our Favorite Scotch Whisky At Every Price Point From $30 To $500
• We Blind Tested Blended Scotches In The $40 Range And A Clear Winner Emerged
• The Best Bottles Of Scotch Whisky Between $50-$60
• Blind Scotch Taste Test — Which 12-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky Is Best?

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This is very fruity and malty on the nose with a touch of cream soda and mild spice. The palate is vanilla forward with wet tobacco, a touch of eggnog spice, and a dry grain backbone that’s almost toasted. There’s a wet leather that leads towards a slightly dry dark cocoa powder on the very end.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This is really buttery with nice bourbon caramel and a light malty foundation on the nose. The palate leans into tart red berries with dry cedar bark and creamy/dry dark chocolate chili pepper vibe.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This draws you in with rich honey that leads toward a spicy peach cobbler touched by soft leather and stewed pear with saffron. The taste is milk chocolate that leads to a ripe pear and a honey candy. The flavors are so clear, defined, and delicious that I wrote “wow” in my notes.

The mid-palate picks up an apple blossom floral note next to a very bespoke apple soda that’s touched with salted caramel, like the most high-end caramel apple you’ve ever tasted. That leads towards an end with a mild choco-spice creamy dryness and a lingering sense of orchards in full bloom.

I can’t see anything beating this. Wrap it up!

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Okay, this is good too. The nose is a mix of beautiful cherry Coke next to vanilla pudding with a dusting of dry brown spices. That cherry Coke vibe continues into the palate with a malty backbone and a turn into black licorice and anise. The end is so soft and malty it’s like a warm hug.

It’s delicious.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This is very light. The nose is all holiday cake spices, nuts, and candied fruits. This is already completely different. The palate is dry and grainy malts and dry cedar with a touch of florals, nuts, and spice on the end.

This has to be the Irish whiskey.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Woah! This is drastically different again. The nose is raisins and raw leather next to a savory fruit. The palate has an Almond Joy vibe with cedar and more of that raw leather chewiness. The end is more Almond Joy with a touch of raw pumpkin.

This has to be the Woodford if the last one is the Teeling.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

There’s some big fruit on the nose with a touch of nuttiness and maple syrup. There’s a distinct lemon-lime oil spritz on the palate with Caro syrup sweetness and a plastic fake fruit candy vibe. The end is almost sweet enough to feel like grape soda.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a note of vanilla next to cedar, Graham crackers, and spicy malts. The palate has a chocolate-orange note leading towards more sweet crackers and cinnamon candies. The end veers a little less sweet with a melon candy vibe on the finish.

Part 2: The Ranking

Okay, since this is a little different, I’m calling out numbers five and six as the Teeling and Woodford respectively. There’s no way those were the same category. Number five was super light on the color, so that’s easily the Irish whiskey.

Turns out, I was right. In that case, I’ll address those first but not rank them since this is about ranking American single malts.

x. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $40

The Whisky:

This expression is sort of like Scotland meets Kentucky in a bottle. The mash bill utilizes 51 percent malted barley. So, it’s not a single malt whisky (those are 100 percent malted barley mash bills). The bill is then supported by a big dose of corn (47 percent), and a dash of rye (two percent). The hot juice is then treated as an American bourbon or rye and is aged in new American oak (single malts generally mature in old bourbon or sherry barrels).

Bottom Line:

This is so funky. Those savory notes are wild but so enticing. Still, this was so far from the rest of the group, it kind of felt weird tasting this next to the other whiskeys. That just goes to show you how much difference a 51 percent barley and 100 percent barley mash bill can make.

x. Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey — Taste 5

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Whisky:

Teeling might be producing the most interesting whiskey in the game, not just the Irish whiskey game. This Irish single malt is created by vatting 100 percent malted barley juice that’s aged in sherry, port, Madeira, white Burgundy, and Cabernet Sauvignon casks. It’s rumored that some of those barrels are up to 23 years old, which is wild for a whiskey at this price point.

Bottom Line:

This was definitely more of a classic “single malt” than the Woodford. Still, this was too different from the rest of the bunch to really rank it amongst them. It stood out, it’s really good, time to move on.

The Actual Ranking

6. Boulder Single Malt American Whiskey — Taste 7

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $79

The Whisky:

This craft whiskey from Colorado is made with 100 percent locally grown barley. It’s slowly fermented and distilled in-house on an old-school Scottish copper pot still. The juice is then aged in new American oak, much like bourbon, for four years before it’s cut with Rocky Mountain water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

I guess it turns out that bottled-in-bond in American single malts means the “good stuff” too. This really didn’t come anywhere near the heights of its sibling on this list. It’s not that it’s bad by any stretch. It’s just fine by all accounts but doesn’t have the “wow” factor.

5. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky Bourbon Barrel Finish — Taste 8

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $85

The Whisky:

This is the classic Virginia single malt made with locally grown barley and distilled at the farm in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains. The juice then is filled into ex-bourbon barrels (from Kentucky only) and left to age until it’s just right.

Bottom Line:

This might have dropped a little lower by being the last dram. It did feel a little muddled compared to the rest of the drams on the list. Still, I can see mixing with this very easily thanks to those more bourbon-laden notes.

4. Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky 2021 Edition — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $75

The Whisky:

Virginia Distillery is one of those craft distilleries you’re going to be hearing more and more about in the coming years. Their Courage & Conviction is the second in a series of single malts the distillery plans to release in this line. This expression is a single malt blend of 100 percent malted barley distillate that’s aged in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-Cuvée wine casks. The blend is a split of 50 percent from the bourbon cask and an equal measure from the sherry and Cuvée casks.

Bottom Line:

This is really well-rounded and super easy-drinking. I kind of feel like numbers four, three, and two are all really close in this ranking. I can’t really find a single fault here besides the next three just had more going on.

3. Westward American Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

Portland’s Westward Whiskey has its roots in Pacific Northwest craft brewing culture (similar to most craft distilleries in the PNW). This juice is emblematic of how important the first step of whiskey — the fermented mash that is, basically, beer — is to the whiskey-making process. And while Westward’s Stout Cask Finish was getting all the love this year, just last year this expression won Double Gold in San Francisco.

Bottom Line:

This was a great opening dram. It rang true and deep on the flavor profile. Still, there were two bottles that shined a little brighter today.

2. Boulder American Single Malt Whiskey Bottled in Bond — Taste 4

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $75

The Whisky:

This Colorado whiskey is a fascinating experiment — asking what a single malt that’s treated like a bottled-in-bond bourbon might taste like. The juice is made from 100 percent malted barley. Then is spends four years in a bonded warehouse aging in new American oak. It’s then bottled at 50 percent ABV per federal regulations.

Bottom Line:

I really, really like this. I can see sending this to friends as something new they should try. It’s well-done, has clear flavors, and feels very welcoming. No notes!

1. Balcones Pilgrimage — Taste 3

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $76

The Whisky:

This single malt starts with Golden Promise malted barley in the mash with proprietary ale yeast and local Texas water. The distilled juice is then loaded into used barrels like all of the world’s great single malts. After a few years of aging under the hot Texas sun, the whisky is transferred into French Sauternes casks, bringing a distinct dessert wine vibe to the juice. Finally, the whisky is bottled at cask strength from very small, one-off batches.

Bottom Line:

This was the best dram today and it wasn’t even close. This juice might be a masterpiece. It’s so refined while having such a clear tasting profile that’s 100 percent accessible from top to bottom.

Goddamn, this was good!

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I really thought it’d be a lot harder to find the Irish single malt and that Kentucky malt. It was not. Taking those two expressions out of the ranking, there was still a lot of distance between some of these, even from same the distilleries. Boulder’s Bottled-in-Bond really is in a different league than their standard expression.

Then there was that Balcones. I’ve drunk a lot of that juice over the years — even spent a day in the tasting room with Master Distiller Jared Himstedt tasting so many of their barrels that I lost track. But this dram blind blew my socks off. It’s truly great whiskey that I’m going to buy a case of, pronto.

Overall, I feel like Amerian single malts are a great palate cleanser for the heavier world of American ryes and bourbons. This was a lighter tasting than the ones I regularly do, all things considered. There were new and easier flavor notes to enjoy — making the whole lineup really enjoyable.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Verzuz will be keeping things in New York for the time being as the platform announced its next battle for fans to enjoy. Fat Joe and Ja Rule will be bringing their talents to the table for a head-to-head matchup on September 14. The battle will once again be a live in-person event, as Verzuz is giving fans the opportunity to purchase tickets to watch Fat Joe and Ja Rule play their classic records in a venue that has yet to be revealed.

The announcement comes after Verzuz held an epic battle between The LOX and Dipset, and it ended up being one of the most exciting battles that the platform has held since its inception back in March 2020. At its conclusion, many picked The LOX as the winners of the night as Jadakiss emerged as the battle’s star thanks to a number of memorable moments. LeBron James even called Jadakiss the most underrated hip-hop artist of “all time” once the night came to an end.

As for Fat Joe and Ja Rule, the announcement comes after the former played tracks from his past and present during a NPR Tiny Desk concert. As for Ja Rule, he’s been fairly quiet on the music side of things but he recently auctioned off an NFT of the viral cheese sandwich and a painting from his infamous Fyre Festival.

