Viewers streaming Donald Glover’s heavily anticipated stan culture satire Swarm were greeted with an unexpected sight as the show started streaming: pop star Chlöe‘s first-ever sex scene. While the singer has openly flaunted her sexuality in music videos for singles like “Have Mercy” and “Treat Me” (and fielded complaints about it online), this was her first time having simulated sex on camera and she credited scene partner Damson Idris (of Snowfall acclaim) with helping her overcome her initial nerves.
In an interview with Deadline at SXSW earlier this month — which has since resurfaced, for obvious reasons — Chlöe explained why she was nervous to film the scene in the first place, despite her sometimes racy image, and how Idris helped her feel more comfortable during filming.
“As open and liberal as I am about my body, I was very scared because I haven’t had that many partners,” she recalled. I’m not like that—like that sexual and open. Damson made it really comfortable; you know, there were limited people on set. It was a closed set.”
Damson kept things light, which helped her ease into what might otherwise be an embarrassing situation.
“We literally had a bouncy ball in between us, and you know, we were making a joke out of it, so it took all of the nervousness away from that,” she said. “I have to give a lot of kudos to him as a man for making me, as a woman, feel comfortable literally being raw and naked.”
Chloe Bailey on how Damson Idris made her comfortable filming her first love scene in ‘Swarm’ #SXSWpic.twitter.com/jKhKmlTHj4
The singer wasn’t the only one drawing attention during the show’s first season. Billie Eilish received praise for her acting (and smooching), while fans were gagged at a Halsey joke delivered by Paris Jackson. Meanwhile, Chlöe is also booked for some lighter fare onscreen; her gospel-inflected comedy Praise This is due to hit Peacock on April 7 (talk about RANGE). She’s also dropping her debut solo album In Pieces on March 31.
Shamrocks, leprechauns, corned beef and cabbage, pinches for those who forget to wear green—St. Patrick’s Day is filled with traditions that have passed down from generation to generation. What began as a religious holiday in Ireland over 1,000 years ago to honor Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, has morphed into a raucous celebration of all things Irish here across the pond.
Ironically, however, some of those traditions and “all things Irish” didn’t actually come from Ireland—including Saint Patrick himself.
If you want to impress your friends with some interesting St. Patrick’s day trivia, here’s a handful of fun facts to put in your pocket.
1. Saint Patrick wasn’t actually Irish. He was British.
Born in Britain in 386 A.D., St. Patrick was captured by pirates and brought to Ireland at age 16, where he was sold as a slave. For six years, he worked in the fields, tending sheep and praying. One night, he dreamt that God was directing him to a boat that would take him home, and in 408 A.D., he escaped Ireland. Then, after being ordained as a bishop in 432 A.D., the Pope sent him back to the Emerald Isle to spread Christianity.
“Patrick became inflamed with the desire to help alleviate the suffering of the Irish people who were burdened under the yoke of slavery, brutal tribal warfare and pagan idolatry,” Matthew Paul Grote, a Catholic priest with the Order of Preachers, shared with USA Today. Saint Patrick incorporated pagan rituals into Christian worship practices to ease the resistance to Christianity. Even when he was attacked and captured by Irish clans, he would respond with non-violence and share his Catholic faith peacefully, always treating non-Christians with fairness.
He is credited with the spread of Christianity in Ireland, but he himself wasn’t Irish.
2. The legend about St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland? Literally impossible.
Legend has it that St. Patrick was fasting for 40 days on a hilltop when he was attacked by snakes. With a sermon and a wave of his staff, he drove all the snakes in Ireland out to the sea where they all drowned, which is why, according to the lore, there are no snakes in Ireland.
3. St. Patrick’s Day was not traditionally a festive holiday.
Parades filled with floats, pubs filled with festivity, parties filled with frivolity—all of that fun, celebratory St. Patrick’s day revelry is fairly new. For the vast majority of the holiday’s history in Ireland, it was a somber, quiet religious holy day spent in prayer. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants to America began celebrating their Irish pride in the 1700s with parades and such that the holiday became more of a festive occasion.
4. The traditional color associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green.
St. Patrick’s Day is all about green green green, from the shamrock shakes to the leprechaun coats to the Irish flag. But the color Saint Patrick himself was actually associated with is blue. The earliest depictions of the patron saint of Ireland show him in blue garments, and according to The Smithsonian, when George III created the Order of St. Patrick, a new order of chivalry for the Kingdom of Ireland, its official color was known as “St. Patrick’s Blue.”
Green is more of a political color than a religious one, as it became the color of Irish nationalism in 1789 with a series of rebellions against the UK. And really, green makes the most sense as a symbol for a place known as The Emerald Isle. The shamrock helps, too. (Another fun fact: The green, white and orange flag of Ireland was officially adopted in 1937 and points directly to the contemporary history between the Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity in the country.)
5. The tradition of eating corned beef didn’t come from Ireland, either.
For many Americans, a St. Patrick’s Day meal simply must include corned beef and cabbage. Traditional Irish fare, right? Nope.
Though the Irish produced some of the world’s most sought-after corned beef in the mid-1600s, they didn’t eat it themselves. Due to England’s oppressive laws, Irish people couldn’t afford beef, and when they could afford meat, they ate salted pork or bacon. (The reason they produced corned beef was due to some complicated history with the UK and cattle shipping restrictions.)
Two centuries later, Irish immigrants who had a bit more money started buying kosher beef from their Jewish immigrant neighbors in America. According to The Smithsonian, what we consider Irish corned beef today was really Jewish corned beef tossed into a stew with some cabbage and potatoes—truly an example of the American immigration “melting pot.”
