GoneTrending

The Uproxx 2023 Fall Travel Hot List is live! Visit here for the full experience!

Pursuing happiness is humanity’s universal aspirations and, many argue, a fundamental piece of a fulfilling life. While the very definition of happiness is, of course, subjective, one thing many of us (especially if you are reading this list) have in common is that travel plays a significant part in our pursuit. Because while we may not all be able to live in a place with incredible quality of life and recreation opportunities – we sure can visit them.

A destination that might not yet be on your radar for “happiness travel” is Utah, but according to WalletHub’s 2023 ranking of “Happiest States in America”, it’s number 1. Considering several factors such as economic, social, emotional, and physical health, this ranking might be surprising to those who haven’t spent much time in the Beehive State. But as a frequent traveler to Utah – I totally get it.

The recreation opportunities alone are enough to put Utah at the top of any “top ____” list in my book. The large state is geographically diverse, with options for adventure and awe around every corner. Unsurprisingly, it has more national parks than almost any other state (save for California and Alaska), 43 state parks, over 15 ski resorts, and even a lake nicknamed the “Caribbean of the Rockies.”

If you aren’t yet convinced to book a flight to SLC and hit the road, here are my top 10 outdoor adventure destinations in Utah to change your mind:

Canyonlands National Park — Near Moab

Canyonlands National Park, in my opinion, doesn’t get as much due as some of the other parks in Utah – and that’s part of what makes it so great. The massive National Park – with four distinct districts spread over 300-thousand acres – is rugged and unique. Most visitors experience Canyonlands via The Island In The Sky District, the most accessible just ten miles north of the outdoor mecca Moab. Here, you can hike the Shafer Trail and famous Mesa Arch, drive White Rim Road (with a 4×4 only), camp, head into the backcountry, or admire the massive panoramic views from the multiple viewing areas.

Where to stay nearby:

Head into Moab to stay at the newly opened Field Station Moab, a hotel centered around adventure stocked with outdoor equipment and professional outdoor guides.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

I love to grab a brew at Moab Brewery whenever I’m in town.

Arches National Park — Moab

Just 5 miles north of Moab is one of the nation’s most unique and memorable National Parks – Arches. With over 2,000 documented natural stone arches (the largest concentration in the world) in just 119 square miles – there is something remarkable everywhere you turn here.

Hike the surprisingly challenging Delicate Arch trail or to the more mellow Double Arch before entering Devils Garden. The park road is stunning on its own – just be sure to secure a timed entry vehicle reservation before your visit. Reservations are released on a rolling basis three months in advance, with a limited number available the day before entry at 6 p.m. MDT on recreation.gov.

Where to stay nearby:

On my next visit, I’d love to stay at Red Cliffs Lodge on the gorgeous Highway 128 Colorado River Scenic Byway. The lodge offers suites and cabins with rustic Western decor framed by striking red cliffs and impressive amenities.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Grab a drink at The Bar at Red Cliffs Lodge.

Dead Horse Point State Park — Moab

Less than 10 miles from Canyonlands, you’ll find another geological wonder (they are everywhere here y’all) – Dead Horse Point State Park. One of 43 state parks in Utah, Dead Horse Point is consistently one of the most visited. The Dead Horse Point overlook is legendary, with panoramic views of the Colorado River and nearby Canyonlands National Park — the kind of place that makes you feel small in all the right ways.

Hike Rim Loop and Big Horn Overlook Trail during your visit.

Where to stay nearby:

Renting a yurt in Dead Horse Point State Park is next on my Utah bucket list. With a two-night minimum stay, the yurts are spacious and convenient for all the action in the park.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Head into Moab for a brew and maybe a bite at Proper Brewing Co.

Capitol Reef National Park — South-Central Utah

I’ve had many conversations with fellow travelers and friends who said they took a trip to “all the Utah National Parks,” – but when I ask them what they thought of Capitol Reef, they realize they missed one. While not the “least visited Utah National Park” – that title goes to Canyonlands, it’s not as easy to get here; you likely won’t just “be in the area” – you have to want it. And I always do.

Home to part of the “Waterpocket Fold” – a geological feature described as a “wrinkle” in the earth’s crust that extends for 100 miles; enjoy scenic drives, hiking, and uniquely historic pick-your-own fruit orchards and famous fruit pies available at the Gifford Homestead during your visit.

Where to stay nearby:

Stay in Torrey for convenient access to the park at a short-term rental or one of the many standard hotels. I’d love to spend some nights at the elevated and modern Skyview Hotel on my next visit.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Head south on the breathtaking Scenic byway 12 to Boulder and the only Utah restaurant ever selected as an outstanding restaurant finalist in the James Beard Awards – Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm.

Bryce Canyon National Park — Southern Utah

Ask any seasoned National Park traveler what their favorite park in Utah is, and you’ll likely hear Bryce Canyon. It may not get as much fanfare as the enormously popular (and nearby) Zion National Park – but it is unique among any park in the NPS system. The vibrant geological formations and hoodoos – the park’s signature feature – are otherworldly and awe-inspiring to walk above, around, or below. And with elevations averaging between 8,000 and 9,000 ft, winter here might be even more spectacular with the juxtaposition of snow on the rocks.

Hike Rim Trail, Sunset to Sunrise Point, Navajo Loop, and Queens Garden or Mossy Cave to be transported into another dimension entirely.

Where to stay nearby:

Rent a vintage Airstream modern cabin, or bring your RV/van to the nearby Yonder Escalante. Enjoy nightly movies on the big screen in vintage cars, the pool and hot tub with a view, and the tasty food and drinks available onsite.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Enjoy a drink at Yonder or in the park at The Lodge at Bryce Canyon Restaurant.

Zion National Park — Southwest Utah

Zion National Park is one of the top-visited National Parks in the United States, and for good reason. The park in Southwestern Utah is home to the famed Angel’s Landing hike (don’t forget your permit), The Narrows, and Observation Point. Zion Canyon is one of the most awe-inducing places one can visit in the United States, hands down, stretching for 15 miles at depths up to 2,640 ft.

Where to stay nearby:

Snag a room at the only “in-park” lodging at Zion Lodge. The lodge offers cabins, hotel rooms, and suites.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

If you’re in the mood for a cocktail, head to Cowboys and Angels Cocktail Parlor in Springdale.

Kodachrome Basin State Park — Cannonville

This Utah State Park is close to the perennially crowded Bryce Canyon but with a fraction of the crowds and all of the beauty. Named after Kodak Kodachrome Film after a 1949 National Geographic Society expedition that photographed it using the film – this park is jaw-dropping. I felt like the only person left on earth hiking Angel’s Palace Trail, photographing the sandstone spires and chimneys, and watching for wildlife.

Where to stay nearby:

Rent a cottage, treehouse, or larger home – some with private hot tubs – at the luxurious Stone Canyon Inn in nearby Tropic.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

The Stone Hearth Grille at Stone Canyon Inn is a favorite, with fresh dishes, a great atmosphere, a lively crowd, and an extensive wine list.

Park City

I have spent years traveling all around Utah, but until recently, I had never spent much time in Park City. Known for its world-class skiing and upscale vibes, I wasn’t sure what it would offer a non-skier like me. But after a recent trip during the shoulder season, I regret spending so much time not in Park City. The views are immaculate, the town is charming, the lodgings are upscale, and most importantly – the access to outdoor recreation is unparalleled. Hike, mountain bike, or stand-up paddleboard during the off-season, then head to Main St. for shopping and fine dining.

