Other Half/Weldwerks/Mispilion River/Bell’s/istock/Uproxx
If you’re an IPA drinker you’ve probably seen the “DDH” added to the name of some of your favorite brews. You might even know that it stands for double dry-hopped. What you might not know is what the hell that means. Don’t worry, it’s chill — there are way too many beer terms to learn anyway. Besides, we’re here to help you expand your beer knowledge.
As many drinkers know, when brewing IPAs, brewers add hops during the kettle boil portion of the process. This adds both hop aroma and flavor to the beer. Dry-hopping is when brewers add more hops during conditioning or fermenting to add even more flavor without any extra bitterness. Double dry-hopping is simply dry-hopping the beer two times. This occurs at different times to heighten the aroma and flavor at different points in the process.
Now that you know a little more about the process used to create this hoppy IPA style, it’s time to find a few to drink. To help us with this, we turned to the professionals. We asked a few well-known craft beer experts to tell us the best double dry-hopped IPAs to drink right now. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Fresh is always going to be best for DDH IPAs. I had Solar Lemur recently from our friends over at Fifth Hammer which tasted great. The best advice I can give is to find a local brewery you like and grab the freshest one they have.
Tasting Notes:
This New England-style IPA is really juicy, fruity, and hoppy. It’s bursting with lots of mango, papaya and gooseberry.
Hop Butcher Double Grid is a great example of a DDH IPA. It’s bursting with tropical flavors with no shortage of dry hop. It is juicy but still has enough bitterness to keep you coming back.
Tasting Notes:
This flavorful, hoppy beer leads with big aromas of orange, pineapple, and mango with a full mouthfeel. All in all, a terrific IPA.
Although dry hopping has been around since the 1800s, we are currently living in the golden age of the hop, and double dry-hopped IPAs allow brewers to cram even more hop aroma and flavor into their beers. I’m always sucker for Mosaic hops and the Double Mosaic Daydream from Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, New York ticks all the right boxes for me.
Tasting Notes:
This is an exceptional beer. It’s hazy, smooth, and an absolute fruit bomb. Mosaic hops impart great aromas and flavors.
Double Dry-Hopped Pliny the Elder by Russian River. The standard Pliny is already legendary for its intense hop flavor and gripping bitterness; this version is dry-hopped twice during fermentation with about four pounds per barrel.
Tasting Notes:
This gives it a bright and pleasant aroma laden with resinous cannabis fading into notes of melon and tangerine. Surprisingly, the additional plant matter doesn’t add an iota of roughness to the beer’s bitter side. It remains squeaky clean and dangerously easy to drink.
Not Today, Satan by Mispillion River Brewing in Milford, Delaware is an outstanding double dry-hopped IPA. It’s generously dosed with El Dorado, Centennial, Mosaic, Columbus, and Cascade hops. It clocks in at 7.3% ABV with 55 IBU.
Tasting Notes:
It’s just a tasty hop explosion in your mouth and nose. I love how the hoppiness of the brew teeters on the edge of too much.
Hacienda DDH Closer Everywhere
Hacienda
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 7.1%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Hacienda Beer Company lets the juice loose with their DDH Closer Everywhere. This is the beer that launched this brewery and it’s still a tried-and-true brew today.
Tasting Notes:
This popular IPA is loaded with stone fruit flavors, a citrus nose-bomb, and a juicy-fruit finish. It’s a can’t-miss DDH IPA.
Weldwerks Brewing’s DDH Juicy Bits is able to generate amazing tropical flavors with Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops.
Tasting Notes:
The hops provide an enjoyable medley of papaya, passion fruit, peach, orange, and melon notes both on the aroma and on the tongue.
Hill Farmstead Difference & Repetition
Hill Farmstead
Charlotte Herndon, taproom and events manager at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Hill Farmstead Difference & Repetition. This IPA features Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. If I decided to go for an IPA, I want to go for something extremely fresh that doesn’t hide behind anything. The blend of hops found in Difference & Repetition set the standard for the band of brothers found in a solid, hopped-up beer.
Tasting Notes:
The trifecta of Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe delivers a balanced flavor profile tailored perfectly for a DDH beer.
Bell’s Double Two Hearted Ale is my go-to DDH IPA because it’s a showpiece for Centennial hops. This double IPA version of the classic Bell’s Two Hearted has much more hop aroma and flavor (and ABV) than the original.
Tasting Notes:
It has a beautiful malt backbone that supports the piney, resinous, citrus aromatic glory that are Centennial hops.
Instead of naming any larger distribution breweries, I will say there is a local duo of brewers in Fort Lauderdale at Invasive Species that always deliver with their DDH IPAs. They keep their methods of brewing rather secret, but I suspect that it is their liberal use of raw materials that delivers the quality. One of their best is called Protect Ya Neck. It’s double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops.
Tasting Notes:
This hazy, DDH IPA is known for its juicy, fruity, and tropical fruit flavors with a floral, herbal, citrus-centric finish.
Little Willow Unmarked Trail
Little Willow
Rob Day, vice president of marketing for Jack’s Abby in Framingham, Massachusetts
I’m going to go super local with Little Willow Unmarked Trail. They are a newer outfit, and this style rarely surprises me anymore, but from the first sip, this was bursting with great fruit flavors and pure balance. The best part? This beer isn’t even double dry-hopped. They take it one step further and triple dry-hop it.
Tasting Notes:
Everything was in order from malt, to sweetness, to hops to booze. If you get a chance to try this great example of a double dry-hopped IPA, you definitely should.
