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Any time I’m given the opportunity to boast about Texas whiskey, particularly the bourbons, I take it. In fact, this year I was able to flex my tasting “muscles” as a judge of the Texas Whiskey Festival. Just when I thought I couldn’t be impressed even more about the unique whiskey Texas has to offer, I was enthralled even more by the varying nuances of bourbons across the state. Given that it’s never the wrong season for bourbon, I have my go-to drams throughout the year while also taking time to try the new kids on the block.

For this blind tasting, I’ve included a few of my go-to names alongside newbies to the world of Texas bourbon and my palate. While a couple of these bourbons are what I consider hard to find on the market (looking at you Milam & Greene and Grayson Whiskey), most bottles can be easily purchased online for under $50 in most regions.

So, which bottles are part of the blind tasting? See below.

• Treaty Oak The Day Drinker Texas Bourbon
• Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Milam & Greene Distillery Edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon
• Grayson Texas Blended Bourbon
• Nine Banded Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Nine Banded Wheated Straight Bourbon
• Silver Star 1849 Bourbon Whiskey

You might notice a few Texas bourbon rockstars missing from the lineup of this blind tasting. This was intentional. For one, this is the first Texas bourbon blind tasting for UPROXX. Two, there’s enough sun for everyone in that there’s a variety of sippers that warrant your attention too. And before you get all holy roller on me about including Nine Banded Whiskey — yes, I know it’s sourced from Indiana. I’m including it to see how Indiana juice compares to pure Texas distillate blind. Will it stand up? Let’s get into the tasting, y’all, and find out!

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1:

Tasting Notes:

The golden amber hue coupled with the cinnamon aroma drew me in immediately. The flavor is riddled with toasted oak, leather, and reminiscent of the candied nuts I get from Buc-ee’s (a gas station convenience store). The finish fades nicely like that of a pleasant song that’s come to its end.

Taste 2:

Tasting Notes:

The baking spices, specifically clove and cinnamon, are coupled with honey upon the first whiff. Fruity flavors coupled with apple butter scream “Autumn!” but also buttery toffee notes make this quite an exceptional pour. Warm, spicy finish at the back of the palate.

Taste 3:

Tasting Notes:

There’s a butterscotch color along with the same fragrant allure similar to Werther’s Originals. Hints of oak and vanilla dance across the taste buds before its fleeting soft sweet finish.

Taste 4:

Tasting Notes:

The aroma reminds me of the orange cookies my grandmother made for me as a child. They were toasted, fruity, and rich just like this whiskey. The palate is full of dark chocolate with a long-drawn finish that’s just as sweet and sumptuous as the first sip. I have a feeling this is Milam & Greene’s bourbon.

Taste 5:

Tasting Notes:

The nose encompasses a few things I appreciate about bourbon including oak, brown sugar, and spice. There’s a creamy, caramel mouthfeel that’s made complete with a quick flame of heat at the finish.

Taste 6:

Tasting Notes:

The honeysuckle hue partnered with the toasted almond nose drew me in, but it’s the torched brown sugar and hints of honey on the palate that kept my rapt attention. The finish is a warm hug in potency, just enough to be comforting without being squeezed to death.

Taste 7:

Tasting Notes:

Reddish mahogany color is certainly different, so I surmised this bourbon had a solid oak presence, and I was right on the nose (literally). Heavy oak aroma is accompanied by roasted chocolate coffee beans with a velvety mouthfeel that’s made even more appealing by its maple and allspice flavors. Spice nibbles at the finish with a slow burn at the front of the palate.

Taste 8:

Tasting Notes:

For breakfast as a child, I used to enjoy toasted bread with butter and honey. The nose reminds me of this fond memory. The mouthfeel is enjoyably creamy with a soft hint of vanilla bean. The finish is underwhelming and left me asking: Where’s the heat?

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Treaty Oak The Day Drinker Texas Bourbon — Taste 8

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

The Day Drinker has a mash bill consisting of 57 percent Yellow Corn No. 1, 32 percent Texas wheat, and eleven percent malted barley. It’s aged for one year in first use American white oak with a medium char level.

Bottom Line:

Not bad for a one-year-old bourbon in terms of flavor complexity. I just wish the finish left more of an impression.

