The day after Donald Trump was ordered to pay $354.8 million over his New York civil fraud case, he did something predictably unexpected: He hawked pricey gold sneakers. They weren’t his product, per se; he’d merely licensed his name and likeness to a Trump stan company (that was also selling Trump-themed fragrances, natch). Still, he was the one on a Philadelphia stage urging people to buy the limited supply, and though the move earned him inevitable mockery, guess what? Not only did they sell out quickly, but one pair may be sold for a stunning sum indeed.
Per Newsweek, one lucky buyer of Trump’s “Never Surrender High-Tops” was able to flip them for more than 1,000 times what they were originally worth. There were three lines of Trump shoes, the most expensive ones, with a gold coloring, going for $399. But that person wants to sell them on eBay for a staggering $450,000.
It’s worth noting that sum is nearly $100,000 more than what Trump was ordered to fork over (ignoring the interest he also has to pay, mind you) in his fraud trial. If it goes through, that person — providing they actually care about the 45th president’s woes and weren’t just trying to make an easy buck — could conceivably donate a sizeable chunk of it to that GoFundMe started to pay off his latest legal apocalypse. They’d still have a lot left over, too!
In other Trump money news, his third campaign seems to be in as dire straits as he is. A new report shows that in January the campaign spent more than it had raised, and that his PACs are now paying part of his ever-mounting legal woes.
You’re probably familiar with the literary classic “Moby-Dick.”
But in case you’re not, here’s the gist: Moby Dick is the name of a huge albino sperm whale.
(Get your mind outta the gutter.)
There’s this dude named Captain Ahab who really really hates the whale, and he goes absolutely bonkers in his quest to hunt and kill it, and then everything is awful and we all die unsatisfied with our shared sad existence and — oops, spoilers!
OK, technically, the narrator Ishmael survives. So it’s actually a happy ending (kind of)!
Basically, it’s a famous book about revenge and obsession that was published back in 1851, and it’s really, really long.
It’s chock-full of beautiful passages and dense symbolism and deep thematic resonance and all those good things that earned it a top spot in the musty canon of important literature.
There’s also a lot of mundane descriptions about the whaling trade as well (like, a lot). That’s because it came out back when commercial whaling was still a thing we did.
In fact, humans used to hunt more than 50,000 whales each year to use for oil, meat, baleen, and oil. (Yes, I wrote oil twice.) Then, in 1946, the International Whaling Commission stepped in and said “Hey, wait a minute, guys. There’s only a few handful of these majestic creatures left in the entire world, so maybe we should try to not kill them anymore?”
And even then, commercial whaling was still legal in some parts of the world until as recently as 1986.
And yet by some miracle, there are whales who were born before “Moby-Dick” was published that are still alive today.
What are the odds of that? Honestly it’s hard to calculate since we can’t exactly swim up to a bowhead and say, “Hey, how old are you?” and expect a response. (Also that’s a rude question — jeez.)
Thanks to some thoughtful collaboration between researchers and traditional Inupiat whalers (who are still allowed to hunt for survival), scientists have used amino acids in the eyes of whales and harpoon fragments lodged in their carcasses to determine the age of these enormous animals — and they found at least three bowhead whales who were living prior to 1850.
Granted those are bowheads, not sperm whales like the fictional Moby Dick, (and none of them are albino, I think), but still. Pretty amazing, huh?
This is a particularly remarkable feat considering that the entire species was dwindling near extinction.
Unfortunately, just as things are looking up, these wonderful whales are in trouble once again.
We might not need to worry our real-life Captain Ahabs anymore, but our big aquatic buddies are still being threatened by industrialization — namely, from oil drilling in the Arctic and the Great Australian Bight.
This influx of industrialization also affects their migratory patterns — threatening not only the humans who depend on them, but also the entire marine ecosystem.
And I mean, c’mon — who would want to hurt this adorable face?
Whales might be large and long-living. But they still need our help to survive.
If you want another whale to make it to his two-hundred-and-eleventy-first birthday (which you should because I hear they throw great parties), then sign this petition to protect the waters from Big Oil and other industrial threats.
Gordon Ramsay is not exactly known for being nice.
Or patient.
Or nurturing.
On his competition show “Hell’s Kitchen,” he belittles cooks who can’t keep up. If people come to him with their problems, he berates them. If someone is struggling to get something right in the kitchen, he curses them out.
His whole TV persona is based on being the world’s worst boss.
So when a fellow cook asked him a sincere, deeply personal question about what to do when you’ve hit a roadblock in your career, you could probably guess what was coming.