Latto has been having a ball lately appearing on other rappers’ remixes but when it came time to upgrade her own hit, there was apparently only one person she could call. “Put It On Da Floor” has been tearing up the charts since its release, with fans quoting its opening line ad nauseam on social media. So when it came time to announce the remix for the hot single, Latto and her latest collaborator, Cardi B, referenced that fan-favorite lyric, staging a dramatic reveal in which Latto would “rip the plastic” — in this case, a plastic shopping bag — off her surprise guest. Only, things don’t go as planned; check it out below.
Cardi B is the perfect addition to the single, as Cardi was one of Latto’s earliest champions in the industry, putting her in the video for “WAP” alongside Rubi Rose and Sukihana. The remix caps a streak of remixes for Latto that saw her contribute to new releases from the likes of TiaCorine (“Freaky T“), Mello Buckzz (“Boom Pt. 2” featuring an appearance from those signature animal print panties), and Lola Brooke (“Don’t Play With It” also featuring Yung Miami). Meanwhile, this latest appearance could signal the impending start of Cardi’s long-awaited comeback, along with a feature on her husband Offset’s new solo album and Cardi’s promise that her new album is coming soon.
The “Put It On Da Floor” remix is out this Friday via RCA and Atlantic.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Issa Rae has entered the Spider-Verse as Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman, in the upcoming Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and just like the rest of the Spideys in the ever-growing universe, Drew’s character came with an immense amount of backstory in addition to being a pregnant superhero. She and Mrs. Incredible seem to have that in common.
Since Jessica Drew doesn’t really have a presence in other Spider-Man film adaptations, Rae had to look for inspiration elsewhere, which somehow led her to a Coen Brothers film (thankfully, it’s not this one).
“I was thinking about Fargo,” Rae told Yahoo! Entertainment, referring to Frances McDormand’s character Marge Gunderson in the original 1996 dramedy from The Coen Brothers. In the film, McDormand’s character is a seven months pregnant police chief investigating a triple homicide in Minnesota.
While the two movies could not be more different, Rae said she channeled Marge for her role. “[Marge] doesn’t count as a superhero. But she was a crimefighter. And I remember just being deathly afraid that something was going to happen to her and not having the same worry in this movie,” Rae continued.
Since she didn’t have to worry about Spider-Woman dying (she’s a superhero!) Rae was able to focus on the cooler aspects of being a pregnant superhero. “She’s a superhuman. So I felt less concerned for her well-being, but I also was just like, ‘This is kind of crazy that she’s just out here kicking ass while pregnant.’” Kate Winslet obviously agrees, as she played a pregnant Na’vi in Avatar: The Way Of The Water last year. But her character isn’t jumping through various multiverses, so it seems like Rae has won this round!
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2nd.
As Ron DeSantis continues to get dinged from both Democrats and Republicans for his ongoing war with Disney, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has proposed a wager that could maybe help DeSantis out.
In a cheeky tweet posted to Polis’ official Twitter account, the Democratic governor spiced up the upcoming NBA Finals rivalry between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets by adding the fate of Walt Disney World to the mix. Polis also took a not-so-subtle jab at DeSantis for attacking one of the largest job creators and sources of tax revenue in the state of Florida.
“Calling @GovRonDeSantis and @Disney on a friendly wager,” Polis tweeted. “If the @nuggets win the finals against the @MiamiHEAT, Disney World will move to Colorado, the ACTUAL happiest place on earth to do business, have fun, and be free! #ColoradoForAll”
Calling @GovRonDeSantis and @Disney on a friendly wager. If the @nuggets win the finals against the @MiamiHEAT, Disney World will move to Colorado, the ACTUAL happiest place on earth to do business, have fun, and be free! #ColoradoForAll
Despite catching heat from both sides, DeSantis has actually been touting his fight with Disney as a testament to his true conservative bona fides. While recently stumping in Iowa, DeSantis attacked Trump for “shifting to the left” on social issues while the Florida governor has held strong on his “Don’t Say Gay” initiative, which prompted the battle with Disney.
He spoke about signing a six-week abortion ban, pressing for the death penalty for those convicted of sexually abusing children, and “even sending illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard.”
Mr. DeSantis injected more bits of his biography into his emerging stump speech than he did during his pre-candidacy. He invoked his mother’s work as a nurse, his father’s installation of Nielsen ratings boxes and his own minimum-wage jobs.
“I was given nothing,” Mr. DeSantis said.
However, DeSantis’ unrelenting stance on culture war issues has yet to move him ahead of Trump in the polls. The former president might be facing a myriad of legal issues, but that has yet to soften his support among the Republican base.
I managed to narrow my picks down to a mere 20 new bottles. But it wasn’t easy.
Below, I’ve listed 20 brand-new whiskeys or new batches of yearly releases that you should spend your hard-earned money on in the next 30-odd days. These whiskeys are just hitting shelves and represent the best of what’s new right now — or in the case of some of the scotches, “what’s newly getting a long-awaited U.S. release.” They’re all fresh, fun, and f*cking delicious.
Because of that last factor, I didn’t rank these whiskeys. Look, folks, there’s a wide range of whiskeys below. And while I might love a funky smoked fat Islay Ardbeg Scotch whisky, you might be more into a Kentucky cherry bomb or a grassy American single malt. So my advice is to read those tasting notes and then hit the price links to buy the whiskey(s) that speak to you.
Let’s dive in!
