There’s always some level of outrage during the build-up to awards season. As nominations from various associations and academies begin to be announced, snubs and surprises begin to emerge. It’s expected. After all, hundreds of TV shows are dropping on dozens of streaming platforms each year, and that kind of content pile-up means that even the best quality art can fall through the cracks. And, we wouldn’t mind that so much if it hadn’t become painfully obvious thanks to the most recent Golden Globe nominations that the diversity we’re enjoying on the small-screen just isn’t translating to these awards shows. What’s worse? This lack of inclusion and representation comes even after steps have been taken to add fresh voices to voting bodies and restructure category requirements.
The Golden Globes is a bit different from a show like the Emmys or even the Oscars. The group that votes on the year’s best TV series, movies and performances is a small faction of critics and journalists who must meet specific requirements to qualify for membership. (By contrast, an awards show like the Oscars is decided by people within the industry – actors, directors, media members, etc – as are the Emmys, the SAG Awards, the Director’s Guild Awards, and pretty much every other staple of the awards season circuit.) But they still matter, and not just because their nominations are announced just a short while before the nomination voting for the Oscars ends. Because the voting body’s so small, it’s thought lesser-known shows and critical darlings have a better chance of being recognized. The Golden Globes, unlike the Emmys, delight in elevating new and obscure series, rewarding burgeoning talent, and “shaking things up” while they rub boozy shoulders with Hollywood’s elite.
So yes, watching the show is your best chance of seeing Brad Pitt give a shoutout to his diarrhea medication or catching Jack Nicholson poke fun at his co-stars while high on Valium or looking on in fascinated horror as a tipsy Elizabeth Taylor almost tanks an award category. But, when a show or artist wins, that’s a glowing recommendation, a bit of validation that makes it easier for them to find more projects and for more like-minded storytelling to be told.
Which brings us to the main problem of this year’s nominations, ones that saw fashionably frivolous comedy series like Emily In Paris lauded while more daring, difficult-but-important storytelling like I May Destroy You and Lovecraft Country fight for awards scraps. The collective outrage has less to do with Lily Collins receiving attention for playing a flighty, arrogant American abroad than it does the passed-over talent whose spot she, and others, filled.
Take Michaela Coel, the writer, and star of HBO’s powerfully gripping limited series,I May Destroy You. Coel, an already prolific talent, delivered some of her best work with the show, tackling the nuanced, complicated, and often confusing aftermath of sexual assault in a way that felt relatable but never minimizing. The show’s writing was sharp and impactful, Coel’s acting was fearless and surprisingly vulnerable, and the work of her co-stars (Paapa Essiedu and Weruche Opia) felt equally moving. I May Destroy You was one of 2020’s most-buzzed-about shows – it made our own “Best Of” lists here at Uproxx – and it drove revealing conversations on social media, giving audiences an incredibly raw look at rape culture and the #MeToo movement when we needed it most. But Coel, her work, and the effort from her castmates were ignored by the Globes this year.
That blind spot is glaring enough on its own, but when does one voting body’s lack of taste become something more serious – maybe even more sinister?
Is it when actors like Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors – the stars of HBO’s genre-bending phenomenon Lovecraft Country – are also left off nomination lists? Smollett’s Leti was one of the strongest elements of the series and the actress managed to trend on Twitter each week as her character fought white supremacists and sexism and Lovecraftian monsters on her journey to self-acceptance and empowerment. (Her iconic car bashing scene still lives in our heads, rent-free.) And Majors, who delivered two influential turns last year – first in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, then as Tic, the burdened hero of the HBO sci-fi show – was also snubbed, his work to humanize the struggle of Black men without exploiting their trauma all but ignored.
In fact, none of Lovecraft Country’s exemplary cast – from Wunmi Mosaku’s breakout role to Aunjanue Ellis’ revolutionary take on Black motherhood to Michael K. Williams’ heartbreaking queer storyline to Jamie Chung’s mythology-infused tragedy – were individually recognized, despite producing some of the best acting the small screen saw in 2020.
And sure, maybe both of these shows just didn’t land with the small voting body – hard to believe since Lovecraft Country did score a nod for its overall story but still, we’ll play along. Where then does the lack of love for Uzo Aduba, who turned in a command performance as civil rights icon Shirley Chisholm fit in? Her Mrs. America co-star Cate Blanchett managed to score praise, but Aduba’s effort to bring an almost untouchable historical figure to life and to make her feel fully human to younger generations didn’t also merit recognition? What about Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji, both women who gave viscerally real, incredibly funny performances in the latest season of HBO’s Insecure? Not only did Rae forego treading familiar ground to refresh storylines this season, but she also gave fans an honest look at Black female friendship.
And if this were just a “bad year,” if these missteps in the nomination process were one-offs, maybe we wouldn’t be so mad. But a bit of digging into the history of the Golden Globes shows it’s not nearly as diverse as we thought it was.
In the “Best Actress in a Drama Series” category where Smollett should’ve reigned, Taraji P. Henson is the only Black actress to win within the last decade. (Sandra Oh became the first Asian-American actress to win that award in 2019.) In the “Best Actress – Television Motion Picture” which is the category a limited series like I May Destroy You would fall under (and where Coel deserves to be), you’d have to go back to 2008 and Queen Latifah’s win for her role in HBO’s Life Support to see a woman of color win.
In the supporting categories, the white-washing is even worse. Gail Fisher’s win in 1971 is the first (and it looks like only) time a Black woman took home a “Best Supporting Actress – Television” award at the Golden Globes, though Sandra Oh did bring home one for her work on Grey’s Anatomy. Sterling K. Brown is the only Black man to win a “Best Actor in a Drama Series” trophy in the past decade. You’d have to go back to Jeffrey Wright in 2004 to find a Black actor who won a “Best Supporting” award on television. And though the comedy categories are a bit more inclusive, Tracee Ellis Ross is the only Black actress to take home hardware in the last decade while Donald Glover and Don Cheadle put up wins in the comedy actor space. Those categories also nominated and rewarded Latina actresses like Gina Rodriguez and America Ferrera while honoring talents like Ramy Youssef and Aziz Ansari on the men’s side.
Maybe it’s because the Golden Globes have earned a reputation amongst awards shows as being more laid-back, more relaxed – a place where A-listers can pass the booze and pat each other on the back as for fans’ amusement – that we’ve overlooked the homogeneity in the talent it recognizes. Or, maybe it’s because the voting body prides itself on being a coalition of international journalists and we just assume diversity accompanies those global credentials. Either way, the snubs we saw this year feel like more than just a glitch, more than just a group of people not vibing with what everyone else was watching and enjoying on TV. It feels like a bigger problem.
Now the only question is, will they actually do something about it?
Usually, when we’re talking about rums in the “very affordable” range, we’re talking about white (or silver) rums that are unaged (or aged and then filtered to remove color). Then there are “gold” rums, which are just touched by wood (and often adulterated with sugars) to give them a slight amber hue. There’s also spiced rum, which often leans cloyingly sweet and drips with spice — making it an easy shot, mixer, and sometimes sipper.
When we focus on the really cheap stuff (anything under $20 per bottle), you have to expect that we’ll also be talking about big brands. It requires certain economies of scale to get rum on liquor store shelves for that price. But just because an expression isn’t pricey doesn’t mean it isn’t drinkable … or at the very least mixable.
Finding the most enjoyable among the bottom shelf bottles is the reason for this list. We’re calling out and ranking white, gold, spiced, and dark mixing rums with a few (possible) sippers sneaking in right at the $20 mark. Sure, you can take a shot of any of these, and a few even work on the rocks in a pinch. But let’s call it like it is — these are down and dirty rums that bring a little burn but get the job done.
This is a standard and very cheap Barbados white rum. There are exactly zero bells and whistles with this expression. It’s made to be mixed into frozen drinks or cut with cola.
Tasting Notes:
There is a hint of depth behind that sugary rum burn. This actually won a silver medal in San Francisco, once thanks to its underbelly of vanilla, almonds, and a touch of black pepper.
Heaven Hill’s Admiral Nelson pulls rum from all over the Caribbean to create their deep roster of (mostly flavored) rums. Again, this is crafted as a rum you mix with and keeps things very simple in presentation and taste.
Tasting Notes:
There’s not a whole lot of burn, which is nice. The rum does hold onto that signature vanilla foundation with a hint of almost … melon or maybe pumpkin. There’s a hint of pepper heat, too — but not a whole lot.
