With Sony Pictures Television officially confirming that Mike Richards will be the new host of Jeopardy! (with Mayim Bialik handling primetime specials and spinoffs), LeVar Burton supporters are absolutely livid that he was passed over to replace Alex Trebek. While the chances of Burton landing the permanent gig took a hit last week as reports began circulating that Richards was the frontrunner to become the next host of Jeopardy!, there was a (slight) glimmer of hope that maybe things would turn around.
But, now, Burton’s shot at the top gig is officially gone, and his legion of supporters are voicing their displeasure after launching a successful fan campaign to get him on the show as a guest host.
It was a good run Jeopardy. I’m going going to stop watching with the memory of LeVar Burton as my host. https://t.co/iP5bEoP7au
Despite being schooled on “cancel culture” by Burton during his April appearance on The View, even Meghan McCain took Jeopardy! producers to task for passing over the Reading Rainbow host.
For his part, Burton has gracefully responded to missing out on the Jeopardy! job with humility and gratefulness for the outpouring of love from fans. Last week, he tweeted out a message thanking everyone for the incredible experience even though it didn’t end as planned.
“I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won,” Burton tweeted. “The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and fans alike has been incredible! If love is the ultimate blessing and I believe that it is, I am truly blessed beyond measure.”
For the better part of 10 years, comedian and TV personality Steelo Brim has been sharing the world’s most viral internet moments with us as the host of MTV’s Ridiculousness. At this point, he’s like a modern-day Bob Saget, an entire generation has grown up laughing with him and getting to know him, and it looks like there is no end in sight. Now 22 seasons deep, Ridiculousness isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and now Brim has landed a deal with MTV and Paramount + that should bring us even more content, something that the comedian couldn’t be more hyped about.
“We’re focusing on quality. I’ve been doing Ridiculousness with MTV and the Viacom family for ten years plus now, but I haven’t really had the chance to get my feet wet creatively,” Brim tells us. “Going forward, I’m super excited to show what’s in this brain of mine and what I create on a day-to-day basis.” The details on what’s to come are still tightly under wraps. But if it’s anything like his past projects, we’re sure it’s going to be approached with the natural charisma that makes Brim such an engaging watch.
We linked up with the comedian to talk sneakers, his upcoming projects, as well as his podcast, Wine & Weed, where he champions the idea of the “casual connoisseur,” as well as got some wine and weed recommendations. Let’s dive in!
Cesar Silva
Fill us in on this MTV/Paramount + linkup and what can we expect going forward with this partnership?
Quality. Me and Chris McCarthy sat down recently and just dove into who I am, the things that we really expect from us as a family, what we’ve been about to create with Ridiculousness, and creating going forward. We’re just all super excited to show what’s in this brain of mine and what I create on a day-to-day basis.
Ridiculousness is now ten years old, which is hard to believe! What’s next for the series? Do you feel pressure to innovate or does the nature of online content keep things fresh?
I think as far as Ridiculousness goes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. We’re not looking to change things up as much as we’re just looking to stay topical. We have thematic episodes we’ll throw in here and there to give the show a breath of fresh air, but it’s Ridiculousness. It’s the modernized America’s Funniest Home Videos. People will never get tired of watching funny videos and we make them easier to find by creating montages for them.
I wanted to ask a little bit about your podcast Wine and Weed. Through that podcast, you’re pioneering the idea of a casual connoisseur. Why was that something important for you to highlight? As someone who writes about weed and alcohol, I’ve seen how getting too deep into those worlds kills some of the fun.
I feel that way about a lot of different things, not just weed and wine. I’m an art collector and I look at myself as a casual art collector because I’m constantly educating myself. I think as you said, going too deep takes the fun out of it. But if you’re able to approach something and be a student of it and truly come in with your hands up in the most non-confrontational way, there is more to enjoy. It should remain a safe space for you to be able to continue to educate yourself on different things.
So with the podcast, we’re saying, “Hey, we don’t know everything about wine and weed,” and I don’t necessarily ever want to get to the point where I do. But I am somebody who likes to indulge in those two things.
What’s your preferred consumption method when it comes to cannabis? Are you an edible guy?
I guess I’d label myself a joint smoker if I had to label myself. I’m not really a bong smoker, a bong rip is too aggressive, it makes me feel like I’m a freshman in college again. Edibles, for me, a lot of the time are too intense and I’m trying to really consume a healthy amount where I can still live my life and function in the world. I’m not trying to beat you in a competition. Sometimes fans will say to me “I’ll smoke you under the bus!” And I say, “Yeah, probably!”
What gave you the idea to start a podcast? I like that it’s not so much about wine and weed as it is about those two substances being able to elicit interesting conversations.
My producing partner and cohost Chris Reinacher had been trying to get me to do a podcast for a while and I had just been putting it off. He and I would often have these healthy conversations, it was the basis of our friendship. Being able to be real and have these conversations amongst each other given the fact that we don’t look alike was really the key. A lot of the conversations that need to be had within this country aren’t happening because people are afraid. Maybe because they’re dealing with unfamiliar territory or simply because they don’t look like each other so they say “I don’t want to offend anybody.” But we can’t discover any solutions if we don’t have an open conversation and create a safe space to have a healthy dialogue. That’s something we always wanted to do with the show, to tackle things head-on.