Check Out The Best New Whiskeys Of The Last Six Months:
Blue Run Double Oak Single Barrel Rye Whiskey is a new line of 10 single barrels that are dropping just in time for Father’s Day. The whiskey in each case is a double oak finish Kentucky rye that’s first aged in classic American white oak that’s finished in another new American white oak barrel — both of which were toasted and charred to a level #3 (medium deep). Those whiskey barrels were then bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright dried red chili peppers mingle with soft leather, a twinge of toffee sweetness, soft red berries, and a whisper of umami.
Palate: Caramel and woody vanilla rush to a touch of cherry bark and ABV warmth next to creamy winter spice and a hint of sharp red chili heat.
Finish: The end is a long and warm hug with a sense of dried brown spices with a hot edge, mild nuttiness, and a foundation of buttercream cut with sassafras chips.
Bottom Line:
This is truly great rye whiskey with a deep profile that leans part classic and part fresh. The sweet/spicy balance is spot on and delivers a fun and fresh rye whiskey sipping experience.
It’s also a special Father’s Day release, which makes a whole lot of sense to buy in June.
This new release from Ardbeg is their first-ever barbecue-inspired release. Ardbeg’s Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden teamed up with DJ BBQ (Christain Stevenson) to build a three-cask whisky. The casks, in this case, were double charred oak, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and “BBQ” casks. The blend was then vatted and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a creamy essence to the nose kind of like the fat on a smoked brisket that leads to an espresso and winter spice rub deep in a charred fattiness with marmalade hints and whispers of smudging sage and singed provencal herbs with this light sense of smoldering hickory ash underneath.
Palate: The taste is creamy as well with a sense of fatty pulled pork smothered in a chili-spiked gingery bbq sauce with creamy honey and plenty of winter spice layered with grilled steak fat flaked with salt and dusted with white pepper as a fainter twinge of black licorice and that smoldering hickory draw a line from the nose to the back of the palate.
Finish: The end leaves you with fatty smoked meats, soft spices tied to burnt orange, and a sense of chili creamed with espresso pudding next to the ashes from a 24-hour smoker smoke session.
Bottom Line:
This transports you to an overnight smoker session with the fire blazing, some ribs already in your hand, spicy sauce coating your fingers, and a glass of whiskey (smudged from that fatty sauced meat) delivering the perfect whisky accompaniment.
That’s a fancy way for me to say this is the perfect barbecue whisky.
New Riff Blue Clarage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This brand-new distillery-only release from New Riff goes hard on the grain-to-glass ethos. The whiskey is made with heirloom corn — Blue Clarage, to be specific — that was developed by local Ohio farmer Edmund Clarridge back in the 1920s. New Riff had some more grown for this whiskey and created a mash bill (recipe) of 65% Blue Clarage corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley. That whiskey aged for five years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is super fruity in fascinating ways with fresh red and green chilis next to ripe peach and marmalade all cut with sharp cloves and allspice with a mild sense of old leather wrapped around chili-infused tobacco leaves.
Palate: The palate is super lush with a sense of dark cherry Black Forest cake next to dried chili pepper, soft vanilla buttercream cut with salted caramel, and a sense of orchard tree bark.
Finish: That bark doesn’t take away from the lushness of the finish as soft leather and apple pie tobacco mingle with soft dates and figs next to a light sense of that marmalade on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty damn tasty whiskey. It is very fruit-forward but balances out nicely with the spices and creaminess.
You’re going to have to hit the Kentucky distillery to get this one at MSRP with a maximum of two bottles per customer. Trust me, you’re going to want to get two.
This new release from James B. Beam in Clermont, Kentucky is Jim Beam’s foray into the world of American single malt whiskey. The juice was crafted from 100% American malted barley and fermented with Beam’s proprietary yeast strain. That whiskey was left for five years to mellow in toasted barrels that were barely charred. The final product was batched and proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a toasted caramel maltiness that’s akin to a nice bowl of bespoke porridge cut with salted toffee syrup and a nice dollop of butter with a hint of chocolate-covered caramels in the background.
Palate: The palate is luscious yet light with a Kentucky winter spice bark vibe next to a bowl of Cream of Wheat with a hint of honey and nasturtium as a counterbalance.
Finish: The end really leans into the Kentucky wood spice with a nice hint of pear orchards and soft chewing tobacco just kissed with chili pepper spice.
Bottom Line:
Who among us wouldn’t want to try Beam’s first foray into American whiskey?
The latest Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is here (number two of three for 2023). This edition is a batch of bourbons that are a minimum of 11.5 years old (down from the usual 12-year age statements). The batch is bottled completely as is without cutting with water or chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrives with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.
Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent Elijah Craig release. It’s deeply classic while going to new and funky places. That said, this is a little warm and really benefits from an ice cube or some water. Or, you know, as a cocktail base. No matter how you use it, it’ll be damn good.
The new Orphan Barrel from Diageo is a very rare release. The whiskey in the bottle is a 14-year-old rye that was distilled in Indiana and then left to age at the famed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Those barrels were batched and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a vanilla bomb with a sense of buttercream and salted caramel ice cream next to fresh dark berries, a hint of zucchini bread with walnuts and clove, and a mild sense of cedar cigar humidors.
Palate: The bark-heavy winter spices amp up on the palate as plums, peaches, and pears get stewed and lead to a sharp marmalade with a hint of salted dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to coffee-laced tobacco with a whisper of black cherry.
Finish: The end leans into the spice and tobacco as the orchard fruit really amps up with a deep vanilla cake base cut with real vanilla pods and a light sense of old oak staves in a dusty cellar with a dirt floor.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild ride and a formidable rye. It’s also a one-of-a-kind whiskey. Buy it now or forever hold your piece (or suffer the aftermarket prices).