Tickets for hopeful attendees go on sale September 7. You can take a look at the flyer for Ja Rule and Fat Joe’s Verzuz above.

Sprinter Keula Nidreia Pereira Semedo won’t be leaving the Tokyo Paralympics with a medal, but she did get something that may be even better: an engagement ring.

Semedo currently lives in Portugal but is originally from Cape Verde, the country she’s represented as a Paralympian since 2005.

Semedo came in fourth place in the preliminaries for the 200-meter dash for athletes in the T11 classification, meaning they have very low visual acuity and/or no light perception. To run safely, she is tethered to her running partner, Manuel Antonio Vaz da Veiga.

---

But it looks like they’re going to be tethered together for much longer than their time on the track. After the 200-meter dash was over Vaz da Veiga can be seen briefly leaving the track and then returning with a few more runners and guides.

Then, he got down on one knee and proposed to Semedo, who appeared to be overjoyed by the proposal as Vaz da Veiga put a ring on her finger and then gave her a big hug.

“May the two of them run together for life!” tweeted the official Paralympic Games account.

#Paralympics proposal alert 🥺

Manuel Antonio Vaz da Veiga, guide to Keula Nidreia Pereira Semedo, popped the quest… https://t.co/OUpWWqFKx2

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics)
1630547086.0

Shortly after the race and proposal, Semedo was completely overwhelmed.

“With the proposal, there’s just too many emotions going on right now,” Semedo said after the race, via Paralympic.org. “I don’t have words to explain how I feel. These were my first Paralympic Games and with my age and speed, I was actually thinking about stopping afterwards. But now I have an additional motivation to carry on after the Games, always with him by my side.”

Vaz da Veiga later admitted he had been planning the big moment since she was selected for the Cape Verde team in July.

“I thought this was the best occasion and the best place to do it,” he said. “This [an athletics stadium] is her second home. She has been competing since 2005.”

“We have been together in a relationship for 11 years, so I thought it was about time to come up with a proposal,” he added. “So why not do it?”

The engagement wasn’t the only in Tokyo this summer. During the Summer Olympic games Argentine fencer Maria Belen Pérez Maurice was proposed to by her coach of 17 years, Lucas Saucedo.

Y después del combate de esgrima le pidieron casamiento a María Belén Pérez Maurice en vivo. https://t.co/wEmGuOW7CB

— Rústico (@lautarojl)
1627268110.0

After Pérez Maurice was knocked out of the games she gave her post-match interview and Saucedo stood behind her with a sign that read: “Will you marry me, please?”

When Pérez Maurice saw the sign she let out a scream of joy and accepted the proposal.

“They [the interviewer] told me to turn around, and he had the letter. I forgot everything. I was like: ‘Oh my God,'” she said. “We are very happy. We are very good partners. Of course, we have fights, but we enjoy each other’s time. We love each other so much, and we want to spend our lives together. We are going to celebrate in Buenos Aires with a big barbecue.”

Last week, Wendy’s quietly began rolling out a brand new French fry recipe at some of its restaurants nationwide. We’re thrilled about this. While Wendy’s is well-loved at Uproxx Life, we all pretty much agree that their French fries are a weak link. In our last French fry ranking, fast food’s most underrated chain showed its clay feet — coming in at 11 out of 15, where we concluded that their fries are “Middling. At Best… overly salted…often limp and soggy…” etc.

I stand by that review. Wendy’s OG fries don’t deserve to sit in the bag alongside their delicious cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches. If you’re looking for a crispy delicious and dippable side to eat alongside your burger, you’re better off getting the spicy nuggets than an order of those abominations. So it gives me no small measure of joy — and validation! — to write that Wendy’s new Hot & Crispy French fries remedy many of the problems I had with the original recipe.

According to Wendy’s, the Hot & Crispys were crafted to retain each fry’s heat and crispiness, hence the name. I find that dubious, considering the Hot & Crispys look about the same as Wendy’s OG fries, just a little thicker and a little lighter in color. Does the “holds its heat” claim check out? To investigate, I set a stopwatch to check the fries at different timed intervals, from fresh out of the bag to 20 minutes after being served to a full 40 — which is roughly the amount of time it takes for you to get food delivered via UberEats, Postmates, and the like.

Check our multi-stage review, below!

Hot & Crispy French Fries

PART I — Fresh Out Of The Bag

The new fries are a beautiful golden color, reminiscent of McDonald’s but more than twice as thick with some skin on the edges which adds a nice earthiness to the flavor. They aren’t over-salted like the OG fries, and they’re indeed molten hot and buttery on the inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside. They don’t suffer from that instant sogginess that the OGs had.

The crispiness gives the French fries a sort of double flash-fried vibe — they’re crispy but not fried to the point that they’re burnt or crunchy. This is a good thing, because you get a very potato-forward flavor that makes them good enough to eat on their own without the need for a dipping sauce.

The exterior of the fry is very light, it’s a significant improvement over the OG recipe and it’s worthy of revamping our entire fry ranking just to give it its proper spot.

After I ate a handful, I put the fries back in the box and watched the clock.

PART II — 20 Minutes In

Unfortunately, the heat has all but disappeared but these fries are magically just as crispy as they were fresh out of the bag. That’s pretty amazing. Somehow the fries taste a lot saltier now than they did when they were hot, though. It’s almost overwhelming, but still way less salty than the OGs.

As far as lukewarm fries go, these still taste pretty good. 20 minutes is enough time to turn a delicious French fry into a bad one but these hold up nicely in the flavor department and aren’t in the least bit soggy.

Back in the bag they go!

PART III — 40 Minutes In

Whoops, I’m 20 seconds late! Another 20 minutes in and the crispiness is almost completely gone. Surprisingly, a few of the fries still hold up, and almost every bite still supplies an audible crunch, but the mouthfeel is mostly mushy and at this stage, the grease is much more noticeable and severely impacts the flavor.

So I can’t say that these fries still hold up in the flavor department after 40 minutes, but they’re certainly crispier than almost every other fast food French fry that isn’t battered. And what fry has broken the 40-minute barrier? Few, if any.

The Bottom Line:

These aren’t McDonald’s good but I struggle to think of a second fast food French fry that is better. Wendy’s French fries jumped up from being forgettable to essential and that’s a win for everyone. Skip the third-party delivery, but if you’re in the drive-thru they’re a must.

Hot & Crispy French Fries will be the nationwide standard at all Wendy’s restaurants by mid-month.

The January 6 insurrection attempt in Washington D.C. at Donald Trump’s behest has certainly spawned some continuing drama in the United States, including hundreds of legal cases stemming from charges of trespassing and other crimes at the deadly event. But one of the lawyers representing a number of those accused has had a drama following him that’s taken on a life of its own.

John Pierce, a Trump-supporting lawyer who was helping a number of defendants with Capitol insurrection-related cases, made headlines this week with a report that he was struggling to do his job due to contracting coronavirus. Which was, of course, a thing he didn’t believe existed. Reports said that the lawyer was on a ventilator after contracting COVID-19, but a new report casts significant doubt on that. In fact,

But now there’s speculation that he was not actually sick and merely trying to hide for some reason. Because as The Daily Beast detailed, the lawyer now appears to have gone missing altogether. The report noted three different rioters who had Pierce as their lawyer have opted not to work with him anymore, mostly because they can’t find him.

Marshall told the judge that Pierce was in the hospital with COVID-19, on a ventilator and unresponsive. A few hours later, a colleague of Pierce’s—or a friend, depending on who you ask—said in a statement that Pierce, 49, was in the hospital with what he thought might have been COVID, but was actually “dehydration and exhaustion.” But Marshall had previously also claimed that Pierce had been in some sort of accident, and another person close to Pierce said that he had in fact been hospitalized but was not on a ventilator.

Since then, Marshall, who is under criminal indictment in Pennsylvania on 15 felony charges stemming from an alleged scheme that bilked an elderly widow out of $86,000, has repeatedly feigned ignorance about the specifics of Pierce’s condition. Pierce “is sick,” Marshall insisted to The Daily Beast, but said he hadn’t seen him and only knew “what I was told.”

Whether Pierce is actually sick, exhausted, or simply trying to fall off the face of the Earth for whatever reason, it’s weird to say the least. And according to the report, his clients are rightfully furious and unwilling to work with him anymore.

[via The Daily Beast]

A bowl of fried rice is one of my death row meals. I pretty much lived on the stuff back when I spent a year in Jakarta. The spicy fried rice wrapped in green-brown paper and made to order from pushcarts is a dish I still dream about to this day. And since I’m a world away from Indonesia, I end up making it on my stovetop far more often than I probably should — this isn’t exactly health food.

There’s really only one rule when making fried rice at home — use leftovers. That makes this a great late-night meal. Especially if you’ve had a drink or two.

First, you need day-old white rice that’s cooled in a fridge. This is an unavoidable truth of great fried rice. From there, it’s all about building umami, funk, spice, and texture. My ethos for what kind of fried rice I’m making comes down to what’s leftover and how rich I want it to be.

In this case, I had some skirt steak and steamed broccoli — so I’m making steak and broccoli fried rice. Do you have some leftover rotisserie chicken? Use that. A little ham left after a Sunday roast? That’s perfect with eggs. Are there leftover steamed clams and mussels in the fridge from last night’s take-out? Throw it in there! It’s really that simple.