Where to stay:

I loved my stay at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City. The historic Norweigian-inspired luxury ski hotel has excellent restaurants, impeccable service, a sumptuous spa, and views from every vantage point.

Where to grab a drink:

Head to Park City Main St. and go underground at Alpine Distilling’s Social Aid & Pleasure Club for craft cocktails made with their award-winning spirits.

Bear Lake State Park — Garden City

Known as the “Caribbean of the Rockies,” the palatial Bear Lake, on the border of Utah and Idaho, is a year-round destination – but shines in the summer months. Spend days boating, beach lounging, hiking, and jet skiing on deep turquoise waters that will seem to transport you far out of Utah.

Where to stay nearby:

Glamp at the upscale Conestoga Ranch in luxury tents or wagons. All have plush mattresses, rustic elegant furnishing, ample amenities, and some with en suite bathrooms.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Stay on property at Conestoga Ranch for drinks at The Campfire Grill. The timber-framed, open-air space offers lake views, and the beer and wine lists are carefully curated.

Bonneville Salt Flats — Western Utah

You’ve undoubtedly seen photos of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Northwestern Utah. The otherworldly landscape created as a result of the evaporation of Lake Bonneville is a legendary image in the American West. The vast salt pan is the perfect backdrop for photography and stargazing, but what it’s really known for is speed.

The Bonneville Speedway, on the National Register of Historic Places, is an area of the salt flats predetermined for motorsports. Several land speed records have been made here, as the flat and smooth surface creates the perfect conditions.

Where to stay nearby:

There isn’t a ton nearby, as this is a remote area, often a stopping point between two other destinations or made as a day trip from Salt Lake City. The best nearby option is to head to Wendover in Nevada and try the KOA or Best Western.

Where to grab a drink nearby:

Your best bet is to bring your brews to enjoy while visiting this pristine landscape, likely unlike anything you have ever experienced before.

If you take a look at any list of “best IPAs,” you’ll see a lot of the usual suspects. That’s because, even though there are over 9,000 breweries in the US with many of them cranking out an IPA or two, names like Ballast Point, Russian River, Bell’s, and Stone always seem to find their way to the top of the list. And that’s fair on some level — those beers are great. But while we love all of those breweries and their IPAs, we also want to celebrate the countless lesser-known, high-quality IPAs just waiting to be discovered.

The most difficult thing is finding these proverbial beer-soaked diamonds in the rough. There’s no way you could sample all of the thousands of IPAs on the market. Though, to be fair, it woul be fun to try. Lucky for you, the experts are here to help. Who better to let you in on the best lesser-known IPAs than beer writers, brewers, and beer professionals themselves?

We asked a handful of these folks for help, and they were gracious enough to let us in on their favorite under-the-radar IPAs. Keep scrolling to see the underrated beers they tell their friends and family to try.

Modist Tea Label

Garth E. Beyer, Certified Cicerone and owner of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin

ABV: 6.3%

Average Price: $14 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Teal Label from Modist is a west-coast style IPA that has regional distribution but should be nationally distributed given how damn good it is. You don’t often read ‘crushable’ and ‘West Coast IPA’ together. But there’s no better way to describe it.

Tasting Notes:

It brings forward a very traditional malt base of Maris Otter Pale Ale malt and then gives itself a modern hop twist that gives this an eclectic dance of flavor between juicy (pineapple, primarily) and West Coast resin (pine tree, anyone?).

Cellarmaker Mo’ Simcoe

Bradley Miles, head of production at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix

ABV: 6.9%Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Mo’ Simcoe from Cellarmaker is a lesser-known IPA that deserves more attention. The berry and fruit character from the Mosaic paired with the dankness of Simcoe sets this IPA apart for me.

Tasting Notes:

This complex IPA has notes of honeydew melon, lemongrass, guava, mango, and a nice kick of dank, floral, bitter hops at the finish.

Kros Strain Fairy Nectar

Packy Colgan, USBG bartender at Liquid Sunshine Taproom in Omaha, Nebraska

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Kros Strain’s Fairy Nectar IPA is a great lesser-known IPA. It’s a favorite around Nebraska and should be on everyone’s IPA radar. This New England-style IPA is known for its juicy, fruity, citrus-filled flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

It’s citrusy, smooth, and still has that hoppy bitterness characteristic of an IPA. Whenever a person tells me they don’t like IPAs, I tell them to give this a taste. When I meet an IPA fan from out of town, I tell them to give this a try.

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack

Glenn Allen, head brewer at Pilot Project Brewing in Milwaukee

ABV: 8.3%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

A beer that is likely lesser known to newer beer drinkers in the often-overlooked category of Black IPA is Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker. This brew was originally made in 2012 and occasionally returns on special releases for those of us who still remember.

Tasting Notes:

It is super unique for an IPA with roasted malt character and spicy rye that melds with the grapefruit and pine of the hops.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

Nico Freccia, co-founder at COO at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Certainly, the best seasonal IPA would be the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. This beer has morphed into being their fresh hop IPA which is only available in the fall. But if I was going to pick a lesser-known IPA, I’d go with Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye. This 6.6% ABV Rye IPA is complex, lightly spicy, and highly memorable.

Tasting Notes:

This complex, surprisingly well-balanced IPA gets a ton of peppery spice from the use of rye, but also has a nice malt presence and has a nice kick of lightly bitter, floral hops.

Kuhnhenn DRIPA

Duncan Kral, innovation brewer at Half Acre Beer in Chicago

ABV: 9.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

My favorite lesser-known IPA is Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. DRIPA. This ‘double rice’ IPA has (you guessed it) lots of rice in the grain bill to help boost the ABV and provide a crisp, dry finish.

Tasting Notes:

It pours a brilliantly clear golden and explodes out of the glass with citrusy grapefruit hop aromas. Be careful with this one. Its 10% ABV is so well hidden you’ll think you’re drinking a session IPA. But it packs a punch.

Rhinegeist Truth

Adam Lukey, head brewer at Eventide Brewing in Atlanta

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

I grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati and as an Ohio boy, I have to mention my favorite IPA: Truth from Rhinegeist in Cincinnati. It’s my Platonic ideal of what an IPA should be.

Tasting Notes:

Truth has a firm bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malt which includes Vienna, Pilsner, flaked rye, and red malts. The nose is accented with the scintillating brilliance of the hops which include Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe, and Centennial lending the beer tropical fruit aroma with grapefruit and mango notes with a dry finish.

Devil’s Logic Heretic Anthem

Chad Henderson, head brewer and co-owner of NoDa Brewing Company in Charlotte

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Heretic Anthem by Devil’s Logic is easily my top choice for West Coast IPAs I’ve sampled locally this year. It’s brewed with Citra, Vic Secret, and Nelson Sauvin hops.

Tasting Notes:

Bursting with lively citrus and tropical notes, it carries subtle pine undertones. The beer has a solid yet clean malt body and assertive ABV to balance it all out.

Holy Mountain Gravemaker

Chris Baum, head brewer and owner at Varietal Beer Company in Sunnyside, Washington

ABV: 7%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

I love Gravemaker from Holy Mountain which is a collaboration with Cervezaria Transpeninsular in Ensenada, Mexico. It’s brewed with Buzz Pale from LINC malt, and Azacca hops giving it a balanced, highly drinkable flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

This is a great IPA. It’s fruity, light in body, and with a very clean malt presence. It ends with a nice hit of piney, resinous hops to tie everything together nicely.

