Category: Trending

Speyside is one of the smaller whisky regions in Scotland. The whole area is surrounded by the Highland region, which makes the definition of the region’s style of whisky a little harder to get a handle on. To top that off, Speyside is home to Dufftown, which has the most distilleries of any town in Scotland and is the official “Whisky Capital of the World” — producing more single malt than any other place on the planet.

So what makes Speyside special? The thrust of the style is the River Spey and how it combines with the northeastern coastal and interior dry climates of Scotland. It’s close to barley fields. But it’s really the water from the Spey and surrounding springs that inform the local whisky. It’s reported that the water has a very low mineral content, which is good for the single malts made there. Lastly, while the Highland whiskies can range from peat monsters to fruity and honeyed, Speyside tends to lean a bit more towards the sweet and fruity end, with peat used sparingly.

To get a better grasp on this hyper-specific region of Scotland’s whisky scene, we decided to call out ten bangers for under $100. Sadly, that leaves out one of our all-time favorite single malts, Mortlach, since their whisky tends to always be north of that price point in the U.S. Otherwise, these are all whiskies you should be able to source pretty easily that will also give you a handle on region’s nuances.

If any of these bottles interest you, make sure to click on the prices to try them yourself.

Glenfiddich 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Whisky:

This is an entry whisky not only to Speyside but to single malts in general. The juice is aged in a combination of used American and European oak before it’s married, rested, proofed with Speyside’s iconic water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

This dram is creamy like a vanilla pudding with a bright pear orchard and some mild toffee. That leads towards a very easy and soft woodiness with a touch of candied pear and more vanilla cream. It’s also very light and approachable while still feeling like a solid whisky.

Bottom Line:

This is most people’s gateway to scotch in general. Overall, this is a really well-rounded whisky that’ll easily help you fall in love with sweet single malts of Speyside.

Glenfarclas 12

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $60

The Whisky:

Glenfarclas is a bit of an outlier. The whisky is distilled with old-school fire-heated stills (most stills use steam) to this day. The juice is then aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks for 12 long years.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a rumminess to the nose that touches on molasses, prunes, nuts, and jam. The taste holds onto that vibe to the point of having an almost spiced rum sweetness and clear notes of holiday spices, plenty of dried fruit, and a roasted almond element. The end long and spicy, leaving you with a Speyside hug.

Bottom Line:

This is a great bottle for a dark rum fan who’s looking to test the waters of Scotch whisky. The whisky on its own also plays well in cocktails while holding up as an easy sipper on ice.

Cardhu 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $60

The Whisky:

This single malt is a crucial component of Jane Walker Black Label, thanks to its subtle sweet notes and to the fact that two women created this whisky. Helen Cummings made this whisky in the early 1800s and sold bottles to passers-by from her house. Emily Cummings, Helen’s daughter-in-law, took over the stills in the mid-1800s and sold the old distillery to Glenfiddich to finance a new one, which eventually became part of the Johnnie Walker family.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a softness that starts with a nose of purple heather flowers, ripe pear, and homemade oatmeal cookies made with honey and sultanas leading towards this touch of cinnamon sticks and pine resin. The palate really delivers on the malts via that oatmeal cookie while the pear amps up to a subtle pear candy with a little spiced tobacco buzz. The end is short and leaves you with a lingering sense of that tobacco leaf spitting thin lines of smoke at the back of your throat.

Bottom Line:

This is hugely popular in Spain but only starting to get a foothold in the U.S. The juice is super easy to get into and understand while being very well-rounded and almost … cooling on the tongue.

BenRiach The Twelve Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $62

The Whisky:

Dr. Rachel Barrie’s reimaging of BenRiach has been a stellar success. This dram is a marrying of 12-year-old malts that matured in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-port casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This has a bold nose full of apple and pear candy next to maple syrup, plenty of blooming heather scrubs, and blueberry juice and stems with a hint of dark orange chocolate balls. The taste boils everything down to a silken palate of stewed pears with cinnamon sticks, sherry-soaked prunes, freshly milled oats, orange-infused marzipan with dark chocolate frosting, and a slight espresso bean oily bitterness (especially with a little water). The finish combines the coffee and chocolate to create a creamy espresso macchiato vibe that’s spiked with that dark orange chocolate note and a final hit of those stewed fruits.

Bottom Line:

This is a velvety dram of whisky. It’s also a great insight into Speyside whisky with its pure fruit, sweet, and citrus notes next to those oaty malts.

The Glenlivet 14

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $63

The Whisky:

This is a new release from a classic Speyside distillery. The juice in the bottle is a 14-year-old malt that matures in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry before it’s finished in cognac casks to add that final x-factor.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sense of cinnamon toast made with sourdough bread with plenty of butter and brown sugar next to a jar of peach jam with a touch of honey and black licorice. The palate, on the other hand, dances between baked pears with eggnog spices, Raisinettes, and orange-spiked maple syrup next to a stack of oatcakes. The end is soft and short-ish with a focus on the fruit and syrup that almost becomes honeyed by the end.

Bottom Line:

This is a new and interesting release from a well-known brand. It might not be everyone’s jam but it’s a good example of something different (or new) on the shelf. This release also supports U.S. military veterans with profits from the sales of this bottle going to veteran support groups.

The Macallan Double Cask 12

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $75

The Whisky:

Where many scotches spend time in ex-bourbon and then ex-sherry casks or some combination therein, this expression spends all 12 years of its maturation just in sherry casks. The barrels are imported from Jerez, Spain, and hand-selected for their excellence to mature this much-beloved whisky.

Tasting Notes:

Apple cider cut with cinnamon and clove greets you, with a clear sense of vanilla, nuts, and plums tagging along. Those plums turn into prunes as orange peels mingle with sweet oak and a hint of tobacco spice. The end is long, full of that sherry-dried fruit sweetness, and returns back to the chewy tobacco spice.