Indeed, I thought the guy was making a terrible mistake pouring his heart out to a chef as notoriously tough as Ramsay:
“My hopes and dreams are nowhere to be found as I scale and portion salmon after salmon, shelling pods after pods of broad beans. … Sometimes I look out the tiny window and I can see people walking around the streets, enjoying the sunlight, while I’m here, questioning my dedication to this art as I rotate stock in the cool room, getting frost bitten, but the fear of the chef stops me from stepping outside to warm up. … The closest thing to feeling any kind of joy I get is those rare moments when I walk through the dining room near the end of service to get some coffee for everyone, and there will be a few diners left, idly sampling those little petite fours that we’ve painstakingly ensured are all perfectly round, identical, and just plain delicious. Then, one of them will stop the conversation they’re having with their company, look up from their food and say, ‘Thank you, chef. This is delicious,’ and making the previous 14-hours of sweat and tears kind of worthwhile.
My question is, how did you deal with it? How the fuck did you deal with all the bullshit, Gordon?”
But the way Ramsay responded? Totally amazing. And completely unexpected.
Turns out, real-life Gordon Ramsay? He actually can be a really kind, big-hearted dude.
He’s sympathetic to the guy. Not just because he’s a good person. But because he’s been there.
Working in restaurants is a tough, tough business. As of 2012, the average salary for cooks was less than $23,000/year. And those who are just starting out often have to work unglamorous, tedious jobs that no one else wants to do. Ramsay didn’t have fancy culinary school training. He rose up through the ranks putting in long hours for low pay in kitchens all over the world. That’s why he gets it.
Which brings up another point.
Diet Dieting GIF by Bobbi DeCarlo – Find & Share on GIPHY
When we go out to eat, we, as a culture, tend to behave … how should I put this?
Let’s go with “not like perfect angels.”
Of course, no one likes getting the wrong order. Or waiting a really long time for a meal. Or eating something that doesn’t taste the way you expect it to.
But it’s important to remember that the people behind the food, like Ramsay’s anonymous letter-writer, might be working 14-hour days. Or might be a recent immigrant who speaks limited English, trying to support a family thousands of miles away. And possibly making very little money. And sure, they screw up sometimes. But we all screw up at our jobs sometimes.
Because they, like the rest of us, are human beings.
When Lily Evans set out to walk her dog, she had no idea the story of that walk would later go viral on the internet.
When she took to Twitter to recount her experience, she opened with a simple question, one that many men have probably wondered for a long time — though women already know the answer.
(Before you click through to the thread itself, note that Lily’s Twitter account is expressly for adults and may be NSFW.)
The walk started off normal enough. Until she ran into a seemingly friendly stranger.
A man eating on a nearby bench offered her dog, Echo, a treat.
He eventually asked her if she lived in the area — which could be considered slightly intrusive — but all in all, it was just small talk.
But then she ran into him again shortly after.
Evans says his friendly banter — maybe innocent, but more likely not — was making her incredibly uncomfortable.
And yet he continued to linger.
Then he invaded her physical space with an out-of-nowhere hug.
“I was terrified,” she wrote.
Evans hurried home, petrified the man would follow her.
He didn’t. But the experience left her shaken and upset. Worst of all, she says, she has been through this many, many times before.
Her story went viral in a hurry, with over 44,000 retweets, 68,000 likes, and thousands of comments.
“The response from other women has been pretty heartbreaking,” Evans writes in a Twitter exchange with Upworthy. “Many, many women have used this as an opportunity to share their stories of harassment, assault, or even just being very frightened.”
The replies to Evans’ tweet thread is littered with similar stories — seemingly “nice” guys on the street or public transportation who push small talk far past its acceptable boundaries.
Though she’s glad her story made other women feel more comfortable coming forward with their own experiences, Evans hopes it also leaves an impression on men who read it.
“I had several guys ask me how they can be more non-threatening, and that’s exactly what I was aiming for.”
“I got a lot of replies from men saying, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry that happened, but we aren’t all like that! Some of us are nice guys,'” she says. “And while that’s true, my point was that strangers cannot know what your intentions are until it’s too late.
She hits on an important point: It’s not inherently wrong or creepy to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but women truly never know when a simple “hi” is going to turn into them being followed and harassed.
“I had several guys ask me how they can be more non-threatening, and that’s exactly what I was aiming for,” she says. “I just want men to be more self-aware and understand that when a woman they don’t know is skittish, it’s nothing personal. We’re just trying to be safe.”
There are few things that feel more awful than being stranded at the altar by your spouse-to-be. That’s why people are cheering on Kayley Stead, 27, from the U.K. for turning a day of extreme disappointment into a party for her friends, family and most importantly, herself.
According to a report in The Metro, on Thursday, September 15, Stead woke up in an Airbnb with her bridemaids, having no idea that her fiance, Kallum Norton, 24, had run off early that morning. The word got to Stead’s bridesmaids at around 7 a.m. the day of the wedding.