Beyond the main protein and veg in your fried rice, I like to keep the base pretty simple, work fast, and build a funky and umami base. Let’s get into it.

Fried Rice

Ingredients (for two servings):

• 1.5 cups cooked white rice
• 2 green onions
• 1/2-inch fresh ginger
• 2 florets of steamed broccoli
• 3-oz. skirt steak (cooked)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. sambal olek
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• White Pepper
• MSG
• Chili oil
• White sesame seeds
• Neutral oil

First, I’m putting measurements for the sauces above but I’ve never measured them out. I use a few dashes of fish sauce, a glug of soy, a dollop of sambal olek, etc. You need to dial in these measurements for your palate. The overall point is to build umami while adding in a little funk.

I had leftover jasmine rice, so that’s what I’ll. I cooked my rice in a pot on the stove in veg stock so that it has a little more savory depth. Cook your rice how you want but make sure it’s well-seasoned before it’s put into the fridge overnight.

The rest is pretty straightforward. I’m using a light onion for the base with fresh ginger. You can 100 percent add garlic if you want. Do you have some galangal lying around? Put it in. The point of fried rice is that it’s your recipe. I like mine more on the nasi goreng side of the fried rice spectrum and that’s why I’m using sambal olek and chili oil to keep things spicy.

This is simply a roadmap of sorts to a good bowl of fried rice. The exact specs are yours alone (my editor insists on Thai basil).

What You’ll Need:

• Nonstick pan
• Kitchen knife
• Cutting board
• Wooden spoon
• Bowl
• Fine grater

Method:

• Prep your ingredients: Thinly chop the whites of the green onion, grate the ginger, cube the beef, and roughly chop the broccoli.
• Chop the greens of the green onion and set aside for later.
• Heat a small glug of neutral oil (I used sunflower) in the pan.
• Crack the egg into the hot pan and immediately use the wooden spoon to scramble the egg. As soon as it sets, remove it to a waiting bowl.
• Add another glug of oil to the pan. Turn up the heat to high and drop in the green onion whites, ginger, beef, and broccoli.
• Add the fish sauce and use the wooden spoon to move everything around so it heats through evenly.
• As soon as the onions turn translucent (about a minute or so), add the rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sambal olek, a few shakes of white pepper, and a pinch of MSG. Use the wooden spoon to integrate everything.
• After cooking for about another minute, lower the heat to medium-low or low and add in the butter and scrambled eggs. Stir until the butter is completely melted into the rice.
• Use the wooden spoon to pat the rice down gently.
• Let the rice cook, untouched, for a few minutes to create a lightly browned bottom to the rice.
• Kill the heat and stir the crunchy bottom into the rest of the rice.
• Scoop the rice into two waiting bowls, drizzle with chili oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and garnish with the green onion tops.
• Serve.

Bottom Line:

Let’s start with the texture, using butter (which is Roy Choi approved) to help the bottom of the rice brown really adds the x-factor. You get the softness of the fried rice juxtaposed with crunchy and buttery kernels of rice here and there. It’s a nice touch.

The steak was medium rare when it went into the pan. Since the cooking time is pretty short, it’s still tender and juicy but just above medium now. It’s beefy, soft, and provides another nice textural element.

The broccoli, onion, and ginger add color, sweetness, and heat in that order. The eggs are soft with an edge of butteriness.

The dish really shines in that it’s mildly spicy with soft warmth at the top that slowly builds to a mild buzz by the end of the bowl. This marries really well with the layers of savory soy, almost-sweet oyster sauce, and the funk of that fish sauce at the base.

I’m not gonna lie, I ate both servings of this without any hesitation. It’s freakin’ delicious, took under ten minutes to make from fridge to plate, and left me wanting more.

The life of a housecat is generally pretty cozy, but some cities make it easier to spoil our kitties than others.

According to a new ranking of cat-friendly cities from OneVet, felines in Florida are particularly fortunate. The state boasts the honor of having three cities in the top 10, and is the only state to have multiples cities on the list. (Florida. Who knew?)

The “Best U.S. Cities to Be a Cat” rankings are based on five equally-weighted factors: the number of pet-friendly rentals, number of veterinarians, number of cat cafes, number of pet stores, and number of cat adoptions in 2020 (all per 100K population). A pretty solid set of criteria, at least from a human perspective.

---

(If cats themselves were making these rankings, we’d be looking at number of mice per square block, number of birds visible through windows, number of sucker humans that can be convinced to put food out for us, etc.)

Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Anyhoo, pouncing in as the number one cat-friendly city in America is Miami, Florida, with a score of 43.47 out of a maximum score of 50. In a close second was Orlando, followed by Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.

Offering a nice geographical spread, the cities of Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Tampa, and Riverside, CA rounded out the top ten.

blog.onevet.ai

So how about the worst places to be a cat?

Well, you can take your pick of cities from coast to coast, with New York City being the worst, with a shockingly low score of 5.23, and two California metros—San Francisco and Los Angeles—making the bottom 10.

Others on the cat-unfriendly list include Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville (so Florida isn’t all feline-friendly), Phoenix, Detroit, Houston, and Virginia Beach.

blog.onevet.ai

Of course, the care and feeding of a cat is mainly a product of how wrapped around their owner’s finger they are, but it is interesting to see how much varies from city to city as far as cat-friendly amenities goes. Apparently the Northwest is remarkably average, with no cities in the top or bottom 10. (Either that, or the region just entirely forgotten about, which happens a lot.)

But really, cats themselves don’t care all the much. As long as they get rubs and snuggles when they want them (and only when they want them) and as long as everything is exactly as they feel it should be, they’re happy wherever they live.

Photo by Yerlin Matu on Unsplash

And hey, at least Florida has something to brag about other than off-the-wall people and off-the-rails politicians. “Most cat-friendly state in the U.S.” may not be much, but it’s something.

Drake has come a long way from rolling down the aisles of Degrassi Community School. He left Wheelchair Jimmy far behind and transformed into one of music’s colossal forces, reframing the ideals of success while simultaneously breaking and creating new records. Following 2009’s breakthrough EP So Far Gone, the artist has soared closer to icon territory by unleashing an impressive string of albums, mixtapes and loosies that became woven in social media commentary and led to historic chart runs. His impact is pretty unshakeable at this point, as even his guest features could be a list all on its own. Call him what you want — Champagne Papi, Heartbreak Drake, Drizzy, The Boy, 6 God, Young Angel, October’s Very Own, OVO Records’ CEO — but there’s no denying he’s on his way to G.O.A.T. status.

In anticipation of his pending sixth album Certified Lover Boy, due out tomorrow, we present a ranking of our favorite songs so far.

60. “Passionfruit” (More Life, 2017)

Sure, “Passionfruit” sounds like the nondescript playlist songs we’ve all heard in H&M and Zara dressing rooms. But that’s part of its magic. Drake does accessibility well, drawing in listeners from all backgrounds and ages to simply…vibe. This More Life cut does just that, with its blend of tropical house and R&B (courtesy of British producer and songwriter Nana Rogues) that makes post-long distance heartache somehow sound oh-so-irresistible.

59. “Unforgettable” Feat. Jeezy (Thank Me Later, 2010)

Drake is a huge Aaliyah fan (he even has the late icon tattooed on his back), and he celebrated her legacy early on in his career with “Unforgettable.” Built around a sample of Aaliyah’s cover of Isley Brothers’ ‘70s classic “(At Your Best) You Are Love,” the singer’s signature coos provide a lush backdrop for both Drizzy and Jeezy’s flirty lines.

58. “Over” (Thank Me Later, 2010)

After years of building his name with mixtapes and being part of the Young Money crew, Drake showed he had something to prove with “Over.” The Grammy-nominated lead single of his debut album Thank Me Later showed it was evident the road to superstardom would become crowded as hell: “I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year / Who the f**k are y’all?” Atop a boisterous beat via and Boi-1da and Al Khaaliq, Drake affirms that he has his eyes set on taking over the game. The one thing holding this back is the overt “hashtag rap” that will keep it stuck in the ‘10s era.

57. “Ransom” Feat. Lil Wayne (non-album single, 2008)

Lil Wayne often brings out the best in Drake, and the potential that he initially saw in the post-Degrassi star is highlighted all throughout “Ransom.” Forget a catchy hook, this song is about straight bars. Weezy ultimately takes the lead here, but he gives his mentee the spotlight to show off his talents. This is Drake at his hungriest and we haven’t heard him like this since.

56. “Wu-Tang Forever” (Nothing Was the Same, 2013)

Based on the title alone, you’d think “Wu-Tang Forever” was actually a tribute to the Staten Island rap legends. But the sample of Wu-Tang Clan’s 1997 “It’s Yourz” cut is where the homage starts and ends. This Nothing Was the Same highlight is all about two things that Drake loves to discuss: paranoia and women. The combination of the ghostly sample and the nightmarish piano gives a dark edge to Drake’s sweet croons. The confusion rightfully ended up rubbing the Wu-Tang Clan the wrong way, but one can’t deny the song’s appealing nature. After all, what’s Drake without controversy?

55. “Money To Blow” with Birdman and Lil Wayne (Priceless, 2009)

Drake’s swagger was on a hundred, thousand, trillion on this Young Money mini-posse single, where he intros with a 24-hour champagne diet declaration that showed off just how rich he was becoming. His flow is so smooth that you can almost forgive his bold-faced flexing. And Weezy couldn’t have prophesied it any better: “And we gon’ be alright if we put Drake on every hook.” Since declaring such on “Money To Blow,” the rapper has collected chart-topping features like an Olympian.

