Fox News called him a liar, Anderson Cooper said he was “pathetic,” and even Geraldo Rivera, the same Geraldo who thinks the COVID vaccine should be called “the Trump,” has had enough of the former-mayor of New York City. Giuliani didn’t discuss the Venom-looking ooze at the time — he was too busy peddling false conspiracy theories about the election — but he joked it about on a recent episode of The Not Even a Show.
When asked by comedian Chris James about the “black stuff that was seeping out of your head,” Giuliani replied, “Oh my God, it was some of my brains, it was some of my brains. I was thinking so hard. God, it was like, this was a very rough press conference, gotta get everything across, gotta think really hard.” Those are the kind of comedy chops that got him an SNL hosting gig (seriously, what a strange little man). Rudy also said he used a “rag” to put his brain back in, which “rejuvenated” his “brainpower.” This rag?
Thanksgiving was last week and the holiday could mean bad news for life in the pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci believes there could be a surge of coronavirus cases after people travel to and from Thanksgiving celebrations, and the CDC website recommended celebrating with people you live with and/or having virtual celebrations with those who don’t share the same roof with you. So, when Cardi B revealed over the weekend that she had a big Thanksgiving gathering, she saw some backlash.
Last night, Cardi reflected on her holiday weekend, writing on Twitter, “12kids and 25 adults over the holidays.It was lit !!” Following that tweet, there were responses critical of Cardi’s decision to have a large celebration, like one that read, “i hope it was worth it for you and those 25 adults and 12 kids. i truly hope it was because i can promise you it’s not worth it to everyone else who is affected by your poor choices aka the healthcare workers who you will run to when you’re sick.”
Cardi insisted, however, that she was abundantly cautious in preparing for the event, saying that she “spent soo much money” on coronavirus tests for everybody in attendance. She tweeted, “Sorry my bad wasn’t trying to make nobody feel bad.I just had my family in my home for the first time and it felt so good & uplifted me .I spent soo much money getting every1 tested but it felt worth it.I wasnt trying to offend no1.” She later added that regular testing has become a part of her routine, writing, “ME specially and everyone that works around me get tested literally 4 times a week.Im In the middle of work and Everytime we clock in we MUST GET TESTED !” She also wrote, “People be trying tooo hard to be offended.I wonder how they survive the real world [laughing emoji].”
Sorry my bad wasn’t trying to make nobody feel bad.I just had my family in my home for the first time and it felt so good & uplifted me .I spent soo much money getting every1 tested but it felt worth it.I wasnt trying to offend no1. https://t.co/gjGo1JAvnY
ME specially and everyone that works around me get tested literally 4 times a https://t.co/RlAcg1X3VD In the middle of work and Everytime we clock in we MUST GET TESTED ! https://t.co/s9N8N1LxeW
When Donald Trump leaves the White House in January, he’ll take his family with him. That includes senior advisor son-in-law and senior advisor daughter, Ivanka, who’s not looking fantastic on joint father-daughter tax issues, and what will happen with that drama is TBD. Ivanka seems kinda oblivious to reality, though, while issuing not well-received tweets on greenhouse gas “victories” (which had a tragic cause, along with the unavoidable reality that her dad pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord) and stock market “celebrations” (which had everything to do with Joe Biden confidence from the market). She’s very obviously tweeting in the wrong direction on most days, and where shall she go next year? Probably not New York City.
Billboards from the Lincoln Project have already warned Ivanka and Jared that they aren’t welcome in Manhattan, and the New York Times has tipped the pair for setting up shop in New Jersey, given the well-documented anti-Trump sentiment running through the Big Apple, where Donald still technically owns tons of real estate, including Trump Tower. (Dad will probably head to Mar-a-Lago in Florida instead? Or, you know, Russia, if things get really hairy, legally.)
According to this tweet from The Good Liars (comedic duo Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler), the anti-Ivanka-and-Jared campaign has reached street level with these “Not Wanted”-style posters.
Meanwhile, Kushner is flying to Saudi Arabia this week amid rising tensions over the assassination of Iran nuclear program head Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Kushner is expected to (attempt to) broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel? Oh boy.