Bottom Line:

For a lot of folks, this is their first step into the wider world of premium whisky. Overall, this bottle is just that: A gateway to a wider world of high-end whisky that’ll get your palate ready for more.

The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $85

The Whisky:

The Balvenie is renowned for doing everything in-house, grain-to-glass, and for being the distillery that spearheaded the whole “finishing whisky in a different cask” movement. In this case, the juice spends 14 years maturing in ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky is then batched and transferred to barrels that The Balvenie aged their own blend of West Indies rum in.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a welcoming rush of buttery toffee up top with hints at brown spices, bright red berries, and a touch of sweet malts. The palate brings around creamy vanilla dotted with those sweet and slightly tart red berries next to a very soft and sweet oakiness. The finish is medium-length, full of soft wood and vanilla cream, and a touch of that spice.

Bottom Line:

This is some quality whisky that’s really hard to beat at this price point. It’s a great sipper that’s soft enough to drink neat.

Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $85

The Whisky:

Cragganmore is an iconic Scottish distillery. The whisky is matured in sherry casks for 12 years. It’s then transferred into American oak casks that held port for a final maturation phase before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Fennel leads to some dried fruits and fresh apples on the nose. The taste, on the other hand, leans into sweet oak, figs, pear candies, and a softness that’s almost hard to believe. The end is full of sweet fruits and has just the right touches of oak, vanilla, and savory greens as it fades at a good clip.

Bottom Line:

We’re getting into phenomenal whisky territory with this expression. Every single aspect of this dram is so nicely dialed in, it’ll be hard to go back to drinking anything else. The balance of herbal, sweet, and floral in this whisky is exemplary.

Aberlour 16

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $94

The Whisky:

This small Speyside distillery has been producing quality whisky for over 200 years. This expression is aged 16 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. It’s then married and proofed with soft Speyside water from the Highlands and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a matrix of dried dark fruits next to powdery dark spices with hints of walnuts and dried florals that draw you in on the nose. The taste delivers on those notes while adding a deep plummy jam cut with clove and slightly sweet wood. The end really holds onto that jammy fruit and spice as it slowly fades across your senses, leaving a velvet texture in your mouth.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is really damn dialed in. Though, this expression of Aberlour tends to lean a little sweeter than herbal, unlike the Cragganmore above.

Benromach 15

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $99

The Whisky:

Benromach is built to highlight fruit, spice, sweetness, and very subtle smoke in every drop. The 15-year-old whisky is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry before it’s masterfully blended, proofed, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sense of smoked plums next to pears and bananas stewed with a handful of barks and spices and then drizzled with floral honey and dusted with dark cocoa powder. That dark chocolate flavor amps up on the palate towards an almost roasted coffee maltiness with more stewed pears, holiday spice, buttery toffee, smoked oats, and a spritz of orange oils. The end is dry yet creamy as the pear and banana become dried out with that smoked plum making a final appearance at the back of your palate.

Bottom Line:

When we say smoke or peat is used “sparingly” in Speyside, this is what we mean. There’s a mild hint of smoke to this that’s attached to the malts, fruit, and sweetness as a supporting act and it never overstays its welcome. That makes this a dynamic dram of whisky.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

There are still a few guest hosts left to take the reigns for Jeopardy!, but LeVar Burton’s impending fortnight at the podium has many fans excited about the man a considerable group of fans would like to see host the show full-time. That decision, of course, is up to the Jeopardy! staff and producers, who have essentially auditioned several notable names like Ken Jennings, Aaron Rodgers, and Katie Couric in recent months.

None of those hosts got serious traction with a petition to host the show, though, which is why the stakes are high for Burton when his episodes air later in July. And much like Rodgers, he’s been extremely forthcoming about why he wants the gig full-time. But his reasons are much different than a Jeopardy! champion or All-NFL quarterback. Namely, that it would matter for minority representation and continue what Burton has framed as a career full of service for others.

In an interview with the New York Times, Burton was blunt about why he wants the full-time role of Jeopardy! host.

It’s difficult to explain, but there’s something inside me that says this makes sense. I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. I have been watching “Jeopardy!” more or less every night of my life since Art Fleming was host. “Jeopardy!” is a cultural touchstone, and for a Black man to occupy that podium is significant. Look, I have had a career for the [expletive] ages. “Roots,” “Star Trek,” “Reading Rainbow.” Won a Grammy. Got a shelf full of Emmys. I’m a storyteller, and game shows are tremendous stories. There’s a contest, there’s comedy, there’s drama. If you don’t know your [expletive] on “Jeopardy!” you’re sunk in full view of the entire nation. The stakes are high. I love that.

Burton discussed his relationships with Fred Rogers and even Steve McQueen in the piece, explaining what they meant to his career and what they taught him. It’s a lovely discussion, if only to add a bit more context to Burton and his desire to add Jeopardy! host to what he himself called a “career for the f*cking ages.” Burton later admitted that he would be disappointed if the gig wasn’t his at the end of the guest hosting rotation, but that he’s doing his best to put things into perspective ahead of his tapings.

It will hurt. I’m not going to lie. But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine. Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It’s all going to be OK. Because it always is.

We’ll have to see how well he does once he’s actually on stage, but Burton is certainly making good points about why he would make a great pick for the job.

[via NY Times]

Manifest fans appear to be hell-bent upon saving the series, even though Netflix said nope to resurrecting the show for after NBC cancelled it following three messy seasons. For sure, this is a strange situation: it’s not every day that a network axes a show while it’s sitting at #1 on Netflix’s most-popular list, and it’s really saying a lot that Netflix resurrects cancelled shows with some frequency (including the very popular Lucifer) but didn’t want to take a stab with this one. Granted, the show’s not objectively good, but it’s wildly popular, even though there’s so much head-scratching to be had.