Lucky Cat Residue of Design

George Hummel, grain master at My Local Brew Works in Philadelphia

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Residue of Design East Cost IPA, brewed by Lucky Cat Brewing Co, is an exciting mash-up of the East Coast and West Coast styles. Easy to drink and doesn’t get the love it deserves.

Tasting Notes:

This mashup of east and west is filled with fruit flavors, sweet malts, and citrus notes, and finishes with a nice bitter, floral, dank flourish. It’s a well-balanced underrated IPA.

“I look at myself as an expressionist, like a surrealist artist,” says Jesse Boykins III. The alternative R&B singer – whose sound stretches from classic soul to the accented, off-center elements of electronic – is known for his unique exploration of where music and fashion intersect.

“I explore a lot of different sounds and soundscapes and I try to explore a lot of different ways of communicating my emotions,” he notes. “I went to school for jazz, so I explore a lot of different genres of music — I’m open to hybridizing and blending things, mixing and matching elements together, and making things that might not seem like they’re going to make sense, make sense.”

Born in Chicago, Boykins spent part of his childhood surrounded by his fly-as-hell uncles while living in Jamaica, which ultimately shaped his perception of clothing. At first, the artist, director, music producer, and clothing designer tried to tone it down when returning to the U.S., but he eventually found his footing by expressing himself in whatever way felt best.

“I’m very big on curating things and trying to bring comfort to things that might normally feel uncomfortable,” he continues, speaking on his aesthetic. “I think that’s something that’s needed right now — people being okay with finding comfort in discomfort. That’s what I lean into in my art.”

Today, Boykins sets the tone in how he dresses the same way he does with his music — with unapologetic flair. After a run of new singles – including the recent “Go With The Feeling” – Boykins is set to drop a full-length album, New Growth, next month.

We hit up Boykins to talk about his curated sense of style and how he showcases that in his music and live performances, the kind of pieces he likes to collect, his personal perception of the world’s view on style and fashion, and more.

You have a very curated sense of style. What’s your personal style philosophy?

I like how things feel, so I usually start with feeling. I want to feel down to textures and different fabrics. I really love wool and cashmere, and I really love tweed. I try to get things along the lines of things that I connect with as far as that’s concerned. And then some people tell me I dress like either I’m homeless or I’m a millionaire. I take that as a compliment, I call it “vintage bedroom.”

That’s my speed right there. Like I just got out of bed, but I could go to the Met Gala.

I feel like that’s starting to become more popular too on the red carpet and especially with younger generations. They’re all about the comfortability, but also making it stylish.

That’s always been a part of my expression is to make sure of that. They say beauty is pain, I don’t agree. That’s not really my thing. I feel like you just want to be peaceful, as peaceful as you can make it. So that’s what I try to do in my style, try to make sure that I feel good, I’m at peace with what I’m wearing.

When did you first become interested in fashion and style and how have you connected it over the years with your music?

I think I was like five years old. I grew up in Jamaica, and my uncles are all pretty stylish dudes and were in a reggae band. My father was also a very stylish person who had the Gucci glasses with the safari hats, the 13 gold chains, the three gold teeth, and tried different patterns and stuff. So I was around it really early on and I used to dress like them.

When I moved to the states, I had to kind of change a little bit because I had to conform because of where I was living. I wasn’t trying to look like fresh meat out here so I adapted. And then when I moved to New York for college, I went back to my childhood in a sense where I felt free to express myself in whatever which way I could because New York is the scene that sense.

Have you have you connected that to your career in music?

Fashion has pretty much has been part of my life for a long time. And I think that aspect of exploration, trying new things, and learning the history of certain things is also a practice I have in my music. I explore a lot of different sounds and soundscapes and I try to explore a lot of different ways of communicating my emotions. I went to school for jazz, so I explore a lot of different genres of music. I’m open to hybridizing and blending things, mixing and matching elements together, and making things that might not seem like they’re going to make sense, make sense, so they kind of are parallels for me. I try to practice that as much as I can.

A lot of times when I’m making the music, I see what it looks like before it’s even finished and that’s down to what I’m wearing, what it smells like, where are we at, what the environment is like. I’m very big on curating things and trying to bring comfort to things that might normally feel uncomfortable. And I think that’s something that’s needed right now. People are okay with finding comfort in discomfort, and that’s what I lean into in my art.

How do you determine how you style your outfits for your live performances?

Oh, that’s easy. That’s based on movement. I do a lot of movement on stage, so a lot of times I’m trying to find things that can flow with me, that add another depth or another layer to my expression. I also layer a lot on stage. So in a sense, I’m “molding,” taking off molds and molds of me while I’m performing, and I think that adds to the storyline and makes the experience more memorable. Like,”Aw, man, he had an outfit on in this song and he took the jacket off and then he had this crazy shirt under the jacket, and then took the shirt off, had this skin-tight snakeskin.”

I like that aspect of it too. I try to make everything feel synthetic — so I try to make that as memorable as possible.

So who would you say are some of your style icons over the years?

Vivienne Westwood. Anything having to do with ’70s rocker energy. So Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, that aspect of them being so resourceful with what they had and still making it so flavorful and impacting so many different cultures of people. I also love Jean Paul Gaultier as a costume designer specifically. The Fifth Element, I love the styling and the costume design in that film. Also, the first Blade Runner. The styling on that and the costume design on that movie were very good.

Would you say when you’re out shopping, do you find yourself more going to new clothes or it kind of sounds like with some of these style icons and the mood that you just stated, it could be a little bit more vintage, like thrifting?

Yeah, to me I have no real formula for that. I think a lot of the newer designs are templates of older things that I would rather get the best quality of. That’s always my goal is to get the best quality. I actually design clothes as well, and so I might see a template I like, but I might not like the fabric, or the waistline cut, or I might want to shift it and change it to something else. So I do a lot of customization stuff too.

The seamstresses and the designs I work with, for me it’s just constant aspirations for the best quality. That can be vintage, or should I find a Guess original, it doesn’t matter. To me, it’s like just my eyes, what I’m paying attention to, what speaks to me.

Tell me a little bit about the most recent projects that you recently designed and are currently working on.

I designed my merchandising and stuff for my other album. I’m doing that now for my new album, but I’m also doing a capsule collection in conjunction with my album. And so my album cover is one of the designs I did with one of the partnering designs I work with. So it’s a one-on-one outfit, and we’re doing a couple of looks to embody what the clothing of the album looks like as far as fabric, cuts, and textures. It’s highly inspired by West African, Senegalese slash Japanese cut, and then some futurism in there. I sought inspiration from Jean Paul Gautier and Vivienne Westwood. It’s kind of like the hybrid between these things.

Also, clothes I’ll be wearing on stage and I’ll make sure that they get seen more than one time.

I know that your new album comes out in October. Are there going to be any pieces of clothes that fans would be able to wear as well? Are they going to be merchandised?

Yeah, maybe. I hope so. My goal is always to be able to share the things that I create. So that’s always an intention, but like I said, it’s really about quality and partnerships, and all these other things. So I’m just more in the state of making things and putting them into the universe and seeing what the universe brings back to me. That’s where I’m at with self-releasing my album and not really asking for any help financially from any labels or anything like that. I’m really figuring out what it is I want and what my vision is based on what I’m willing to give and then I can go from there. I’m trying to practice that across the board. I would love for that to be a thing. Currently, it’s just really in the beginning stages. It’s like I’m in incubation and my album coming out is the start of me coming out of the incubation.

