Tucker Carlson has said some strange and disturbing things in his lifetime, especially since rebranding as Fox News’ kookiest host. But his latest may be weirder than his conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Over the weekend, he aired a preview of his Fox Nation documentary series Tucker Carlson Originals. It was something else. First, social media glommed onto its hysterically homoerotic montage. Then they noticed he was shilling something he called “testicle tanning.”
On Monday, Seth Meyers got in on the action. On Late Night, he used the latest segment of “A Closer Look” to see what crazy things Republicans have said and done of late. He mocked Donald Trump for still ranting against windmills. He torched Senator Mike Lee for being involved with the plot to overturn the 2020 election. But nothing was more ridiculous than a segment about Tucker’s forthcoming documentary The End of Men, in which he makes a bold pitch for heating one’s nuts.
Meyers seized upon a part in the preview in which Carlson suggested that “half” of his viewers would think the idea of men treating their privates to red-light therapy. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re tuning in to watch a Tucker Carlson special on Fox’s streaming service titled The End of Men, you might be down to clown with just about anything.”
He also showed another clip from the preview, in which Carlson tried this suggestion out on Trumpist rap-rocker Kid Rock, and only succeeding in weirding him out. “I don’t know what the hell’s going on in this world,” a baffled Kid Rock responded. “I don’t even know if I understood that question.”
“When you’ve lost Kid Rock…” Meyers cracked.
The late night host also called into question why so many Republicans keep seizing upon patently absurd ideas. “Also, even if there was some sort of massive global testosterone crisis, is it already time to start tanning your balls?!” Meyers asked. “Nothing is crazier than a conservative’s second idea. ‘I don’t trust vaccines, but I’ll eat some horse paste.’ Are there ever solutions somewhere between Plan A and the craziest shit you’ve ever heard?”
The Dallas Mavericks entered Monday night rather desperate to get a win at home after dropping Game 1 to the Utah Jazz in gutting fashion, and with Luka Doncic still sidelined with a calf strain, they needed someone to step up and lead the way offensively.
Jalen Brunson answered that call in a major way in Game 2, scoring 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting, along with five assists and seven rebounds, to carry the load for Dallas and lead them to a 110-104 win, evening the series as it shifts to Utah. Brunson set the tone early with a quick onslaught from three-point range, pushing the Mavs to a quick first quarter lead.
Maxi Kleber, who had a rough Game 1 shooting from distance, also started to see the ball go in, knocking down an early three thanks to a friendly roll that was a signal of things to come.
The Jazz had a response ready for Dallas’ hot start, as they started to settle in on both ends of the floor and assert themselves, tying things up going to the second quarter.
Utah would take control in the second quarter behind a strong effort from Donovan Mitchell, who finished the game with 34 points, and Jordan Clarkson, who finished with 21 points.
The Jazz led 93-86 with just over eight minutes to play, when familiar fourth quarter struggles started to creep back up. Fittingly it was Brunson and Kleber that carried the Mavs down the stretch to the win, with both delivering big shots to put Dallas up in the fourth
Jalen Brunson is balling for the @dallasmavs‘ in Game 2
Brunson would polish things off at the free throw line in a truly spectacular individual effort on a night Dallas desperately needed it, particularly with Spencer Dinwiddie struggling with his shooting, going just 6-of-18 from the field. Kleber’s hot shooting was also huge, as he hit eight threes and finished with 25 points off the bench, giving Brunson an outlet in the pick-and-pop game that gave Utah fits with their drop coverage. With the win the Mavs now will feel rejuvenated going on the road, with hope that Doncic can join the team at some point as the series progresses.
For Utah, it’s yet another fourth quarter lead they’ve seen slip away in recent months, and it was an all-too-familiar refrain, as the offense grew stagnant and was far too reliant on whether Donovan Mitchell could hit tough shots. While he had 34 points, he needed 30 shots to get there and cooled off late, and the Jazz weren’t able to kickstart things again as the Mavs went on their run behind Brunson and Kleber’s onslaught. Now they have to brush this performance off and defend homecourt against a Dallas team that will be brimming with confidence that they can compete with the Jazz with or without their superstar.