7. Nine Banded Straight Bourbon — Taste 6

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

This whiskey has a mash bill consisting of 87 percent corn, eleven percent rye, and two percent malted barley made in Indiana. The whiskey is then sent down to Texas’ Hill Country where it’s cut with our limestone-filtered water and bottled locally.

Bottom Line:

Nine Banded won me over as a fan. However, this is a bourbon that’s best suited for an old fashioned rather than sipping neat.

6. Nine Banded Wheated Bourbon — Taste 5

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $38

The Whiskey:

This wheated bourbon is crafted with 51 percent corn, 45 percent wheat, and four percent malted barley in Indiana. Like Nine Banded Straight Bourbon, this dram is made complete with limestone-filtered water from the Texas Hill Country.

Bottom Line:

This one is the polar opposite of Nine Banded Straight Bourbon, and that’s a good thing. You can enjoy this neat as much as you would in a spirit-forward cocktail.

5. Grayson Texas Blended Bourbon — Taste 7

ABV: 59.7%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Batch one of Grayson contains a blend of Texas whiskeys from some of the biggest names in the game, including Ironroot Republic Distilling, Balcones Distilling, and Five Points Distilling (the masterminds behind Lone Elm Whiskey). Each barrel in the blend was three to seven years old. Fun fact: Grayson is the first black-owned whiskey brand from Texas. It was co-founded by author and craft spirits expert Nico Martini, former MLB three-time All-Star Vernon Wells, and private equity investor Brandon Davis.

Bottom Line:

If you’re not into a heavy oak presence, this one isn’t for you. It’s an all-around solid sipper and I look forward to batch two.

4. Milam & Greene Distillery Edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4

ABV: 60.9%

Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

This limited edition grain-to-glass straight bourbon was the distillery’s first “Certified Texas Whiskey” produced in Texas Hill Country (Blanco, Texas specifically). The mash bill is comprised of 70 percent corn, 22 percent rye, and eight percent malted barley.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a chocoholic, then you’ll fall in love with this limited release. We’re all chocoholics at the end of the day, right? Also, I wish you well in finding a bottle outside of Texas.

3. Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $31

The Whiskey:

This grain-to-glass bourbon is crafted using a traditional pot still distillation. It’s made from a four-grain mash of corn, wheat, rye, and barley and aged for a minimum of two years in Balcones’ Waco rickhouse.

Bottom Line:

This is a must-have for any bourbon lover in the country, even if you’re not a fan of Texas!

2. Silver Star 1849 Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $46

The Whiskey:

This Fort Worth-based distillery remains a mystery in terms of its distillate origins. It’s crafted with a mash of corn, rye, and barley and aged in a 30-gallon white oak barrel for just over three years. Cool fact: The bourbon is cut with Texas rainwater.

Bottom Line:

This one was a shocker in the best way. Hello, new go-to.

1. Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2

ABV: 49.2%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

The Musician consists of a mash bill of 70 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and five percent malted barley. It’s then aged for around two years before getting cut with local water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

Young, yum, and fun! The Musician has easily become my go-to bourbon for sipping neat and in cocktails. This bourbon proves the adage that sometimes “age ain’t nothing but a number.”

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

Social media often has a revolving door of trending topics, but there are those few moments where something comes out of left field. An example of that has been the recent uptick in celebrities admitting to rather unusual shower routines. It all started when Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher said they only bathe their children when “you can see the dirt on them.” Kristen Bell chimed in afterward and revealed she’s a “big fan of waiting for the stink. Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up.” Jake Gyllenhaal later deemed bathing to be “less necessary, at times.”

The entire ordeal has left many with questions for their friends and favorite celebrities. This includes Cardi B who took to Twitter to share her reaction to those who don’t shower on a daily basis. “Wassup with people saying they don’t shower ?” she wrote with an arched eyebrow emoji, before adding, “It’s giving itchy.”

Cardi’s concerns are akin to that of many other people, but for what it’s worth, fans of The Rock and Jason Momoa can rest knowing that the actors are all for a good scrub to begin and/or end their day. The former pointed out that he’s “the opposite of a ‘not washing themselves’ celeb” as he showers three times a day in addition to exfoliating and singing “off key” in the shower. Momoa, on the other hand, had a simple response when he was asked about his shower routine. “I’m not starting any trends. I shower, trust me,” he replied. “I’m Aquaman. I’m in the f*cking water. Don’t worry about it. I’m Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good.”

