Category: Trending

Spring is bourbon season. Brand-new releases and new batches of classic bourbons are hitting shelves at a nearly nonstop pace. Basically, we’re in the middle of spring break and the run-up to summer, which means whiskey companies are clamoring to get your attention with splashy new expressions. Small batch releases, bottled in bonds, single barrel bourbons, special oak cask finishes, and unique grain mash bills dominate the season alongside the many, many, MANY bourbons that are already on the shelf.

And with all that booze… Look, it can’t all be good. “New” doesn’t always mean something is worthwhile.

So to help you sort through all the new labels and new batches of classic bourbon hitting shelves, I’m pulling 10 brand-new bourbon whiskeys (all of these were just released or the current batch that was just dropped) from my shelves and blind tasting them. Our lineup today features the following bottles:

• Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
• Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon Leo Topflight Series By ReserveBar
• Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Batch 1
• Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Sour Mash Whiskey
• Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 1
• Swilled Dog Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength
• Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Triple Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Lost Lantern 2023 Single Cask #3 Watershed Distillery Ohio Straight Bourbon Whiskey 7 Years Old
• 15 STARS Triple Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 2

The ranking for this is very straightforward. This is about what tastes good right now. It’s really that simple. Luckily, there are a lot of great whiskeys hitting shelves (spoiler alert: all of these whiskeys were pretty damn tasty). Still, when it came to ranking these bourbons, I didn’t hesitate. There were clear winners from the jump so scroll down and find the perfect whiskey to add to your bar cart this spring!

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Part 1 — The Bourbon Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.

Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.

Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet toasted marshmallow on the very end.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, this is going to be hard to beat. This is classic deep Kentucky bourbon that’s delicious.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of spiced cherry with cinnamon cookies cut with raw brown sugar and vanilla next to a hint of taco seasoning spice packets.

Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of dark creamy chocolate, smoldering marshmallows, honey-dipped Graham crackers, and a light sense of peach tobacco.

Finish: The honey sweetens the finish with a sense of old oak and a dirt cellar floor next to a walnut cake and a mild warming buzz.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty damn nice too. It’s not quite as deep as the first sip, but very enjoyable overall.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a sense of unbaked sourdough cinnamon rolls next to Graham Crackers dipped in vanilla-creamed honey served with a warm can of peach soda.

Palate: The palate leans into the fruitiness with a pink taffy vibe that’s countered by slight pepperiness, a touch of “woody,” and more of that creamy honey laced with vanilla.

Finish: The fruity take on a savory essence — think cantaloupe — on the mid-palate before circling back to the pepperiness with a bit of woody spice on the short end.

Initial Thoughts:

This is nice and light. It feels like a solid cocktail base that also works as a sipper, kind of like a classic table whiskey that you don’t have to overthink.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This pops on the nose with rich caramel next to soft roasted peach and apricot next to a rush of cinnamon bark and nutmeg with a creamy vibe.

Palate: Toffee drives the palate toward Nutella and honey over buttermilk biscuits with an apple/pear tobacco aura that leads to a soft orange.

Finish: The end is rich and full of stewed fruits — peach, pear, orange, raisins — and a mild sense of oaky spice and a mild graininess.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another one that’s just nice. It’s a tad on the lighter end (and very fruity) but well-built and deep.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is creamy with deep notes of old boot leather, dark and woody winter spices, black-tea-soaked dates, plum jam with clove, and an underbelly of chewy toffee-laced tobacco.

Palate: That creaminess presents on the palate with a soft sticky toffee pudding drizzled in salted caramel and vanilla sauce next to flakes of salt and a pinch of orange zest over dry Earl Grey tea leaves with a whisper of singed wild sage.

Finish: The end leans into the creamy toffee chewy tobacco with a hint of pear, cherry, and bananas foster over winter spice barks and a deep embracing warmth.

Initial Thoughts:

This is great-tasting whiskey.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Leather and spiced cherry drive the nose toward meaty dates and wet brown sugar with a very classic bourbon vibe.

Palate: That brown sugar turns a little molasses-y on the palate as vanilla cream pie drizzled in toffee leans toward spiced milk chocolate powder and a hint of hazelnut cream.

Finish: That creaminess drives the finish toward leathery dried fruits and dates next to a cherry/vanilla/spiced tobacco buzzing warmth.

Initial Thoughts:

This was another nice, classic bourbon.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark oak and leather dance with caramel peanuts and peanut brittle with a good dose of spiced cherries dipped in dark chocolate.

Palate: Rich marzipan leads on the palate with more of that choco-cherry feel next to vanilla-laced whipped cream, nutmeg, clove, red berry fruit leather, and a whisper of fresh and sharp spearmint.

Finish: Brandied cherries with orange peel and clove settle on the finish with a nice sense of buttery salted caramel and creamy nuttiness.

Initial Thoughts:

Again, this is just good. It’s a very bourbon-y bourbon. It doesn’t grab me as fully as pours 5, 2, and 1 but this isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This smells rich and lush with deep creamy eggnog next to sweet dark fruit leather, old oak cellars, and a sniff of vanilla cake bespeckled with crumbled-up hard-toffees covered in dark salted chocolate.

Palate: Those toffee chocolate candies drive the palate toward spiced oatmeal cookies with walnuts and raisins dipped in vanilla buttercream and dashed with brown sugar and salt with a fleeting sense of orange and vanilla.

Finish: Spiced cookies with plenty of fatty nuts appear on the finish as a matrix of orchard fruits — cherry, plum, orange — slowly fade toward burnt ends of rock candy dipped in winter spice liqueur with a brazen heat to it.