Bottom Line:
This is a really neutral mixing rum. You can use it almost like a vodka to spike a big fruity cocktail.
This West Indies rum pulls its juice from various sources. The label is bespoke but the rum in the bottle is not. Speaking frankly, this is put together as a workhorse white rum that’ll never break the bank.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of vanilla. That foundation supports a sweet/savory tropical fruit edge and a slight hint of cream soda. There’s a distinct burn on the end but it’s not overwhelming.
Bottom Line:
This is a solid mixer overall. It’s got a little more vanilla in there, so it really goes well with cola. Rum and Coke, anyone?
Good ol’ Don Q Cristal is actually a more refined white rum than most. The Puerto Rican juice goes through multiple distillations before resting in ex-bourbon barrels for anywhere from 18 months to five years. Those barrels are then filtered several times to draw out the color before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a woodiness under the alcohol on this one. The sip has a hint of cinnamon with touches of tart apples and maybe even a wisp of smoke. The spiciness is what lasts and becomes sharp and almost ginger fresh.
Bottom Line:
If you’re sitting on a beach in the tropics, go for this on the rocks with a big twist of lime. Otherwise, this is a solid mixer for lighter rum cocktails.
This Diageo rum from the U.S. Virgin Islands is a classic. The rum is spiced and sweetened to make it more drinkable. And damn it, the technique works pretty well.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of vanilla with a cotton candy sweetness. That cotton candy is touched with Red Hots and the spiciness of a Jarritos Mexican Cola.
Bottom Line:
A Captain and cola is one of the most ordered drinks in the world, and for good reason. It’s legit tasty. Refined? Nah. But sometimes you need something super easy and this is exactly that.
Named after the famed tattoo artist, Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum is a pretty easy-drinking rum. The juice is sourced from various rum distilleries around the Caribbean. Then it’s spiked with “natural spices” to mimic how old navy salts would spice up their daily rum rations back in the days of yore.
Tasting Notes:
This is a bit more dialed in with clear cotton candy sweetness next to vanilla but it’s more of a cream soda than individual notes. There’s a mild spice that leans more towards clove than cinnamon with a very mild note of oak.
Bottom Line:
You’re going to want to use this in a cocktail (egg nog in the winter, fruity tropicals in the summer). Though, if it’s hot enough out, it’ll work as a sipper over a glass full of rocks.
This Caribbean rum is crafted simply with spices and molasses to make a drinkable mixer. The blended rum uses 12 “traditional” spices in the mix and they’re the real focus of this sip.
Tasting Notes:
This has a mix of vanilla, oak, and cinnamon with a good dose of molasses. There’s a caramel butteriness to that sweetness that leads back to the vanilla with a bit of tropical fruit aided by mild spices.
Bottom Line:
All that vanilla makes this a good candidate for a rum and Coke.
This Barbados rum sounds like it’s named after an app. It’s actually named after the oldest sugar plantation on the Caribbean isle. The juice is actually pretty well-crafted — they only use real spice and herbs in the mix and don’t add extra sugars after the distillation.
Tasting Notes:
This is a bit subtler than the other spiced rums on the list. There’s a clear cream soda vibe with bits of cinnamon and nutmeg adding depth. It’s more green sugar cane juice sweet than molasses sweet.
Bottom Line:
This works as a sipper over a lot of rocks but it’s even better as a cocktail base.
This Jamaican rum is a good entry point to the dark funk that makes Jamaican rum so unique. The bottle is built and blended to be accessible in both price and taste while highlighting the signature Jamaican funk those rums are known for.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a touch of oak and sweet vanilla up top with a very clear sense of hogo (that Jamaican funkiness). That funk is the throughline of the sip, with hints of spice and molasses arriving to support all that funk and oak.
Bottom Line:
Can you drink this as a sipper on the rocks? Sure, why not. But it really works best in highball situations either with plenty of fizzy water and lime or Sprite, cola, or even ginger ale.
This is sourced from Barbados. The juice is made from rums matured in ex-bourbon barrels for up to five years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a note of caramel covered almonds next to light notes of spice, a hint of oak, and plenty of cream soda vanilla. There’s a slight creamy chocolate vibe with a hint of tropical fruit on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t an overly complicated or as refined as 896’s eight-year expression. Still, it’s a steal at this price if you’re looking for a solid dark rum mixer to practice with.
This Barbados rum from Maison Ferrand undertakes a unique journey. The rum is matured for a few years in ex-bourbon casks. Then the juice is loaded onto a ship and sent to France where it’s filled into cognac casks for an additional year of aging before it’s brought down to proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a real heat here, akin to a bridge between Red Hots and freshly diced chili peppers. There’s a sweetness at play, too — but it’s muted under vanilla and distant hints of dried fruit and oak. There’s also a mild note of citrus on the end with a whisper of oaky smoke.
Bottom Line:
While this can work on the rocks, it’s really ideal for a highball with a twist of lime.
Nicaragua’s Flor de Caña 4 Year is a great entry point to the brand’s expressions. This rum is a blend of rums that have aged up to four years in used American oak. There are no sugars added post-distillation or blending.
Tasting Notes:
Bold vanilla greets you and leads towards a sense of toasted coconut. That coconut holds the center as sweet oak arrives, adding a dry edge. There’s a slight nuttiness next to green sugar cane blades near the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is built to be taken in a highball with good mineral water, plenty of ice, and a nice twist of lime.
This classic Jamaican rum from Sazerac is made from a blend of nine rums, all molasses-based. Those rums are aged for up to four years in ex-bourbon barrels before they’re blended, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
You get a real sense of that sweet and dark molasses right away. Notes of leather, dry oak, dried fruits, spicy and slightly chewy tobacco, and a touch of bitter dark chocolate mingle on your senses. The sip ends on an almost smoky note with a hint more of spice, oak, and chew.
Bottom Line:
This really is meant for mixing in hot buttered rum or the brand’s signature Planter’s Punch. This is also the perfect rum to have on hand to cook or bake with, thanks to its boldness.
J. Wray & Nephew is the backbone of Jamaican rum and the progenitor of Appleton Estate’s line. This expression is actually a rebrand of Appleton Special Gold. That’s a blend of rums that are aged for an undisclosed amount of time in old Jack Daniel’s barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Slight hogo Jamaican funk mixes with molasses sweetness, vanilla, and plenty of oak char. That vanilla and oak carry the palate towards a simple end, with hints of spice, more funk, and plenty of rummy molasses.
Bottom Line:
This sip is a good entry point to the wider world of Appleton Estate. It’s really designed as a mixer and is best used for big tropical cocktails or as a floater on those cocktails.
This Barbados rum hails from one of the world’s oldest still-running distilleries. The molasses-based juice is aged in ex-bourbon for up to two years before it’s blended, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla and spice mingle with ripe bananas and sweeter tropical fruits on the nose. The taste builds on those notes with toasted oak and a crème brûlée vibe. The oak becomes a bit charred and bitter as the sip fades pretty quickly.
Bottom Line:
This is Mount Gay’s entry point rum and built to be a cocktail base. Though, it still works perfectly fine in a highball or on the rocks in a pinch if you’re at the beach already and didn’t bring mixers.
The Dominican Republic’s Brugal makes some damn fine rums. This gateway expression is distilled multiple times and then loaded into ex-bourbon barrels where it rests for three to five years. The barrels are then married, proofed, and bottled
Tasting Notes:
There’s a rush of oily vanilla pods that lead towards a dark chocolate underbelly with a hint of cedar. Buttery toffee and spicy stewed apples build upon the palate. The wood, chocolate, and spice last the longest as the sip dries and fades.
Bottom Line:
This is built as a workhorse rum that you can sip on the rocks or mix, though we’d recommend the latter.
Goslings — a Bermuda blendery — imports rums for all over the Caribbean to make their signature bottle. Each of the rums they use is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.
Tasting Notes:
This really feels like “RUM” with big notes of dark molasses, oily vanilla, and buttery caramel. The sip has notes of dried fruits and Christmas spices but they’re not overly rendered. There’s a butterscotch edge that’s pretty pronounced and the end really leans into the molasses and vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is built to be the base of a Dark ‘N Stormy. Grab a spicy ginger beer, some lime juice, and get mixing.
