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If you’re anything like us, you probably spent most of the summer drinking IPAs, lagers, pale ales, and wheat beers. These lighter beers are well-suited for hot, hazy summer days. But fall is barreling towards us in a tornado of dried leaves and pumpkin spice. So it’s time to start thinking about transitioning to darker, heavier beers. But you don’t have to go from a juicy, hazy IPA right to a rich, malty stout. There are steps in between.

An easier transition is found by spending the few remaining summer days drinking double IPAs. These higher ABV, pungent, flavorful brews are the perfect beers to bridge the gap between light summer beers and heavy, dark cold-weather brews. But with heavily hopped beers like these, it’s easy to go wrong — so we don’t want you to grab the first six-pack you see at your local grocery store.

Instead, we decided to ask the professionals for help — hitting up a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us their favorite end of summer double IPAs.

Sweetwater 420 Strain Trainwreck

Nicholas Wyatt, bar manager at Teddy’s Bourbon Bar in Prattville, Alabama

Sweetwater’s 420 Strain Trainwreck. It’s bright and citrus-forward with notes of vanilla that round out the mid-palate before an oddly familiar, herbaceous finish.

La Cumbre Full Nelson

Timmie Hoffman, bartender at Salt7 in Delray Beach, Florida

My all-time favorite double IPA is La Cumbre Full Nelson. It is jam-packed with hops (over ten pounds) a little bitter and also is juicy so it quenches your thirst. It’s everything that a double IPA drinker would want to sip on.

Toppling Goliath King Sue

Nico Diaz, owner of CRFT Cocktail Catering Service in New Hope, Pennsylvania

My favorite Double IPA is King Sue by Toppling Goliath. It’s hazy and juicy with a mean grapefruit bite at the end. It’s definitely hard to beat.

Russian River Pliny the Younger

Anthony Aviles, general manager of Jack Dusty in Sarasota, Florida

You won’t find it in Florida, and they’re very picky about who/where they ship to, but if you can get your hands on Pliny the Younger, you won’t regret it. For as light and crisp as it drinks (even at 11% abv), it packs some surprisingly well-crafted flavors and pairs well with just about anything you eat.

While in Napa, California, I drank PTY while eating Spanish tapas dishes one night and burgers the next, and it didn’t disappoint in either sitting. Pliny the Elder was also very good, but “The Younger” takes the cake in my personal opinion.

Fiddlehead Second Fiddle

Drew Reid, bartender at W Aspen in Aspen, Colorado

Fiddlehead’s Second Fiddle. Vermont beer is in my blood, and I always revert to a handful of Vermont breweries. Second Fiddle is everything you want in a double, with tropical fruit smells and tastes and big pine notes. It is far too easy to drink too many of these.

Pipeworks Ninja VS Unicorn

Meredith Barry, executive beverage chef at Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis

Ninja VS Unicorn from Pipeworks. Pineapple and pine. For a double/imperial IPA the bitter hop is real chill, with a perfect balance of tropical sweetness. Be careful, though — that 8% ABV will sneak up on you!.

Bell’s Hopslam

Benjamin Burch, bartender at The Nolen in San Diego

Bell’s Hopslam. It is just so hard to beat. Beer drinkers have been so lucky for so long because the market simply blew up and supply reached a point of total saturation. You can walk into any corner store in a lot of cities and grab a phenomenal beer off the shelf that you’ve never heard of before. They’re everywhere and widely available. On the flip side of that, that means it’s also not too hard to end up with a mediocre beer, either.

Cigar City Florida Man

Eva Al-Gharaballi, bartender at Datz in St. Petersburg, Florida

Florida Man Double IPA from Tampa Bay’s Cigar City Brewing Co. is my go-to DIPA. Extra hoppy with flavors of grapefruit, mango, and passion fruit.

Boulevard The Calling

Stephen Potter, lead bartender at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck in Grand Rapids, Michigan

My favorite double has to be Boulevard Brewing Co.’s The Calling IPA. I love the full body of this IPA. The strong malt balance of this beer rounds it off really nicely. There isn’t that in-your-face bitterness many go for. The biggest thing for me with this beer is the low ABV. At only 8.5%, I can actually enjoy more than one.

Bell’s Double Two-Hearted

Tommy Ergle, bar manager at Dr. BBQ in St. Petersburg, Florida

One of the best double IPA’s on the market has to be Bell’s Double Two-Hearted. Bell’s took their classic Two-Hearted IPA and added two-and-a-half times the amount of Centennial hops — which really brings out some serious pine and citrus notes that make this such a smooth-drinking DIPA.