It feels real. It’s in my living room so it’s like you’re a fly on the wall. We wanted to give that feeling like, ‘hey, even though we may live within a Hollywood world and people think it’s this big facade on the outside, we want to be able to give you a real perspective if we’re able to.’
Can you run off a list of your favorite wine or weed brands you’ve been introduced to recently. I want that casual connoisseur perspective.
Up north they have some good weed. I’m not really a strain-specific person. I like to try new stuff all the time. Alien Labs is cool. Area 41 is something we smoke on the show all the time. With wine I keep it simple, I’m a Cab drinker so I’ll take a nice Cab from Justin, or if I’m trying to impress somebody I guess a bottle of Opus One, but only if I’m going all out to impress. I’m not trying to just buy bottles of Opus One and live broke.
I know you’re a sneakerhead, do you have a fav silhouette and if so why?
Ahh! I don’t want to answer like a stereotypical sneakerhead, but it’s probably true! I’m going to go with the Jordan 1. I wear it quite often because you can wear it with anything. If you’re ballsy enough I guess you can throw it on with a tuxedo, if that’s your perorate. But that’s probably the best silhouette ever.
What are the craziest lengths you’ve gone to cop a pair of sneakers?
We didn’t have money growing up so I didn’t get a lot of sneakers when I was younger, but I do have a story. I was just starting to get a couple of pairs gifted here and there from Nike and Jordan. I was loving it! I was newly on television just thinking, “this is amazing!” I just so happened to get the Jordan XI Concords and I was saying “Oh my god, I got them a whole two weeks before they come out, this is insane!” And my ex-girlfriend, who I guess was a bad girlfriend for telling me to do this, wanted a pair for herself, so we went camping out and slept overnight outside of the store. I’m happy I didn’t do this, but she really tried to convince me to wear the Concords to the camp out as the biggest stunt ever.
I was like “Why do you want me dead again? Why do you want people to kill me?! This is weird…” I’m so glad I didn’t do it.
What can people expect from you for the rest of the year?
I’m working on a show I’ve been writing for a while. We actually enter production next month. I’m also working on a musical project randomly. I use to A&R back in the day so it’s interesting to be on the artist side of it. I’m closing that out right now, it’s got a lot of big features and different things to be excited about. So I guess those two things will keep me busy, and then aside from that I’ll just be producing television and I’m constantly looking for new ideas!
What If…? (Disney+ series) — We’re in the multiverse, baby. The MCU’s officially launching headfirst into that realm after Loki‘s season finale, and this show’s Twitter account clarified official participation as well. And that sounds about right. I’ve been looking forward to these alternate-reality scenarios since catching D23 footage a few years ago, and Disney+ will show us a wealth of scenarios that stand separate from the existing canon (thus far). Agent Carter will take the serum and become Captain Carter. There’s a Zombie Captain America, and King T’Challa materializes elsewhere as Star Lord. Notably, Chadwick Boseman did voice work here, so you’ll be able to say a proper goodbye to his Black Panther. Let the good times and the tears roll.
Riverdale (CW, 8:00pm) — Following a bizarre time jump and, uh, literal war, Season 5 resumes following a prison break with Archie attempting to capture those convicts who remain on the lam. Meanwhile, Tabitha seeks Betty’s help regarding Jughead.
The Kissing Booth 3 (Netflix movie) — The insanely popular yet objectively bad trilogy comes to a close with Joey King’s Elle heading to college while facing a dilemma. Should she go to college with her best friend or throw it all away to move away with the dreamy Noah? If you started these movies, you gotta finish!
Bake Squad: Season 1 (Netflix series) — A batch of brilliant bakers will heat up a delicious storm here for competition’s sake and to make someone’s special day even better. The competitors were chosen by Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi, who already built her own cookie-dough empire, and now, she wants to see more dessert dreams come true.
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Andy Samberg, Hannah Waddingham, Tom Odell
Turner & Hooch (Disney+ series) — The beloved 1989 Tom Hanks film gets the reboot treatment with Detective Scott Turner’s son taking the helm. Josh Peck stars as a U.S. Marshal who’s saddled with an unruly canine, only to realize that this pup is actually the partner of his dreams. Hooch is portrayed by five French Mastiffs, which means that series doesn’t take CGI shortcuts, and these dogs will charm everyone.
Udonis Haslem is going back to the Miami Heat for at least one more season.
Haslem, heading into his 19th NBA season and 20th overall as a professional, is re-signing with the Heat on a one-year deal worth $2.6 million, according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania. The 41-year-old Haslem played in one game during the 2020-21 season, appearing for a total of three minutes before getting ejected for trying to fight Dwight Howard.
Udonis Haslem will return to the Miami Heat on a one-year, $2.6M deal for his 19th NBA season with the franchise, source tells @TheAthletic@Stadium.
Haslem hasn’t been a rotation player since at least the 2014-15 season, when he appeared in 62 games and averaged 16 minutes. Since then, he appeared in no more than 37 games and under 50 minutes total in the last two years. This is very clearly the Heat bringing back a player they view as essential to their team culture and for leadership purposes in the locker room. From a certain point of view, he’s the league’s best paid assistant coach and just happens to wear a jersey instead of a team-issued polo.
With his 19th season, Haslem is also coming closer to the only two players in NBA history — the late Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki — who have spent more time with a single franchise. Bryant spent 20 years with the Lakers, while Nowitzki spent 21 seasons with the Mavericks. He may not get to two decades-plus — who knows if he’ll want to re-sign for another year after this one — but he’s getting as close as anyone may ever get again.