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey
The whiskey in this bottle is drawn from single barrels of the good stuff. The whiskey in those barrels was made with Jack Daniel’s rye mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley that’s fermented with Jack’d proprietary yeast and lactobacillus before running through column stills. The hot juice is then slowly — literally one drip at a time — filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal made on-site at the distillery. Once filtered, the whiskey is filled into new American oak barrels and left to rest until each one was just right for a barrel-proof bottling run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a hint of dried red chili pepper that builds toward soft and fresh pipe tobacco cut with pear and packed into an old leather pouch as a little bit of old candy wrapper a note of fizzy chinotto soda with a rock candy sweetness and a hint of dry sweet cedar.
Palate: Sweet dark fruits and grilled peach open the palate as a dramatic warmth starts to build toward razor-sharp clove, cinnamon, and mace with a very slight woody bark presence before singed marshmallows come into play and the heat hits 9-point-holy-shit on the Richter Scale.
Finish: That heat fades pretty quickly on the back end as notes of old boot leather and apple skin tobacco mingle with a faint whisper of creamy almond and ginger rock candy next to a fleeting note of dried ancho chilis soaked in hot water.
Bottom Line:
This is a very balanced whiskey, especially for one with such high ABVs. It’s also a really unique rye with a killer overall flavor profile that just keeps going. My advice is to add some water or an ice cube and let this one really bloom in the glass. You won’t be disappointed.
Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 11th Anniversary Blend A Blend of Straight Whiskeys
This very limited edition whiskey is made from a blend of Chattanooga’s own whiskey blended with classic whiskey from MGP of Indiana. All the barrels are over two years old (young by a lot of people’s “standards”) and barrelled in toasted and charred oak. Those barrels were batched (using nine to 11 barrels at a time) and that whiskey was then added to Chattanooga’s solera vat (where whiskey is always added before the old wooden vat it’s fully emptied). That whiskey was then lightly proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate and nutty holiday cakes dance on the palate with a sense of spiced plum jam next to soft vanilla pudding that slowly morphs into fancy cream soda.
Palate: A hint of waffle cone and walnut salted caramel ice cream drives the palate a soft sense of oak and holiday spice barks with a hint of stewed apple/pear in the background.
Finish: The orchard fruit layers into spiced chewy tobacco with a sense of plumminess that’s part holiday cake and part creamy pudding.
Bottom Line:
This is a limited run of whiskey that’s worth tracking down right now before it’s gone forever. It’s deep, fun, and engaging from top to bottom.
Oban Distillers Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This expression is a love letter to the tiny town of Oban on the western coast of Scotland. The whisky is standard Pban that’s finished in Montilla Fino sherry casks to add an extra dimension to the already finely crafted whisky from the distillery. Those casks are then vatted and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A small billow of smoke greets you on the nose next to notes of sea brine, orange zest, and a hint of vinous fruit that feels a little like saltwater taffy and a little like old Fruit Roll-Ups with a sense of soft winter spices lurking under it all.
Palate: Sweet caramel malts form on the silky palate as stewed pear and apple mingle with salted toffee and a light sense of oyster shell and toasted seaweed barely breakthrough on the back end.
Finish: That hint of the sea fades on the finish as you’re left with soft caramel maltiness and even softer stewed pear just kissed with saffron, clove, and anise next to a whisper of plum pudding.
Bottom Line:
This is a great pairing dram for a seafood feast. It’s also one of the best all-around slow sippers on this list, especially if you’re looking for a very mildly peated Scotch whisky.
Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition Single Highland Malt Scotch 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.
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.
Bottom Line:
This is like sipping the smoothest whisky ever. It’s so soft and nice and easy. But don’t let that fool you, this still delivers a deep and rewarding flavor profile.
This is a classic and very high-end luxe blend of bourbons from Lux Row. The whiskey is made with one 16-year-old bourbon barrel married to two 12-year-old barrels. That batched whiskey was then blended with three seven-year-old bourbons that were finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, all sourced from the Sherry Triangle region in Southwest Spain.
Once batched, the whiskey is bottled as-is with no proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a sense of red fruit leather, dark yet sharp woody spice barks, salted toffee rolled in toasted almond, and a fleeting whisper of dark chocolate sauce cut with salt, lavender, and red chili.
Palate: The palate opens with juicy pears and grilled peaches next to stewed plums and leathery prunes over rum raisin dipped in that dark and spicy chocolate with a hint of creamy cherry butteriness.
Finish: The woody chili spice and creamy dark fruit kicks up on the end with a sense of sticky toffee pudding tobacco, old cedar humidors, and a bushel of dried vanilla pods layered with smudging sage.
Bottom Line:
This is just great bourbon. Get one if you can find it. It’s a killer whiskey that’ll truly take you on a journey.
Middle West Double Cask Collection Oloroso Wheat Whiskey
This limited edition release from Ohio’s Middle West is all about the locally-grown red winter wheat in the mash bill (recipe). That wheaty beer is distilled and then loaded into new American oak where it rests for five years. Those barrels are batched and that whiskey goes into Spanish Oloroso sherry casks before batching and proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic bourbon notes of rich vanilla and spiced oak lead the nose toward rich and creamy eggnog with plenty of allspice and nutmeg next to cinnamon sticks dipped in warm apple cider.
Palate: Lush marzipan dipped in salted dark chocolate and rolled in dried dark cherries vibe with brandy-soaked prunes and dates next to subtle hints of burnt orange and old oak.