Institution Into the Wishing Well

Mig Feliciano, head bartender at Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles

I’m not a routine DIPA drinker but on occasion, I pick one out. It had been a while, so I got mixed six to take a flight of beer and the winner was Into the Wishing Well DIPA by Institution Ale Company out of Camarillo California. It felt like a pleasure and privilege to drink this 8.7% ABV big beer. It smells like fresh-cut grass and has lingering stone fruit with a crisp finish. Very nice.

M. Special Lazy Eye DIPA

Jeremy Allen, bartender at MiniBar in Los Angeles

We’ve been drinking a ton of M. Special Brewing Company’s Lazy Eye DIPA. Love it ‘cuz it’s not too sweet, ultimately pair-able and versatile, and gets the job done. Tiny little brewery with a bunch of personalities out of Goleta on the coast of California.

Alchemist Heady Topper

Damian Langarica, head bartender at a.bar in Philadelphia

My favorite Double IPA is definitely Heady Topper from The Alchemist, an awesome craft brewery from Vermont. It’s a great Double IPA, perfect balance of bitterness and fruitiness for those really into strong, bitter IPAs or DIPAs and for those are new to the game.

Against The Grain Citra Ass Down

Emmanuelle Massicot, beverage director of Kata Robata in Houston

Against the Grain’s Citra Ass Down – good beer and puns! Citra is one of my favorite hops for IPAs because it gives them a juicy quality that mitigates a lot of the hoppy bitterness and also sneakily masks the booze.

Modern Times Alien Radio

Dannika Underhill, bartender at Kindred in San Diego

Modern Times Alien Radio. It features a couple of my favorite styles of hops (Citra and Simcoe) for a truly in-your-face aromatic experience. Juicy tropical fruits and pungent pine intermingle for a truly ethereal drinking experience.

After the Clippers cruised to a win in Game 3, the Nuggets were looking to even the series on Wednesday night, but suffocating defense on the part of L.A. made it nearly impossible for Denver to get it going offensively, and now they find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to climb back from a 3-1 series deficit for the second time this postseason.

Neither team could get it going early, as they combined for the lowest-scoring quarter of the series, although L.A. was able to convert that to an early 17-point lead. The Nuggets went on a couple of runs in the second half to make it interesting, which coincided with some untimely foul trouble for Paul George and the Clippers, but the Clippers were ultimately able to hang on for 96-85 win and put Denver on the brink of elimination.

Here’s what else we learned from Game 4:

The Clippers’ Defense Is Dominant When Locked In

The Nuggets shot just 41 percent from the field overall and were 8-of-28 from behind the arc as the Clippers’ defense badgered them into their worst shooting outing of the series. Of course, this always starts with Kawhi Leonard, who was phenomenal on both ends of the court on Wednesday night, leading L.A. with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, while also making a case for why he maybe should’ve made First Team All-Defense as he came up with four steals and a pair of blocks on the night.

.@kawhileonard with the steal, and @TeamLou23 seals the deal.

@espn pic.twitter.com/B4ghTWPNNT

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) September 10, 2020

Kawhi got five on it. pic.twitter.com/lCzMBomvsT

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) September 10, 2020

Jokic was just about the only Nugget who was able to find something of a rhythm in this one, leading his team with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. But overall, the Clippers’ defensive prowess on Wednesday night was a reminder of just how dominant they can be on that end and should serve as a wakeup call to any other would-be championship contenders.

Paul George noted after the game that the Clippers themselves seem to be coming to a realization of the importance of consistent defensive effort to making them a dominant team.

Jamal Murray Has To Be Better

Murray had just three field goal attempts by midway through the second quarter and had just four points in the first half. Murray left the bench after checking out midway through the third quarter and went back into the tunnel, presumably to gather himself, but he was never able to find his rhythm in Game 4, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Murray got it going a bit late in the fourth to make things interesting for a minute, but it was too little too late.

Much of the credit goes to the Clippers’ aforementioned defense, which targeted Murray early and took him out of his comfort zone. Still, Murray has to find a way to make an impact. He’s been spectacular this postseason, putting up some of the best performances we’ve seen in Orlando, and Denver will need him back to playing at the top of his game if they want any chance of overcoming a 3-1 deficit to the Clippers.

