A little over a week ago, video emerged from a Lousiville nightclub that showed Jack Harlow standing just feet away from what would be a deadly shooting. The incident was captured on camera and shared by TMZ and in it, the rapper (who is from Louisville) could be seen moving toward safety. Now, TMZ reports that the rapper’s DJ Ronnie Luciano, born Ronnie Tyshon O’Bannon, was indicted on charges for his alleged link in the shooting. O’Bannon was specifically charged “with murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the fatal shooting” and TMZ further reports that a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
The shooting occurred at Lousiville’s Ultra Lounge during the weekend of the Kentucky Derby. In the video, Harlow can be seen enjoying his time at the nightclub when an argument broke out in front of him. The vocal dispute quickly turned physical and a brief moment later, gunshots could be heard which sparked chaos in the nightclub as the attendees, including Harlow, ran to safety. The shooting resulted in the death of one woman and sent another man to the hospital with non-fatal injuries.
It was just a week before this incident that Lil Durk’s Smurkchella concert in Phoenix came to an early end due to a shooting. There, only one woman was injured after a bullet grazed her leg.
Soulja Boy is facing some legal troubles. As the rapper enjoys the success of his latest single, “She Make It Clap,” an effort that went No. 1 on TikTok, he was reportedly hit with a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend. According to TMZ, Soulja Boy was sued for alleged sexual battery and domestic abuse by his former partner, who chose to stay anonymous and be known as Jane Doe in the lawsuit that was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. She claims to have started dating Soulja Boy back in 2007 before entering a serious relationship with him from 2014 to 2019, but she says that she exited it because she could “no longer stand the abuse.”
The rapper’s ex-girlfriend also accuses him of attacking her in 2015, an incident she says resulted in a miscarriage and the removal of her uterine lining. She also claims (via TMZ) that Soulja Boy “began to physically attack and yell at her” while they were filming their reality TV show, and in 2019, she alleges that he physically removed her and her daughter from their shared home, and when she later refused to enter back into a relationship with him, he allegedly “gripped [Doe’s] neck and choked her while threatening her life.”
This is the rapper’s second lawsuit of the year after he was sued (in January) for alleged sexual battery, sexual assault, and false imprisonment by his former personal assistant, who also filed under Jane Doe.
Anyone who has gone through the process of disentangling themselves from an addiction knows it’s an ongoing, daily battle. It may get easier, and the payoffs may become more apparent, but it’s still a decision someone makes each day to stay detached from their substance of choice.
Seeing someone who has a long record of sobriety—especially after a very public struggle—can be motivating and inspiring for others in different stages of their recovery journey. That’s part of why actor Rob Lowe’s announcement that he’s reached 31 years sober is definitely something to celebrate.
“Today I have 31 years drug and alcohol free,” Lowe wrote on Twitter. “I want to give thanks to everyone walking this path with me, and welcome anyone thinking about joining us; the free and the happy. And a big hug to my family for putting up with me!! Xoxo”
Today I have 31 years drug and alcohol free. I want to give thanks to everyone walking this path with me, and welco… https://t.co/UrRFnbpZZm
Lowe, who is now 57, spent his early-to-mid 20s embroiled in negative press after a scandal over an underage sex tape (he was 24 and one of the two women he was with was 16—over the age of consent for sex in the state of Georgia at the time, but too young to be recorded) and his widely publicized substance abuse issues. In 1990, two years after the sex tape scandal, he decided to stop drinking and doing drugs. He entered a rehab program—which he has said was the best decision he ever made—and has managed to remain sober ever since.
He has also been married to his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, since 1991. The couple has raised two sons, who are now around the age Lowe was when he got sober, and who love to hilariously troll their old man on social media. (Even when you’re a studly, successful superstar, your kids will always be there to keep you grounded.) His career has flourished since his return to television in “The West Wing,” and he has become a bit of a poster boy for redemption in Hollywood.
He has also been quite open about how happy sobriety has made him. Last year, on his 30th recovery anniversary, Lowe wrote about his “sober life of true happiness and fulfillment” on Instagram.
“From a treatment center in Arizona to a bomb shelter in Israel, I have come to know many extraordinary people,” he wrote, “and the fellowship of recovery has changed my life and given me gifts beyond my selfish imaginings.”