This is Bacardi’s entry point to their high-end offerings. The juice is classic Bacardi that’s rested for a minimum of four years in ex-bourbon casks. The blend contains rums that are five and six-years-old too. The final product is then crafted as a classic workhorse rum.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of rummy vanilla cakes spiked with Christmas spices, especially clove. You get a sense of toasted oak notes next to smooth honey. The end is clearly Bacardi (this stuff really has a distinct smell and taste up and down the expression list) but smoothed to a velvet texture.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is made to be mixed. Try it in subtler cocktails like a rum Manhattan or bigger sips like a rum Negroni.
This is a fairly popular rum to both drinkers and on the awards circuit. The juice is a blend of rums from Jamaica and Barbados that are aged in ex-bourbon for up to five years. The rums are married and spend a final maturation in French cognac casks before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There are classic notes of rummy molasses next to rich vanilla that mingles with a plummy, maybe jammy, fruitiness. That fruit leans towards tropical fruits with banana leading the way as the caramel, vanilla, oak, and dried fruit drive the taste. The peppery spice comes into late with a hint of bitter black tea and mildly spicy tobacco on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is crafted to be a mixing rum that’ll stand up to big rum cocktails. You can 100 percent also drink this on the rocks. Be warned — the price will range pretty dramatically on this bottle depending on the shop you’re in, thanks mainly to its growing popularity.
While Trinidad and Tobago’s Angostura is probably best known for its iconic bitters, don’t sleep on their deep bench of rums. Their seven-year-old expression is a really solid entry. The juice is aged for at least seven years in ex-bourbon before it’s blended, filtered, proofed, and bottled with no sugary or spicy additives.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mix of maple syrup, bitter cacao, buttery toffee, oak char, and rich vanilla up top. The sip has an espresso bitterness next to more cacao powder with a really creamy vanilla nature plus a slight Christmas spice sharpness. All of that combines on the slow end into a Christmas cake vanilla pudding dusted with coffee and cacao … kind of like a crème brûlée tiramisu.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy sipper at a great price (though it’ll be above $20 in some markets). It works neat or on the rocks but also really shines as a cocktail base for simple cocktails like a Manhattan or old fashioned.
Trader Joe’s is a food emporium after my own heart. A place where people like me can truly thrive, unhampered by the limitations of our lacking culinary skills. Where shoppers enjoy the freedom to eat Italian on Monday, Mexican on Tuesday, and Chinese on Wednesday — without having to pay delivery fees for takeout or having to search the aisles for seasonings that we’re not adept at using.
It’s a place for folks who very well might buy vegan chicken nuggets and chicken shawarma on the same go, but don’t want to spend a fortune on either.
Perhaps the best thing Trader Joe’s has going is that the store provides complete solutions for people on the go. Don’t have the time or the willpower to labor over a stove? Want to eat well without racking up a gazillion dishes? Trader Joe’s sells a variety of pre-packaged frozen meals that don’t typically require more than a single pan. Heck, you may not even need that if you’re tossing a dish in the oven or microwave.
As Uproxx’s resident Trader Joe’s aficionado, I jumped at the opportunity to scour the freezer section, taste test, and rate frozen items available at the store. I focused on the market’s frozen meal selections — items that are filling enough to satisfy dinner-levels of hunger but don’t require more than a few minutes in a pan, microwave, or oven. It’s worth noting that none of the dishes featured costs over $7.
All frozen meals have been rated on a letter scale from A+ to F, just like grade school. They’ve also been ranked in order — clearly, I take this stuff seriously. No items actually received an A+, because no meal that good could ever be previously frozen.
But a few got pretty dang close.
10. Joe’s Diner Mac & Cheese
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $3
How disappointing.
It’s not blue-boxed Easy Mac noodles prepared with a package of powder cheese, but TJ’s diner-style frozen macaroni and cheese dish is nothing to write home about. The packaging boasts a blend of cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, and gouda cheeses, but none of them really stands out. It just tastes like, well, cheese—a nondescript, pasteurized cheese—and noodles from the back of the pantry.
The noodles are… fine, I guess. But leave the box in the microwave or oven for a minute too long and you’re 100% ending up with a tray of bland, cheesy limp noodles.
Bottom Line:
F, as in failure.
Sure, it’s a rich dish, as mac & cheese should be, but it’s lacking in the salty, gooey, zesty flavor of say, a Stouffer’s frozen macaroni dish. And this certainly can’t hold a candle to the decadent macaroni and cheese mom pulls out of her bag of tricks during the holidays.
9. Chicken Burrito Bowl
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
This Trader Joe’s take on Tex-Mex gets high marks in flavor but falls short in texture. The dish has all the fixings of a basic burrito bowl: brown rice, chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese, red and green peppers, corn, “chipotle Southwest style sauce” and red quinoa for good measure.
What’s interesting about this frozen meal is that you can distinctly taste each ingredient. The chipotle flavor cloaks the mouth but the sweet corn kernels are a standout, and so are the creamy black beans, melty cheese, and seasoned chicken. They all blend together with the little pellets of quinoa for a filling and satisfying meal.
The rice, on the other hand, misses the mark. Maybe it’s the weight of all the other ingredients. Maybe it’s the cheese and the beans, but a forkful of the rice mixed with a bit of everything yields a mushy result.
Bottom Line:
This gets an “E” for effort.
The flavor is there, and it’s a good enough portion to actually feel full after consuming the entire bowl. But the mushy rice just can’t be overlooked.
8. Sriracha Shrimp Bowl
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
First of all: THERE ARE ONLY FIVE MEASLY LITTLE BABY SHRIMPS included in this frozen dinner. And, yes, I’m mad about it. Besides the lacking seafood protein, this “Asian-style” bowl, as TJ’s calls it, is pretty good.
The bowl consists of brown rice that manages to maintain its nutty flavor and chewy texture despite being topped with a blend of vegetables like red bell peppers, baby corn, and edamame. When it’s all mixed together (after about 45 minutes in the oven or three minutes in the microwave), you get a flavorful and filling bowl with ingredients that manage to taste fresh despite being previously frozen.
Trader Joe’s was clearly reaching when they dubbed this dish spicy. It doesn’t have a speck of heat, although the box says it’s “all topped with a spicy sriracha sauce.” A look at the ingredients list reveals that sriracha “paste” and jalapeño “pepper puree” is used to create the sauce but seriously — there isn’t the slightest semblance of spice to this frozen dish.
Bottom Line:
C-
This seems like a healthy alternative when sad salad just won’t cut it for lunch. You’d have to have the weakest palate ever to actually find this dish spicy, but the flavors and the density of the dish make it a worthwhile one to eat.
7. Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
I haven’t got a clue what a chickenless morsel is. According to the packaging, it’s some concoction of soy and textured wheat protein and a bunch of other stuff that sounds like science. Nonetheless, I totally devoured the vegan chicken nuggets. They have that addictive quality that makes it difficult to just eat one.
It could be the sauce that makes these chickenless morsels taste so good. It’s a sticky, honeyed, sweet orange sauce that isn’t a far cry from what you’d expect to see drenching actual chicken at Asian-American fast-casual restaurants. But maybe it’s the nugs? For them to not be real chicken, they sure do taste like chicken with an outside that maintains its crispiness and a fleshy, meaty center. I could best compare them to the old McDonald’s chicken nuggets—you remember the flavorful mystery meat nuggets they used to sell before they swapped them out for the even more mysterious “all white meat” they claim to use for the nuggets today?
They’re like that. And probably healthier.
Bottom Line:
B+
This is a tasty alternative when you’re on a meatless diet and want something as delicious and filling as meat. It loses a few points because it’s unclear what exactly the chickenless morsels actually are.
6. Organic Roasted Vegetable Pizza
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
This is an all-around good pizza, for a frozen pizza. Obviously, it can’t compete with the hot, brick oven veggie slices from your favorite neighborhood pizzeria, but overall this little pie—which is imported from Italy, according to the packaging—delivers on all fronts. While it’s almost as thin as a flatbread, the sourdough crust has a textured, crisp bottom with a soft, pillowy center. There’s no shortage of cheese, a problem that some other frozen pizza brands have. And the medley of veggies—eggplant, red onion, zucchini, yellow and red peppers—taste garden fresh and keep their crunch.
The only problem with this pizza is that there’s not nearly enough sauce for my liking. For several bites, I could only taste the bread, cheese, and vegetables, which was disappointing. But overall, still a good pizza… for a frozen pizza.
Bottom Line:
B+
This is a solid veggie pizza. It’s an easy fix for your appetite when you’re hungry and don’t have the time or the mental capacity to figure out what to cook for dinner. The lack of sauce is a strike against it, though.