“[A groomsman] called one of the maids of honor to explain that the groom had ‘gone.’ We were told he had left the caravan they were staying at in Oxwich Bay (the venue) at 12:30 a.m. to visit his family, who were staying in another caravan nearby and hadn’t returned. When they woke in the morning, he was not there and his car had gone,” Jordie Cullen wrote on a GoFundMe page.
u201cDevastated bride goes ahead with party after groom stood her up on their wedding day ud83dudc4fnn[THREAD] ud83euddf5u201d
— Manchester News MEN (@Manchester News MEN) 1664276377
Stead spoke with the groom at 4 p.m. the previous day, but they stayed the night with their respective parties to save some mystery before the big day. “The groom and I had already agreed not to speak the night before the wedding anyway, so I didn’t know what was happening on his end, I didn’t have a clue,” Stead told The Metro.
Stead was in absolute shock after hearing the news. She had paid for nearly the entire wedding herself, using up all of her life savings on the £12,000 ($13,000) affair. “As a joke, the videographer said ‘Why don’t you carry on, girls? You’ve spent all this money, you’re not getting it back, all your guests are there, why don’t you just go?’” Stead told The Metro.
So, she did just that. Stead decided that the wedding would go on without her fiance.
u201cKayley Stead made the brave decision to carry on with the celebrations without her partner of four years Kallum Norton after he ditched her before the ceremonynnhttps://t.co/BoBM7KUSOhu201d
“That’s when I was like, I’m going to do it,” she said. “I’d spent all this money, I’d been looking forward to the food, a dance with my dad, spending time with my family, so why not?”
Stead, her friends, family and even the groomsmen didn’t let things go to waste and they enjoyed her wedding entrance, food, speeches, dances and even posed for photos. “I didn’t want to remember the day as complete sadness,” she said.
“She was the most beautiful bride we had ever seen,” Cullen added.
The good news is that after the party, Cullen set up a GoFundMe page to help Stead recoup her losses and it has already reached its goal of £10,000 ($10,830). Almost two weeks after the event, Stead still doesn’t know why she was stood her up on her wedding day.
u201c”There were so many special moments, like my wedding entrance, the sparkler walk, the first dance and punching the wedding cake, so there was still happiness in the day. I’d spent all this money.” – Kayley Steadu201d
The Sun caught up with Norton and he refused to apologize. The only thing he had to say was, “I don’t want to talk about the article.”
While it’s terrible that Stead was stood up on her wedding day, she should be applauded for making the best of the worst day ever. It’s also wonderful that her bridesmaids and family stood by her side and supported her as she dealt with a serious blow. Let’s hope she finds someone better soon. It shouldn’t be too hard—standing someone up at the altar and then not even explaining yourself is a pretty low move.
The long wait for J. Cole’s seventh studio album, The Fall Off, may be coming to an end. Cole, who is currently on tour with Drake, shared a snippet of a new song, along with a short tour vlog using a burner account on Instagram. The video tracks his and Drake’s tour from behind the scenes, capturing Cole in the studio and featuring appearances from the tour’s new opener Lil Durk. You can check it out below or, if you just want to skip to the song, there’s another embed under that.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3n-XnLrmjm/
J. Cole shares a new snippet ‘Might Delete Later, Vol. 1’
He’s currently on tour w/ Drake for Leg 2 of the ‘It’s All A Blur Tour’
The song itself is a stripped-down, no-holds-barred rhyme barrage over an eerie, ominous piano loop with cyberpunk-ish synths slowly building to a furious breakdown. Drake, Cole’s tourmate, is clearly an influence, with paranoid but triumphant lyrics in the vein of the Canadian rapper’s latest releases. And lest fans question the veracity of the Instagram burner, its authenticity was confirmed by no less an authority than Cole’s longtime business partner Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad, who told followers on Twitter to “tap in.”
Earlier this year, Cole insinuated that The Fall Off might very well be finished, telling fans at one of his and Drake’s It’s All A Blur tour stops, “Right now, I’m at the tale end of working on this album. This album that I’ve been working on for a long time. It’s called The Fall Off.” And although Cole joked “I don’t know how many people know about it,” he’s been teasing the project since shortly after the release of his fifth album, KOD. Perhaps this teaser is just the beginning of a rollout fans have been waiting for since before the pandemic.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. This week is all about the future of footwear and less reliant on tried and true classics. Don’t worry Jordan fans, there is still a Jordan 1 dropping and it’s a good one but there is a lot more to get excited over if you’re a fan of silhouettes that aren’t nearly 40 years old.
Adidas’ strongest new silhouette, the Anthony Edwards signature AE1, is getting a new colorway. Drake’s NOCTA Air Zoom returns in a winter-ready colorway, Adidas teams up with Edison Chen for a radical revamp of the Superstar, and Bodega and Saucony link up once again for one of their best collaborations ever.