The Whirlwind Experience That Is Michael Porter Jr.

Despite the loss, Michael Porter Jr. showed more flashes of why he was once considered the top player in the 2018 Draft class before a back injury caused him to nearly drop out of the lottery entirely. The stakes were low when the Nuggets took a chance on him, and its paying dividends now and should continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

He’s 6’10” and doing this. pic.twitter.com/7Qmi2yrHEw

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 10, 2020

Natural born scorer. pic.twitter.com/FP4SL86Xy9

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 10, 2020

However, he was mostly neutralized in the second half, as were most of the Nuggets as the Clippers clamped down on defense. Porter also showed that he still has plenty of work to do defensively. The Clippers caught him sleeping on several occasions and took full advantage of his lagging response time in the pick-and-roll.

But inexplicably, that didn’t stop him from voicing his opinion on Mike Malone’s play-calling in the second half. Porter Jr. finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three, and after the game, he was openly unhappy that he didn’t get more opportunities as the Nuggets struggled to manufacture points.

MPJ: “I just didn’t touch the ball.”

Said it’s up to the play calls the coaches make.

— Mike Singer (@msinger) September 10, 2020

It’s not a good look for a young player who is still trying to find his place on his team, but then again, Porter Jr. has never been shy about expressing unpopular (or unrealistic) opinions. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out as the series continues.

The Clippers will try to close out the Nuggets in a potentially series-deciding Game 5 on Friday night at 6:30 ET on TNT.

The Nuggets fell to 3-1 in their series with the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday night in a 96-85 loss, as they continue to struggle creating offense in the second half.

Denver was able to cut the L.A. lead to as few as two in the early third quarter, thanks in part to a run at the end of the first half spurred by Michael Porter Jr. off the bench in a 15-point effort. However, as the game wore on, Porter Jr. became less involved in the offense and the Nuggets’ two stars, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were not able to produce efficiently or effectively enough to keep pace with the Clippers. Whether Porter Jr. would’ve been able to fix all of their woes is far from a certainty, as the rookie has a tendency to fall in love with isolation and can be wildly inefficient himself.

That said, of everyone else on this Denver team, he’s the player most likely to create some offense outside of Murray and Jokic, and it might behoove the Nuggets to give him some more responsibility later in the game. After the game, Porter Jr. was not in the mood to brush aside questions of his involvement in the Nuggets’ late game offense, calling out coach Mike Malone for play-calling that went exclusively to Jokic and Murray and didn’t do enough to involve him and others.

These quotes came after Mike Malone said the Clippers keyed in on Porter more in the second half on defense, which MPJ seemed to fervently push back against.

His frustration was evident in his body language during his press conference, and that came out in his quotes as well. It’ll be interesting how this goes with Malone and the Nuggets’ locker room, because while Porter has become an important piece, he is a rookie and still has plenty in his game to work on to reach the level of star that his offensive ceiling shows he’s capable of.

There’s certainly something to be said for the Nuggets getting more creative offensively, particularly in trying to attack with different pieces than just Murray and Jokic. However, critiquing the coach publicly like this isn’t often something that goes over well for rookies, and his comment about how he’ll talk to the coaching staff soon likely should’ve happened before throwing him under the bus in front of a camera.

It’s been quite the day of offense in Major League Baseball, as the Brewers beat the Tigers by a score of 19-0 on Wednesday afternoon, but that was a defensive battle compared to what happened in Atlanta later in the evening.

The Braves took on the Marlins in an NL East matchup and proceeded to bludgeon the poor Miami pitching staff to the tune of 29 runs on 23 hits, including seven home runs. Adam Duvall accounted for three of those, with a grand slam capping off his sensational night in the seventh inning, as Atlanta teed off in an historic night at Truist Park.

Travis d’Arnoud, Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Freddie Freeman all also got in on the act with big flies, and Atlanta’s 29 runs set a new National League record for runs scored in a game. Some of the stat lines from the game are hilarious, with Duvall going 3-for-4 with five runs scored, nine runs batted in, three home runs, and two walks. Freeman was 3-for-6 at the plate with six RBI while Acuna was 3-for-4 with five RBI and three walks.

The poor Marlins managed nine runs on 13 hits and still got beat by 20 as it was a terrible night for pitcher’s ERA that will skew their numbers for the entire season given it’s shortened length.

