Nelly’s “Country Grammar (Hot Shit),” the lead single from his 2000 album Country Grammar, is comfortably at home in 2025. He mentions AI, Donald Trump, and lighting up and taking a puff of chronic, all of which arguably have a stronger hold on America today than they did back then. But at the time, what made it such an interesting breakout single for the St. Louis rapper was how he threaded together East and West Coast with the South, all while being from the Midwest. His laid-back flow, which bounced behind the beat, was set to a song based on a game of patty-cake. This unique blend of styles and themes propelled him into the spotlight.
At the age of 26, Nelly was introduced to the world and went to No. 7 on the U.S. charts. The album went on to sell over 10 million copies and became only the ninth hip-hop album to be certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). What wasn’t clear at the time was that Nelly would become a bridge between rap and country music. And no one suspected that, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Country Grammar, Nelly would be invited to perform the album in full at a country music festival (Stagecoach – where he has performed previously). He wasn’t that kind of country — was he?
When Country Grammar dropped, Nelly was propped up on TRL next to Britney Spears and ‘NSYNC. Country crossovers were so rare that Shania Twain, pulling one off a few years prior by landing some videos in rotation on VH1 and adult contemporary radio, got lambasted for not being country enough. Country music remained siloed, and the idea of any rap or pop artist — and Nelly was both, thanks to the success of his first album — appearing on CMT was unthinkably uncool. Against this backdrop of genre separation, Nelly’s next move was surprisingly groundbreaking.
In 2004, he joined up with Tim McGraw on “Over and Over” (two years later, a little artist named Taylor Swift would drop her first single, “Tim McGraw,” for some context on exactly how popular he was during this era). As for Nelly’s popularity, he performed at the Super Bowl halftime show for the second time that year. The track was from the latter of Nelly’s double albums Sweat and Suit, and is a slow heartbreak ballad. The video shows a split-screen day in the life of Nelly and McGraw, highlighting how similar they are. Sure, they decorate their houses differently, but they both take the same shower, put on variations of an ostentatious belt buckle, and keep a photo of their sweethearts on the bedside table (Ciara for Nelly, and Faith Hill, who had already been married to McGraw for eight years). Later, the two get out their Nokia cell phones to call their partners while waiting for a private plane on two different air strips. While intended to convey heartbreak as a great equalizer, today it suggests wealth as their commonality. The overall effect of this unexpected hit single foreshadowed a larger trend that was beginning to take shape: the rise of hick-hop.
While Suit was an R&B album, and there are elements of R&B swing in the song, the only thing really stopping it from being identifiable as a country track is the click drum, which was still a no-no in the country world of live bands and Opry debuts. The song went to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, to the surprise of Nelly’s label, and signified to country music gatekeepers that the mainstream was ready for country, under the right conditions.
Prior to the Nelly and McGraw duet, artists weren’t really taken seriously when they blended genres. In Rolling Stone’s history of hick-hop, there are some novelty hits where established country artists like Toby Keith and Big and Rich playing with the syncopated rhythms of hip-hop, and outsiders to country music like Bubba Sparxxs and Kid Rock flirting with blue collar life years before they make a hard right turn into more completely appealing to country audiences.
Between Trace Atkins’ 2005 novelty hit ‘Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,’ which seemed to satirize rap vernacular, and Luke Bryan’s 2011 hit ‘Country Girl (Shake It for Me),’ which celebrated aspects of culture and incorporated Southern rock guitar influences, the hick-hop genre evolved. That same year, Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem,” which got a remix with a verse from Atlanta’s own Ludacris, was the first hick-hop song to go to No. 1 on the charts.
What shifted to make country and hip-hop blending acceptable? By 2011, Xennials and the first Millennials were taking the cultural helm, responding to a blending of culture that had begun with the generation before them. Nelly’s own background connects to this theory.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, rap became a fixture on MTV, and Gen X, of which Nelly is a member, were in high school. At that time, no matter how big or small the city, one place where men got together across racial and economic lines was the locker room. (Both country and rap were dominated by male artists at this time, and they still are. It follows that people involved in creating and legitimizing a hick-hop sound were almost entirely men.)
Youth sports were where Nelly met the St. Lunatics, the group of friends he would bring up with him through the music industry. Locker rooms were one of the most influential places this cultural mash-up would meet, and it makes sense. Music is a huge part of sports (hype songs, walk-up songs, team anthems) and being on a team is one place where diverse groups of people get the chance to work together, trust each other, qnd spend a lot of time together.
Beyond his influence on hick-hop, Nelly also helped spur another sub-genre, teaming with Florida Georgia Line on the remix of “Cruise,” a bona fide No. 1 hick-hop hit on the Hot Country Songs (it stayed there for over a year) and Country Airplay charts. The song kicked off a sound that became known as “bro-country,” a grouping of male-gaze centric songs about girls, trucks, and beer that many future hick-hop songs would fall into. Nelly and Florida Georgia Line would try to recreate the magic two more times with collaborations, but “Cruise” was a right song at the right time phenomenon, and lightning didn’t strike twice for the collaborators.
For Nelly, the hit “Cruise” came at a time when his career in rap was declining. He would hop on remixes with Kane Brown and Brett Kissel, to some success, as country embraced adding verses from established hip-hop artists to songs to extend the life of a single. In 2021, Nelly released Heartland, an album of duets with country artists, including the two most successful Black men in the genre, Darius Rucker and Kane Brown, as well as one of those Florida Georgia Line tracks and a solo collaboration with one of its members, Tyler Hubbard. The album was not met with success on country radio, or anywhere else, for that matter.