This week’s list is short but it’s a great mix for sneakerheads of all stripes (and swooshes). Let’s dive in.
The AE 1 is a hit, which is a big deal for Adidas considering right now the brand’s most popular silhouette is the Samba, one of its oldest designs. So it’s great to see some new blood in the water.
The AE 1 features a textile upper over a lightweight BOOST Midsole with a two-color-dip design. The latest colorway features a mix of Arctic Fusion and Core Black.
The Adidas AE 1 New Wave Arctic Fusion is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Drake’s NOCTA Air Zoom Drive is the NOCTA line’s lightest sneaker to date and features a textile upper with leather overlays and an exposed zoom air bag at the heel, an all-white colorway, and reflective underlays throughout.
The reflective material is used across the textile portion of the design and interacts with the leather in a really interesting way. It looks like the NOCTA’s keep getting better and better and we’re here for it. Drake is building up quite the roster.
The Nike NOCTA Air Zoom Drive Summit White is set to drop on February 22nd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $165. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Supreme isn’t the titan of streetwear it used to be as the brand has kind of lost its allure, but we have to admit, they’re winning us back with this latest Nike collaboration.
The Air Max DN is a new Air Max silhouette so that alone is pretty exciting. The new design features a textile upper with airbag windows at the heel. It looks pretty lightweight and sort of resembles a mix between the Air Max Plus and the Air Max 97, which isn’t a bad look!
The debut colorway mixes deep black tones and forest green and features reflective Supreme text across the upper. Is Supreme fully back? We’ll see what else they have in store for this year.
The Supreme x Nike Air Max DN is set to drop on February 22nd for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair via the Supreme webstore or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Something about the Nike Air Peg 2K5 reminds me of Nike’s collaborations with the British Grime MC Skepta. There is a certain gritty British quality to this design, maybe it’s the combination of the red and black, maybe it’s the multi-layered upper, whatever it is, it’s working!
The sneaker combines black and Fire Red colors — like its name would suggest — with little accents in Fierce Pink throughout. If you’re all about early ‘00s aesthetics, this is the sneaker for you.
The Nike Air Peg 2K5 Black and Fire Red is set to drop on February 23rd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
I’m a simple sneakerhead, you drop a black and white color rendition of one of the most iconic sneakers of all time, and you’re going to get my attention.
It should go without saying but, I love the Black/White OG Jordan 1 High OG. THe sneaker features a premium leather upper in black with white paneling, a white toe box, and a white swoosh. It’s a simple study in the power of contrasting colors.
The Nike Air Jordan 1 High OG Black/White is set to drop on February 24th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
CLOT co-founder Edison Chen has radically reimagined the Adidas Superstar and it looks great! That’s no easy feat considering the Superstar is one of Adidas’ most iconic sneakers. The new design features an altered shell toe cap with hand-stitched ridges, a premium leather upper, an EVA wedge, a lace tassel, and a ripple sole.
There is a heightened level of luxury here which is a cool juxtaposition to the barebones no-nonsense design of the original.
The Adidas CLOT Superstar By Edison Chen is set to drop on February 23rd at 6:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.
Bodega and Saucony have come together once again for a new take on the Grid Shadow 2. Dubbed the ‘Jaunt Woven,’ this sneaker features an upper made from stone-washed canvas, hemp and cotton, with a recycled gum rubber outsole, a speckled EVA midsole, and a crunchy earthy color scheme.
It’s very much a hippy shoe. Take that however you want.
The Bodega x Saucony Grid Shadow 2 Jaunt Woven is set to drop on February 23rd at 9:00 AM PST for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair online or at the Bodega store in Boston or Los Angeles.
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Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.
Netflix had their work cut out for them with Avatar: The Last Airbender. That’s the case for a few reasons, including how the Nickelodeon animated series holds a special place in viewers’ hearts, and the M. Night Shyamalan movie, well, does not. So ideally, the Netflix version will edge closer to the former rather than the latter, and we won’t have to wait too long before finding out how viewers respond to the new series following the Feb. 22 release date. At that point, young Air Nomad (Aang) will have to ascend to his rightful place and restore peace between realms, even though Fire Nation is eternally salty and throwing up every obstacle possible.
Aside from adaptation-based faithfulness to the source material, however, there’s another important issue that the cast of this series had to sort out, and that was the matter of on-set naps. They happen! And as the leading trio has revealed, Aang’s enormous flying bison (Appa) made an ideal giant pillow, where Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio Tarbell, and Ian Ousley caught some shuteye for hours at a time. Cormier dished the important details via Variety:
“They told us that we have to wait up there [on Appa] for 15 minutes and that we could come down, but it’d be kind of useless. So we stay up there; 30 minutes go by, and nothing is happening. We eventually started napping and forming this crazy puzzle shape to stay in the saddle, and we started kicking and shoving one another. We were all getting really mad at each other. It was a great memory because now I can look back at it and think about how pissed off we were because we were all trying to sleep. It took like an hour but was a good bonding experience.”