For many viewers of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the chief reason they have been watching is to find out how the series would eventually connect to the mystery surrounding Rick Grimes. As we know, in the ninth season, Rick Grimes was medically evacuated by the CRM on The Walking Dead and taken to an unknown location. Other than that, all we know is that Grimes’ whereabouts will be explained in the eventual Rick Grimes’ movie.
In the meantime, the second spin-off of The Walking Dead, World Beyond, concerns itself specifically with the CRM, which we now know is short for Civic Republic Military. Over the course of the first two season of The World Beyond limited series, we have learned that the CRM is headquartered in New York, that they are experimenting on humans in order to find a cure, and that they are trying to assemble the people most useful to extending civilization into the future.
Everyone else is expendable.
In the parlance of the CRM, “B”s are useful to building the future of civilization (“A”s, meanwhile, are used as test subjects in human experiments). Rick Grimes is a B. Hope, one of the characters in The World Beyond, is also a B. She has genius-level intelligence, and after the CRM tricked her into journeying across the continent from Nebraska to New York, Hope also now has real-world skills. That makes her, like Rick Grimes, very valuable to the CRM.
We do not know how Rick Grimes feels about the CRM, but we do know that Hope is not a fan. In the season finale of The World Beyond, the chess pieces were essentially put into place for what will be another All Out War, of sorts, in the second and final season of The World Beyond pitting the CRM against Hope and her alliance. Hope — who allowed herself to be abducted by the CRM — will be attempting to take it down from the inside, while her friends )in addition to the survivors of the Campus Colony) will be trying to dismantle the CRM from the outside (the CRM massacred almost everyone at the Campus Colony because they were not useful to them).
This All Out War between Hope and her alliance and the CRM will almost surely culminate with the Rick Grimes movie. Some of The World Beyond characters may still be alive, and some may even figure into the movie, but I would guess that The World Beyond storyline eventually lights the match that leads to a broader effort, led by Rick Grimes, to overthrow the fascist military organization. No offense to the characters on The World Beyond, but most of them are kids, and they don’t have the experience or leadership skills to overthrow a huge military organization. Rick Grimes does.
That’s ultimately where I expect Rick Grimes will come in. After Hope and the remainder of the Campus Colony light the match to start a revolution, Rick Grimes (and possibly Michonne!) will take over and (hopefully) lead that revolution to victory.
The pieces of this puzzle will continue to come together again starting in February 2021, when The Walking Dead returns.
Picking the absolute best bourbon of 2020 is an incredibly onerous task. There are a lot of great bourbon whiskeys out there. Tons. Seriously, soooo many. With new expressions dropping all the time. Naming one “the best” of them all is nothing more than a matter of opinion and personal taste at the end of the day.
Still, we drink a lot of the stuff around these parts and trust our own palates highly. So we’re happy to take a shot at it. We’ll even rank our favorites in order.
This year was a solid year for bourbon, all around — both in terms of new expressions and yearly releases of classic bottles. For us, the great definer of who landed where on this “best of” list is simple: How does it taste? Price in the bourbon world is all too inclement to change. Relatively accessible bottles like one of the expressions from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection carry a $99 MSRP (suggested retail) but hit shelves marked at $500 per bottle or more. Still, we wanted to keep things sort of reasonable, so our list spans prices from $25 to… a whole lot more than that.
In the end, the ten bottles below are simply bourbon whiskeys we loved this year. Whether you’re looking for something new to try during the holiday season, eager to treat yourself after a generally sh*tty 2020, or just curious about how an old standard holds up, our ranking will help you find the perfect dram of bourbon as the year draws to a close.
Old Tub is a throwback to Jim Beam’s early days, when the whole brand was actually called “Old Tub.” The juice is an unfiltered version of the best-selling bourbon in the world, bottled at a higher proof (also a throwback). It used to only be available in half-bottles at the distillery, but this year Beam decided to take it nationwide in full-sized bottles — a win for us!
Tasting Notes:
Kettle corn covered in salted caramel greets you on the nose, alongside classic bourbon vanilla with a small dose of oak. The taste delivers on those notes and amps up the flavors with sharp spice and sweet apples. The oaky bitterness comes in late and adds a chew to the shortish end of the sip.
Bottom Line:
For around $20, you really can’t beat this bourbon. It’s a workhorse that’ll help your shots, cocktails, and highballs shine.