Initial Thoughts:

F*ck, this is delicious. It’s a tad hot at the end, but I kind of love it. It’s that classic “burn so good” vibe.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Woody huckleberry jam over raisin scones mingle with eggnog spices and brown sugar cookies, spiced cherry fruit leather, and a twinge of sweet yet old oakiness.

Palate: That dark fruit leather leans into brandy-soaked dates and prunes with a sense of old oak cellars next to rich vanilla, soft apples, and sticky toffee pudding.

Finish: There’s a dark cherry spiced vibe to the finish that leans into fresh chewy tobacco packed into an old oak box and then wrapped in leather with a burnt orange rind and winter spice bouquet on top.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another winner. It just feels classic.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a rich matrix of cherry syrup, apple cores, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream, and a bold line of wet and sweet oak with a mild earthiness.

Palate: The palate opens up towards the dark fruit but dries it out and marries it to a woody and spicy tobacco leaf alongside toasted cedar soaked in salted caramel paired with dry corn husks that are just singed.

Finish: The finish really takes its time as the cherry attaches to an old cinnamon stick and the tobacco takes on a sticky chewiness with an almost smoked oak woodiness.

Initial Thoughts:

This is sweet and oaky but nicely balanced. It’s a really easy-going sipper for sure.

Part 2 — The Bourbon Ranking

10. Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Batch 1 — Taste 3

ABV: 49%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

Castle & Key Distillery is the renovated Old Taylor Distillery outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. This distillery has spent years contract distilling for other brands, until this year when they released their first batch of this expression in April. The juice is a mash of 73% white corn, 17% malted barley, and a scant 10% rye. After four years, 80 or so barrels are chosen for this small-batch expression and proofed down with local water.

Bottom Line:

This is really good, standard bourbon. If you’re looking for a great cocktail base for spring cocktails, get this. It plays well with citrus, Campari, and mint.

9. Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Sour Mash Whiskey — Taste 4

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $37

The Whiskey:

This new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Green River distillery is a wheated classic. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted 6-Row barley. That whiskey then spends four to six years mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is another no-brainer if you’re looking for a cocktail base. I’d also argue that this makes a good table whiskey for everyday sipping over a lot of ice too.

8. Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Triple Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 7

ABV: 47.9%

Average Price: $56

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from out in Washington is a blend of two bourbons with an array of finishings. The blend is a mix of a 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley bourbon with a 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley bourbon. After several years, those whiskeys were refilled into European oak casks, namely cognac, Olorosso sherry, and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks from anywhere from three to 16 months of finishing before batching and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the easy-sipping bourbons. This is really good but also… sorta felt like a typical $50 bourbon.

7. Swilled Dog Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength — Taste 6

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $54

The Whiskey:

First off, this has a great name and reimagined logo (these are the new bottles for 2023). Secondly, the whiskey is made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley so we know this is MGP distillate, and that usually means high-quality booze.

Bottom Line:

This was a really nice, high-proof bourbon. It had a stone-cold classic flavor profile. If you’re in West Virginia, pick yourself up a bottle.

6. 15 STARS Triple Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $179

The Whiskey:

This new release from 15 STARS is a blend of two bourbons with a big finishing run. The whiskey is made from an eight and 16-year-old blend that was finished in Kentucky in port, cognac, and rum casks for eight additional months before batching and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is getting pretty close to excellent. I can easily see sipping this on a sunny day next to a smoker or grill in the backyard.

5. Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 2 — Taste 10

ABV: 48.5%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This age statement released from Jack Daniel’s is a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The whiskey is aged for at least 10 years before batching. During that time, the barrels spend time in the “Buzzard’s Roost” at the top of the rickhouse. Once they hit the right flavor profile, those barrels are moved to the bottom floors of other warehouses to slow the aging down. Finally, the whiskey is batched, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was an oaky whiskey with a nice fruitiness to balance things out. I’d say if you’re looking for something oaky but more fruity than spiced, then get this.

4. Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon Leo Topflight Series By ReserveBar — Taste 2

ABV: 50.25%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

This single-barrel pick from Stellum utilizes a classic sourced bourbon with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley from Indiana. Those barrels are transported over the Ohio River to Louisville, Kentucky where they finish their four to six-year-long rest. This release was chosen by the team at ReserveBar and released as a single barrel pick in their Topflight Series.

Bottom Line:

This is a really good sipping bourbon at a great price point. This could easily be $100 and no one would blink an eye. So in that case, get two.

3. Lost Lantern 2023 Single Cask #3 Watershed Distillery Ohio Straight Bourbon Whiskey 7 Years Old — Taste 8

ABV: 66.1%

Average Price: $119

The Whiskey:

The latest Lost Lantern single barrel release is a five-grain bourbon from our in Ohio. Watershed Distillery used corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, and locally-grown spelt for the mash of this bourbon. The whiskey then spent five years mellowing in Ohio before the barrel was shipped to Vermont for two more years of mellowing. Finally, the team at Lost Lantern thought this one was ready and bottled it as-is only yielding 65 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This is a great whiskey. Great. It was a tad hot on the finish, which is why it’s third instead of first. Otherwise, add some water and let this beauty bloom in the glass and take your time with it. Just hurry, this will be sold out very soon. And then that’s it — forever.

2. Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old — Taste 1

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $185

The Whiskey:

The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Bottom Line:

This had a balance to it that the rest of the whiskeys on this panel just didn’t. This is quintessential and bold Kentucky bourbon from top to bottom and felt like a warm hug from an old friend. Plus, it’s hitting shelves right now, which means you might be able to snag a bottle if you’re savvy.

1. Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey — Taste 5

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $80 (MSRP)

The Whiskey:

Jack Daniel’s doesn’t hide any of its processes. The mash at the base of this whiskey is a mix of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. Those grains are milled in-house and mixed with cave water pulled from an on-site spring and Jack Daniel’s own yeast and lactobacillus that they also make/cultivate on-site. Once fermented, the mash is distilled twice in huge column stills. The hot spirit is then filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal that’s also made at the distillery. Finally, the filtered juice is loaded into charred new American oak barrels and left alone in the warehouse. After 12 years, a handful of barrels were ready; so they were batched, barely proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was the stand-out of the panel. It’s so well-balanced, nuanced, and just freaking tasty. It leaned more into the sweet fruit yeasty flavor notes while still holding onto classic and deep bourbon flavor notes. This is the good stuff, folks, that’s also just hitting shelves and still might be findable.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on New Spring Bourbons

There isn’t a bad bourbon on this list. Seriously, Castle & Key and Green River are excellent mixing whiskeys for cocktails. Don’t sleep on those. Tastes eight through four are all stellar pours. Go back through the tasting notes and find the whiskey that speaks to you and then get it. You won’t be disappointed by any of those.

But, wow, the top three whiskeys were all stone-cold killers. You’ll be in good hands whiskey-wise after grabbing any of those gems.

The jury’s still out on whether Donald Trump will become the first U.S. president to be indicted, but at least he’s already achieved one milestone: He’s the first U.S. president to have a failed music single. (Probably, unless Ronald Reagan once tried his hand at music and history forgot.)

Amid all the hubbub going on in Trump’s life right now, he found time to record and release a single called “Justice for All.” It’s a collaboration between him and a group known as the “J6 Prison Choir,” which is comprised of about 20 people jailed for their involvement in the Capitol riot. It’s a charity single, with proceeds supposed to go to legal aid for the latter group.

Well, as per The Daily Beast, the song did chart — but only on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. There it reached #4, close to cracking the 100, but no cigar.

Perhaps people weren’t blown away by the content. Despite Trump’s professed love for those who tried to overturn Democracy at his bidding, not a whole lot of effort went into the single. The entirety of it finds a scratchily-recorded men’s choir dutifully singing “The Star Spangled Banner” while every now and then a semi-engaged Trump occasionally reciting The Pledge of Allegiance. Not only is it lazy, but it doesn’t even sound very good. It runs a mere two minutes and 20 seconds. For perspective, that’s only less than 30 seconds longer than the super short original version of “Old Town Road” (and 17 seconds shy of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix).

So Trump may not have raised much money for those who went to prison for him. At least since declaring he was being indicted (but getting the day wrong), he’s probably been able to line his pockets with donations.

(Via The Daily Beast)

It may sound cliché, but half the fun of drinking wine is learning about what’s in your glass. If we’re being honest, not even a lifetime of studying could lead to mastery of the subject but… that’s kind of the beauty of it all. However, learning the foundations is a great place to start. While there are a plethora of regions, grape varieties, and styles to understand, locking in the basics can be done with as few as 10 bottles.

First thing’s first, there are some keys to know. When tasting wines—no matter what color or style—assessing a wine’s body (light, medium, full) is always on the table, followed by acidity (high, medium, low). When it comes to red wine, tannins—that is, the astringent compounds responsible for leaving drying sensations on your tongue, cheeks, and gums—are also assessed. Put these three things together, and you’ve got a 101 understanding of wine’s structure! And that’s good to know because these components are far more foundational than “flavor” notes (think fruit, earth, and other descriptors) when assessing a wine.

Note: There’s plenty more to learn than via our list below, and the bottles can certainly be substituted with other producers, but you’ll get the drift. Check out our 10 foundational bottles to learn the basics about wine below—trust us, this may just be the most fun you’ve ever had while “studying.”

1. Cooper Mountain Pinot Noir 2019

ABV: 13.5%
Region: Oregon, USA
Price: $27.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

For understanding what wines with lower levels of tannins and higher levels of acidity taste like, Pinot Noir is a great place to start. The low levels of tannins are due to the grapes’ thin skins, as skins are where tannins generally come from. The thicker they are, the more prominent they’ll be.

Tasting Notes:

This savory, earth-driven Pinot Noir shows flavors of red cherry, blueberry, raspberry, damp earth, and hints of sweet spice. The wine’s ample acidity and soft tannins make this bottle extremely easy to drink—especially when served with a slight chill on it.

The Bottom Line:

Pinot Noir really spans the “nuances” gamut of styles and flavor profiles. To best understand the unique differences, we recommend grabbing a bottle from California, as well as a Burgundian expression (such as this one: Domaine Pillot Bourgogne Rouge 2021) to really explore the spectrum.

2. Domaine Saint Roch Touraine Sauvignon 2021

ABV: 12%
Region: Loire Valley, France
Price: $17.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the entire world. While New World expressions tend to show a bit more grassiness, Old World styles tend to be a bit more flinty and smoky. In addition to fruit-driven traits, these wines will offer great examples of non-fruit characteristics, too.

Tasting Notes:

This textbook expression of Sauvignon Blanc shows crisp flavors of citrus rind, crushed rocks, and flinty undertones. Ample amounts of zesty acidity lead to long, lip-puckering finish.