Looking back at Country Grammar, it’s easy to see the early parallels with country songwriting. The album is about a small part of St. Louis that Nelly and the St. Lunatics called home. It tells listeners about their world, bringing them into the party, the hard times, the posturing, and the world as they saw it. It’s fun while offering a nuanced version of country music’s long tradition of documenting rural life in a way that others have not, setting the stage for all that has followed and this upcoming moment of celebration for Nelly’s work at Stagecoach.
Snoop Dogg is about as marketable as they come in the music world, so unsurprisingly, NBCUniversal is getting in on it: As Variety reports, the beloved rapper and his Death Row Pictures have signed a “new creative partnership” with the studio. The deal covers film, television, sports entertainment, and streaming.
“Audiences around the world love Snoop and connect with his unparalleled showmanship and artistry,” NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios Chairman Donna Langley said in a statement. “Those of us lucky enough to be in his orbit also know his incredible business acumen, endlessly creative spirit and the unapologetic authenticity that he brings to every project. There’s only one Snoop, and we’re so excited for him to join our unbelievable roster of creative partners.”
The company also said, “This strategic evolution cements the brand’s influence beyond music, ushering in a new era of innovative onscreen storytelling.”
As for what will come of this new arrangement, Snoop is set to return to The Voice as a coach for the 28th season, after previously holding the role during the 26th season. Snoop will also continue to work on a biopic that was announced in 2022.
Snoop also shared a statement, saying, “Not everyone has the courage and vision to see what Death Row Pictures can bring to the table, but Donna and the NBCUniversal team have always understood, which is why I am proud to call NBCUniversal my new home. The Dogg has officially moved into the neighborhood, ya dig?”
The 15-track album was produced by Danielle Haim and ex-Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij, and “radiates the raw energy of seasoned performers whose deep reverence for classic rock shapes songs that are built for live performance,” according to a press release.
There’s no tracklist yet, but Alana previously said I Quit is the “the closest we’ve ever gotten to how we wanted to sound.” She continued, “Coming into this album, it feels like all three of us are really in tune with what we want, and we’re not f*cking afraid to say like — I’m sorry, now I’m two beers in — if I want to f*ck somebody, I’ll f*ck in the way that I want to. I’m not gonna feel judged by it. If I wanna go on dates, if I wanna do whatever… Do whatever feels good to you.”
You can listen to new single “Down To Be Wrong” above. Meanwhile, below you’ll find the album cover art shot by Paul Thomas Anderson, who previously directed Haim in a game-changing music video.
Haim’s I Quit Album Cover Artwork
paul thomas anderson
I Quit is out 6/20 via Columbia Records. Find more information here.
Each week our staff of film and television experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
15. The Studio (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV+
The first thing you should know about The Studio is that there’s diarrhea zombies. The second thing to know about The Studio is that the diarrhea zombies are actually from a fake movie within the show, an industry satire starring Seth Rogen. His character, Matt, is tasked with saving Continental Studios in an ever-changing industry. The stacked cast also includes Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, Rebecca Hall, Olivia Wilde, Chase Sui Wonders, Catherine O’Hara, and Bryan Cranston. The Studio is one of the funniest shows of 2025.
Based on the acclaimed podcast, Dying for Sex follows Molly Kochan (played by the always-great Michelle Williams) who decides to leave her husband (Jay Duplass) after being diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer in order to explore her sexual desires for the first time. She’s joined on her journey of exploration by her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate). The heart-tugging comedy-drama series was created by Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether, who also created New Girl.
Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Mad Men ended? On a related note, I could go for a Coke right about now. Anyway, Jon Hamm’s new show, Your Friends and Neighbors, has him playing a different kind of character than Don Draper: a hedge fund manager who gets fired and begins stealing from his neighbors’ homes, “only to discover that the secrets and affairs hidden behind those wealthy facades might be more dangerous than he ever imagined.” The Your Friends and Neighbors cast also includes Olivia Munn and Amanda Peet.
Get a load of the cast for Black Mirror season 7: Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd, Tracee Ellis Ross, Siena Kelly, Rosy McEwen, Ben Bailey Smith, Issa Rae, Awkwafina, Emma Corrin, Harriet Walter, Peter Capaldi, Lewis Gribben, Michele Austin, Paul Giamatti (!!!), Patsy Ferran, Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson, Billy Magnussen, Milanka Brooks, and Osy Ikhile, as well as Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry returning from Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Not bad!
In the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, June (played by Elisabeth Moss) is pulled back into the fight to take down Gilead. She’s joined by Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley), while Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) attempts to reform society. It’s a story of hope, courage, and resilience in the pursuit of justice — timely! There’s also a sequel series on the horizon.
The last time we checked in with Hacks, Deborah (played by Jean Smart) succeeded in her life-long dream to become a late-night host — but not without betraying her friend and writing partner Ava (Hannah Einbinder), who holds a secret over Deborah. And she’s not afraid to use it. Season 4 finds tensions between the two rising while working on the show.
The Last of Us season 2 picks up five years after the season 1 finale, when Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) killed a bunch of Fireflies to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and then (to put it vaguely) lied to her. Now, they’re “drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.” Get ready for more Clickers, more heartbreak, and the introduction of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), one of the more polarizing characters in video game history.
The less you know about the plot of Companion, the better. But here’s the spoiler-free pitch: it’s a thriller-comedy that stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, and Rupert Friend. That’s it, that impressive cast is all you need to know. Sophie Thatcher is a star, folks.