The Houston Rockets fell just short in Game 3 as the Lakers shut them down in the fourth quarter to rally to a win and a 2-1 series lead over Houston. Rockets forward Danuel House, who has become an integral part of Houston’s rotation, missed that game for “personal reasons,” but was ruled out once again on Wednesday for Game 4.

That House was not playing but was remaining in the Bubble was a head-scratcher for many, and on Wednesday word broke of the reason for his continued absence from the team. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, House is under investigation from the NBA for a break of Bubble protocol that has his status for the remainder of the series in jeopardy.

As noted by Woj, House denies any wrongdoing, but until the matter is resolved, whatever it is, he will not be allowed to play. His absence is significant, particularly for a team that already runs a shortened rotation, with Ben McLemore and Austin Rivers having to step more into his minutes. What House did is unknown, but he wouldn’t be the first player to have to go under quarantine again for breaking Bubble protocol, as we saw Richaun Holmes of the Kings have to quarantine a second time after ordering delivery food that was not approved.

Per Woj and MacMahon, House did not leave the NBA campus, but is under investigation for “activity within the team hotel.”

House, the Rockets’ sixth man, has denied any violation on a matter that has the league probing House’s activity within the team hotel, sources said.

House did not leave the perimeter of the campus, sources said.

We’ll surely learn more as the situation develops, but for now the Rockets must move forward without a key piece as they try to claw back into their series with the Lakers.

If nothing else, at least I understand all the Wally Brando jokes now.

Late last week I tweeted something along the lines that, since the beginning of the pandemic, I had decided to marathon a beloved television show and, with five episodes to go, I was very much not enjoying the experience. But by the time I realized I wasn’t enjoying the experience, I was too far in. Now that I’ve finished, I was going to update that tweet thread and, about ten tweets in, decided I should probably just write about it, even though I was hesitant about doing that because I didn’t really feel like getting yelled at by Twin Peaks superfans. (Also, if you’re going to yell at me, at least wait until you finish this piece. There’s a twist at the end.)

As I was watching, I talked to a handful of other people about Twin Peaks, whose opinions I trust, and their reactions varied from, “I could tell early that show isn’t for me so I stopped,” to, “Oh, yeah, I’m a big fan.” What’s curious is I didn’t talk to anyone who decided, “this isn’t for me,” yet finished the entire series. I suspect I’m in a very small minority here.

So, I just want to be clear, I am not trying to claim Twin Peaks — which debuted in ABC thirty years ago in April of 1990 — is “bad,” or anything along those lines. Having now watched three seasons* of this show, I truly get the appeal. I’m not even saying this to diffuse the superfans so they don’t yell at me (I’ll explain later). I promise, I really get it. But I truly did get to a point where I did dread watching this show. And when I was watching I was wishing I was watching literally almost anything else. But I didn’t want to give up. I had to finish.

*I was texting with former Uproxx colleague Alan Sepinwall (now of Rolling Stone) and he, I think wisely, told me what episodes to skip in the second season. His warning was that if I tried to watch all of them, especially the shows that David Lynch has no involvement with, he knew I’d give up and never make it to the third season. So, during this marathon that started in April, I watched all of season one. I watched the first nine episodes of the second season, then the finale. Then I watched Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Then I watched all 18 episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return.

Why did I feel I had to finish this thing I wasn’t enjoying? Honestly, I’m not all together sure. I think that’s why I’m writing this. It certainly wasn’t a quest for “answers,” because I know David Lynch’s work well enough to know that wasn’t going to happen. (Spoiler: I was right!) My best guess is I needed something to look back on in 2020 and say, well, at least I did that. So, when I look back on 2020, at least I have this. I can say, “I watched all of Twin Peaks.” (Well, all of the Lynch Twin Peaks, which was the point.) Yes, I’ve also watched something like 220 movies since the end of March, but there’s something unfocused and random about that. But with Twin Peaks, it feels like structure, even though the show itself isn’t traditionally structured.

I’m generalizing a bit. There were a few more ebs and flows to the whole endeavor, as opposed to, “I didn’t like it from the beginning, but kept going.” The first season is a decent amount of fun. It’s eight pretty tight episodes. If nothing else, it’s good enough that it enticed me to want more. Yes, I was warned about the second season. Boy, were these warnings correct. Though, I just figured most the problems would happen after Lynch left after the Laura Palmer murder was wrapped up in the ninth episode. This was wrong. Even in those first nine episodes, scenes drag on and on, almost as time fillers. There are a couple good episodes in there, but this is when I started to resent Twin Peaks. But I kept going because I wanted to get to this mythical The Return, this “18-hour movie” I had heard so much about in 2017.