In Ireland today, you’d most likely be served lamb or beef stew for a St. Patrick’s Day feast. (However, much like our St. Patty’s Day revelry, the American tradition of corned beef has slowly made its way into Ireland’s celebrations as well.)
It’s a wee bit funny to dive into the history of St. Patrick’s Day and find that many of the things we typically think of as old Irish traditions are neither particularly old (compared to Saint Patrick himself) nor purely Irish. That’s not to say these traditions are not worth celebrating; Irish Americans have their own storied history in the U.S., after all, and who doesn’t love a dyed green river or a green-themed parade with lucky shamrocks and leprechauns?
No matter how you celebrate, have a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or as they say in Irish Gaelic, “Beannachtaí na Féile Padraig ort!” (Watch how to pronounce it below.)
Adam Morrison, former Gonzaga men’s star player and top-billed NBA draftee, has long since put his ghosts to bed. Still, they tend to take a joyride this time of year, given that one of Morrison’s poignant career moments came after Gonzaga’s crushing loss to UCLA in 2006’s NCAA tournament. Morrison, who’d watched his team’s lead and title chances slip away in the final seconds of the game, laid down on the court alone at the buzzer as UCLA’s players swarmed the floor around him. His face was covered by his shaggy black hair but when he lifted his head, in the brief second before he yanked his jersey up over his face, it was clear he was crying. It was a genuine display from the roil of emotions that now we’d clock as hard-won and easily empathize with, but at the time Morrison was harangued for it.
While Morrison went on to be drafted third overall in the same year, made an All-Rookie Second Team, won two NBA titles and another championship overseas, the what-if moments still occasionally trail at his heels. Expectations are, after all, a thing that we tend to place squarely on the shoulders of athletes from afar, enjoying the recasting of roles and situational circumstance (with no personal stakes) even after a substantial amount of time has passed. For his part, Morrison has made peace with the past as much as it was something that was up to him to do. He’ll be back alongside Gonzaga, this time as a broadcaster, as the Bulldogs start their latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament journey this week.
Dime spoke with Morrison as the tournament got underway about how sports culture has changed for the better, the success of the G League and programs like Ignite in the NBA and how they opens doors for athletes, why some college players struggle in the transition to turning pro, his March Madness AT&T commercial and advice for college players about to do the dance.
Something I’ve heard you be candid about before is how culture has changed, specifically in regards to a moment that’s become synonymous with the end of your college career. Which was that really emotional moment after the Sweet Sixteen loss to UCLA. Watching that clip now, I think the responses might range from it being innocuous to almost sweet, just this genuine show of emotion. I think we’re at a place culturally where earnest displays like that are encouraged and embraced for their honesty — especially from athletes. That was only 17 years ago, and feels like a positive acceleration and change to me. I wanted to hear your thoughts on it, and what else you’ve noticed has shifted or changed in the sport since then?
I think you kinda hit the nail on the head. You see a lot, if you watch NCAA tournament games, obviously there’s only one winner so you see guys getting emotional. I think it was, for me, being the National Player of the Year, or in the running for that type of deal, so it was made out a bit different than it would be today. I think you’re right culturally it’s not as frowned upon, if that’s the right word. I don’t know if it was frowned upon, but the response is different now which I think is more positive. Like you mentioned, to allow people to show some emotion and understand that athletes are trying to fulfill their dreams and once it’s taken away from them, it’s okay to show some emotion.
It’s funny, I remember the response to it feeling on par and now going back, it feels really outsized. It feels like it was way too much of a blowback to what it actually was — you reacting in the moment. Do you feel for athletes now, more, because you can empathize with that intense mix of emotions?
Yeah, I mean it’s one of those things where you work, basically, your entire life on one sport and then it’s one and done in the NCAA tournament. So the idea that you’re supposed to just be stern-faced and move on is, it seems foreign now but it didn’t back then. I think the blowback wasn’t awful in a sense, but there’d be more pushback to the blowback now if that makes sense, if it came out now with social media. But I understand it. It happened 17 years ago, I’ve been over it but working for Gonzaga and doing the radio and stuff, it still gets brought up every March and I’m used to it by now. It’s just one of those things that’s part of my life.
And I don’t mean to dredge it up in that way. I think, to me, your point about the culture shift is something I try and focus a lot on in my work, and I appreciate your being candid about it.
Of course.
I was working on a story last year about developmental pipelines in the NBA, which teams use them best and have had to out of necessity. But researching it, athletes like yourself and Anthony Bennett in Toronto came to mind. The G League was such a new thing when you were drafted and certainly not utilized or connected to parent teams like it is now. Do you think your career might have been shaped or looked different in the first couple years if developmental programs, and the public interest in them, were more fully realized at the time?
That’s a very good point, a very good thought. I had plenty of opportunity my first year, so there wasn’t a lack of a chance to develop, is what I’m trying to say. But I think now, younger players get an opportunity to do the two-way contracts, or if they want to do Ignite and play in the pro system instead of — I wasn’t one and done, but were talking about the developmental aspect of it. I think it is important because it allows you to kind of round off the edges that you need to address being a professional, as far as the professional game. Yeah, that’s a very good thought because I never really looked at it from that perspective of who gets the chances to play, are you allowed to play 20 games per se, play a certain amount of minutes, and you can do that with a minor league system. So I think the NBA’s done a fantastic job of providing that for younger players, and allows players that maybe got overlooked to show that they can play at that level, or that pro style down and then come up and make an impact on the league.
I’m based in Toronto, but the Raptors utilized that a lot with Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, these guys that were pretty overlooked and are now core members of this current roster.
Yeah, if it was 20 years ago, those guys probably don’t get an opportunity because there was no minor league system, like you said. I think it’s fantastic, and it allows guys to prove themselves and show that they can play at pro-style, I think that’s the biggest thing. Obviously there’s two different styles between college and the NBA, and some are suited for others and vice versa.