This is a brand-new release from Beam’s high-end line. It’s also the first single barrel release from Baker’s, which intends to phase out its small-batch expressions in favor of this bottle. The juice comes from hand-selected barrels from specific spots in the Beam warehouses, with whiskey that’s at least seven years old.
The bottle has also been redesigned, adding a nice heft and a cork that makes it clear you’re drinking something special.
Tasting Notes:
This is a single barrel expression so there’ll be variation. Expect big bourbon notes of spice and vanilla with a real sense of the oak with a slightly musty edge. Our bottle leaned into the vanilla and spice and accented it with savory herbs, mild fruitiness, and a hint of tobacco smoke. The end was medium-length with footing in the vanilla, spice, and oak quadrants until the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is just a nice, easy-sipping bourbon. It’s also inexpensive enough for single barrel cocktails like a Manhattan or Brown Derby.
This year’s Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is a hand-selected blend of four different bourbons made at Four Roses (they actually make ten different bourbons in-house). The whiskeys were between 12 and 19 years old and leaned into yeasts that highlighted “delicate fruit” and “mild spice.”
Tasting Notes:
Fruit orchards full of apples and oranges mingle with fresh honey and clear bourbon vanilla on the nose. The apple then becomes more pear and bushels of peaches arrive on the taste with light touches of red berries and dusty spice. The end embraces the spice, fruit, and oak as it slowly fades out, calling you in for another sip.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses always delivers with their whiskeys. This is a dram you should sit with. A nice hit of water will help it bloom into its full beauty.
Waco, Texas’ Balcones remains one of the most interesting craft distilleries in America. A big reason is their masterful use of locally sourced and sustainably grown blue corn. Their Texas Blue Corn Bourbon is a yearly limited release that just keeps getting more refined every year.
Tasting Notes:
Cornbread dripping with butter and honey draws you in, with a sense of mint, tobacco, and white pepper. The palate dances between Red Hots, bitter black tea, campfire roasted marshmallow, and a bold note of bitter-yet-sweet orange marmalade. The corn and cinnamon hold on through the long end; toasted oak arrives late on the gradual fade.
Bottom Line:
This is a “what’s that?” bottle that delivers as a workhorse whiskey worth sipping with water, mixing into a cocktail, or using for your new favorite highball.
This small-batched barrel proof whiskey has been delivering year after year since 2013. The draw with this expression is that you’re getting exactly what was in the barrel without any water added or filtration. This is pure whiskey and it rocks.
Tasting Notes:
Rich caramel mingles with tart apple, orange oils, and a dose of toasted oakiness. The palate brings about a rich vanilla creaminess with toffee hints and plenty of fruit, spice, and oak, keeping the taste steady. The spice becomes a mix of peppery and cinnamon-forward notes, as the vanilla and toffee slowly fade away — leaving you warm and fuzzy inside.
Bottom Line:
This is a hot sipper that needs some time to open up with water. But it’s well worth the wait. It’s also one hell of a cocktail base, thanks to the deep flavors and high proof.
This year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection was another stellar roll-out of whiskey. Our standout was their 12-year-old William Larue Weller. This wheated bourbon slaps. The juice was aged on very specific floors on specific spots of the Buffalo Trace warehouses, where 73 percent of the whiskey was lost to the angels, leaving this wonderous elixir behind.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a mildness that draws you in on the nose — alongside creamy vanilla, spicy oak, and caramel. The taste leans into the vanilla and adds warmth, with a note of cherry and dark cacao powder bringing a coffee bitterness, especially with a few drops of water. The spicy oak kicks in as the sip slowly fades through your senses with that vanilla, cherry, and dark chocolate lingering.
Bottom Line:
The MSRP on this bottle is only $99. Sadly, you’re never going to find it for that price. That being said, if you could find it for $99, this would likely be our favorite all-around whiskey of the year. It’s just so f*cking sippable and always brings a smile to our faces.
This year’s release of Dovetail was another smashing success. The juice — from the bespoke Louisville blending house — marries whiskeys from three different barrel programs. The core is ten-year-old whiskey aged in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels, blended with an eleven-year-old finished in blackstrap rum barrels and port casks.