Future is undoubtedly one of the rap kings in his hometown Atlanta. Over the last decade, Future has released eight albums, sixteen mixtapes, and other projects that have contributed to his rise in not only the rap world but all of music as well. With this success, Future has also made sure to give back to his community. One example came during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 when Future launched the #MaskOn campaign and donated masks to healthcare workers and coronavirus patients. For his latest act, Future is taking things back to his old high school with a great gift for students.
During this past Easter weekend, Future visited his alma mater Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia with his Freewishes Foundation to gift the school’s sports program with a fully upgraded weight room. During the visit, Future met with Columbia Eagles head football coach Greg Barnett and the rest of the team to unveil the new weight room. Future’s sister Tia Wilburn, who is also one of the leaders of Freewishes Foundations, was also in attendance and she said the makeover was organized after she noted that the weight room had not improved since she graduated from the school years ago.
“Since our foundation is very big on health and wellness it was important for us to help create an environment for students in which they could be comfortable, have pride, and perform their best,” Wilburn said to FOX 5 Atlanta. “Also, research shows that students who are physically active tend to excel academically and have better attendance. They are less likely to struggle with depression and other mental health issues.”
This comes as Future, who posed with students for photos and videos, revealed that his upcoming ninth album will arrive on April 29.
You can get out footage from the weight room unveil above.
The Philadelphia 76ers torched the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 over the weekend, utterly dominating on the offensive end of the floor in a lopsided victory. On Monday evening, the same two teams matched up at Wells Fargo Center, though the Raptors were without rookie standout Scottie Barnes and with starting shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. greatly limited by what the team described as a non-COVID illness. Though the Raptors enjoyed some productive stretches, the 76ers put together another incredibly strong effort over the course of 48 minutes, taking a 2-0 series advantage with a 112-97 win.
Coming off a disappointing Game 1 performance, Toronto was hot out of the gate, both in performance and fireworks. There was an early skirmish between the two teams, setting the tone for a potentially explosive atmosphere in Philadelphia.
Raptors-Sixers getting chippy 90 seconds into Game 2
The Raptors also zoomed to an 11-2 run at the outset, showing some of the offensive firepower that rarely materialized in the opener, headlined by a hot shooting start from Fred VanVleet.
From there, the Sixers slowly established control, first generating free throw attempts and converting them at a high level. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby both picked up two fouls in a hurry for Toronto, and the Sixers attempted 12 free throws in less than eight minutes. That helped to fuel a 16-2 run by Philadelphia to take its first lead.
VanVleet had other ideas, though, as he carried Toronto’s offense in the opening minutes, scoring 14 points in 10 minutes, headlined by four three-pointers.
Joel Embiid was not ready to be outdone, setting a new playoff career high with 19 points in the first period. After all of that, the Raptors held a one-point lead after 12 minutes, but that was largely the end of the good news for the visitors.
In a stunning twist, the Sixers dominated the non-Embiid minutes in the first half. Philadelphia used a 12-2 run to take a 52-42 lead, riding six straight points from Tyrese Maxey.
All told, the Sixers were +12 with Embiid off the floor in the first half, and Philadelphia took advantage. The Sixers won the second quarter by a 35-19 margin, taking a 15-point halftime lead, and Philadelphia converted 21-of-23 attempts at the free throw line before the break.
The game was not out of reach, but Toronto needed to make a statement early in the third quarter, and they were unable to do so. The Raptors missed 10 of the first 13 shots in the third quarter, scoring only eight points in more than nine minutes. Philadelphia pushed ahead with a 20-8 extended spurt, and it felt as if the game was largely over at that stage.
Philadelphia led by as many as 29 points after halftime, though the Raptors did have one final run in them. Toronto scored 15 consecutive points in the fourth quarter, slashing the margin to 97-86 with fewer than seven minutes remaining. It was for naught, however, as Maxey knocked down a pull-up three-pointer to stop the bleeding, setting up an 8-0 run that put the game away behind a big dunk by Danny Green.
Overall, the Sixers again used tremendous offense to secure the win. Despite a sub-optimal fourth quarter, Philadelphia scored well over 1.2 points per possession, shooting 52 percent from the floor, 14-of-30 from three-point range, and 26-of-30 at the free throw line. All five scorers landed in double figures for the Sixers, with Embiid producing 31 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris adding 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Maxey contributing 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
With the Raptors battling personnel shortcomings, neither game in Philadelphia was particularly competitive. The 76ers must navigate life on the road beginning on Wednesday, however, and Matisse Thybulle will be ineligible to play in Toronto. It is too early to know the status of Barnes or Trent Jr. but, simply put, the Raptors will be in a virtual must-win situation in Game 3, and that contest will paint a picture of how competitive the rest of the series might be.