Mike Lindell’s energy knows no bounds. That’s an indisputable fact, and I’m not sure that he ever sleeps, but regardless, he’s been a man on a (dubious) mission in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at his so-called “Cyber Symposium” that was forecast to last 72 hours. The goal of that event has been to prove (even though it’s already been disproven) that Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump. And naturally with all things involving the Big Lie, the event descended into batsh*ttery with the MyPillow guy claiming that the event had been hacked. The promised proof never materialized, although Lindell kept trashing Dominion Voting Services (despite their billion-dollar countersuits against each other), and something about “packet captures” has led to a disappointed Steve Bannon.
Mind you, Steve Bannon has been part of this event as well. He broadcast his War Room Pandemic podcast while attending the symposium. In doing so, he also slammed Dominion, according to The Daily Beast, which he accused of filing more lawsuits to “kneecap” both OAN and Newsmax.
Yet perhaps Bannon wants to distance himself from the absence of “package capture” evidence that also seems to have raised a fuss on Twitter. Via Raw Story, Bannon went off (on Wednesday) on the way that Lindell went about making his (non-existent) case of voter fraud. “I would have done it differently,” Bannon declared on his podcast. “Mike is his own guy… It’s his show. I would have come out and overwhelmed immediately with packet captures and data and show, hey, here’s what I got.”
Then there was the matter of Lindell’s decision to repeatedly insert a 15-minute propaganda clip, which didn’t impress the former Trump chief strategist at all. “I think this is a mistake,” Bannon complained. “I don’t think they should play this movie again. I want to be brutally frank.” From there, Bannon declared. “You’ve laid a theory of the case out here that’s very powerful, but in laying that case out, you’ve got to bring the receipts.”
Being accused by a chief conspiracy theorist of not bringing receipts: not great for fellow conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell!
The moderator of sports debate shows like Undisputed or First Take is often not placed in a position to often add much to the discussion, as their role is to move the show from topic to topic and keep the two men yelling at each other on the tracks. That doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions on the topics at play or the things said on the show, but they aren’t often afforded much in the way of time to say it.
However, sometimes in the segues between topics or before throwing it to commercial they will add their two cents, and on Wednesday morning Jenny Taft did just that on Undisputed, as she took exception to Bayless comments on Mike McCarthy’s appearance. It was, to start, a comment that seemed to just be her pointing out her stance and getting ready to move it along, but Skip took issue with it and what transpired next was Taft seemingly airing out some frustration about Bayless and noting that “I’m allowed to have an opinion,” to which Bayless crudely responded, “uh, no.”
That “uh, no” left many disappointed (albeit not all too shocked) in Bayless, and it’s that attitude that has been apparently building frustration for Taft in her role moderating the show. Shannon seemed to just want to play peacekeeper and recognized it wasn’t good, saying “we’re a team” but it seems clear all is not peachy on the Undisputed set at the moment.
Gymnast Simone Biles attributes a lot of her success to the fact that she was adopted by her grandfather, Ron, and his wife, Nellie, in 2000. “My road to success began the day my grandfather and his wife officially adopted my sister and me,” the five-time world champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist wrote in a piece for CNN.
“Although I was young when my foster care ordeal began, I remember how it felt to be passed off and over-looked,” she wrote. “Like nobody knew me or wanted to know me. Like my talents didn’t count, and my voice didn’t matter. Finding a family made me feel like I mattered.”
Biles and three of her siblings were placed in the Ohio foster care system when she was just three years old because her parents had substance abuse problems.
“Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life, and I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am unless that turning point happened,” she said on Facebook Watch.
However, just because she is an advocate for children in the foster care system, doesn’t mean that she isn’t pro-choice as well.
The gymnast stirred up controversy on Monday night when she asked her Instagram followers to submit “unpopular opinions” so she could weigh in with her thoughts. When one wrote, “abortion is wrong,” Biles responded saying she is “very much pro-choice.”
“I already know this is going to start the biggest argument and may even lose followers BUT. I’m very much pro-choice. Your body. Your choice,” she wrote.
via Simone Biles / Instagram Stories
Biles knew that her opinions would be controversial, especially because she was adopted.
“Also for everyone [who’s] gonna say ‘just put it up for adoption,’ ” she started, adding eye-rolling emojis, “it’s not that easy and coming from someone who was in the foster care system TRUST me.”
“Foster care system is broken and it’s TOUGH. Especially on the kids and young adults who age out. And adoption is expensive … I’m just saying,” she added.
Abortion is a controversial topic so it wasn’t a surprise that Biles received a lot of negative responses to her stance. But some people had the audacity to conclude that Biles thinks people should have abortions instead of giving their babies up for adoption.
I have forever & will continue to support foster kids. AS I WAS ONE. I’ve been an advocate for foster kids and the… https://t.co/MQP3Cs5W2U
“DO NOT misconstrue my words. That is not at all what I implied. I did NOT say I support to abort rather than to put them through the foster care system. What I did imply is that you should not control someone else’s body/decision,” she said.
“I have forever and will continue to support foster kids. AS I WAS ONE,” Biles continued. “I’ve been an advocate for foster kids and the system but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t follow me, you just like to open your mouth.”