One of Lowe’s big fears when he got sober at 26 was that he wasn’t going to have fun anymore. He told Kelly Clarkson that he couldn’t imagine not having a drink at his wedding or a whiskey when his kids were born. “Guess what?” he said. “Yes, I didn’t have any of that, and it’s awesome.”
Lowe told Variety that sobriety has to come from a deep desire for change in the addict themselves.
“Nothing can make you get sober except you wanting to do it,” he said. “The threat of losing a marriage, losing a job, incarceration — you name the threat, it will not be enough to do it. It’s got to be in you. The reason that people don’t get sober 100% of the time when they go into programs is that people aren’t ready when they go to use the tools.”
Lowe also shared with Variety the moment he knew he was ready for rehab:
“I was ready when one day back in the days of answering machines, my mother called me and I could hear her voice on the answering machine. I didn’t want to pick up because I was really, really hungover and I didn’t want her to know. She was telling me that my grandfather, who I loved, was in critical condition in the hospital and she needed my help. And I didn’t pick up. My thought process in that moment was ‘I need to drink a half a bottle of tequila right now so I can go to sleep so I can wake up so I can pick up this phone.”
Lowe says that all of his understanding about life has come from getting and staying sober. “The only way to stay in recovery is to be honest with yourself on a minute-by-minute basis,” he told Variety. “No secrets, no double life. And you have to get real…the longer you are in recovery the more facile you are in getting honest.”
Congratulations on 31 years sober, Rob Lowe. May your story be an inspiration to others who are on their own path to and through recovery.
Amazon’s The Boys faces a hefty challenge in how to one-up itself from year to year, and we already know that the sheer volume of fake blood will already be higher in Season 3. The casting of the next round, as well, provides plenty of opportunity to make viewers shake their heads in disbelief at what they’re seeing, and that just might include Supernatural star Jensen Ackles’ new look.
This subject isn’t entirely new to those who have been watching and wondering. In fact, Ackles previously teased a fresh-out-of-quarantine photo, which revealed a heavily unkempt beard. Of course, there was no telling whether that look was one that would stand for the show, or if Ackles simply decided to not shave for much of the pandemic. (It happens!) Also, there’s the simple fact that the Ackles’ character, Soldier Boy, is clean-shaven in the comics. And Soldier Boy is the leader of Payback (which is a parody of The Avengers group of heroes) as well as a play on Captain America.
Obviously, we got to see a little bit of Bearded Chris Evans as Cap in Avengers: Infinity War, so is it possible that Soldier Boy might also do the beard thing? It sure as heck looks like it. Here’s showrunner Eric Kripke’s official reveal (he tweeted “Enter #SoldierBoy. BUCKLE UP MOTHERF*CKERS”) Ackles in the series. The beard has been cleaned up but is very much present.
In other words, we can expect the unexpected from Kripke (who’s the creator and original showrunner of Supernatural) during his much anticipated reteaming with Ackles. And we might cross fingers for even more of that cast to show up, given that Jim Beaver already appeared as Robert Singer. Will we actually see Jeffrey Dean Morgan come over as well, once he’s freed up from the final season of The Walking Dead? One can only hope, and since he probably won’t be doing the Batman thing, Morgan might have a gap in his schedule to be filled.
The Boys Season 3 has been shooting for several months, and fingers crossed that we’ll see it in late 2021.
Hello, friends. We are in the final stretch of the NBA season, with more teams jockeying for positioning in the run-in to the postseason than there are fighting to make the playoffs in the first place. There are plenty of captivating on-court things right now, and we hope you continue to be compelled by all of them, but we here at Dime are very passionate about something and want to give it its proper due: Spoonerisms.
The NBA, by nature of being a thing that has a lot of names in it, is the breeding ground for many great spoonerisms, which is what happens when you take a name and flip the first letters in each of them. An example that does not appear in this post, as it is limited to current players, is how Larry Bird would be “Barry Lird,” which sounds like a person who would own a used car dealership in the upper midwest.
Anyway, we decided to go through NBA rosters and list out the best spoonerisms that we could find. We took creative liberties with a few of these — i.e. taking the first two letters of Spencer Dinwiddie’s first name and swapping them with only the first letter of his last name — and we marked the best of the best (10 in all) with italics. This entire exercise is very stupid. We hope you enjoy.