The results are a well-rounded dram with serious depth.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a creamy vanilla pudding that’s counterpointed by oily nuts, leather, and spice. The vinous notes come through on the palate with dried fruits, Christmas spice, black pepper, mild savory herbs, and a hint of molasses. The end is just long enough and hits on the nuts and sweetness but adds in an almost eucalyptus note mingled with some dark chocolate when you add water.
Bottom Line:
This is as tasty as it is unique. You really only need a little water to open this one up and then just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Michter’s continues to hit it out the park with this limited edition release. This year’s single barrel 10-year bourbon release was another masterpiece from the Lousiville shingle. The barrels are all hand-selected from their warehouses for their well-accentuated bourbon-iness (it’s a thing!) and bottled with little to no fuss.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a maple syrup sweetness next to a deeply toasted oak nature on the nose. The palate edges towards oily bourbon vanilla with a rush of buttery toffee and sharp spice next to musty oak and worn leather. The end touches back on the maple syrup as it quickly fades through the old wood.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good goddamn dram of whisky. It’s complex, opens nicely with a little water or ice cube, and will wow any whiskey lover.
Yes, it’s a little pricy. But as a holiday gift, it’ll be a winner.
This whiskey just dropped. Well, it drops every year just in time for the holiday shopping season. This year’s release is another classic 10-year-old expression in a bottle. The juice is aged six years more than the standard Basil Hayden’s bourbon, giving it a well-aged and well-crafted depth that doesn’t break the bank.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtly at play that’s super enticing. Old oak, rich vanilla, and mild spice fill your senses on the nose. The taste leans into the oak, with a toasted nature next to a little library mustiness. Worn leather, peppery spice, and creamy vanilla also pop in. The sip opens up with water, adding in a dark cacao edge with minor notes of caramel, more spice, and more of that musty oak as it slowly fades away.
Bottom Line:
This wins for its price. This bottle could easily cost twice as much and people wouldn’t know the difference. It’s a fine whiskey that is an easy sipper but still cheap enough to pour into a cocktail.
This whiskey from Seattle is raking in the awards for their bourbon. This expression is their award-winning five-year-old bourbon that’s finished for six to 12 months in port casks. The result is a finely crafted bourbon that suits this time of year almost perfectly.
Tasting Notes:
Candied fruit, roasted nuts, and bourbon vanilla entice you into the sip. Those notes lead right into a Christmas cake full of dried fruits, spice, nuts, and plummy sherry depths. The end shines in all of those notes, adding a warming feeling that revels in all the candied fruit, cake, spice, nuts, and oak while it slowly fades away.
Bottom Line:
This is one of our favorite whiskeys of the year. Maybe our even favorite. It’s just so good — a great sipper with a little water or ice and a world-class cocktail base for a Manhattan, Sazerac, or boulevardier.
Releasing an album on Black Friday is generally considered to be a good idea, people are already out shopping and on holiday, timing couldn’t be better right? Well, apparently not. Miley Cyrus only recently announced that her new album Plastic Hearts would be coming out on November 27, which is the Friday after Thanksgiving this year.
But because of issues with stocking all the other sales items and prepping for crowds of shoppers that Black Friday notoriously brings, physical copies of Plastic Hearts were not available for eager fans. Those who ordered a copy to be shipped to them faced delays, and shoppers looking to go purchase it day of were similarly unable to find it.
Miley took the time to respond to frustrated fans with the following statement:
“My fans are everything to me and to know y’all are disappointed when going out to stores/calling/checking stock to be let down I am equally/if not more frustrated.
When choosing 11/27 THE SUGGESTED DATE for album release my team and I were never told major retailers don’t stock physical albums on Black Friday and wouldn’t get copies of PH until a few weeks after release. The packaging of the record is intimate, honest, and a visual reflection of the sound of my new record that I am so proud of. It was created BY ME personally at home making art FOR YOU. I want it in your hands!
I’ve outgrown blame. It’s a waste of time and energy. This album was a labor of love and nothing can sabotage my admiration for the record my collaborators and I have created.”