5. Gnocchi al Gorgonzola
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
Little doughy bites of goodness—that’s the best way to describe this incredibly satisfying frozen dinner.
The cheese sauce is rich and creamy and, when cooked down with the frozen gnocchi, it adds another layer of decadence to the semolina bites. As for the gnocchi itself, each little dough puff is like a cute little cloud. They’re soft and pillowy, and they have their own unique fresh dough flavor aside from the cheese sauce.
That said, this could use a sprinkle of salt and a grind of peppercorns. If not to give it some color then to add just a little more salinity to the dough.
Bottom Line:
B+
This is good gnocchi. There is nothing wrong with it, but a little bit more seasoning could have really kicked it up a notch.
4. Meatballs Italian Style
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $5
Never in the history of meatballs would anyone ever think that a ball of meat could be flame broiled, frozen, then thawed and reheated and still come out so damn good. The all-beef meatballs are perfectly round with a nice crisp outside texture, but the inside is a soft meat pillow. Seasonings of garlic and onion seem to come to life between chews before the meat dissolves, leaving your mouth tasting like a savory grill pan.
But… in a good way.
These meatballs are dense and filling, and they won’t deteriorate under the weight of a quality sauce. If anything, a sauce would only bring out more flavor. Bonus points if you heat them up with a jar of TJ’s famous Organic Tomato Basil Marinara.
Bottom Line:
A-
Trader Joe’s meatballs put those Swedish joints at Ikea to shame. And to think, you don’t even need to buy a lousy piece of furniture to enjoy a bowl full of them.
3. Stacked Eggplant Parmesan
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
Wow. Now this is eggplant parmesan. No gimmicks.
The rounds of eggplant slices are the perfect depth. They’re not too thick but not too thin either. And they’re layered and bathed in globs of cheese—mozzarella, feta, and parmesan to be exact—and zesty, chunky tomato sauce that packs a flavor punch courtesy of red bell peppers.
If the ingredients aren’t convincing enough, the aroma certainly is. Pop this sucker in the oven and watch as your kitchen quite literally transforms into an Italian Trattoria full of delightful fragrances of garlic and basil.
Bottom Line:
A
There’s not much to complain about with this frozen dish. It’s hearty, and it tastes exactly how eggplant parm should taste.
2. Kung Pao Chicken
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $6
The stir-fries at Trader Joe’s are deserving of their own separate ranking, but it’s worth shouting out the Kung Pao Chicken stir-fry as a stand-alone. This frozen dinner is a full-on meal, and there’s no skimping out on the chicken either.
Savory dark-meat gets a lift from a soy-ginger sauce that only seems to amplify the flavors from the array of vegetables included in the stir fry kit — onions, green and red bell peppers, water chestnuts, and whole fried chilis. There’s even a little packet of peanuts to garnish the dish and give it a nutty, crunchy boost.
It’s unclear whether it’s the chilis or the sauce that gives this dish a spicy quality. I won’t go as far as to say that a few bites of this will set your mouth on fire, but it certainly packs some heat compared to other TJ’s frozen meals that get billed as spicy.
Bottom Line:
A
This frozen dinner feels like the most complete meal of them all. You’ll have to provide your own rice or another starch if you want one, but it’s got enough protein and veggies to fill you up.
1. Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle
Via Janice Williams
Average Price: $4
I could go on and on and on about TJ’s Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle, but I don’t want to keep you from getting to the store and buying some.
Here’s the skinny:
Fresh-made ravioli noodles are packed with a blend of mushrooms and ricotta cheese. Once sautéed, the pasta takes a swim in a pool of thick mushroom broth that’s loaded with little bits of porcini and champignon mushrooms. And if all of that wasn’t flavorful enough, the sauce also has a dousing of truffle oil that smells absolutely incredible — dense and earthy and rich — while the dish is cooking.
The packaging says there’s enough ravioli for three servings, but don’t be surprised if you try this and end up eating it all in one go.
Bottom Line:
A
The only reason why this dish doesn’t score an A+ is that I reserve that ranking for nonna’s ravioli alone.
Lucky Daye and Ari Lennox both enjoyed their breakout moments in R&B back in 2019. Now, as both acts continue to grow and work on their sophomore projects, it’s only right that deliver a joint track to their fans, joining forces for “Access Denied,” one of seven tracks on Lucky’s Table For Two EP.
On their first song together, the two singers engage in a tug-of-war in their budding relationships, defined by Ari as a “game we play.” Lucky fights back with the hope that he can secure his position as her new romantic partner but soon realizes that the back and forth occurs because love “scares” her, which only pushes him to try harder in his pursuit of happiness. On the flip side, Ari admits that despite her attempts to run away, something about Lucky makes her keep coming back.
“Access Denied” is just one of six duets that can be found on Table For Two. The EP features contributions from Mahalia, Joyce Wrice, Queen Naija, YEBBA, and Tiana Major9, who appeared on the previously released “On Read.” The song is also Ari’s second guest feature of the year as she connected with Jazmine Sullivan last month for “On It.”
You can listen to the song in the video above.
Table For Two is out now via Keep Cool/RCA. Get it here.
The new version, dubbed “Taylor’s Version,” officially dropped tonight, and you can watch a scrapbook lyric video for it above, filled with photos of Taylor with her fans over the years. Along with all this, fans were able to easily discern a code in Taylor’s message to fans, which revealed that the re-recorded edition of Fearless, complete with six never-before-heard songs, would be dropping on April 9. That’s really not that far away considering Swifties got two new albums last year with Folklore and Evermore. Seems like she’s nowhere near slowing down and very to dive back into recording her old catalogue so she can hold the rights to the masters. Check out the new version above.
The Macallan/Glenfarclas/Laphroaig/GlenDronach/istock/Uproxx
Christopher Osburn has spent the past fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. He’s enjoyed more drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, visited more than 50 distilleries around the globe, and amassed a collection of bottles that occupies his entire basement. In this series, he cracks open his worn “tasting diary” and shares its contents with the masses.
If you write about whisk(e)y for a living, you’re bound to try some drams that the average drinker will never taste. From rare bottlings to limited-edition offerings to long-matured unicorn expressions, we get to sip some gems. I won’t lie, it’s pretty rad.
Below, you’ll find the 30 best sips of Scotch whisky I’ve ever enjoyed across my entire career. Some are reasonably priced and others are out of this stratosphere expensive (I’d never have been able to taste the top two if it hadn’t been for work). But regardless of their wide-ranging price tags, these are all the whiskies that I’ve loved best, based on taste alone.
Note: This is my taste. Your favorites might vary from mine greatly; other whisky writers might scoff at these choices. That’s the name of the game — all palates are different and while there’s certainly a level of expertise involved in tasting Scotch whisky professionally, there’s still a lot of room for disagreement.
A favorite of bartenders and drinkers alike, this 14-year-old Scotch whisky is first aged in traditional oak casks before being matured for extra time in Caribbean rum barrels. The result is highly mellow, smooth, extremely sippable whisky.
Tasting Notes:
Take a long whiff of this special offering and you’ll find hints of dried apricots, spicy cinnamon, and vanilla beans. On the palate, you’ll be treated to caramel apples, candied orange peels, caramelized sugar, and butterscotch. The finish is long, lingering, and ends with a final note of toasted vanilla beans.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly decadent, almost dessert-like whisky. It’s the perfect end to a heavy meal. Sip it slowly and let it aid in digestion.
This high proof offering from Aberlour is truly breathtaking. While many distilleries opt for finishing whiskies in sherry butts, this award-winning, cask-strength whisky was aged completely in Oloroso sherry casks. The result is a highly complex, sweet, truly memorable flavor experience.
Tasting Notes:
Give this whisky a proper nosing and you’ll find a nutty sweetness, dried cherries, spicy cinnamon, and a nice, sweet sherry backbone. Take a sip and you’ll find even more sherry, dried fruits, tropical flavors, and creamy butterscotch. The finish is memorable, with hints of peppery spice and buttery caramel.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy sherried whiskies, you probably can’t find a better value than Aberlour A’bunadh. It’s a sherry bomb through and through.
There’s a reason this 15-year-old whisky is beloved. This award-winning dram is soft, rich, and extremely undervalued. For the price, it’s hard to find a better 15-year-old expression on earth.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be greeted with aromas of sticky toffee, orange peels, and just a hint of spice. The palate is filled with candy apples, almonds, creamy vanilla, and buttery caramel. Let it open and savor the gentle, nutty sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a crazy expensive bottle for the flavor experience it offers. It’s nutty, creamy, and indulgent — a truly memorable sip.