Nap City is a glorious place to visit, and these actors made the most of the opportunity, so good on them. If you want to take a peek at Appa, check out the 1:00 mark in this trailer.
The rub with this category is that it’s not cheap. American single malt is still a pretty niche category with bespoke producers spending a lot of money making it. That means that grabbing a subpar bottle is a real threat and could be a real waste of money — especially if a mid bottle languishes on your shelf collecting dust. To that end, I’ve collected 10 new and interesting American single malt whiskeys that you can find right now. I put those whiskeys to a blind taste test (with the help of my very patient wife pouring and organizing for me), and then I ranked those whiskeys based on overall depth and flavor.
Bulleit Single Malt Frontier Whiskey American Single Malt Whiskey
The Macklowe “Kentucky Edition” American Single Malt Whiskey
Stranahan’s Snowflake Colorado Single Malt Whiskey “Pyramid Peak”
Redwood Empire Whiskey “Foggy Burl” Single Malt Whiskey
291 “E” Colorado Whiskey Experimental Batch 13 American Single Malt Whiskey
Lost Lantern “Mountain Meadow” St. George Spirits California Single Malt
Westward American Single Malt Whiskey Small Batch Selection Vienna Malt
New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey
Virginia Distillery Co. “Courage & Conviction” Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt Whisky
Cedar Ridge “The QuintEssential” American Single Malt Whiskey Special Release Portside
When it came to ranking these whiskeys, it was pretty easy. This is about taste. Yes, barley whiskey has a different vibe than corn-fueled bourbon or grassy rye. But it still has to taste good. That was my north star when ranking these. And some just didn’t pass that bar so let’s dive right in.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX American Single Malt Whiskey Posts Of The Last Six Months
Part 1 — The American Single Malt Whiskey Blind Tasting
Zach Johnston
Taste 1
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a candy bomb on the nose with sweet Jolly Rancher candies, fruit leather syrup, and tons of cherry and apple syrups with a hint of vanilla and oak backing it up.
Palate: Those sweet fruits vibe on the palate with a thick red berry syrup leading to pear candy and apple juice with a hint of sweetgrass countered by woody warming spice.
Finish: The end mellows dramatically toward soft mocha lattes, a touch of salted caramel, and faint whispers of a garden supply store.
Initial Thoughts:
This feels very one-note until the mid-palate, then it actually gets pretty interesting. Still, that fruity candy bomb on the nose and front of the palate is a lot.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is malty on the nose with a soft touch of evergreen bushes, soft summer florals, spring honeycomb, and softly sweet yet spiced oak staves with a hint of Graham Cracker.
Palate: There’s a nutty maltiness to the palate that leads to spicy winter barks, light layers of vanilla, and a hint of gingerbread dipped in salted caramel.
Finish: That spice and sweetness combine on the finish with a light end that’s part barrelhouse earthiness and part soft malted sweetgrass braided with a touch of smudging sage.
Initial Thoughts:
This feels like a standard malt whiskey. Something was missing here that I can’t quite put my finger on. That said, this still sipped very nicely and had a classic Speyside vibe.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sharp white pepper and old oak drive the nose toward apple hand pies frosted in powdered sugar icing, salted caramel, and a sense of sweet grain porridge cut with butter.
Palate: The apple takes on a spiced cider vibe on the palate as vanilla bean and caramel drive the taste toward smudging sage and dried sweetgrass.
Finish: Dark and apple-laced tobacco drives the finish toward sharp cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries before leading into a fresh sense of sweet apples off the tree and rolled in caramel.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a clearly balanced and very apple-forward sipper. It’s very reminiscent of bold Highland malts with a touch of American oaky depth. It’s nice.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lighter with notes of soft wood, orchard fruits, and vanilla wafer with a hint of nougat and caramel.
Palate: The malts mount on the palate as the nougat turns into dark chocolate sauce with a pinch of salt and a touch of caramel before a winter spice woodiness arrives with dark fruits and berries.
Finish: Those dark berries, caramel, and woody spice build warmth on the finish as light maltiness remains as the foundation of the sip.
Initial Thoughts:
This was nice too. Again, it wasn’t “Wow” but very sippable.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a bold AF nose with Honey Graham Crackers cut with real cinnamon before this rush of cherry hard candy, soft vanilla cream, toasted marshmallow, and dark woody winter spices burst forth.