You can read Cardi B’s tweet above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bonnaroo ran into a lot of trouble setting up the follow-up to their 2019 festival. The pandemic prevented organizers from hosting the showcase on the originally planned weekend of June 11-14, 2020. At first they delayed to September of that year, but they were soon forced to postpone until June 2021…before pushing it back for a third time, to September 2-5, 2021. Thankfully, the showcase will go as planned this year, but attendees will not be able to enter the venue without adhering to a new rule.

On Tuesday, the Tennessee-based festival announced new requirements for the showcase. “The safety of our patrons and staff is our number one priority,” organizers wrote in a statement. “As such a full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend Bonnaroo 2021.” This is the same rule that Chicago’s Lollapalooza implemented last month for their 2021 festival. “Bonnaroo strongly encourages vaccination,” the festival added. “The last day to receive the second shot of Moderna or Pfizer, or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson is Thursday, August 19th.”

For those who follow Bonnaroo’s new policy, they’ll be able to enjoy an impressive lineup that includes Tyler, the Creator, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, Run the Jewels, Kevin Gates, Tame Impala, J.I.D, and more.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Las Vegas Summer League provides an avenue for basketball die-hards to indulge in wall-to-wall action from midday into the late evening for more than a week. For others, it’s an opportunity to catch a glimpse of some of the NBA’s potential stars of the future. And on a few occasions during the week, single games can bring both, which was the case on Tuesday night during a matchup featuring No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons against No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets. The Rockets ultimately picked up a 111-91 victory but, as always, the final score took a backseat to the work of exciting prospects.

Cunningham got the better of the matchup in the early going, as the Pistons were more intentional about getting him on the ball and Cunningham’s intensity and competitiveness rose to the surface. First, he flashed his three-point shooting with an early pull-up.

Then, Cunningham attacked the rim for an intriguing finish, only to follow that up (after creating a steal with his defensive range near mid-court) with a dish in transition.

Not to be outdone, Green settled in with his usual and varied shotmaking arsenal. That included a tough three-pointer to get things going.

Cunningham was able to create more effective opportunities, both as a jump shooter and as a penetrating option, and that was on display with a third quarter rim attack.

Green kept it coming with perimeter shooting and, not to be understated, the ability to draw fouls and convert 10 of his 11 attempts at the free throw line.

Perhaps the highlight of the night went to Cunningham, though, as he went one-on-one with Green and created a three-pointer with some flair.

Of course, Cunningham and Green weren’t the only intriguing prospects involved in this particular contest, and there were several reminders of that. 2021 first round pick Alperen Sengun impressed for the Rockets as an offensive focal point, using his craft to finish near the rim in multiple ways.

Sengun also stepped way beyond the arc for a deep three-pointer that turned some heads, and he finished the night with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Detroit received notable contributions from Saddiq Bey (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists), Saben Lee (13 points, two steals) and former college superstar Luka Garza (15 points in 16 minutes), but the other attention-grabbing effort came from Rockets guard Josh Christopher. He finished with 15 points and seven assists in 27 minutes, living up to his pre-college hype as a scorer and quickly becoming a crowd favorite with his attacking style on both ends.

All told, this was a matchup that lived up to the hype, both with the top two picks and their supporting counterparts. Cunningham wasn’t incredibly efficient, scoring 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting, but his two assists understate the effectiveness of his distribution — his teammates went 3-for-26 on threes for the evening — and he is already a very strong defender with three steals and quality activity. Green picked up where he left off after a fantastic opener with 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists, overcoming a considerable amount of defensive attention from Detroit and making sure his presence was felt.

This was still only a Summer League game in the end. Still, it answered the bell from an entertainment standpoint and several rising prospects were able to effectively showcase their appeal and future upside.

Technically speaking, Rand Paul is a doctor: He’s an ophthalmologist. But that doesn’t exactly make him qualified to talk about, let’s say, highly transmissible diseases that have caused a once-in-a-century global health crisis. And yet, time and time again, he’s squared off against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top immunologist, who safe to say knows much more than he does. And every time Paul comes for Dr. Fauci, he only gets schooled, because at best he’s an eye doctor. But now Paul’s medical bona fides, or lack thereof, have gotten him temporarily suspended from YouTube.

According to Yahoo!, the physician and current senator was yanked from the video sharing service after dropping an instantly controversial video in which he didn’t just come out against mask mandates, but claimed they’re dangerous. (They’re not.)