The Macallan Rare Cask expression really is a “rare” offering. It’s made using first-fill sherry casks that were hand-selected by the master distiller, made up of the top 1% of the casks currently aging at the renowned distillery.
Tasting Notes:
As you nose this whisky, you’ll find notes of creamy sherry, dried fruits, and toasted vanilla beans. Take a sip and you’ll be immersed in more sweet sherry, clover honey, buttery caramel, and just a hint of spicy cinnamon. In the end, you’ll find a bit of warmth and a nice crescendo of cracked black pepper.
Bottom Line:
While this bottle isn’t tremendously expensive, it’s not the kind of bottle you’ll just walk into a store and grab for the weekend, either. It should be savored and sipped slowly.
At one point, Campbeltown (where Springbank is located) was known as the center of the whisky world. Today that honor likely goes to Islay. But while other distilleries closed, Springbank remained. The distillery is returning the area to prominence with bottles like Springbank 18, an expression aged in both ex-bourbon casks and sherry butts.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of candied orange peels, creamy sherry, and sweet vanilla beans. Take a sip and you’ll add layers of butterscotch, sugar cookies, dried cherries, and subtle cinnamon. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a slight hint of citrus mixed with sweet treacle.
Bottom Line:
Pay tribute to the area that was once a whisky haven by sipping slowly on this highly nuanced, 18-year-old Scotch whisky.
If you’re a fan of Islay whiskies, there’s a good chance you enjoy a dram of Lagavulin 16 from time to time. With that being said, this single malt definitely isn’t for everyone. That’s because this is a true blue smoke bomb — a heavily peated whisky, aged to perfection for 16 years.
Tasting Notes:
Take a whiff and you’ll find notes of dried cherries, toasted vanilla beans, charred oak, and the peat smoke drinkers expect from an Islay malt. The first sip is loaded with flavors of ocean brine, sweet sherry, buttery caramel, and sweet vanilla — all underpinned by a smoky backbone. At the finish, you’ll find a cacophony of dried apricots, toffee, and peaty smoke.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to quality, smoky whiskies, Lagavulin 16 is a true bargain. Buy a bottle for now and another for later — it’s nice to have on hand if you have a guest who likes peat.
Talisker is the oldest distillery on the isle of Skye — the largest, most northern island in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. While you can’t go wrong with any of the distillery’s offerings, Talisker 18 was aged for 18 years in a combination of sherry and bourbon casks, adding another layer of nuance.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of dried fruits, toasted oak, and sweet vanilla. On the palate, you’ll be treated to charred oak, buttery caramel, sticky toffee pudding, and a nice hit of subtle smoke. The last sip is full of long, dry, warming heat and more of that smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you’re saving up for a whisky in the $100-$200 range and you’ve never tried Talisker yet, grab this bottle. It’s mellow and sweet enough to appeal to mainland single malt fans with a nice bit of smoke to please to Islay drinkers.
Glenmorangie Nectar D’or tastes exactly as the name would suggest. It’s sweet, smooth, and almost dessert-like in its flavor. It gets these unique notes from being aged in ex-bourbon casks as well as Sauternes wine casks. The bourbon and the sweet white wine casks give the whisky a very memorable flavor that’s well-loved by fans of the brand and critics alike.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find aromas of maple candy, dried cherries, vanilla icing, and caramel up front. The sip is filled with flavors of sticky toffee pudding, sugar cookies, and just a hint of spicy cinnamon. The finish is long, lingering, and finishes with buttery peanut brittle.
Bottom Line:
There might be no better dessert whisky on earth than Glenmorangie Nectar D’or. It’s elegant, rich, and perfectly paired with a decadent cake.
Named to pay tribute to distillery founder James Allardice, this 18-year-old highland whisky was matured only in Oloroso sherry butts. Since it didn’t spend any time in the usual charred oak barrels, it has a refined, sweet sherry flavor that makes it stand out and linger in your memory.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll get dried cherries, caramelized sugar, and tropical fruits, The palate is filled with a nutty sweetness, clover honey, dessert wine, and creamy vanilla. It all ends in a warming, mellow finish that closes with notes of maple candy and vanilla.
Bottom Line:
Being aged in Oloroso sherry butts give this a distinct, fruity flavor that makes it well-suited to drinking neat.
You won’t find many blended whiskies on this list, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad by any means. It’s just hard to make a list of 30 whiskies without leaving out a few. That said, there’s a reason Johnnie Walker Blue is one of the most awarded blends in the world. It has no age statement but is made up of a blend of Diageo’s rarest and most mature whiskies.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of licorice, charred oak, vanilla, and spicy cinnamon. On the palate, you’ll be treated to flavors of sticky toffee pudding, rich milk chocolate, subtle spice, and even subtler smoke. The conclusion is long, warming, and ends with hints of dried cherries and a nice kiss of smoke.
Bottom Line:
Johnnie Walker Blue is the type of bottle everyone should have in their liquor cabinets. Great for a special occasion, it’s mellow, soft, and perfect for slow sipping.
Like many special expressions, everything you need to know is in the name. This 21-year-old offering from The Balvenie is first aged in oak casks before being moved to port wine casks for further aging. The result is a deep, rich, vinous flavor experience.
Tasting Notes:
Spend a moment taking in the nose and you’ll be greeted with aromas of dried fruits, rich almonds, and sweet cream. The first sip is piled high with molasses, sour cherries, clover honey, spicy cinnamon, and buttery caramel. The dram ends in a soft, sweet finale of brown sugar and pecans.
Bottom Line:
You can’t go wrong with any bottle of The Balvenie, but it’s hard to top the flavor of this 21-year-old port wood offering. Especially for the price.
This whisky was designed to be paired with a cigar. But that doesn’t mean non-smokers can’t enjoy this complex juice — matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and Matusalem sherry butts before being finished in cabernet sauvignon wine barriques.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of ripe berries, sweet cinnamon, and sweet cream. The first sip yields hints of sticky toffee pudding, caramelized sugar, dried fruits, and subtle spice. The last sip finishes with a nice combination of dried orange peels and buttery caramel.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a cigar smoker, this is your malt — it’s sweet-not-smoky with a decadent mouthfeel.
This very unique single malt from Glenmorangie is aged in specially designed casks. It has no age statement but it’s made up of the oldest and rarest of the distillery’s whiskies and is distilled using roasted “chocolate” barley along with single estate Cadboll barley.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be treated to notes of dried cherries, orange peels, subtle spices, sugar cookies, and maple syrup. The palate is full of hints of cinnamon, candied orange peels, buttery caramel, and sweet treacle. The finish is long, full of warming heat, and ends with a final bit of butterscotch sweetness.
Bottom Line:
A lot of the whiskies on this list are flavorful because of the barrels used in the aging process. This expression gets its memorable flavor from the malts — try it and expand your whisky palate in the process.
Ardbeg is well-known for its peat-smoked whiskies. In recent years, the distillery has upped its flavor profile by aging its whiskies in sherry, bourbon, and now, with this expression, Pinot Noir casks from New Zealand.
Tasting Notes:
Take time to nose this sip. There you’ll find aromas of smoked bacon, dried cherries, and caramelized sugar. On the palate, this whisky is swirling with flavors of woodsmoke, creamy vanilla, and spicy cinnamon. The finish is medium, fiery, and ends with a nice hit of peat smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you’re already a fan of Ardbeg, the natural progression is Ardbeg Blaaack. It’s as if you kicked Ardbeg 10 up to 11.
If you have the money to purchase a 21-year-old bottle of Scotch, you’re probably going to be pretty happy with the flavor. But if you grab a bottle of Glenfiddich 21 Reserva Rum Cask Finish, you’ll have a 21-year-old whisky that was finished for four months in Caribbean rum casks — thereby expanding your whisky palate while offering a feast for the senses.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of dried orange peels, rich honey, and milk chocolate. The palate is filled with cooking spices, creamy caramel, charred oak, and dried cherries. The last few sips from the glass are full of pleasing heat and end with citrus and butterscotch notes.
Bottom Line:
Rum and Scotch are two spirits that seem to be destined to work together. While you might not be happy if you mix the two, finishing a whisky in a rum cask always seems to be a win.