You actually just beat me to my next question, but in your own experience, and observationally as someone who’s worked alongside college basketball, what do you think are some factors in terms of college athletes whose careers are able to translate more readily into the NBA versus those who aren’t, or who have a more tumultuous time adjusting?
I think part of it is what style do you play, in high school and in college? I know it sounds funny, but if you play an open pro style, that helps make the adjustment quicker. It’s no different than an NFL quarterback playing a pro style, making those reads, I think that equates to basketball as well. The other factor is situation, too. It’s like any profession, if you’re going to a place that is uplifting and wants to see your success be a part of their success, a lot of guys have a better chance with that.
So some organizations [chuckles] are different than others, but if you’re familiar with NBA basketball then you probably see it where somebody gets drafted or signed somewhere, and you think, Oh, that doesn’t seem like a good fit. And they go somewhere else and immediately they’re a totally different player. It’s the style of play you’re paying coming into the NBA, and then I think situation is a big factor to whether guys can hang on and produce.
You beat me to my next question again, Adam, but I wanted to ask you about the Draft. It’s always struck me as a real roll of the dice, more for the athlete than the organization because of how much any result is situational. A rookie going to a team prepared to build around them versus a rookie going to a team with an established identity — it’s universes apart in terms of end result. I know you just talked about it a little, but I’d love it if you could expand on that.
It’s sometimes, lets just say, player X is going to get picked in the back half of the lottery, sometimes that’s a better option because they might be on a playoff team already that’s going to allow them to work their way into the system and be a part of a winning culture, and winning basketball, than to a team that’s not. I think you see that a lot of times in the NBA. Andrew Wiggins is probably the best example recently, right? He was great in Minnesota but everybody had written him off, he goes to Golden State and he’s fantastic. Second-best player in the Finals last year.
I think a lot of times it’s situational, how you fit into the style and the culture, and that’s just like any other work profession. Like I said, if they’re working toward your success then they’ll find success as well.
On that note, in your experience and at the time you entered the NBA, were front offices candid about expectations of where they maybe saw your trajectory as an athlete?
To a certain degree. I think now, today, there’s more transparency, just because the veil of the media is not there so you have to be more transparent with players and agents. And I think players and agents have more power than they’ve ever had. So I think front offices are probably more up front, but obviously I haven’t been in the league for quite some time. But it seems like they are, and there’s no secrets and they want to make sure guys are successful, and put them in positions to be successful.
You have a spot with AT&T for March Madness, so I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you how do you feel about Gonzaga’s chances going into the tournament?
Really good. It’s a young team that played a really good non-conference schedule. Obviously we won the West Coast Conference, tied for the regular season and won the tournament. It’s a young team that’s playing fantastic right now, Grand Canyon’s a good team that’s trying to play their way in, but we’re on a pretty good streak. I think we have a really good chance but you always have to look at it as two games at a time — obviously one game at a time, but two games at a time to get to the Sweet Sixteen. I think seven years in a row we’ve made the Sweet Sixteen? So I like our chances again coming up on Friday. It’s going to be a fun battle and I’m excited to watch and call the game.
Part of your commercial is rooted in the excitement of the tournament, is it a different feeling watching it — and now calling it — and remembering what it felt like? I guess what I mean is, is it in any way transportive? And do you almost have to turn that part of your brain off because you’re there in real-time calling it?
Yeah, you have to. The NCAA tournament is obviously special, it’s a lot a fun. The excitement’s there. When you play, I don’t know how to describe it. When you play you know what you’re going to do. Being a broadcaster, there’s no pressure on me. There is a little bit, I guess, but I get to show up and enjoy the games. The NCAA tournament’s always fun to call and enjoy all the games, and be in the arena for the games before and after. I feel really lucky and privileged to be courtside and call the games. Like I said, we’ve had a lot of success in the NCAA tournament in recent years so it’s fun to be a part of that excitement.
You touched on this, but your parting advice for Gonzaga players and athletes in the tournament, is it to try and take things, as best they can, game by game?
Yeah, I know it’s cliche, but the old survive and advance is really what it is. You just have to put your head down and focus on the task at hand. And then it’s one game at a time. Every matchup is tough, I know people don’t think that but obviously these are all really good teams and usually playing really good at the end of year. So you have to focus. These guys are ready, Coach Few and the staff do a good job of preparing these guys every year. It’s just fun to be kind of a miniature part of it and being able to be along for the ride.
Being in the moment is good advice — it’s a hard thing to do.
Very hard to do, especially when you’re a young kid.
Rolling Loud is pulling the plug on its New York event this year after being unable to pull together the necessary elements to ensure a full, safe festival experience. The organizers shared a statement on Instagram, explaining that “due to logistical factors beyond our control, Rolling Loud will not return to New York in 2023.”
While the statement doesn’t go into details, it does promise that the festival will return when it’s more feasible to do so, while encouraging fans to attend the Miami festival in July. Although Rolling Loud New York was one of the festival’s most notable events in 2021 and 2022, it was also the one most plagued by outside interference, as NYPD blocked a number of local acts from taking the stage amid Mayor Eric Adams’ intifada against drill music, and rappers like ASAP Rocky, Playboi Carti, and 21 Savage had their sets cut short or canceled altogether.
Fortunately, Rolling Loud continues to expand internationally, with events planned this year in Germany, Portugal, Thailand, and The Netherlands. Perhaps they’re just stretched thin for the time being, but hopefully, they’ll be able to come back better than ever next year. You can see the statement and the social media post announcement below.