Controversial topics like abortion can make people so angry they have a hard time understanding a nuanced opinion. Being pro-choice doesn’t mean that someone is anti-adoption or against the foster care system. It simply means that they believe people — especially women — should be able to make their own reproductive decisions.
Adoption is a choice. Abortion is a choice. Biles believes that the pregnant person is the one who should be making that decision.
Drinking whiskey and listening to music go hand in hand. Pouring a glass of the good stuff and slipping a beloved vinyl out of its sleeve is a whole vibe. Or maybe you’re rocking your favorite summer streaming playlist and downing Jack and Cokes. Either way, whiskey pairs well with pretty much all genres of music so much so that thousands of songs have been written about drinking in general while hundreds have been written specifically about whiskey.
We’re here to talk about songs about whiskey and the best whiskey to pour for each of those tunes. I’m not a music critic, so I won’t be critiquing any of these songs. But I am a whiskey critic, and these tunes stand out from the dense crowd of whiskey hymns, so I paired them with the bottles that capture the vibe of each song.
The feel of the song is really what I focused on with these pairings. Bands and artists from the plains tended to elicit thoughts of vast fields of rye and wheat. Irish bands singing about whiskey took me to Midleton, Cork, and Dublin. Old school Americana blues riffs called for old school bourbons. You get the point so let’s dive in and listen to some good tunes and drink some damn good whiskey.
We’re starting off by going way back to the Benny Goodman big band era. While this song doesn’t actually reference whiskey in the lyrics, it’s all about a regretful love life, which is a major theme of a lot of songs about whiskey. Plus, we all need a little extra Billie Holiday in our lives.
The Whiskey:
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.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I jumped out of the frying pan and right into the fire. Lord, right into the fire.”
This feels like the best place to start since oftentimes when drinking scotch, you’re jumping into the smoky fire for the night.
19. One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer, John Lee Hooker — Chivas Regal 12
This mid-1960s version of the bluesy original from Amos Milburn is far more succinct than the sprawling George Thoroughgood version, which is a bit like watching a documentary play out in song. It clocks in at just north of three minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to pour yourself a whiskey and get ready for a drinking session with John Lee Hooker’s timeless licks.
The Whiskey:
This Highland whisky is built around the famed Strathisla Distillery. The whisky is crafted to work as a sipper or mixer, with real complexity built-in. It really shines in both respects.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a matrix of oak, nuts, malts, and fruit up top. The fruitiness leans into orchards in full bloom as a minerality drives the taste towards spicy tobacco with a hint of creamy vanilla. The oak peeks back in with a little more maltiness, as the end slowly fades alongside a mild chewiness.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I ain’t seen the girl since night before last. Wanna get drunk, get her off my mind. One bourbon, one scotch, one beer.”
Chivas feels like an easy pour at a dive bar if you’re ordering scotch. It’s cheap, very easy drinking, and pretty damn ubiquitous.
18. What Good Can Drinkin’ Do, Janis Joplin — Old Tub
Joplin wrote and recorded this deep cut when she was 19. It’s a classic blues number in all its 12-bar glory. It also feels like a time machine to a completely different era — if not world — where you learn the cold hard truth that the answers you seek are not at the bottom of a bottle.
The Whiskey:
Last year, Jim Beam released their “distillery-only” Old Tub expression on the national market. The juice is an unfiltered and higher ABV version of classic Beam, giving you more of the brand’s depth in each sip of whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a sense of cornmeal next to sawdust, oily vanilla, and a hint of fresh honey sweetness that entices your senses. The sip takes on a caramel corn sweetness as the vanilla carries you towards sweeter woods and cherry fruits. The end is short and sweet (like most Beam), with a distant wisp of orange oils next to a slight minerality.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Give me whiskey, give me bourbon, give me gin because it doesn’t matter what I’m drinking, Lord, as long as it drowns this sorrow I’m in.”
The old-school blues harmony of the guitar and vocals on this take you straight back to the 1920s. And that is exactly where Old Tub is from (albeit a new version of that). The throwback bourbon feels perfect for sipping on while listening to this throwback track.
17. Moonshiner, Bob Dylan — Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
This early Dylan track goes deep on the whiskey drinking and sorrow wallowing with friends at a local bar. The song’s last verse starts with “The whole world’s a bottle and life’s but a dram.” If that’s not the perfect whiskey verse (albeit a Shakespeare paraphrase), we don’t know what is.
The Whiskey:
Crown Royal puts out a lot of whisky. But their Northern Harvest Rye might well be their best release to date. The juice is a blend of ryes, creating a 90 percent rye whisky, that’s then cut with spring water and bottled at a very approachable 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a nose leaning into dried florals and herbs with a sweet edge of pear and apricot. It’s slightly grassy with touches of pepper spice and woody vanilla taking. aback seat to the pears and peaches and red berries. The end is swift but leaves you with a sense of scones covered in orange marmalade with a nice dose of eggnog spice warmth.
The Pairing Lyric:
“The whole world’s a bottle and life’s but a dram. When the bottle gets empty, it sure ain’t worth a damn.”
There’s just something about the old-school, wind-swept Northern folksiness of this song that feels like the ever-moving grass fields where Dylan grew up. And that always leads us back to Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. The whisky will transport you to those grassy fields that Dylan ran away through all those times as a kid.
16. Streams of Whiskey, The Pogues — Tullamore D.E.W.
The Pogues have always felt like the ultimate whiskey drinking band. It’s no secret that the band’s lead, Shane MacGowan, would go on notoriously dark drinking binges. That darkness often comes through in the lyrics of a lot of their upbeat pub songs, including this one.