Palate: The cinnamon sharpens on the palate as a deep and sweet sense of chewing gum leads the taste toward soft orange oils and more of those marshmallows before Red Hots take over with a hint of old oak.
Finish: The Red Hots and oakiness drive the finish toward whispers of orange rinds, marzipan, and dried jasmine with a faint flourish of nasturtium on the very end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a big whiskey with big flavors. And they all work. This is a hell of a sipper.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a light and fresh nose with dill pickle vibes, pine dankness, and plenty of white pepper next to a lemon-infused green tea feel.
Palate: That lemon and pine mix on the palate for a hint of varnish before cinnamon and vanilla arrive to counter with a bit more of that green tea.
Finish: The pine dank and dill pickle herbs return to the finish with more bitter lemon and light maltiness.
Initial Thoughts:
Holy shit, this is an “acquired taste whiskey” — it’s so far out in left field that it’s hard to know what to do with it.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is super crafty with huge sweet porridge notes of grains, banana bread, and pancake batter with a hint of maple syrup, salted butter, and floral incense.
Palate: That porridge vibe continues (in spades) on the palate as the banana turns creamy with a sense of Almond Joys and honey.
Finish: The end leans into the sweet and buttery grains with a touch of vanilla sheet cake, oak, and mint tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another one that’s a very “acquired taste.” If you’re not into grain-forward crafties, this is going to be a lot to get your head around.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich malted winter spiced cakes lead the nose toward chili pepper spice, old dried fruits (dates, prunes, figs) all dipped in floral honey, and a light sense of citrus (both candied and dried) before old oak, orchard bark, and fall leaves arrive with a sense of fermented fruit laying on the ground of that orchard.
Palate: The funky fruit and fall leaves drive the taste back toward rich vanilla and spiced malted fruit cakes with a light sense of pipe tobacco and old leather boots before floral honey gives way to bright nasturtiums.
Finish: The floral spiced honey gets malty on the backend with a hint of salt and rock candy before hot tobacco and dried red chili build at the end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a million miles beyond every pour that came before it on this panel. This is a delicious, balanced, and deep whiskey.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with deep honey and candied orange next to apricot jam over scones with a hint of malted spice and brandy-soaked oak staves.
Palate: Black Forest cake by way of honey-pear-floral malted crackers drives the palate toward winter spice barks, soft milk chocolate sauce, and a dash of lemon malt meringue.
Finish: Fresh gingerbread and soft oak round out the finish with a nice dose of spice, chocolate, and malt.
Initial Thoughts:
This is nuanced and reminiscent of a great Speyside whisky. It’s delightful.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with pecan waffles with a sharp candied orange rind vibe next to sugar cookies frosted with almond and lemon oil-infused frosting, a touch of creamy chocolate, and a sharp slice of ginger soaked in maple syrup.
Palate: That candied orange takes on the ginger with a rock candy sharpness and sweetness before Nutella enters the equation over buttermilk biscuits with a deep butteriness that leans toward toffee and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark salted chocolate.
Finish: The pecan and chocolate combine on the finish with a deep woody winter spice, soft vanilla pancake, and candied orange feel before stewed pear and soft marzipan kick in with a mildly warming finish that leans into rich tobacco spice just kissed with dried red leathery chili.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another whiskey that’s leagues beyond a lot of this panel’s pours. It’s a little sweet but it makes it work. This is really good whiskey.
Part 2 — The American Single Malt Whiskey Ranking
Zach Johnston
10. Lost Lantern “Mountain Meadow” St. George Spirits California Single Malt — Taste 6
This batch from Lost Lantern is a selection of four unique casks — all four years old — from St. George Distilling out in California. Once the barrels were batched, the whiskey was touched with water for this elite bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was just too out there to get a handle on. You’d really have to want something barely resembling whiskey, much less single malt to try this. Maybe that entices you? Lemon pine furniture varnish?
For me, it’s a pretty resounding “skip.”
9. Westward American Single Malt Whiskey Small Batch Selection Vienna Malt — Taste 7
This whiskey was made thanks to a delivery miscommunication. Vienna malt was delivered to Westward instead of their standard 2-row malted barley. The team went with it and made a Vienna malt whiskey from the erroneous malts as an experimental run.
Bottom Line:
This has potential. But it’s just so young and grainy that it’s hard to get past. That said, it tasted a hell of a lot better than wood varnish so here we are.
Still, Westward makes amazing single malts, maybe start with their Stout Cask finish first.
This is a new venture for California’s Redwood Empire. This whiskey is a batch of 27 barrels with 27 unique barley mash bills. Once those whiskeys were batched, they were touched with proofing water for bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was fine. For $100, I don’t think “fine” is enough. So I’d recommend trying Redwood Empire’s gorgeous rye and bourbon instead and giving them a little more time to tinker with their malt.