NEW YORK
FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE’VE MADE SOME LEGENDARY MOMENTS HAPPEN IN QUEENS.
WE SAW THE BEGINNING OF THE KING VAMP ERA, TRAVIS POWER THROUGH HIS FULL SET THROUGH THE PAIN, CARTI AND UZI REUNITING ON STAGE, NICKI, 50 CENT, AND ASAP ROCKY PUTTING ON ICONIC HEADLINING PERFORMANCES IN THEIR HOMETOWN, JUICE WRLD’S FINAL FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE, AND MANY, MANY MORE MOMENTS.
SADLY, DUE TO LOGISTICAL FACTORS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, ROLLING LOUD WILL NOT RETURN TO NEW YORK IN 2023.
BUT DON’T WORRY, THIS ISN’T “GOODBYE.” MORE LIKE “SEE YOU LATER.” WE’LL BE BACK IN NEW YORK WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.
IN THE MEANTIME, WE INVITE ALL OF OUR NEW YORK FANS TO MEET US IN MIAMI JULY 21-23 FOR OUR BIGGEST, BEST FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR.
2019 was clearly a different world for many reasons, but also for the fact that Shazam! felt like such a free-wheeling revelation that it landed on our list of favorite comic-book movies from the past decade. Fast forward to the DC Universe being in a very different place with James Gunn taking over (in more ways than one) as the production house’s new chief. And so, Shazam! Fury of the Gods sits in an odd place where it’s good enough as a placeholder, but it’s not blowing over critics by any stretch of the imagination.
That reality probably makes red carpets awkward, too, but Rachel Zegler (who plays one of Atlas’ daughters, Anthea) doesn’t seem phased. In fact, she was super blunt with The Hollywood Reporter about why she took this gig: “I…. needed a job. I’m being so serious.” She wasn’t done yet after the conclusion of this soundbite.
“The reality is we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” Zegler continued. “[A]nd I was not working and I couldn’t get a job for the life of me, because West Side Story hadn’t come out yet. It was really hard to book work for me.”
That sound bite appeared within around a 2:00 minute interview that saw Zegler also discuss what it’s like to be a Taylor Swift fan. As everyone knows, Swift’s Eras tour kicks off this weekend, and Zegler would like the world to know, “I got screwed by Ticketmaster, too. Celebrities, they’re just like us.”
In other words, Ziegler’s got no dice and no tickets after the conglomerate went down during the crush of Swift ticket sales. She’s certainly not alone in her criticism of Ticketmaster, which came under fire this week from The Cure’s fans due to added fees that subsequently “sickened” lead singer Robert Smith. That’s led to Ticketmaster refunding some fees, but that’s probably not enough to quell the debate.
Nor is it enough to score Zegler any Taylor Swift tickets. However, she did clarify to The Hollywood Reporter that she is a Shazam! fan, too. “I loved the first movie, and the fact that they even wanted me to come in for a callback and then a camera read and then everything in between, I’m so lucky that I got this job,” she revealed. “I made some of my best friends on this job. I just absolutely adore this movie, too, so I’m excited.”
Raye told music lovers on “Escapism” that she could provide me context if they cared to listen, and that they did. On her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, the singer leaves no stone unturned. Across the 15 tracks, Raye addresses her former label’s mistreatment, battling depression, and other traumatic experiences she has had to overcome in order to get to where she is today.
On the single “Ice Cream Man,” she painfully outlines the life of a sexual assault survivor. For her Jimmy Kimmel Live performance, she poured that heartbreak all over the stage for viewers to sit with. Comfortably positioned at the piano, backed by other musicians, Raye opens with the dark truth of how so many aspiring musicians are preyed upon. The chorus, “Coming like the ice cream man / ‘Til I felt his ice-cold hands / And how I pay the price now, damn / God damn, no what the, God damn / Everything you did, it left me in a ruin / And no, I didn’t say a word, I guess that proves it,” broadcasts that emotional spiral assault survivors find themselves on after they’ve been violated.
However, after building up the strength to reclaim her power, Raye belts out, “Cause I’m a woman / I’m a very f*cking brave strong woman/ And I’ll be damned if I let a man ruin / How I walk, how I talk, how I do it / Man, I’ve been broken for a moment, I’ve been through it no / It’s even harder to be brave alone / Was a girl, now I’m grown, I’m a woman / A very f*cking strong woman.”
When asked about the project, in a statement, Raye said, “My 21st Century Blues. My debut album. My ugly, complex, beautiful mosaic formed from broken pieces of glass from the last seven years of my life. This music is my medicine, my anxieties, traumas, and unfiltered thoughts. The music on this record empowered me to face my demons and has accompanied me through my bluest blues, crafted unapologetically and fearlessly with love and tears. Now I can only hope it might provide the same medicine it did for me for those who choose to listen.”
The musician later added, “Some of these songs I’ve had for years that I’ve needed to express and share. Before, I was told it was too uncomfortable and that audiences don’t want to hear it. There’s no sonic through-line. It was just creating whatever felt right for the story I wanted to tell over it. It just feels free.”
Watch Raye’s full performance of “Ice Cream Man” above.
The first episode has only been out for a few hours, but it looks like Donald Glover’s new show Swarm is already the internet’s favorite show to dissect, discuss, and debate. He might just have another hit on his hands. Fans have been enamored with the acting of the show’s stars like Billie Eilish, flustered by co-star Chlöe’s first-ever sex scene, and grooving to the psychedelic soundtrack, which features new Childish Gambino tracks like “Sticky.”