Finish: Those brandy-soaked raisins drive the finish toward an end brimming with dark chocolate, dark cherry, and dark spice vibes.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey has a lot going on and it all works. Overall, this is a rare release that I want to see go mainstream from Middle West. It’s unique but 100% understandable and fun to drink from top to bottom.
Nelson Bros. Whiskey A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Trubee Honey Casks
This whiskey starts off by seasoning used whiskey barrels (from Nelson’s Green Brier’s warehouse) with honey. The distillery sends its barrels to TruBee Honey Farm in Arrington, Tennessee where the barrels are filled with wildflower honey. After the honey has finished its rest, the barrels are emptied and sent back to Nashville. Once they arrive at Nelson’s, they’re filled with Belle Meade’s award-winning bourbon for a six to eight-month rest where the honey makes its mark on the whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of a fruit orchard on a sunny day with subtle spice barks and floral honey next to a moment of leather, caramel tobacco, and almond.
Palate: Those almonds take on some toast on the palate as vanilla cake cut with buttercream and floral honey leads to a sense of honey sesame crackers and sharply spice oak staves.
Finish: A bright pepperiness drives the finish into spiced honey with a touch of toasted oats, marzipan, and burnt orange with a whisper of chamomile tea.
Bottom Line:
This remains one of my favorite honey cask-finished bourbons of all time. This year’s release simply cemented what I already knew. It’s fantastic and works wonders as a slow sipper or killer cocktail base (seriously, try it in a sour with the sugar dialed way back).
This new single-barrel release from Barrell Craft Spirits via ReserveBar is a blend of bourbon and rye whiskeys. Once batched, that whiskey went into a single barrel from Islay that held peated single malt whisky over in Scotland for years. That barrel was then selected by the team at ReserveBar and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into smoked black pepper with a hint of salted caramel next to coconut nut clusters, demerara syrup, and a twinge of dried smoked cherry.
Palate: There’s an earthiness to the palate that’s almost mossy in a dry way next to more smoke cherry and wet brown sugar with a twinge of marzipan just kissed with dark orange.
Finish: The nuttiness drives the dry finish toward very thin whisps of smoked dark fruit and winter spice barks.
Bottom Line:
This is another fascinating bridge from Isaly peat to Kentucky whiskey. The peatiness is just barely there on the finish, which adds this whole new dimension to the overall pour. It’s truly fascinating and very enticing.
Get some while it lasts!
Penelope Straight Bourbon Whiskey Double Cask Finish Rio
This is damn near a classic now. This year’s Rio is still Penelope’s batch of four-grain bourbon (the blends of barrels work out to 74% corn, 14% wheat, 9% rye, and 3% malted barley). The ripple is that once batched the whiskey is re-barrelled into American honey and Brazilian Amburana oak casks. Those casks are then batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The honey is super creamy on the nose with a hint of pine forest next to hot cinnamon sticky buns with melting buttercream frosting and plenty of winter spice next to a hint of pecan.
Palate: The spiced rolls drive the palate toward a darker gingerbread with fresh and orange-infused honey adding a sharp contrast before the barkier elements of the spices and nuts roll back in.
Finish: The end leans into almost savory figs and date leather with a sense of winter spice barks, burnt orange rinds, and singed vanilla pods next to a hint of marzipan tobacco and soft fresh honeycomb.
Bottom Line:
The honey and woody spice really drive this one. It’s a great mix with a lot of fun counterpoints along the way in the flavor profile. Overall, this is just a fun and tasty whiskey to enjoy however you like sipping your whiskey.
Brother’s Bond Four-Grain Small-Batch American Blended Rye Whiskey
This brand-new release from Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley’s Brothers Bond is their first foray into rye. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of their bourbon cut with a four-year-old 95/5 rye (rye/malted barley). The final product ends up being a 77% rye whiskey once batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark fruit leather, stewed peach, and salted caramel mingle with vanilla buttercream cut with toffee and winter spice syrups on the nose.
Palate: The palate opens with a hint of grilled pineapple and peach dosed in caramel sauce and hit with salt before dark winter spice cakes arrive with dates, prunes, and old nuts with plenty of clove and allspice that eventually leads to a hint of eggnog creaminess.
Finish: The spice gets barky on the backend as the finish drives toward old wicker furniture in sweetgrass on a summer’s day next to a mild chili-peach-infused chewing tobacco leaf.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting blended rye that really goes all-in on the dark and funky fruits. There’s plenty of spice, don’t get me wrong, but this is built as a crowd-pleaser more than a classic “spicy” rye and… I kinda love it for that. There’s real depth here that’s worth seeking out, especially if you’re looking for a fruit-forward rye whiskey.
The Yoichi facility is perched on the Hokkaido coast in the far north of Japan. The whisky is made very slowly with lightly peated local malt. The mash is made with local spring water and slowly distilled in pot stills with direct coal heating underneath. That whisky is then left to age for 10 years by the sea but also in the forest, in used oak, until it’s just right. The barrels are then vatted in a large wooden tank and bottled with a touch of that local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of an old herb spice cupboard with a hint of mint and sage that leads to fresh tart apples and red berries with a touch of smoked plums and apricots next to fresh pain au chocolate dipped in floral honey.
Palate: That buttery pastry opens the taste with a hint of white pepper and dried strawberries dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled with a spiced caramel before this thin whisper of smoked mushroom powder sneaks in.
Finish: That smoked umami vibe attaches to a dry oakiness with a sense of apricot leather just kissed with sweet orchard wood smoke and soft pepperiness tied to malted honey digestive biscuits before a final rush of creamy yet still floral honey softens everything.