On one hand, I do feel for the Manifest fans. I’m still very upset about not learning more about the recent Santa Clarita Diet cliffhanger (before Netflix cancelled the zombie-comedy show) and what happened during a Melrose Place spinoff when someone got killed at a wedding altar back in the late 1990s. Being a TV fan isn’t always easy, but it’s worth the occasional pain, which is the feeling that Manifest creator Jeff Rake — who’s envisioned and planned the series for a six-season run — is having while urging viewers to keep the faith because… he’s still plugging away at a solution?

“Manifesters!” Rake wrote on Twitter. “Your support is awe-inspiring. We’re trying to find a way to conclude the series. Could take a week, a month, a year. But we’re not giving up. You deserve an end to the story. Keep the conversation alive. If it works out, it’s because of YOU.. 

#SaveManifest”

So… can anything be done? Short of another streaming service picking up the show, it’s difficult to envision what Rake wants to happen. That is, unless someone wants to privately fund another round of confusion, since the series, which revolves around a flight that disappears off the radar (and is presumed lost) before touching back down on Earth’s surface five years later, perplexes people. Maybe, just maybe, a script could be pulled together for a “finale,” followed by a table read. That’s not a glamorous prospect or the one that anyone necessarily wants to settle for, but it would be a nice gesture to the fans who’s supported the show all along.

#GiveManifestATableReadFinale has a decent ring to it, right?

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood starred multiple Oscar-winning and -nominated performers, including Leonardo DiCaprio (six nominations, one win), Brad Pitt (five nominations, one win for Hollywood), Margot Robbie (two nominations), and Al Pacino (nine nominations, one win). But Quentin Tarantino wanted one more for the ensemble.

While speaking with Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, Tarantino revealed that he circled Jennifer Lawrence (four nominations, one win) to play Manson family member Squeaky Fromme in the 2019 film. “Early on, in the pre-production of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I flirted around with the idea of — and [by the way], I couldn’t be happier with what Dakota Fanning did, it’s one of the best performances in the movie, she’s amazing as Squeaky Fromme, she becomes [her]. But early on, I investigated the idea of Jennifer Lawrence playing Squeaky, so she came down to the house to read the script cause I wasn’t letting it out,” he said (via the Playlist). “So, she came down to the house, OK, I gave her the script, go in my living room or go outside by the pool and read it.”

Tarantino explained that Lawrence read the script and was interested in taking the role, but “something didn’t work out.” (If Dakota Fanning is the backup option for your movie, you’re doing fine.) She did offer a suggestion, though. “Can I just make a recommendation for somebody to cast?” the mother! star asked Tarantino. “You know that agent guy that talks to Rick at the beginning? Why don’t you cast Marc Maron for that? I think he would be really, really good.” Maron is going invite Pacino, who played “that agent guy,” onto WTF and spend three hours grilling him about this, and only this.

You can listen to the entire WTF episode below.

(Via the Playlist)

A lawnmower beer is exactly what it sounds like. A beer that you crush after (or during!) an afternoon of mowing an expansive lawn. But even if live in an apartment, townhome, condo, or someone else mows your lawn, you can still enjoy one of these thirst-quenching, highly refreshing, and crushable beers all season long.

In truth, the term “lawnmower beer” probably means something different to everyone. Craft beer fans might go for a double dry-hopped IPA or craft wheat beer. Classic beer fans might opt for an authentic, cheap, no-frills adjunct lager like Budweiser or Miller High Life (there’s nothing wrong with that). We prefer to go right down the middle and drink craft pilsners, lagers, and other lighter, refreshing styles.

Since the craft beer world is so massive and diverse, you don’t have to settle for mass-produced lagers from giant conglomerates (unless you want to!) when looking for a nice session brew. There are endless pilsners, lagers, pale ales, wheat beers, and Kölsch- style beers perfectly suited for this job.

Check out our eight favorite lawnmower beers below and click on the price if you want to give one a shot yourself.

Revolution Rev Pils

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $10 (six-pack)

The Beer:

If you visit any dive bar in Chicago (or pretty much any bar) you’re going to find the classic, cheap, refreshing beer called Old Style. Revolution knows all about this Windy City staple and set out to create its own version of the iconic “Chicago Pilsner.” They did this by launching Rev Pils, a crisp, thirst-quenching pilsner that’s brewed with Noble hops and all German-sourced ingredients for an authentic flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of lemon zest, biscuit-like malts, fresh-cut grass, and floral hops. Sipping this beer will make you revel in the notes of lime, lemons, freshly baked bread, caramel malts, and gentle, lingering subtly bitter hops at the very end. It will take you a few cans before you discover all the various flavors.

Bottom Line:

Rev Pils is loaded with citrus and malt flavor, making it very bold yet crushable.

Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $10 (six-pack)

The Beer:

You can’t make a list of lawnmower beers without including a beer that was created to be enjoyed after mowing your lawn on a hot, humid day. This German-style Kölsch is brewed with a whole slew of German-grown Hallertau hops as well as a proprietary Kölsch yeast. The result is a crisp, citrus, and floral flavored hop that is sure to refresh you on a hot, summery day.

Tasting Notes:

Fans of authentic Kölsch beers (as well as German-style Kölsch beers made in America) will enjoy the aromas of lemon peel, orange zest, and slight bready malts on the nose. When you sip it, you’ll be greeted with floral hops, sweet tangerine, lemon zest, and a nice caramel-like malty backbone. It all ends with a slight bitterness that brings everything together.

Bottom Line:

With a name like Fancy Lawnmower, this is definitely the kind of beer you’ll want to crush after a day in the sun.

Threes Brewing Vliet

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $19 (four-pack, 16-oz. cans)

The Beer:

Threes Brewing Vliet is one of the best-rated (and beloved) pilsners in the country for a reason. Brewed with German Pilsner malt as well as Saaz and Spalter Select hops, it’s well-known for its herbal, sweet, fresh flavor. At 5.2 percent, it’s highly drinkable and thirst-quenching on a sunny, hazy day.