The Whiskey:
This is a straight-up classic Irish whiskey. The juice is triple distilled — like most Irish whiskeys — and then it rests in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The whiskeys are then blended into a final product that’s as easy to drink as it is to mix.
Tasting Notes:
Clear fruity notes of apple mingle with a hint of bourbon-y vanilla. That fruit carries on through the very light (in a good way) sip as a hint of wood and citrus arrive. The vanilla peeks back in near the end as the sip quickly fades while warming you up.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I am going, I am going where streams of whiskey are flowing, yeah!”
This could literally be Ireland’s tourism branding. Whiskey and Ireland and inextricably bound and Tullamore D.E.W. feels like the Pogue-esque underdog to enjoy while dreaming of the Emerald Isle.
15. Whiskey in the Jar, Thin Lizzy — Jameson Stout Cask
In the end, this is a classic Irish folk song (originally performed by The Dubliners) of love, betrayal, colonialism, and death wrapped up a in very 70s rock jam.
The Whiskey:
Aging stout in whiskey barrels has a long tradition in brewing. Then there’s the whole tradition of stouts in Ireland that go hand-in-hand with drams of Irish whiskey. So aging Jameson in whiskey barrels that held stout beer makes a lot of sense.
In this case, the aged juice spends an extra six months in the stout barrels, giving the whiskey that little something extra.
Tasting Notes:
Apple orchards and bails of hay mingle with almonds, spice, chocolate, and a hint of lemon oil. Dark chocolate and a note of spicy wood dance on the palate as creamy sweetness balances everything out. The end brings about a note of butterscotch next to a milkier chocolate texture that quickly drops off.
The Pairing Lyric:
“As I was goin’ over the Cork and Kerry mountains…”
If there’s anything County Cork is now known for, it’s the Midleton Distillery where the world’s supply of Jameson is made. The extra boozy aspects of this song of lust, murder, and tragedy adds a certain Irish stoutness to the mix, hence the mix of stout finishing and old-school Jameson.
This politic Irish folk song from Christy Moore goes to some pretty dark places while memorializing Irish suffering during the Troubles. Moore laments the people lost to “winter graves” and “streets running red” and, yeah, we need a pull of a whiskey now too.
The Whiskey:
This is a testament to the magic that can happen when a cask hits just the right marks. This is the standard 12-year expression — single pot still, triple distilled, and ex-bourbon/ex-sherry maturation — that’s blended and bottled unfiltered and uncut.
It’s the purest expression of the cask in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Dried tropical fruit, stone fruit, and berries come through on the nose with a hint of cedar next to a slight cinnamon-forward spice powder. Those fruits and spices mix into a Christmas cake with a bit of malt next to that wood while vanilla pokes in with a rich and creamy texture. The fruit, oak, and spice marry on the long and warming end as the fade brings a buzzing to your senses.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Kids wear white garters and smell like their mothers whose husbands and fathers alike drink black beer in the same public houses, smelling of smoke and strong whiskey.”
This protest song gets pretty deep and brutal, so we’re sticking with the “strong whiskey” part. And that makes us think of Redbreast 12 Cast Strength. It’s one of the stronger Irish whiskeys on the shelf while still being one of the most well-made.
13. Here Comes A Regular, The Replacements — Larceny Wheated Bourbon Barrel Proof
This song feels like it’s going to be about Norm from Cheers. But it’s, again, a dark tome of drinking alone, the loss of a friend, and more drinking.
The Whiskey:
These barrel blends from Heaven Hill are meant to highlight the precise quality of the distillery’s prowess from grain to bottle. This small batch of wheated bourbon is derived from barrels between six and eight years old. The juice then goes right into the bottle with no cutting or filtering, allowing the masterful craft to shine through in every sip.
Tasting Notes:
This has a mellow nose that ebbs and flows between soft maple syrup cut with cinnamon sticks, a light touch of brioche, new leather gloves, and bruised apples. It offers a warm rollercoaster ride through figgy puddings touched with burnt sugars, dried fruits and nuts, holiday spices, and a brandy butter silkiness. The taste has a hint of almond or walnut shell on the end that marries to a dry mouthfeel, vanilla, and a touch of tobacco chewiness.
The warmth lingers pretty long but never overpowers and almost becomes halfway between fizzy and buzzing as it fades, leaving you with a woody, bourbon vibe and a very late wet straw note.
The Pairing Lyric:
“And even if you’re in the arms of someone’s baby now, I’ll take a great big whiskey to you anyway.”
Most of the wheat for American bourbons comes from Minnesota (and North Dakota). Since The Replacements also come from the land of endless wheat, a wheated bourbon felt like the best move. Plus, Larceny Barrel Proof feels like the epitome of a “great big whiskey.”
12. Whiskey River, Willie Nelson — Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky
There are about a million country songs about breakups and whiskey. We chose three for this list and at least one of those had to be from Willie Nelson. While this song is pretty straightforward (it’s all chorus and bridges), it flows at the perfect pace to sip some good whisky.
The Whiskey:
Master Distiller Jared Himstedt has one of the best collections of Scotch single malts I’ve seen outside of Scotland. This expression is his salute to the classic style. The juice is made from 100 percent malted barley in copper pot stills before aging in variously sized barrels before getting finished in a single, large barrel. The final product is a single malt unlike any other that’ll help you fall in love with the style.