54. “One Dance” (Views, 2016)

When Drake wasn’t looking for revenge all summer ‘16, he was taking over the clubs that year with a trio of dancehall-inspired tunes: “Controlla,” his “Work” team-up with Rihanna and “One Dance.” The latter is the weakest of the three, but it still kept waistlines moving thanks to its fusion of dancehall, afrobeats, and the house subgenre of UK funky. Featuring Nigerian superstar WizKid (who collaborated with Drake the year prior on the “Ojuelegba Remix” and later reteamed for 2017’s “Come Closer”) and British singer Kyla, it was both charming and monotonous. “One Dance” topped the charts in the UK, the US, and Canada, once again showcasing the unshakeable appeal of the African diaspora’s genres.

53. “God’s Plan” (Scary Hours & Scorpion, 2018)

What makes Drake a standout rap artist is his ability to create moments within songs whose impact extends beyond the genre. At face value, “God’s Plan” is a typical track for him, stuffed with endless Instagram captions (“Don’t pull up at 6 AM to cuddle with me”) and catchphrases for festival goers to shout back at him (“I only love my bed and my momma, I’m sorry”). But the beauty is in its simplicity, and the formula worked tenfold: “God’s Plan” secured a Grammy for Best Rap Song and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven weeks.

52. “Legend” (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, 2015)

2015 found Drake at his peak cocky stage, which is best and brashly displayed on IYRTITL’s “Legend” opener. He calls upon OVO signee PartyNextDoor to strip and flip Ginuwine’s ‘90s classic “So Anxious” into an ambient soundboard for Drake to showcase zero signs of humility. For him to croon “Oh my God, oh my God, if I die, I’m a legend” as passionately as Ginuwine would croon to his lady fans is completely audacious. But when you’ve racked up a near-untouchable stack of accolades before age 30, can you really blame him?

51. “What’s Next” (Scary Hours 2, 2021)

With every passing year, more people want a piece of Drake, whether it’s his personal life or new music. By the time 2021 hit, fans grew tired of Certified Lover Boy’s disappearing act after first teasing it last summer. Ever the troll, he continued to drop one-off singles with no release date in sight. His latest, “What’s Next,” is a heavy dose of sarcasm that’s not so far off from the eye-rolls targeted at the media on 2018’s “Look Alive” (“I’ve been gone since, like, July, n****s actin’ like I died”) and 2011’s “HYFR” (“Do you love this sh*t? Are you high right now?”). Album or not, he’s highly aware of his relevance and will remind you any chance he gets: “I’m on the hot one hundo, numero uno / This one ain’t come with a bundle.”

50. “November 18th” (So Far Gone, 2009)

“November 18th” is an essential Drake track for two reasons: it signifies the date that Lil Wayne officially signed him to Young Money and changed his life forever, as well as showcasing very early on that the rapper was a sonic shapeshifter. The So Far Gone fan favorite combines Drake’s Toronto-derived somber R&B finesse and the gritty chopped-and-screwed sounds that put Houston on the map. Here, over a sample of DJ Screw’s legendary version of Kris Kross’ “Da Streets Ain’t Right” (which in turn samples Biggie Smalls’ “Warning”) from 1996’s June 27 tape, Drake teases what he would soon become known for: a seamless blend of various cultures.

49. “Made Men” with Rick Ross (non-album single, 2011)

Drake and Rick Ross are one of rap’s ultimate pairings, mainly because they love to brag about their wealth and women. Here, they channel their inner mafiosos while casually one-upping each other’s rhymes. Technically this is Ross’ tune, but Drake steals the show when he tops his homie’s “S65, I call it Rihanna / It got a red top, but it’s white like Madonna” bar by gloating: “One of my baddest women ever, I call her Rihanna / But that’s ’cause her name is Rihanna”.

48. “Believe Me” with Lil Wayne (non-album single, 2014)

“He left Rikers in a Phantom, that’s my n****.” Drake never shies away from his admiration for mentor Lil Wayne, but it truly shines on “Believe Me.” One of their many classic collaborations, the pair reflect on their rapid ascension to become rap’s global superstars, with Boi-1da and Vinylz’s bouncy beat growing tenser within the second half as the YMCMB buddies show off some slick wordplay.

47. “Headlines” (Take Care, 2011)

By the time his second album Take Care rolled around, Drake pushed the uncertainty about his position in the rap game aside and asserted himself as The Boy who has his eyes set on taking on the throne. And “Headlines” encapsulates this smug notion. While a majority of Take Care is rooted in somberness, this single is one of its rare upbeat moments that’s a toast to Drake’s accomplishments. But he also slips in a fair warning to his peers that the real is on the rise: “Soap opera rappers, all these n***s sound like All My Children.”

46. “HYFR (Hell Ya F**king Right)” Feat. Lil Wayne (Take Care, 2011)

On “HYFR,” Drake only focuses on his ex-girlfriends just for a moment before finally giving himself the freedom to have fun. Executing a rare double-time flow, both he and Lil Wayne drop catchy bars (“I learned Hennessy and enemies is one hell of a mixture”) before leaning into a sarcasm-dripping chorus over a synthwave guitar. The video makes this even more of a banger, with Drake throwing the dopest bar mitzvah ever.

45. “Jumpman” with Future (What A Time to Be Alive, 2015)

There’s plenty of standouts on Drake and Future’s What A Time To Be Alive joint mixtape, from the former’s shameless outro on “Diamonds Dancing” to Future facing his demons on “Scholarships.” But “Jumpman” was a special one, as Future helped ignite his friend’s inner trap king. What A Time to Be Alive is mainly in Future’s wheelhouse — recorded in Atlanta, executively produced by right-hand Metro Boomin, and is mostly about the city’s grungy hustle — but Drake holds his own as the two join forces like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to create a club-ready banger.

44. “Summer Sixteen” (non-album single, 2016)

Drake had a chokehold on the year 2016, and the takeover began with “Summer Sixteen.” Released that January, Drake (a decorated diss artist at that point) aimed his shots at the heads of Meek Mill and Tory Lanez. The song really revs up in the second half, with a sinister beat anchoring his brags of — what else? — having the biggest pool of any rapper. If his point wasn’t made clear enough, DJ Khaled swoops in on the outro: “They don’t want us to have a bigger pool than Kanye!”

43. “Up All Night” Feat. Nicki Minaj (Thank Me Later, 2010)

Drake may have been putting on for his te​​am on Thank Me Later’s “Up All Night,” but his Young Money labelmate snatched the mic with her monumental guest verse. Drake holds his own on the thumping track, but it ultimately belongs to Nicki Minaj. “If Drizzy say get her, imma get her,” Minaj begins — and that she does, going fully rabid as she pierces haters with taunts and cocky one-liners: “I look like ‘yes’ and you look like ‘NO’!”

42. “Club Paradise” (Care Package, 2019)

Fame often comes with a price, and usually it’s the ones you love who get struck the most. “Club Paradise,” part of the handful of teaser tracks Drake shared prior to Take Care’s release, summates his feelings of leaving his hometown in order to make his dreams come true. Titled after his favorite Toronto strip club, it’s a tale of melancholy, nostalgia, and that signature paranoia as Drake comes to terms with the fact that his old life with nameless strippers, old girlfriends, childhood friends like Chubbs and his beloved mother Sandy has drastically changed. When he raps, “Just lie to my ears / Tell me it feel the same, that’s all I’ve been dying to hear,” you really feel it.

41. “Nonstop” (Scorpion, 2018)

After first teaming with Tay Keith on BlocBoy JB’s 2018 single “Look Alive,” the Memphis producer dug deep into his crates and returned to craft one of Drake’s gnarliest hits. Yet another ode to the Southern city, “Nonstop” utilizes local rap stars Mack Daddy Ju and D.J. Squeeky’s 1995 tune “My Head Is Spinnin’.” The minimalist production is the perfect sounding board for Drake, who opts to flex in a playful and lowkey manner than his usual assertive style. It works to his advantage, flipping the switch to a newfound whispered flow dotted with adlibs that’s so nonchalant you almost forget he’s talking smack.

40. “Cameras / Good Ones Go” (Take Care, 2011)

Man does 40 know how to finesse a sample. On this Take Care duo, the producer flips Jon B.’s 2001 ballad “Calling On You” for a late-night, R&B-inspired melody. You can almost picture Drake sipping on whiskey neat (long before he’d launch his own Virginia Black variety) as he dissects how the media perception can play a role in a celebrity relationship, often inciting disillusions that lead to trust issues. Once “Good Ones Go” kicks in, Drake comes to terms with the fact that he has to let his girl go. The Weeknd’s comforting coos make the task a bit easier.

39. “4pm in Calabasas” (Care Package, 2019)

Drake is just rude on this 2016 loosie, where he emerged from his post-Views Toronto retreat to flex on his enemies while soaking up the California sun. The origins of the Diddy-Drake beef is still cloudy (it might’ve sparked over a bitch slap), but Drake makes it known that he wants the Bad Boy legend to feel the same sting he implemented. The song is just bar after bar of not-so-covert disses, from “Can’t nobody hold me down” to “Make them dance to this.” And he does it all with a wicked laugh, a-ha-ha-ha.