Tasting Notes:

This slight hazy beer begins with aromas of fresh-baked bread, biscuit-like malts, subtle spice, and a healthy dose of floral hops. The palate is swirling with caramel malts, fresh-cut grass, citrus zest, and more floral, subtly piney hops. The finish is sweet, dry, and extremely refreshing.

Bottom Line:

This is an extremely well-balanced beer. Its citrus and floral hops flavors are complimented by bready malts. It’s fresh, clean, and one of our favorite lawnmower beers of all time.

Creature Comforts Bibo

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $11 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Athens, Georgia’s Creature Comforts has a bunch of beers that could be fit into this box. Its Classic City Lager and Tritonia (Gose) are crisp, refreshing, and delightful. But when we want a crushable beer for a sweaty afternoon, we grab a Bibo. This pilsner is sessionable at 4.9 percent, available year-round and dry, sweet, and perfectly balanced between hops and malts.

Tasting Notes:

The first thing you’ll notice before sipping are the various aromas of this beer. There’s freshly baked bread, wet grass, hay, caramel malts, and subtle resin. The flavor is crisp, subtly sweet, and filled with biscuity malts, floral hops, subtle spices, and very little bitterness at the finish. All in all, a very drinkable, memorable beer.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a low-alcohol and crispy beer, Creature Comforts Bibo ticks all of those boxes. It’s simple, elegant, and refreshing.

Montucky Cold Snacks

ABV: 4.1%

Average Price: $8 (six-pack)

The Beer:

With a name like Montucky Cold Snacks, you kind of know what you’re getting into with this beer. This crisp, refreshing, highly sessionable lager gets its name, Montucky, for a nickname for the state of Montana. The “cold snacks” portion of the name is exactly as it seems. It’s simply a classic lager that you can drink all day long (if that’s your kind of thing).

Tasting Notes:

For a beer that touts itself as a simple lager, there’s a surprising number of aromas on the nose. Wet grass, fresh-baked bread, caramel malts, and slight citrus are all present. Tasting this beer brings you more bready malts, sour apples, light citrus, and just a hint of caramel. The finish is slightly hoppy with very little bitterness.

Bottom Line:

This beer was designed to be crushed on the slopes or backcountry of Montana (or anywhere else) and it definitely serves its purpose.

Sixpoint The Crisp

ABV: 5.4%

Average Price: $11 (four-pack)

The Beer:

Another aptly named beer, The Crisp is exactly as the name suggests. It’s a crisp, refreshing, zesty beer well-suited for summer drinking. Brewed with a combination of German-sourced Hallertau and Tettnang hops as well as Cargill Pilsner malt, this beer is a hoppy, fresh beer well-suited for summer afternoons.

Tasting Notes:

The nose makes you think that this is an IPA as opposed to a pilsner. It’s filled with the scents of resinous pine, slight tropical fruits, citrus zest, and a nice malty backbone. The flavor is just as hoppy as the aroma with notes of ripe berries, lemon peels, cracker-like malts, and wet grass. It all ends with a nice combination of slightly bitter hops and fresh fruit.

Bottom Line:

IPA fans looking to get into pilsners this summer should use this beer as a bridge. Hoppier than most pilsners on the market, it’s clean, fresh, and bright with floral, piney flavor.

Victory Prima Pils

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $11 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Victory Prima Pils is a perennial summer favorite for a multitude of reasons. It’s bright, fresh, and filled with myriad floral hops like Tettnang, Hallertau, Spalt, and Saaz. On top of that, it’s brewed with German malts to complete the classic, old-world flavor pilsner fans have grown to expect.

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this pilsner’s nose. There are distinct aromas of ripe grapefruit, wet grass, resin, and caramel malts. The palate is swirling with dank, resinous pine, freshly baked bread, sweet malts, and slight, bitter, citrusy hops at the very end.

Bottom Line:

This beer is a great example of a summery beer with a perfect hop to malts ratio. Sometimes pilsners can lean a little far in the malt department. Floral, dank hops temper it well.

Narragansett Fresh Catch

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $11 (six-pack)

The Beer:

If you’re looking for a crisp, easy-to-drink lawnmower beer, there’s a good chance you might at least look at Narragansett and its iconic lager. But we believe that a better choice is the brewery’s Fresh Catch, a golden ale that’s dry-hopped with Citra hops.

Tasting Notes:

Immerse yourself in the scents of citrus peels, lime zest, resinous pine, and a nice hit of caramel malts. The flavor is chocked full of citrus flavors as well as dank, piney hops, bread-like malts, and a nice, subtle, bitter finish that appeals to IPA fans.

Bottom Line:

This beer is only 4.2 percent ABV but is bursting with so much citrusy, hoppy flavor, you might assume it’s much more potent. It’s super sessionable and refreshing after an afternoon mowing the lawn.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Aaron Dessner played a role in bringing Taylor Swift’s two recent albums Folklore and Evermore to life, and Dessner has hinted that Swift returned the favor by contributing to material from one of his other projects, the Justin Vernon collaboration Big Red Machine. In a 2020 interview, Dessner noted “The Big Red Machine stuff is quite far along — and actually, Taylor has been amazing [at giving feedback]. I’ve shared all of that stuff with her, and she has been really helpful.” He then neither confirmed nor denied that Swift will appear on a Big Red Machine song, but now it’s looking like she just may.

Yesterday, the group shared a teaser of new music via a glitchy video teasing something called “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last.” Part of an overlay on the clip is some handwriting that apparently looks like that of Swift, according to the dozens of fans who flooded the post’s comments section with excited messages.

Notably, this follows Vernon teasing a Swift collaboration back in April. It seems that Dessner would be eager for the opportunity to work with Swift again, as he previously said of her, “I am constantly humbled by and grateful for our friendship and collaboration. […] You have restored my faith in music and the ways in which it can help me and others. In a year of such uncertainty and fear, I’m eternally grateful for the music we made. You generously shared your songwriting genius with me and others on these records — and made everyone involved feel appreciated and confident in their work. I can’t say enough positive things about you as an artist and a person.”