A woman named Lisa posted a video on Facebook where she shared “the easiest way to make spaghetti for a crowd” as “you don’t have to worry about dishes or a mess.” I know there are a lot of people out there who love cooking a large Italian meal for family get-togethers, so it’s incredible that Lisa discovered a way to do so without filling the dishwasher with a billion dishes.
It’s also pretty amazing that she decided to share it with us.
In the video, Lisa explains that this is how “real Italians” cook for a large family gathering. What’s really interesting is that she didn’t have to cut corners with her recipe being that it’s made for easy clean-up. It truly appears to be made with fresh, authentic Italian ingredients.
She even tops off the recipe with a salad made with Italian-style dressing. So you know it’s authentic.
Real Italian cooking. Check. No mess. Check. This may be the greatest cooking hack ever.
Just imagine inviting your family over for dinner and feeding 10, 11, heck even 12 of them all around the counter. You can even go completely dish free by asking them to eat with their hands. You may have to have some extra napkins handy because spaghetti can get everywhere if you’re not careful.
The cool thing is that it can be ready in just a few minutes. The only thing that takes any real time is waiting for the noodles to boil which should take around eight minutes. it’ll also take a few seconds to zap the meatballs in the microwave. That way you can spend more time with your family without having to waste time in the kitchen.
This spaghetti trick is pretty amazing, but I do have one way to make it even better. I’d warm up the spaghetti sauce in a large pot before serving. Nobody likes cold spaghetti sauce. Plus, I’d probably add a bit of salt to the recipe. I guess that’s how real Italians in Sicily like it.
For those of you who would like to try this at home, here’s the recipe:
2 40 oz bottles of Prego Traditional pasta sauce (Note: she uses Traditional flavor to make it taste authentic.)
2 pounds of meatballs
16 oz of grated Market Pantry brand parmesan cheese (you can buy that at Target where, I guess, real Italians shop)
2 pounds of spaghetti noodles
The Salad:
1 head of chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing (make sure it’s Kraft! Keep it authentic)
As they say in Italy, “Bon Apetit!”
The trick also inspired a copycat taco hack which would also be fantastic for a family gathering. It also appears to be an authentic Mexican recipe.
You thought the spaghetti prego video was bad? Wait until you see the taco vid: https://t.co/jArTIS7gNN
When it comes to food, everyone’s a critic, so there have been more than a few who have a problem with the spaghetti hack. There’s no accounting for taste.
There’s only one person I want showing me spaghetti hacks. https://t.co/K3z0T3FdUh
It’s no accident that Lil Uzi Vert is one of the most popular figures within hip-hop. In fact, he admits some of the calculated choices he made to attain that status in a new interview in W Magazine. Commenting on the commercial success of his most recent album Eternal Atake, which debuted at No. 1 two weeks in a row thanks to its split release and is still charting a year later, he says that he considers the album “dumbed down” as a direct appeal to a broader audience.
“All of my music for Eternal Atake got leaked, so I had to redo it,” he recalls. “It didn’t reach its full potential—I just knew it wasn’t the sound I was going for. Let’s just say Eternal Atake, for another artist, would have been really good because it was super dumbed down to where everyone could enjoy it, but that’s not my artistry. I want my new music to be more intimate to my real fans. I wanted it to be almost cultlike.”
Uzi attributes his artistic compromises to playing the comparison game. “I was listening to all the industry guys and their formats—it was confusing me because these guys are getting No. 1’s,” he allows. But I realized the music ain’t even living; their No. 1’s are real quick. I had to realize this is their beginning; they’re younger than me, so they have room to do that. I don’t have room to do that. I used to always look at all the young guys and be like, ‘Oh, shout out this guy.’ I ain’t shouting out nobody no more.” With a new album on the way, he’ll have a chance to make up for his perceived missteps.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
With less than a week to go in the 2020-21 NBA season, there is still plenty of drama when it comes to playoff seeding and the new play-in tournament. With a number of tight races for seeding, each game means a lot and each night there will be teams with a chance to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Only seven teams have clinched playoff spots (a top-6 seed) so far, with Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee in the East and Utah, Phoenix, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Denver in the West. On Tuesday, there are four teams that can clinch playoff spots (and one that can be eliminated from the playoffs) depending on the various outcomes of Tuesday’s NBA action. In the East, the top 6 seeds could all be locked in on Tuesday, with the only drama being seeding within that range. In the West, a fifth team can lock themselves in with a win and some help.