Since wrapping up the Peabody-winning Ramy, comedian and actor Ramy Youssef has starred in Poor Things; gone on a sold-out standup tour (Taylor Swift is a fan); and advocated for Palestine. He also created #1 Happy Family USA, an animated series about a Muslim family living in America post-9/11. The satire finds humor in hardship — it’s as potent a premise as ever.
The most brilliantly deadpan show on TV is back! The Rehearsal stars Nathan Fielder as a man on a mission to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life. In season 2, the urgency of his project grows as he puts his resources toward an issue that affects us all: commercial aviation. It’s good to see that laptop harness again.
Max is the exclusive streaming home of Babygirl. Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller stars Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a steamy affair with her much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. Be sure to watch it with a cookie and glass of milk.
An action movie from the guy who made The Raid starring Tom Hardy? Yeah, that’ll do. Gareth Evans’ Havoc follows a detective (Hardy) who must fight his way through the criminal underworld. There’s drug deals gone wrong, crooked politicians, and bone-crushing violence. Can I get a “let’s f*cking goooooooo”? (Let’s fucking goooooooo.)
Étoile is the new show from Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Set in New York City and Paris, the ballet drama follows the dancers and staff of two fictionial ballet companies, Le Ballet National in France and Metropolitan Ballet Theater in the United States, as they embark on an ambitious plan to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars. It’s a world ASP knows well: she used to be a dancer before focusing on her writing career.
Sorry, Cardi B, but this is the final season of You. You can read all about what’s in store for Joe here, but let’s give it up for the latest addition to the cast, Madeline Brewer. The actress, who plays free-spirit bookseller employee Bronte, kills (no pun intended?) it in everything she’s in, especially The Handmaid’s Tale and Cam. “I think they do it really, really beautifully,” Brewer said about the final season of You, “I also think that the finale episode is one of the best things I’ve ever been a part of. I’m so proud of it.”
Andor is not only the best Star Wars show. It ranks high among the Star Wars, well, anything — the movies, the books, the video games. The politically-charged series takes place as war draws near and Cassian Andor (played by the ever-hunky Diego Luna) becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Here’s more: “Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.” We know how the story ends, but it’s been a blast(er) getting there.
Stick with me here. We’ve all had scorching hot bourbons that absolutely burn your palate and have minimal flavor. Similarly, you’ve probably experienced bourbons that “drink above their proof.” This is typically used as a compliment, indicating a whiskey that is way more flavorful than its ABV might suggest. I have a working theory that modern drinkers, in their pursuit of ever-higher proofs, are actually in search of more flavor than ever. Dusty whiskeys from yesteryear offered a ton of rich flavor at a lower ABV, and while there are more theories about what changed than there are bottles on the shelf, at the end of the day, that rich flavor profile is part of the reason why vintage bourbon remains so coveted. So why shouldn’t modern drinkers start pursuing their contemporary equivalents?
Today, we have more options in the whiskey aisle than ever before. It would be a mistake to overlook some of the incredible bottles sitting on the shelf because you’re following some specious notion that “more proof = more flavor.” While common, that isn’t altruism, and I’ve rounded up the bottles that will prove it.
Buckle up for the best bourbons under 100-proof, power ranked for flavor!
Sable Bourbon is the brand-new expression from four newcomers to the whiskey world: Harold Perrineau, Malcolm D. Lee, Taye Diggs, and Morris Chestnut, otherwise known as the gentleman responsible for the cult classic “Best Man” movie franchise. Evading the pitfalls of typical celebrity whiskeys, this one features big name backing and sleek branding but also a ton of great flavor to match. The mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley is most likely produced at the Barton Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, I’m instantly greeted by smoked Manuka honey, Brazil nuts, freshly cracked black pepper, and sticky toffee notes that send my eyebrows to the sky. This instantly familiar yet unexpected aroma profile strays from others of the same mash bill. Further notes of toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and fresh almonds add intrigue.
Palate: On the palate, many of this whiskey’s aroma notes make it to the tongue as toasted coconut, smoked honey, black pepper, and sticky toffee lead the charge. The proof point allows all of them the space to lay claim to swaths of your palate without overwhelming the senses. It’s a medium-bodied, flavorful ride that eagerly encourages a second sip.
Finish: The finish succinctly ties a bow on all of those decadent flavors by leaving you with a kick of black pepper spice to go with caramel-drizzled kettle corn.
Bottom Line:
While whiskey aficionados tend to grow bored of celebrity creations just as swiftly as they initially entice them, Sable Bourbon is primed to buck that trend. With a unique flavor profile that captures the elevated essence set forth by the bottle’s chic branding, this is a serious bourbon worth savoring by newcomers and savants all the same.
Maker’s Mark features an iconic bottle design, the same one they’ve been utilizing since their founding in 1953, and a mash bill that’s been used for just as long. This wheated bourbon is one of the best-selling whiskeys in the entire world, making it a ubiquitous sight on liquor store shelves.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, you’ll find a bit of corn pudding, vanilla extract, and indistinct red berry aromas wafting out of the glass. There’s also a bit of graham cracker sweetness and white pepper.
Palate: On the palate, Maker’s Mark greets the tongue with a bunch of honeyed graham cracker notes that soon make way for vanilla pod and cornbread. A second sip morphs the vanilla pod into a custard note, complete with caramelized sugar and some red berry compote.
Finish: The finish of Maker’s Mark features some mellow spice and more red berry compote, as those natural sugars fuse with vanilla notes to quickly dissipate from the palate.