After finishing Fire Walk With Me (pretty good!) I started The Return. Okay look, again, I do see the appeal. But, watching all 18 hours of this, in a pretty short period of time, was not an enjoyable experience (hold that thought). By the time I finished “Part 13,” I had really reached a breaking point, which spawned that aforementioned tweet last week. Now, since that tweet, I did enjoy the last three episodes better than the others. So I don’t feel quite as harsh about it all. Though, on Monday night, after I watched the final scene, my first reaction was, “Thank god this is over. I’ll never have to think about Twin Peaks again.”

Then something weird happened. I started reading about The Return. I read all the crazy Reddit threads and fan interpretations. I read theory after theory for about five hours straight. I then realized I really like reading about Twin Peaks, even though I kind of hated watching it. I was not expecting this phenomenon. And then I realized this is what I was missing, especially with The Return: the weekly communal experience on social media, back in 2017, I was witnessing then as an outsider, not understanding all of your Wally Brando jokes. The crazy interpretations of this show are just as important as the show itself. That’s where the fun of Twin Peaks lies, as opposed to watching these episodes in a vacuum. And I usually don’t feel that way about television. After watching an episode of, say, Game of Thrones, the last thing I wanted to do was read about it.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m still glad its over. But if you asked me a week ago, I’d tell you I regretted watching Twin Peaks. Many times I thought to myself, “I should have watched Billions instead.” And there are a few episodes that feel like they are still going. But, now, I’m not sure I feel that way. I do actually feel like I accomplished something this year. And I still want to read more and more interpretations. And later in the week I have a call scheduled with a friend to just talk about Twin Peaks – and I’m not dreading it. And, well, if nothing else, after 30 years, I finally understand all of your Twin Peaks references. Ah, yes, your references to coffee and cherry pie make sense now! And, most importantly, I know who Wally Brando is. (And, now, if you want to yell at me, you can yell it me.)

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Aside from the Celtics blowout win in Game 5, the Raptors Celtics series has been a highly competitive and entertaining one, and it’s fitting that it will go the full seven games. Game 6 was a microcosm of the entire series as a whole, with both defenses shining, each team going on runs to seemingly take control and then giving it back, and two overtime periods filled with big shots, great defensive effort, and even some refereeing controversy.

In the end, the Raptors emerged victorious with a 125-122 win, following the lead of Kyle Lowry, who had 33 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals to force Game 7. It was arguably the best game of the playoffs thus far, which given the level of play in Orlando is a high bar to clear, with incredible shot-making and defense from both teams. With Game 7 ahead on Friday night, we’ll look at three takeaways from a thrilling Game 6.

1. Kyle Lowry is incredible

The Raptors offense was dreadful for much of the first half. They couldn’t get anything going, Pascal Siakam continued to struggle mightily from inside and out, and things looked dire as Boston ran out to an early advantage. However, in the third quarter it was Toronto’s backcourt that took over. Fred VanVleet got hot with a few three-pointers and then Kyle Lowry took over the rest of the way, hitting some incredibly difficult threes, attacking the Celtics defense downhill to create for himself and others, and putting the Raptors up for good with a ridiculous turnaround jumper in the post on Kemba Walker.

It’s clear who is the most important player on this team, with all due respect to Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam’s abilities. The Raptors have to put the ball in Lowry’s hands — something they inexplicably didn’t do on key late possessions out of timeouts both in the fourth quarter and overtime — and let him make the decisions late. VanVleet hit some big shots in the third, but also took some horrific heaves down the stretch trying to be the hero. Siakam couldn’t buy a bucket aside from a very helpful baseline jumper in double overtime, and he likely needs to be tasked with doing less ball-handling if he’s going to press as much as he did late amid his struggles scoring.

Lowry was the one, unsurprisingly, that was more than ready to takeover and bring some calm to the frenetic energy of this game for the Raptors. They’ll need that again in Game 7, but hopefully Nick Nurse recognizes that and calls his number more in key moments.

2. Marcus Smart will do whatever it takes

Jaylen Brown dominated early, before waning late, scoring 31 points on 30 shot attempts, with 21 of those coming in the first half. Jayson Tatum had 29 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists, as he hit some huge shots, but did have six turnovers including a few very costly ones in the overtime periods. Daniel Theis was excellent with 18 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting, but no one had a greater impact on this game for Boston than Marcus Smart.