Check out Miley’s response below, as well as screenshots from frustrated fans:
Rapper 21 Savage’s younger brother Terrell Davis was murdered in London last Sunday, November 22. Today, the London Metropolitan Police reported the arrest of a suspect, Tyrece Fuller, 21, of Tavy Close, Lambeth. Davis was also a rapper and performed under the name TM1way. He was stabbed to death, allegedly after a disagreement with Fuller. At the time of his death the London police shared a statement with XXL:
“Police are investigating a fatal stabbing after they were called at 17:59hrs on Sunday 22 November by the London Ambulance Service to a location in Ramillies Close, Lambeth, SW2. Officers attended, along with colleagues from the London Air Ambulance, but the 27-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s next of kin have been informed and they are being supported by specially trained officers. No arrests have been made at this stage. A crime scene remains in place at the location, and officers are continuing their enquires.”
Born in London but raised and currently based in Atlanta, 21 Savage shared his grief on Instagram the day after his brother’s passing: “Can’t believe somebody took you baby bro I know I took my anger out on you I wish I could take that shit back,” he wrote.
Craft beer has exploded over the past two decades. It’s boomed and plateaued and boomed all over again. Currently (excluding short-term COVID closures), there are more than 8,000 breweries operating in America. And while states like Colorado, California, Oregon, and Vermont get tons of praise for their high-quality beers, you shouldn’t sleep on the IPAs, stouts, pale ales, and lagers coming out of… well, anywhere in the country.
That’s why we’re laughing “Brews By State.” The series offers a chance for us to profile our favorite beers in any given state in the union — from Hawaii to Florida to Alaska and all points in between.
We’re starting today with New York. From Buffalo to Babylon, breweries and brewmasters are pushing the envelope and making names for themselves in the process. Below you’ll find 10 of our favorites examples of the deep commitment to craft and creativity in the Empire State.
Prison City Mass Riot
ABV: 6.9%
One of the best (if not the best) IPAs in America, Prison City Mass Riot is the Auburn, New York’s flagship beer for a reason. It’s filled with Simcoe, Amarilla, and Citra hops as well as oats and wheat. The result is a brightly hoppy, juicy, hazy beer you won’t just want to sip in the warmer months.
Finback Between The Dead
ABV: 10%
While you can’t go wrong with the brewery’s Harambe Imperial Stout, it’s ramped up by being barrel-aged in ex-bourbon cask for Between The Dead. The result is a dark, super-rich, chocolate, espresso, coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon bomb perfect for the cold days ahead.
Industrial Arts Power Tools
ABV: 7.1%
Industrial Arts is cranking out amazing beers. One of its best (and most awarded) is Power Tools. This IPA is perfect for hop heads with its majestic mix of resinous pine and sharp, tangy citrus. While a perfect post-lawn-mowing beer, it’s a great respite from darker, wintry brews.
Other Half All Green Everything
ABV: 10.5%
Pretty much any beer you pick from Other Half is going to be a winner. But one of its all-time best brews is All Green Everything. This potent (in a good way), citrus-filled, crisp, Imperial IPA is loaded with Amarilla, Citra, Mosaic, and Motueka hops. It’s double dry-hopped to create a great mix of juicy tropical sweetness and subtly bitter hop flavor.
Thin Man Trial By Wombat
ABV: 7%
Buffalo might be more known as the city of #BillsMafia and its love for jumping through folding tables, but the city has become a center for beer fans. Thin Man is cranking out tons of great offerings, especially its award-winning Trial By Wombat. This hazy, juicy IPA is filled with a citrusy explosion of Galaxy hops as well as tropical flavors like guava, pineapple, and zesty orange.
Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break
ABV: 11.5%
If you’re a fan of roasty, dark, rich, chocolaty, caramel-filled brews, this is the beer for you. Like the name would make you believe, this is basically a dessert in a can. Brewed with coffee, vanilla, and almonds, this is the perfect beer to pair with the onslaught of holiday cookies to come.
Sloop Juice Bomb
ABV: 6.5%
When you Google “crushable beer” there should be a photo of Juice Sloop Bomb. This 6.5% ABV hazy IPA is as juicy as its name dictates. This is the beer for fans of sweet, mango, pineapple, and dripping peach juice-flavored beer with just the right amount of resinous, bitter hops.