Bottom Line:
Despite its modest proof point, Maker’s Mark has a ton of flavor, meaning you won’t blow out your palate or scare off bourbon novices if you decide to sip this one straight up or share it with friends. It’s ubiquitous on liquor store shelves and should be a staple on your bar cart, especially if you aim to offer guests a smooth bourbon they can enjoy at their leisure.
Smokeye Hill Bourbon is aged for at least five years in 30 and 53-gallon barrels with a variety of barrel chars before being bottled without chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Blue corn, peanut butter, tobacco leaf, and cigar ash make up the initial nosing notes. On the second pass are Rainier cherries and a little white chocolate, delivering the sweetness.
Palate: Tobacco leaf, oak, and almond extract hit the palate at first, while the blue corn and peanut brittle notes splash across the tongue soon after. There’s a touch of fresh almonds and white chocolate before the transition to the finish.
Finish: The finish has a mellow sizzle that caps things off nicely and concludes with vanilla frosting, shaved almonds, and barrel char.
Bottom Line:
Smokeye Hill’s 93-proof offering is more tightly wound and slightly better than the barrel-proof version that’s been garnering critical acclaim. Due to a harmonious assemblage of flavors and the commendable development of those flavors, it’s safe to say that this brand-new bourbon is a winner.
Ezra Brooks is one of the more established names in bourbon, with a history that traces back to its founding in 1957. In 2024, however, this port-finished bourbon represents the newest lineup extension for the respected brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Aroma notes of candy cane, rich cherries, warm vanilla, and wood chips greet the nose at first before accents of tobacco leaf and clove enter the fray.
Palate: The ripe cherry note rushes in at first with nectarines and bananas, chocolate chips, and vanilla, painting the palate with a lush layer of sweetness. This whiskey has a lot of grip on the palate, punching well above its weight proof-wise and delivering a sipping experience more in line with whiskey in the 110 range.
Finish: The finish is lingering, marked by vanilla, oak, and milk chocolate. At the very end, this whiskey reintroduces the cherry note found early in each sip. This is surprisingly tasty stuff.
Bottom Line:
Ezra Brooks’ entire brand portfolio is full of incredible value bourbons, capable of delivering outstanding quality for a wallet-friendly price. This brand-new expression is perhaps the brand’s prime example.
Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon was transitioned into a Kentucky-exclusive offering in 2022. However, in 2024, the brand announced that it would be distributed in other states for the first time in two years due to a surplus. The word isn’t yet out on whether that trend will continue through 2025 and beyond, but it came as welcome news to fans of the Evan Williams lineup’s only single-barrel bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with the aroma of honey and peanut shell, which soon morphs into gently tannic oak tones and fresh orange rinds. Caramel and graham cracker notes also inform the nosing notes before a few shakes of black pepper curb the overall sweetness.
Palate: The honey flavor leads the palate as peanut shells and caramel take a backseat. The texture is surprisingly thin, but the flavors are not without considerable depth, defying their limitations to take root throughout the palate.
Finish: The finish welcomes an uptick in the influence of the oak and black pepper, only alluded to at other points in the flavor journey. While it’s only a short-to-medium finish, that brevity complements the flavor profile, making this an approachable and easy-to-enjoy pour again and again.
Bottom Line:
Despite its relatively low ABV, Evan Williams Single Barrel’s mellow profile delivers rich flavors that cause it to punch above its weight. While longtime fans of the brand continue to grumble that “it ain’t what it used to be,” remarking on a perceived shift in quality and a substantive uptick in price, this continues to be a great, flavorful, smooth bourbon.
One of the most polarizing and hyped bourbons in all of the land, Blanton’s is the original single-barrel bourbon. Launched in 1984, each bottle of Blanton’s is the product of a single barrel, an idea hatched by Buffalo Trace’s then Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of maple candy, gentle oak, vanilla extract, and hazelnuts. There’s a bit of honey that kicks the sweetness of the nose up a few degrees, along with a bit of orange zest.
Palate: On the palate, the hazelnut note steers the car as orange marmalade, vanilla extract, and warm oak tones become backseat drivers.
Finish: The finish finds a flourish of black pepper and barrel char, balancing out bits of vanilla, brown sugar, and hazelnut. It drops off fairly quickly, but the relative richness of the flavors makes it a savory finish despite its brevity.
Bottom Line:
Due to it being a single-barrel bourbon, your mileage may vary when it comes to Blanton’s. I’ve personally found them to range between average and awesome, with far more bottles on the favorable side than not. Is Blanton’s overhyped? Definitely, there’s no other bottle of bourbon that people will buy simply for the horse on top. Still, it’s also a high-quality bourbon that offers a delightfully balanced flavor profile.
Eagle Rare is one of Buffalo Trace’s many sought-after mid-shelf offerings. Aged for at least ten years, this bourbon is essentially a single-barrel version of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, with the primary difference being that the two brands are hand-selected to cater to slightly different tastes despite the fact that they have the same mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The distinct aroma of a caramelized orange wheel joins mature oak, faint cherry notes, and vanilla frosting as the marquee players here. Because Eagle Rare is essentially a single-barrel product, your mileage may vary, but you can almost invariably expect that prototypical cherry aroma to be present with this expression.
Palate: Flavors like cherry syrup, mellow oak, and some vanilla extract are burrowed in this bourbon and reticent to greet your taste buds. The modest proof point might be the culprit here (and, again, with single-barrel bourbon, some variance in quality is to be expected), but the flavors on the palate are surprisingly restrained and a tad bit muddled, making this one a chore to tease apart. While it’s inoffensive, it could certainly benefit from being on offense a bit more. This one is just…dull.