The Bottom Line:

Acid, acid, acid, as well as what herbaceousness (and hints of flintiness) in wine taste like. We generally don’t suggest tasting wine with preconceived thoughts in mind, but keep these descriptors handy when actively seeking them out this time around.

3. Château de Bellevue Lussac Saint-Emilion

ABV: 13%
Region: Bordeaux, France
Price: $24.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Merlot is usually known for producing medium-bodied wines with smooth, supple tannins and moderate amounts of acidity. For a good gauge of what a middle-of-the-road expression is in all of these facets of red wine, Merlot is a great place to start.

Tasting Notes:

Merlot is synonymous with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, and hints of red flowers, and this Right Bank Bordeaux blend shows exactly that. Expect a fleshy and juicy wine marked by pleasantly firm tannins and a palate-coating finish.

The Bottom Line:

Old World versus New World plays a big role here, in that most Old World expressions, specifically from Bordeaux, are blends (and are labeled by region), whereas New World examples are monovarietal, meaning 100%. Check out this example from Washington (L’Ecole 41 Columbia Valley Merlot 2019) to dive into the latter.

4. Domaine Mathias Bourgogne Chardonnay 2021

ABV: 13.5%
Region: Burgundy, France
Price: $24.96

What This Wine Will Teach You:

On its own, Chardonnay is generally pretty bland and neutral. This can be a good thing and a bad thing—good in that it can greatly reflect the terroir from which it comes, bad in that it will also very obviously reveal imbalances in wine, such as excessive use of oak.

Tasting Notes:

This medium-bodied Chardonnay is a very typical expression of White Burgundy, in that it shows supple flavors of stone fruit, lemon cream, pear, and saline-driven undertones. For those looking to understand the texture of a medium-bodied white wine, this bottle is it.

The Bottom Line:

Chardonnay is basically a chameleon, in that it will greatly reflect where it’s grown and how it’s made. Unfortunately, the majority of affordable Chardonnay out there is pretty bad—in that it’s pretty good at reflecting a lack of balance. On the contrary, great expressions, such as the one above, show beautiful balance.

5. Pecchenino Langhe Botti Nebbiolo 2020

ABV: 13.5%
Region: Piedmont, Italy
Price: $17.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

While it was tough to choose between including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo on this list, the latter really stands out in helping to learn about tannins. Even approachable styles of Nebbiolo, such as this one from Pecchenino, very obviously leave a drying sensation in the mouth.

Tasting Notes:

Ruby-hued in the glass, this perfumed Nebbiolo shows classic flavors of dried strawberries, rose petals, leather, and hints of potting soil. Don’t let its light color fool you – the tannic grip on this wine is pretty strong!

The Bottom Line:

Think about over-steeped black tea or underripe fruit – these are other ways to understand what tannins feel like. Comparing Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir side by side is a great way to understand tannins, in that both varieties produce high-acid red wines, though their tannic structures couldn’t be more different.

6. Hervé Rafflin, ‘Nature’l’ Extra Brut NV Champagne

ABV: 12.5%
Region: Champagne, France
Price: $39.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

The traditional method of making sparkling wine! There are three main ways in which bubbles are produced: the traditional method, the tank method, and the ancestral method. The first is used in Champagne (and other regions), the second mostly in Prosecco, and the third in pét-nats. Traditional method sparklers undergo a secondary fermentation in bottle, then age on their lees (AKA the dead yeast cells from fermentation), which imparts toasty flavors and ample texture to the final wines.

Tasting Notes:

Rafflin’s Nature’l Extra Brut uses Champagne’s signature trio of grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Expect flavors of citrus, white stone fruit, brioche, and a touch of saline to lead to a vivaciously zingy finish.

The Bottom Line:

Sparkling wine is made all over the world and is produced in a variety of styles, though Champagne will always reign king. Fun fact: the traditional method is also used in Cava and crémant production, too.

7. No Fine Print Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

ABV: 13.5%
Region: California, USA
Price: $19.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Cabernet Sauvignon from California is generally the stereotypical example of what “New World” style wines are, although that is shifting as climate change (and global winemaking preferences) evolve – in other words, bold, fruit-forward, and often marked by some influences of new oak.

Tasting Notes:

While many California Cabs tend to err on the jammy side of things, this well-balanced pick from No Fine Print is just right. The wine’s concentrated-yet-balanced profile is laden with flavors of plums, blackberry, and subtle hints of toasty oak. Fun fact: This wine was crafted by Pat Corcoran and Tim Smith (managers of Chance the Rapper and Skrillex, respectively), to create “wine by the people, for the people.”

The Bottom Line:

This flavor-packed and extremely fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon is a quintessential example of West Coast Cab, though its relatively lower ABV (most are over 14%) render it a bit more restrained than the majority of expressions—which we definitely appreciate.

8. Pfeffingen Dry Riesling 2021

ABV: 12%
Region: Pfalz, Germany
Price: $23.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Similar to Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling is a quintessential variety used to showcase acidity in wine, as bottles produced from it are known for their laser-like depictions. This dry example from Pfeffingen is no exception.

Tasting Notes:

High-acid wine lovers, don’t sleep on this tasty bottle. Notes of lemon, lime, green apple skin, and crushed stones offer a juicy, mineral-driven finish. In short, this wine is lively, balanced, and kind of like sunshine-meets-lightning in a glass.

The Bottom Line:

Another key takeaway here – Not. All. Riesling. Is. Sweet! Dry Riesling is the perfect example to show that many grape varieties can span the entire flavor profile spectrum, from bone dry to sticky sweet.

