One strange reality of life is that there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes of…well, everything…that people simply never know about. I’m not talking about deep state conspiracies here or anything, just normal run-of-the-mill industry secrets that only people who work in those industries knows.

Some of these “secrets” are actual secrets meant to be kept sacred, like how certain magic tricks work. Some are things we don’t really want to know, like how the sausage gets made. And some are simply things that industry folks know but don’t bother to inform the rest of us about, like the fact that the average movie theater employee really doesn’t give a hoot if you sneak in candy as long as you’re not obvious about it.

We’re all curious, though, about what goes on in the back room, behind the counter, under the radar, etc. So when someone on Reddit asked “What industry ‘secret’ do you know that most people don’t?” people flocked to answer—and to see what people said.

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To be clear, there’s no way to officially verify these insider secrets, but it’s still fun to see what people who work in various industries reveal.

Do you know who actually wrote that nonfiction book you loved?

“Most—probably 80 percent or more—of the books on the nonfiction bestseller list (autobiographies, memoirs, political/business books, etc.) are ghostwritten.

Source: am ghostwriter.” – RSquared787

The ghostwriter added an encouraging caveat, though:

“Most (good) ghostwritten books are a true collaboration: somebody with an amazing story (or great idea/argument or whatever) who genuinely has the ‘goods,’ so to speak… but not the major league-level writing chops it takes to execute the best/most effective/most entertaining version of their story. So they bring in a specialist who knows the craft of storytelling and how to structure and execute something on the scale of a book, and—together, over the course of a year or so of deep collaboration—they bring the story to life. It’s the only way these voices would be heard in book form, in a lot of cases, and (IMHO, as someone who collaborates on these books), there’s no downside as long as the author genuinely invests time and effort.”

The house always wins, but especially on slot machines

“I saw how slot machines for casinos were designed… don’t play slots.” – Eliza_Lisa

“I had a buddy that was in the casino industry and claimed that 80% of their profits came from slot machines. This was the older mechanical types. The newer computerized ones can be programmed to do anything.” – Mo_Jack

That security guard? Not all that helpful if the ish hits the fan.

“I’m an unarmed security guard.

Every now & then I’ll get a comment from someone about how they’re glad I’m around in case there’s an active shooter or something.

Yea; if that happens? We’re not doing anything aside from getting ourselves to safety and calling the cops.

We’re literally told in training that if we try to intervene directly with an active shooter we’ll be fired.” – disinfo_bot_47·

“‘Detect, Deter and Report’ was the slogan at Securitas back in the day.

We were frequently told we were there for insurance purposes and were expected to NOT take action beyond calling the cops and getting ourselves to safety.

Great student job.” – IBoris

Want to see a study that’s behind a paywall? Just ask the researcher.

“I’m an academic researcher and I can speak for a huge number in my field when I say:

If you want access to our studies and they’re behind a paywall, you can email us and we will send you the study.

We are genuinely delighted to share and if you want further context for the results or what have you, I’ll always try my best to oblige.

The only limiters on that last bit is that:

1. the original data for the study might have reached the end of our right to keep it, in which case it will have been destroyed.
2. I might have forgotten details or I might have written that paper during a particularly hectic time and my file system might be total shit.

Also a lot of us are on ResearchGate and various social media things so you can contact us through there. If you can’t contact us directly or we’re being slow, one of the other authors on the paper might be contactable.” – and_so_forth

Bestsellers might be bestsellers because people buy their own books

“The New York Times best seller list has a lot of people on it who buy massive numbers of their own books.” – Ibringupeace

“Apparently, there is a symbol that indicates that while it did make best seller status, there was a bulk buy. A footnote, if you will, or similar to an asterisk.” – spoda1975

“It’s a dagger! †” – Tarledsa

(It’s true.)

Private messages aren’t 100% private, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet

“Worked in online community management and social media for years – Admins CAN read all of your PMs. Private only means private from the masses, not from administration, we had to be able to read them to check reports of abuse, grooming, illegal activity etc. I can’t tell you how much cringeworthy shit I had to read through, especially from guys trying to hook up.” – will_write_for_tacos

You may not have actually witnessed your baby’s first steps

“If your baby goes to a nursery/daycare, chances are those weren’t their ‘first’ steps/words etc that you witnessed. Industry standard is to not tell parents when these things happen as it makes them feel bad. I’ve seen kids up and walking about the room for weeks, even months before their parent proudly announced at drop off that they ‘Took their first steps last night.'” – by_the_way_mate

Being extra nice can get you some sweet free upgrades

“If you’re nice to hotel staff they are more likely to give you free sh*t.” – Archibald_Thrust

“A good friend of mine (Korean) visited las Vegas for her honeymoon. The husband was just a student at the time and she worked at a call center to pay their bills. When they were checking in at the hotel, the man at the front desk asked where they were from. She told them we are from Korea! And the man responded,” oh I love Korean food!”. They were a bit early to check in so they left their bags and went out to get some food at a local Korean restaurant. When they came back they bought some food for the front desk guy and when they handed the food over the guy was shocked and upgraded them to the penthouse. Little did my kind friends know, the guy was a manager and the penthouse was available. Friend sent me pics after they got in their room and wow… Las Vegas penthouse is probably a room I will never be able to afford in my lifetime… All for a little Korean food they got a memory they will never forget.” – GroovinBaby

“Oh for sure. I worked in hospitality for years, and all my favorite guests got upgrades, free snacks, etc. And the awful guests got the exact opposite lol.” – PalerEastMadeIt

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Gunna, Polo G, Schoolboy Q, and more.

While it’s a slim week for new album releases, there are singles galore to check out, so we’ve weighted that segment of this week’s column a bit more heavily.
Even before New Music Friday hit, we were practically inundated with new songs and videos like Drake and Sexyy Red’s “Rich Baby Daddy” video, as well as:

Gunna’s first single of 2024, “Bittersweet“:

Tierra Whack’s depression rumination “27 Club“:

Polo G’s triumphant “Sorrys & Ferraris“:

And Schoolboy Q’s defiant “Yeern 101“:

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending TK, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Jerry — Lovemesooner

Once upon a time, it seemed like every member of Odd Future was everywhere. And while many of the members remain prominent, none of them has truly walked away from music. The member formerly known as Hodgy has rebranded, releasing a more introspective project, of which he said, “We try to describe what we are feeling with words when words and emotions are two separate entities.” Whew, heavy. BADBADNOTGOOD and Gorillaz produce, ensuring an eclectic, unconventional-sounding with almost as much crooning as rapping.

Heems — Lafandar

It’s a big week for comebacks. Another blog-era fave, Heems of groups like Das Racist and Swet Shop Boys, returns after a long hiatus with a new, ultra-polished project that displays his fresh focus and slick way with words. His pen and humor remain as sharp as on career-defining projects like Eat Pray Thug but with a lighter touch, over beats drawing from his cultural roots and a roster of guests ranging from Blu to Your Old Droog. Real hip-hop.

Yeat — 2093

It’d be negligent to overlook the woozy digi-trap stylings of Yeat, a fan favorite of the streamer set. He broke out a few years ago, mystifying older hip-hop heads and carving out a significant platform for himself in the consciousness of both young fans and trend-conscious superstars like Drake. After appearing on Drake’s newest album For All The Dogs, it appears his connections with big-name artists have improved; Future and Lil Wayne both drop by for guest verses.

Singles/Videos

BbyMutha — “Go!”

With a new album on the way, now’s a perfect time for fans to refamiliarize themselves with the Chattanooga rapper, who has been quietly and consistently putting out quality, determinedly Southern rap bangers since her debut album Muthaland in 2020.

Buddy — “Like This”

Now that Buddy’s independent, I fully expect that his output will not only increase, but also become even more unique and idiosyncratic to his specific style of soulful West Coast rap.

Cochise — “Yoshimitsu”

Yes, millennial nostalgia made me stop and check this one out (it’s named after a character from fighting game Tekken, a definite trigger point for just about anyone in their 30s). It was worth it. He’s got a quirky flow but it’s enjoyable in a way that hipster-blog favorites usually aren’t for me.

Conway The Machine — “Vertino” Feat. Joey Badass

Ahem. [Puts on extremely Funkmaster Flex voice] REAL F*CKIN’ BARS, N****! [cough] Sorry. Had to get that out. You know what time it is. Boom-bap, head-spinning rhymes, unapologetically in-your-face New York swagger. What more do you need?

Lola Brooke — “Becky” Feat. 41

Speaking of… Lola Brooke is one of the best representatives of that New York energy from the women’s division, and she is quickly turning into one of its most prolific. She, Connie Diiamond, Lady London, Maiya The Don, and Scarlip are flying the flag for the five boroughs (and beyond) in 2024, making space in a man’s world and offering a counterpoint to all those cranky arguments about so-called stripper rap.

MIKE — “R&B”

So, there’s something going on here I find fascinating. As you can see, the usual adherent to lo-fi, grungy aesthetics has adopted a very Y2K approach to his latest single’s sampling approach and visual flair. It’s the most engaged I’ve ever been with a MIKE record. I wouldn’t object to hearing more.

Stalley — “Scared Money” Feat. Kevin Durant

I can hear you blinking in disbelief, but yeah, that is THEE Kevin Durant, 2× NBA champion, 2× NBA Finals MVP, 14× NBA All-Star, 6× All-NBA First Team, future first ballot Hall-Of-Famer, rapping on the second verse. He’s been rumored to have been tooling around with musical ambitions for a minute (executive producing YSL rapper T-Shyne’s 2022 album Confetti Nights and once rapping very adroitly in a Nike shoe ad) but it appears it could culminate in a legitimate second career, a la Bucks guard Damian Lillard (aka Dame D.O.L.L.A.) if his performance here is anything to judge by. But don’t let that distract you from Stalley’s continued improvement on the pen and consistently golden ear for production.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On Thursday, February 15th, the people who gave us DALL-E and CHATGPT unveiled their new text-to-video model, Sora, which is capable of generating videos based on user text prompts. Sora can create up to a minute of photo-realistic content with high visual quality and no lags. To be honest, regardless of what you think about AI, the results are pretty impressive

If you’ve spent any time online in the last day you’ve no doubt seen some of the footage on X, which includes a scene of a woman walking through a Tokyo street at night, “historical footage” of California during the gold rush, and a dalmatian walking on window ledges in Burano Italy, among others.

Of course, this has inspired all the same conversations every new AI innovation brings. There is a crowd of crypto bros and AI true believers who absolutely love it and think it’s the greatest thing on Earth, and then there are a bunch of people who hate the new technology with a passion, fearing it’ll ruin jobs in the creative industry and be used as a tool for spreading disinformation.

OpenAI has released a lengthy blog post about the next tech, we’ll highlight some of the most important points here and discuss a few of the concerns people have and the claims people have made.

Is Sora Available To The Public?

As of now, no. OpenAI is not making Sora broadly available to the public just yet, instead, OpenAI says it is “granting access to a number of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers to gain feedback on how to advance the model to be most helpful for creative professionals.”

The company is sharing its research progress with all of us to give people a sense of what the tech might be capable of.

Where does Sora fall short?

OpenAI is aware of some of the program’s weaknesses so far. Specifically, OpenAi says that Sora “may struggle with accurately simulating the physics of a complex scene, and may not understand specific instances of cause and effect” and has issues with spatial specifics such as “mixing up left and right, and may struggle with precise descriptions of events that take place over time, like following specific camera trajectory.”

That may be why Sora is only capable of making minute-long videos. One thing many people have noticed about AI programs, specifically ChatGPT, is that the longer the program produces, the more weird and psychedelic the results will be.

Is Sora safe?

A big concern over AI video generation is the proliferation of deep fake and misleading content that will come in its wake. It seems like OpenAI is aware of this and they address in their blog post that they have a special team that is tasked with adversarially testing the model. These “red teamers,” as OpenAI calls them will be testing Sora and pushing the program in areas like “misinformation, hateful content, and bias.”

The program will have a “text classifier,” which will check and reject prompts that violate OpenAI’s usage policies, keeping the program from being used to create content that contains “extreme violence, sexual content, hateful imagery, celebrity likeness, or the OP of others.”

OpenAI also claims that it will be engaging with “policymakers, educators, and artists around the world to understand their concerns and to identify positive use cases for this new technology.”

How good does the technology look?

That’s going to be entirely subjective. Look, is Sora capable of making photo-realistic scenes? Clearly. But the longer you look at these videos, the stranger they appear. With enough scrutiny, it’s still pretty easy to tell if what you’re looking at is AI-generated. What I’ve seen from OpenAI looks like what I imagine the next generation of video consoles will look like.

At first glance is it easy to tell real from fake? Maybe not… and that’s where the concern lies.

Is this the end for photographers, filmmakers, and the various visual creative industries?

We highly doubt that. As much as the people who are all-in on AI technology believe that this will empower everyone to be filmmakers, the technology isn’t there yet. As impressive as Sora is, the difference between the sort of videos is capable of churning out and what you see on the big screen is like the difference between the visuals in a Marvel movie and the visuals in a Quentin Tarantino or Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

Sora looks realistic, but it’s not. And that’s glaringly obvious. There is a certain unnaturalness to the lighting and a tough to pin down soullessness.

Take for instance this prompt, posted on OpenAI’s X account:

“A movie trailer featuring the adventures of the 30-year-old spaceman wearing a red wool knitted motorcycle helmet. blue sky, salt desert, cinematic style, shot on 35mm film. vivid colors.”

It would appear that Sora was able to follow the prompt well… but not really. The 17-second video doesn’t show any type of “adventure,” it shows the most generic dude I’ve ever seen wandering around a white sand environment, a dorky-looking spaceship, and several different camera angles. At one point the “spaceman” is wearing the red wool hat on his head instead of on the helmet. This is hardly a movie trailer, it’s a series of random images.

Also, as someone who shoots 35mm regularly, this doesn’t look anything like film. I’m sorry to the people at OpenAI but it just doesn’t. I’ll give them the vivid colors though!

The sort of people who say that “it’s so over for filmmakers,” are people who I think it’s safe to assume, don’t know shit about filmmaking.

So I don’t think Sora is going to take away the need for actual filmmakers and visual artists just yet. That doesn’t mean movie studios won’t think that it can, though — these are also people who often seem like they don’t know shit about filmmaking.

The first entirely AI-based film will probably make a lot of money, for the novelty, but as soon as an AI movie flops — and if what we get out of AI filmmaking looks anything like what Sora has already created, it will — movie studios will move on because at the end of the day all they care about are maximizing profits.

So no, we don’t think Sora or programs like it will turn everyone into filmmakers (yet), but it certainly might change the pitching process.

How is Sora trained?

We don’t know, and that’s the problem. Past AI programs like ChatGPT and DALL-E have been trained by preexisting art and media, which is a big problem because the creators of that art didn’t necessarily give consent. This has led many critics to say that AI isn’t capable of generating anything but remixed content that erases the hard work of actual creatives.

All OpenAI reveals about how Sora was trained is that it learned from “a wide range of video data without adapting or preprocessing the videos.”

But what video data? Where did it come from? Who authorized it? The fact that OpenAI isn’t fully transparent about this is a major problem.

Will this change everything?

While we’re highly skeptical that AI will replace the need for creatives, to say that this sort of technology isn’t going to have a massive effect on the world as we know it, is kind of naive.

OpenAI might be taking safety into account in the creation of Sora, but we’re not sure how these tools will be used in the future, or what kind of workarounds people with ill-intentions will find. As of now, there are no significant laws that address the use of AI and there are a bunch of ethical questions that need to be considered.

Clearly, we need some sort of AI legislation sooner than later, and it seems like some states are starting to take that on. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has just proposed legislation that would criminalize deceptive and abusive uses of AI and last week California state Senator Scott Wiener introduced a piece of AI legislation that seeks to establish “clear, predictable, common-sense safety standards for developers of the largest and most powerful AI systems.”

Whether these bills will go too far, or far enough, remains to be seen. AI technology is moving fast, and while what it is capable of is a little overblown by people on both sides of the AI debate, it is something we need to concern ourselves with now. The more we know, the better off we’ll be once the technology is fully indistinguishable from human efforts.

We’re only six weeks into 2024 and there are already some awesome rye whiskeys appearing on store shelves. New releases never stop these days and American rye whiskey benefits from that breakneck pace with a lot of growth and expansion. For us, that means new, exciting, and tasty rye whiskeys are always hitting shelves.

Sadly, the mediocre ones are hitting those same shelves. That’s how industries work — gotta separate the wheat from the chaff.

To help you sift through it all, I’m conducting a blind taste test of 12 new and tasty American rye whiskeys. These are the bottles that either dropped at the tail end of last year or are just hitting shelves right now (some are so new that they’re labeled “coming soon”). Our lineup today features the following new rye whiskeys:

• Watershed Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength Aged 6 Years
• Savage & Cooke California Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Grenache Barrels
• A Midwinter Night’s Dram A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Port Barrels Act 11 Scene 1
• High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 5 Years
• New Riff 100% Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 8 Years
• 291 “M” Maple Syrup Barrel Finished Colorado Rye Whiskey Batch 7
• Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes & Toasted Oak Barrels
• Sagamore Spirit Bottled In Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years
• Bhakta “2013” Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Calvados Casks
• Green River Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
• J. Rieger & Co. Fielder’s Choice Collection “Homestead Grays” Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey
• Devils River Small Batch Texas Rye Whiskey

After tasting these rye whiskeys blind, I ranked them according to how good they were. Pretty straightforward. Spoiler alert, there were some standouts on this panel and the lion’s share was good to great. Only a couple of bottles got a shrug from me. Let’s dive in!

• Every Single Buffalo Trace Distillery Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• Every Single Bottle Of Wild Turkey Whiskey, Power Ranked
• The Best American Rye Whiskeys Of 2023, Ranked
• The Best Whiskeys We Tasted At The 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Part 1 — The New Rye Whiskey Blind Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is rich with dark notes of caramel and maybe even some molasses with a deep and spiced tobacco warmth next to raisins soaked in brandy and a touch of dry oats.

Palate: Those raisins and oats combine on the palate to create a rummy and vanilla-soaked oatmeal raisin cookie next to warming winter spices, a lot of oak, and heavy-duty ABV warmth.

Finish: The warmth builds on the finish but then fades out as the caramel and molasses soften toward brown sugar and vanilla cream with a deep chili-cherry-spiced tobacco finish.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a strong AF whiskey but it never overpowers your senses. Still, it’s hot and could use a rock to calm it down and let it shine a bit more easily.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Musty floral notes with a hint of old citrus rind open the nose toward soft notes of white pepper, a hint of vanilla, and touches of savory wood planks.

Palate: The wood takes on a good layer of sharp baking spice and chili pepper as the palate moves toward papaya and mango with a stewed vibe before rich caramel arrives.

Finish: The caramel drives the finish with those tropical fruits fading into warming winter spices and oak.

Initial Thoughts:

This was okay. It was pretty fruity overall.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This nose opens with dried apricot, woody and slightly sweet cinnamon, French toast, and a mild note of something umami — kind of like a very deli-forward pickle brine next to red peppers soaked in olive oil.

Palate: The palate gets more savory with a rhubarb vibe as dark chocolate with a serious woody spiced edge meets old leather laced with years of tobacco, lush vanilla cream, and salted caramel.

Finish: The end is as silky with a whisper of black tea bitterness and minty tobacco rounding things out.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a bit all over the place but somehow works. It’s definitely a palate expander but you’d really have to be in the mood for this one.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Apple pies and peach cobbler dance with orange zest and cinnamon on the nose before a hint of pickling herbs and whole spices (think allspice, fennel, and black pepper) kick in with a fleeting sense of brine-soaked dill.

Palate: The palate opens with soft salted caramel and plenty of baking spice with a sharp edge before leaning back into chili, chocolate, stewed peach, and eventually chocolate-laced tobacco with a hint of nutmeg.

Finish: The choco-chili tobacco drives the finish toward eggnog creaminess with plenty of nutmeg before settling on a soft cherry vanilla end.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another one that almost inexplicably works. It builds, takes you on a journey, and then ends on a lush note. This is good whiskey.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a hint of figs and dates on the nose that leads to a spiced Christmas cake covered in powdered sugar frosting with plenty of candied citruses, dried dark fruits, and roasted nuts next to vanilla pudding and dried pear skins.

Palate: The taste has a hint of orange saltwater taffy on the front that leads to a mix of clove, allspice, and sassafras as dark fruit leather and white peppercorns pop.

Finish: The end is lush and mellow with a hint of that pepper next to dark dried fruit layered into a tobacco leaf alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and dark orange oils.

Initial Thoughts:

This is an even better whiskey! This is deep and layered with a great cohesiveness that’s delicious. This is a winner.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a good sense of maple syrup on the nose with blueberry pancakes, fig jam, and toffee candies next to cinnamon sugar and a hint of burnt orange layered into caramel sauce.

Palate: The palate has a French toast vibe with plenty of custardy lusciousness and nutmeg leading to dark chocolate and powdered sugar with a slight woody winter spice warmth.

Finish: The end turns into a cinnamon bomb that’s kind of like taking a whole box of Hot Tamales to the face and chasing it with maple-syrup-soaked French toast and spiced apple cider.

Initial Thoughts:

Wow, this is delicious. It’s varied and unique but it all makes sense and builds towards a crescendo on the finish. Bravo!

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Creamy and deep creme brûlée cut with bold orange zest draws you in on the nose before this bright sense of sweet green apple blossom leads to pear brandy-soaked marzipan, eggnog spices, and buckwheat porridge cut with a whisper of salt and honey.

Palate: That pear brandy pops on the palate as sweetened cream over raw sugar cubes drives the taste toward rye bread with a twinge of caraway and fennel, more eggnog, and creamed honey in an old pine mug.

Finish: The end gets shockingly light for a moment with a fresh cream soda feel before twangy buttery floral cider arrives with a deep Earl Grey tea sharpness next to tobacco rolled with birch bark, roasting herbs, and old leather.

Initial Thoughts:

Goddamn, this is a great whiskey too. The only drawback here — and this is a microscopic nitpick — is that this feels so tied to Christmas vibes with a great heaviness of a spiced winter cake drenched in brandy and mulled wine. That’s great in the winter but might be a little heavy in the warmer months.

I guess that’s what ice is for. Let’s move on, I’m rambling now.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with wet brown sugar and nutty chocolate next to a light fruitiness tied to muffins with a hint of orange zest and some espresso cream before a whisper of old sweet oak arrives.

Palate: Grassy notes of smudging sage give way to dark Nutella on the palate before sugar-coated almonds and dark winter spices sharpen the taste with luxurious warmth.

Finish: The end leans into gingerbread and vanilla-heavy sheet cake with a hint of walnut bread smeared with salted butter, a touch of chili-chocolate tobacco, and more soft oak.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, this is nice. It’s succinct and sweet. I’d argue that this almost feels more like a bourbon but that’d be splitting hairs.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Freshly baked apple pie with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream draws you in on the nose with a deeply salted caramel, soft oakiness, and dark orange vibe with a touch of clove, nutmeg, and allspice.

Palate: Vibrant tart apples and soft sandy pears drive the palate toward creamed nutmeg and honey with a deep sense of freshly cracked black pepper, dried chili pepper flakes, and a touch of vanilla sauce.

Finish: The end dried out with all that woody and peppery spice with a dried mushroom vibe next to old dried tobacco, firewood bark, and soft dried roasting herbs with a hint of braised salted fat.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another winner.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Light hints of mint draw you in on the nose before getting spiced to the point of fresh spearmint with a cut of orange zest, whispers of black peppercorns, and creamy vanilla honey with a flutter of NY cheesecake crust.

Palate: That buttery Graham Cracker crust takes on more creamy vanilla and orange oils before veering toward oaky spice and freshly cracked black pepper with a whisper of dried ancho chili.

Finish: Wet black tea leaves and creamed honey round out the finish with a sense of soft oak, winter spice, and burnt orange just kissed with red chili pepper flakes.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a good whiskey but a tad on the lighter side. It feels like a cocktail whiskey. That’s not a bad thing.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The bold nose opens with prunes, plums, and dates next to sweet oak with layers of winter spice leading to hints of dried ancho chili and black pepper with a hint of dried herbs.

Palate: The palate extends the nose toward dark caramel, dark sweet and buttery grits, and a box of Red Hots with a deep sweet cinnamon candy vibe.

Finish: That cinnamon candy is layered with soft oakiness and more chili spice as tobacco, dried fruits, and vanilla kick in late.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a pretty good albeit sweet rye. The cinnamon is bold and keeps your attention in the right way.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Light notes of black pepper, chili powder, and brown sugar drive the nose with hints of vanilla and orange.

Palate: The woodiness leans into maple syrup and cinnamon bark on the palate as hints of dried herbs lead to a sweet and faint plumminess.

Finish: The end comes quickly as the sip fades away through old oak, soft caramel, and hints of peppery spice and fennel.

Initial Thoughts:

This is fine. It’s standard rye.

Part 2 — The New Rye Whiskey Ranking

12. Devils River Small Batch Texas Rye Whiskey — Taste 12

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $31

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Texas is all about the water. The rye is made with a mix of rye, corn, and barley with fresh limestone-filtered water from the Devils River region of Texas.

Bottom Line:

This was perfectly “mid” whiskey. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s best for mixing cocktails.

11. Savage & Cooke California Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Grenache Barrels — Taste 2

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This grain-to-glass whiskey from California draws in all of its grains from within 50 miles of the distillery. The mash bill — 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley — is slowly fermented and distilled. After several years in new oak, the whiskey is transferred to Dave Phinney’s Grenache wine barrels for another two months of aging.

Bottom Line:

This is another perfectly fine rye. Use it to make basic cocktails.

10. Green River Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 10

ABV: 42.5%

Average Price: $34

The Whiskey:

This new bottle from Green River is a classic rye mash of 95/5 (rye/malted barley) distilled and aged in Kentucky. The batch is made from a mix of four- to six-year-old barrels that are proofed down before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is a unique rye albeit a light one. Overall, this feels like the best cocktail whiskey on the list.

9. J. Rieger & Co. Fielder’s Choice Collection “Homestead Grays” Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 11

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

J. Rieger & Co. partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to create a new collection of whiskeys for 2024 (with proceeds from this bottle going to the museum). This bottle is a Pennsylvania rye that celebrates the Homestead Grays who were three-time champions back in the 1940s.

Bottom Line:

This is another perfectly good rye. This one does have a little more nuance and will work just as well in a cocktail as it will in a glass over some rocks.

8. A Midwinter Night’s Dram A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Port Barrels Act 11 Scene 1 — Taste 3

ABV: 49.3%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

Each year, this limited drop varies slightly. This release was a mix of MGP rye (95% rye) and High West rye (100% rye) finished in French oak barrels that held ruby and tawny port. The barrels picked for this batch were between four and seven years old with the older barrels coming from Indiana and the younger ones from Utah.

Bottom Line:

This is a funky and fun rye. The pickle brine vibe is unique but works. Pour this one over some ice and let it take you on a journey.

7. Sagamore Spirit Bottled In Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $66

The Whiskey:

This premium pour from Maryland’s Sagamore Spirits Rye is a blend of a high-rye rye and and low-rye rye. Both whiskeys were at least six years old when blended, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is another good rye with a little something extra to help it stand out. Pour it neat to get a handle on it and then have fun with this one in your favorite cocktails.

6. Watershed Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength Aged 6 Years — Taste 1

ABV: 72.7%

Average Price: $89 (Lottery Only)

The Whiskey:

This is a super limited release from Watershed of only 100 bottles of hazmat rye whiskey (hazmat whiskeys are over 70% ABV). The whiskey is a 57% rye mash bill that was left alone until it was just right and then bottled 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is a shockingly subtle whiskey for the high proof. Don’t get me wrong, this is a hot sipper but it nails not washing out the rest of the profile with all that heat so well. Still, you’ll probably want to pour this over a big rock to really enjoy all there is to offer.

5. High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 5 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 49.1%

Average Price: $86

The Whiskey:

This is a new bottling that utilizes unique rye from New Riff Distilling in Kentucky. The rye in the bottle is made from a 91% rye mash bill with 9% malted barley as support. The whiskey spent five years resting in seasoned toasted new oak before batching and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is in the funky arena of ryes as well — that pickle brine cannot be denied. But this offers so much more. It’s complex, deep, and delicious. Pour it over a big rock and enjoy the ride.

4. Bhakta “2013” Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Calvados Casks — Taste 9

ABV: 53.8%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This new release from Bhakta is an Indiana 95/5 rye that’s nearly 11 years old. Sign me up! The barrels in the batch were all finished in Calvados casks (an apple brandy) before batching and bottling at nearly cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This is just a tasty sipping whiskey. Neat or over a rock, you’re going to have a good time sipping this one.

3. New Riff 100% Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 8 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $56

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from New Riff is a whiskey lover’s dream pour. The mash is made from 100% malted rye (most rye that is used for whiskey is unmalted). That means more sugars are available in the grain as it goes through germination and then heating to stop that process, which helps create a lot of sugars. The juice then rests for eight years in new oak before the barrels are blended, proofed down, and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the great ryes. This one is a little on the funkier side, but it works. So buy this when you want some palate expansion and fun with your rye sipper.

2. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes & Toasted Oak Barrels — Taste 7

ABV: 57.2%

Average Price: $399

The Whiskey:

Angel’s Envy’s new Master Distiller, Owen Martin, put together the brand’s first-ever cask strength rye finished in Sauternes and toasted oak casks and it’s a masterpiece. The 95/5 rye was over five years old when it was batched and re-barreled into two different casks for a final mellowing. Then those casks were expertly blended and bottled 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is excellent whiskey. It’s so deep and delicious. The only reason this one isn’t first is that the profile is so tied to winter vibes. Otherwise, this is a stellar pour.

1. 291 “M” Maple Syrup Barrel Finished Colorado Rye Whiskey Batch 7 — Taste 6

ABV: 62.2%

Average Price: $107

The Whiskey:

291 out in Colorado is an award darling distillery and a crowd-pleaser. This whiskey is made with shorter aging in new American white oak with treated Aspen staves in that barrel to accelerate the maturation process. That whiskey is then transferred to old 291 barrels that were used to age maple syrup in Wisconsin for Lincoln County Reserve Maple Syrup. Finally, those barrels were batched and bottled at cask strength as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was the best all-around sipper. It’s so fascinatingly fun and delectable while delivering something fun and fresh. Plus, you really feel like you’re sipping something unique that doesn’t feel like homework.

This is a winner. Buy two.

It’s been over seven months since Barbie hit theaters, yet it seems like every week we learn of a new actor or actress who was supposed to make an appearance in the film. We recently learned that DunkInfluencer Ben Affleck was slated to appear before bowing out at the 11th hour, along with a handful of other actors who had to drop out due to scheduling. As if there would be anything more important than appearing in this film.

Helen Mirren recently revealed that there was a cut scene involving her role of The Narrator being taken from her by fellow British legend Olivia Colman. “It was a very funny scene with Olivia Colman sort of playing drunk and us clashing about who is the real grande dame of British actresses,” Mirren revealed to Variety.

She added, “She comes in and tries to take over the role of the Narrator and I had to fight her off.” If it were a real competition of iconic Brits, it would not be fair to leave out Julie Andrews.

Mirren’s role was obviously not taken from her, though she didn’t reveal why the scene was cut. She did say that in the original script, the role was explicitly written as “Helen Mirren” and not “The Narrator” meaning that Greta Gerwig was extremely confident that she would be the winning Brit. Maybe Colman can return for the Allan spinoff that will never happen.

(Via Variety)

This one’s for the girls who know you don’t have to chose between sparkles and sports.

For too long, girls have been sent the message that they have to be either/or. You’re either a girly-girl or a tomboy. You’re either into sparkly princesses or sports practices. From the early days of childhood, we’re told in bold and subtle ways to squeeze ourselves into separate boxes.

But those boxes are bullspit, and most of us know it. Girls don’t have to choose between feeling beautiful and being badass. We can be both at the same time.

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Perhaps that’s why a portrait shoot shared by HMP Couture Imagery showing girls dressed up in fancy dresses and sports equipment has gone insanely viral. The shoot is called “Because you can do it all,” and in just a few days it has already been shared 175,000+ times.

The woman who photographed the shoot says a comment from a fellow mom sparked the idea.

Heather Mitchell, the photographer from Alabama who runs HMP Couture Imagery, told Upworthy how the portrait shoot came about.

“My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time,” said Mitchell. “We were at practice a few weeks ago and I was talking with the other moms. I was saying that I hoped Paislee learned to love the game because she was athletic. One of the moms told me that she was not athletic, that she was a girly-girl.”

“I couldn’t sleep that night,” Mitchell continued. “All I could think was, ‘Why does she have to choose?’ I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game. So the next day we went to the studio and created her shot.”

Mitchell says she only spent about three minutes shooting because she knew exactly what she wanted to create. After she posted the photos of Paislee to her personal Facebook page, she got a ton of requests from other parents for the same kind of shoot. After adding two days to the schedule, they sold out in an hour—and the requests just keep on coming.

Mitchell hopes that girls see these photos and realize that they don’t have to choose one identity.

The idea that crinoline and cleats can’t exist in the same mental space is silly, but common. Girls (and boys for that matter) can love pretty things and kick butt at sports. They don’t have to be one thing or the other.

“My parent taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up,” Mitchell told Upworthy. “I didn’t realize till I was much older that everyone is not that blessed.”

These photos are an excellent reminder to questions our assumptions and not place unnecessary limits on anyone—and an empowering example for girls who don’t fit neatly into a socially constructed box.

“I hope that every little girl that sees this series can see that there is no box,” says Mitchell. “Whatever their dreams are they can achieve.”

This article originally appeared on 4.17.19

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, you know there’s an additional lock you can latch as an added layer of protection. But sometimes weird things happen that make us rethink the comfort and security many of us take for granted. TikTok user TayBeepBoop had a disturbing experience when a hotel front desk person attempted to enter her room while she was inside. Some readers may find the story to be unsettling but it’s a powerful reminder of exactly why situational awareness and caution are so important in today’s world.

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Tay, obviously frightened, uploaded clips from the event on her TikTok page, which has since garnered 6 million views. In the video, which is mostly the floor, door and bed, you can hear the man outside of her room knocking loudly asking to be let inside.

Tay asks the man repeatedly why he attempted to walk into her room using the hotel key to which the man explains there’s a problem with the woman’s car. There’s only one problem. Tay doesn’t own a car and is only in town on business where she did not rent a car to get around town, relying only on other modes of transportation. So, what the heck was the man doing at her door?

@taybeepboop

Replying to @dani klarić this was a really long and hard video to make, it was sort of traumatizing and I’m kind of freaked out about staying anywhere now and I dont leave my house much anymore tbh because I already was dealing with PTSD about my safety. I’m OKAY which is why im able to go through this footage now. I genuinely don’t want anything to do with this hotel, this is a PSA to stay safe and cautious. I don’t want people to go after this worker because I still don’t know what his intentions were and he could have just been trying to do his job

Tay was staying at the hotel alone and made sure to latch the additional lock on her hotel room door, which is the only thing that prevented this hotel staff member from getting into her room. Since the situation was so scary and went on for quite some time according to her video, she called friends on FaceTime to be a witness and help comfort her. Eventually the man leaves after repeated attempts to get the scared woman to open the door and Tay was able to get a male business partner to escort her safely to another hotel.

But the comments were filled with stories from women who have had similar experiences. Many people explained the danger of admitting you’re alone upon check-in, while other commenters sympathized with the woman not thinking to call the police right away. With people traveling more as COVID-19 restrictions subside, there could be a greater chance for things like this happening so it’s best to be prepared and err on the side of caution when traveling alone.

Women on the Road has several tips for hotel safety including making sure your door lock works, putting a chair under the handle of the door or buying a rubber door stop. The site also highlights the importance of locking your windows if they open and not opening the door for people you don’t know.

Another site geared towards safety is Solo Female Traveler and it recommends getting a floor higher in the hotel to make it more of a hassle for someone from outside to break in. It, too, reiterates the importance of locking the additional lock in the hotel room while you’re inside.

While it’s statistically unlikely you’ll be a victim of a hotel robbery or whatever was happening with Tay, her experience is a reminder to research hotels and practice caution when traveling. Always, always, lock the deadbolt or chain.

This article originally appeared on 09.13.22

A grandmother always felt her middle granddaughter Lindsay, 15, looked slightly different from the rest of the family because she had blonde, curly hair, while the rest of her siblings’ hair was dark “I thought genetics was being weird and I love her,” she wrote on Reddit’s AITA forum.

But things became serious after Linday’s parents “banned” her from taking things a step further and getting a DNA test. If the family was sure their daughter was theirs, why would they forbid her from seeking clarity in the situation? After the parents laid down the law, the situation started to seem a little suspicious.

“I told my son and [daughter-in-law] that there was something fishy around her birth she needed to know. They denied it and told me to leave it alone,” the grandma wrote.

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Lindsay wouldn’t give up her quest. She approached her biology teacher, who admitted that it was “odd” for her to have such different traits. This confusion was too much for Lindsay, so she went to her grandmother for help. “She came to me distressed, asking me to buy a DNA test since she needs to know,” the grandmother wrote.

The grandmother purchased a DNA test and it proved their suspicions. “Long story short, she is not her mother’s kid,” the grandmother wrote. “My son got someone else pregnant and her bio mom gave her up.”

The interesting thing was that Lindsay was a middle child. So, the dad had a baby with another woman while he was with his wife. This revelation begs the question: How did the family suddenly have a baby out of nowhere without people being suspicious?

“They were on the other side of the country when she was born, and I met Lindsey when she was about 6 months old. Really not hard to hide the whole thing,” the grandmother wrote. “Our family has a history of miscarriages, so it’s common to drop news about a baby late in the pregnancy. They did the same with their oldest and didn’t think anything about it.”

The big revelation has caused friction in the family. The family no longer talks to the grandmother, which makes Lindsay even more furious about the situation.

Should the grandmother have taken such drastic steps if she knew what could happen if her suspicions were true? The commenters on Reddit overwhelmingly supported the grandmother’s decision. The big reason was that Lindsay needed to know her family history for medical reasons.

“Your son and his wife suck for lying to her until she is 15 about something so important and trying to keep lying to her even after she obviously started to question things. There are medical reasons a person might need to know what their genetics are/are not, and if you hadn’t helped her, she would have found out some other way,” Shake_Speare423 wrote.

Another commenter noted that protecting the parents’ lie wasn’t nearly as important as Lindsay’s mental health.

“People have a right to know their genetic heritage. Lying about adoption is linked to increased suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression. You put her safety and comfort ahead of your son’s preferences. Parental rights do not have greater value than a child’s right to access comprehensive medical care, and hiding an adoption does precisely that. Maybe some things, like a child staying healthy, should matter more than a parent’s right to lie, gaslight and manipulate their child as they see fit,” RemembrancerLirael added.

The commenters overwhelmingly supported the grandma for putting herself into an uncomfortable situation to protect her granddaughter’s mental and physical health. However, one commenter noted that she could have gone about it in a less polarizing way.

“Bit out of the norm for the responses here, but you should have gone through your son [and daughter-in-law] and convinced them. Told them that the biology teacher had highlighted that she had traits that didn’t make sense, etc. and convinced them that Lindsey would find out either way,” PhilMcGraw wrote. “It would have allowed them to find a way to tell her without it being forced on them angrily. A DNA test is the absolute worst way to be told. I’m sure they would have much rather told her than let her find out by a DNA test if that is what was coming.”

This article originally appeared on 11.29.23

Nikki Haley is firing back at The View after the daytime talk show recently questioned just what the heck she’s doing on the campaign trail as she continues to lag far behind Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.

Haley seemed particularly incensed over comments from Whoopi Goldberg, who questioned Haley’s political credentials. “Nikki, what have you done? What have you done, really?” Goldberg asked on a recent episode of The View. “What can you point to?”

“I’ve done quite a bit. I will tell you, as governor, we accomplished a lot, as U.N. ambassador, we accomplished a lot. I did a whole lot more than Whoopi Goldberg will ever do, and it is not the ladies on The View that I ever care to impress,” Haley said in a new interview with Fox News, where she noticeably neglected to get into specifics.

Via Entertainment Weekly:

“At the end of the day, I’m fighting or every American’s vote. This is a chance to get our party right. The party that leaves their 80-year-old candidate behind is the party that will win. Mark my words. It is hugely important that we get a new generational conservative leader in the White House that leaves the baggage and the negativity behind.”

However, if Haley has done anything, it’s taken the fight to Trump. After the former president mocked Haley’s husband for not being on the campaign trail with her, she blasted Trump by revealing that he’s deployed overseas.

“You mock one veteran, you’re mocking all veterans,” she told Dana Perino following Trump’s attack. “But this is a pattern, Dana. He’s done this over and over again. Whether he went and called military members suckers, whether he was at Arlington Cemetery saying what was in it for them, why would they do this? The problem with Trump is he’s never been anywhere near a uniform.”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck haven’t reached Will and Jada levels of “we know far too much about these people,” but they’re getting there. A song on J-Lo’s ninth studio album and first in 10 years, This Is Me… Now, is unmistakably about her Dunkin’-loving husband — and their sex life.

“Greatest Love Story Never Told” (you can listen to the song below) begins with Lopez referencing her and Affleck’s on again, off again, on again romance: “Different roads, two lost souls / Never thought we’d find our way back / Could’ve lost what matters most / How could I live with that?” Then things get racy: “Missing your body climbing on top of me, slippin’ inside of me / Way that I ride it, bodies aligning, look at our timing / Forget about the world when we’re alone / Only thing that ever felt, felt like home.”

Anyone who has seen Gone Girl knows what “it” is.

While Ben obviously served as a major inspo on the new album, he also got involved personally — lending some background vocals for “Not Going Anywhere.” Yep, he’s credited.

Lopez is also releasing a documentary about the album titled The Greatest Love Story Never Told, but Jane Fonda, who appears in the film, thinks maybe she should calm things down by like 10 percent. According to Pajiba, the actress warned Lopez that while she’s rooting for her and Affleck to stay together forever, “it feels too much like you’re trying to prove something instead of just living it. You know, every other photograph is the two of you kissing and the two of you hugging.”

That’s how people felt about Gigli, too, and now it’s part of the Criterion collection. You win this round, Ben and Jen.

(Via TMZ)