7. Bulleit Single Malt Frontier Whiskey American Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 1
This is a 100% malted barley whiskey created by bourbon and rye legends Bulleit. The malt was aged in new American oak for a spell before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that’s just not quite there yet. Two more years and this whiskey is going to be coming into its own. I’d wait until then.
This year’s Snowflake release from Stranahan’s is a small batch of great American single malts from the Colorado distiller. This year’s batch marries single malt finished in Islay quarter casks, rum, ruby port, sherry, and mezcal casks. Once those barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed down with Rocky Mountain water and bottled otherwise as-is.
Bottom Line:
Okay, this is where we get into the legit stuff. This is a good whiskey that feels like a riff on the Highlands with a touch of Americana thrown in for good measure. This will work well over some rocks or in your favorite whiskey cocktail.
5. The Macklowe “Kentucky Edition” American Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 2
This is a Kentucky-sourced single malt limited release from elite single malt bottler The Macklowe. The batch was from barrels that rested in the Blue Grass State for just under four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a good bridge between Kentucky and Speyside with a lean toward American oak sugars in the malt. It’s very sippable but will work better in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
4. 291 “E” Colorado Whiskey Experimental Batch 13 American Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 5
This special edition of 291’s iconic “E” expression is a four-year-old Colorado single malt that aged exclusively in new American oak. Only 291 bottles were bottled from the barrels and bottled at cask strength for this special batch.
Bottom Line:
This is a big and bold whiskey with a nice warmth that balances well with the profile. I’d pour this over a single big rock and then take time to seek out all the hidden nooks and crannies in the flavor profile under that heat.
3. Cedar Ridge “The QuintEssential” American Single Malt Whiskey Special Release Portside — Taste 10
Last year’s special release of Cedar Ridge’s now-iconic Quintessential American Single Malt takes that whiskey to new places. The base is the same 100% 2-Row Pale malted barely base that’s aged for six years in ex-bourbon barrels. Prime casks were then batched and then re-barreled into first-fill Ruby Port casks, first-fill Amontillado sherry casks, and new French oak casks. Those barrels were then vatted and the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is delicious. It’s varied but distinct with a lovely profile that delivers maltiness with an American oakiness that just works. Pour this over some ice for a great slow-sipping experience. Or make a killer Manhattan with this one.
2. Virginia Distillery Co. “Courage & Conviction” Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt Whisky — Taste 9
This new fall release from Virginia Distillery Co. features double asking. That means that the whiskey was aged a minimum of five years in first-fill bourbon casks and European red wine Cuvée casks before slow batching with a touch of water.
Bottom Line:
This is as close to great Scotch whisky as you’re going to get in the U.S. right now. This scratched that itch for a Dufftown malted beauty while adding in American oakiness, giving it great depth. This is a fun and rewarding sipper. Take your time with it and enjoy the ride.
1. New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 8
This new whiskey from New Riff is years in the making. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of single malt whiskeys made with 100% barley mash bills (Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Chevallier heirloom barley, and Scottish peated barley malt) that are aged for seven to eight years in a combination of new charred oak, de-charred toasted oak, red wine casks, Portuguese brandy casks, classic sherried oak casks, and a few others.
Bottom Line:
This was the winner by a country mile. This is excellent sipping whiskey. It’s so deep and full of character. You want to spend time with this one. It’ll be like buddying up next to a crackling fire in a pub with an old friend.
When it comes to crushable, crisp spring beers your first thought might be to crack open a refreshing pilsner. And while that idea isn’t wrong, we implore you to give helles-style lagers a chance this spring as well. For those unaware, this traditional German lager’s name translates to “pale in color” and that’s exactly what it is. Like a pilsner, it’s also sweet, floral, and gently bitter at the back end.
The difference between a helles-style lager and a pilsner is quite simple. Helles-style lagers originated in Germany while pilsners came from what’s now referred to as Czechia. Helles-style lagers are also known for their malt backbone and floral Noble hops, while pilsners are known for their crisp, lightly bitter, spicier flavor notes. Both are perfect for spring, but today Helles gets its due.
To help you get into that spring feeling, we found eight of the best Helles-style lagers and ranked them based on overall flavor and crushability. Since this is a classic Bavarian beer style, we picked a few classic German lagers and some popular American takes on the style. Keep reading to see how everything turned out.
With a name like Classic Lager, you should have a pretty good idea about what’s inside this can. This sessionable lager has a classic recipe as it’s made with a base of Pilsner malts and gets its hop aroma and flavor from the liberal use of German Hallertau hops.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find traditional lager aromas of pilsner malts, floral, earthy noble hops, cracked black pepper, honey, and citrus peels on the nose. The palate is centered on biscuit-like malts, white pepper, cereal grains, and floral, earthy, noble hops. It’s crisp, light, and very refreshing.