Should Jen Psaki do what she might do and leave the White House for MSNBC, she’s going to have to find a new sparring partner. Ever since taking the job as President Joe Biden’s press secretary, she’s had to deal with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy. Few days go by without him pestering her with a Republican talking point, which invariably ends with her patiently explaining a basic thing to him or poking holes in his logic.
But their squabbles rarely get big laughs from Doocy’s fellow reporters. On Monday, he asked about something legitimately troubling: A Trump-appointed federal judge shut down the CDC’s mask mandates on public transportation, including planes and trains. Cases and death are low, but hundreds of Americans are still dying every day — and that’s not even mentioning the still nascent BA.2 variant.
Doocy brought it up and, two years into a pandemic, asked a very basic question. “Why can we sit here in the White House briefing room with no masks,” he asked, while sitting next to a reporter wearing a mask, “but people can’t sit in an airplane cabin with no masks?”
For the second time in recent weeks, Jen Psaki explains CDC guidance to Peter Doocy like he’s a child pic.twitter.com/W8okaDIqgJ
“Well, Peter, I’m not a doctor and you’re not a doctor, that I’m aware of,” Psaki replied, joshingly. “If you’re a doctor I wasn’t aware of that until today.”
Doocy glumly said he was not. The reporter sitting to his right chimed in, joking, “Or do you play one on TV?” Doocy did not smile.
Psaki then proceeded to explain to Doocy, as though he were a small child or golden retriever, all about the CDC’s “green, yellow and red,” based on matters like the level of cases and transmissibility. D.C. is a green zone. Hence, masks are not required, though they are recommended, especially for those who come into contact with immunocompromised people.
She also explained how the CDC wanted to wait two more weeks before lifting the mandate, giving them a chance to study data and see if it’s safe to lift mandates or not. Instead, a Trump-appointed judge beat them to the punch.
In any case, if Psaki does skedaddle for another gig, perhaps she and Doocy can stay in touch.
On Sunday, Doja Cat took the stage at the 2022 Coachella Festival and she was nothing short of impressive. She cruised through her highlight records like “Say So,” “Need To Know,” and “Juicy” while also performing b-side releases from her three albums, Amala, Hot Pink, and Planet Her. Doja also invited Rico Nasty and Tyga for her performance, which was more than worthy of being a headlining set for Coachella. Aside from her excellent performance, which included a punk-rock rendition of “Say So,” Doja also broke some awesome news to fans at the festival as well as those watching at home.
At the end of her set, Doja Cat revealed that Taco Bell would be bringing back a beloved item to their menu. “I brought back the Mexican Pizza, by the way!” she yelled to the crowd as she walked off the stage on Sunday night. Taco Bell confirmed the news the following day in a post to Instagram, writing, “You know we had to give @DojaCat the news first. The #MexicanPizza is finally coming back 5/19!”
Please @tacobell bring back Mexican pizza and spicy potato soft taco. I’m asking you nicely first.
The Mexican Pizza is a pie made of ground beef and refried beans sandwiched between a pair of crispy flour shells with cheese melted top. The item has been off Taco Bell’s menu for the past two years, and in that time, many people have called for its return, including Doja herself. Towards the end of 2020, Doja tweeted, “Please @tacobell bring back Mexican pizza and spicy potato soft taco. I’m asking you nicely first.” A little over a year later, Doja returned with another message to Taco Bell, writing, “I want my f*ckin Mexican pizza back @tacobell why u quiet.” She even went as far as to make a song about Mexican Pizza, which she admitted was completely “contractual” between her and Taco Bell.
You can view the announcement in the post above.
Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Following Mac Miller’s tragic death towards the end of 2018, it was discovered that his passing was caused by a lethal combination of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. A year after Miller’s death, three men were arrested for supplying Miller with the fatal drug which was oxycodone laced with fentanyl. Cameron James Pettit, Ryan Michael Reavis, and Andrew Walter were all found guilty for various roles in Miller’s overdose death. After the convictions were handed out, one of the drug dealers received their sentence for their involvement in Miller’s death.