Another moment that has viewers gagging is a joke in the show in which Paris Jackson compares herself to Halsey. During a conversation between Jackson’s character Hailey and the show’s protagonist, Dre, portrayed by Dominique Fishback, Hailey mentions that she had to “run away” from a relationship because her partner didn’t like that she was Black. Of course, we’ve all seen Paris Jackson (who’s had to address this topic in the past in real life), and Dre is understandably a little thrown by this assertion.
“You’re Black?” she asks incredulously.
“Yeah,” Hailey replies. “My dad’s half.”
“Half what? Black?”
“Yeah,” Hailey says, winding up for the pitch. “That’s why my stage name’s Halsey. You do know who Halsey is, right?” Here’s the clip:
Halsey catching a stray from Paris Jackson via Donald glover & Janine Nabers is crazy https://t.co/gXSpsxJUIt
I’ll give you a minute to process Halsey being Black, in case that’s a revelation for you (Halsey’s father is Black, while her mom’s Italian). Honestly, it’s a pretty good joke, playing on a shared attribute between Halsey and Paris, as well as a discussion that both have had to have probably more times than they want to remember.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that Swarm is already becoming the next Euphoria, which may owe to its satirical premise of an out-of-control, serial-killing stan of a famous pop star. The funhouse mirror version of fan Twitter is, of course, already fan Twitter’s favorite new toy, and you can check it for yourself now on Amazon Prime Video.
Meghan McCain finally went to town on a subject we all can agree on: What’s up with Gwyneth Paltrow? Like most people, McCain was rightest confused and horrified by Paltrow’s latest wellness fad, which literally involves shooting ozone up her butt. You could not make this stuff up if you tried.
However, McCain took her analysis a bit deeper and joined the growing number of experts who have been calling out Paltrow for coming dangerously close to promoting eating disorders.
“At what point is ‘wellness’ just starving yourself?” McCain tweeted this week as Paltrow’s latest interview went viral.
The conservative commenter then went long in her new column for the Daily Mail, where she highlighted Paltrow’s “disturbing” advice to women that involves a litany of cleanses, fasts, and detox procedures. McCain then made a controversial observation by noting that if Paltrow is the pinnacle of wellness, why does she not look so great? The actress had to conduct the interview while hooked up to an IV, which concerned McCain:
She has become an icon of sorts for ‘almond moms,’ a slang term for a wealthy, middle-aged women, who don’t eat real meals and instead snack all day on almonds and health bars. You know the type, we all do.
Even more uncomfortably, if you watch the video of this, Gwyneth looks…. bad, tired, haggard, and much older than her 50 years. I rarely speak about other women’s appearances but since she’s putting herself out there, let’s talk about it. The women I admire in ‘wellness’ aren’t hooked up to an IV bag.
The former The View host ended her column by connecting Paltrow’s brand of wellness to the recent trend in women taking Ozempic, which McCain recently revealed she was pressured to use for weight loss after her second pregnancy.
“No wonder there is an Ozempic craze sweeping the nation and ‘heroic chic’ thinness is back on the fashion runways,” McCain writes. “This ‘wellness’ trend is making us sick. And Gwyneth Paltrow is part of the problem.”
E.H. Taylor, Jr. is one of those whiskey brands that always seems to have a lot of hype behind it. The Buffalo Trace whiskey wows with special releases from time to time but really shines with its core lineup, which continuously delivers great whiskeys. E.H. Taylor, Jr. has the perfect storm of hype combined with rarity and truly great juice in the bottle. That means you’re going to get some very inflated price points for the standard bottles and limited releases (if and when you can find them).
Since the price points are so high for a lot of these often very rare bottles, I’m going to rank every single E.H. Taylor, Jr. releases that you can find in the wild these days to give you an idea of what you’re getting into with this brand. I was lucky enough to try a few of the expressions that had escaped my grasp over the past month or so, which completed my quest to try them all.
Before we get into that — E.H. Taylor, Jr. is more than just an elite brand from Buffalo Trace out in Frankfort, Kentucky. The brand is named after Colonel Edmund Hayes Taylor, Jr. who was a crucial figure in bourbon whiskey in the United States. Taylor, Jr. constructed some of the first real-deal whiskey distilleries and warehouses that make up multiple distilleries around Eastern Kentucky today, including the famed Warehouse C at the Buffalo Trace Distillery (which is still being used for aging whiskey to this day).
Taylor, Jr. was also crucial in enacting the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897. That moment in American whiskey history helped codify what bourbon is on a higher level by ensuring that the whiskey in the bottle came from the same distillery, distilling season (spring or fall), and was aged at least four years before bottling at 100 proof only. Taylor, Jr. was not only instrumental in making some great whiskey from the mid to late 1800s but in making something with real continuity and rules. To that end, Buffalo Trace bottles all but one of their E.H. Taylor, Jr. expressions as “Bottled In Bond” whiskeys at 100 proof.
Long story short(er), E.H. Taylor, Jr. whiskey is one of those brands that touch on real history while also delivering whiskey people actually want to drink. It’s a great combination — so let’s rank some bottles and find the perfect E.H. Taylor, Jr. expression for your bar cart!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This expression is all about unique aging. The whiskey starts off with Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon mash bill (which also populates Weller and Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys) and ages that whiskey for several years in new oak barrels. Those barrels were made with staves that were specially seasoned in a natural outdoor setting before they were turned into a barrel and charred.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of burnt orange and spice barks next to a bowl of botanical winter spices, cedar bark, and a hint of dried sage with a hint of old oak in a lumber yard.
Palate: That orange brightens on the palate with a hint of orange pekoe tea leaves, apple wood, and smoldering hickory next to a touch of almond shells, burnt caramel, and woody vanilla.
Finish: The finish leans into the woody winter spices with plenty of cinnamon bark and cloves over a cedar box full of woody tobacco and another hint of the lumber yard.