38. “When To Say When” (Dark Lane Demo Tapes, 2020)

Dark Lane Demo Tapes was meant to be a sampler to hold fans over until the release of Certified Lover Boy, quenching their thirst with a mix of new songs, leaked favorites, and SoundCloud staples. “When To Say When” was an immediate standout on the otherwise bland taste test, with Drake heading to Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects as he rhymes over Jay-Z’s The Blueprint classic “Song Cry.” Continuing its vulnerable theme, the rapper unpacks his conscience: “Thirty-three years, I gave that to the game / Thirty-three mil’, I’ll save that for the rain / Five hundred weeks, I’ll fill the charts with my pain.” It’s a therapy session without the insurer’s invoice.

37. “Say What’s Real” (So Far Gone, 2009)

It only made sense that Drake decided to pour his heart out over the instrumental to Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak highlight “Say You Will.” But rather than trying to heal a broken heart, “Say What’s Real” is an insight into the mind of a rapper who’s fully aware of his come-up. “Why do I feel so alone?” he begins, before revealing his uncle’s urge to protect his privacy, getting smug about his growing number of ladies, bargaining with major labels and ultimately finding the confidence to dominate.

36. “Ignant Shit” Feat. Lil Wayne (So Far Gone, 2009)

When Drake kicks off a song by introducing himself and Lil Wayne as “Young Angel and Young Lion,” you know it’s going to be a moment. “Ignant Shit” finds the pair skating ever so fluidly over Jay-Z’s American Gangster highlight, where Just Blaze flips Isley Brothers’ 1983 classic “Between The Sheets.” The sample has become an integral staple in hip-hop, and its use can come across as try-hard. But Drake and Lil Wayne make it all their own, shifting away from Jay-Z’s pop culture-referencing aim at rap critics and having fun trading catchy bars.

35. “Feel No Ways” (Views, 2016)

We’ve all been there before: making excuses to stay in a dying relationship that feels more like a tedious cycle than a blissful union. Drake hits on these emotions on this deep cut, whose electro-pop-R&B fusion sounds like it could be plucked right from the ‘80s. Majid Jordan’s Jordan Ullman flips former Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren’s “World Famous (Radio I.D.)” into a sparkling gem that gives Drake some sense of clarity. “There’s more to life than sleeping in and getting high with you / I had to let go of us to show myself what I could do.” The song was later given new life, with the rapper performing it at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2019, the biggest highlight of an otherwise shaky set. Even Tyler, the Creator (who founded the festival) couldn’t contain his excitement, later showing admiration for the “beautiful” track on Twitter.

34. “The Motion” (Care Package, 2019)

Sometimes you avoid coming to terms with the fact that a relationship (either romantic or platonic) is no good for you, which is what Drake struggles with on 2013’s aqueous Nothing Was The Same precursor. He can’t rely on friends or his woman, as they both take advantage of his kindness. “The girl that I wanna save is like a danger to my health,” he painfully shares. “Try being with somebody that wanna be somebody else.” Toss in Sampha’s grieving vocals at the end and it just makes the tears well even faster.

33. “Know Yourself” (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, 2015)

Drake has utilized the “Know Yourself” phrase before (​​“Jodeci Freestyle,” “From Time,” “0 To 100”), but on this immediate fan favorite, it soared to hometown anthem status. It begins unsuspectingly, with a brooding flow that matches Boi-1da’s tense production. But as soon as that choral chant begins — “I was. running. through the 6. With my WOES!” — blood rushes to your head as the urge to take over the streets kicks in.

32. “Jungle” (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, 2015)

40 has produced a lot of showstopping tracks for Drake, but “Jungle” stands out as one of his most gorgeous melodies. Wrapped around a sample of alt-R&B singer Gabriel Garzón-Montano’s “6 8,” this IYRTITL deep cut is driven by heartfelt nostalgia. Drake has always been a hopeless romantic at heart, and he longs for a past love that he foolishly left behind in Toronto’s rugged Lawrence Heights neighborhood. When he sings, “Hate that I treat it like it’s a ‘whatever’ thing / Trust me girl, this sh*t is everything to me,” it’s clear that he severely messed up.

31. “The Motto” Feat. Lil Wayne (Take Care, 2011)

You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing someone shout “YOLO!” back in 2011. It was all Drake’s doing, as he popularized the phrase with his catchy “The Motto” single. He’s too-cool here, spitting ever so casually on a hyphy-inspired beat (“Rest in peace, Mac Dre, I’ma do it for the Bay”). While he didn’t invent it, the rapper was the reason why “YOLO” skyrocketed into the cultural stratosphere. Once he got hold of it, “YOLO” — or “You Only Live Once” — became way more than just an acronym. It was a complete lifestyle, with people using the literal motto to define their carefree and sometimes reckless “f*ck it” attitude with a shrug.

30. “Hotline Bling” (Views, 2016)

As soon as Drake began hitting those dorky Dad dance moves in his now-iconic red bubble coat in the “Hotline Bling” video, it was evident the song was heading into ubiquity. The Grammy-winning tune is filled with condescending lyrics that men (who have lost the love of their lives due to their silly mistakes) have turned into their personal mantras. From the opening line “You used to call me on my cell phone, late night when you need my love” to the remorseful pain behind “Started wearing less and going out more” and even the song title itself, “Hotline Bling” became a meme-worthy anthem for those who couldn’t get over their old flame.

29. “Duppy Freestyle” (non-album single, 2018)

Drake has been defending himself through diss tracks since the beginning of his career, and on “Duppy Freestyle” he was audibly over it. The sigh that precedes “the nerve, the audacity” intro is near comical Drake-ism, but also gives heavy “please stop playing with me” energy. It was released as a response to Pusha T’s “Infrared” that brought up the same ghostwriting allegations that Meek Mill harped on years prior. You can hear Drake’s exasperation as he tries to lets both Push and Kanye West down easy, from “Father had to stretch his hands out and get it from me / I pop style for 30 hours then let him repeat” to “Don’t be ashamed, it’s plenty n****s that do what you do / There’s no malice in your heart, you’re an approachable dude.” Pusha T later fired back with the mighty vicious “The Story of Adidon,” but let’s be real: Drake’s “Duppy Freestyle” is the one that most still have on repeat to this day.

28. “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” Feat. Rick Ross (Scary Hours 2, 2021)

Drake and Rick Ross bring out the best in each other, and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” continued that winning streak. Here, over a delicate sample of indie-pop duo Quadron’s 2010 tune “Pressure,” the two do what they do best: balancing their lavish lifestyles with a heavy dose of introspection about their personal lives outside of the awards shows and yachts. Drake, growing more comfortable with rapping about his son Adonis, even throws in a bar about thirsty housewives at the PTA meetings. His lyrics are just as satisfying as the lemon pepper wings the song is named after.

27. “Fear” (So Far Gone, 2009)

One of Drake’s most underrated moments, “Fear” often gets lost in the sea of the rapper’s many introspective tracks. You can almost hear the hesitation in his tone as he grapples with the fact that his life is about to change forever. The girls he once talked to may look at him differently, his beloved uncle will stop messaging him and naysayers will criticize his talents. “Things are just surreal at home / People think I’ve changed just ’cause my appeal has grown and now security follow me everywhere,” he says somberly, revealing his anxieties. “So I never actually am alone, I just always feel alone / I think I’m scared of what the future holds.” Luckily he didn’t have much to worry about.

26. “Jodeci Freestyle” Feat. J. Cole (Care Package, 2019)

Leave it to Drake to spit cocky lyrics on a song that simultaneously pays homage to Jodeci. Initially released as a 2013 loosie, the collaboration marks the second after Drake hopped on J. Cole’s 2010 Friday Night Lights cut “In The Morning.” He and J. Cole compare themselves to the iconic ‘90s R&B group as they reminisce on all the girls they’ve stolen from their enemies. To add a dose of realism, Drake’s father Dennis Graham recalls their road trips from Toronto to Memphis, with Jodeci naturally being Drake’s go-to on the CD player. It’s a wonder how the two rappers haven’t worked together more, as they bring out clever dexterity in each other.

25. “Look What You’ve Done” (Take Care, 2011)

Drake’s at his best when he lets down his walls. On this Take Care deep cut, he brings us into his world, reminiscing on his family struggles like a spoken word performer at a cigarette smoke-filled lounge. Atop a warm piano melody, Drake details his mother’s health problems and his uncle’s support. As soon as his grandmother’s voicemail plays in the outro, you’re already wiping tears away.

24. “From Time” Feat. Jhené Aiko (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

Aside from his usual go-tos Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, Drake doesn’t collaborate with women often. So it was a welcomed surprise when Jhené Aiko’s delicate vocals provided the backdrop for this languid deep cut. Aiko plays the old flame, calling him out on his flighty ways (“I love me enough for the both of us”) as Drake comes to terms with the fact that he can’t properly handle a relationship. Unfortunately for him, he realized this too late.