This highly-award whisky from Highland Park is made using both first-filled sherry season European oak casks as well as American oak barrels. It’s aged to perfection for 18 years in Kirkwall, on the Orkney Islands. The result is a spectacular, mellow, aromatic whisky.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of dried cherries, toasted vanilla, and subtle peat smoke. The palate highlights a broad spectrum of flavors — including toasted marshmallows, clover honey, sour cherries, and cocoa powder. It’s all concluded with a nice kiss of briny peat smoke.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Highland Park 18 is one of the most beloved bottles on the market. And this price makes it a winner on multiple levels.
Chivas touts itself as the first luxury whisky, having produced its first expression in 1909 — a 25-year-old blend. Prohibition put an end to that product, but it was finally re-established in 2007. Only released twice per year, all of the hand-picked whiskies that go into this special bottle have spent a minimum of 25 years maturing.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in this whisky’s various aromas. You’ll be greeted with notes of dried apricots, sweet cream, and caramel. The sip yields hints of raisins, butterscotch, shortbread, and subtle cinnamon spice. It ends with a nice bit of heat, complemented by caramel and subtle smoke.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes people look down on blended whisky. If that’s you, just take one sip of Chivas Regal 25 and your mind will be completely changed.
This small-batch whisky from Islay’s Ardbeg Distillery gets its name from the island’s famous Traigh Bhan beach. It was aged for 18 years in a combination of American oak barrels and Oloroso sherry butts.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of dried fruits, charred oak, and a kiss of smoky peat. The palate adds layers, with caramel apples, creamy vanilla, smoked bacon, and subtle cinnamon predominating. The finish is long, warming, and closes with a final flourish of peat smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you started with Ardbeg 10 and worked your way up to An Oa, Blaack, and Uigeadail, it’s time to step it up to Traigh Bhan.
The Macallan is well known for its relationship with Spain. All of its whiskies have at the very least been finished in sherry-seasoned casks. Its Double Cask 18-Year-Old was matured for 18 years in a combination of American and European sherry seasoned casks — making this expression doubly special.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of candied orange peels, caramel, and dried fruits. The palate is loaded up with ripe citrus, vanilla beans, charred oak, and a nice hint of sweet cinnamon. It all ends in a final warming cascade of citrus and brown sugar.
Bottom Line:
The Macallan 12 is a classic bottle that belongs on your shelf at all times. If you have the money, 18 Double Oak should stand alongside it.
While names like Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and Lagavulin dominated the market, Glenfarclas has quietly become one of the most highly-regard distilleries in Scotland. Its 17-year-old expression was aged solely in 100% Oloroso sherry butts, giving it a distinctly sweet, warming flavor.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be treated to aromas of sweet sherry, dried cherries, brown sugar, and subtle smoke. The first sip is full of bold flavors like buttery caramel, charred oak, cooking spices, and a warm hug of peat smoke. It finishes with a long, warming feeling and a nice hit of sweet cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of both sherry and peat, this is your jam. Grab as many bottles as you can and hide them from your whisky-loving friends.
This aptly named Ardbeg offering is a high proof, bold, smoke bomb. This extremely limited-edition, no-age-statement whisky was aged in ex-bourbon barrels. While it gained the sweet, caramel, and vanilla flavors from the casks that once held bourbon, this is Ardbeg’s smokiest whisky by far and will only appeal to true peat fans.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with herbal, smoky, and sweet caramel aromas. Take a sip and you’ll be transported to a world of subtle cinnamon, spicy pepper, buttery vanilla, and a whole lot of charred, smoky peat. (You have to be ready for it, it comes on strong.) The last few sips are warming and end with a nice final hint of that peaty smoke.
Bottom Line:
Did we mention this whisky was smoky? It’s really freaking smoky. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it.
This exceptional, highly rated whisky spends 23 years in a traditional oak cask before being double-barreled in hand-picked first-fill sherry casks for two more years. The result is a memorable whisky, bursting with a mixture of fresh fruits and caramel sweetness.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of cocoa, dried cherries, and charred oak. The sip delivers flavors of spicy cinnamon, raisins, caramelized sugar, and a nutty sweetness. It all ends in a final wave of sherry and vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This bottle isn’t cheap for a reason. It was aged for a long time and the price and flavor reflect this. Keep it for a truly special occasion and drink it neat.
The seventh Black Art release, this expression was distilled way back in 1994 before being aged for 25 years in unknown barrels (there’s a lot of mystery surrounding this bottle). It was bottled at cask strength, is non-chill filtered, and as bold and rugged as the island it was distilled and aged on.
Unlike many Islay offerings, Black Art isn’t peated.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of toasted marshmallow, nutmeg, dried fruits, and crème brûlée. The first sip will send you into a world of mellow, rich caramel candy, coconut, candied orange peel, and charred oak. The finish is long, warming, and ends with butterscotch and roasted almonds.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Islay and its peated whiskies, this is a perfect change of pace. It’s rich, warming, and doesn’t have the gut-punch of smoke that most of that island’s whiskies have.
Bowmore doesn’t get the name recognition of some of the other more lauded Islay distilleries, but it is no less beloved by its fans. This small-batch release was matured for 25 years in a combination of ex-bourbon cask and sherry butts. The result is a highly complex juice with a nice mingling of caramel smokiness and sherry sweetness.
Tasting Notes:
Take time to savor the various aromas and you’ll find notes of ocean brine, caramel, and subtle peat smoke. On the palate, you’re sure to pick up sticky toffee pudding, dried cherries, rich walnuts, and more peaty smoke. The end of the sip is very warm and finishes with a nice combo of maple candy and briny smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most complex whiskies on the market. It strikes the perfect balance between peaty smoke and sherry sweetness.
This non-chill filtered, small-batch whisky was aged for 25 years at the brand’s Islay distillery. It’s referred to as the “super-premium” member of Bunnahabhain’s range of whiskies. It’s nuanced, well-balanced, and bridges the gap between fruity, nutty, and gently smoky with ease.
Tasting Notes:
Take a whiff of this special bottle and bask in the aromas of charred oak, dried cherries, and toasted vanilla beans. The palate is swimming with a nutty sweetness followed by fresh fruits, buttery caramel, and light peat. The finish is dry, lingering, and ends with a nice combination of smoke and brown sugar.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfect representation of the various styles of whisky from Islay. While many simply assume all the whiskies are smoke bombs, this expression proves that a gentle kiss of smoke is often enough.
This expression doesn’t carry an age statement, but it’s made up of whiskies ranging in ages from 12 to 25 years old as well the brand’s Cigar Malt. This ridiculously complex bottle also contains whiskies that were aged in various containers — including ex-bourbon casks, Madeira wine barrels, marsala wine casks, Oloroso sherry butts, and even cabernet sauvignon barrels.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find hints of dried fruits, caramelized sugar, and vanilla beans. The palate develops those notes — layering in crème brûlée, candied orange peels, buttery caramel, and blackberries. The close is sweet, warming, and ends with a nice, pleasing kick of cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
You’ll feel like royalty when you slowly sip on a dram of The Dalmore King Alexander III.
Even in peat fan circles, Laphroaig isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like brine and antiseptic flavors along with smoky peat, you won’t enjoy this 30-year-old expression. Aged in refill hogsheads before being moved to first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and refill quarter casks, this is a spectacular offering for smoky whisky fans.
If you don’t like the smoke, leave this alone.
Tasting Notes:
Nose this special release and your nostrils will fill with the aromas of toasted brown sugar, almonds, and dried fruits. Take a sip and you’ll get to enjoy the numerous flavors working in harmony — including ocean brine, orange peels, vanilla beans, and a nice hit of peat smoke. It all ends with a final, warming sip of caramel and wood smoke.
Bottom Line:
This iconic bottle will be the centerpiece of any whisky collection. It’s a must for true smoke lovers with some cash on hand.
If you haven’t had a chance to try one of Mortlach’s whiskies, we suggest starting with its reasonably priced 12-year. If your palate (and wallet) has evolved past that expression, this 26-year-old was matured in both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry butts and is truly a feast for the senses.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be greeted with aromas of the rick house itself, tobacco leaves, almonds, and sweet vanilla. Take a sip and you’ll find hints of dried cherries, chocolate fudge, buttery caramel, sweet sherry, and burnt sugar with cream. The close is snuggly warm, with a great hit of caramel and cracked black pepper at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is an exceptional bottle of whisky. It’s also really expensive. If you get a chance to try it, SAVOR EVERY SIP.