Interboro Bushburg
ABV: 5%
Any good list of craft beers deserves a good, crisp, refreshing pilsner. One of the best in New York State is Interboro Bushburg. Made with 100% Pilsner malt along with German lager yeast, and Noble hops, it’s fresh, subtly sweet, and perfect for any occasion.
Big Ditch Hay Burner
ABV: 7.2%
While most of us aren’t tailgating this year, there might not be a better beer for next year’s tailgate (or a holiday socially distant gathering) than Big Ditch Hay Burner. It has all the flavors IPA fans love. It’s filled with citrus notes like grapefruit and orange as well as a nice kick of bitterness at the very end.
Brewery Ommegang Witte
ABV: 5.2%
Since you’re not likely going to travel to Europe any time soon, you can grab a taste of Belgium from the heart of New York by cracking open a bottle or can of Brewery Ommegang Witte. This white ale is refreshing, crisp, hazy, and filled with hints of coriander, orange peels, and cloves.
Picking out the perfect boozy gift for the holiday season (or any time of year for that matter) has never been easier. Whiskey boxes, cocktail sets, beer calendars, and entire special release collections get dropped year-round these days. Still, now’s the time when most people are looking for that perfect alcohol gift set to give to the aspiring home bartender or whiskey aficionado in their lives. And they have a plethora of options to choose from.
The choices for alcohol gift boxes span a wide range. Fancy vodka martinis? Yep, there’s a box for that. Know someone who loves all things Johnnie Walker? The brand sells a box with tasters of their entire line. Is there an IPA diehard in your life who you need to get a gift for? Stone’s 12 Days of IPA is a classic.
If you know someone who likes booze-related gifts, there’s a box they’re sure to love.
To help make sense of all the options out there, we thought we’d call out 12 of our favorite alcohol-related gift sets. We tried to keep the net fairly wide here. There’s a mix of beer, wine, whiskey, and cocktail gift boxes that range in price from $25 to $169. These picks are proof that while the 2020 holidays may not be quite as social as we’re used to, they can still be merry and bright.
Two 375 mL cans of Underwood Rosé, two Underwood branded glasses, and a wine cocktail recipe book.
Bottom Line:
Wine in a can is always a win. This is basically one bottle of wine with some nice glasses and an excuse to get into wine cocktails. The wine is a solid selection from Oregon’s Union Wine Co. but the price is the best part. $25 is hard to beat for a gift this tasty.
Stone IPA, Delicious IPA, Tangerine Express Hazy IPA, Scorpion Bowl IPA, Fear.Movie.Lions Double IPA, Ruination Sans Filtre Double IPA, Go-To IPA, Exotic Destinations IPA, Cosmic Runestone IPA, Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA, Soaring Dragon Imperial IPA, and Features & Benefits IPA.
Bottom Line:
This is 12 solid days of IPA from one of the U.S.’s biggest craft breweries. Stone and IPA are almost synonymous at this point. The San Diego brewer’s IPAs lean into all styles and offers one hell of a “12 days of Christmas” sampling.
One bottle of Aberfeldy 12 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, one 6.8 oz. bag of Limited Edition ABERFELDY Golden Hot Chocolate Mix, two mugs, two drink stirrers, six Aberfeldy-infused marshmallows, and four grams of edible gold glitter.
Bottom Line:
Aberfeldy is honey-forward whisky from one of the best Master Blenders working in Scotland today. Their 12-year is a great mixing whisky. Tell us, doesn’t a little whisky in a mug of hot chocolate sound like the perfect drink/ gift right now?
Two mini bottles of Peach Flavored Whisky, two mini bottles of Salted Caramel Flavored Whisky, two mini bottles of Black Blended Canadian Whisky, two mini bottles of Fine De Luxe Blended Canadian Whisky, two mini bottles of Regal Apple Flavored Whisky, and two mini bottles of Vanilla Flavored Whisky.
Bottom Line:
Crown Royal is a very underappreciated Canadian whisky. Their line runs deep, with varied expressions and flavors. This box set will give anyone six entry points into the wide world of Crown Royal without breaking the bank when it comes to giving the gift of whiskey this year.
200 ml bottles (just under 1/3 of a regular bottle) of Heaven’s Door Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Heaven’s Door Double Barrel Whiskey, and Heaven’s Door Straight Rye Whiskey.