Tasting Notes:
Hints of pears and bananas greet you with a sense of rose water and citrus. The sip shines with a feel of rich, sweet, and bitter marmalade with a base of sourdough toast dripping with rich, creamy butter. This sip is like a warm hug that you didn’t know you needed.
The dram fades slowly through the senses as burnt sugar, cedar, and honey notes linger on the palate.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I’m drowning in a whiskey river, bathing my mem’ried mind. In the wetness of its soul, feeling the amber current flowin’ from my mind.”
You need a Texas whisky as unique as Willie for this song and that is Balcones Texas Single Malt.
11. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), The Doors — Evan Williams Black Label
This might be the most 60s-sounding song of all time. Still, the beat is quick enough to get you hyped about a drinking session at your favorite whiskey bar, and that’s sort of the point of all of this.
The Whiskey:
This is more of an entry-point for Evan Williams. The juice is a mix of four to seven-year-old barrels of the standard Heaven Hill bourbon. The whiskey is then proofed to 43 proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a bit of that fruit candy feel to this sip next to vanilla, dry corn, and a hint of caramel apples next to oak. The body of the sip is very light, with a slight spice burn. The end is very short, sweet, and full of vanilla, toffee, and oak.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Well, show me the way to the next whiskey bar. Oh, don’t ask why.”
If you’re drinking shots of Evan Williams Black at a whiskey bar, no one had better ask you why.
10. Take Your Whiskey Home, Van Halen — Bulliet Rye
This song starts off as a classic blues number and ends as a now-classic 80s rocker with a nice Eddie Van Halen solo to cap things off. At its heart, though, the song is about alcoholism destroying a relationship, which is very in line with classic blues.
The Whiskey:
MGP of Indiana’s rye is one of the most popular ryes on earth. Their rye is has a mash bill of 95 percent rye and five percent malted barley. The juice is aged for four to seven years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
This dram opens up with a mix of resinous cedar, sharp rye spiciness, creamy vanilla, and a hint of fresh mint. The taste delivers on those notes while folding in hints of dark cacao (with water added), savory fruits, and a buttery/crumbly biscuit somewhere deep in the bottom of the sip. The end lasts a while and circles back around to that cedar and sap, with plenty more sharp spiciness.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Yeah, you know that you’re headed for a lot of trouble if you take your whiskey home.”
Bulleit Rye remains one of the best bar whiskeys money can buy. It’s a good mixer or shooter and always available … at the bar.
9. Friends In Low Places, Garth Brooks — Jim Beam Bonded
Yes, this is a country breakup song. But it’s uptempo and pretty much a classic (or standard) at this point. It’s also a banger for just the right moment when you’re drinking at a dive bar and just tipsy enough to sing along with the whole bar.
The Whiskey:
This bourbon is Jim Beam’s high watermark when it comes to Kentucky bourbon. The juice is aged in a bottled-in-bond facility for four years where it’s also bottled at 100 proof with no bullshit. This is the standard Beam bourbon mash bill (77 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and ten percent malted barley) but there’s just something extra happening that makes this expression shine.
Tasting Notes:
This bourbon beckons you in with notes of toasted oak, red cherry, and vanilla. That leads to fresh honey, sweet caramel corn, rich toffee, bold vanilla, crisp apple, more of that red cherry, peppery spice, and a note of fresh mint. With a little water, the dram edges towards bitter dark chocolate with a nice billow of pipe tobacco while holding onto the mint, toffee, and vanilla oakiness.
The end is long, meandering, and full of warmth, fruit, spice, and bourbon goodness.
The Pairing Lyric:
“‘Cause I’ve got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away and I’ll be okay.”
You’re gonna want something familiar, cheap, good, and strong while you party (and sway) to this song. Jim Beam Bonded hits all of those marks perfectly.
When I made this list, I thought to myself, “Whiskey’N Mama has to be in there.” I remembered a fun romp of Texas rock. But, again, this is a breakup song about a Whiskey’N Mama. I swear we have some fun songs on this list too!
The Whiskey:
This introductory juice from Four Roses is a blend of all ten of their whiskeys. The barrels are a minimum of five years old when they’re plucked from the warehouses, blended, brought down to proof, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a bit of steeliness to the nose that’s mellowed by hints of dried florals, apple, and a touch of honey and spice. The taste doesn’t veer too far from the nose as the apple turns more honey, with mild vanilla and more honeyed sweetness. The end is subtle and short with a touch of green oak, spice, fruit, and one more dash of honey.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I should have known better than to fool with a whiskey’n mama.”
There’s something about Four Roses that feels very ZZ Top. Just grab a bottle of Four Roses the next time you’re in a liquor store, you won’t be disappointed, especially if ZZ Top is already playing on your car radio.
7. Whiskey And You, Chris Stapleton — Jim Beam Black
This is the ultimate hangover/breakup song. Stapleton’s very slowed and drop-D take on the Tim McGraw track will break your soul if you’re already hungover and maybe help it start to mend if you’re going through a breakup.
The Whiskey:
This expression replaced the old Black Label 8 Year. The juice in this bottle is aged longer than your average four-year-old Beam, but there is no age statement on exactly how long. The best way to think of it is that it’s aged for as long as it needs to be, according to the distilling team.