Do you have any advice or strategies for someone who’s looking to carve out their own style identity?

Oh, for sure. First, do whatever the fuck you want. All right?

Do whatever the fuck you want.

If you want to wear a blazer top with a plaid skirt with furry socks and grass slippers, tap in it. I feel like adventuring in a space where there are no consequences is where you take the most advantage of adventure. You’re trying on different outfits, it’s not like skydiving. If you put on an outfit and you don’t feel good in it after you try it on, you put on another one. Explore as much as you’d like.

I would also say do some research. If you like a designer, look up why you like that designer. Try to find out why you like them. Who’s their favorite designer? What was their claim of fame? How do they feel about where the state of style and fashion is and what’s their perspective? What was their childhood like? Do some research, do some digging, and you’ll find more connectivity to what it is you feel so drawn to subconsciously and you’ll embody it more.

You mentioned if somebody likes a designer reach into that. Lean into that. Who are some designers and brands that you think are taking chances right now that are impressing you personally?

I like Marni a lot, I like Bottega, I like Bode, I like Aime, Leon Dore, but then I like traditional. I like Guess originals a lot, what they’ve been doing lately, just practical things. As far as footwear, I really like Reese Cooper, I like this company in Italy called Cassia. I got a lot of friends who do streetwear stuff. I really like Daily Paper a lot. I’m a big fan. I got a couple of pieces from them that I wear a lot. Most of the stuff I get is one-on-ones where I go to these boutiques and there is only one shirt to be found from 1930. And I’m like, well, it’s mine now. I’m very much in a collection mode.

For example, I don’t wear dresses, but I have a lot. I collect them. I got all these different colors and textures just because I want to see why and how they’re made. I have all this interest in the history of things, so that’s what I’m drawn to more than, oh, this is hot and new and everybody’s wearing it so I should get it too. That’s not really my energy.

In your personal opinion, do you see that there’s a change in the way people dress and the fashion sense throughout the world? Do you think people are more aware of their style nowadays?

That’s a great question. I think the pandemic really affected how people look at clothing and I think it turned more into uniform-based things. That’s why Essentials is so successful. Jerry Lorenzo really has it figured out. Designers like him who make things uniform based. So it’s easier for people to pick what they’re going to wear every day. I think that’s a lot of what I see happening. People have designed their own lifestyle as far as what a uniform means to them. And with that, everything else is easier to make decisions, or it’s easier to find yourself in a ritualistic space, or having these things that you go to that you find comfort in or you feel safe in.

I think people’s style is becoming way more intentional than it was other than thinking they have to look “cool.” That’s a part of it, but it’s like I got to feel good in this and I got to feel like it’s speaking to me and I’m being genuinely how I feel right now and not trying to put on a show for people. The pandemic kind of shifted that when people were just home and they were in pajamas all day. They’re like, okay, now we get to go back outside. I would love to be in pajamas all day. I’d rather just be in clothes that feel like I’m at home. So I think there’s a bridge happening between the two worlds, which is the really high fashion couture stuff, and then the really practical essentials of the world. Companies like that who do really well at making clothing that is super well cut, produce really good products, and not have a logo all over the place.

Which artists over the decades have you personally thought had the best style?

Steve Lacy definitely understands what he wants to portray and what he wants to express in his style. He’s definitely in the explorative mode and he’s curated as far as the designs he likes and things like that. Channel Tres for sure. He got the crop top game on smash. And as far as in general, if I zoom out, I don’t know. I really love Prince. He’s one of my favorites. I mean, he’s at the top. I think about Kanye and the Yeezy, Dark Fantasy, and Saint Pablo eras. What Pharrell’s doing right now with Louis Vuitton and how he’s having the conversation in his music and in his visuals is great. Tyler, The Creator is another one that goes crazy. He’s highly stylish. He definitely understands what it is he’s trying to express in his style. I’m damn sure he doesn’t got no stylist.

A mother on TikTok shared a heartfelt moment when her 9-year-old daughter opened up about her self-image concerns, wondering about her appearance as she grows up. The story was a wonderful example of a mother delicately dealing with an issue that far too many young women face. It was also a difficult moment because the conversation brought up the mother’s body issues as well.

The conversation happened while the two were clothes shopping at Target. “My 9-year-old’s saying she’s fat, and this is because she has to wear adult sizes versus kids ’cause she’s really tall, just like me,” Mackenzie Waddell told her 222,000 followers.

---

“She kept calling herself ‘fat’ and that she had too big of a butt and that the other kids her age don’t have to wear adult clothes,” Waddell continued. “I reminded her that I, too, had to wear adult clothes when I was her age ’cause I was really tall just like she is.”

@missmommymack

Im so devastated that she feels that way about herself. 💔

The discussion led to a question that was hard for the mother to hear.

“… she asked me if she was gonna look like me when she grew up. And I asked her, ‘Do you mean big like me? When you grow up?’ And she said, ‘Yes. I’m not trying to be mean mom, but I want to look like Aunt Sarah, not you,’” she recalled.

Her daughter’s remarks hit her right in the heart, but she responded with perfect composure. “I kept a brave face and said, ‘As long as you are happy and healthy, and you love yourself, that’s all that matters. No matter what size you are,” Waddell said.

The mother was sure not to take it personally, but it still cut close to the bone. “And was I hurt? Yeah, I was. But she didn’t mean to hurt me. It just really sucked. Yeah,” she concluded.

The post went viral, receiving over 1.7 million views and over 2,000 comments. The most popular commenter thought that Waddell should tell her daughter to avoid commenting on people’s weight.

“You should tell her she hurt your feelings. She needs to know. You did a great job supporting her in how she feels. She has to learn that skill also,” Char8201 wrote.

However, many women responded with nothing but love for how Waddell handled such a challenging situation. “You responded beautifully, momma. She’s still learning and these are the moments where we provide that guidance, even when it hurts,” Mavv13 wrote. “Oh mama. Thank god she feels comfortable to talk to you openly,” tirrelltribe added.

After the tremendous response to her video, Waddell responded with another post, educating people about how one’s weight doesn’t necessarily mean they eat unhealthy. “A lot of people like to assume that plus-size people don’t know how to eat healthy or are unhealthy. When, in fact, we’re not,” Waddle said.

She added that her daughter lives a healthy lifestyle but avoids having conversations about weight with her because “That’s what traumatized me.”

@missmommymack

Replying to @user3838812846970 she will always be perfect, no matter what.

Is rap less dominant now because rock is more prevalent or because rap is turning into rock? This will be a fun quandary to ponder as more and more prominent hip-hop artists expand their purview, following ostensible rappers like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty in dabbling in experimental sounds of alt, psych, and heavy metal.

That number apparently now also includes Kevin Abstract (because of course it does). Per Stereogum, at the former Brockhampton frontman’s first solo show in six years, he played tracks from what may very well be his own rock project. According to Stereogum’s Tom Breihan, the established genre-bender went full-on grunge at his show at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, rocking out with a full band and playing nine new songs including “Blanket,” the song he teased earlier this week with his “Sleepover” trailer.

This one sounds very New Wave-y, like if someone listened to nothing but The Cure for a year straight.

This one’s a bit more chaotic.

There’s a big, 2000s, indie sleaze vibe here.