Finish: The finish here is brief, with dilute cherry syrup notes and vanilla pudding bringing a close to the show.
Bottom Line:
Eagle Rare Bourbon is one that I generally love, despite the wide range of variety one can find from bottle to bottle. While it used to be a favorite at $30, you should be aware that you’re increasingly likely to see it on shelves for right around $60. Even with that uptick in price, this one remains a reliably delicious sub-100-proof bourbon.
11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origins Series Straight Bourbon
Bardstown Bourbon Company launched its Origins Series in 2023, and since then, it’s been a total hit for whiskey enthusiasts looking for full-flavored, polished expressions at a reasonable price. This expression in particular uses a 36% high-rye mashbill and is bottled at 96 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stone fruits, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and butterscotch chews are the most readily apparent aroma notes on the nose of this whiskey. It has an almost dusty quality, like the aroma of a library or well-aged leather, which adds depth.
Palate: On the palate, I’m getting the flavors of dried raspberries and butterscotch chews right off the bat. At midpalate, I’m picking up some mineral water as it opens up to reveal its rich texture. There’s a clean delineation between flavors, with the sweetness sitting at the tip of the tongue while hints of oregano and some gentle baking spice are evident on the back of the palate.
Finish: The moderate finish has a bit of earthiness with hints of peppermint and rye spice to remind you that this is a high-rye bourbon, after all.
Bottom Line:
The Bardstown Origin Series lineup has so many bangers, it’s easy to hone in on your favorite and forget the rest. While my personal favorite is the High Wheat Bourbon, going back to this low-proof bombshell, I find myself blown away at the incredible balance of flavors. It has a significant spice kick allowing it to “drink above its proof,” delivering that familiar bourbon bite that so many enthusiasts love.
The new and improved Jim Beam Black Label is the result of tireless tinkering from Master Distillers Fred and Freddie Noe. New for 2024, the long-standing Jim Beam expression now has an age statement and a slightly altered flavor profile designed to optimize the distillery’s 7-year-old bourbon profile.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peanut brittle, bubble gum, and caramel are all featured prominently on the nose of Jim Beam’s 7-Year Black Label on the first pass. A second sniff introduces accenting notes of orange rind and leather.
Palate: The dense, substantial texture hits at first before a clash of peanut brittle, butter, and hazelnuts dances across the palate. There are notes of lemon zest and honey that take root on the roof of the mouth before the flavor of barrel char and black pepper usher in the transition to the finish.
Finish: Nutmeg and honey roasted peanuts show force on the finish along with some chocolate truffle dust as it warms the entire mouth and hangs around for an impressively long time.
Bottom Line:
Jim Beam Black Label has the sweetness, spice, flavor, and wallet-friendly price to be a game-changer for your whiskey shelf. The recent reemergence of an age statement on this bottle is enough of a reason to welcome it into your collection, but that number on the front required a lot of fine-tuning on the back end by Fred and Freddie Noe, a task they’ve capably tackled.
Russell’s Reserve’s 10-Year Bourbon was initially released in 2001 as an age-stated, 101-proof expression. In 2005, much to the chagrin of Wild Turkey fans, the ABV was brought down to its current level, making this a 90-proof expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old Bourbon contains varying vanillas, from ice cream to vanilla extract. There are also pastry notes and the aroma of brioche buns, along with a touch of salted caramel, warm oak, and fresh nutmeg.
Palate: The palate on Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Bourbon is distinctly earthy at first, with toasted walnuts, apple leather, and mature oak leading the charge. As you chew the bourbon, you’ll notice that those notes grow in prominence with the oak and walnut flavors outpacing the restrained fruitiness and baking spices like clove and cinnamon become more pronounced. The mouthfeel is middle of the road, which serves well to carry all of those earthy flavors without being overly slick and distracting from them.
Finish: The finish is marked by more vanilla tones, think vanilla pod more so than vanilla extract, and there’s more hazelnut flavor to be discovered alongside oak and red apple skin. It’s a medium-length finish that works well because it fades before that mature oak begins to dry out the back of your palate.
Bottom Line:
Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old Bourbon is one of the best values in American whiskey, offering a well-aged expression at an affordable price. This expression is perhaps the best example of Wild Turkey’s ability to deliver budget-friendly bourbon that consistently competes with bourbons at twice the price, even at a relatively lower proof.
8. Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Casks
Using highly acclaimed casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley to finish Woodinville’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey for six months results in a product that’s every bit as delicious as it sounds. Originally released in 2017, this expression was so beloved that the brand sought to make it a part of its permanent portfolio in late 2024.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey is immediately evocative of baked plums and chocolate-covered cherries with a strong presence of caramel, toasted coconuts, and cinnamon, reminding you that Woodinville’s stellar bourbon is at the base of this finished delight.
Palate: Once on the palate, an initial wave of black cherries, toasted coconut, and cinnamon beguiles the senses and soothes denser notes of oak and mocha into the edges of your tongue as sweetness claims the midpalate. The liquid itself has a lean but viscous mouthfeel, enabling you to swirl it over your palate and chew the whiskey, unlocking subtler hints of clove and hazelnut.
Finish: The finish features coconut, cedar, black pepper spice, and dark chocolate with faint touches of red berries that hold it all together. It lingers for a surprisingly long time after each sip, as well, making this a decadent treat from start to finish.
Bottom Line:
We’re already raving fans of Woodinville’s whiskey output, and this new ongoing release has only fanned those flames. If you aren’t already riding the Woodinville Whiskey hype train, then it makes sense to get aboard with this next stop on their journey because it is damn good stuff at a super approachable proof-point.