Atlanta Hawks: Clinch a playoff spot with a Celtics LOSS and a Knicks WIN.
Miami Heat: Clinch a playoff spot with a WIN over Boston.
New York Knicks: Clinch a playoff spot with a WIN over the Lakers and a Celtics LOSS.
Dallas Mavericks: Clinch a playoff spot with a WIN over the Grizzlies and a Lakers LOSS.
Basically, if the Heat and Knicks win, the East playoff picture is known and the Celtics get locked into the play-in, add in a Dallas win to that formula and you have 11 of the 12 playoff positions taken, with seeding to be determined and the 6-seed in the West still a battle between Portland and the Lakers.
Other things that can be finalized on Tuesday include:
Philadelphia 76ers: Clinch the 1-seed in the East with a WIN over Indiana OR losses by both Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
Sacramento Kings: Eliminated from the play-in with a LOSS to the Thunder.
Beyond those battles, there are other very important games happening for seeding battles, starting with the East.
Nets loss to Chicago and a Bucks win over Orlando would bring Milwaukee into the 2-seed by virtue of their tiebreaker with Brooklyn.
Knicks loss would put them in a tie with the Hawks for the 4-seed, which they would still hold onto with their own tiebreaker.
Knicks loss and a Miami win would create a three-way tie for 4th, with Atlanta taking the 4-seed in such a scenario by way of being the division leader (thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Heat).
Knicks win and a Miami win would keep New York a full game ahead for the 4 and move Atlanta and Miami into a tie for 5th, with Atlanta holding the tiebreaker.
Hornets loss and a Pacers win would move those two into a tie for 8th, with Charlotte holding the tiebreaker.
Indiana loss would move them back into a tie with Washington for 9th, with the Wizards owning the tiebreaker.
In the West,
Clippers loss and a Nuggets win would bring them into a tie for the 3-seed, with Denver owning the tiebreaker.
Dallas loss would move them into a tie with Portland for the 5-seed, with the Blazers owning the tiebreaker.
Warriors loss and a Grizzlies win would move Memphis back in front of the Warriors by a half game for the 8-seed
It’s been less than a week since Resident Evil Village hit shelves and already it’s looking like it could be one of the year’s best-selling titles as well as the best-selling Resident Evil game. In a press release published by Capcom earlier today, the developer revealed over 3 million units of the game were sold in the first four days of release. These impressive numbers make it the fastest-selling Resident Evil title since 2012’s Resident Evil 6 — which sold over 4.5 million copies in just two days — and push the series past 100 million units sold.
While it might seem a stretch to claim Village is on track to be the best-selling game in the series when confronted with Resident Evil 6‘s staggering initial sales, it’s important to note that Resident Evil 6‘s poor reviews led to a decrease in purchases, and ultimately the game capped with a, albeit still impressive, 7.7 million copies sold. According to Capcom’s sales records, this puts Resident Evil 6 behind Resident Evil 5 (7.8 million units sold), Resident Evil 2 remake (7.8 million units sold), and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (8.5 million units sold).
Single barrel bourbon whiskeys are special buys. Their appeal is in how distinct and unique they are, even from other expressions made by the same brand. Which makes it incredibly hard to judge single barrels against one another. Generally speaking, two bottles from two different barrels from the same distiller can vary — sometimes quite widely. So you can imagine how tough it is to get a handle on a certain brand’s output.
All of which made this the hardest blindranking I’ve ever done. All eight bottles showed something different that helped them stand out, which meant I really dug a lot of these. But I found myself liking them for massively different reasons — which made them damn near impossible to rank. In the end, the distance between sixth and fifth places or even second and first places was razor-thin.
I also had a ringer thrown in. Technically, I’m drinking seven single barrel bourbons and one Tennessee whiskey single barrel. The reasoning behind this is twofold. First, all Tennessee whiskey is bourbon (but not all bourbon is Tennessee whiskey). Tennessee bourbon that goes through the Lincoln County Process — filtering through sugar maple charcoal — becomes Tennessee whiskey. The second reason is that I wanted to see if I could blindly pick out the Tennessee whiskey from the pack of refined single barrel bourbons. As in: would the extra filtration be noticeable when competing against expressions this refined?