Cardi B continues to make rap history, racking up an impressive collection of firsts as she expands her catalog of hits, movie roles, and powerhouse performances since breaking out in 2018 with “Bodak Yellow.” Her latest: Becoming a mother twice over, revealing her second pregnancy during an electrifying performance with her husband Offset’s band Migos at the 2021 BET Awards. Popping out in a bedazzled sheer jumpsuit designed to accentuate her belly, Cardi stole the show, with the reveal becoming one of the night’s biggest moments.

At the same time, she revealed her first pregnancy portrait, posting the plaster-clad picture on Instagram and accumulating over 12 million views in less than 24 hours. The photo also garnered thousands of congratulatory comments as admirers and peers alike responded supportively to the reveal. Today, Cardi shared some of the remaining portraits from the shoot, including one featuring Offset, who is seen embracing Cardi from behind while kissing her neck, and soon-to-be big sister Kulture, who wears a matchup dress and headwrap while touching her mom’s tummy (and bearing the expression of an only child who knows her days of being the only favorite are numbered… I feel you, kid).

Cardi and Offset’s family has been a focus of their art for a while, and as it expands, should give them plenty more fodder for adorable social media posts and bars about potty training and sibling rivalries. Check out their loving family photos below.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is returning to the world of hot takes, and once again, the famed astrophysicist is putting Hollywood on blast for its less than scientific depiction of aliens. In a series of tweets on Monday afternoon, Tyson dipped into some of his Greatest Hits from the past decade where he’s called out everything from hard sci-fi films like Interstellar to fantastical fare like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy because nothing is safe from Tyson’s withering gaze when it comes to the cinematic portrayal of extra-terrestrial beings.

“Ready to resume the posting of all my Space Alien Tweets since 2009,” Tyson warned his followers, which was actually a nice thing to do because, again, the man has some thoughts. “But some of you didn’t like them. You’re not obligated to, but you can always unfollow me. Or just avert your eyes for the rest of today.”

In his first reposted “Note to HOLLYWOOD,” Tyson thinks Tinseltown is getting it all wrong when it comes to aliens’ appearances even though nobody, including Tyson, has ever seen an alien before: “A Space Alien with no DNA in common with life on Earth should look more different from life on Earth than **any** two life forms on Earth look from each other.”

In his next note, Tyson had thoughts on aliens’ senses, which he argues should also be wildly different than humans: “No reason to think space aliens would have the same array of senses — sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell — as humans. They could have more senses than we do. Or all their senses could be completely different from ours.”

However, despite threatening to rehash his alien movie criticisms, Tyson quickly pivoted back to random alien tweets, which he’s still firing off as of this writing. The man has simply had enough. And he needs you to know it. Again.

(Via Neil deGrasse Tyson on Twitter)

I like root beer. Let me clarify that, I think I like root beer. The traditional recipe for root beer comes from sassafras, which has been banned by the FDA as a carcinogen since 1960. So it’s fair to say that I’ve never tasted root beer in its original form. What I know of this classic soda pop is a mix of flavoring agents and colors. Or, in the case of the newer, hipster brands, retrofitted natural ingredients meant to imitate a different natural ingredient that’s been out of circulation and replaced by fake ingredients since most of us have been alive.

Here’s another wrinkle in my quest for the best grocery store root beer: We are, apparently, in the throes of the great root beer shortage of 2021. Multiple brands I searched for were sold out at the various stores I visited, which led me down Reddit rabbit holes, forced late-night store runs, and ended in a strenuous dissagreement with a Kmart manager about why he wouldn’t sell me the remaining loose bottles from a four pack that someone else clandestinely split up. Seriously, it was a whole thing.

In the end, I had to go to Kmart (2x), Walmart, Target, Vons (2x), Albertsons (3x), Ralphs, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods to gather the complete lineup for this blind tasting. Yes, I realize that this is officially the most any human has cared about root beer for quite some time. I did it for you, the reader, and because every time one of our Uproxx LIFE team members does a blind test, I Slack them incessantly about the need to be absolutely, undeniably complete. So I had to walk the walk on this go around, even though that took 12 store visits and cost me $60 in root beers, most of which I didn’t enjoy all that much.

Therein lies my final caveat. In a lifetime of tasting foods and drinks for a living, I’ve never felt so controlled by my palate and sense memory as I did with root beer. I realized through this tasting that what I want from a good root beer is heavily influenced by my favorite soda on earth, which I’ll reveal a little later. Of course, the root beers I tested aren’t trying to imitate my favorite soda, nor should they. But as I said before, none of us know what traditional root beer even tastes like so it’s all kind of murky — a real Plato’s cave situation.

Below you can see the lineup of brands that I tried blind. I didn’t test any diet iterations because all diet soda is all trash. If you’re drinking sugar water, just drink it unapologetically.

1. Henry Weinhard’s
2. A&W
3. Shasta
4. Jones
5. Sioux City
6. Frostie
7. Teddy’s
8. Boylan
9. Dad’s
10. Virgil’s
11. IBC
12. Route 66
13. Maine Root
14. Sprecher’s

Check the blind taste test and ranking below. You might disagree with my picks based on our differening palates, but at least you’ll know a few root beers to steer clear of as we near the 4th.

PART I — THE BLIND TASTE TEST

TASTE 1

Nose is very classic. This has a real “root beer” taste – like earthy and rooty. Since it’s taste 1, I wonder if I’m right that this is some real authentic, organic, classic root beer or if I’m being fooled by chemicals. I don’t have much context yet, so it could be either. Nice pop or “bite” – but lots of sugar.

I wrote the following in my notes: ROOT nose, POP palate, SUGAR finish. Tiny hint of licorice. Great start.