Tasting Notes:
This bourbon is where Jim Beam starts to get dialed-in to its core notes of vanilla, caramel, corn, and oak, with a hint of orchard fruit. Yes, all of those elements were there in standard Jim Beam above. But there’s more refinement in this whiskey with a little bit of sweet smoke added in. By the end, the vanilla is more like a dried vanilla pod, the caramel is richer, the fruit is a bit more tart (sweet apple-ish), the oak is more toasted than charred.
The fade isn’t too long but sticks with you.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Come tomorrow, I can walk in any store, it ain’t a problem, they’ll always sell me more.”
Jim Beam is the ultimate bottle that you can literally walk into any store and find some variation on the shelf. And yes, they’ll always sell you one.
6. Whiskey Girl, Gillian Welch — Michter’s Small Batch Original Sour Mash Whiskey
Keeping things low and slow, this ethereal song is all about a couple tying one on and going deep into the “underworld.” It’s very folksy and Americana-filed somehow (I told you I wasn’t a music critic). In the end, it’s about two people coming together rather than splitting up.
The Whiskey:
This was the first American whiskey to be named “Whiskey of the Year” by The Whiskey Exchange just last year. The reason this is a “sour mash” and not a bourbon or rye is that the mash bill doesn’t focus on corn or rye, hence it’s just a sour mash whiskey. The juice is then aged in new white oak with a heavy char.
Tasting Notes:
Smoked plums and rye spice mingle up top. The sip really embraces the smoky dark fruit with hints of vanilla and cherry popping up on the palate. The dram carries that smoky plumminess through to the end with a nice nod to the oak and bourbon-y vanilla underbelly.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Nowhere man and the whiskey girl, they loaded up for a weekend in the underworld.”
There’s something about the folksy and haunting tones of Welch’s voice that speaks to this deeply flavored and folksy whiskey. Pour it neat and let the record spin.
5. Drink You Away, Justin Timberlake — Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select
This song straight-up references Jim and Jack, so you know we had to pick one of those two. And, yes, we know this is another breakup song. Still, it’s an easy jam to let spin while you sip some good whiskey.
The Whiskey:
Frank Sinatra was one of Jack’s biggest fans. The crooner was buried with a bottle. The actual juice in this expression is a throwback of sorts to how Jack was made in Sinatra’s day. They use special “Sinatra Barrels” that have concentric grooves carved into the newly charred oak, giving the whiskey more surface area to do its thing. Once that’s aged, it’s blended with traditional Old No. 7 and proofed at 45 percent, as it also would have been back in the Rat Pack days.
Tasting Notes:
Stonefruit, caramel apples, vanilla pods, and a hint of that toasted oak pull you in. The sip leans into the fruit with a rich and buttery vanilla-laden caramel, plenty of peppery spice, and more of that oak, along with a very distant echo of tobacco smoke. The fruit leans back towards a mild banana as the caramel, spice, vanilla, and oak slowly fades out and warms your senses, leaving you with one final puff of that smoke.
The Pairing Lyric:
“I’ve tried Jack, I’ve tried Jim, I’ve tried all of their friends, but I can’t drink you away.”
But did he try Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select? Really, this is more about the tuxedo-wearing swagger Timberlake rocked during his 20/20 tour — that was Sinatra to its core — than it is about a breakup song.
Okay, we’re picking things back up. This is the ultimate “let’s get this party started” tune for hard rockers. Hell, a shot of whiskey almost magically appears in your hand when this song revs up.
The Whiskey:
Starward Solera is an Australian grain-to-glass experience. The mash is made from 100 percent Australian malted barley. The juice is then aged in used Apera fortified wine casks from Australia. The final result is cut with local water and bottled at a very agreeable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Subtle notes of butterscotch, red berries, and vanilla pods mingle on the nose. The palate has a slight floral note (think dried roses) that marries well to those sweet red berries as a note of woody spice comes into play with a hint of honey. The end leans into the vanilla to the point of getting a little creamy as the fruit, honey, and spice fade out.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Yes, my glass is gettin’ shorter on whiskey, ice, and water.”
Look at that! The recipe for a highball. Starward Solera is an excellent choice for a great highball with unique flavors and plenty of Aussie vibes.
3. Broken Whiskey Glass, Post Malone — Wild Turkey 101
This feels like a post-modern My Morning Jacket boast track. It’s mostly about getting f*cked up and going through life as a rock star, which whiskey always seems to be a central part of. But hey, at least it’s not about another breakup.
The Whiskey:
A lot of Wild Turkey’s character comes from the hard and deep char they use on their oak barrels. 101 is a high-rye and high-ABV bourbon that leans into the wood and aging, having spent six years in the cask. A little of that soft Kentucky limestone water is added to cool it down a bit before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a sweetness that feels like buttery toffee next to creamy vanilla and a note of citrus next to charred oak. The taste delivers on those notes and adds more vanilla pudding, sharp rye spice, butterscotch, and a hint of fresh and sweet tobacco leaves. The end is bold and long with the spice, oak, and sweetness lingering on the senses while heating you to your soul (this is what’s called the “Kentucky hug,” although this particular embrace isn’t overly gentle).
The Pairing Lyric:
“And that 101 like the highway in hell, going too damn fast.”
Those extra ABVs on Turkey 101 will 100 percent get you there faster.
A song purely about partying, taking shots, wearing sunglasses at night, and Jameson with an Avril Lavigne hook (of sorts)? F*ck yeah, I’ll drink to that.