23. “Successful” Feat. Trey Songz (So Far Gone, 2009)

Rapping about highs and lows of success is one of Drake’s go-to themes, but “Successful” finds the star at his most aspirational. With early co-signer Trey Songz on the hook, it’s a somber three-part story anchored by Noah “40” Shebib’s heavy bassline. Drake is his usual cocky self on the first verse: “The young spitter that everybody in rap fear.” But things get real on the second, as he recalls crying with his mother in the driveway as they dealt with family and post-Degrassi money issues. A voicemail from his father anchors the third, and Lil Wayne soon emerges just when you think the song is over. Looking back over a decade after its release, a 2009 Drake probably couldn’t fathom just how much his future self would be able to accomplish.

22. “Controlla” (Views, 2016)

Views was marred by messy last-minute changes, from removing Kanye West and Jay-Z from “Pop Style” to replacing Popcaan with Beenie Man on “Controlla.” Luckily for the latter, both the original and final version became the main highlight of Drake’s lukewarm album era. The rapper is a sonic chameleon with a strong passion for dancehall. He excels here, with the Jamaican stars leading the way into a night of slow wines and rum punch.

21. “Best I Ever Had” (So Far Gone, 2009)

Drake immediately established a diehard fandom upon the release of his first big hit, with many first hearing the rap/R&B hybrid in high school or college and trying to figure out if Drake was the one singing or rapping. He was in fact doing both, sharing sweet nothings (“Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin’ with no make-up on”) in two different flows that’ll soon become his signature. Its blend of cheesiness and charm led to “Best I Ever Had” hitting No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest peak until “One Dance” topped the chart seven years later. To further prove his star status, he even got Kanye West to direct the video. Drake didn’t necessarily introduce a new formula. But he sure did perfect it, making him a case study for success in the decade to come.

20. “Hold On, We’re Going Home” Feat. Majid Jordan (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

Back in 2013, it was a rare occasion for Drake to go full-on pop star on us. He executed it well on this groovy ‘80s-inspired single, as he attempts his best Michael Jackson while working his charm on a love interest. The synth-pop melody has a melancholic edge to it, saving it from being too cheesy. The passion was inescapable, with everyone from Blood Orange to Arctic Monkeys covering the tune. It also introduced the world to OVO Sound signees Majid Jordan, who went on to become alt-R&B favorites in their own right.

19. “Take Care” Feat. Rihanna (Take Care, 2011)

Rihanna brings out Drake’s sensitive side, and while most of their collaborations highlight their flirty chemistry, “Take Care” is all about the emotions. Rihanna’s tender vocals anchor the chorus as Drake opts to sing for most of the track, giving an added dose of honesty. Its sample of Jamie xx’s remix of Gil Scott-Heron’s version of “I’ll Take Care Of You” amplifies the relationship’s rollercoaster, with the pounding drums and sparse piano telling the story of pain, hurt, and trust. The end result shows there’s beauty in vulnerability.

18. “Stay Schemin” with Rick Ross and French Montana (Rich Forever, 2012)

Technically this is Rick Ross’ single, but Drake notoriously took the lead here. Their chemistry is unsurprisingly elite here, with Rozay’s gruff verses and French Montana’s slurred presence give Drizzy the perfect alley-oop to execute what many consider to be his all-time best guest verse. Drake goes at Common’s neck, squashing any competition while also providing one of the most iconic one-liners (“Bitch, you wasn’t with me shootin’ in the gym!”) aimed at Vanessa Bryant that he later apologized for.

17. “Trophies” (Young Money: Rise of an Empire, 2014)

“Man, this sh*t is not a love song” Drake shouts on “Trophies,” making it clear that he’s not always about romance. No, this is the ultimate “Get with the winning team!” anthem, with the rapper’s voice going up a few octaves as he unleashes boastful declarations. As soon as those horns (borrowed from ​​1994’s Western film Oblivion) start blaring, you’ll get the confidence boost you need to either “f*ck a stripper on the mink rug” or “pop some f*cking champagne in the tub.” But when you’re winning this big, you can choose both.

16. “I’m On One” with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne (We The Best Forever, 2011)

“I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking — watch me take it,” Drake declares on this masterful posse cut. Whether or not he was taunting Jay-Z and Kanye West (he claims that wasn’t the case), he made it known that he wanted to overthrow anyone in his path. Drake lends his voice on the hook and the opening verse, laying the groundwork for Rozay and Weezy to bulldoze. But the song could’ve done with at least one more verse from The Boy. And Drake couldn’t let go of the feeling: a month later, he used the hook to record a softer R&B version that’s best suited for the bedroom after leaving the club.

15. “6PM In New York” (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, 2015)

“28 at midnight, wonder what’s next for me,” Drake ponders on the third installment of his AM/PM series, which finds him throwing subliminals nearly as slick as his predecessor Jay-Z. He actually references Jigga man here, confidently expressing that The Throne (a.k.a. Jay-Z and Kanye West) needed to make room for a third legend-in-the-making. Drake states that “‘Best I Ever Had’ seems like a decade ago,” and it really does: following his breakthrough single, he’d become even more confident in his lyricism. The sneak disses are the best part, with Tyga getting caught in the crossfire: “You need to act your age and not your girl’s age”). “It gets worse by the annual / My career’s like a how-to manual, so I guess it’s understandable,” Drake assesses on “6PM In New York,” making it the perfect way to end an album that shared a grim tale of paranoia, cockiness, and post-coitus hopelessness.

14. “Crew Love” Feat. The Weeknd (Take Care, 2011)

The Weeknd’s gloomy, drug-fueled take on Toronto sent shock waves in R&B thanks to his breakout mixtape, 2011’s House Of Balloons. So it only made sense that Drake, who was growing wearier of his surroundings, would gravitate towards his sound. The pair officially joined forces on “Crew Love”, a celebration of the industry rise of their respective OVO and XO collectives. “House Of Balloons was actually supposed to have more songs than it does,” The Weeknd later revealed in 2013. “I had so many records left, and then Take Care came through. ‘Crew Love,’ ‘Shot for Me,’ and ‘The Ride’ were supposed to be on House Of Balloons.” Shoutout to The Weeknd for being so gracious.

13. “Lord Knows” Feat. Rick Ross (Take Care, 2011)

There’s only one way to describe “Lord Knows”: triumphant. Drake calls upon the legendary Just Blaze to craft one of his most spine-tingling melodies that is a stark, refreshing contrast to 40’s minimal beats. The track feels even more heavenly once the gospel choir’s wails kick in, giving Drake and Rick Ross an incentive to flaunt as the former explores his growing status in the rap game. You could almost hear the smirk behind the microphone as they stepped away, knowing they just made a classic. “I changed rap forever,” Drake boasts. He definitely knew.

12. “Started From The Bottom” (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

“Started From The Bottom” was Drake’s version of the classic rags-to-hip-hop-riches story, reflecting on his career trajectory while calling out critics who question his so-called struggles. While he arguably didn’t actually start from the bottom (this is a former Degrassi star, let’s be real), the song resonated with those who came from humble beginnings. “Started” grew into an anthem about success that fans chanted at parties and wrote in their Twitter bios. It was a reminder to follow your dreams while keeping your day one’s close.

11. “Energy” (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, 2015)

Drake became jaded by 2015, and he was fully aware of his rap dominance and how many wanted to throw him off the throne. He throws daggers at his adversaries throughout “Energy,” from family members to groupies to rap peers. “I got rap n****s that I gotta act like I like / But my acting days are over, f*ck them n****s for life.” Needless to say, Drake was fed up. The only thing unclear at the time was Drake’s main target, but he notoriously made that well known in the coming months. Sorry, Meek.

10. “Too Much” Feat. Sampha (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

Drake has never shied away from detailing his personal life, but “Too Much” took it to a deeper level. He ripped off the curtain that previously hid the growing tension within his family, with Sampha’s soulful hook used as a salve to somehow ease the pain. But Drake can’t hold it back any longer, his voice tightening up as he goes in on the second verse: “Money got my whole family going backwards / No dinners, no holidays, no nothing” and “I hate the fact my mom cooped up in her apartment / Telling herself that she’s too sick to get dressed up and go do shit.” When he says he didn’t sign up for this, you almost question if he’s willing to throw it all away for the sake of maintaining his sanity.

9. “Do Not Disturb” (More Life, 2017)

Also referred to as “7 AM In Germany”, this More Life cut is an unofficial entry in Drake’s “AM/PM” series. It has all the elements we love: sneak disses (the Tory Lanez-directed “You overnight celebrity, you one day star”), introspective and free-flowing rhymes (his mindset while recording Views is telling), and a distorted R&B sample (Snoh Aalegra’s 2017 “Time”). Similar to “6PM In New York” closing IYRTITL in a confident manner, “Do Not Disturb” closes the party track-heavy More Life with pensive thoughts. “Taking summer off, ’cause they tell me I need recovery / Maybe gettin’ back to my regular life will humble me / I’ll be back 2018 to give you the summary,” he revealed in the closing lines. We all need a break sometimes.

8. “Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2” Feat. Jay-Z (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

Drake and Jay-Z’s third collaboration, following 2009’s “Off That” and 2010’s “Light Up,” is their most luxurious. It’s the perfect champagne toast to close Nothing Was The Same, serving as a congratulatory moment for Drake not only securing yet another team-up with his idol, but also matching his lyrical finesse while reveling in the fact that he’s the new leader of rap’s new generation. “Nothing was the same, dawg,” he assures on the song’s final moments. And nearly a decade later, it’s foolish to argue otherwise.