TASTE 2

Good root beer nose and palate and tastes like cane sugar on the finish. Kinddddda mellow overall. For the moment, I’m afraid I won’t be able to differentiate these enough. Okay, this is softer and not as bitey as #1 and the root flavor was mellower, too. Maybe that means #1 is more natural—maybe it means it was pure fake.

I know that Sioux City always disappoints me with how un-bitey it is — it’s always trying to dunk but just can’t get up high enough. This has that same quality.

TASTE 3

This is classic. Dads? A&W? Some rare brand that’s actually been around for ages? Less root here on the nose and palate than 1, which is the winner thus far. This is just… thinner.

Ultimately, it feels like it could be called “generic brand soda pop” and no one would balk and correct it as root beer.

TASTE 4

Huge departure. This tastes like licorice beer. Not a lot of pop and a ton of “root” – does real root beer taste like licorice? Is that what sassafras tastes like? Am I comparing a bunch of super authentic brands to the A&W floats my mom made when I was a kid? Is there some artisan rootbeer maker out there rolling their eyes because I compared them to my sense memories of corn syrup and caramel coloring?

For the record, I actually think that’s exactly what is happening. Regardles, this might be the most authentic, but it’s too smooth and too heavy on the licorice. No bite at all.

TASTE 5

Another classic – but more like soda fountain classic. There’s a licorice-anise-root taste upfront, mellow midpalate with slight astringency, and a cane sugar finish. Not bad. In fact, I could see this having a lot of fans, but I’m slanted toward more pop-bite.

TASTE 6

Ugh. I knew there were a few out there that I would hate because they’re overmellow. I remember that from wasted purchases over the years. This one of those. No pop at all – it’s all flat soda vibes. But no root either. Also, and I’m quite sure that this is cane sugar, you can still OVERUSE cane sugar.

This is too sweet. It tastes like the syrup pre-carbonation.

TASTE 7

Syrupy upfront. Flat. Mellow. This has a great nose but the palate, midpalate, and finish are mostly just flat cane sugar syrup.

Again, this isn’t terrible, but you have to know that you want a mellow, rooty drink and not any sort of “soda pop” experience in line with how mainstream colas and fizzy drinks have tasted since the 1980s or so.

TASTE 8

On the nose, this is clearly an outlier. It tastes like… rootbeer taffy. Which is somehow a LOT different than just root beer. I can’t tell if this is a hipster entry or not. It’s a lot darker and there’s a much different flavor. I can’t quite place it… but I’m also not crazy about it.

On second sip, it does remind me of the coast, though. Briny sea shores. Vintage soda fountains (which were never actually around in my life time but were already a thing people imitated). If this is one of the New England brands, I expect a parade for my incredible palate.

TASTE 9

Finally one with fizz and bite. A nice head. Not much on the nose and palate but after a whole lot with no fizz, this is a respite. This really opens your mouth up with its fizzyness but once your palate is primed, it doesn’t have much to say.

Not a ton of flavor, but god, I was thirsty for fizz.

TASTE 10

This is a departure. Like rootbeer toothpaste, more medicinal, wintergreeny, and sorta… herbaceous. This is probably some purist shit that I’m not sophisticated (or too ingrained in my root beer sense memory) to “get.” Whatever, it’s my tasting and I’m not crazy for it.

That said, it tastes like the old west. This is rootbeer they’d order in The Sisters Brothers. If I hadn’t wasted a lot of money being disappointed by Sioux City root beer in college (their sarsaparilla is amazing), I would have predicted that this was Sioux City, just because I know their old west branding and this tastes “old west.”

TASTE 11

This is the fizziest one yet. Rooty on the nose but mellowish on the palate. I like all the fizz a lot, but man, can you combine it with some root bite? So close to perfect. In fact, I would/ will go back to this happily and if it’s in the top 3, I won’t be surprised.

TASTE 12

Another where the “root” is really unique. This feels full hipster but there is a little soda. DEF cane sugar. DEF designer brand. Good soda balance. But just not a ton of taste. Even if the root is more authentic in some way, it’s not as potent.

It isn’t the first and it won’t be the last time I admit that my palate for these flavors has probably been defined by corn syrup and chemicals, but that doesn’t feel like something I can undo mid-test.

TASTE 13

This is my pick for classic root beer. Again, it’s very sweet. The nose is mellow. But it does have the fizz… If this was a midpoint, I’d be stoked, but I worry it’s gonna land more like the top half because so many are flat and sugary.

I will bet my hat that this is a super mainstream brand that makes no attempt to be artisinal or craft driven.

TASTE 14

Bad note to end on. Flat and sugary. No real root taste. Sugar on the nose, palate, and finish. Candyish sugar – like melted-down fruit candy. I like fruit notes, Cherry Dang! is my second favorite cola ever, but this just isn’t working.

PART II — THE RANKING

Here’s how the 14 bottles I tasted shook out. You’ll note that we’re starting the ranking with #16, for reasons soon to be revealed.

16. SPRECHER (Taste 6)

Price: $24.20 / 12

Info:

This is how Sprecher’s describes themselves: This legendary Award-Winning Root Beer has the rich, creamy flavor that only comes from using Wisconsin honey direct from the combs. Our brew master skillfully combines a host of flavors in our gas-fired brew kettle. Then ages it just long enough to achieve peak flavor, super creamy mouthfeel and a frothy head.

Sounds super hispter and organic and rootsy, right? Now here’s the label on the bottle:

That seems like a pretty big departure. Glucose syrup is before the honey, so we can assume that literal sugar water is much more in evidence than the honey that is so hyped up. (Also, is WI a honey haven? If so, I’ve never heard that. I think honey is one of those food products where you shout out its origins, regardless of where it comes from — Oregon honey! California honey! New York honey! They all sound about the same.)

Also, 51 grams of sugar? A 12oz bottle of Coke — which is so sugary that states make laws about it — has 39 grams.

Bottom Line:

Here’s what I wrote in the blind test: “This is too sweet. It tastes like the syrup pre-carbonation.” Well, bingo. 51 grams is so much freaking sugar. It can come from WI honey or “pure cane” or anywhere else — it’s still excessive.