Bottom Line:
Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Whiskey out of Nashville isn’t a cash grab, it’s a damn fine whiskey company. The juice is well blended and bottled. These bottles show the brand’s core line and offer a great connection point for the Dylan-lover in your life.
200 ml bottles of Caol Ila 12 Year Old, Clynelish 14 Year Old, and Talisker 10 Year Old.
Bottom Line:
Diageo’s single malts continue to dominate the world of whisky. These three whiskies lean towards the smokier side of things with Caol Ila and Talisker from Islay and the Isle of Skye respectively. Clynelish, on the other hand, is a Highland whisky that makes up a large portion of Johnnie Walker’s Gold blend.
One bottle of Bulleit Bourbon Kentucky Straight Whiskey, one half-bottle of Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey, and one 10 oz. Bulleit Branded YETI Rambler.
Bottom Line:
Bulleit remains one of the most popular bourbons and ryes in America. Their juice is a solid choice at a very accessible price point. Add in a YETI Rambler for sipping that whiskey (with a little ice and water, we hope), and you’ve got a great gift. Plus, once the whiskey is gone, whoever receives this gift will still have a YETI Rambler for years to come.
Two mini bottles of Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky, two mini bottles of Aged 18 Years Blended Scotch Whisky, two mini bottles of Gold Label Reserve Blended Scotch Whiskey, two mini bottles of Green Label Blended Scotch Whisky, two mini bottles of Double Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky, and two mini bottles of Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky.
Bottom Line:
What’s cool about this gift is that you’ll be able to recreate UPROXX’s own tasting of Johnnie Walker! Also, this is a very solid all-around selection of whiskies with real heavy-hitters like Johnnie Blue, Gold, and Green, making this an excellent entry-point to scotch overall.
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label with Sugarfina Pop The Champagne Gift Set
One bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Champagne Bears (gummies infused with the finest Champagne in sparkling flavors of brut and rosé), Bubbly Bears (tart Champagne-infused gummies), Baby Champagne Bears (a tiny version of Sugarfina’s best-selling Champagne Bears), and two Champagne flutes.
Bottom Line:
Moving towards New Year’s Eve, this gift is sure to make a long night a little more fun. Boozy gummy bears and a bottle of champers with two glasses is a solid gift for that special person in your life who you’re eager to ring in 2021 with.
One bottle of Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey and one bottle of Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey.
Bottom Line:
Uncle Nearest is doing some of the best work in Tennessee whiskey right now. The heritage brand has been racking up award after award for their refined whiskeys and this gift set makes for the perfect place to get introduced to the line.
One bottle of Absolut Elyx, one bottle of Lillet Rosé, Elyx Copper Cocktail Coupe Gift Set (set of 2), and Sugarfina Martini Olive Almonds in Shaker.
Bottom Line:
Absolut Elyx is one of the best luxe vodkas you can buy or drink. We’re talking about a beautifully crafted spirit. Mixed with Lillet Rosé (a light fortified wine), and a little ice and you have yourself a perfect martini. The set also comes with rad copper coupes and a copper shaker for mixing up your cocktails.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
This is the album I was born to make, says Miley Cyrus of her latest, Plastic Hearts. Invoking that tiresome, clichéd phrase is what artists tend to do when their career is lagging — except, in the case of Plastic Hearts, it’s actually true. It’s not that Cyrus has been lagging, per se, it’s more that she’s been desperately searching, casting about for a sense of self. And, like many a lost young person before her, she has finally found that center in the sweet embrace of rock and roll. Plastic Hearts is decidedly not a pop record, it doesn’t even try to be, and perhaps for some fans, that transition won’t take. Those fans can kindly kiss Miley’s ass.
There have been so many iterations of Cyrus that it’s easy to eye-roll when a new edition is unveiled. From the squeaky clean, tween Hannah Montana empire — which produced her three earliest, toothless albums — to the twerking Bangerz star pillaging rap for beats and weed, to the flailing, absurdist theatrics of Dead Petz, to the re-sanitized, hip-hop rejecting rainbowland of Younger Now, to the drugs-and-rap-are-good-actually posturing of last year’s She Is Coming EP, Miley has worn out her welcome when it comes to reinvention. But she’s rarely been the kind of star to let other people’s opinions dictate her behavior.