It sounds like Abstract certainly has enough material for a new solo album, and from these early previews, it’s beginning to look like we might have to switch sections for our coverage. It’s also encouraging to see some of the hottest contemporary hip-hop acts branch out, making room for both new faces on the scene and new (read: reclaimed) sounds under the Black music umbrella.

Kim Kardashian has a reported net worth of $1.8 billion, but she’d trade it all away to crack open a cold one with the boys.

OK, probably not, but on the season four premiere of Hulu’s The Kardashians, Kardashian drank a beer for what she claims is the first time. Or is it???

During a family trip to Cabo, Kendall Jenner offered everyone a brewski. “I’ve never had a regular beer,” Khloé Kardashian admitted, pre-feud. “I have had a beer but only in Jamaica. A Red Stripe — and I loved it. I’ve never had a Corona or I guess an American beer. Is Corona American? I have no idea.” (It’s not.) Kim also revealed that she isn’t familiar with this whole beer thing. “I don’t think I would like it,” she said before taking a sip. “Oh! It’s kinda sweet.”

I almost believe Kardashian when she says “I’ve never had a beer” based on the SpongeBob-like way she holds the bottle in the episode…

… but according to Delish, “fans were quick to bring out the receipts proving that Kim has in fact tried beer before. In a slideshow shared to X, a.k.a. Twitter, one user pointed out that Kim has not only tried beer, but was photographed drinking one in full-on lederhosen with momager Kris Jenner, carrying Guinness pints, and doing a keg stand.”

The photos could be staged, but not the keg stand. There’s video proof.

A Kardashian fabricating the truth? I don’t know what to believe in anymore.

(Via Delish)

Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder‘s Star Wars-esque space saga hasn’t even landed on Netflix yet, and it’s already causing some problems. This man sure knows how to build up the suspense.

Evil Genius Games, a company that develops tabletop EPGs based on popular movies, is suing Netflix for allegedly claiming a confidentiality breach and terminating an agreement. In March, the company reached a licensing deal with Netflix to create a game off of Rebel Moon, Snyder’s sci-fi epic. With that agreement, the streamer would share the profits of the game on top of a $25,000 payment.

But Netflix failed to deliver crucial info for the game maker (like names of characters, which is pretty important for a game based on a movie), so they subsequently supplied “all the missing pieces and created a cohesive backstory.” After they presented it to Netflix, the streamer became “enamored” with the backstory and indicated they would use it in the film, which is aiming for a December release. The game was finished in May of this year. This is when things get tricky!

Netflix then accused the company of releasing unapproved movie content at a tradeshow and terminated their business agreement. A lawyer for the game maker explained: “Netflix then used this as a pretext to terminate the Agreement, assert ownership over Plaintiff’s intellectual property, halt the project, and prevent the game from being released (or potentially release it themselves to avoid sharing the profits with Plaintiff) Netflix’s accusations are baseless.” Netflix then allegedly sent a letter offering the company $50,000 to “basically go away,” which seems like their strategy for many other parts of the business as well. Here is the lawsuit:

Netflix cannot credibly claim that Plaintiff materially breached the Agreement’s confidentiality provisions since, among other things: (a) Mr. Snyder had already publicized the existence of the Rebel Moon TTRPG in his March 19, 2023 podcast appearance; (b) the very same artwork at issue had already been distributed by Netflix employees at GAMA on April 24-27, 2023 to over 100 retailers; (c) the artwork was little more than a pitch material recycled for GAMA, and (d) various Rebel Moon word marks and logos were already widely available on the internet (Netflix even instructed Evil Genius to use these materials rather than delivering official Licensed Property to Evil Genius per Schedule A of the Agreement).

So it seems like Evil Genius might be full of some real geniuses who are just trying to sell their fun game to teens. Let the people have fun!

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Riot Games, creator of the popular game League Of Legends, has had incredible success partnering with music acts over the past few years. In 2019, Riot was early to the K-pop train with the inclusion of (G)I-dle member Soyeon in the game’s virtual rap group, True Damage, and in 2021, Riot paired Imagine Dragons with JID for the Arcane theme song “Enemy,” which turned out to be a top-ten Billboard hit.

With the League Of Legends World Championship coming to Seoul this year, League once again appears to be returning to the K-pop well with one of the genre’s hottest new girl groups for the 2023 World Championship anthem. NewJeans, which has come out of the gate swinging with a No. 1-selling EP, will contribute “Gods,” debuting October 3rd.

Will NewJeans Perform For The League Of Legends World Championship 2023?

Although the press release for the new single doesn’t specifically say that NewJeans will perform the song at Worlds, it’s probably safe to say that they will based on the recent history of anthem artists.

Last year, the brand recruited Lil Nas for the anthem for the League Of Legends World Championship in Mexico City. He performed “Star Walkin” to kick things off at the opening ceremony in San Francisco via a huge hologram of mech that lifted him up. With that history in mind, there’s little doubt that NewJeans will also be performing their anthem for the hometown crowd — and that it’ll be even more visually mind-blowing than ever.

In much of the country, the weather has shifted into full-on fall. That means fireplace smoke is slowly replacing backyard barbecue smoke in our lives. That in turn means that this is a prime time for some ultra smoky peated single malt Scotch whisky. To celebrate the smoke, I’m conducting a double-blind taste test of some seriously good peated single malt Scotch whiskeys.

So what do I mean by “double-blind” here? Well, I have a big box that I throw peated single malt Scotch samples into. There are around about 30 in there. I had my very patient wife grab 10 samples at random, pour them, catalog them, and take the samples away with me out of the room. I had no idea what was poured when I sat down. And ho-boy, it was a roller coaster of flavors and emotions. Some of these peated malts were … let’s just say “wildly bold.”

Since I didn’t know what I was tasting, you’ll have to scroll down to find out which whiskeys made the cut and how they fared. I’ll give you a hint, some major bottles that people clamour for did not do well. Intrigued? Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Scotch Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2023 (So Far), Ranked
• The Best Whiskeys To Chase Down This May
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2023, According To The International Wine & Spirits Competition Awards
• The Full Core Line Of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky Bottles, Ranked

Part 1 — The Peated Scotch Whisky Double-Blind Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a clear sense of deeply plummy yet lightly tart sherry on the nose with buttery toffee, old leather boots, and malted treacle biscuits next to blackberries soaked in brandy and floating in vanilla-laced cream with a hint of marzipan and pear.

Palate: Molasses-cut toffee opens the luxurious palate with a sense of stewed blackberry, cherry, and plum with a thick crumble laced with cinnamon and plenty of buttery brown sugar before roasted and candied nuts arrive with a sticky toffee pudding married to mince meat pie vibe.

Finish: Those candied nuts take on a salted dark chocolate aura as the spiced sherry sticky toffee pudding adds a hint of dry orange zest, plenty of nutmeg, and a dash of sweet smoldering oak tobacco on the silken finish.

Initial Thoughts:

Holy, f*ck! This is amazing.

Now, that said, I had to triple-check with my wife that this was peated (as I mentioned above, she’s very patient). I got a tiny hint of smoke on the sweet oak at the end but nothing else. I was assured this was peated and carried on.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Fresh ginger coins and green apple pulp dance on the nose with caramelized pear cut with orange zest and ground cinnamon that’s all countered by a sense of old campfire coal that’s still just smoldering and spitting tiny drops of rain.

Palate: Honey malt cakes dipped in orange syrup draw the palate toward heavy oak dipped in Nutella and caramel before the peat kicks in with massive amounts of bandages, seawater, and smoldering orchard barks.