7. “Tuscan Leather” (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

“How much time is this n**** spendin’ on the intro?” Six minutes and six seconds, to be exact. 40 and Boi-1da try their hand at chipmunk soul, evoking the energy of the Roc-A-Fella glory days with a high-pitched sample of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” Drake uses every crevice of the mutating production to his advantage, rapping with a newfound confidence following the glowing release of Take Care. In the same breath, he has nothing else and so much left to prove to the world. He knew it too: “This is nothing for the radio, but they’ll still play it though / ‘Cause it’s that new Drizzy Drake, that’s just the way it go.”

6. “5 AM In Toronto” (Care Package, 2019)

Drake began his “AM/PM” song series with 2010’s “9 AM in Dallas,” thus kicking off a selection of introspective longform raps attributed to wherever his mindset happened to be during a specific timezone. “5 AM In Toronto,” released ahead of 2013’s Nothing Was The Same, is a warning shot as he fully settles into his arrogance while calling out the entire rap game. “Give these n****s the look, the verse, and even the hook / That’s why every song sound like Drake featuring Drake,” he spits, fully settling into the villain role that peers placed him in. He even smokes a blunt in the video just for the hell of it (something he rarely did in public at the time), proving that he was on another level.

5. “Nice For What” (Scorpion, 2018)

As the superstar entered his 30s, he began writing his previous wrongs of lyrical gaslighting by crafting an empowering anthem specifically for women. Released at the height of the #MeToo movement, “Nice For What” captured women’s frustrations with a society that didn’t support us: “You gotta be nice for WHAT to these n***as?” Laid atop a New Orleans bounce-inspired beat, with Big Freedia’s in-your-face adlibs and Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” sample coursing throughout, “Nice For What” reminded us to hold our chin up, shake our ass if we felt like it and raise a glass to post-relationship liberation. The female-directed video further cemented this notion with appearances from Olivia Wilde, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tiffany Haddish, and more. We were now unapologetically free. And Drake genuinely admired us from the sidelines.

4. “0 to 100 / The Catch Up” (non-album single, 2014)

Drake wasted zero time setting the tone for this one: “F*ck being on some chill sh*t.” From there, he goes in, unleashing bar after bar discussing everything from his deadbeat father, 40’s health issues, his bevy of groupies, and that signature cockiness (“I been Steph Curry with the shot / Been cooking with the sauce, Chef Curry with the pot, boy / 360 with the wrist, boy”). After leaving you in a headspin, he catches his breath in the second half and calmly details how he and his crew will continue to rule the upcoming year. He stuck to his word, surprise-dropping the If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late chart-topper.

3. “Marvins Room” (Take Care, 2011)

“Are you drunk right now?” says the woman on the other end of the phone. And he is absolutely buzzed. Gone off endless cups of rosé and XO, Drake feeds into his simp mode as he tries and fails to win a former flame back. This is quintessential Aubrey at the core, drowning himself in self-imposed sorrows while still managing to be annoyingly pretentious: “I’m just saying you can do better.” “Marvins Room” reflects every dude who knows they did wrong, but still drunkenly scrolls through their ex-girl’s Instagram stories and sends her half-assed, heart emoji-filled DMs filled with empty apologies. Something about that fragile relatability is the reason why the artist continues to stand out among his peers. He isn’t called “Heartbreak Drake” for nothing.

2. “Back To Back” (non-album single, 2015)

“Diss me and you’ll never hear a reply for it,” Drake maintained on So Far Gone’s “Successful.” Well, he obviously hasn’t been a man of his word, and we’re oh-so grateful for it. Leave it to Drake to pull off scoring a Top 40, Grammy-nominated diss song, which is the better half of “Charged Up.” Aiming for Meek Mill’s head, he got oh-so flagrant with literal back to back insults, from “Is that a world tour or your girl’s tour?” to “Trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers / You getting bodied by a singing n****.” “Back To Back” is one of the millennial era’s best diss tracks, not just because of the lyrical shots, but what it meant for hip-hop’s social media generation. Similar to how Jay-Z put Mobb Deep’s Prodigy on the Summer Jam screen while performing “Takeover” in 2001, Drake opted to share viral memes during 2015’s OVO Fest headlining set. It was equally scathing and hilarious, a formula that’s still being replicated to this day.

1. “Worst Behavior” (Nothing Was The Same, 2013)

“SH*T!” Not the song you expected, right? Well, you have to travel back a few years to fully get the picture. It’s 2013 and Drake was completely fed up with everyone underestimating his skills as a rapper, with most branding him as too soft, sensitive, or corny. He brilliantly transformed that vitriol into furious gold. The tune purposefully skips, distorts, and bends its back so far that it’s almost tormenting to listen to — but that’s the genius of it. Drake gets absolutely manic in a way that we’ve never heard him before, yelling into the microphone as he channels Eminem’s signature anger: “They used to never want to hear us, remember?/ Motherf*cker never loved us, REMEMBER? MOTHERF*CKER!” He really hasn’t let up since “Worst Behavior,” doing everything from breaking chart records, earning more Grammy wins, getting into multiple kinds of beef and winning (depending on who you ask), becoming a dad and successful businessman. But he did predict that all of this was coming. Remember?

Finding the best value-for-dollar Scotch whisky is no easy task. The juice from Scotland is just flat-out more expensive on the U.S. side of the pond than it is over in Europe. That makes value pretty damn important, but that also makes it pretty freakin’ subjective.

There are so many pre-conceived conceptions about the preciousness of Scotch whisky that it’s hard to really know what’s what sometimes. For instance, there are plenty of single malts Scotch whiskies that are mediocre at best. At the same time, there are plenty of blended Scotch whiskies that blow some single malts out of the water. That means something labeled “single malt” isn’t always going to be worth your time or money. Likewise, just because something is labeled “blended” doesn’t mean it’s bad.

To that end, we’re calling out ten (plus one) Scotch whiskies — both blended and single malts, peated and unpeated– that we think are worth more than the sum on their price tags. What we’re looking for is a balance of uniqueness, availability, and delicious flavor notes. It’s an interesting balancing act but not an impossible one.

As always, if you want to try any of these yourself, click on the prices!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of 2021

• A Blind Ranking Of Affordable Blended Scotch Whiskies
• Our Favorite Scotch Whisky At Every Price Point From $30 To $500
• We Blind Tested Blended Scotches In The $40 Range And A Clear Winner Emerged
• The Best Bottles Of Scotch Whisky Between $50-$60
• Blind Scotch Taste Test — Which 12-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky Is Best?

10. Laphroaig 10

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $58

The Whisky:

This might be one of the most “classic” Islay smoky whiskies on the shelf. The craft behind this whisky is a blend of the unique Islay peat (used to smoke the malts) and the influence of the sea, which laps at the distillery’s outer walls.

Tasting Notes:

The smoke is what greets you with a hint of fruity wood, creating an almost sweet smoke next to a hint of anise and maybe some Band-Aid scent (not in a bad way!). The palate holds onto the smoke while adding a wet seaweed brininess next to hints of vanilla cream, peppery spice, and soft oak. The end really amps up the smokiness while holding onto the iodine of the sea with a final note of salted toffee.

Value For Dollar:

When it comes to Islay peated malts, the sky is the limit in price and variation of flavors. Laphroaig 10 remains the damn-near perfect entry point to the island’s vibe while being inexpensive enough to just try. A $50 bottle of booze isn’t special enough to be precious about (ever).

Moreover, if you’re curious about iodine-heavy peat monsters, this is the right way to plunge into that category.

9. Glenfiddich 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Whisky:

This is an entry whisky not only to Speyside but to single malts in general. The juice is aged in a combination of used American and European oak before it’s married, rested, proofed with Speyside’s iconic water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

This dram is creamy like a vanilla pudding with a bright pear orchard and some mild toffee. That leads towards a very easy and soft woodiness with a touch of candied pear and more vanilla cream. It’s also very light and approachable while still feeling like a solid whisky.

Value For Dollar:

On the flip side of the above, a powerfully sweet and fruity single malt is also a necessary stepping stone to understanding all that Scotland’s whisky scene has to offer. This expression from Speyside over-delivers on the palate, with a refinement that’s not seen in bottles twice this price. Again, don’t be precious about a $50 bottle of scotch. Experiment with this. Try it neat, with water, on the rocks, in a highball, in your favorite cocktail, in your coffee, drink it however you like to drink whisky.

8. Monkey Shoulder

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $36

The Whisky:

This Speyside blend is crafted as a workhorse whisky. The juice is drawn from the William Grant & Sons distilleries, focusing on Kininvie, Glenfiddich, and The Balvenie. The juice is then rested for up to six months after blending to let it mellow even more before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice welcoming note of creamy vanilla that almost becomes cream soda, next to hints of zesty orange marmalade, malts, and dark spices. The taste delivers on those notes by amping the spices up to Christmas cake territory with a slight tart berry edge next to that cream soda sweetness. The end is short and sweet with a nice lightness that really makes this very drinkable.

Value For Dollar:

This feels like a great way to get a vibe for more expensive single malts from Glenfiddich and the iconic and much-sought-after The Balvenie (more on that later). And that’s the beauty of these blends, you’re getting an introduction to other scotches by drinking the blends made from those more expensive and iconic brands.