Right from the top, I can see from the dark hue of this bourbon that it’s one) crafty and two) likely Texan. It’s dark and stormy in the glass, with a nose that leads off with rich butterscotch that’s almost a toffee. There’s a mild pine board dryness that leads towards very creamy vanilla and eggnog spice depth. The sip gets creamier when you go back to the nose and take a second sip and a sweet (almost honeyed) tobacco chew takes over.
Taste 2:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a buttered cornbread that leads into a lot of fruit. There’s a cherry cream soda vibe (hello, Jim Beam) that runs through the whole sip, while notes of mildly spicy apple pie dripping with sweet caramel sauce come to play.
A touch of peach comes in on the second round of nosing and sipping and a soft, almost moist, leather enters the fold.
Taste 3:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Okay, this is deeply interesting. Mild marzipan nuttiness leads towards a rush of barky Christmas spices. The sip turns towards blackberries, cinnamon bark, and old leather-bound library books. The mustiness never overwhelms as the very silky body of this sip creates a big, warming tobacco buzz on the end that really lingers.
Taste 4:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a rush of toffee with a spicy tobacco counterpoint that leads towards a maply candy vibe. That maple candy holds as a rich and creamy vanilla ice cream — think thick and malted — counterpoints an old cedar bark feel next to a spicy tobacco chewiness on the end, all of which leads back to that maple.
Taste 5:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is lighter but not thinner. There’s a mix of almost old cherries next to dry leather and a sticky firewood sap. There’s a light and sweet kettle caramel corn touch with a hint of vanilla and spicy toffee-covered apples. But it’s really the fruit that shines the most in this dram: Cherry, banana, maybe even peach and pear.
This has to be the Jack Daniel’s. That fruitiness stands out so brightly.
Taste 6:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is so different than the last sip that it’s jarring — in a good way. There’s a big note of holiday spices with a rich and creamy vanilla backbone next to soft leather and a touch of old cellar beams. There’s a whisper of vanilla pound cake next to wet apple tobacco. The taste then veers towards savory herbs with a nod towards rosemary stems and … maybe tarragon and … I want to say dill?
Those aren’t digs! I like those qualities.
Taste 7:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is very light in every way. The taste is quintessential caramel/vanilla/apple with hints of eggnog spices and a mild oakiness. There’s a honey tobacco vibe that drives the sweetness and chewiness of the sip with a slight minerality, cherry note, and wet leather essence.
Taste 8:
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This starts off with a maple/cinnamon vibe that leads towards pear tobacco in an old leather pouch with matchsticks nearby. There’s a nuttiness to the body of this sip that feels like walnuts in vanilla ice cream with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
After the second and third nose and sips, an orange oil brightness comes into play alongside all that spicy tobacco chew.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
8. Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage (Barrel No. 912) — Taste 7
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The juice is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 43 proof, and bottled as is.
Bottom Line:
This was a great sip but from the first nose, I knew this was more a mixing bourbon than a sipping one. The sip only confirmed that. This is definitely going to be my cocktail base for a while and it’ll be great!
7. Jim Beam Single Barrel (Barrel No. JB0009) — Taste 2
This is an interesting whiskey. Each bottling is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than one percent of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Bottom Line:
I was pretty sure this was Jim Beam thanks to that cornbread/cherry vibe. And hey, I was right. For the price and feel of this one, it’s more a great cocktail base than a sipper for me. Hence its low ranking.
That being said, this is a great entry-point single barrel for anyone looking to get into the game.
6. Four Roses Single Barrel (Barrel No. 66-2G) — Taste 8
Four Rose’s standard single barrel expression is an interesting one. This is their “number one” recipe, meaning it’s a high-rye (35 percent) mash bill that’s fermented with a yeast that highlights “delicate fruit.” The juice is then bottled at 100 proof, meaning you’re getting a good sense of that single barrel in every bottle.
Bottom Line:
I really struggled with where to put this one. It felt like a pure classic bourbon in every way. Still, nothing really reached out and grabbed me. Now, that could be because I tasted this last, and palate fatigue was setting in.
What can I say? This was really, really good … classic bourbon.
This single barrel expression from Hye, Texas’ Garrison Brothers is all about highlighting the craft distillery’s grain-to-glass process. The juice is made from a mash of 74 percent local white corn, 15 percent estate-grown soft red winter wheat, and eleven percent Canadian malted barley. That spirit is then rested for three to five years, or until it’s just right to be proofed and bottled.