While this whisky doesn’t carry an age statement, it was made using the rarest whiskies at The Macallan and you can bet they’re really old and really rare. The main whisky in The Macallan’s 1824 Series, it was a collaboration between The Macallan, art director Fabien Baron, and Lalique.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll definitely want to nose this whisky before sipping it. We mean for a few solid minutes. Breathe and reflect on the teat you’re about to consume.
Upfront, you’ll find aromas of leather, charred oak, baking spices, candied orange peels, and sweet vanilla cream. The first sip adds to that cavalcade of flavors with sweet sherry, rich milk chocolate, buttery caramel, and just a wisp of smoke. The finish is filled with pleasing heat and ends with hints of tobacco and vanilla beans.
Bottom Line:
This whisky is touted as the “most sophisticated whisky in the world” and with its flavor and Lalique crystal decanter, it’s really hard to argue.
1) The Dalmore 45
The Dalmore
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $14,600
The Story:
You can’t speed up time (unless you have a DeLorean and a mad scientist) so to get a whisky aged for 45 years, you have to wait very patiently. That time costs money, as does the craft that goes into this sublime, 45-year-old whisky — first matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to two different varieties of Vintage Graham’s Port Colheita pipes.
The two whiskeys are then blended and finished in ex-bourbon casks, adding yet another layer to this fascinating offering.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll be greeted with the smells of a musty barrelhouse, dried cherries, rich almonds, and sweet plums. The first taste lightens the mustiness with toasted marshmallows, baking spices, sweet chocolate, and creamy vanilla. It all ends in a brief, warming splash of caramel and spice.
Bottom Line:
Not many Scotch drinkers can justify spending $14,600 for one bottle of whisky. But if you just sold a tech company, know this: This is my favorite sip of whisky ever. So buy a bottle and invite me to share it with you and your rich friends. Please.
Given how much he’s been expanding his palette during the entirely strange world of lockdown, it’s not surprising that his latest track leans much more into the R&B side of things, linking up with the excellent Kiana Ledé for “A Little More.” The artwork for the song channels throwback R&B cover on a scratched CD case, adding to the nostalgia. Maybe this feature is a hint that Ledé is gearing up to release a new project, during her 2019 EP Myself era, she was on a mission to empower young women, and last year she dropped her debut album Kiki.
For his part, G-Eazy raps about cooking breakfast, buying gifts for his girl, and even writing songs for her, so maybe he’s learned a few things about dating women since he infamously cheated on Halsey. She wrote extensively about their seemingly toxic relationship on her 2020 album Manic, which might be a better indication than this song of what Gerald is like as a partner. Then again, maybe “A Little More” showcases how much he’s changed. Listen above.
The shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers looked to pick up their second win in a week over the Sixers, who hold the East’s best record. Damian Lillard was back for this game and had a big first half with 21 points, but was held in relative check with just nine (including a clutch three) in the second half.
With the Sixers threatening to pull away in the early fourth quarter, Portland turned to Carmelo Anthony to give them the lift they needed and he obliged with a 17-point fourth quarter, piling up the threes in a sensational individual performance.
However, after a hot start where he had 15 of the Blazers first 19 points of the quarter, he cooled off some and the Sixers once again closed the gap. After Lillard’s big three to take a five-point lead with 1:15 to play, the Sixers would answer with two straight scores, as Seth Curry would tie the game at 114-114 with a clutch three of his own in transition as he finally was able to get loose for a clean look.
Ben Simmons harassed Damian Lillard on Portland’s ensuing possession before taking Philly’s foul to give with five seconds on the clock, meaning the Blazers had to draw up a potential game-winning play. The ball ended up in Anthony’s hands, who earned a pair of free throws when he got tripped up and fouled at the top of the key.
Anthony made both of his free throws but the Sixers had 3.1 seconds to come up with an answer. After advancing the ball, Philly had Ben Simmons inbounding, but couldn’t get any of their first options free and Simmons came late to Harris curling off an Embiid screen at the foul line. Robert Covington recognized where Simmons was going and left Embiid to jump the pass, sealing the game with the steal and tipping it to Lillard who sank two free throws to ice it.
It is a season series sweep for the Blazers in the most improbable of fashion, as they beat the East’s best team twice while shorthanded, withstanding big nights from Joel Embiid each time (35 points on Thursday) to get a pair of big victories in their quest to stay afloat in the West playoff race.
For Philly, it’s another head-scratching loss to Portland and they still have some things to figure out with execution late in close games on offense. Still the story of the night will be the Melo eruption in the fourth quarter, as he turned back the clock and put on a show that helped lift the Blazers to a win.
If there was ever a time to release a song that showed love to the special woman in your life, Valentine’s weekend would be the perfect time to do it. That’s exactly what DoeBoy and Lil Uzi Vert did with their new track, “Lowkey.” The two rappers gave thanks to their love interests who opt to keep things quiet in public rather than loud and flashy. As rappers who may have targets on their backs, DoeBoy and Uzi love that their partners can stay low and enjoy each other’s presence.
The song stands as DoeBoy and Lil Uzi’s second collaboration together following their late 2020 effort, “Bussin.” That song could be found on DoeBoy’s Demons R Us, a joint effort he released last November with executive production from Southside. On the flip side, things have been rather active for Lil Uzi, but for things outside of music for the most part. The Philly rapper recently caught the attention of social media after he had a pink diamond embedded in his forehead thanks to New York jewelry company, Eliantte & Co. Elsewhere he revealed that Jay-Z compared him to Prince and that he and Grimes are “making hits” together as well as planning to get “brain chips” together.
You can listen to “Lowkey” in the video above.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Evan Rachel Wood seemingly opened the floodgates when she recently came forward to name ex-partner Brian Warner, a.k.a., “Marilyn Manson,” as her alleged abuser, who she accused of terrorizing her during their relationship, which apparently began in 2007 (when she was 18 and he was 36) and ended in 2010. In doing so, Wood accused Manson of both “grooming” and “horrifically” abusing her, but this wasn’t the beginning of the allegations against Manson. Yes, it’s true that the accusations are now intensifying, yet this wasn’t Manson’s first alleged (horrible) rodeo. Let’s run down the timeline of allegations against the disgraced singer, who’s now experiencing a career freefall.
February 1998: Manson’s The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell memoir revealed a lot more claims than mere run-of-the-mill backstage antics. At the time, Jim Derogatis of the Chicago Reader criticized the book for revealing Manson “generally mistreating one or more women per page.” In a chapter called “Meating the Fans / Meat and Greet,” an especially egregious account detailed how Manson and his bandmates covered a young woman in raw meat and urinated upon her. In describing the incident, Manson wrote, “I think she, too, found it to be art and was having a good time.”
Within the memoir, Manson also described an alleged incident in which he and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor (during a joint tour in the 1990s) sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman. Reznor previously denied the allegations, and on February 3, 2010, Reznor condemned Manson with the following statement to Pitchfork:
“I have been vocal over the years about my dislike of Manson as a person and cut ties with him nearly 25 years ago. As I said at the time, the passage from Manson’s memoir is a complete fabrication. I was infuriated and offended back when it came out and remain so today.”
November 1998: A lawsuit from Craig Marks (at the time, Spin‘s executive editor) alleged that Manson threatened fatal violence over his unhappiness with a cover feature. That lawsuit settled and never went to court, but while discussing the incident in 2017 with Rolling Stone, Manson claimed to have been “arrested for putting a gun in the mouth of an editor of SPIN,” although Manson was never arrested for the incident.
December 2001: Manson was, however, arrested for assaulting a security guard during a show in Clarkson, Michigan when he allegedly rubbed his crotch (covered in a G-string) on the guard’s head and spitting upon the man. He paid a $4,000 fine and pleaded no contest on disorderly conduct after a warrant was issued over felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and misdemeanor assault and battery allegations.
April 2002: The mother of actress Jennifer Syme (an ex-girlfriend of Keanu Reeves) brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Manson for allegedly giving Syme drugs during a gathering at his home and encouraging her to get into her Jeep and drive home. Syme fatally crashed her Jeep; however, Manson denied the accusations against him as “completely false.” At the time, Blabbermouth quoted Manson as threatening a countersuit for slander and harassment and explaining the alleged incident as follows:
“This lawsuit, which is completely without merit, will not bring back Jennifer’s life. It serves only to reopen the wounds and the pain felt by all who loved Jennifer. It is a pity that St. John sullies her own daughter’s reputation by filing this baseless claim… After Manson and his five guests finished an evening at the movies followed by a quiet get-together at his home, he made sure Syme received a safe ride home from a designated driver and went to sleep.”