Bottom Line:
This is woody. I’m not a huge woody whiskey stan, so this is a tad much for my palate. That said, if you’re looking for that oak bomb, this is it. And look, there’s still plenty going on in this whiskey besides the woody notes, there’s nice and bright citrus, dark caramel sweetness, and almost floral dry tea — all of which are expertly layered in.
11. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is made from Buffalo Trace’s iconic Mash Bill No. 1 (which is a low rye recipe). The final whiskey in the bottle is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with a hint of fresh green chili, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky.
Palate: The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream.
Finish: The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, classic bourbon whiskey. It’s also a $40 bottle at MSRP and you really need to keep that in mind when buying and comparing it. It certainly punches above its price point, hence the inflated secondary price. Still, this is an essential cocktail bourbon far more than a deep sipper.
10. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Amaranth Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
For this limited release, the team at Buffalo Trace replaced the rye in the mash bill with Mexican amaranth grains, which bring a unique foundation of flavors to the bourbon. The final blend yielded a small run of bottles of something truly unique.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s an almost green cherry fruitiness next to a strong mint tea cut with floral honey on the nose.
Palate: That mint tea starts to lean into a black tea bitterness as rich vanilla oils from the barrel arrive with a soft edge while a hint of red berries, more honey, and a touch of cedar linger on the tongue.
Finish: The end is pretty short all things considered, with the floral notes leading towards a minty tobacco chew, more unripe cherry, and a hint of cedar-infused toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bottle if you want to try something completely different. It’s still bourbon but has a wildly different POV from those classic Kentucky bourbon notes. This is the bottle you buy and sip when you want the opposite of quintessential.
9. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This is standard Mash Bill No. 1 bourbon from Buffalo Trace that’s aged with oak barrels made with staves that were cured for 13 months before construction (Buffalo Trace doesn’t go into exactly how that’s different than seasoning outdoors other than it’s a longer process). Those barrels were left in the famed Warehouse C until they were just right for this blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sticky toffee pudding drizzled with salted caramel and flaked with fresh orange zest drives the nose toward sweet oak, savory summer figs, and chewing tobacco with a hint of black cherry.
Palate: The palate largely follows that direction with soft spiced cake, black tea, and burnt orange next to a hint of marzipan and fig jam over a Southern buttermilk biscuit.
Finish: A hint of honeyed tobacco pushes the finish toward a thin layer of cedar and wild sage with a hint more of that sticky toffee pudding with a dollop of rich vanilla buttercream.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into some seriously good bourbon. This is a step above the Small Batch expression and far more straightforward than the Amaranth and Seasoned Wood bottles. So if you’re looking for classic and delicious bourbon, track down this bottle.
8. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This E.H. Taylor, Jr. expression is from Buffalo Trace’s much rare four-grain mash bill. The recipe is a mix of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley but we don’t know how much of each grain is in the mix. What we do know is that this one is aged for over 12 years before it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Salted caramel and vanilla ice cream are front and center on the nose with a light hint of kettle corn and a whisper of rich pipe tobacco smoke with the finest hint of cherry wood.
Palate: The taste really leans into the vanilla and caramel as a fruity base arrives with a mix of red berries and pear swimming in vanilla cream next to an old cedar tobacco box.
Finish: The end has this whisper of peppery spice that’s way more powdery white pepper than freshly cracked black pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is another bottle that’s just good but also stands out with that peppery end and creamy vanilla-ness. It’s a nice balance and truly stands out as something unique in this lineup.
7. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This much-lauded and beloved bottle from Buffalo Trace is the only E.H. Taylor, Jr. at barrel strength. The spirit is from Buffalo Trace’s low-rye recipe (Mash Bill No. 1). The juice is then aged in warehouses built by the Colonel himself, yes, Warehosue C. The best barrels are selected yearly for batching and bottling with no water added.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The sip draws you in with a spicy wild berry jam next to a perfumed note (kind of like wet potpourri), buttery toffee sweetness, and a note of pecan waffle.
Palate: The taste, on the other hand, leans into vanilla oils, dry cedar, and a dusting of white pepper that winds back to the spice without the jam or pecan before a wave of warm, buzzing alcohol encompasses your senses.
Finish: The end is long and really smoothes out, thanks to the vanilla and toffee, as the peppery spice builds towards a pear/cherry tobacco-filled cedar box and a very distant hint of fresh mint.
Bottom Line:
This standard release has a great variance to it, thanks to the mint and mild florals. That makes this a great mint julep base or easy summer sipper over some ice, it is warm. Still, if you’re looking for a great barrel-strength bottle from Buffalo Trace that isn’t Stagg, this is the bottle to buy.
6. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This whiskey is aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their Mash Bill No. 1. In this case, single barrels are picked for their perfect Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco.
Finish: The finish lingers on your senses for a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
This is really, really good bourbon. In fact, it’s one of my favorite bourbons from Kentucky. Still, this is a ranking of E.H. Taylor and there are simply some more interesting bottles coming up. That all said, if you’re looking for a phenomenal single-barrel product to add to your shelf, this is a must-have. It’s kind of like Blanton’s Plus.
5. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This limited-edition whiskey was distilled back in 2002 and left for nine years to rest. All of Buffalo Trace’s mash fermentations are a “sour mash” which means that they use a little of the grain, yeast, and liquid from the last batch to start the new one (it’s like a sourdough starter). This whiskey was designed with a unique flavor profile thanks to how the barrels aged.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose bursts forth with sourdough bread crusts dipped in fresh floral honey, marmalade, and old boot leather with a hint of cherry wood underneath.
Palate: Buttermilk biscuits dripping that honey saddle up next to pecan waffles with a drop of maple syrup, caramel, and vanilla buttercream with more of that cherry wood and boot leather.