The Whiskey:
This is more than just 18-year-old Jameson. It’s a masterful blend of hand-selected 18-year-old whiskeys aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. That juice is then married and finished in first-fill bourbon casks until it’s just right.
Tasting Notes:
This has a bold-yet-dialed-in nose, with bourbon vanilla, soft cedar, orange oils, rich toffee, and subtle spice. The taste delivers on those promises and adds in leather, hazelnuts, and a dusting of dark chocolate (especially with a little water). The end is slow and combines the cedar, toffee, and spice in a wonderful balance.
The Pairing Lyric:
“Oh, let the Jameson sink in, I drink to that, yeah, yeah…”
If Rihanna is calling out Jameson shots at the bar, they better be the best f*cking Jameson shots ever. And that’s clearly Jameson 18.
1. Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton — Uncle Nearest 1856
This list was pre-destined to end on this song. It’s about being in love and the person you’re in love with being as good as Tennessee whiskey — well that and strawberry wine and brandy too. Regardless, this is probably the best whiskey song of all time (this version specifically) because it’s not about a breakup. It’s about finding love, which is a massive outlier in songs about whiskey.
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is the entry point to the newly minted Uncle Nearest line. The shingle was created to celebrate Nathan “Nearest” Green who was instrumental in Jack Daniel’s early success in postbellum Tennessee. The juice in the bottle is a sourced (for now) blend of Tennessee whiskeys that have aged eight to 14 years before blending and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Fairground caramel corn mingles with rushes of dry hay, thin maple syrup, bowls of freshly picked peaches, and a hint of red berries. The fruit takes on dry edges as the maple and caramel take on a spiciness next to a maltiness that almost feels like a spiced cake full of dried red fruit. There’s a hint of dried florals behind vanilla and caramel on the short end.
The Pairing Lyric:
“You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey. You’re as sweet as strawberry wine. You’re as warm as a glass of brandy. And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time.”
That deep red fruit that turns a little dry in a Tennessee whiskey exudes the vibes of this song’s chorus. Tennessee whiskey, strawberry wine, and brandy is this bottle.
Check out the whole playlist below:
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Teen indie phenom Glaive is fresh off the release of his new EP, All Dogs Go To Heaven. Now, he has shared a new video for the title track (which is technically titled “All Dogs Go To Heaven (Outro).”) While a lot of Glaive songs are characterized by their extremely high energy levels, this one is more of a relatively slow-burning ballad.
Ahead of the video, Glaive shared a message of gratitude for his fans, saying, “i’m quite tired rn but thank you guys sm for the support on all dogs go to heaven so far, i put a lot of effort into the project and i’m super happy with how it came out! some more super cool stuff happening in the next week or so :).”
i’m quite tired rn but thank you guys sm for the support on all dogs go to heaven so far, i put a lot of effort into the project and i’m super happy with how it came out! some more super cool stuff happening in the next week or so 🙂
In another recent tweet, Glaive described the process of writing his All Dogs Go To Heaven songs, saying, “i wrote everything myself so i kind of just put down some ideas in the notes app of my phone and then turned them into full songs and then inspiration wise i was just trying to make music i liked i didn’t want it to sound like anyone else’s music.”
i wrote everything myself so i kind of just put down some ideas in the notes app of my phone and then turned them into full songs and then inspiration wise i was just trying to make music i liked i didn’t want it to sound like anyone else’s music https://t.co/yDkl5gS6X0
After a global pandemic shut down the live music industry, many touring musicians are now getting serious about COVID safety requirements. Musicians like Japanese Breakfast are requiring all concertgoers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID before attending their sets. Jason Isbell is doing the same, and he just opted to cancel a show altogether because a venue wouldn’t comply with his requests.
Isbell’s record label, Southeastern Records, announced Tuesday evening that the night’s show would be canceled. They stated the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas was “was not willing to comply” with the band’s request that all concertgoes be vaccinated.
Tomorrow’s @JasonIsbell and the 400 Unit show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, TX is CANCELLED. Unfortunately, the venue was not willing to comply with the band’s updated Health and Safety standards. (1/2)
Shortly after the announcement was made, Houston Fox News reporter Sally MacDonald replied with an alleged statement from the venue. “The pavilion statement doesn’t say they weren’t willing to comply,” MacDonald wrote. “It says they couldn’t implement a change like that on short notice. Like everywhere else they are short staffed, too.”
The pavilion statement doesn’t say they weren’t willing to comply. It says they couldn’t implement a change like that on short notice. Like everywhere else they are short staffed, too. pic.twitter.com/NKQEptJv0J
However, Isbell replied to MacDonald’s claim on his own account. Isbell said the venue owner “flat-out refused to even attempt to implement the policy.”
The pavilion statement is false. Live Nation, the promoter, was on board but the venue owner flat-out refused to even attempt to implement the policy. https://t.co/iGlfTTLYsV
MacDonald eventually came forward to confirm that she is, in fact, related to the Texas venue owner. She said it was not her “intention to mislead anyone” about her family connections to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and that she had not been assigned to the story by her news network.
It was not my intention to mislead anyone about my family connection to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. I posted The Pavilion statement, and I just wanted to get more information out. I was never assigned by Fox 26 to cover this story and did not report it on air.
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(@Tchalla_Fett) August 11, 2021