Finish: The smoldering bark gets ashy on the finish with a real sense of the inside of a cold smoker that’s smoked everything from pears to salmon to brisket before a lightly sea-salted dried pear comes in with a hint of brandy.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty damn good too. There’s some real depth here and a lot of fatty smoky vibes that all work. It’s a lot though.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a very Highland sense of floral honey next to soft minerality — kind of like walking on slate after the rain — before dark plums and figs mingle with caramel malts and a fleeting sense of smoked pears dipped in clove and anise syrup.

Palate: The palate follows that smoked pear toward old honey jars with plenty of crystallization and a faint hint of a rainy forest next to winter spice cakes full of fatty nuts and dried fruits with a note of bourbon vanilla and burnt orange lurking far in the background.

Finish: That burnt orange leads to more holiday spices with a creamy maltiness on the end that’s pure silk as a whisper of that floral honey returns with a spiced maltiness.

Initial Thoughts:

I didn’t get any smoke or peat on this one. Maybe it was there, but after the last pour, it was invisible. Still a great pour though. It’s so light yet distinct.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a bold sense of fresh rubber bicycle tires that’s hard to get past. Eventually, the sip reveals coconut cake, rich vanilla, soft buttery toffee, roasted almonds, and salted caramel all smoked next to a seaweed-fed fire as whispers of slow-smoked pork butt.

Palate: Smoked lemons preserved in salt open the palate toward vanilla buttercream cut with toffee and stewed pear, cinnamon bark, and clove before soft smoldering charcoal and burnt honeycombs veer the palate toward dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, floral honey, and eggnog spice.

Finish: That creamy eggnog spiciness mounts on the finish with saltwater-soaked applewood charcoal, nasturtiums, and a deep sense of old earthy peat that’s part black soil, part dry smoldering seaweed, and part smoked fatty pork meat with a light sense of red berries lurking underneath.

Initial Thoughts:

Wow. This was almost a disaster. That rubbery nose was a lot to get past. Giving it time, it opened up into a very deep and sweet/fatty smoked whisky. But it took a lot of patience to find all of that.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is all fresh yoga mats, more rubber, and more the tire section at an auto store before kind of hinting at green apples stewed with pepper and burnt winter spice barks, burnt oatmeal cookies, and a touch of ashy tobacco next to maybe some red fruit.

Palate: Charred oak and smoldering orchard barks drive the palate toward hard rubber and asphalt with a sense of burnt coffee beans, burnt pepper, and almost burnt rubber before soft notes of pear brandy and dry fruit cake arrive to calm things down.

Finish: Burning fall leaves and the crusty inside of a meat smoker drive the finish with a sense of fall fireplaces stoking up again after a long summer with a hint of tart red berry.

Initial Thoughts:

I had my wife pour this again. It was a lot and I really had a hard time finding anything redeeming about it. I often am able to see the value beyond my personal palate, but that’s really hard here with all that burnt rubber and burnt everything.

It felt like this Simpsons moment but replace “doughnuts” with “peat”…

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Grilled and smoked tropical fruit — smoked mango, grilled pineapple, stewed papaya — open the nose toward saddle soap, fresh green chili pepper, and vibrant spearmint next to floral honey with a whisper of sea breeze.

Palate: The taste is luscious with a sense of fatty roasting herbs next to winter spice barks, fatty smoked bacon, powdery white pepper, and clove-studded oranges next to a sweet sense of oyster shells.

Finish: Floral honey and smoky buttercream meld on the finish with a sense of those smoked and grilled tropical fruits returing with a savory note of guava and lychee.

Initial Thoughts:

This is wildly different and tasty. All the smoke and peatiness is attached to sea salt and tropical fruit, which is enticing.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is so rubbery but eventually gives way to buttermilk biscuits covered in smoke apricot and pear with a smoked honey vibe next to candied orange and hints of butterscoth laced with vanilla.

Palate: Tannic oak drives the palate toward smoldering peat next to floral honey, malted vanilla cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies next to creamy vanilla-laced toffee dipped in burnt dark chocolate.

Finish: Burnt and smoldering barley arrives on the finish with more rubberiness next to grain sugars, caramel, and bourbon vanilla.

Initial Thoughts:

This took forever to open up beyond the rubbery nose. Once opened up (with a lot of air and time), it was… fine.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Old pear and apple orchards mingle with singed vanilla pods, salted toffee, rum-raisin, and grapefruit pith next to smoked peach and melon over cinnamon bark dipped in seawater.

Palate: That grapefruit leads to burnt orange with a deep smoked plum, cherry, and apple vibe next to grilled peaches, toasted coconut, and burning wild sage with a slight sense of moist marzipan and apricot tobacco.

Finish: Apricot jamminess and chewy malty spice drive the finish toward smoldering coals in a barbecue and a bit more of that smudging sage.

Initial Thoughts:

This is delightfully subtle and full of great peated fruit character.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: You’re drawn in with hints of honeyed smokiness on a cold fall day, salted caramel apples, mild hints of rich and real vanilla, and smoldering coffee grounds with touches of chocolate nuttiness before a whisper of dry cranberry arrives.

Palate: The taste ties the honey to a soft oakiness next to vanilla chocolate coffee, seaside salted taffy, and a touch of fish oil that leads back to smoldering sage, old oak staves, and whisper of salted dried plums.

Finish: The end is very long and pure velvet on the tongue as the sweet oak fades towards a sweet smokiness, with a hint of salty roasted almonds and burnt vanilla husks.

Initial Thoughts:

This is just freaking delicious. It’s so well-balanced while providing a deep and fun profile.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose runs deep on this whisky with mild hints of beachside campfire smoke whispering in the background as hints of red fruit, wet driftwood, and green peppercorns draw you in.

Palate: The palate embraces the red berries with a slight tartness next to the sweetness as the peat remains dry and distant and tied to the brine of the sea with an almost oyster liquor softness.

Finish: The finish lingers for just the right amount of time as sweet berries and dry peat lead towards soft dark cacao powder with a tiny note of vanilla and one last spray from the sea.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a dream to sip (especially on this exhausting panel of whiskeys).

Part 2 — The Peated Scotch Whisky Ranking

10. Octomore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Super Heavily Peated 14.2 Edition Aged 5 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 57.7%

Average Price: $259

The Whisky:

This 100% Scottish barley Octomore is malted to an extremely high phenol level (128.9 ppm). The whisky is aged in a combination of Oloroso sherry and Amarone wine casks from Spain and Italy. After batching, the whisky is then re-barrelled in French oak for another rest before cask-strength bottling.

Bottom Line:

The rubberiness of this one was just too much to get past. I find it really hard to believe that anyone would honestly prefer sipping on a whisky that presents like licking out a Traeger Grill with a side of rubber tire over, say, sipping on something that tastes like pear and honey.

9. Octomore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Super Heavily Peated 14.3 Edition Aged 5 Years — Taste 7

ABV: 61.4%

Average Price: $299

The Whisky:

This new whisky from Bruichladdich is made with barley grown and malted on Islay. The whisky is then rested in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and second-fill wine casks for at least five years before vatting and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

There was nothing subtle about this pour (and that has its place). But wow, you really had to squint to see the value here. If you’re a diehard peat monster fan, then I guess knock yourself out.