Smart finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, hitting six three-pointers in 11 tries (and nearly tied the game with a late turnaround heave, to go along with his usual harassing defense that had the Raptors quite literally ready to fight him after the final buzzer sounded.

His ability to do seemingly whatever is needed at any given time is such an incredible luxury to have, and while he couldn’t get Boston to a win on Wednesday, there’s no way they end up in overtime without his contributions. His defensive ability made him first team All-Defense this season and deservedly so, but his improvement as a playmaker offensively might’ve been the biggest key on Wednesday night. He had some late passes that were simply sublime to go along with making some huge shots early and late. Game 7 is the kind of atmosphere one would expect Smart to thrive in, given the chaotic, nervous energy of a win-or-go home game.

3. Who will make winning plays in Game 7?

Both teams were sensational in Game 6, and the shot-making in double overtime was truly something to behold. In the end, it was the Raptors that made just enough plays, led by Lowry, but with significant contributions from Norman Powell and a timely three from OG Anunoby once again.

The Celtics had some big shots and big defensive stops of their own, but in the final overtime period it was Toronto that made more and, quite simply, that made the difference. The expectation for Game 7 is another close-fought game, and it’s going to come down to which team makes those plays down the stretch. Each of these teams have players capable of doing so on both ends, as Marcus Smart and Kyle Lowry showed in Game 6 with some key strips, rebounds, passes, and shots. At the same time, it will be incumbent on the two teams’ stars to avoid making critical mistakes.

Jayson Tatum, for as spectacular as he was scoring the ball, had some key turnovers late. Pascal Siakam was bailed out by his teammates, but his inability to put the ball in the basket looms very large going into a Game 7 where Toronto desperately needs him to find some kind of rhythm. Kemba Walker likewise struggled to score in Game 6, as the Raptors made him the focal point of their box-and-one when they decided to mix it up and go to that on defense.

There will be nerves and missed calls to work through for both teams in Game 7, whoever can find a way to make the right plays (and avoid the disastrous ones) down the stretch will earn a trip to face the Heat in the conference finals.

Sure, September is all about bourbon. It is Bourbon Heritage Month, after all. But just because you’re spending a lot of time sipping on the corn-based, American spirit doesn’t mean you can’t take a break and try something else. To travel your whiskey palate, we encourage you to leave the country completely (in a glass as opposed to a plane) and travel to the Emerald Isle.

You get where we’re headed with this? We think you should spend this fall getting acquainted with Irish whiskey.

Yes, Irish. We get that sometimes you forget about whiskey from Ireland until around the end of February until the end of March. But if you normally only reach for Irish brands until around St. Patrick’s Day, you’re totally missing out on a whole range of high-quality, well-made bottles.

Since we love an underdog, we decided to ask some of our favorite bartenders to tell us the best under-hyped Irish whiskeys to try this fall.

Teeling Single Malt

Suman Pradham, director of outlets at Viceroy Snowmass in Snowmass Village, Colorado

Teeling Single Grain — Irish single grain whiskey from Teeling. There are only an elite few Irish single grain whiskeys out there at the moment, but Teeling went ahead and made theirs unique by maturing it in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon casks.

Deliciously sweet, a good deal of spice and fruit hide within the Teeling Single Grain. This dram is adored for its spicy, sweet vanilla, honey, and butterscotch flavor notes.

Yellow Spot

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Yellow Spot. Irish is not typically my go-to for a sipper, but this bottle almost never warrants a mixer more than ice or some water.

West Cork 10

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch | Bar & Kitchen in Encino, California

It’s got to be the West Cork Single Malt Irish Whiskey, aged 10 years. It’s a beautifully smooth example of what Irish whiskey can be. A touch of sweetness, some citrus peel, and a hint of salinity that’s really elegant. And it’s perfectly priced to drink on the regular.

Bushmills Red Bush

Christopher Farzanrad, bartender at Mila Rooftop Bar in Glendale, California

Bushmills Red Bush is extremely underrated in my opinion. It has a similar flavor as Jameson and has a lot of history. Perhaps the crowd is more attracted to Jameson as it’s trendier, but I dig this bottle a lot.

Redbreast 12

Veronica Flores, bartender in Austin, Texas

If I wanted an alternative to the more frequently ordered whiskies, I would go for Powers. If I was in a “treat yo’self” mode, I would go for Redbreast 12. Flavor-wise, they both deliver.

The Sexton

Reniel Garcia, bar director of Havana 1957 in Miami

The Sexton. It’s one of my favorite sherry-aged Irish whiskeys ever made, and surprisingly complex at just four years old. It’s made with 100 percent Irish malted barley, triple-distilled in copper pot stills, and aged in European oak and former sherry casks.

It’s bottled at 80 proof. A must try.

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

Aaron Miyakawa, director of restaurants and special at Prince Waikiki in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition. It’s just a great solid blended whiskey that my friends and I always go to when enjoying a shot of whiskey with beer. It’s very reasonable in price yet its smoothness is why we often choose this brand over all others. If you want to up the ante, grab a bottle of Caskmates Stout Edition. The stout cask makes the flavors even richer.

Powers Gold Label

Zachary Shore, bartender at The Nest in Seattle

In the US you see a lot of consumers going for Jameson, Redbreast, and Tullamore D.E.W.. A bottle that I seem to always notice gathering dust in any bar that isn’t an Irish pub, is Powers Irish Whiskey. Not only does it come with some really great history being around two centuries old and being the first whiskey distilled in Dublin, it also has a great flavor. Smooth enough to drink on the rocks, and light enough to experiment in cocktails for any season.

Tullamore D.E.W. Caribbean Rum Cask Finish

Nestor Marchand, director of food and beverage at Plunge Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Everyone knows Jameson, but I like Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey. It is smooth and elegant. I especially enjoy the Caribbean Rum Cask Finish. If you enjoy the original Tullamore, you’re going to absolutely love this version with its brown sugar and toasted oak sweetness.

Green Spot

Adam Steely, owner and manager of Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg, Virginia

I might be at risk of underrated with “unknown” but my pick for an Irish whiskey that will surprise a whiskey drinker is Green Spot. It is one of the last bonded Irish whiskeys and is, dollar for dollar, the best you can find. Their next tier, Yellow Spot, is even more impressive.

We hope you’re ready for a ton of movies and TV shows and limited series and maybe even Quibis about the one life experience all of us have in common this year: suffering through the pandemic. But one may beat them all: As per Deadline, Anne Hathaway is in final talks to star in Lockdown, a heist thriller and rom-com set amidst the near-worldwide quarantine. And they’re not waiting for this mess to end (probably because it’s not going anywhere). Instead, they’ll be shooting end of September.

Deadline’s source describes Lockdown as a modest, $10 million production which will be shot in London, where things aren’t…quite as apocalyptic as they are in Hathaway’s native United States. Hathaway’s main co-star hasn’t been finalized, though one name bandied about is reportedly Cillian Murphy. The movie will be directed by Doug Liman, he of Swingers, Edge of Tomorrow, and the forthcoming Tom Cruise space movie — the one actually to be shot in space — and it’s written by Steven Knight, of Easter Promises, Locke, and, far less flatteringly, the instantly notorious Serenity, which also featured Hathaway.

Though much of the film industry remains closed, and for good reason, some have found outside-the-box ways to keep film alive. You can expect the marital saga Malcolm & Marie, shot in secret and starring Zendaya and John David Washington, at some point down the line.

(Via Deadline)

After an extremely successful 2019, Griselda hoped to continue their hot streak by adding their first female rap artist, Armani Caesar. The Buffalo native quickly got to work on her Griselda debut, The Liz, due on September 18. Ahead of its release, Armani dropped the video for the single “Simply Done,” in which she teams with fellow labelmate Benny The Butcher. The song lives up to its name, with the duo keeping things simple, the video mostly taking place in an alleyway. From Armani’s confident bars to Benny’s money-flexing, the two rappers make it clear that they won’t be easily moved from their hip-hop pedestal.

Griselda first signed Caesar back in April, which prompted Westside Gunn took to his Instagram to welcome his fans to the label’s newest signee. “It was All about timing this was over a decade in the making she’s a hustler,” he said in the post. “She comes from the same streets as US and actually started with us Were about to get busy So I want EVERYBODY to follow her and Support her.” Following the announcement, Armani would release the “Simply Done” single and reveal The Liz would arrive on August 21. However, following the death of Griselda’s DJ Shay, she would delay the project to honor his passing.

The Liz is out 09/18 via Griselda.