7. Penelope Estate Collection 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
Penelope’s Estate Collection showcases some of the brand’s finest whiskey. A 9-year batched bourbon and a 13-year wheat whiskey join this 10-year single-barrel offering in the series. This hand-selected single-barrel expression is bottled without chill filtration and made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: I’m picking up a lot of brown sugar and raisins on the nose with some dilute honey on this whiskey, which is an absolutely alluring start. Rich oak, wet tobacco, and the distinct aroma of cloves can also be found after a few waves of the hand. I’d encourage you to allow this whiskey time to settle in the glass as those aromas continue to blossom.
Palate: After the first sip, the slick mouthfeel is the most impressive beyond the cohesive flavor profile of honey, walnuts, and raisins. There’s also more of the clove found on the nose, and the texture is almost chalky, indicating the liquid’s maturity and making for an intriguing sipping experience.
Finish: The finish on this whiskey is medium-length and marked by more baking spices like cloves, nutmeg, peppercorn, and figs. You’ll want your second sip to begin as soon as the first one ends.
Bottom Line:
I’m definitely a big fan of the flavor profile on this one and give it credit, especially for having a lovely and unique mouthfeel. Penelope has done everything right with its Estate Collection, positioning these premium offerings at the peak of its portfolio with whiskey that fits the top billing.
For their flagship 10-Year Bourbon, Widow Jane blends whiskey distillate from three different states in bespoke 5-barrel batches before proofing it down with mineral water from their Rosendale Mines in New York. The barrels from each blend hail from distilleries in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Widow Jane has a captivating nose of fresh cherries, orange oil, mature oak, and milk chocolate paired with more unique notes like waxy plums, coconuts, and pears.
Palate: Immediately, you’ll notice that this is a really rich whiskey that punches way above its modest proof point. That exceptional mouthfeel brings a complex web of all the notes above, with the red cherries, chocolate milk, and coconut aspects featuring most prominently across the palate while maple candy and cinnamon creep in more subtly.
Finish: Again defying its modest proof point is the finish, which lingers for quite a while, leaving mature oak and milk chocolate with a touch of plum on the palate, priming you for your next sip.
Bottom Line:
Widow Jane’s flagship expression might be under the radar for certain consumers who turn their noses up at bourbon produced outside of Kentucky. Still, having featured it in our “best non-Kentucky bourbons” round-up, you should know they’re making some excellent stuff. Not only is this bottle undeniably flavorful for its proof, but it’s also dangerously delicious.
If you’re feeling a bit spendier, then Widow Jane’s 20-Year Black Opal expression kicks things up several notches in the flavor department at a considerably higher cost that’s totally worth it.
Elijah Craig’s 18-year single-barrel expression is a dinosaur in more ways than one. First, it’s a long-standing hyper-aged bourbon expression in a whiskey world that’s only now reintegrating an influx of similarly aged bourbons. Second, it’s the last surviving member of the Elijah Craig lineup’s hyper-aged expressions, which used to include 20 -, 21 -, and 23-year-old offerings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is rich with dense, well-aged oak and caramel candies at first, but those notes merely open the curtain to reveal layers of plum, dark chocolate, and leather resting below the surface.
Palate: On the palate, Elijah Craig 18 swiftly finds every corner of your taste buds and floods them with vanilla buttercream, leather, and caramel candy flavors. The understated fruit tones from the nosing experience are buried beneath lush waves of caramel and vanilla. Still, they ultimately emerge and take shape at midpalate as bananas and shaved coconuts.
Finish: The finish is curt but marked by the richness of the coconut and caramel flavors, which satisfyingly coat the palate before ceding your taste buds to white pepper and vanilla before undulating gently out of existence.
Bottom Line:
The common criticisms following Elijah Craig 18 come from a two-pronged attack that says it is either under-proofed or overoaked. Both lines of fault-finding miss the mark.
Appreciated on its face, as well as for its rarity, Elijah Craig 18 is a mellow, multifaceted whiskey that plumbs a depth of flavor that can’t be found in more moderately aged expressions. For an easier-to-find alternative that outperforms its proof point as well as its price tag, give Elijah Craig Small Batch a try.
4. Jack Daniel’s 10-Year Tennessee Whiskey (Batch 4)
The OG of Jack Daniel’s age-stated lineup, this 10-year Tennessee whiskey is now in its fourth batch, and it’s just as good as it’s always been. Per usual, this whiskey is made in the same way as bourbon, save for the fact that it undergoes the Lincoln County Process, which allows Jack Daniel’s to call it Tennessee Whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, this whiskey delivers a dense punch of clover honey, maple candy, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon-dusted apricots. There’s also a healthy influence of oak that gives it a woodsy nose with a touch of white pepper and toffee at the tail end.
Palate: Once this whiskey hits your palate, the vibrancy of the clover honey notes is apparent. The maple candy notes are relegated to the background while hazelnuts, cloves, and soft stone fruit notes take center stage, while mature oak and tobacco leaf tones form the base of this whiskey’s flavors.
Finish: The medium length finish on this whiskey is buttery with brioche buns, clove, cinnamon, and black pepper closing out each sip.
Bottom Line:
While Jack Daniel’s new 14-year expression has been stealing much of the thunder this year, quietly, the 10- and 12-year expressions deserve equal praise. I’m still partial to the inaugural batch of Jack Daniel’s 10-Year, but that’s mostly for sentimental reasons. This year’s offering is every bit as delicious.