15. HENRY WEINHARD’S (Taste 14)

Price: $6.89/ 4 pack of bottles

Info:

From the website: Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer; A substantial, traditional root beer with a hint of honey, vanilla and sassafras.

Bottom Line:

This is my chance for a homer pick (Weinhard’s is a Portland brand) and I’m not taking it. I’ve had a ton of Henry’s and it’s always, always dissapointing in how mellow it is. Tastes flat and low on flavor. It is creamy, but that’s not a huge selling point for me.

14. FROSTIE (Taste 3)

Price: $2.49/ bottle

Info:

From the website: A classic root beer that delivers a smooth vanilla taste, and subtle wintergreen and anise flavor. Enjoy this one over vanilla ice cream for an amazing float.

Bottom Line:

I didn’t get any of those notes — though I got all of them at one point or another with other entries. In this case, all I got was the thinness. It’s too bad, because I had high hopes for Frostie, which was actually making root beer back when sasafrass was legal.

Unfortunately, their current recipe just doesn’t have much of anything to it.

13. SHASTA (Taste 13)

Price: $3.99 / 12 pack of cans

Info: Like A&W, Shasta really posits itself as the “root beer float” root beer with classic but artificial flavors, medium fizz, and lots of creamines.

Since the product is fully artificial and there’s not much to be said about its ingredients, I’d like to mention that when I was a freshman in college, the school hired a comic for our incoming student orientation to do a 45-minute show. Mid-set he sipped a Shasta and someone in he crowd yelled, “How’s the Shasta?!”

I have never seen a more perfect heckle in my life than teasing a random soda brand and therefore the entire chain of life choices of the comic drinking it. It literally shut the whole show down and the comedian couldn’t bounce back. He left early and the person who yelled it was famous across campus for years.

Bottom Line:

I nailed this in the tasting: classic with no attempt to be artisinal or authentic. Trouble is, there still wasn’t much punch. In a blind taste test with A&W, which is mediocre, this still loses every time.

12. TEDDY’S (Taste 12)

Price: $32.99/ 12 pack

Info:

From the website: Root Beer has been a classic amongst American’s since the late 1800’s. First used for medicinal purposes, Root Beer is now enjoyed as a soft drink or as the main ingredient in Root Beer floats. Teddy’s is rich and creamy and goes well with any meal.

Bottom Line:

Even though it comes in a weird plastic bottle, Teddy’s seems to have a strong case for being a “classic pick” — I just didn’t love the mintier notes and found the flavor to be too mellow. Interesting that “creaminess” is being shouted out as a positive attribute by brands, because I guess I didn’t really have that as a parameter.

11. SIOUX CITY (Taste 2)

Price: $3/ bottle

Info:

It’s very hard to get a bead on what’s in any of these. The website reads: “pure cane sugar, natural ingredients, crafted with care” — which is pretty generic copy. I think that’s because none of these brands really cares about presenting themselves as natural since there’s no real natural root beer in the first place.

Bottom Line:

I picked this one out of a lineup cold and could do it again. That’s not a great testament to Sioux City. Its defining characteristics are exactly the same as other “classic” brands, it’s just weaker in every way. That said, this did have the best nose — so if you want to just sniff your frosty beverage, have at it.

10. DAD’S (Taste 10)

Price: $1.79/ bottle

Info:

From the website: “Although new flavors have been introduced into the root beer category over the past 100 years, the essential ingredients are still wintergreen, licorice, and vanilla.”

Wait, Dad’s. If we’re going back 100 years, wasn’t sasafras the main root? I can’t imagine 100 years ago people were importing vanilla to put it in root beer, but… maybe?

Bottom Line:

I’m proud of myself for calling out the wintergreen, but it’s not that impressive — they lay it on pretty thick. There was a medicinal-astringent quality that I don’t love. Maybe Dad’s used to be a tooth numbing prouct before transitioning to soda?

9. A&W (Taste 7)

Price: $4.78/ 12 pack of cans

Info:

A few things: A&W is the only root beer with a fast food restaurant. For what it’s worth, I don’t hate the joint. They serve corndog nuggs and Coney dogs with cheese. They also make rootbeer in-house — which realistically means “in-line,” as in the carbonation and syrup are combined fresh in tubes on their way to the taps. That said, is is better there and their floats are one of the most underrated treats in all of fest food.

All that said, I don’t need to give you an ingredients list here. A&W makes no attempt to be “authentic” — it’s all caramel and coloring and carbonation and corn syrup.

Bottom Line:

I confused the mellowness here for a more stylized brand. My bad. That said, I thought this would rank much higher. It just came off as flat. It was the only two liter I bought, so maybe it was stale, but I opened it just for this tasting and you can see the lack of bubbles. Ultimately, if you want A&W, get it from the drive-thru.

8. VIRGIL’S (Taste 4)

Price: $39.99/ 12 pack of bottles (Currently out of stock)

Info:

From the webite: Brewed in small batches by hand to include the flavor of fifteen different roots and spices. A rich, creamy, full-flavor soda that is deliciously complex and never bitter.

Bottom Line:

I dont disagree with anything about how Virgil’s describes themselves. I certainly got “roots and spices” — particularly licorice root. And it wasn’t bitter — though none of these were. It was creamy, too. It’s just that none of those things really seem to be my personal parameters for liking a root beer. If it was “smooth spice mix licorice” beer, that’s fine.

I guess the real problem here is that some brands seem to read the root in root beer as “any root” and others take it as “flavors selected to imitate sasafrass root.” That said, Virgil’s is one of the brands eperiencing serious shortages, so they must be doing something right. It also gets some uniqueness points.

7. MAINE ROOT (Taste 8)

Price: $35/ 24 pack bottles

Info:

From the website: Handcrafted soda made with extracts of wintergreen, clove and anise. All our recipes are sweetened with Fair Trade Certified Organic sugar, so you can feel good about it!