Bottom Line:
This is just delicious and one of the best introductions to Japanese whisky that money can buy. You know what to do.
The Macklowe American Single Malt Whiskey 6th Edition
This is a super rare American single malt that’s filtered through a masterful Scotch whisky POV. The barrel was chosen by Master Blender Ian MacMillan and American beauty entrepreneur, socialite, and whiskey master Julie Macklowe. MacMillan and Macklowe chose a seven-year-old toasted barrel single malt aged in new American white oak in Kentucky. That whiskey was cut with local water and bottled as-is otherwise, creating only 237 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is all about sweet oak sugars (think brown sugar and rock candy) with a sense of burnt orange, marzipan, and salted caramel next to this moment of spicy honey with a twinge of dried florals and pecans.
Palate: Bitter yet sweet orange drives the taste toward soft stick toffee pudding with good salted caramel, orange zest, and walnut next to real maple syrup and old woody holiday spice barks.
Finish: Those holiday spices blend with the marzipan and dried orange for a cake vibe that’s accented by soft malted whisky with a sense of bourbon cream.
Bottom Line:
This has a great balance and makes for an easy yet fulfilling sipper of American single malt whiskey. Since these are so rare, you might have a better chance of finding a bottle/pour at a very high-end bar or restaurant than a high-end whiskey shop though. Good luck out there!
The Macallan 31-Year-Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The World Whiskey Society
ABV: 53.7%
Average Price: $9,999
The Whisky:
The World Whiskey Society bottled this amazingly rare whisky this year. The whisky in this very bespoke bottle is from a single 31-year-old sherry cask that The Macallan had in its warehouses. It was bottled at cask strength, which means only 71 bottles were filled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with the softest marzipan (Niedderegger) dipped in fruity and beautiful brandy next to almost savory pear, apple taffy, and pomelo skins over Sicilian cannolis filled with orange-kissed cream and touched with pistachio and brandied-cherries.
Palate: That malted oak cake gets soaked in cognac with a floral fruitiness and a bright summer’s breeze as a hint of rye bread crusts just kissed with sweet anise brings the taste back toward clove and nutmeg sweet Christmas mincemeat pies and a twinge of dark mulled wine.
Finish: That rye and anise counter the soft malted spice cakes with a deep almond marzipan nuttiness that’s accented with pear brandy, orange oils, and vanilla cream with a deeply old wine cellar echo lingering underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty wild and I’m honored to have tasted it. It’s pretty much exactly what you want from a very expensive whisky — deep, intriguing, special, aged, and pure silk.
Talisker’s seaside vibes are on full display in this beautiful bottle. The 2021 limited release (the 30-year is on a random release schedule) was around 3,000 bottles, making this a very rare expression from the Isle of Skye distillery. Those bottles were pulled from both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and masterfully blended right next to the sea at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is shockingly subtle and soft with velvety notes of smoldering dried nori next to matchsticks that have been dipped in a buttery and rich dark chocolate with sea salt gently sprinkled all over.
Palate: The palate leans into the dialed-back peat by bringing about a smoked cream with fire-seared peaches next to a hint of wet cedar, very old tobacco leaves, and a touch of almond or oat milk flecked with salt.
Finish: That salt drives the mid-palate towards a finish that’s like getting kissed by merfolk on a beach next to a campfire that’s heating a cauldron full of spicy stewed peaches in more of that cream.
Bottom Line:
This seaside peated malt is so subtle and deeply refined that you’ll always find something new and different with every nose and sip. With the new 2023 version hitting shelves very soon, you really should try and snag a bottle. You might not see it again for a couple of years.
Just like there are no hard-set rules for raising children, there is no perfect guidebook on how to be a supportive parent to an older child. As parents watch their kids grow and start their own families, it can be hard for them to navigate the new role they have in their lives.
That’s why Barb Schmidt, who goes by PeacefulBarb on TikTok, shared her list of the ‘7 Things Adult Children May Need to Hear’ from their parents. It’s a great starting point for parents who aren’t sure what their older children need.
Schmidt is an international best-selling author, sought-after motivational speaker, mindset coach and mindfulness teacher.
Here’s her list:
I‘m so proud to be your parent.
I’m sorry for any parenting choices I made that hurt you.
I’m here to listen if you want to tell me about it.
You are incredibly precious to me.
I will always love you no matter what.
My life changed for the better because you are in it.
Your worth is not determined by your productivity, job title, or your relationship status.
Tell me about your hopes and dreams for your life. I want to know more about what matters to you.
What’s something you wish a parental figure would say to you now that you’re an adult?🤔 📝Let me know below… #innerchildhealing #vlog #gentlereminder #awareness #lifeadvice #fyp #communication #innerchildhealingjourney
The post struck a nerve with many who wished their parents knew how to express their support in a healthy way.
“I’m desperately trying to make my mother understand that this is what I need to hear from her. But she doesn’t get it,” Clelia wrote.
“This makes me a bit teary because yes, I absolutely want to hear those things and have my parent mean them,” Han wrote.
There are so many questions out there that we don’t realize we want to know the answers to until someone else asks. Once the question is in the vicinity of our ear holes, suddenly we’re like, “Oh, yeah. How does that work?” That’s pretty much how this TikTok video went for a lot of viewers, myself included.
I have had four (yes, four) children exit my body, and it never dawned on me to ask further than the initial question of how babies breathe in there. It’s a question that most new moms either don’t think to ask or ask only once and get a similar answer to the one I received, which is that they take in oxygen via their umbilical cord connected to the placenta, so they don’t need to breathe in the traditional way we think of until after birth.