9. Catena Malbec 2019

ABV: 13.6%
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Price: $17.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Although Malbec isn’t always included on lists like this, we believe that the wines often depict a distinct florality — which can be hard to pick up in wines. A classic tasting note in Malbec is often violets, hence the inclusion of this wine on the list (plus, historically speaking, Catena has done loads for South America’s viticultural scene. Google their story.)

Tasting Notes:

Full-bodied red wine fans, this one’s for you. The dark violet hue of Catena’s Malbec is undeniably reflected in the glass, offering flavors of ripe red and dark berries, violet, hints of and hints of coffee. Despite the wine’s concentrated palate, tingly natural acidity allows the wine to finish lengthy and bright.

The Bottom Line:

In addition to depicting florality, Malbecs are generally very fruit-forward and see some new oak, which helps to showcase the stereotypical “New World” style used on tasting grids.

10. Mary Taylor – Pascal Biotteau Anjou Blanc 2021

ABV: 12%
Region: Loire Valley, France
Price: $15.99

What This Wine Will Teach You:

Chenin Blanc-based wines are bottles that novice wine drinkers generally describe as “sweet,” when they’re actually just fruit-forward. This is a great bottle to understand what wines with honeyed, fruit-driven characteristics without the presence of residual sugar taste like.

Tasting Notes:

This budget-friendly Chenin Blanc from Anjou is exactly what you’d expect from the region/grape: ripe stone fruit, honey, canned peaches, green apple, and hints of crushed rocks. Tangy, bright, and simply delicious – what more could you ask for?

The Bottom Line:

Similar to Riesling, Chenin Blanc can go the limits, in that it can be vinified bone dry, as well as into dessert-style wines. This expression beautifully depicts the notion described above – dry Chenins are often very honeyed and fruit-forward, though they don’t necessarily contain any residual sugar content.

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

The now-deleted comment, which read, “Who’s gonna tell her?” followed by a laughing emoji, showed in the background as Gabriel tearfully explained why the purse meant so much to her as someone who grew up without a lot of money.

@zohtaco Replying to @cressy ♬ original sound – zoe 🦋

“We couldn’t buy new things as simple as bread from BreadTalk,” she said, referencing a popular Singaporean bakery. “That kind of thing was a luxury to us…Every time we passed by a store, my parents would just say next time, but next time would never come.”

With this context, Gabriel shared why the shameful comment was so inconsiderate.

“To you, an $80 bag may not be a luxury. For me and my family, it is a lot, and I’m so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

Gabriel’s video quickly went viral, even making its way to the actual founders of the Charles & Keith brand, Charles and Keith Wong. According to The Straits Times, the brothers were so “impressed” with Gabriel that they invited her and her father to have lunch and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour at the company’s headquarters.

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But they didn’t stop there.

The brand later posted a photo on its Instagram page showing Gabriel modeling a lilac-colored Charles & Keith bag for International Women’s Day, even announcing her as a new brand ambassador.

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You’d think it would go without saying to just let people enjoy things, but we know that on the internet simple courtesy sometimes goes out the window. However, this is a heartwarming reminder that for every ignorant remark, there are also those who want to lift others up.

Gabriel might have been ridiculed, but she has since seemed to come out on top, posting videos of herself wining and dining and dancing and traveling and basically having the time of her life. Sounds like the ultimate luxury to me.

Fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are well acquainted with the “Rusical” segment, but in case this word seems like something out of Dr. Seuss, here’s a brief explainer: A Rusical is a challenge on the show where contestants put on a live parody drag musical. Since debuting in Season 6, the Rusical has become a beloved staple of the series, with some of the most popular titles being “Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical,” “HERstory of the World” and “Moulin Ru: The Rusical.”

For Episode 12, the queens drew inspiration from the 1984 movie “Footloose” to tell a story about a small town that prohibits drag rather than dancing. The performance got a sweet seal of approval from the OG Ren McCormack himself.

According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Kevin Bacon gave a special shout-out to drag queen Loosey LaDuca (who played “Heaven Bacon”) in his Instagram story.

“Big shoutout to @rupaulsdragrace’s Wigloose: the RuSical (and props to Heaven Bacon),” he wrote, adding that with the recent controversial legislation against drag shows, the performance “came at just the right time.”

“Drag is an art and drag is a right,” his story concluded.

LaDuca’s response? The same as anybody who just got a shoutout from Kevin Bacon would be.

“Well, I’m dead.”

Bacon wasn’t the only one to love “Wigloose.” Fans of the show were gushing about how they felt this was the best Rusical of the entire series.

Check out some of these lovely comments gleaned from Youtube.

“This was the BEST Rusical in Drag Race history across franchises.”

“Literally no one did bad, they all slayed.”

“This is one of the best rusicals they’ve ever done. Professional vocalists, catchy songs, tight choreography, and a timely and touching storyline. Everyone who had a hand in it should be super proud.”

Watch the full performance of “Wigloose: The Rusical” below:

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from 100 Gecs, Yves Tumor, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Phoenix, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

100 Gecs — 10,000 Gecs

With videos featuring fireworks set off in the living room and a guitar being smashed on the ground, 100 Gecs know how to keep the attention on them. 10,000 Gecs was their highly anticipated answer to a groundbreaking debut that was hard to follow; however, the duo managed to get even weirder, making fans surprised and satisfied.