Bottom Line:
This is a straightforward, no-frills, crushable lager for any time of year. It’s just a solid beer that belongs in your refrigerator.
This American craft version of the traditional Helles-style lager is brewed with a Pilsner malt base and Saaz and Hallertau hops. The result is a floral, fruity, flavorful, crisp beer you’ll drink all spring and into the summer months.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of freshly baked bread, cereal grains, honey, citrus fruit, and floral, earthy hops starts everything on the right foot. The palate is filled with flavors like peach, honey, grass, freshly baked bread, cereal grains, citrus peels, and floral noble hops. It’s crisp, refreshing, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This beer is loaded with classic Helles-style lager flavors. Bready malts, honey, fruit, and noble hops. What’s not to love?
When you see that beer is called “House Lager” you should assume that it’s crisp, refreshing, no-frills beer. That’s exactly what this beer from the folks at Jack’s Abby is. Brewed with imported German malts and hops, this golden lager is available year-round.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find yeasty bread, cereal grains, lemon peels, honey, and grassy, floral, earthy hops. There’s more of the same on the palate with notes of fresh baked bread, honey, lemongrass, cracker malts, and floral, earthy hops. Crisp, light, and very easy to drink.
Bottom Line:
This is the kind of beer you’ll drink after a long day of work. It’s crushable, light, and surprisingly flavorful.
If you’ve ever seen the movie The Sound of Music, you might be wondering what ever happened to the von Trapp family. Well, they moved to Vermont and opened a brewery (and a farm and hotel). They brew authentic European-style beers. One of their best is von Trapp Helles which gets its traditional flavor from the use of Pilsnt malt and Perle and Tettnanger hops.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of yeasty bread, biscuit-like malts, lemon peels, caramel, pears, and floral hops greet you before your first sip. Drinking it reveals notes of bread, cracker malts, cereal grains, honey, citrus zest, ripe fruits, and snappy, floral hops. The finish is clean, crisp, and loaded with floral hops.
Bottom Line:
This Helles-style lager is as traditional as you get with American craft beers. It’s a perfect balance of malt and hops.
When it comes to classic Helles-style lagers, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of Hofbräu Original. Brewed with Munich and light barley malts, it gets its classic, clean, floral aroma and flavor from the use of Herkules, Perle, and Select hops,
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of grass, yeast, bready malts, ripe fruit, and floral, noble hops make for a memorable start to this beer. Sipping it brings forth notes of pilsner malts, cereal grains, grass, honey, light fruit, lemon peels, and a nice kick of floral, earthy, snappy hop flavor at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This beer is all about balance. There is a lot of malt flavor up front and then a ton of grassy, floral aroma and flavor at the finish.
This wildly popular beer is well-known for its crisp, refreshing, balanced flavor profile. It’s brewed simply with water, malted barley, and hops. If you want to take a deep dive, its ingredients include Munich and Pilsner malt as well as Hallertauer Tradition hops.
Tasting Notes:
Biscuit malts, caramel, honey, lemongrass, ripe fruit, and floral, earthy, noble hops make for a memorable nose. The palate is filled with bready malts, cereal grains, honey, orchard fruits, toffee, and floral hops. The finish is a nice mix of malt sweetness and floral hops.
Bottom Line:
As helles-style lagers go, Paulaner skews a little sweeter, but its’ perfectly tempered by the addition of floral, noble hops.
Minnesota’s Surly is the type of brewery that makes nothing but bangers. One of its best is Surly Hell. This classic, German-style helles lager is brewed with Pilsner and Carahell malt as well as Sterling hops.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with aromas of yeasty bread, ripe fruits, crisp apples, lemon peels, honey, cracker malts, and floral hops. Drinking it brings you notes of yeasty bread, hay, cracked black pepper, honey, light fruitiness, and a nice finish of floral hops.
Bottom Line:
Crisp, dry, lightly spicy, and very flavorful, this is the kind of Helles-style lager you’ll want to have on hand for the warm spring days ahead.
Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery in the world with a genesis of 1040. During almost 1,000 years of brewing, it’s safe to say the brewers have come as close to perfecting recipes as possible. One of its best beers is its classic Weihenstephaner Helles. Following the German purity laws, this iconic beer is brewed simply with water, hops, malts, and yeast.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. This includes notes of cracked black pepper, grass, fresh bread, cereal grains, and floral hops. The palate continues this great trend. There are flavors of cracker malts, cereal grains, white pepper, lemon peels, caramel, orchard fruits, and floral, lightly bitter, earthy hops.
Bottom Line:
Weihenstephaner’s version is as perfect as helles-style lagers get. It’s aromatic, flavorful, and still surprisingly crushable.
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