8. Dalwhinnie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillers Edition 2023 — Taste 3

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $129

The Whisky:

The Dalwhinnie is a tiny distillery that whisky nerds love, and for good reason — they make amazing whisky. This yearly edition of the iconic peated malt is double cask matured with Port wine cask before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was on the other end of the spectrum. This is a very nice and subtle whisky with a great overall profile. I wouldn’t in a million years thought it was peated though. So if you’re looking for a really nice classic malt (with no smoke), get this.

7. Octomore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Super Heavily Peated 14.1 Edition Aged 5 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 59.6%

Average Price: $135

The Whisky:

The 14.1 Edition of Ocotmore is made with 100% Scottish-grown Concerto barley that was heavily peated during the malting process. The barley was fermented and distilled in 2017 and left in the barrel to age — in ex-bourbon casks — next to the sea on Islay until 2023 when it was batched and bottled 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

It’s amazing how much difference the cask makes in these Octomore editions. The bourbon cask in this edition adds the much-needed sugars to help calm that rubbery peat down (barely). This is still a very advanced peated Scotch but it does deliver a varied profile beyond the burnt rubbery peat — if you take your time with it. Consider yourself warned.

6. Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Càirdeas 2023 White Port & Madeira Casks — Taste 2

ABV: 52.3%

Average Price: $112

The Whisky:

The new Càirdeas from Lahroaig has arrived. This whisky was aged right by the sea in Islay in White Port and Madeira casks until just right. Then the whisky was vatted and bottled at cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This had a lot going on and it could be confusing if you’re in a rush. If you take your time, you’ll be rewarded with real depth and varied tastes that all create a larger whole than the individual parts. This is a tasty one.

5. Ardbeg Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Traigh Bhan Batch 5 19 Years Old — Taste 6

ABV: 46.2%

Average Price: $316

The Whisky:

This year’s Ardbeg Traigh Bhan was bottled during the most humid time on Islay. The barrels were picked specifically to highlight tropical notes from 19-year-old barrels from the seaside distillery. A little water was added after vatting for this bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty nice. The tropical fruits really worked with the smoked vibes. I kind of want to try this in a tropical cocktail with a touch of spice and some citrus.

4. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Islay Barley 2014 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Taste 8

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $99

The Whisky:

This brand-new release from Bruichladdich is all about Islay and local malt. The mash bill (recipe) is hewn from 100% Islay Concerto and Propino barley malts (grown in 2013) that are heavily peated. In 2014, the whisky was made and filled into a first-fill bourbon cask (84% of the final blend), second-fill new oak (8% of the final blend), and second-fill Bordeaux wine casks (8% of the final blend). After seven years, those barrels were vatted and just proofed with local water for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is damn good heavily peated whisky. The burnt earhty peatiness is there but it’s always attached to other notes that help it shine. Overall, I’d try this over a big rock at a bar before committing.

3. Lagavulin Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillers Edition 2023 — Taste 9

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $115

The Whisky:

2023’s Distillers Edition is a prime example of the heights Lagavulin can reach. The whisky was aged for 15 years in the core Lagavulin barrels (ex-bourbon and ex-sherry) and then finished for around six months in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks that were specifically made and held specific sherry before the whisky was loaded into the barrels. The result is a 15-year-old Lagavulin that’ll help you fall in love with the brand and style.

Bottom Line:

This is a nuanced and delicous pour of whisky. Try it neat first and then take your time with touches of water or ice to really let it open up in the glass.

2. Talisker Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillers Edition 2023 — Taste 10

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $113

The Whisky:

The 2023 Distillers Edition is a classic Talisker that’s aged by the sea and finished for six months in Amoroso sherry casks. The whisky was distilled in 2012 and bottled at 10 years old. It was then finished in another Amoroso sherry cask, making it “double cask” matured.

Bottom Line:

This was spectacular. The depth and softness of this pour really helped this shine so brightly on this panel. The soft smoked orchard fruits next to the smoky seaside campfires just hit right from top to bottom. Buy a case of this stuff.

1. The Duncan Taylor Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 1983 Aged 40 Years Distilled At Port Ellen Distillery — Taste 1

ABV: 52.4%

Average Price: $7,300

The Whisky:

This special one-off bottling from The Duncan Taylor is from a 40-year-old barrel of whisky from one of the last batches produced at the Port Ellen Distillery on Islay (which has reopened yet again). The whisky was produced and barreled back in March of 1983 and was left alone for all those 40 years. Finally, in 2023, The Duncan Taylor team bottled the barrel 100% as-is at cask strength, yielding 209 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This is Christmas in a glass. It’s delectable, nuanced, deep, and delightful. Yes, the peat was barely there — that’s to be expected after four decades of aging — but what was there melded so well with the overall profile that it just worked.

This is memorable and second to none.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky

I know, I know. The winner was a nearly impossible to get bottle of Scotch whisky. I don’t care. It is beyond reproach.

That aside, the Talisker, Lagavulin and Port Charlotte are all winners too. I’d focus on the latter if you’re a deep peat head and want the boldness. The other two are silky and nuanced with a subtle peatiness. Both offer greatness in the glass in their own ways. Re-read my tastings notes and find your path.

After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson entered the 2023 season with sky-high expectations, due in part to the fact that he’d be playing with a future Hall of Famer under center after the team traded for Aaron Rodgers.

Given Wilson put up more than 1,000 yards in his rookie year with a rotation of quarterbacks, he figured to benefit as much as anyone from Rodgers being the Jets new quarterback. That excitement unfortunately lasted just four plays until Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, thrusting the Jets season into chaos and Zach Wilson back into the starting role. For Wilson, that’s required quite the adjustment, as he spent this summer in OTAs and training camp figuring out how to play receiver the way Rodgers wants a receiver to play and now has to regain chemistry with his old quarterback.

Through three games this season, Wilson has 12 catches for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 68 yarder in Week 2 and a spectacular grab on a fade in their Week 1 win over Buffalo. Still, there’s some understandable frustration in New York, both in the locker room and from fans, about an offense that’s not firing on all cylinders and plenty of talk about the quarterback position.

On Tuesday, Wilson sat down with Uproxx Sports from the Ultimate Jets Fan Room as part of his partnership with Courtyard by Marriott, promoting their new suite Jets fans can book at the Courtyard Secaucus Meadowlands. We talked about the pressure he feels to deliver something for Jets fans to root for, his eye-opening camp with Aaron Rodgers and how he learned to see the game differently, the art of finding space against different coverages as a receiver, adjusting back to playing with Zach Wilson and more.

I can see you’re in the Jets Fan Room by everything around you right now. How did this partnership with Courtyard come about and what do y’all have for Jets fans?

Basically I’m giving the first look at the ultimate New York Jets fan room, and it’s built exactly for that. It’s perfect for anyone that even takes this Jet football fandom really serious, man. It’s a perfect segue into what you do the next day as far as going to a game or you’re going to a bar to watch the game, maybe going to tailgate. It’s super cool, man. I got to see my jersey on the wall. I mean, everything that a Jets fan would want is in here as far as their attire, you get to drink out of a Jets mug, you know, everything. So it’s super cool to be here.

You’re in your second year now, what has the experience been going into a franchise like the Jets and with a fan base that is so passionate about the team, and what has the experience been like for you coming into the NFL to such a unique atmosphere in New York?