Yves Tumor — Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

The singles for Yves Tumor’s new album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) previewed an atmospheric, eclectic experience, which one can already guess from the dramatic title. Together, the different songs blend together to create a cohesive, immersive listen-through. “Lovely Sewer” vibrates and buzzes with subtle excitement; “Parody” is a laid-back ballad in the realm of Tennis or Mac DeMarco. “In Spite Of War” is a memorable highlight.

Meet Me @ The Altar — Present // Past // Future

Finally, Meet Me @ The Altar unveiled their highly anticipated debut album Present // Past // Future, whose blazing singles were nothing short of exciting. But the ebullience of songs like “Kool” and “Say It (To My Face)” are also balanced with more downtrodden tracks like “A Few Tomorrows,” a thoughtful meditation on loss.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — V

“The Garden” is a groovy, hypnotic hook for Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new double album V. It encapsulates the dreaminess that’s to come throughout the next hour; the atmospheric songs pour into one another, sharing a spellbinding, celestial texture that keeps the listener in his hold the entire time.

Dazy — OTHERBODY

Dazy’s surprise OTHERBODY EP is a treat after they’ve unleashed the explosive OUTOFBODY last year. Those songs were reverb-drenched rock anthems with sticky melodies, especially the infectious “On My Way.” OTHERBODY is no less electrifying. “Every Little” is a fuzzed-out ripper that sounds like American Idiot on steroids; “Submarine” is a catchy, idiosyncratic ballad, still staticky.

Fenne Lily — “In My Own Time”

About “In My Own Time,” Fenne Lily shared, “This song’s about the weight of stasis — about time moving too quickly and too slowly and every mistake feeling both permanent and inconsequential.” It’s painfully relatable as she sings about the pressure of existence against soft guitars: “Sometimes I feel like I’m just killing time here / Or maybe it’s killing me.”

Feist — “Borrow Trouble”

“[‘Borrow Trouble‘] began as a contemplative acoustic morality tale and shape-shifted itself into the sound of trouble itself,” Feist said about their kaleidoscopic new song. “It’s a mess that holds its own logic. It’s the convincing cacophony that thoughts can be.” “Borrow Trouble” follows its own rules, and the lyrics are as boundary-breaking as the sprawling sound: “Even before your eyes are open / The plot has thickened ’round your fears.”

Warm Human — “Daylight Savings”

“Daylight Savings” is a mellow, lush ballad that Warm Human describes as being “my stream of consciousness about whether or not to text an ex on their birthday, and the cyclical thinking that comes from staring at a road for fourteen hours a day.” The pain is palpable in the sullen guitars and airy vocals; it’s a sprawling but heavy listen.

Phoenix, Clairo — “After Midnight”

Phoenix unveiled Alpha Zulu last year with a bang, and they’ve spiced up the track “After Midnight” by recruiting the one and only Clairo. Her voice is a wonderful contribution to the already invigorating song; her harmonies with Thomas Mars’ voice are one-of-a-kind, adding a new texture of bewitching lightness.

Lauren Early — “Good Girl Bad Boy”

Lauren Early’s new song “Good Girl Bad Boy” kicks off with a memorable hook: “Am I an incel, am I hysteric? / I don’t care, I love you, I can’t bear it / I don’t care if it’s problematic / I don’t care if it’s overdramatic.” With a lo-fi, bedroom-pop sound, Lauren Early captures the feeling of Gen Z: “Is this a romance or a horror?”

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

Nic Cage isn’t really a “sequel” person per se, and maybe that’s just because he is still living with the consequences of agreeing to star in Ghost Rider 2: Spirit Of Vengeance, or maybe it’s just because he is sick of hearing jokes about stealing the declaration of independence. No matter the reason, Cage hasn’t done a sequel in years, and he doesn’t really want to. Maybe it’s because he’s Goth.

Cage recently spoke to Collider while promoting his new movie Renfield, where he plays a little-known vampire named Dracula. While he was open to the idea of returning as Draculas in the future, he says he tends to stay away from past roles. “Every time I do a movie and create a character, I’ve got to get them off of me,” the actor admitted. “It’s not healthy for me to have too many of these psychotics running around in my head.” Speaking of psychotics, have you watched Color Out Of Space recently?

Even though Cage doesn’t seek out sequels, he does have a few ideas in mind. The actor has already expressed interest in a Face/Off sequel, and now he is even open to growing out his hair for another Con Air adventure. “I think that there’s plenty of room for a Face/Off sequel. I think Con Air lends itself to a sequel,” he said, adding that he was interested in a sequel to The Rock before Sean Connery passed away in 2020.

In Con Air, Cage plays a former Army ranger who has to stop a prison break aboard a plane. Hey, it’s better than a plane full of snakes. He didn’t go into details about what a sequel would entail, but hopefully, Steve Buscemi would be open to returning in some capacity.

The actor then admitted that he tries not to think too much about sequels. “I think those two would work. I haven’t really thought too much about sequels, I really haven’t. I like trying to bring something new each time in the storytelling aspect…but I think that’s what many young people want.”

What young people really want is another Pedro Pascal/Nic Cage buddy comedy. It would go even more viral now. Throw Paul Mescal in there and you’ve got a TikTok-approved hit.

(Via Collider)

After just getting over a “major editing glitch” that accidentally led to an entire episode being spoiled, Jeopardy! fans have already moved on to a new controversy involving prolific actor Ewan McGregor. However, for a change of pace, this particular fiasco does not involve his fan-favorite role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. Instead, it involves one of McGregor’s lesser-known films.

The incident went down during Monday’s episode when contestant Melissa Klapper fielded a $600 clue during the final round of the game.