Bottom Line:

I predicted that this was a New England artisinal brand and found this to be a nice diverson from the others in the tasting. There was this great saltwater taffy note that I… maybe “loved” is too strong a word but certainly “found myself interested by.”

If you’re looking for something complex and distinct while still conjuring “root beer flavors,” this is a very solid pick.

6. IBC (Taste 5)

Price: $2.99 for a 4-pack of bottles.

Info:

IBC was my college pick. I loved it back then. It was also the second hardest root beer to find, with multiple stores being completely sold out. It’s ingredients are all the usual suspects — caramel color and cane sugar. No real surprises.

Bottom Line:

Going into the tasting, I predicted this as the winner. Clearly, my preference for this has fallen off since college, but this was definitely solid. It just wasn’t bitey in the way I wanted. Not as bad as two other brands I drank a lot in college — Henry’s and Sioux City — but still, this didn’t punch me with flavor in the way I hoped.

5. BOYLAN (Taste 11)

Price: $31.50 for 12 bottles.

Info:

From the webite: A rich sassafras flavor derived from cinnamon, sweet birch, vanilla, and wintergreen.

Bottom Line:

With the ingredient list above, I would have expected this to be one of the more medicinal entries. It wasn’t and I’m dubious about some of those claims (vanilla and birch make sense, but I didn’t pick up the wintergreen). That said, I loved the fizz on this.

4. ROUTE 66 (Taste 9)

Price: $12.99 / 6 pack of bottles

Info:

No real info — though I do deeply appreciate the company’s commitment to Route 66. It’s cool branding, for starters, but they also really lean into selling their products along the route. So if you travel those areas, you’re likely to see them — which is cool.

Bottom Line:

I liked this a lot. I could have used a stronger flavor but the fizz was present and the nose was classic. This is what I percieve as a 1950s soda fountain root beer and I’d happily reach for it on a hot day.

3. JONES ROOT BEER (Taste 1)

Price: 29.99 for a 12 pack. Individual bottles sold in specialty stores.

Info:

Not much information availible online. “Inverted cane sugar” is listed as an ingredient. That insufferable because inverted sugar is just sugar melted down in water — which is necessary for any beverage, so… don’t be so dorky with your ingredient naming, Jones! I’m trying to rank you highly.

Bottom Line:

This was classic, potent, and nice with the fizz. It was actually disorienting to have this be my first taste. It was the winner of the blind test but it’s not ranked #1 or even #2, which leads me to…

PART III — THE RINGERS

So this is where I name my favorite soda of all time — Coke. Its cola bite and the carbonation overpower the sweetness until you get three or four gulps in, which I love. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite sensory experiences on earth. Definitely top 10. So leaving Barq’s off the list felt like sacriledge (it was purchased by Coca-Cola in 1995). But Barq’s is seriously hard to find right now and has been since early in the pandemic. It wasn’t in any of those 12 stores I mentioned visiting and getting it online only wasn’t going to work for me.

So if you want the winner of the blind taste, that’s Jones. But the same day as the blind test, I flew to Portland for the summer and found Barq’s at a specialty shop. I also grabbed a second bottle because I liked the label and had never seen it before. Turns out they were both spectacular.

Here are my top two grocery store root beers, if you can find them:

2. TRIPLE XXX

Price: $6.40/ four pack. Individual bottles sold in specialty stores.

Info:

The website has a whole novel on this root beer’s orgins, but basically it can be summed up as: was made a long time ago, changed hands a few times, and crafted to taste like the original recipe. That’ belied by the label, which is the same as all the others: sugar, water, natural and artificial flavors. No real surprises.

What did surprise me was the taste.

Bottom Line:

This was like amped up IBC — better in a million tiny ways. It was the only brand that seemed to use wintergreen right — there was a little pepperiness late that I enjoyed. Moreoever, it had bite and kick, which is really all my Coke-loving palate had wanted out of this tasting.

If you don’t want to go mainstream, this is absolutely my #1 pick from everything I tasted.

1. BARQ’S

Price: $5.99/ 12 pack cans.

Info:

I’m not even searching for info here. This is Coke with rootbeer flavors. It has bite (that’s the slogan) and I crave that bite because I like Coke.

Bottom Line:

Listen, this is really about palates. I think you could ignore Barq’s as an outlier, because my palate is so perfectly calibrated to Coke, and have a very solid root beer list. That said, if you, like me, just want “Coke but with root beer flavor” — almost like a rootbeer + Coke graveyard from the soda machine — well, this is your brand.

Still, I do feel vey basic for ranking this #1.

The Atlanta Hawks aren’t in must win territory just yet, down 2-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks, but the way they lost Games 2 and 3 — one a blowout and the other seeing a 7-point fourth quarter lead evaporate into an 11-point loss — it will certainly feel crucial for them to get Game 4 at home to avoid returning to Milwaukee having to get a win.

Getting a win on Tuesday night in Atlanta is going to be very much dependent on the health of superstar guard Trae Young, who stepped on a referee’s foot late in the third quarter of Game 3, rolling his ankle and having to take a quick trip to the locker room to get it looked at and re-taped. When he returned, he did not look like the Young we saw in the first three quarters, struggling to do much off the dribble and his only contribution of the fourth was a deep three midway through the period. Otherwise, he was rendered far less impactful than normal and the Hawks offense collapsed without his creation.

On Monday, Young had an MRI and it was revealed that he had a bone bruise in his right foot, leaving him as officially questionable for Game 4. One would expect Young to do everything he can to give it a go, but how effective he can be attacking downhill is going to very well determine whether the Hawks can get back level in the series. With Bogdan Bogdanovic still ailing from a knee injury, Atlanta is lacking in the creator department beyond Young, and an injury to Young would be a highly unfortunate way for one of the most exciting and fun playoff runs in recent memory to potentially come to a close.