But when a new mom asked the people of the internet how her unborn baby was able to practice breathing without drowning, Jen Hamilton, an OB nurse, decided to answer in a video.
Hamilton starts off her response by guaranteeing she’s about to blow the mom’s “motherforking mind,” and I can tell you from reading the comments, she’s a promise keeper. Minds were blown. She explains that babies are covered in a thick waxy substance called vernix that protects their, “skin from falling off,” while they hang out in amniotic fluid for months. But it’s her explanation of how hiccups help babies practice breathing and how babies know it’s time to breathe air that makes you appreciate how amazing the process is.
“Under your baby’s lungs are a muscle called the diaphragm. Hiccups are a spasm of the diaphragm,” the OB nurse explains. “Whenever we get hiccups it sucks air into our lungs really quickly, which is what makes that sound when air passes through our vocal cords.” She goes on to explain that when babies get hiccups the spasm is expanding their lungs by filling with amniotic fluid, which is how babies practice breathing.
Hamilton continues her explanation of how babies know when to breathe on the outside while not needing to breathe on the inside.
“While your baby is inside of you, there are two vessels. These vessels bypass the lungs cause it’s getting all of its oxygen from you,” Hamilton says.
She isn’t done leaving the internet with its collective mouth agape. Hamilton tells the mom about a nerve in the face of babies that helps them to know when to breathe. That is the most fascinating part, but you have to see her explain it because writing it out just wouldn’t do it justice. Watch her brilliant explanation below.
Fans worried that Lil Durk would take a hard left into overtly positive messaging on his new album Almost Healed were relieved to learn that the operative word in the title was “Almost.” While lead single “All My Life” with J. Cole bore all the hallmarks of uplifting “conscious” rap — right down to a chorus of children singing its saccharine hook — and Alicia Keys played therapist on the album’s intro, Durk largely stuck to his guns for the rest of the new songs, so to speak.
Still, if anyone at all was dissatisfied with the outcome, his deluxe version of Almost Healed should lay those concerns to rest. On Twitter, Durk promised it would bear “The Voice vibes,” invoking the beloved 2020 album which launched the Chicago underground rap veteran to arena status.
And speaking of arena status, Durk certainly has a few of those venues on the schedule for his upcoming Sorry For The Dought Tour, which launches at the end of July and runs through early August. You can see the dates for that below.
7/28 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
7/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre (without Kodak Black and NLE Choppa)
7/30 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
8/1 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
8/3 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
8/4 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena (without Kodak Black)
8/5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
8/6 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
8/8 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
8/9 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage (without Kodak Black)
8/11 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
8/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
8/15 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
8/16 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
8/18 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/19 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
8/21 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
8/22 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
8/23 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
8/25 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
8/26 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena (without Kodak Black and NLE Choppa)
8/29 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
8/30 – Portland, OR @ RV Inn Styles Resort Amphitheater
8/1 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
8/2 – San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (without Kodak Black and NLE Choppa)
8/6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
8/7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Something that unfortunately comes with the territory of being a celebrity (especially a female one) is people having and sharing their opinions about your body. One person went as far as to suggest Pink, who gave birth to her two children, was born a biological male. Instead of getting mad, Pink (who’s currently making headlines for her recent naked photo) had a fun time brushing it off.
Pink shared the post on Twitter earlier this month. The image is a screenshot of a text from Pink to her husband, professional off-road truck racer Carey Hart. It starts with a low-resolution photo of Pink, wearing a bikini top and low-rise pants. The outfit shows off her toned abs and her Adonis belt, the V-shaped muscle in the pelvic region. Somebody added text on the photo that reads, “Women can not be born with Adonis belts,” adding below, “androgynous Pink.” Pink’s subsequent message to Hart reads, “Hey baby. I’ve been meaning to tell you something. Apparently you’re not willow and Jameson’s dad. I am.”
Pink wrote in her tweet, “I just found this out too, to be fair. I feel @hartluck had a right to know what the internet just told us. Apparently, I’m my kids father [exploding head emojis].”
I just found this out too, to be fair. I feel @hartluck had a right to know what the internet just told us. Apparently, I’m my kids father pic.twitter.com/bgg8ENgjTc
Pink has addressed perceptions that she has a masculine appearance before. In a 2019 interview, she said of a conversation with her daughter, “[I said,] ‘When people make fun of me, that’s what they use. They say I look like a boy or I’m too masculine or I have too many opinions, my body is too strong.’ And I said to her, ‘Do you see me growing my hair?’ She said, ‘No, mama.’ I said, ‘Do you see me changing my body?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world?’ ‘Yes, mama.’ ‘OK! So, baby girl: We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.’”
The Ted Lasso Power Rankings are a weekly analysis of who and/or what had the strongest performance in each episode. Most of the list will feature individual characters, although the committee does reserve the right to honor anything from animals to inanimate objects to laws of nature to general concepts. There are very few rules here.