“The force of Lasse Hallström was strong to pull in this Scot to play a fisheries expert in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” host Ken Jennings read to which Klapper quickly buzzed in and responded, “Who is Ewan McGregor?”

While McGregor is correct, Jeopardy! fans exploded on social media with accusations that Klapper mispronounced the actor’s name and actually said “Who is Ewan Gregor?” Some even went so far as to tag Jennings on Twitter.

Via Newsweek:

“Anyone else notice that Melissa gave a response of ‘Ewan Gregor’ instead of Ewen MCGregor on tonight’s episode of #Jeopardy? Clearly the judges didn’t,” another viewer said.

One fan opted to directly address Jennings on his Twitter account, writing: “Hi Ken, on tonight’s Jeopardy, Kelly answered ‘Ewan Gregor’ to the question about Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and was given the points when the answer should have been Ewan McGregor. Were the scores ever corrected?”

You can see a video of what appears to be Klapper’s alleged mistake below:

As the controversy escalated, Reddit users came to Klapper’s aid and noted that, while it sounds like she mispronounced the name, “the judges have a direct feed to the contestants’ microphone which we don’t hear when the sound gets mixed for television, and they heard something different.”

Sure enough, a close examination of the YouTube footage at slow speed showed “the ‘Mc’ is definitely there but barely audible.” Newsweek also reviewed the footage at the same speed, and it “showed that Klapper did say McGregor’s last name correctly and in full during the round.”

It looks like the Force was with her.

(Via Newsweek)

Men like Nietzsche, Gandhi, and Socrates were pop culture’s original gatekeepers. If those philosophers were so insistent on convincing us that vengeance is such an empty thing that they tripped over each other to pen dramatic warnings about graves digging themselves and wounds festering, well, revenge must feel pretty damn good, right? Watching it play out on screen certainly does, and there’s no shortage of movies that trade on the entertainment value of getting even. The thing is, we need more. A lot more. And from a feminine perspective.

What began as an exercise in 70s horror exploitation with movies like I Spit On Your Grave and Lipstick has morphed into a narrative model with more than just violent delights and violent ends to its name. Revenge movies now have something to say, not only about the cruel, animalistic nature of mankind but of the evolving meaning of arbitrary concepts like “right” and “wrong.” A good revenge movie causes us to question, contemplate, and contend with our collective humanity and the systems in place that are meant to – but don’t necessarily succeed in – upholding it.

Promising Young Woman is a perfect example. When writer/director Emerald Fennell tells the story of Cassie (Carey Mulligan), a 30-something college dropout so consumed by grief after her friend Nina commits suicide that she doles out a tame method of vigilante justice on men who make sport of violating women the same way Nina once was, it’s more than fulfillment fantasy, it’s a form of protest. Not just against societal views of women that cling to life through generations like cockroaches, but against the systems in place that make it easy for perpetrators to move past their transgressions and impossible for their victims to do the same. Cassie isn’t brandishing weapons or planning elaborate schemes to punish the men who hurt Nina — not at first. Instead, she’s reveling in the sense of invincibility her simmering rage often feeds. She doesn’t fall into the stereotypes that regularly plague women’s revenge stories, eschewing the idea that a woman must be battered or scorned to deserve a chance at retribution. And she’s certainly no man — protected by plot armor and a sense of ego-stroking righteousness in his crusade against some bad apples tarnishing his gender’s on-screen reputation. She’s just a woman who is fed up and is finally doing something about it.

That Fennell never depicts violence against women, instead focusing on Cassie’s quest for revenge and trusting audiences to understand how violating and traumatizing Nina’s experience was – not just for her but for those who loved her most – is one of the most important elements of the film. Promising Young Woman never glorifies the torment that often serves as a catalyst for women’s revenge stories. Instead, Fennell invites us to enjoy watching “nice guys” reap what they sow before leaving us with a compelling idea about justice – who it’s meant for, who it actually serves, and what we’re willing to risk to get it.

Whatever reactions the film’s controversial ending sparked in audiences, just the idea that we were left thinking about the ways revenge stories have often failed women and wondering how we were meant to feel about Cassie’s final act shows how much progress we’ve made when it comes to these kinds of movies.

For a long time, women could only get revenge if they “earned it” through suffering, and only if it somehow propped up the performative machismo that made men feel better about watching it play out on screen.

One of the most prolific subsets of the revenge genre that serves as an example of this is the idea of the “rape and revenge” movie, a narrative blueprint that required female characters to experience life-altering trauma so that male characters could play their savior. In Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, in Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left, in Michael Winner’s Death Wish, women bear the brunt of the pain that spurs the men in their lives to later inflict it – normally on two-dimensional thugs portrayed as outcasts and criminals motivated by insanity or psychopathy. The daughters and wives who are beaten, raped, and humiliated in these early, horror-forward revenge films served as sadistic, symbolic window dressing – a cautionary tale that would further misogynistic ideas about sexual assault and a woman’s responsibility in it — and a kind of propaganda for the ultramasculine, meant to bulk up men’s ego and enshrine specific gender roles. Women got to play distressed damsels, men their unflappable saviors, and white knight syndrome continued to haunt what could’ve been a transformative period on screen for strong female characters.

Was it entertaining to watch the villains of these films suffer, sometimes in ways worse than their female victims? Duh. Vengeance activates the reward circuitry in the brain, no matter the gender of who wields it. But looking back on those movies, and the ones they inspired – we’re getting to you, Liam Neeson, hold on – we’re left with a feeling that revenge on film could be so much more.