According to Rolling Stone, Reavis, who is 39 years old, was recently sentenced to ten years and eleven months in prison. Reavis was accused of being the middle man between Walter, who pled guilty to selling the counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl to Miller, and Pettit, supplied the pills to Miller. Before his sentencing, Reavis addressed the court saying that he was unaware that the pills were responsible for Miller’s death until he was arrested in 2019.
“This is not just a regular drug case,” Reavis said. “Somebody died, and a family is never going to get their son back. My family would be wrecked if it was me. They’d never be all right, never truly get over it. I think about that all the time. And I know that whatever happens today, I’m the lucky one because my family is here and I’m here and I’ll be with them again.” He added, “I feel terrible. This is not who I am. My perspective has changed. My heart has changed.”
You can see the full report about the sentence from Rolling Stonehere.
Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In the new action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage gets to pull a Being John Malkovich, playing a version of himself. His co-star, Pedro Pascal, doesn’t get the same honor. He’s the film’s semi-villain — a billionaire and Cage superfan who’s also a notorious arms dealer. But the Mandlorian star shares one thing with his character: He’s a big Cage head, too. He even recently revealed that one of his more recent roles was inspired by what is arguably the legendary actor’s most out-there performance.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pascal recalls growing up watching Cage’s movies, among them Valley Girl, Peggy Sue Got Married, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, etc., etc. When he was cast as the Trumpian baddie in Wonder Woman 1984, he wound up turning to 1989’s Vampire’s Kiss, in which Cage plays a decadent ‘80s Manhattan literary agent who believes he’s turning into a bloodsucker. (He’s not. He’s just lost his mind.)
Ignored upon release, Vampire’s Kiss has turned over the decades into a cult favorite, thanks to Cage’s creatively deranged work as a man who starts over-the-top and somehow goes further off the rails. (He also at one point eats a real cockroach.) Look closely and you can see traces of that in Pascal’s comic book movie debut.
“I remember shooting a scene in 1984 and, in the instant, I was like, what kind of energy do I need here?” Pascal recalled. “And I remembered Nicolas Cage — before I ever met him, before the thought of ever making Massive Talent existed — I remembered him jumping on the desk in Vampire’s Kiss, kind of torturing María Conchita Alonso [who plays his secretary]. I remembered that scene and his energy, and obviously not deciding to do that, but just wanting a fraction of that kind of chaotic energy to make the scene that we were shooting that day work.”
You can watch the Vampire’s Kiss scene in question below. And if you watch the whole thing, you’ll realize it’s essentially a 103-minute Nicolas Cage supercut.
On Sunday, the NBA announced 2021-22 finalists for each major individual award, kickstarting further discussion about which players should come away with the hardware. As usual, the MVP discussion is in the center of the conversation, but the Defensive Player of the Year award race felt wide open, even after Boston’s Marcus Smart, Utah’s Rudy Gobert, and Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges were anointed as the top three candidates. The NBA did not waste any time, however, as the league announced the DPOY winner approximately 24 hours later, with Smart winning the award for the first time in his career and becoming the first guard to win the honor since 1995-96.
After Marcus Smart tweeted only guards with the initials GP could win #KiaDPOY, Gary Payton showed up in person to present him with the award #NBAAwardspic.twitter.com/mafUsQOHNF
Smart, a two-time All-Defensive Team selection, is the second player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award as a member of the Boston Celtics, joining Kevin Garnett in 2007-08. Given the wide-open nature of the race, it was not a surprise to see balance in the voting, but Smart won the top honor despite garnering only 37 of the 100 first-place votes. Bridges finished second with 22 first-place votes and 202 voting points, with Gobert narrowly missing a fourth DPOY award with 12 first-place votes and 136 points. Five different players received at least 10 first-place votes, with seven players garnering at least one first-place vote and nine players landing in the top two on at least one ballot.
Marcus Smart is the first guard to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. Smart is also the second player to win the award with the @celtics, joining Kevin Garnett (2007-08).
For several years, Smart has earned the reputation as one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, and he ranked in the top seven of the NBA in steals per game and total steals this season. In addition, he was a key cog on the league’s best defense in Boston, with the Celtics ranking No. 1 in the NBA in defensive efficiency, field goal percentage allowed, and three-point percentage allowed.