Bottom Line:
I’m not a huge fan of butterscotch. This started with that note but it quickly faded towards more nuanced caramel and toffee and that’s what drew me in. It was hard not to love this bourbon. It was super easy to drink for how dark and strong it is.
Again though, I think I’d like this more in a cocktail than on its own thanks to that very clear high-alcohol vibe. And that’s why it’s a little lower on my list today.
4. Baker’s 7 Year Minimum Single Barrel (Barrel No. 000502651) — Taste 6
This is a newish release from Beam’s high-end line. It’s also the first single barrel release from Baker’s, which intends to phase out its small-batch expressions in favor of this bottle. The juice comes from hand-selected barrels from specific spots in the Beam warehouses, with whiskey that’s at least seven years old. In this case, we’re talking an eight-year-and-seven-month-old barrel.
Bottom Line:
This switched from first to third to sixth to second before it ended up here. That savory herbal note really helps this dram shine. It’s interesting, engaging, and really helps this sip feel like something special.
That all being said, there still wasn’t that “wow” factor at play. It was more a vibe of “well, this is really good and cool tasting. So… what’s next?”
3. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select (Barrel No. 20-01177) — Taste 5
This Jack bottle was first introduced in 1997. The barrel is hand-selected from the upper floors of Jack’s vast rickhouses. The whisky is bottled at a slightly higher proof to allow the nuance of the juice to shine.
Bottom Line:
First, I have to pat myself on the back a little for being able to call out the bottle of JD. Second, this is really f*cking delicious and easy to drink. All that fruit adds an extra dimension to the vanilla/tobacco/spice matrix of the rest of these.
The only reason this isn’t a little higher on the list is that it’s a little bit thin. Not watery or listless, but it’s missing the extra depth that keeps your full attention.
Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.
Bottom Line:
This was a real, “Ah-ha!” moment. There’s a beautiful silken quality to this sip that draws you in and holds you tight. It feels iconic. It tastes classic. You feel that age and craft in each nose and sip. It builds. It crescendos. And it sticks with you like a sweet memory of a summer day years ago.
This was the first sip on the list where I thought, “Oh, I can just drink this from now on.”
1. Michter’s Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Yrs. Old (Barrel No. 20D223) — Taste 4
This expression from Michter’s is a ten-year-old single barrel drop that hits the highest marks when talking about what bourbon is and can be. The juice is now contract-distilled according to Master Distiller Pam Heilmann and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson’s precise instructions and watchful eyes (though, they’re distilling their own juice now in Kentucky).
Bottom Line:
Apply all that gushing I just did for Wild Turkey to this. This is just bourbon in every sense of the word. It’s also amazingly accessible to drink, with rounded edges and silken texture.
Where this sip stood out was the deep feeling of understanding this dram brings. After that first and second nose and sip, you get this sense of ease and familiarity. It’s kind of like this thought runs through your mind, “Oh, I get it now. This is what everyone is talking about when they talk about how much they love bourbon. This is how this spirit tastes.” But it’s also elevated.
It’s like how your imagination improves things. This is the imagination-improved memory of a first bourbon sip. It sort of transcends and illuminates at the same time while being just so goddamn drinkable without ice or water or anything.
All that you need to enjoy this bourbon is your palate, thoughts, and a place in this world to sit and enjoy it all.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
I’m not going to lie. It felt like I’d taken the biggest chaw of Kodiak, dipped for about an hour, and was left buzzing for another hour after sipping these eight single barrel whiskeys. The spicy, woody buzzing from those bourbonslingered.
That being said, it’s pretty clear that not all single barrels are created equal. Price aside, there’s a reason some of the most lauded and beloved bottles are so lauded and beloved. That Michter’s just couldn’t be denied. The Wild Turkey was one of those sips that you can carry with you for the rest of your life. But man they were good. Hell, the Garrison Brothers is probably the one I’m thinking about the most after the tasting, and that was only top five.
I have to say that the Baker’s Single Barrel remains the most interesting sip of the day. But, “interesting” doesn’t mean the “best.” That’s true for me anyway. Maybe it won’t be for you. Try these yourself and find your own transcendent dram of single barrel bourbon that speaks to you.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
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