2007: Manson and Evan Rachel Wood went public with their relationship. As mentioned above, she was 18 at the time, and he was 36 years old. They endured a breakup and an engagement and split for good in 2010.
June 2009: Manson discussed his initial 2007 breakup with Wood to Spin, to which he admitted self-harming, including cutting himself and sending photos of his injuries to Wood. He also spoke of how he fantasized “every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer” while claiming this as the inspiration for his song, “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies.” His representatives (and as recently as November 2020) dismissed Manson’s comments as “obviously a theatrical rock star interview promoting a new record, and not a factual account.” That statement pointed towards Evan and Manson’s subsequent engagement as indicative “that no one took this story literally.”
July 2009: Manson threatened to murder journalists, and according to NME, he wrote this rant on his website: “I am far different than the soon-to-be-murdered-in-their-home press has decided to fabricate. If one more ‘journalist’ makes a cavalier statement about me and my band, I will personally or with my fans’ help, greet them at their home and discover just how much they believe in their freedom of speech.”
November 2016: Evan Rachel Wood spoke with Rolling Stone to promote the first Westworld season. In doing so, she revealed herself to be a sexual assault survivor, although she did not name her alleged abuser.
October 2017: Sexual and psychological abuse allegations against longtime bassist Jeordie White, a.k.a., Twiggy Ramirez, surfaced from his ex-girlfriend, Jessicka Addams, who claimed that White raped her during their 1990s relationship. Manson stated that he wasn’t aware of the accusations until recently, and he declared, “I am saddened by Jessicka’s obvious distress.” The singer subsequently tweeted, “I have decided to part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson. He will be replaced for the upcoming tour. I wish him well.” For his part, Ramirez denied the allegations and stated that he’d “only recently been made aware of these allegations from over 20 years ago.” He added, “I do not condone non-consensual sex of any kind.”
February 2018: Evan Rachel Wood’s advocacy for domestic abuse survivors led her to U.S. congressional testimony to support the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act. While speaking to the House Judiciary Committee, she declared of the abuse, “It started slow but escalated over time, including threats against my life, severe gaslighting and brainwashing, [and] waking up to the man that claimed to love me raping what he believed to be my unconscious body.”
August 2018: Amid the #MeToo movement, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declared that they would not pursue charges against Manson after an accuser filed a report against him for unspecified sex crimes. Given that the alleged crimes occurred in 2011, the statute of limitations had already run, and the DA declared that there was an “absence of corroboration.” Manson’s representatives issued the following statement:
“The allegations made to the police were and are categorically denied by Mr. Warner and are either completely delusional or part of a calculated attempt to generate publicity for the claimant’s business of selling Manson memorabilia. The police report that spurred the investigation was accompanied by the woman’s press release and other attempts to generate publicity that fraudulently claimed she was held captive by Mr. Warner for 48 hours in 2011. Any claim of sexual impropriety or imprisonment at that, or any other, time is false.”
April 2019: Evan Rachel Wood testified in front of the California Senate Public Safety Committee in support of the Phoenix Bill (to expand the rights of domestic abuse survivors). During a detailed account of the abuse she had suffered, Wood declared that her unnamed abuser “beat me and shocked sensitive parts of my body with a torture device called a violet wand.” She continued: “The pain was excruciating. It felt like I left my body and a part of me died that day.”
February 2021: Evan Rachel Wood named Manson as her alleged abuser. In doing so, she accused him of “grooming” and “horrifically” abusing her over the course of their relationship. She issued the following statement:
“The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
In response to Wood’s Instagram post, several women (as discussed by Vanity Fair) immediately came forward against Manson with allegations of abuse against him. Prior to her post, Wood seemed to suggest that she was preparing a statement of some sort while referencing the 1986 Jim Henson film, Labyrinth. In doing so, she quoted the words of Jennifer Connelly’s teen character while she took back her power from David Bowie’s Goblin King: “Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle, beyond the goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours… And my kingdom is as great…”
February 2021: Manson’s professional woes began to accumulate. His record label, Loma Vista Recordings, removed him from their roster, and his agency, CAA, dropped him as well. Additionally, his longtime manager, Tony Ciulla, parted ways with him. Two TV shows (AMC’s Creepshow anthology series and Starz’s ongoing American Gods) that filmed appearances by Manson also removed him from upcoming episodes.
February 2021: Manson describes the allegations against him as “horrible distortions of reality.” He issued this statement in full:
“Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”
February 2021: California State Senator Susan Rubio called upon the FBI to investigate “alleged cases” against Manson, which Rubio did not detail:
“Since some of the alleged cases against Mr. Warner are from California, I am especially alarmed. Individuals who engage in this kind of abuse are often serial offenders. If these allegations are true, and no investigation is undertaken, we will be failing the victims and allowing a possible perpetrator to continue abusing unsuspecting victims. That must not be allowed to happen.”
February 2021: Phoebe Bridgers told a sickening story about Manson, who she accused of showing off a “rape room” in his home when she visited with friends as a teenager. “I thought it was just his horrible frat boy sense of humor,” Bridgers wrote. “I stopped being a fan. I stand with everyone who came forward.” She added that “the label knew, management knew, the band knew” and slammed Manson’s associates for “pretending to be shocked and horrified… [it] is f*cking pathetic.”
February 2021: Wood revealed that she decided to publicly identify Manson when she filed a police report because “I was alerted to threats made by @leslee_lane and @lindsayusichofficial (Brian’s wife) for conspiring to release photos of me when I was UNDERAGE, after being given large amounts of drugs and alcohol, after Brian performed on Halloween in Las Vegas to ‘ruin my career’ and ‘shut me up.’” Wood also accused Manson of anti-Semitic behavior. “I was called a jew in a derogatory manner,” she wrote. “He would draw swastikas over my bedside table when he was mad at me. I heard the ‘n’ word over and over.”
February 2021: Corey Feldman comes forward to accuse the “obsessed” Manson of “decades of mental and emotional abuse. Feldman’s claims include grooming and being kissed without consent, and he makes reference to passages that Manson wrote about him in his 1998 memoir, The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell, as evidence that Manson is “obsessed” with Feldman:
“Manson has been obsessed w me 4 over 2 decades! Dont #BELIEVE me? Just LOOK @ THE PUBLISHED FACTS! He 1st wrote several passages about me in his book #LONGROADOUTOFHELL as we had met a few months prior 2 that @ a Premier 4 #HOWARDSTERNSPRIVATEPARTS IN NY where the #GROOMING process began. He grabbed my face in front of the crowd and kissed me w his Black Lip Stick that I couldn’t rub off all night. He proceeded 2 gush over me telling me what a ‘Huge fan’ of mine he was.”
February 2021: Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell accused Manson of pointing a camera up her skirt during a music festival. She expressed solidarity with Evan Rachel Wood and other survivors while adding, “It’s sad to see people defending him, just because he put his depravity in plain sight doesn’t give him a free pass to abuse women?!” Rowell added, “There were no repercussions for his behaviour… he does this kind of thing all the time.’”
February 2021:Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco came forward to reveal that her 2011 relationship with Manson “almost destroyed” her. During an interview with New York Magazine, Bianco provided photos to the publication and gave her harrowing account of physical abuse by Manson, who she claims terrorized her (with both emotional and physical abuse that included whipping, cutting, and bruising her) during the two months that she lived with him. Her claims were corroborated to New York by Manson’s former assistant, Jessica Walters, who went on record with the publication. A former member of Manson’s inner circle also spoke up (under the pseudonym of Alex) to reveal that he’d spotted bruises on Bianco’s back and arms, but he was too afraid to speak up out of fear of retaliation. Bianco accused Manson of playing her Game of Thrones sex scenes in front of friends while berating and humiliating her, and here’s a bleak summary of what she says gave her PTSD:
Bianco spent roughly two months living with Manson, drinking heavily to cope. She was often in a dissociative state, “hovering above life like I was looking at it through a net curtain,” she says, raising her hands in front of her face. Once, she remembers, he repeatedly cut her torso with a knife. “I just remember laying there, and I didn’t fight it,” she says. “It was kind of this final-straw moment where I had lost all sense of hope and safety.” He sent a photo of her cuts to Walters and one of his bandmates at the time, with the subject line “See what happens?”
As of this writing, Manson hasn’t commented upon Bianco’s accusations. He’s currently without a record label and has gone radio silent, although TMZ reports that police recently performed a wellness check at Manson’s home after a friend grew concerned when he was unable to reach the singer by phone.
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