Finish: The end leans into the leatheriness with a touch of honey apple tobacco and pecan bread with plenty of soft cinnamon and nutmeg and a powdered sugar glaze.
Bottom Line:
This has a crazy secondary price point. Part of that is that this is an older release and there are just fewer of them out there. Another part of that is that this whiskey absolutely slaps. The profile isn’t unique or funky, it’s just… good. It hits every note so true and precise while delivering a soft and engaging overall experience. That said, maybe just try a pour at a high-end whiskey bar. I can’t justify that price tag for a whole bottle.
4. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This 10-year-old bourbon was aged exclusively in Warehouse C (are you catching a pattern here?) from whiskey made with Mash Bill No. 1. The nuance here is that the barrels were aged on floors 2 and 5 only. That makes this blend a mix of lower-floor and higher-floor barrels. It’s cooler on those lower floors so the whiskey ages more slowly. Likewise, it’s warmer on the higher floors, and the whiskey ages a tad more rapidly. That means the final blend on this one is from whiskeys that feel and taste like they’re at different eras of the life cycle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cherry Coke dominates the nose with a big scoop of blackberry cobbler and Tahitian vanilla ice cream next to mild sweet oak with a whisper of warehouse whiskey mold.
Palate: That Cherry Coke drives the opening of the palate as well with a nice vanilla buttercream foundation below dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, rum raisin, star anise/black licorice, and sharp fresh spearmint.
Finish: That mint adheres to cherry tobacco on the finish with a woody winter spice matrix and a dollop more of that vanilla buttercream.
Bottom Line:
This is lush AF. It also builds and takes you on a journey through berry-forward bourbon toward older and spicier barrels with deep cherry and vanilla. Goddamn, this is a good whiskey. It’s instantly recognizable from the first nose why this whiskey is so sought after. It really does live up to the hype.
3. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This very limited release was made after a tornado meandered through central Kentucky back in April 2006 and tore some of the wall and roof off of Warehouse C. This exposed a bunch of Warehouse C barrels to the elements for a whole summer while repairs were underway. Several years later, it became apparent that those exposed barrels had taken on a profile unlike any other barrel of Taylor in the warehouse. So, those barrels were batches as this special one-off release of Warehouse C Bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Figgy pudding with clove drives the nose toward spiced holiday cakes, old oak cellars, falling autumn leaves, and blackberry jam over butter-griddled sourdough pancakes.
Palate: The dark berry leans into a woody huckleberry on the palate that’s accented by vanilla almond cake dusted with powdered sugar, smoldering black tea leaves, and a whisper of spicy nasturtium.
Finish: The end layers in cinnamon bark, allspice berries, and star anise with a hint of spiced holiday nut bread, creamy vanilla butter, and dark cherry syrup.
Bottom Line:
This is Kentucky bourbon turned up to 11. It’s so luxurious on the palate with a laundry list of quintessential flavor notes. But more importantly, it is lush. This is a truly emblematic Buffalo Trace bourbon.
2. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This rye from Buffalo Trace is a beloved bottle. As with all Buffalo Trace whiskeys, the mash bill and exact aging are not known. It’s likely this is made from a mash of very high rye mixed with just malted barley, maybe. We do know that it is not the same mash bill as Buffalo Trace’s other rye, Sazerac.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is vibrant with hints of freshly plucked pears next to black peppercorns, soft cedar, winter spice barks and berries, and a hint of fresh mint chopped up with fresh dill that leads to a minor key of spearmint and maybe some fresh chili pepper on the vine.
Palate: The palate holds onto the fresh green chili pepper as the pear gets stewed with those winter spices and drizzled with a salted toffee syrup cut with sharp burnt orange and bitter chinotto leaves.
Finish: That sweet and citrus bitter vibe leads back to dark and woody clove and anise with a dash of sasparilla and salted black licorice before some fresh mint and dill return to calm everything down.
Bottom Line:
I really wanted to rank this number one. This is both findable and just f*cking delicious. This is a phenomenal Kentucky rye that really stands out from the rest of the E.H. Taylor, Jr. pack. Everything about this whiskey is perfectly balanced and distinct.
If you can find this at MSRP, you’ll be way ahead and have a truly great rye whiskey. That said, I’d pay secondary to keep this stocked on my bar cart. It’s that good.
1. E. H. Taylor, Jr. 18 Year Marriage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
This is one of the most fleeting E.H. Taylor whiskeys ever bottled. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-whiskey blend of two different rye bourbon mash bills and one wheated bourbon mash (basically a blend of the three main bourbon mash bills at Buffalo Trace). After those barrels hit at least 18 years old, they were blended, kissed with soft limestone water, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and moist vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream and drizzled with salted caramel draws you in on the nose with a twist of cinnamon bark, clove buds, and this fleeting echo of fresh spearmint.
Palate: The taste is pure velvet with subtle nuances of that soft white cake and caramel that leads toward cinnamon chewing tobacco, dark cherry cordial, dry Earl Grey leaves, and stewed prunes with a whisper of salted dark chocolate.
Finish: That cinnamon bark comes roaring back with a hint of cedar bark braided with wild sage next to more salted caramel Kentucky bourbon sweetness and a sharp spearmint finish.
Bottom Line:
This is the best E.H. Taylor, Jr. bottle. This is fantastic Kentucky bourbon. I’d go far as to say this is one of the true bests.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a pint of Guinness or two on St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, we assume you’ll be partaking in this Irish staple while you drape yourself in the Irish flag and drink one too many. But, after you’ve had a few pints of “the black stuff”, we implore you to give another dry Irish stout a try.