Look at it this way, The Balvenie generally starts at $50 to $60 per bottle (depending on your state’s taxes). You’re getting a taste of that for almost half the price here.

7. Naked Grouse

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $34

The Whisky:

This whisky from the very popular Famous Grouse is a dialed-in expression. The juice in the bottle is a blend of sherry-cask-finished whiskies from The Macallan and Highland Park. The whisky is then cut down to a very accessible 80 proof and then bottled in a nicely understated bottle.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sweet malt buried under a buttery scone dripping with raspberry jam with a touch of light spice lurking in the background. The sherry really kicks in on the palate with big notes of dates soaked in black tea next to creamy caramel, vanilla cake, and a touch of dry raisins. The end doesn’t overstay its welcome and leaves you with a lovley note of chocolate-covered cherries with a sweet/dry vibe.

Value For Dollar:

The Macallan is one of the most sought-after and perhaps over-hyped scotches in the game. An entry point 12-year bottle is going to start around $70 (at least) per bottle. Then there’s the Highland Park juice in this blend (which has a similar entry price point). It’s another excellent single malt. You could get a bottle of each for around $140 and blend them yourself. Or you could buy this bottle for around $35 and enjoy the hell out of it in your next highball.

Of course, the juice in this blend isn’t exactly The Macallan and Highland Park 12, but… you get the point.

6. Ardbeg An Oa

ABV: 46.6%

Average Price: $65

The Whisky:

This is a quintessential Islay peaty whisky. The juice is aged in a combo of Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak, and ex-bourbon casks before being married and rested again in Ardbeg’s bespoke oak “Gathering Vat,” allowing the whiskies to really meld into a cohesive dram.

Tasting Notes:

Imagine slow-smoked peaches, soft cherrywood on fire, and singed sage. That nose leads towards buttery but almost burnt toffee with hints of egg nog spices, savory leafy green veg with a bit of dirt, walnut shells, black tea, and a little bit of pancake syrup (the high fructose corn syrup kind). The finish is long, has hits of black licorice, and really brings the soft yet sweet smoke with an almost meat smoker edge.

Value For Dollar:

This is where things get interesting on Isaly for peat lovers. Ardbeg is a tiny, bespoke distillery that has limited release bottles that stretch to astronomical price points. But they also have incredibly solid peated malts that stay at a price point and anyone can enjoy. Their An Oa is a special malt that non-peat whisky drinkers even enjoy every now and then.

Moreover, there are Islay bottles that are younger and harsher than this that cost ten times as much (at least). Not going to name names but just sayin’.

5. Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $80

The Whisky:

This dram from Glenmorangie is a much-loved Highland malt. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed number of years. The whisky is then transferred to French Sauternes barrels which held sweet dessert wines where it spends two more years finishing.

Tasting Notes:

This has that classic “shortbread cut with lemon and vanilla” vibe that makes some single malts so approachable. The sip has a buttery toffee nature that’s layered with subtle oak, mild brown spices, and more fruits tied into a creamy pudding body. The spice then leans a little towards ginger with that buttery shortbread as it slowly fades out.

Value For Dollar:

Back to the sweet side of Scotland’s tipple, this is where special finishing casking comes into play. While the entry point Glenmorangie is always a delight, especially in highballs, this dessert cask finished whisky has that extra layer of depth and flavor that helps it stand above so many other bottles with the same finish. Yes, it’s a little pricier than some of the other bottles, but it’s really hard to find another finish like this that’s this damn good.

4. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $86

The Whisky:

The Balvenie is renowned for doing everything in-house from grain to glass and for 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 at 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 spice.

Value For Dollar:

The Balvenie is one of those brands that’s both legendary and delivers every time, helping to keep them legendary. That also means that you can get priced out pretty darn fast with this brand. When it comes to this expression, it has two things going for it. One, it’s probably the best rum-finished scotch, period. Two, it costs under $100. Those are wins, people.

This bottle could easily cost $150 and no one would bat an eye.

3. Chivas Regal Mizunara

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Whisky:

Chivas is renowned for its iconic blended whisky. This expression — originally created for the Japanese market and released in the U.S. in 2019 — adds a unique dimension to the classic blend. A portion of the whisky is finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, adding a layer of nuanced flavors to the standard Chivas.

Tasting Notes:

There’s serious fruit up top with hints of ripe pear next to almost spicy orange zest, leather, and soft wood. That spice becomes the backbone of the sip as subtle notes of fatty nuts mingle with more fruit and a moment of honey-soaked oak. The end holds onto the spiciness with a velvet texture and sweet pear on a medium-length finish.

Value For Dollar:

Mizunara casks are some of the most sought-after barrels in the whole whisk(e)y game. Let’s keep this simple, the fact that you can get a whisky that’s touched by these super rare casks for $50 is phenomenal (though not unheard of). The kicker with this bottle is that you’re still getting the ultra-refined Chivas blend at the base of this bottle.

It’s a great combination at a great price point.

2. Talisker Distillers Edition

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $88

The Whisky:

The 2020 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 2007 and bottled at ten years old. It was then held in the bottle for three years, resting, before its 2020 release.

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.

Value For Dollar:

Talisker is a tiny distillery, nestled on the sea — seriously, their barrel warehouse is smaller than some whiskey visitors centers in Kentucky. It’s so refined and unique that’s it wild that any bottle of Talisker is under $100 in the U.S. (and, yes, this bottle sometimes reaches above that price point). Still, this is a limited released from a tiny distillery with a special cask finishing for less than most limited edition American whiskeys from huge conglomerate distilleries.

You’re getting something truly bespoke and delicious from over the hills and far away for $90. Come on!

1. Johnnie Walker Green Label

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $65

The Whisky:

The blend is a “pure malt” blended whisky, meaning that it’s made only with single malts (usually blended scotch is made with both grain and malt whisky). In this case, the juice is pulled from all over Scotland with a focus on Speyside, Highland, Lowland, and Island malts, including a minimum of 15-year-old Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood.

Tasting Notes:

This sip draws you in with the smells of an old, soft cedar box that’s held black pepper, sweet fruits, and oily vanilla pods next to a hint of green grass. The taste really holds onto the cedar as the fruits lean tropical with a hint of dried roses pinging in the background. The end builds on that by adding a note of spicy tobacco, a splash of sea spray, and a distant billow of campfire smoke.

Value For Dollar:

The fact that whiskies at least 15 years old from Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood are all present in this bottle and it doesn’t at least cost $100 is kind of mind-boggling. For comparison’s sake, a Talisker 18 will set you back close to $200. Hell, a Caol Ila 15-year costs around $160. The point is, there are phenomenal whiskies in this blend and it only costs $65 (or less depending on where you are).

That’s value-for-dollar that you cannot beat.

Hidden Track: Compass Box Artist Blend

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $40

The Whisky:

The lion’s share of this blend — 45 percent — comes from a single grain whisky aged in ex-bourbon from Cameronbridge Distillery. 22 percent is a single malt aged in ex-bourbon that comes from Linkwood Distillery. The rest is a mix of French oak and ex-bourbon single malts and blended malts from the Highlands, Clyneilish, Linkwood, and Balmenach. Those whiskies are vatted and then proofed down before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a very clear and concise note of apple candy with a hint of salted caramel ice cream cut with a touch of eggnog spices. There’s a nice maltiness that leans into a creamy vanilla, soft holiday spice mix, butter toffee, and a hint of milk chocolate near the end. The finish is warming with a whisper of tobacco next to a woody apple, spice candies (maybe ginger), and a final hint of cocoa and caramel.

Value For Dollar:

While all of the above blends are built from distilleries within the parent company’s portfolio, Compass Box gets to have the best of all worlds. They source their barrels from every distillery they can in Scotland, regardless of who owns them. That means you’re getting a true blend of Scottish whiskies that very few other blenderies are doing. That alone almost makes these blends invaluable when looking at the big picture of blended whisky in Scotland.

Plus, this juice is just delicious.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Of the roughly 600 people who’ve been arrested in connection with the Capitol storming on Jan. 6, one has stuck out above all: Jacob Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, aka the QAnon Shaman. He was shirtless, adorned in tattoos, his face painted like the American flag, and had a horned helmet atop his head. He spent most of his tenure inside the building howling. He also quickly turned on Trump, in between begging for vegan prison meals. Now, almost nine months after the incident, he’s found some closure.

As per HuffPost, Chansley has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Details have not yet been revealed, but his hearing is scheduled for Friday, with a virtual press conference to be held after. But there’s more: He’s also turned on his nickname-sake, wishing to no longer be associated with the movement that has destroyed so many minds.

“Mr. Chansley, a long avowed and practicing Shaman, has repudiated the ‘Q’ previously assigned to him and requests future references to him be devoid of use of the letter ‘Q’,” his lawyer, Albert Watkins, said in a statement.

Watkins is famous in his own right, having described his client and other Jan. 6 rioters in comically blunt fashion. He said they “drank the Kool-Aid” and called them “f*cking short bus people.” But with Chansley and other non-violent Capitol stormers, he’s asking for “patience and compassion,” saying that they had “genuine mental health issues which rendered them more vulnerable to the propaganda of the day but who, at the end of day, seek to be accountable for their actions.”

Chansley has been charged with “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.” It’s not clear how much time he could face, especially considering, unlike most who took part in the siege, he’s spent most of the last nine months behind bars.

(Via HuffPost)