That critique isn’t meant literally – those movies didn’t need more blood, more savagery, more machine gun ballets – but that’s what Hollywood heard when it revived the revenge genre in the aughts. It gave Neeson’s gruff, overprotective father figure a specific set of skills, sending him overseas to rescue his naïve young daughter and annihilate an underground sex trafficking ring in the process. It killed John Wick’s dog, spurring Keanu Reeves into a depressive rage cycle where he dispatched professional hitmen with ease – and an emotionless stare. It transformed Denzel Washington’s middle-aged hardware store employee into a killing machine so proficient, he can take down the Russian mob in Boston with just a nail gun and an exhaust pipe.

There were a few exceptions to the status quo, films like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2 – an homage to Lady Snowblood, another 70s revenge film with a woman at its center – that tasked women with kicking ass in the name of vengeance instead, but even those stylized feminist fantasies had lingering edges of the male gaze. (And it’s hard to tout Tarantino’s commitment to spotlighting violent anti-heroines when you know the cost actress Uma Thurman paid for it behind the wheel of that convertible.)

When revenge movies drifted further from their horror beginnings, and eschewed action-adventure for the teen comedy route, that’s when they began to have substance – at least in the eyes of the women watching them. Heathers angst-ridden body count, Mean Girls queen bee coup, girls belonging to disparate high school cliques banding together to orchestrate the downfall of a serial cheating school jock in John Tucker Must Die – these revenge movies relished the dramatics raging hormones often fuel and wielded them in service of empowerment stories that carried surprisingly progressive messaging. Even a film as divisive as Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body – a movie marketed to teenage boys but clearly dedicated to the girls they often torment and wrong – pushed this iteration of the revenge movie forward. When Amanda Seyfried’s character berates her demonically-possessed friend for “killing people,” only for Megan Fox to exasperatingly respond, “No, I’m killing boys,” that wasn’t just a culture shift, it was a big bang moment for how far women could now take their murderous impulses on-screen, without feeling guilty for it.

In French director Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge, Jen is a sugar baby stereotype who survives a sexual assault, an attempted assassination, and a relentless chase through the desert only for the filmmaker to flip the lens. Instead of lingering on depicting Jen’s trauma, Fargeat lets audiences gaze at the males she’s now hunting down for revenge, through the gun sight Jen has aimed at their naked, flailing bodies desperately trying to survive her savagery. And in Netflix’s Do Revenge, it’s the ending director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson gives this teen revenge refresh that feels a bit revolutionary. Instead of repenting and changing their ways, making amends to those they’ve hurt, and touting forgiveness as the best path forward the next time someone wrongs them, Drea (Camilla Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke) embrace the fact that they’re each other’s “fucked-up soulmates,” driving off into the sunset as their classmates deal with the fallout of their scheme.

When we say we want more female-driven revenge movies, this is what we mean – we want to see a world different from our own, where women take back their power (in whatever form they please) and revel in wielding it. That doesn’t necessarily equate to violence against men, but it does mean that women get to challenge the social structure men have put in place. One that says women can’t be predators because they must be protected. One that thinks masculinity is the only weapon worth wielding against injustice. One that allows women to be messy, complicated, unlikable beings to a point – but never far enough to truly appreciate the grotesque, depraved, morally deficient version of who they can be if given the right motivation. If pushed just a little too far.

Since Chat GPT first burst onto the scene in late November, the whole energy around its usage has really changed. Not too long ago, the Internet was flooded with hilarious conversations taking Chat GPT to the bounds of its creativity. It wasn’t uncommon for Chat GPT to write poetry, be a wizard, rap, and make fun of haughty farm-to-table influencers.

Nowadays, the servers are overpowered by premium users seeking to abuse the power of AI to build businesses. Basically, Chat GPT has grown up and doesn’t have time to play around. And with the new improvements of Chat GPT-4, these boring business bro requests have only intensified.

Fear not! Even as people race to master the duller capabilities of Chat GPT, there will always be some folks prodding the light-hearted soul of this technology. Here are some quirky, fun, and ironic conversations with Chat GPT we found on the internet.

1. “WHISPERS OF SAFETY”

The improvements to Chat GPT’s artistry are not only frightening but beautiful. I count at least five brilliant quotes from this one.

2. DEAR STEPHEN

From, “Stephen you useless ****R” to “I hope this email finds you well.”

3. COPING WITH TENSION

It’s “unlikely.”

4. EMO RAPPER

“Like the clothes that I’ve spun.” Interesting how Chat GPT characterizes this Emo Rapper as one who can sew clothing for his own personal brand. Very functional.

5. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Warning, using Chat GPT for emotional occasions like this is a gamble. If your recipients find out the real author, it could be game over.

6. CALL ME AODHÁN

It seems like Chat GPT has thought long and hard about this.

7. AI! AI!

“In a land of code and algorithms.” So, how big is this country? Is it a population of one?

8. SOME IRONY

A moment of silence for Gary Kremen…

As AI becomes more and more prevalent, there are naturally some who will shout hallucinations of doom and gloom, and even more who will try using this new technology to make a ton of money. Everyone’s still coming to terms about what this is and what its implications could be. But amidst of all this urgency and cut-throat energy, it can’t hurt to just have some fun. Chat GPT is remarkable for so many reasons, and one of them is its witty, dry, almost innocent (at times) sense of humor.

As this technology grows, hopefully a few people will keep using it for entertainment, in addition to solving our most pressing issues.