Category: Worldwide
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
From the latest Scooby-Doo movie to Tom Hardy’s Capone, here’s what’s being released this week.
A Stanford whistleblower complaint alleges that the controversial John Ioannidis study failed to disclose important financial ties and ignored scientists’ concerns that their antibody test was inaccurate.
With courthouses still closed, judges and legal aid groups fear people who can’t afford lawyers are being shut out of the civil justice system altogether.
Since 2012, the world has celebrated whisky (and whiskey) on the third Saturday of every May. The fittingly named World Whisky Day offers a great opportunity for you to branch out from your usual American-made bourbons, ryes, and Tennessee whiskeys and try something from a different country. You may not be able to travel the world right now, but you can take your palate on an international whisky tour.
In 2020, it’s grown crystal clear that whisky is a truly global spirit. There are amazing bottles coming out of places like Taiwan, Japan, Scotland, France, Ireland, and India that are cherished by aficionados around the world. Just ask Sally Gatza, lead bartender at LA Jackson in Nashville, who often finds herself reaching for Japanese whisky.
“I love everything coming from Japan at this point,” she says. “It’s a fun time to be alive for Japanese whiskey lovers because it’s not quite commercial enough yet for it to be anything other than perfect every time. You can pick up any bottle and expect it to be delicious.”
To determine which expressions you should try on World Whisky Day, we figured we would once again turn to the professionals. So we asked a handful of bartenders to tell us their favorite whiskeys from outside of the US.
Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso (Scotland)
Ian Clark, bar supervisor at Topside in Baltimore
My current favorite is Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso. It’s a great, Speyside single malt finished in Oloroso sherry casks. It’s a very well balanced whiskey with deeply rich flavors; mild smokiness, baking spice, dried fruit rounded out by subtle spice and sweetness from the sherry cask finish.
Hatozaki Small Batch (Japan)
Brandi Carter, beverage manager at Elvie’s in Jackson, Mississippi
I enjoy Hatozaki Japanese Whisky when I’m looking for something a little more unexpected. It’s almost like if Anejo Tequila and a nice peaty scotch had a baby. It’s even excellent in a margarita.
Brenne Single Malt (France)
Brooke Baker, general manager at Underdog in New York City
Brenne French Single Malt. I love the slightly sweet, delicate flavor. It is unique among all other whiskies. It is excellent to mix with, due to complex flavor profiles which allow much versatility. With subtle blueberry and grape notes, it is great as a simple highball with seltzer or ginger. It makes a killer whisky sour. In an old fashioned, it requires very little additional sugar which helps reduce calories. We can all take advantage of that during the ‘quarantine ten pounds’.
The Balvenie 12 (Scotland)
Catalina Borer, bartender at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia
This question is as hard as which is your favorite child. I consider myself more of a bourbon-gal, but there is a world of fantastic American and non-American whiskeys. The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whiskey 12 years, specifically American Oak would be my choice, although the Balvenie Distillery has an array of options that go from simple single malts to complex cask-aged gems. The American Oak version has to be at the top of my list. It has all the characteristics you look for in a single malt plus the toffee-caramel toasted hints that American oak brings to the table.
Suntory Toki (Japan)
Spencer Elliott, bartender at Bounce Sporting Club in Chicago
When I’m looking outside the US for whiskey, I always go to Suntory Toki. A bright and smooth taste that pairs wonderfully in a highball or just on ice. The notes are heavy enough to hold up in a Manhattan and light enough to bring out the lemon notes in a highball.
Lot No. 40 (Canada)
Gord Hannah, head bartender at The Drake Hotel in Toronto
My go-to whisky is almost always Lot no.40 Canadian Whisky. 100% rye, 43% ABV and packing enough flavor to star in a stirred classic or refreshing tall cocktail. We use it at the Drake in one of our best-selling cocktails, the Ginger Rogers. Lot No. 40 works beautifully in this strawberry/honey mule and it is always our endeavor to support local when we can.
Clynelish 14 (Scotland)
Westin Galleymore, spirits director at Underbelly Hospitality in Houston
Clynelish just about every day of the week, including Sundays. Outside of its jaw-dropping scenery provided by the natural landscape that surrounds the distillery, it has an amazing and tragic history as one of the “clearance” distilleries of the early 19th Century, where farmers were forced off of their land, oftentimes brutally, to work in towns where the Duke and wealthy landowners controlled and saw any and all profits. Clynelish is truly unique and special for its distillation process. While all other distilleries during their non-producing season will scrub just about every instrument clean and start clean again come distilling season, Clynelish opts to return the natural oils that are a result of the distillation back to one of its key tanks—technical term is the “feints receiver”—which, in turn, provides Clynelish’s coveted waxiness that it is known for.
There is not quite another whiskey on the planet that carries the same mouthfeel as any Clynelish product. It is one of my favorite single malt and in general whisky producers in the world.
Glenfiddich 18 (Scotland)
Kira Webster, beverage director at indo in St. Louis
Glenfiddich 18 Year single malt. It’s matured in American oak and Spanish Olorosso sherry wood, and the rich baking spices mix beautifully with the light, fruity notes from both wood finishes.
Dalmore 12 (Scotland)
Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles
I always lean towards scotch whisky if we are talking about anything outside the U.S.