For those unaware, a dry Irish stout is known for its darkly roasted barley. This is what gives it its dry, roasty, chocolate, coffee, and lightly bitty flavor and differentiates it from other stout styles. On top of that, a traditional Irish dry stout is also brewed with specific hops such as Challenger, Fuggle, and East Kent Goldings.
A popular beer in Ireland, there are also myriad great examples in the U.S. beer world. This is why we selected eight great dry Irish stouts that aren’t Guinness and ranked them. Some are from Ireland, and some are from the U.S. All are dry, roasty, and well-suited for St. Patrick’s Day.
One of the most popular dry Irish stouts in the American beer landscape, Breckenridge Nitro Irish Stout is a year-round beer brewed with traditional Irish malts. Crafted in the “old-world” style, it’s known for its roasted barley, chocolate, and malt flavor.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma is fairly light with a mix of roasted malts and chocolate. You really have to concentrate to really find anything notable. The palate continues this trend. There are some lightly roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, and caramel malts. The finish is dry and lightly bitter. But overall, it’s surprisingly watery.
Bottom Line:
While this beer has all the traditional dry Irish stout aromas and flavors. Still, it’s all fairly muted and watery.
O’Hara’s award-winning flagship beer is its dry Irish Stout. Brewed since 1999, it’s brewed with roasted malts and Fuggle hops. The result is a traditional dark, coffee, chocolate, and roast malt-filled beer with light hop bitterness.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of bitter chocolate, roasted malts, and light caramel. It’s fairly muted though. The palate is slightly better with more roasted malts, vanilla beans, dried fruits, coffee, and dry, bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Another beer that hits on all the flavors, but is just a little light and water for our liking. This dry Irish stout is just okay. It’s decent, but not overly memorable.
A great example of an Americanized version of the traditional dry Irish stout, Left Hand Dry Irish Stout is brewed with 2-row barley, Black barley, Chocolate barley, Munich malt, and rolled oats. It gets its bitter, floral flavor from the addition of Apollo hops.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of coffee beans, roasted malts, chocolate, and vanilla beans draws you in. The mouthfeel is surprisingly creamy and rich with notes of coffee, roasted barley, vanilla, chocolate, and a light nutty sweetness. The finish is dry and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom Line:
Another beer that loses points because it’s a little thinner than you’d hope, Left Hand Dry Irish Stout is still a pretty good take on the style.
While Guinness is undoubtedly the most popular dry Irish stout, Murphy’s is arguably the second most popular. Brewed with simple, traditional ingredients like water, malted barley, barley, and hop extract. This dry, bitter, chocolate-filled beer gets added creaminess from the addition of nitrogen.
Tasting Notes:
Bitter chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, roasted malts, vanilla beans, and bready malts start the nose off right. Drinking it reveals more chocolate, roasted malts, brown sugar, yeasty bread, and a dry, bitter finish. It’s flavorful, but not all that exciting.
Bottom Line:
This is a great replacement for Guinness as it’s a classic dry Irish stout. It’s no frills and loaded with classic flavors.
This dry Irish stout comes from the brewers at Fort Bragg, California’s North Coast Brewing. It gets its name from a now-retired California Western Railroad steam engine. This award-winning beer is known for its toasted malts, coffee, caramel, and roasted barley flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Bold aromas of freshly brewed coffee, dark chocolate, toasted malts, vanilla, and light floral hops greet you before your first sip. Drinking it brings forth more bitter chocolate, roasted barley, brown bread, caramel, vanilla, and a dry, pleasantly bitter chocolate finish.
Bottom Line:
This beer has everything an Irish dry stout fan could want. It’s dry, smooth, and loaded with dark, bold flavors.
You don’t have to be a boxer to enjoy this award-winning dry Irish stout. Made to taste like the traditional stouts of Ireland, it’s known for its mix of roasted malts, chocolate, smoky, coffee, and dry, bitter hop flavors. Simple, elegant, and well-made.
Tasting Notes:
An intriguing nose of dark chocolate, coffee, oats, vanilla, and gentle smoke greets you before taking your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find hints of roasted barley, toasted malts, caramel, and coffee. Dry, lightly smoky, and highly drinkable.
Bottom Line:
Societe The Pugilist is a nice take on the dry Irish stout. It’s dry, lightly bitter, and filled with coffee and chocolate flavors. The addition of gentle smoke only adds to the overall flavor profile.
San Diego is home to so many great breweries, it’s difficult to stand out. Pure Project is one of those breweries that’s definitely standing out. This is especially true with its Pure Project Milagro, a dry Irish stout brewed with Costa Rican organic coffee and Tahitian vanilla beans.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of toasted vanilla beans, dark chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, and freshly brewed coffee meets your nose prior to your first taste. Sipping it reveals notes of sweet, floral vanilla, toasted barley, butterscotch, bitter chocolate, and bolder, coffee beans.
Bottom Line:
This definitely isn’t your traditional dry Irish stout and that’s okay. This vanilla and coffee bomb is a great change of pace from the usual Guinness.
This highly complex, pitch black, 5.9% ABV dry Irish stout was brewed with Maris Otter, roasted barley, Pale Chocolate, Chocolate, Black barley, Carafa III, Pale Crystal, Crystal, and flaked barley. It’s also brewed with house ale yeast and gets its classic stout bitterness from the addition of East Kent Goldings hops.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of roasted malts, toasted barley, cocoa powder, coffee beans, vanilla, and light, floral hops are prevalent on the nose. The palate is butterscotch, bitter chocolate, vanilla beans, toasted barley, and espresso beans. Dry, sweet, subtly bitter, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to US-made dry Irish stouts, you’ll have a hard time finding a better, more complex example than Zero Gravity Extra Stout.
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