“Saying cloth masks work, when they don’t, actually risks lives, as someone may choose to care for a loved one with COVID while only wearing a cloth mask,” Paul says in the video. “This is not only bad advice but also potentially deadly misinformation.”

He also railed against “vaccine passports” and the nation’s top doctors, whose attempts to stop a currently worsening pandemic he described as a “drunk-with-power reign over the Capitol.”

Paul’s video was over-the-top even for COVID skeptics. Most simply complain about them being symbols of oppression, or at least slightly uncomfortable. Doctors by and large agree that they offer at least some protection, for one’s self and for others. But Rand went all in, asserting that they don’t work, when data comparing places with widespread mask use to those without it strongly suggest otherwise.

It was unhinged enough to not only get Paul suspended for a week, starting Monday, but to be the second YouTube video yanked from the service in a week. Last week, they removed one showing his appearance on Newsmax, wherein he argued much the same thing, on top of complaining about his beef with Dr. Fauci, of course.

Paul did not take the suspension lightly. “They are now banning all my speech, including speech that is given on the Senate floor, which is protected constitutional,” he told reporters. “YouTube now thinks they are smart enough and godly enough that they can oversee speech, even constitutionally protected speech.”

Paul isn’t the only Republican suspended from a social media site for spreading COVID misinformation. Marjorie Taylor Greene was suspended from Twitter for a fourth time after claiming that “vaccines are failing” and “do not reduce the spread.” (Ditto masks, she also claimed.) According to Twitter’s rules for COVID misinformation, if she’s suspended a fifth time, it will be permanent.

Anyway, please wear masks, even if you’re fully vaccinated. They’re just masks. You’ll live.

(Via Yahoo!)

A number of rappers have stepped into the marijuana industry, among them Jay-Z, G-Eazy, Ice Cube, and Russ, at a time when recreational weed use has become increasingly legal across the nation. It’s not just about making it easier for people to get high. There’s been a push to alter past penalties given to those were placed in prison when it was still widely illegal. And ot raise awareness for this idea, some in Michigan have decided to start a new music festival.

Former NBA player Al Harrington’s Village, who is responsible the largest conglomerate of black-owned cannabis brands in the United States, is starting Nobody’s Home, a hip-hop festival on September 4 to bring awareness to marijuana laws. Rick Ross and G Herbo will headline, with Freddie Gibbs, Jay Electronica, Chase B, Babyface Ray, G.T., and more set to appear. The festival will take place in Benton Harbor, Michigan with performances running from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Dwight Mitchell City Center Park.

According to HipHopDX, Kanye West’s longtime manager John Monopoly is responsible for curating the festival while another former NBA player, Wilson Chandler, leads the cannabis brand, Nobody’s Home, that flagships the event.

The Nobody’s Home festival is free to attend for anyone over the age of 21 years old. RSVPs for the event can be made on their website here.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In 2002, Halle Berry made history: She became the first Black person to win the Best Actress Oscar, for the drama Monster’s Ball. But in a new interview, she says it didn’t lead to the avalanche of great roles like she’d assumed. Instead, she had to fight for good parts, even accept ones she found dubious. Which is one reason, she admits, that she did the derided comic book spin-off movie Catwoman. Still, she doesn’t exactly regret doing that one.

While talking to Entertainment Weekly ahead of her forthcoming action movie Bruised (as caught by IndieWire), Berry looked back on how her nabbing an Academy Award didn’t lead to tons of juicy roles with prestige directors.

“It was surprising,” she said. “Because I thought they were going to just back up the truck and drop them off at my house, right? When you have a historic win like that, you think, ‘Oh, this is going to fundamentally change.’ It did fundamentally change me, but it didn’t change my place in the business overnight. I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.”

And so the newly Oscar-winning Halle Berry had to lower her expectations and do some dicey movies — like Catwoman, which gave the Batman for her very own heroic movie, with a villain played by no less than Sharon Stone.

“It’s like, okay, that’s a film I can’t say I’m totally in love with, but this isn’t a hobby. It’s how I take care of my children,” Berry said. “But I try to keep that sense of wonder and stay curious. Because being a Black woman, I haven’t always had parts that I absolutely love.”