To pick one, I would have to go with anything from the Dalmore line such as their 12, 15, 18, cigar malt and King Alexander III which are all wonderful whiskeys that are just loaded with flavor. If you have the money, you can really start exploring some of their other gems, but these basics are a good place to start and have in your bar. Richard Patterson, master distiller for Dalmore will tell you to avoid ice with these whiskies and I would have to agree. Just a few drops of water if you truly want to open up the bouquet of flavors in these whiskies, so don’t kill them with cold ice. Dalmore is an art in my opinion that has to be enjoyed every sip of the way.
Teeling Single Grain (Ireland)
H. Joseph Erhmann, proprietor of ELIXIR in San Francisco
That’s a very difficult question. I’m a huge malt whisky drinker, and with so many great imported whiskies it’s all about “what am I drinking now?” So, I’ll answer that. Lately, I’ve been really enjoying The Chita, a single grain Japanese whisky that my brother brings me from Duty-Free in Singapore. Unfortunately, we can’t get it in the US. I’ve been loving single grains like Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey or Compass Box Hedonism.
Nikka Coffey Grain (Japan)
Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami
Nikka Coffey Grain. A playful balance of corn whiskey in the characteristic Coffey still texture. There is a soft spot on my palette for corn whiskies and this is such a great, mellow expression. Japanese spirits can be so vast and unique, but this is one I can regularly come back to much like I would an evening bourbon.
The Balvenie 14
Kyle Harlan, beverage director at Mission Taco Joint in Kansas City
I’m a sucker for Balvenie 14 Year I love rum, and I don’t care for peated whiskies and the Balvenie 14 checks all the boxes for me. That’s one of my celebration bottles. I go back to it again and again.
The Mandalorian remains shrouded in mystery in many ways, but we now know at least one major actor who will show up sometime in Season 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Justified and Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant snagged a yet-unknown role in the second season of the bounty hunter epic that’s set to drop new episodes this fall.
Olyphant, who most recently starred on Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet, will appear in season two of the Disney+ Star Wars series, multiple sources tell Heat Vision.
It is unknown whether the actor will play a new character or a returning favorite in a new guise.
Disney has been extremely secretive about who was cast in the show, but we’ve slowly seen leaks reveal casting that gives us a firmer idea of what we’ll see as the space western develops in its second run. Considering the subject matter and style of the show, Olyphant is a perfect fit in a lot of ways regardless of which Star Wars character he gives life to from the series’ lore.
The news doesn’t mean Olyphant has any work ahead of him in the middle of the pandemic — Season 2 of Disney+’s tentpole operation was largely finished when things started to shut down back in March. But it does give us a better idea of what we’ll see from the second season in fall, and has led to a lot of speculation from fans about what role Olyphant will play in the series.
Disney has insisted that The Mandalorian will not be delayed despite the pandemic, so we should expect to see Olyphant — regardless of who he’s playing — sometime in October.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden appeared in a virtual town hall-style meeting on MSNBC hosted by Lawrence O’Donnell on Thursday night. The event also featured an appearance by voting rights advocate and oft-rumored Democratic vice-presidential nominee Stacey Abrams.
During the event, Biden took questions from listeners on accusations of his sexual harassment, healthcare plan and of course, Donald Trump. The moment was particularly moving because it showed Biden’s natural empathy at a time when many Americans are suffering the loss of loved ones.
Biden’s ability to relate to everyday people in an authentic way has always been his greatest strength as a politician.
“As someone who has lost a wife and a daughter and a son and knows what it’s like to go through loss. What advice would you give to a family who has lost someone to COVID-19?” a listener asked.
The presumptive Democratic nominee has had to overcome unspeakable tragedy in his life. In December 1972 his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a traffic accident. In May 2015, his son Beau died of brain cancer.
Biden To The Mourning Loved Ones: ‘You’ll Get Through This Veil Of Darkness’ | The Last Word | MSNBC
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“The folks who’ve recently lost someone to COVID-19, eighty-six, almost eighty-seven thousand of them now, they feel like there’s a black hole in the middle of their chest. They’re being sucked into it,” Biden said. “They’re frightened and they are scared and they don’t know what to do.”
Biden knows there’s no easy way to get through the pain, but eventually people’s feelings evolve.
“All I can tell them is it will take time,” he said. “But, in time, what’s gonna happen is you’re gonna find when think of that son, daughter, husband, wife, mother, father you lost, you’re gonna get a smile on your lip before you get a tear in your eye and that’s when you know you’re gonna make it.”
His response was empathetic, but he also provided a specific way for people to focus their efforts to get through the sorrow.
“And the way you make it, at least in my experience … is that you have to have a purpose,” Biden continued. “Purpose will drive you to be able to control your life.”
“But what I have to say is they’re still with you. They’re in your heart,” Biden said. “They’re part of your soul. It’s who you are. And you’ve got to have faith that the time will come when you get through this veil of darkness. You really will. But the best way to get through it is with a sense of purpose.”
Although it’s difficult, one has to take the first steps toward healing themselves.
“You’ve got to move,” he said. “You’ve just gotta get up. As my dad would say, ‘When you get knocked down you just gotta get up.’ And think to yourself what would they want you to do?”
After three-plus years of having Trump in office who has little regard for anyone but himself, Biden’s heartfelt response is a reminder that it is possible to have a president that can feel a nation’s pain. After the COVID-19 virus passes America, our nation will need to heal emotionally as much as it does economically. Biden has the experience to help us do both.