The latest Orphan Barrel offering, dubbed Fanged Pursuit, features 17-year non-chill filtered Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. KSBW at that age is hard to come by. Notably, it’s brought to Orphan Barrel’s preferred proof — a relatively low 46% ABV.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose bursts forth with the aroma of Luden’s cherry cough drops, clove cigarettes, Red Vines candy, leather, and torched orange wheel covered in dark chocolate. With patience, the sweet red notes continue to vacillate between red licorice and black cherry while peanut shells and caramel come into focus.
Palate: This whiskey begins with tobacco leaf, Rainier cherries, and red apple skin on the tip of the tongue before it introduces sage smudge, black pepper, barrel char, and touches of lime rind.
Finish: Allspice, dark chocolate, thyme, and orange zest hang on the palate with a medium-length finish to close things out.
Bottom Line:
I’ve been pretty consistently impressed with Orphan Barrel’s offerings, enjoying the flavorful, low-ABV expressions in a vacuum. Their price, however, has more often been the sticking point. At 17 years old, this is one of the few expressions in the lineup that warrants the cost, offering a surprisingly robust and enjoyable tasting experience.
Woodford Reserve’s Double Double Oaked isn’t named by mistake. Launched initially as a member of the Distillery Series in 2015, the longtime distillery-exclusive fan-favorite features Woodford bourbon that rested for 5-7 years before being finished in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon opens with cedar, rich brown sugar, cinnamon, and nougat. It’s an alluring medley that draws you deeper into the glass and reveals subtler hints of dark chocolate chunks, black pepper, and sticky toffee.
Palate: Once on the palate, this bourbon detonates with a richness the nose only hinted at. The flavors of milk chocolate, cedar, sage, cinnamon, vanilla pods, and brown sugar cascade over the tongue and cling to the palate convincingly. This is a bourbon that spites its proof by being relentless from start to finish, and that’s worthy of extended appreciation.
Finish: The finish ties a tight bow on those many layers of flavor with a sage smudge ribbon accented by cinnamon flecks, sunflower butter, and semi-sweet dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
While the price point is a head scratcher, make no mistake — this is delicious whiskey. Woodford Reserve is famed for its 90.4 proof point, and this is the best bourbon they’ve ever released that fits those specs.
If, however, you want a tasty, affordably priced alternative, I’d recommend Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. That one has 90% of the flavor at a fraction of the cost.
Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the more rigorously refined bourbons on the market. That’s not just lip service. Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation, Andrea Wilson, painstakingly comb through Michter’s voluminous well-aged barrel inventory for this release annually and subject it to their own proprietary custom filtration process to dial in the flavor. Sure, there’s a big fat 10-year age statement on it, but as the two of them are fond of saying, “We don’t just age it for 10 years and a day.”
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Incredibly refined and dense oak notes combine with mature leather on the nose. It’s rewarding that this immediately comes across as a hyper-aged bourbon. My notes say, “satisfyingly sexy oak” and while I’m not entirely sure what that means, I hope you know what I meant.
Palate: Buttery viscosity leads the charge as this pour sets out to conquer four of your five senses (it looks dark and inviting in the glass, as well). There’s a decadent vanilla cream note that sits atop the mature leather and dense oak tones that are impossible to turn away from. The taste of black cherry enters before the transition to the finish and pools at the middle of the tongue before branching out along the roof of the mouth.
Finish: Tasted blind, I was impressed at how lengthy the finish on this whiskey was, but upon learning it’s only 94.4 proof, I became doubly so. There are gentle baking spices on the back end to go along with those oak tones, but the earthy, mature bourbon notes really carry it through.
Bottom Line:
Yes, Michter’s 10-year bourbon is typically excellent, but it deserves extra credit for being such a lush, flavorful bourbon, all at a modest 94.4 proof, which is atypically low for contemporary bourbon releases of this caliber. Simply put, quality always wins out. This expression proved it repeatedly in UPROXX blind tastings.
For a more affordable option from the Michter’s brand, you’d also be wise to seek out its Michter’s US*1 Bourbon.
Sable
Makers mark
Smokeye Hill Small Batch Bourbon
Ezra brooks 99 port
Evan Williams sib
Blanton’s
Eagle Rare
Bardstown Origin Series High Rye Bourbon
Jim beam 7
Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Small Batch Bourbon
Woodinville
Widow Jane (Black Opal)
Elijah 18 (Elijah SMb)
Penelope Estate 10 (Wheated)
JD10
Orphan fanged
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked (Woodford Reserve)
Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon (Michter’s us1)
You Forgot It In People is one of the most beloved and enduring indie albums of this century. The 2002 project isn’t celebrating a big milestone anniversary this year, but Broken Social Scene are celebrating regardless with Anthems: A Celebration Of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People.
For the project, they recruited a bunch of artists to contribute covers. Today (April 24), they’ve shared Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso’s rendition of the classic “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl.”
Rogers says of the song:
“‘Anthems’ is one of those songs that fundamentally changed my life. There’s something about the lyrical repetition that functions as a sort of mantra within the song and it made me understand at a very early point in my creative life that music could be a form of meditation. Broken Social Scene has long been one of my all-time favorite bands and covering it with my dear friends Nick and Amelia from Sylvan Esso was an absolute joy beam dream.”
Sylvan Esso adds, “It was a joy to cover this beautiful song with Maggie — we all grew up loving this record — to be asked to cover ‘Anthems…’ together was an honor and led to a truly lovely time.”
Also involved in the project are Hovvdy, Miya Folick, Hand Habits, The Weather Station, Mdou Moctar, Serpentwithfeet, and others.