That said, Berry’s first post-Oscar role was another game-changer: With Die Another Day, she became the first Black actress to play a heroic Bond girl. (Previous Black Bond girls, such as Gloria Hendry in Live and Let Die or Grace Jones in A View to a Kill, had been in cahoots with the Bond villain.) But a spin-off featuring her character, Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson, was axed because MGM refused to hand $80 million to a movie starring Berry.

When Catwoman came crawling, she found it hard to say no. And though it was a critical and commercial bomb, it had its perks. “It was one of the biggest paydays of my whole life, which, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Berry said. “I don’t want to feel like ‘Oh, I can only do award-worthy stuff.’ What is an award-worthy performance?”

Bruised hits theaters on Sept. 12. Meanwhile, one can watch Catwoman on HBO Max.

(Via EW and IndieWire)

This year was primed to be a return to live shows after a year that saw almost none of them. But those who were hoping to see Fleetwood Mac’s lead vocalist Stevie Nicks perform live will have to wait until at least 2022. The singer took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that she is canceling her planned performances for 2021 due to rising COVID-19 cases across the country.

“These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made,” she wrote in her message. “I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us. While I’m vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the 5 performances I had planned for 2021.” She added, “Because singing and performing have been my whole life, my primary goal is to keep healthy so I can continue singing for the next decade or longer. I’m devastated and I know the fans are disappointed, but we will look towards a brighter 2022.”

Nicks was set to perform at the Jazz Aspen Festival in Colorado and BottleRock Napa Valley in California during Labor Day weekend. Her next scheduled performance was Austin City Limits, where she would sing both weekends of the festival, namely October 1-3 and October 8-10. Nicks was also slated to appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in October, but festival organizers announced over the week that the showcase would be postponed until next spring.

Chris Stapleton will replace Nicks at Bottleneck while subs for her stints at the Jazz Aspen and Austin City Limits festivals will be announced soon.

On Tuesday, New Yorkers were greeted with a genuine surprise: Andrew Cuomo actually resigned, a week after a report concluded that he had sexually harassed 11 women. Many expected that the soon-to-be-former governor, known for never backing down, would drag things out over months. But he didn’t, to widespread surprise. But the move left some verklempt. One of them was another famous New Yorker, Alec Baldwin.

“Regardless of what you think of Cuomo, this is a tragic day,” the eldest Baldwin brother tweeted. “Party politics in this country draw ambitious but ultimately isolated, even socially maladjusted men and women who, given the current cancel culture, will likely have their shortcomings exposed and magnified.”

It was certainly a unique response to a politician resigning over sexual misconduct allegations. Apparently he found sympathy for an “isolated, even socially maladjusted” person alleged to have misused his considerable power. He also repeated one of Cuomo’s defenses: that this was, he argued, a simple case of “cancel culture” unfairly coming for him.

It’s not the first time the 30 Rock alum has railed against “cancel culture.” Back in March, he posted a video to Instagram in which he drew a strange analogy between being driven from polite society over misdeeds and…well, just read it:

“It’s like a giant, mile-long net and you’re catching a lot of people, more than a few who deserve it, and more than a few who don’t. Or they don’t deserve to have their careers and their lives destroyed.”

Baldwin’s tone deaf response earned a lot of reactions on social media.

Reminder: One never has to tweet.

Sharife Cooper falling to the second round was one of the big surprises on the night of the 2021 NBA Draft. But despite his slide, the Atlanta Hawks’ rookie already is making his presence felt at Summer League.

Cooper hit a buzzer beater on Tuesday afternoon at Cox Pavilion to help the Hawks beat the Pacers. The play came in a scramble, as Skylar Mays missed his own attempt and Max Heidegger collected the rebound after Pacers forward Cassius Stanley tried to throw the ball off of Jalen Johnson’s foot. Heidegger found Cooper in the corner and he cooly pulled up for three at the buzzer, giving Atlanta a 84-83 win.

Cooper finished with a team-high 21 points for the Hawks and was 5-for-8 on three-point attempts. Along with Johnson (who had 18 points and 10 rebounds) Atlanta is getting some strong play from from its two rookies. Cooper, who signed a two-way deal after slipping to the second round, arguably has been the best player Atlanta roster so far and came up big when an opportunity fell into his lap.

For the Pacers, first round pick Chris Duare finished with 21 points while shooting 8-for-19 from the field and 5-for-10 from three. Cassius Stanley, Indiana’s second round pick last year, added 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting.