The past year showcased various nuanced LGBTQ+ stories on screen. Harrowing accounts of queer heartbreak, poignant tales of trans grief, and chaotic, homoerotic oeuvres portraying fatal attractions put a myriad of nuanced feelings on display. The LGBTQ+ community is in an exciting era of cinema, defying the monolithic boxes of yesteryear. The zeitgeist of modern times would not be the same without these incredible queer stories. As such, we wanted to take a moment to call out some of the most captivating and inspiring films, documentaries, and performances timed perfectly to the time of year when people are often looking for a few helpful suggestions on which films to catch up on. So here they are, in alphabetical order.
Movies
Bottoms
orion
Bottoms is the raunchy queer teen sex comedy we’ve needed for years, courtesy of Shiva Baby director Emma Seligman, who co-wrote the movie with star Rachel Sennott. Sennott plays PJ, an unpopular high school senior who, along with her best friend Josie (Ayo Edebiri), decides to start an all-girl fight club in order to try and get closer to their crushes. Josie and PJ are as desperate to get laid as the boys of, say, Superbad, but it’s refreshing to see queer experiences portrayed in such a way. The characters are messy, the jokes (and the girls in the fight club) don’t pull their punches, and Sennott and Edebiri are pitch-perfect. Bottoms is as chaotic as high school actually is and its youthful queer humor feels authentic, not like teenagers written by 40-year-olds. Everyone who enjoys teen comedies can find something to love in Bottoms, no matter their sexuality. – Danielle Ryan
Every Body
Focus Features
While many people are finally coming around to the idea that gender isn’t a binary, there still seems to be a misconception that sex somehow is, ignoring the existence of intersex people. Three such individuals are at the center of director Julie Cohen’s Every Body, which combines interviews with its subjects with archival footage to create more complete portraits of these unique people and their experiences. Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel, and River Gallo share deeply from their personal lives, giving audiences insight into a population that is far too often forgotten. Every Body is as emotionally compelling as it is educational, and it should be compulsory viewing for not just LGBTQ people, but all people. – Danielle Ryan
May December
netflix
Continuing to expand in his coveted catalog of queer oeuvres, May December director Todd Haynes tells a captivating story about an actress named Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) making the trek to Savannah, Georgia, where she is researching Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), a woman known for her titular “May December” relationship with her husband (Charles Melton), whom she had met when he was 13 years old. Though many moments in the film aren’t overtly queer, Haynes displays moments of fixation and fascination that border on fluidity, creating an instant classic in the LGBTQ+ film zeitgeist. – Alex Gonzalez
Mutt
Strand Releasing
There aren’t very many films about the transmasculine experience and fewer still that have the depth and heart of writer/director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut, Mutt. Mutt follows a young trans man named Feña (Lío Mehiel) as he reunites with his Chilean father, runaway teen sister, and straight ex-boyfriend all within the course of 24 hours. While there is a lot of pain at the center of Feña’s experience as a trans man, we also get to see the joy and love, too. Moments that could otherwise be played for melodrama are pleasantly understated — when Feña is misgendered at a bank, he comments on it but the scene moves on, just as life does, for example. Mutt asks the audience to try to see the world through Feña’s eyes, and it does a phenomenal job of showing us what that’s like. – Danielle Ryan
Nyad
Netflix
Based on the incredible true story of Diana Nyad, Nyad features the swimmer played valiantly by Annette Bening detailing her efforts to swim from Cuba to Florida. Supporting Diana on her mission is best friend, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster). Depicting the vitality of queer platonicism and chosen family, Nyad portrays the importance of community and how far our LGBTQ+ siblings can go with the right support system at hand. Nyad is a different type of hero story, but one that beautifully highlights one of several LGBTQ figures whose accomplishments often go unsung. – Alex Gonzalez
Saltburn
MGM STUDIOS
Offering a compelling commentary on social stratification, Saltburn is equal parts compelling as it is provocative. Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick revels in chaos as he fixates on Jacob Elordi’s Felix Catton, carrying out a skillful master plan to earn his place within the Catton family. Though the movie, at times, tends to get lost in its own tumult, watching the events unfold proves addictive, and even anxiety-inducing. Saltburn certainly offers no shortage of thrills and — as evidenced by that shocking bathtub scene — spills. – Alex Gonzalez
Performances
Ayo Edebiri in Theater Camp
Searchlight
2023 was the year of Ayo Edebiri. The multi-hyphenate blew up this year with fantastic performances in Bottoms, The Bear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Theater Camp. In Theater Camp, she plays Janet, a new camp counselor at the scrappy AdirondACTS theater camp. While the rest of the counselors fret about the camp potentially shutting down due to the camp’s owner being comatose, Janet just sort of wings it. She lies about everything from her qualifications to her lesson plans for campers, but there’s something charming about it because her lies feel so harmless, especially compared to the ridiculous selfishness of the two lead counselors, played by Molly Gordon and Ben Platt. The child actors run away with Theater Camp, but Edebiri is a breath of fresh air among the adults who helps keep the film funny and light. – Danielle Ryan
Colman Domingo in Rustin
NETFLIX
Rustin is the true story of Martin Luther King’s advisor Baynard Rustin, whose contributions to the civil rights movement have sadly been downplayed over the years due to his being an openly gay man. Domingo stars as Rustin and completely disappears into the role, taking on the civil rights leader’s mannerisms and vocal inflections in a performance that feels both big and intimate at the same time. The film is careful not to lionize Rustin and Domingo’s nuanced performance adds to its even-handed approach to some of the potentially controversial aspects of his life. In the film, Rustin has a conversation with a friend about how Black (and gay) men must be perfect in order for society to accept them, and it’s refreshing to see that Rustin doesn’t force its heroes to be perfect, just human. Domingo’s performance is searing, full of passion and anger often forced to linger just behind the poor pacifist’s eyes. It’s not just one of the best performances in an LGBTQ film this year, but one of the best performances from this year, period. – Danielle Ryan
Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White, & Royal Blue
Amazon Prime
Fans couldn’t help but fall in love with Alex Claremont Diaz in Red, White, & Royal Blue, played charmingly by Taylor Zakhar Perez. Embodying the nuance of the underrepresented bisexual Latino man, Perez made even the most cynical of viewers smile by way of Alex’s wit and humor, and cry during his coming out moment with his mother, president Ellen Claremont, played by Uma Thurman. Plus, we were all rooting for Alex during his British quest to reunite with Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) in a fight for love. – Alex Gonzalez
Trace Lysette in Monica
IFC Films
The secondhand emotion one feels from watching Monica is one of the most tangible products of queer cinema in cinema. In this heartbreaking redemption story, Trace Lysette plays the titular transwoman reuniting with her mother after years of estrangement. Capturing the feeling of queer loneliness and maintaining an air of mystery, Lysette carries a fresh story, bearing the burden of the heartache and pain she’s grappled with for years. – Alex Gonzalez
Every Monday, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated December 23, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.
10. Dean Martin — “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!”
The holiday music takeover is nearly complete as this Dean Martin classic rounds out this week’s top 10.
This is the first time in the top 10 this holiday season for The Ronettes as “Sleigh Ride” bounds from No. 14 last week to No. 8 now.
7. Andy Williams — “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
Williams had a modest ascent this week, up from No. 8 to No. 7, with his 1963 Christmas hit.
6. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”
Once again, Harlow interrupts the holiday party as “Lovin On Me” remains in the top 10 despite the holly jolly season. Speaking of…
5. Burl Ives — “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” rose to No. 5 this week, so it’s now just one spot away from its all-time high at No. 4.
4. Wham! — “Last Christmas”
“Last Christmas,” meanwhile, holds steady at No. 4, a spot that represents its Hot 100 peak.
3. Bobby Helms — “Jingle Bell Rock”
Bobby Helms’ tune is also at its all-time high at No. 3, as there are two massive Christmas classics that keep getting in its way.
2. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
This has been a historic holiday season for Brenda Lee, who managed to hold off Mariah Carey’s timeless hit from reaching No. 1 for two chart-topping weeks. The tides have turned now, though.
1. Mariah Carey — “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
After Lee’s temporary roadblock, Carey is back at No. 1 for a fifth consecutive holiday season, although this means the two have combined for a joint record: This is the first time two holiday songs have been No. 1 in a single holiday season. This is the 13th total week at No. 1 for “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
This week’s #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated Dec. 23, 2023).
Before Millie Bobby Brown returns for Stranger Things 5, she’s got a different kind of monster to slay for Netflix. Early next year, the actress stars in Damsel, a new fantasy film that flings a young princess directly into the path of a dragon. Only unlike other genre fare, no one’s coming to save this princess except herself.
Here’s everything we know about the epic adventure:
Plot
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo opened up about the fantasy film written by Dan Mazeau and how it flips the typical damsel-in-distress fare with Brown’s performance as Elodie.
“If you think about the history of these kind of stories, in terms of the cinema, the princess is always being helped by somebody: the prince, the father, the king. What Dan did with this was adapting the story into a much more contemporary idea of a woman surviving by herself,” Fresnadillo said before touting Damsel as an “evolution” in Brown’s career.
“In this movie, she does a big step in terms of embracing a really strong independent woman,” Fresnadillo told EW. “Not at the beginning, because this is about a girl who’s very dutiful with her father, and she’s flying with the destiny that this family and this kingdom is thinking for her. But she has to grow up. She has to become strong and independent. Millie incarnates that in such an amazing way.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.
Cast
Alongside Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, Damsel stars Angela Basset as her stepmother Lady Bayford, Robin Wright as her future mother-in-law Queen Isabelle, and Nick Robinson as Elodie’s future husband Prince Henry. Ray Winstone rounds the cast as Elodie’s father Lord Bayford.
Damsel will also feature a “really different” type of dragon for Elodie to conquer, but the real villain will be Wright, who’s no stranger to fantasy fare thanks to her fan-favorite role in The Princess Bride.
Release Date
After previously teasing a 2024 release window, Netflix has finally confirmed a release date for Damsel. The dragon-fighting film starring Millie Bobby Brown premieres March 28, 2024 exclusively on the streaming platform.
Trailer
You can watch the official teaser below:
Damsel slays its way onto Netflix on March 28, 2024.
Finding the smoothest bourbon isn’t as easy of a task as it used to be. There are just so many bourbons on the shelf. Plus we have seen a lot of sky-high ABVs this year, which can be great but certainly aren’t the easiest going down. Though the phrase is frowned upon in reviewing circles, smooth bourbon isn’t a bad thing. It’s simply “drinkable” without a ton of burn or rough edges.
If that sounds good, keep reading. Today, I’m going to call out 20 great bourbons that fit that bill.
The bourbons featured below are smooth AF and come loaded with holiday-sipping vibes. What does that mean exactly? These are all bourbons that lean into the winter spices, orange essence, brandied cherries, mincemeat, winter cakes, and chocolate notes. They feel like winter in a glass. Since we’re barreling toward 2024 with the holidays in full swing, leaning into smooth, holiday-centric flavors is a win-win.
I did rank these bourbons. Some are simply smoother — no rough edges or unbearable heat — and some just feel more Christmas-y. Still, they’re all A+ whiskeys when it comes to quality. The ranking is about how smoothly that holiday vibe comes through. Plus, you should be able to find most of these pretty easily.
Sound good? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Jefferson’s hits it out of the park with their sourced whiskey. The “very old” element of this small-batched blend means that eight to 12 barrels of four unique bourbons were selected to be married, with the oldest clocking in at 20 years old. That whiskey is then proofed with soft Kentucky limestone water to bring it down to a very approachable 90.2 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Notes of vanilla meet spicy tobacco, leather, oak, and very buttery toffee with a hint of popped corn and apple pie mingle on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds to those notes while adding a mellow cherry with an almost cedar-infused cream soda.
Finish: The finish is short but full of all those woody, spicy, and apple pie notes again, with plenty of buttery mouthfeel and a cedar box full of rich tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
Let’s start with ultra-smooth. This whiskey is so easy to drink neat that it’ll hook rookies into bourbon for good. The almond, vanilla, and dark fruit with a dessert vibe help this one also nail the holiday vibes. And while it’s light and easily drinkable neat, you can also make damn fine cocktails with this one.
19. Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than one percent of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with classic notes of vanilla sheet cake, salted caramel, wintry mulled wine spices, and a sense of cherry pie in a lard crust next to a hint of dried corn husk, old broom bristle, and dark chocolate pipe tobacco.
Palate: The palate layers in floral honey and orange zest next to sticky toffee pudding, old leather, and cherry tobacco layered with the dark chocolate with this lingering sense of coconut cream pie lurking somewhere in the background.
Finish: The finish leans into more woody winter spices (especially cinnamon bark and nutmeg) with rich toffee and cherry-chocolate tobacco braided with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is both very accessible — you should be able to find it easily — and full of holiday goodness (and it’s the best-priced whiskey on the list). The overall tone of the bourbon is holiday dessert-forward with incredible drinkability thanks to a deep smoothness. Pour it neat, on the rocks, or into your favorite holiday cocktail.
This is classic (sourced) Bulleit Bourbon that’s aged up to 10 years before it’s blended and bottled. The barrels are hand-selected to really amplify those classic “Bulleit” flavors that make this brand so damn accessible (and beloved) in the first place.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A lot is going on with butter and spicy stewed apples, maple syrup, Christmas cakes full of nuts and dried fruit, and a hint of savory herbs all pinging through your nose.
Palate: The palate brings about smooth and creamy vanilla with plenty of butter toffee, sourdough crust, more X-mas spice, cedar bark, and a hint of dried roses.
Finish: The finish is long, warming, and really embraces the toffee and spice with a hint of those roasting herbs sneaking in late.
Bottom Line:
This is a big meal whiskey with a great balance — and smoothness thanks to low(ish) ABVs — of roasting herbs and winter spice working together. Pour this neat or into cocktails as a dinner and dessert pairing bourbon this holiday season and you’ll be all set.
17. Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
This new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Green River distillery is a wheated classic. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted 6-Row barley. That whiskey then spends four to six years mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This pops on the nose with rich caramel next to soft roasted peach and apricot, cinnamon bark and nutmeg with a creamy vibe, and a hint of Cream of Wheat cut with maple syrup.
Palate: Toffee drives the palate toward Nutella and honey over buttermilk biscuits with an apple/pear tobacco aura that leads to a soft orange.
Finish: The end is rich and full of stewed fruits — peach, pear, orange, raisins — and a mild sense of oaky spice and a mild graininess.
Bottom Line:
This one deftly leans into holiday fruits with a nice winter spiciness, making it great for on the rocks pours or wintry cocktails (especially old fashioneds). The smoothness shines through with an almost creamy vibe to the fruitiness that just works.
16. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Michter’s means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows.
Finish: The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is another great fruit and spice-forward bourbon that’s versatile and smooth AF (it’s truly lush thanks to that approachable ABV). You can easily pour this over some rocks as a dessert pairing whiskey. But it’ll shine the brightest as a cocktail base for all those holiday cocktails you’ll want to make over the next weeks.
15. Evan Williams Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The whiskey is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a nice nose full of woody cherry and salted caramel with a tart apple edge and a soft leatheriness.
Palate: The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco.
Finish: The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is essential Kentucky bourbon with a perfect balance of dark fruit and spice centered around the aforementioned “lush creaminess” (which is fancy talk for “smooth”). That makes this an excellent sipper or mixer for whiskey-forward cocktails. This is also another amazingly well-priced product.
14. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
This special release from Maker’s Mark is their classic wheated bourbon turned up a few notches. The batch is made from no more than 19 barrels of whiskey. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the barrel at cask strength with no filtering, just pure whiskey-from-the-barrel vibes.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Burnt caramel candies and lush vanilla lead the way on the nose with hints of dry straw, sour cherry pie, and spiced apple cider with a touch of eggnog lushness.
Palate: The palate has a sense of spicy caramel with a vanilla base that leads to apricot jam, southern biscuits, and a flake of salt with a soft mocha creaminess.
Finish: The end is all about the buzzy tobacco spiciness with a soft vanilla underbelly and a hint of cherry syrup.
Bottom Line:
You’ll want to cut your mulled wine, (smooth!) nogs, and hot apple ciders with this one. Or whip up some great Manhattans. Dealer’s choice!
13. Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky 1920 Prohibition Style
Getting back to the years on the bottles, this expression “celebrates” the Volstead Act of 1920, which pretty much banned alcohol in the U.S. What this is really celebrating is that Old Forester was one of only six distilleries that were able to keep making and selling whisky (for medicinal purposes) during Prohibition. And that era’s production is what this blend mimics.
Tasting Note:
Nose: That classic choco-cherry note that a lot of Old Forester has come through on the top of this nose with maple syrup-soaked cedar next to a faint touch of caramel apple.
Palate: The palate is slightly nutty, bordering on Pecan Sandies, with a continuation of that maple syrup leading towards light pepperiness that’s almost like cumin as the cedar comes back into play.
Finish: The mid-palate sweetens pretty dramatically with a Caro Syrup feel to it as the spice hits on a wintery vibe and the taste ends with a finish of (almost smoked) dark chocolate powder on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is a sweet bomb, making it the perfect holiday dessert pairing whiskey. All that sweetness helps this one go down very easily, or smoothly if you will. Or you can pair this with a big pile of Christmas cookies and be very happy about it.
12. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat at its price. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the whiskey is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry.
Palate: The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond.
Finish: The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a bit of a “wow” pour that’s the epitome of smooth. It also used to be impossible to find about five years ago. Those days are gone and this one is pretty easy to get (especially online) these days. That’s great as this is a superb cocktail base for winter-forward cocktails or easy by-the-fire sipping over a big ol’ rock.
11. Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 3 Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This year’s Wyoming Whiskey Fall 2023 release is the third edition of the National Park series. This year Grand Teton National Park is the star of the show with a minimum five-year-old batch of bourbon aged in the plains of Wyoming as they descend from the Rockies.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wyoming Bourbon’s signature orange creamsicle opens the nose with a sense of wet brown sugar, fresh unsalted butter, and little cups of toffee pudding before a hint of dry black tea leaves arrives.
Palate: The orange attaches to floral honey on the palate with a sense of coffee cake, Nutella, and soft vanilla pudding swimming in caramel sauce.
Finish: Pecan waffles with pancake syrup sweeten the finish before black tea sneaks back in with a mild sense of leathery tobacco and the stick from an orange creamsicle.
Bottom Line:
This is another great dessert-forward option for pairing with spice cakes, sugar cookies, or anything orange — which makes this a great candidate for bold old fashioneds. The smoothness really shines through thanks to that orange creamsicle vibe that runs throughout.
This whiskey — a revival of a centuries-old dead brand — is from the new company founded by partners Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky, based around the Rare Character Whiskey shingle. The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from six barrels of six-year-old whiskey that’s expertly batched and bottled with just a touch of local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh orange blossom and nasturtiums mingle on the nose with honeycomb next to stewed plums with hints of clove and allspice.
Palate: The palate is luxurious with a sense of salted caramel, cherry Dr. Pepper, and sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spice, dark orange zest, brandy butter, and black-tea-soaked dates.
Finish: The end has a sense of plum pudding with burnt sugars and orange tobacco kissed with star anise and clove, rolled up with wild sage and cedar bark, and wrapped in old leather pouches.
Bottom Line:
Caramel, orange, chocolate, toffee, brandy butter? That’s holiday flavors through and through and pure, lush smoothness. Pour this one into a glass over a big ice cube and let it wash over you. Hopefully, there’ll be a fire crackling nearby.
9. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
This was first introduced in 1997. The whiskey is hand-selected from barrels on the upper floors of Jack’s vast rickhouses. The whisky is bottled at a slightly higher proof to allow the nuance of the single-barrel whiskey to shine.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The banana notes are drawn way back here and replaced by a clear sense of toasted oak, dark cherry, apple tobacco, and a hint of molasses.
Palate: That oak is the underpinning for notes of caramel corn, mild winter spice barks, and plenty of oily vanilla beans that are all countered by a soft cherry soda with a whisper of clove.
Finish: The sweet banana fruit is there on the end and marries well to a peppery spice, cherry gum, and mulled wine that amps up as the end draws near with plenty of that toasted wood lingering the longest.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic and deeply fruity whiskey that counters with great spice, creaminess, and lush vibes. This is one of the best options for an after-dinner pour when the dishes are done and you’re ready to just relax with a good whiskey in your hand that reminds you of everything that just happened.
8. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a high water mark of what standard Wild Turkey can achieve. The Russells select the “honey barrels” (those special barrels that are as much magic as craft) from their rickhouses for single barrel bottling. The resulting whiskey is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla cream spiked with orange oils and sprinkled with toasted coconut mingle with spicy oak and buttery cake on the nose with an underpinning of winter spices by way of a sour mulled wine.
Palate: The palate opens with easy notes of marzipan, subtle dried roses, vanilla pods, more winter spices, and singed cherry bark.
Finish: The end arrives with a sense of Almond Joy next to cherry tobacco dipped in chili-infused dark chocolate with a flake of salt and a pinch of cedar dust and old leather saddles.
Bottom Line:
This is a great dessert, candy, or cookie binge-pairing whiskey. Hell, dip a sugar cookie in this whiskey and you’ll be transported to a winter wonderland. That also means that this is a great cocktail base for Manhattans, smooth nogs, or even boulevardiers.
7. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The whiskey is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol layered with smudging sage and orchard barks.
Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy before leaning into a creamy vanilla cream spiked with tobacco and stewed prunes, dates, and figs.
Bottom Line:
Okay, we’re in great sipper territory now. This is quintessential Kentucky bourbon with a deep dark fruitness accented by smooth winter spice that presents as the best fruitcake or sticky toffee pudding you’ve ever had in whiskey form. Break the board games and pour this into a glass, it’ll be divine.
6. Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This Single Barrel from Four Roses is a slightly proofed version of their famed OBSV recipe (read about what that means here). That’s a bourbon recipe with delicate fruit yeast and a high-rye mash bill. A single barrel of that was picked from the north side of Warehouse P (a beloved position for Four Roses’ single barrel fans — yes, barrel position and warehouses make a big difference).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody maple syrup and cinnamon sticks lead to a hint of pear candy with a vanilla underbelly on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets the pear shine as the spices lean into woody barks and tart berries next to leathery dates and plums with a butteriness tying everything together.
Finish: A spicy tobacco chewiness leads the mid-palate toward a soft fruitiness and a hint of plum pudding at the end with a slight nuttiness and green herbal vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a concise and deep pour of whiskey. Pair this with a pecan pie or a sticky toffee pudding (super lush and smooth versions), or make a pecan pie old fashioned or a sticky toffee pudding-inspired Manhattan. Or just pour it neat and enjoy it with desserts throughout the season.
5. Noah’s Mill Small Batch Genuine Bourbon Whiskey
This is the bigger and bolder sibling of Willett’s Rowan’s Creek Bourbon. It’s the same whiskey — a no-age-statement bourbon that’s made from four to 15-year-old barrels — that’s barely proofed down with local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried cherries and a hint of rose water next to old leather books and holiday spices.
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in a stewed plum depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils.
Finish: The vanilla and sweet oak kick in late with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip fade towards lush cherry tobacco, soft leather, and winter spice matrix tied to prunes and dates.
Bottom Line:
This is a lush and very approachable whiskey that shines when poured neat. It’s also so refined that’ll it work with every stage of a big holiday or meal or just as an easy sipper while you wrap presents and want to get into the holiday mood.
Bourbon legend Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his Wild Turkey warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is as bold as it is classic with a spice matrix brimming with cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom, and nutmeg next to dry cedar kindling, black-tea-soaked dates, rum-raisin, and tart dried cranberry tobacco.
Palate: The vanilla creates a lush underbelly as old boot leather mingles with marzipan, orange blossoms, and creamy dark chocolate flaked with salt.
Finish: The end is softly warm with a sense of that marzipan covered in lightly spiced dark chocolate next to old tobacco braided with old wicker and dry cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is the most holiday-forward Wild Turkey that’s widely available. This is delectable and delicate (another fancy way of saying “smooth AF”) with a deep sense of holiday cakes, cookies, and desserts. It’s deep and luscious and will perfectly accent any part of your holidays whether poured neat or on the rocks.
This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The whiskey is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo at Suntory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plummy puddings with hints of nuts mingle with vinous berries, oaky spice, and a good dose of vanilla and toffee on the nose.
Palate: The palate expands on the spice with more barky cinnamon and dusting of nutmeg while the oak becomes sweeter and the fruit becomes dried and sweet.
Finish: The finish is jammy yet light with plenty of fruit, spice, and oak lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is all about those lush dark fruits that you find in creamy chocolates and spiced winter cakes this time of year. And while this is a very nice and easygoing neat pour for sipping all holiday long, this is a killer cocktail base (especially for wintry Manhattans).
2. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from their very low rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee draw you in on the nose before a sense of old fallow fruit orchards with falling leaves hints at old brick barrelhouses in the distance with a whisper of dried apple.
Palate: Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce before deep and earthy barrel warehouse vibes arrive with a sense of the cobwebs, mold, and ancient wood takes over.
Finish: The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar wrapped with smudging sage, old fall leaves, and bourbon-soaked oak stave from decades ago.
Bottom Line:
This is the essential smooth Kentucky pour this time of year. Pour this over one big rock and let it carry you away like your favorite Christmas tune.
1. Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted American and French Oak
The latest release from the Bourbon Pursuit team is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons. The three bourbons involved are a Finger Lakes whiskey (70/20/10 corn/rye/malted barley), an MGP bourbon (60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley), and an undisclosed Tennessee whiskey (80/10/10 corn/rye/malted barley). Those whiskeys were finished in both American and French toasted oak barrels before batching and bottling with a touch of Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate nut clusters (pecan and walnut heavy) mixed with burnt orange, a hint of mulled wine, and rum-raising with an echo of fresh cedar on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a sense of Nutella over scones with a Cherry Coke on the side while singed cedar and cherry bark mingle with clove-studded oranges and a hint of freshly cracked black pepper.
Finish: The end has a nice spicy warmth and a touch more of that singed wood next to spicy cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This small bottler in Kentucky is doing amazing work and really dialed in their craft in 2023. This ultra-lush whiskey is the perfect holiday accompaniment to everything from a big family meal to a wintry cocktail session with your crew, or slow sipping while you kill a plate of gingerbread cookies all by yourself.
Slow Horses,AppleTV+‘s crime drama starring Gary Oldman, is currently in full swing. The series is based on Mick Herron’s non-horse-related book series Slough House and has two more episodes on deck for its third season.
Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the grumpy head of Slough House, also known as an administrative purgatory where high-profile agents are sent after they mess up, but can’t really be fired. It’s like a fun little time-out. Here is the official synopsis for the current season, which is based on the third book in the popular series:
“Slow Horses” is darkly funny espionage drama that follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes. In season three, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Jackson Lamb (Academy Award winner Gary Oldman) and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House but of MI5 itself.
You can catch the first two seasons of Slow Horses on AppleTV+ before catching up to the current season.
When Will ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3, Episode 5 Come Out?
The penultimate episode will drop on Apple TV on Wednesday, December 20th. The season three finale will air one week later on December 27th.
Before season three aired, a fourth season of Slow Horses was ordered, so now is the perfect time to see Gary Oldman’s old face on your TV screen before the next chapter arrives.
Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival last took place in 2022, and now they’re prepping for a return in 2024. Next year’s lineup was announced today (December 18), and aside from Wilco themselves, the lineup poster also boasts Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Wednesday, Ratboys, and more.
The full lineup set to hit MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) from June 28 to 30 features Wilco, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Dry Cleaning, Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Iris Dement, Hailu Mergia, John Hodgman’s Comedy Cabaret, Jeff Tweedy & Friends, Wednesday, Horsegirl, Water From Your Eyes, Soul Glo, Ratboys, Joanna Sternberg, Young@Heart, Story Pirates, Courtney Marie Andrews, Young Fresh Fellows, Song Exploder with Hrishikesh Hirway and Jeff Tweedy, Fenne Lily, Horse Lords, Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara, Etran De L’Air, Mikaela Davis, Autumn Defense, Saccata Quartet feat. Nels Cline, Darin Gray, Chris Corsano and Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Eucademix, Sylvan Esso DJ Set, Steve Keene (live painting), Ghost Town Screenprinting Demo, Bellweather Records & Autumn Records Pop-Up Vinyl Store, dysFUNKcrew, and Substack Pop-Up Interviews.
As for tickets, those are on sale now, so learn more about available options on the Solid Sound ticketing website. A bonus is that festival tickets also get you into MASS MoCA, making it a great opportunity to get your fix of music and contemporary art.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In the last month or so, Jack Harlow has dropped two new singles: “Lovin’ On Me,” which reset expectations after the introspective Jackman, and “Stop Giving Me Advice” with British rapper Dave, shrugging off commenters whose input overlooks the hard work he’s put in to get to this level.
Jack’s also been on his No Place Like Home tour, hitting arenas across his home state, Kentucky. There’s good news for all those who don’t live in the state, though: Jack is giving fans a chance to experience the concert just like they were there, courtesy of Meta. On Thursday, January 4 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET, No Place Like Home: A VR Concert will premiere on Meta Horizon Worlds’ Music Valley. Using a Meta Quest headset, fans can watch the show and a behind-the-scenes documentary.
In a press release, Jack explained the movtivation behind the tour and turning it into a VR experience. “At some point last year I realized how much of my home state I’ve never seen,” he said. “I suddenly got this urge to take a tour bus across Kentucky with all my childhood friends. So that’s what we did: Six shows in different towns across the state, with the final stop being in Lexington. We decided my first show at the historic Rupp Arena was the perfect moment to capture in VR. Enjoy.”
No Place Like Home: A VR Concert launches on Meta Horizon Worlds 1/4/2024 at 5 PM PT.
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Disgraced former United States Representative George Santos may (or may not) be a lot of things. But one thing we can be sure of is the fact that he’s a Barb. During a sitdown interview with Ziwe, which was published to YouTube today (December 18), Santos spit some bars from one of Nicki Minaj‘s earlier verses.
In a portion of the interview, Ziwe went through a list of civil rights icons, and prompted Santos to tell her what they each mean to her.
When asked about Marsha P. Johnson, Santos deemed the LGBTQ+ rights trailblazer a “very respectful, honorable person,” though he wasn’t quite clear on why he admired her.
Santos also made it quite evident that he didn’t know who James Baldwin or Harvey Milk were. He did, however, say that Saturday Night Live actor Bowen Yang deserves an EGOT for his impression of him.
Ziwe then asked about Nicki Minaj, whom Santos called a “queen.” She proceed to rap a portion of Minaj’s verse on Kanye West’s 2010 hit, “Monster.”
“Pull up in the monster, automobile,” rapped Ziwe. Santos popped in, rapping “Gangsta, with a bad b*tch that came from Sri Lanka.” He then let out a big laugh, and Ziwe’s reaction said everything you need to know about her thoughts on the situation.
You can watch the full interview above (if you must).
Wednesday is Netflix‘s most-watched English language series ever. To capitalize on the show’s success, and in an attempt to do for pale, bald weirdos what Wednesday Addams did for goth girls, the streaming service is in the “early stages of development” on a spinoff centered around Uncle Fester, the character played by Fred Armisen.
Bloomberg reports that although “there is no guarantee the Uncle Fester show will ever happen,” Netflix is “eager to establish a pipeline of Addams Family programs to build off the success of Wednesday. It has a willing partner in Amazon, which acquired the rights to The Addams Family when it bought MGM and produces the show under that label.”
Wednesday co-creator Al Gough told the Hollywood Reporter he was interested in spin-offs before the original series even premiered. “When you create a world like this, the intention is any one of these characters could be the lead in their own show,” he said. “Certainly it’s cast that way, when you have Fred Armisen, when you have Catherine Zeta-Jones, when you have Luis Guzman. It’s certainly something we’ve discussed and would very much like to, in success, really branch out this world beyond just Wednesday.”
Fresh off his recent expulsion from Congress, and pivot into becoming a Cameo superstar, George Santos sat down for a Youtube interview with Ziwe where he attempted to deliver catty remarks while getting repeatedly zinged for his long, and well-documented history of lying.
While noting that Santos asked to be paid “three times” for the interview, Ziwe went to work trying to solve the greatest mystery of the disgraced congressman’s career: What was the deal with that random baby he was holding? Santos’ wild response set the stage for the tone of the interview.
The comedian also tries to get the bottom of the confusion over the mysterious baby Santos was carrying around Congress, which led to him say he could “probably make a Black baby” on his own due to his “biracial” identity.
“I feel like you’re lying to me,” Ziwe told him, repeatedly refusing to let Santos get away with his attempts to explain away his blatant exaggerations about his personal story.
However, it wasn’t all zingers. Santos tip-toed closely to spilling tea on his former colleagues. He called Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham “frauds,” yet notably refused to fire shots at Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. In fact, Santos made sure to reiterate that he’s all MAGA by proclaiming that “Gen Z loves Trump. He’s an icon.”
As for the rest of the Republican Party, Santos accused them of being liars, which is extremely rich considering the source.
“They’re hacks. They’re not doing anything but lying to you,” Santos said via The Hollywood Reporter. “If a politician’s mouth is moving on Capitol Hill, they’re lying to you.”
After almost getting him to confess to his crimes several times, Ziwe finally got to the next biggest question surrounding Santos after the mystery baby, of course.
“What could we do to get you to go away?” she asked to which Santos responded, “Stop inviting me to your gigs. But you can’t because people want the content.”
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