After a wildfire burned down her home in Malibu, and with it, most of the music she’d recorded for an announced three-EP release, a messy public divorce came on the heels of a surprise wedding to long-term boyfriend Liam Hemsworth, and an obsession with Miley’s sexuality and infidelity dominated headlines. It’s easy to see why the sound and fury of rock music captured her imagination. And yes, she’s moved from teen pop, to hip-hop, to country pop, and is now jumping to rock — but isn’t that the same way most of her generation consumes music, too? The sometimes-suffocating ideas this culture has about artists sticking to one genre or one sound, and the mild uproar that occurs when they pivot (recently, see: Machine Gun Kelly) is growing rather tiresome.
Or, maybe this most recent pivot wouldn’t be worth defending if Miley hadn’t pulled it off so dang well. Will you accept a great rock album, even if it was made by a former pop star? Only a fool would look this gift horse in the mouth. Plastic Hearts is finally covering the ground listeners want to hear her speak on, with apologetic and reflective songs that no longer shirk topics like cheating, sex, and celebrity. Album opener “WTF Do I Know” sets the tone as an unapologetic divorce anthem anchored by a growling bassline, and even if the title track wastes perfect percussion, “Angels Like You” quickly shifts the blame back to herself for a Joanne-indebted ballad that soars like “Wrecking Ball” once did.
The Dua Lipa-featuring “Prisoner” slips right into the album’s careening ’70s glam-rock theme, but might be the most pop-oriented song of the bunch, and her next collab, with Billy Idol, is an unlikely success. That track, “Night Crawling,” and her final feature, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, turn out to be more than empty rockstar name grabs. Instead, the synths and ferocity of the former make it one of the best songs here, and “Bad Karma” with Joan turns an orgasmic vocal sample into the ultimate f*ck-you riff. No, it’s true — largely because Mark Ronson helps shepherd this potential trainwreck into a purring locomotive.
Miley doesn’t need any fellow stars to pull off great rock hits, either, “Gimme What I Want,” “High,” and “Hate Me” are textured, bluesy explorations of reclaimed sexuality, grief, loss, and yes, lingering guilt. All the latent aggression that has driven some of Miley’s most antagonistic, erratic behavior in the past is fully unleashed, and so is the sadness that anger actually stems from. The combination of those two extremes of course make for great rock songs, and her voice is maybe better-suited to the growling and preening of rock than detractors realized. Closer “Golden G String” is a great example, a song that seems like it could be a kiss-off to those who have lit into her for flaunting her body, but instead it’s a serious reflection on shame, mental illness, and sexism that evokes Kesha during her own Rainbow phase.
There isn’t a lot else here to rope lead single “Midnight Sky” into the mix, but the groundwork for a Miley disco-country album was set back in 2018 with “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart,” even if her work with Ronson on Plastic Hearts leans more gospel than glitz (“High,” “Never Be Me). Instead, a series of covers at the end of the record include a Stevie Nicks-featuring “Midnight Sky” remix interpolating “Edge Of Seventeen” for “Edge Of Midnight,” and renditions of “Heart Of Glass” and “Zombie,” rather obvious codas for where Miley wants to position this album in the rock landscape.
But avid listeners of ‘70s rock might find themselves asking, as much as Nicks, Debbie Harry, and Dolores O’Riordan are aspirational figures, wouldn’t incorporating a little of the Wilson sisters and Heart make this new Miley era stick better? “Barracuda” would be much better suited to her range and ethos, and “Crazy On You” is long due for a resurgence in popularity. If she’s going to stick around in this era for another album, I hope she really digs in, and that’s my only real critique. Back to the present, “Hate Me” dips into contemporary ‘90s grunge-pop a la Liz Phair, and pulls it off well enough to suggest she should explore that more. On this song, Miley ponders what her funeral would be like, if her friends would party and celebrate her life, and if an unnamed entity would, for once, not hate her. Whether addressed specifically to Liam, another ex, or the public at large, the song gives a fascinating glance into Miley’s psyche: We’ll miss her when she’s not around. Best enjoy her while she’s still here.
Plastic Hearts is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.
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