Check out Rogers and Sylvan Esso’s cover above. Below, find the album’s cover art and tracklist.
Anthems: A Celebration Of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People Album Cover Artwork
Arts & Crafts
Anthems: A Celebration Of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People Tracklist
1. Ouri — “Capture The Flag”
2. Hovvdy — “KC Accidental”
3. Toro y Moi — “Stars And Sons”
4. Miya Folick and Hand Habits — “Almost Crimes”
5. The Weather Station — “Looks Just Like The Sun”
6. Mdou Moctar and Mikey Coltun — “Pacific Theme”
7. Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso — “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”
8. Middle Kids — “Cause = Time”
9. Benny Sings — “Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries”
10. Spirit Of The Beehive — “Shampoo Suicide”
11. Serpentwithfeet — “Lover’s Spit”
12. Sessa — “Ainda Sou Seu Moleque”
13. Babygirl — “Pitter Patter Goes My Heart”
Anthems: A Celebration Of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People is out 6/6 via Arts & Crafts. Find more information here.
So far, Quavo‘s filmography is on the lighter side. The “Legends” rapper has appeared in episodes in Atlanta, Black-ish, and Narcos: Mexico, and he voices a talking shoe in the animated movie Sneaks. But Quavo is certain that among rappers, he’ll be remembered as one of the greats, if not the greatest.
When approached by TMZ about whether he can become the best rapper-turned-actor ever, Quavo replied, “I’m a great guy. Yes, sir.” What about Tupac Shakur? Or Oscar nominee Queen Latifah? Or Oscar winner Will Smith? “They can’t f*ck with me,” he said. Ice Cube, too.
There’s a lot more that went unnamed: Donald Glover, Method Man and Redman, Mos Def, Eminem, Ludacris. Just not Vanilla Ice in Cool As Ice.
One of Quavo’s other roles was in 2022’s Savage Salvation, which also starred Robert De Niro. The acting legend doesn’t own a Shrek phone case but he is aware of Migos. “I said what’s up to him,” Quavo told Billboard. “I told him I said a line in one of my new songs about the trip I just took, and he was just like, ‘For real. M-I-G-O-S, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s finna go home and look me up.’ It was too hard. I couldn’t wait to tell my Mom Dukes that I’m gonna be on the screen and kicked it with him. He’s a nice dude.”
A month ago, Ari Lennox released her latest single, “Soft Girl Era.” While her previous releases were credited as being released on both Dreamville Records and Interscope Records, looking on Spotify, this one just says Interscope.
Well, it looks like this really is the end of Lennox’s relationship with the J. Cole label: TMZ has reportedly confirmed that Lennox is no longer a Dreamville artist and will release her music only on Interscope going forward. The publication also notes that “all signs point to a completely amicable split.” So far, neither Lennox nor Dreamville have addressed the apparent break-up.
Lennox fans know that she has long had issues with Dreamville. In 2022, she declared she wanted to be dropped from the label and she shared a similar sentiment last year, saying, “I wish I had a label that wouldn’t have me out here trying to explain why I need advertisement, why I need advertisement for my record. […] So, I just want to be released, and it’s just that simple. And I’m tired of being nice, and I was trying to do everything the right way, but now I’m pissed. This was my final straw. I have communicated effectively and no one cares, so now we’re here in toxic-ass social media world, or this is how I’m deciding to express myself in a toxic way. But, we’re here, and I don’t know how else to get it through people’s thick head. Like, stop playing with me.”
Haim played their first show in nearly two years on Wednesday. The group performed a 14-song set at The Bellwether in Los Angeles, California, and shared that they have a new album, I Quit, coming out on June 20. Expect an official announcement later this “fun week.”
Haim brought out burgeoning pop star Addison Rae at the concert for the live debut of “Blood On The Streets.” Rolling Stone reports that “Rae didn’t join on the vocals; she just danced around as Haim sang.” The “Headphones On” singer also filmed a TikTok with Danielle, Alana, and Este, who are wearing shirts bearing the cover artwork for Rae’s “first and last album,” Addison.
In a recent interview with i-d, Alana said I Quit is the “the closest we’ve ever gotten to how we wanted to sound.” She continued, “Coming into this album, it feels like all three of us are really in tune with what we want, and we’re not f*cking afraid to say like — I’m sorry, now I’m two beers in — if I want to f*ck somebody, I’ll f*ck in the way that I want to. I’m not gonna feel judged by it. If I wanna go on dates, if I wanna do whatever… Do whatever feels good to you.”
You can watch concert footage of Rae with Haim here.
A couple days ago, some fans got an early taste of Lorde’s new song, “What Was That,” when she performed it at a New York City pop-up event. Now, it’s the rest of the world’s turn, as today (April 24), Lorde has officially released the song.
Lorde sings on the chorus, “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up / We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that? / I remember saying then, ‘This is the best cigarette of my life’ / Well, I want you just like that / Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm, and it knocks me out / I didn’t know then that you’d never be enough for… / Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything / Now, we wake from a dream / Well, baby, what was that?”
Lorde hasn’t announced an album yet, but a press release says the song “signals the dawn of a striking new era for Lorde.”
This comes shortly after Lorde said in an audio message shared with fans, “I just wanted to say hi because everything is about to change and these are really the last moments where it’s just us, which is crazy [laughs]. But so right, I’m so ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say that, but I am. I’m so thankful for your patience. I’ve felt your love, I’ve felt you right there. And yeah, this is gonna be crazy. You have no idea [laughs]. OK, I love you so much. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Watch the “What Was That” video above.
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