Yeah, man, it is unique. The passion that comes along with the city for their sports teams and with the expectation that comes along, with that passion, is something that I can get behind and I embrace. I truly love that and them holding us to that standard, and the reality of it is, they haven’t had a lot to root for over the past however long it may have been. And every day that we get to go in and put in work, I’m trying to carry that chip on my shoulder just to remind myself that there hasn’t been much to root for here and they deserve it. And yeah, man, there’s no better place to win than in this city.

You come from a place at Ohio State that has put out so many great NFL receivers in recent years. What is it from Brian Hartline and that staff that you think has allowed so many Ohio State receivers to come through there and have success in the NFL? Because it seems like they teach you foundational skills that aren’t just specific to that system, but allow you to kind of succeed wherever you go.

Coach Hartline does a great job and once we get there — I mean, he’s been at this level before, he’s played at this level and he’s done it at a high level. He was a really good player in the league. So you know, there’s that aspect to it that makes it easy for him to talk about ball and give us the verbiage or just the way they word it at this level, you’re hearing it 2-3 years early from when you’re a freshman in college.

But also, I think it all starts with the people that they recruit. The guys that Coach Hartline will go after as far as the receiver room and the guys he likes to bring in. You know, they’re great players, but also, when it comes down to it, they’re not scared of competition. They’re going to a receiver room that they know is loaded, that they know they can find themselves being a really good player, but not getting the playing time that usually comes along with it like you would if you were anywhere else in the country. And I think when you have that aspect to it, you get a certain type of recruit that is hungry to get better and is going to embrace the competition level being high in the room, and it’s going to be a sponge for the older guys to learn all those things. And I think it’s just, that’s kind of how it all works together to seeing these good people come out and be ready to play at that NFL level.

You mentioned that competition and something I talked to Sauce Gardner about right before the season is what you two have been able to do for each other. He said this year something he picked up from Aaron was to help your teammates get better. Don’t just see it as a straight competition, but what you can also kind of tell each other. What’s that like, having an elite corner across from you in practice and the things that he’s able to say to you? He said you’re able to say like, “Hey, your pad level’s tipping that you’re doing this” or something like that, and he’s able to clean things up. What does it do for you as a receiver having somebody who can kind of give you those pointers from that perspective?

Yeah, I get to hear stuff like that that Sauce has given back to me and apply it right there on the field instead of waiting until film to see that or just the next day, whatever it may be. But when you’re getting that info live right there on the field, you’re able to apply it to the next rep and that’s what us players hope to do. Where we hope we’re able to put the things we hear and put them right into that next rep and apply it and maybe not perfect it that first rep, but get a rep at it to where you’re eventually working towards perfection. And it just accelerates that learning process that you usually have to wait until three hours after practice or whatever it may be, but if you can get it right on the field, that’s really valuable especially from a great player that sees the game the way he does. Like Sauce, he definitely sees it in a way that not everyone does. So for me, anytime I can get a route against him or get a rep and then hear some feedback on the back end, I know that it’s really vital and really important for me to take that knowledge and apply it to the game.

And then also going through a camp with Aaron, obviously he’s seen so much and he knows so much about offense. What are the things that you were able to kind of pick up from him in this offseason to come into the season understanding a little bit better about how offense works, and the way that you can maximize your skills, and take that next step into seeing things on the field the way that he does?

He sees the game in such a unique way. And on the offensive side of the ball, for me, like it really seemed like the natural way to see the game. You know, I feel like a lot of times in football you get people that over complicate it and maybe make it more cerebral when it’s, you know, this thing is just common sense. It’s just like yeah, he’s over there so I’m gonna go over here. And he sees it that way too, man. And for me, I know that’s always been like a struggle with me is, okay, I see it this way but this is what coach wants, and I got to do it this way.

But when Aaron was in there man, it was really like you were just — you’re just playing ball, you know? If they send a blitz and you saw the blitzer, just look back at the quarterback because they just voided the zone. Just things like that that seem so simple and so easy, but you haven’t done them since you’ve been playing in the backyard growing up. And being around that, for me was really, really valuable. Because I got to realize that people do still see it that way.

And then there’s so many things that he brought to the table that I had never even thought of. He’s truly, like, a historian for the game. He knew plays from the 80s, like could say what play was about to happen when coach would put it up on the film. I mean, it was ridiculous, man. He really wanted to know the West Coast offense and the history of it when he first got into it, so we’d watch a lot of Chiefs from the 80s, 90s with Joe Montana towards the end of his career and, yeah, just the fact that he could recite what play was about to happen, who was about to get the ball, what concept it was. Just things like that, man, and really just being a true junkie for the game is something that I got to be around and be like okay, yeah, there’s value in going back 30 years and seeing why this was installed in the first place and how it got open back then, because you never know what look you might see that next week or whatever it may be. But Aaron knows, he’s just always hungry to learn something and I feel like that’s the main thing I picked up was just how hungry he was to always learn and to really give that knowledge back. He was really always being around us young guys giving us a lot of knowledge.

I thought that was interesting what you talked about, kind of seeing the game and that simplistic way because I think, especially for a lot of folks, you think about how routes work and would think, like, a 10 yard dig is always gonna look the same. But on the field as a receiver, a lot of it’s about just finding the space, right? And what the coverage is giving to you and a route against one coverage, that same route might look different against something else. Can you explain how you get to understand that and how important it is to understand spacing and coverage and where the holes are in what you’re seeing to being able to be a successful receiver?

Yeah. I mean, understanding coverage and seeing it the same way your quarterback does is the best way to be his favorite target. If you see it to the point where y’all are on the same page all the time, I mean, even to the point where you stop reacting and you start anticipating what look you’re gonna get because that safety rolled a little bit early, or because he lined up here and you saw that on film when he lined up here he ended up actually ended up [going over there], or whatever it may be. But if your quarterback’s seen it the same way and you’re seeing it that way, man, it’s only gonna help yourself.

But yeah, it’s hard though. It’s not easy, man. These defensive coordinators do a great job of mixing up looks, these players disguise their looks. I mean, they do a great job and they get paid, too, is how we put it. But yeah, man, any upper hand you can get, and just being able to find the soft spots in zones, like you said, every route has an adjustment, but just being able to see that earlier so that you’re on the same page with your quarterback is super valuable man. As football has progressed over the last 30-40 years, I would say every single route has an adjustment now based on the coverage, which, it definitely has not always been that way. And yeah man, it’s really cool at this level to see. You know we did a little bit that in college, but it’s even another level of it at this level and it’s because of all those different looks you get and it’s really cool.

And with that, I feel like that has to be one of the tricky parts of a process like you’re going through right now, where you spend camp going through, getting used to one quarterback, and now you’re trying to get back in tune with another with Zach. What are the adjustments for you in terms of trying to trying to get back on on the same page and seeing the field in the same way? Because like you said, Aaron does see the see the game in such a unique way and you spent months practicing that, and now you’re you’re trying to adjust back to getting on the same page and knowing where Zach wants you in certain looks.

Yeah, it’s something that we got delayed because we didn’t have that camp time, we didn’t have that OTAs and stuff like that, like we did the previous season to build some chemistry. But yeah, man, I feel like we’re in a good spot and and Zach sees the game very well. And for me, it’s just changing how I see it a little bit to match that. There’s no right or wrong way, it’s kind of just how they see it and how I can get on the same page with that being a receiver. For me, it’s my job to make the quarterback’s job easy and you know, that’s what I’m on the chase of right now all the time. And yeah, man, that’s definitely an adjustment that us as an offense we’ve all had to deal with, but personally, I can speak on it as well just being a receiver.