It took more than 25 years for a guard to win the Defensive Player of the Year award and, in some ways, the balanced field likely helped Smart to top other worthy contenders. Still, the perimeter players were perhaps “due” for recognition, and Smart remains one of the league’s best defenders with another piece of shiny hardware for his shelf.
Our quest to help you find the best bourbons to drink is seemingly never-ending. There’s so much out there right now, it’d take anyone a lifetime to get to it all. But as Cliff Booth says to his pal Rick Dalton in Once Upon Time In Hollywood, “I try.”
To that end, I’m breaking down the seven single barrel bourbon whiskeys that took home the coveted Double Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year. This is an event some have likened to “the Oscars of booze,” and the Double Gold-winning single barrel bourbons are the elite of the elite.
There were only 35 single barrel straight bourbon whiskey entrants this year, this out of more than a thousand whisk(e)ys submitted across all categories. Single barrel bourbon is a small category in general, and these bottles tend to be represent the finest expression of that brand. These are the one-off “honey” barrels, which exist more as miracles than anything standard you’ll find in “barrel proof,” “small batch,” or “straight bourbon” offerings. Look at it this way: if a single barrel of whiskey is somehow amazing enough on its own to be bottled, it’s one of the rarest barrels in the rickhouse (also worth remembering: “single barrel” doesn’t mean “cask proof” or “barrel proof,” as plenty of single barrel expressions are proofed down for optimal drinkability, like most bourbon).
All of that means that the bottles on this list are going to be a little harder to come by, especially if you’re not in the Ohio Valley, or don’t have some serious cash laying around. Still, I’d argue that these whiskeys are always worth seeking out to both expand your whiskey palate and your bar cart collection of “the good stuff.” Let’s dive in and see what took home the double gold this year.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This yearly single barrel expression from Uncle Nearest Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler is one of the most beloved Tennessee whiskeys around. Eady Butler handpicks high-proof barrels that are aged a minimum of 11 years for this bottling. Each one is chosen to exemplify the beauty of Tennessee whiskey that’s drawn straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, there’s a matrix of dried fruits, Christmas spices, malty oatcakes, oily vanilla pods, subtle maple sweetness, and a hint of dark chocolate cut with subtle orange oils. The palate delivers with the fruits leaning more towards candied cherries with worn leather, more dark cacao (especially with a little water to help it bloom), and plenty of sweet oak. There’s a long and fulfilling linger to this sip that ushers in a final note of buttery popcorn and a very distant billow of sweet tobacco pipe smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you can get your hands on this one, it’s a gem. A rock or a little water really helps it come to life in the glass (and calm down those higher ABVs). Overall, I’d be shocked if this wasn’t among the best in class/show when those awards are announced later this spring.
These whiskeys for E.H. Taylor, Jr. are aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their mash bill no. 1. While the exact parameters of that bill are undisclosed, this is the same recipe as Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and Stagg. In this case, the barrels are picked for their Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose. The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco. The finish lingers on your senses a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
Goddamn, this is good bourbon. While this isn’t as elite (and over-inflated) as Elmer T. Lee, Blanton’s, Weller, or Pappy, it 100 percent lives up to the quality of those sibling brands from Buffalo Trace’s stills and rickhouses. Get this one while you still can.
This sourced whiskey is a bit of an outlier. The mash bill (from MGP of Indiana) is 51 percent corn, 45 percent wheat, and four percent malted barley. That makes this a supercharged wheated bourbon (most wheated bourbons are closer to ten to 20 percent wheat). The juice then ages for only three years before it’s bottled as-is by the blenders at Doc Whiskey.
“Tasting Notes: Fruit, cream, vanilla. Aroma: Fruit, cream, and vanilla. Sweet fruit notes of the corn add complexity, making it overly sweet and creamy.”
Bottom Line:
Easily the most affordable entry on the list, not to mention the most wheat-forward, for any lover of wheated-bourbon (a category that includes such notables as Pappy, Maker’s Mark, and W.L. Weller), you almost can’t afford not to check this one out (provided you can get your hands on it).
A. Smith Bowman Distillery — a sibling distillery to Buffalo Trace in Virginia — is renowned for bottling some of the boldest bourbons in the game. This release is a no-age-statement and undisclosed mash bill of Virginia whiskey that’s around 10 years old. The whiskey is just proofed to 100 proof with local spring water before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Pain au chocolate leads the way on the nose with chewy toffee candies, Granny Smith apple skins, rich vanilla pods, and a hint of sweet cedar planks rubbed with apple-cinnamon tobacco leaves. The palate is sweet and classic as dark Karo syrup leads toward heavy doses of vanilla in a crispy pecan waffle with a side of chocolate milkshake, dark fruit leather, figs, dates, and a hint of marzipan. The mid-palate amps up the leathery dark fruit sweetness then tumbles toward an almond-chocolate-toffee vibe on the end with a hint of oak, old leather, and figgy tobacco on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is some good damn whiskey. It’s also so well priced that you can mix this into one hell of a Manhattan, Sazerac, or old fashioned.
Kirkland Signature Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
This Costco release is sourced from Sazerac’s other Kentucky distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is very likely the same distillate/barrels as 1792 Full Proof, which won double gold as well from San Francisco this year. However, this is proofed down a tiny bit below that at 120 proof instead of 125 proof, adding some nuance to this release.
Tasting Notes:
This is, again, classic from top to bottom with a nose full of oily vanilla, thick caramel sauce, and a sense of almond shells by way of sweet oak with some dark fruit lingering in the background. The palate builds upon those promises with mulled wine-soaked cinnamon sticks, corn husks, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, creamy vanilla, a touch of dark cherry tobacco, and a dusting of dark chocolate powder. The finish brings it all together with a spicy/hot finish that’s part spicy chocolate pipe tobacco and part brandied cherry with an oaky base.
Bottom Line:
These are pretty fleeting but worth snagging (if you can). For one, it’s priced so well, especially since this is a one-liter bottle (instead of a standard 750ml bottle). Moreover, this is a just damn fine bourbon that works as well as a sipper as it does in cocktails.
Nashville Barrel Co. is doing some of the best work in the bottling game, full stop. They’re sourcing incredible barrels (a lot from MGP) and bottling them as-is without any cutting, filtering, or fussing — they let the whiskey speak for itself and it’s kind of magical. This expression tends to be five to eight-year-old barrels that will vary slightly in the flavor profile while always leaning into bold and distinct flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Depending on which bottle you come across, expect a nose full of cotton candy, buttered popcorn, vanilla beans, freshly baked cherry pie with a lard crust, and plenty of caramel sauce, mild leather, hints of oak, and a dollop of orange oil. The palate will lean into the spice with plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice with maybe a hint of anise and sweetgrass before a mid-palate of Almond Joy and salted caramel candies take over. That sweet mid-point will give way to a finish with nutty dark chocolate clusters with hints of dried fruits, old leather, sweet oak, and plenty of wintry spices.
Bottom Line:
I’ve maybe tasted 20 of these over the last nine months from various sources (including barrels at the dope tasting room in Nashville) and I’ve never had a bad sip. Nashville Barrel Co. is batting a 1,000 right now. Don’t sleep on these, they really are that special and might just win a best in show/class this year.
The whiskey is basically one step away from being a Pappy single barrel. The juice is the same wheated bourbon distillate that’s loaded into the same barrels. The main difference is the flavor profile these single barrels hit because they’re all under eight years old (Pappy is 10 years and older). These barrels are picked for their “Weller” flavor profile and then the juice is cut down very slightly with that famously soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a mix of fresh mint next to ripe red cherries with a vanilla backbone and a shaving of dry wood. The taste holds onto that vanilla while building towards eggnog spiciness with hints of dark chocolate, salted caramel corn balls, espresso bean bitterness, and this small flourish of white pepper. That powdery pepper lingers and warms as the sip slowly fades away, leaving you with those creamy eggnog spices, woody vanilla husks, and a mild tobacco buzz and warmth by way of a pine humidor.
Bottom Line:
What can I say about Weller that hasn’t already been said? While it’s no longer the “poor man’s Pappy,” this is still pretty stellar whiskey. It’s just a shame you can’t find this nearer its MSRP of $50. If that were the case, this would be one of the best cocktail bourbons around.
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view 
show ’em! 