Season 3, Episode 12 — “So Long, Farewell”
HONORABLE MENTION: Higgins (a good man who gets to keep his job); Dani Rojas and his two girlfriends (good for them); Zorro/Zoreaux (if you have to wear a mask, might as well be a cool one); Isaac (a tough but fair judge who can blast soccer balls straight through nets); Will Kitman (I choose to believe he’s being very territorial and bossy about his responsibilities now that Nate is back and working under him); The Sound of Music (probably a top-five musical about a family escaping Nazis through the power of song); Sassy (we could all use a friend like her, but only one); Mae (I hope she becomes best friends with Rebecca’s mom); Rebecca’s mom (need to see her skateboard); Sam (loved to see him score The Big Goal); Zava’s avocado farm (that was a big avocado); Colin (my heart grew three sizes when he smooched his boyfriend after the game); Various TedBecca ‘shippers (the misdirect in that opening scene has that corner of the internet VERY angry); Jason Sudeikis doin’ his lil “What’s Up With That?” dances (the man can move); the stewardess who called Ted an asshole (fun to picture that there’s a lady in this show’s universe out there telling everyone what a prick Ted is); Coach George (stood up to Rupert and got a little sunshine on his nutsack); Dr. Sharon (new patient, business is good); Henry Lasso (parents in the youth soccer league must be so pissed that one team just has a decorated professional coach on the sideline, like if Steve Kerr coached his daughter’s basketball team); Rupert (everything short of getting a bowl of soup dumped on his head); spaghetti bolognese (pretty good but I prefer lasagna)
10. (tie) Crying a little bit (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
Lots of crying this week. By just about everybody. The team at halftime, Nate, Rebecca and Ted a few times, even freaking Roy. Maybe me a little bit. Maybe. Impossible to know for certain. I’m a big strong man. I’m a big strong man who never cries during TV shows or movies. Everyone know th-…
NO YOU CRIED DURING A FINDING NEMO REWATCH A WHILE AGO.
SHUT UP.
HE FOUND HIS DAD.
LEAVE ME ALONE.
10. (tie) Barbara the CFO (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
A fascinating woman who loves numbers and violence equally. I would love to sit in a room with her while she watches The Accountant, the movie where Ben Affleck plays a CPA who is also an undercover assassin, the one that contains both a montage of actual accounting and multiple scenes where bad guys get shot in the head. I bet she would love it.
I don’t know what’s happening with this show going forward. It sure felt like an ending. And while the more probable spinoff is one I’ll discuss in a bit, let me state for the record that I would watch one where Barbara becomes a high-ranking executive for a UFC-type cage fighting league. Please consider this.
10. (tie) Nate (LAST WEEK: 8)
APPLE
Nate is:
Back with the team
In a new role as the assistant kit man… or rather, the assistant TO the kit man, as a little Schrute shootout (Schrute-out?)
Happy with Jade
Tearing up a lot and hugging people and being kind of touched that the team is using his elaborate decoy play to score important goals
Full-circle situation here for Nate. I suspect this could rub some people the wrong way. There’s a subsection of viewers who wanted to see Nate get hit with a hammer for everything he did on his way out. And I do get that but… that was just never gonna happen. Not on this show. Everyone gets redeemed a little here. That’s just how the show works. Well, except for Rupert. He just dresses like Darth Vader — all black, flowing coat/cape — and loses another wife and his team and has a stadium full of people chant “WANKER” at him while he storms off in shame. That’s okay, though. It’s nice to have an obvious villain sometimes.
9. Ted (LAST WEEK: 6)
APPLE
It’s nice that Ted is back home with his kid. I’m happy for him if that’s what he wants and if that’s going to help Henry, who is a sweet boy and deserves happiness. But also…
I mean…
It is weird. He was mostly happy in Richmond. He had friends who loved him and a great work environment and a whole community that had come to support him. He wasn’t having those panic attacks as often. Again, it’s weird. The show opened with him fleeing his actual family to go coach soccer in England and it ended with him fleeing his found family to go coach soccer back in America. I suppose there’s no good or right answer here. He was always going to be leaving someone behind somewhere. But he has made a positive impact on a lot of lives in the process.
I don’t know. A lot going on here. Let’s go ahead and leave him at number nine.
8. Jamie Tartt (LAST WEEK: 2)
APPLE
Jamie:
Made up with his dad
Is friends with Roy now
Also got into a fistfight with Roy over who would “get” to date Keeley, which backfired for obvious stupid reasons related to “maybe the girl you both like doesn’t want two goons punching each other over who wins her affection without actually checking to see if she has any affection for either of them”
Scored a goal and helped score another with some hilarious acting
Got in one last classic Jamie pronunciation with “guacamol-eh”
It’s a good thing Jamie and Roy had their fistfight after Trent finished the book. That would not have looked great out there in black-and-white ink.
7. An open bar with live band karaoke (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
This right here is a recipe for a good time. The Richmond team party is gonna be a blast. The only downside here — the reason it’s ranked at seven instead of in the top three — is because I will be haunted for the rest of my days about who sang what song at this party. I need to know. And now I need to know if one of them sang “Need to Know” by Marc Anthony. My guesses here:
Beard sings a Black Sabbath song
Keeley shows up with the crimped hair and bow from the other week and sings a Madonna song, maybe “Material Girl”
Dani sings the theme song from Friends
Rebecca and Ted duet on “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart”
Will Kitman blows the roof of the place with a version of “Suspicious Minds” that features audience participation for the backing vocals
Barbara sings a different Black Sabbath song and does it much better than Beard
Isaac sings a surprisingly stirring version of “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” by Whitney Houston that leaves the crowd in tears
Let’s go do karaoke this weekend.
6. Keeley (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
Okay, two Keeley things. Maybe three…
NUMBER ONE: While the Roy-Jamie fight was weird, it was nice that Keeley got to make that face and let them know how stupid they were being.
NUMBER TWO: If there is a spinoff here, my money is on Keeley and Rebecca and maybe Higgins and Barbara running that women’s soccer team with the influx of cash from the sale, which, by my math — 49 percent of the suspected $2 billion valuation — comes out to about a billion smackeroos.
NUMBER THREE: It is not lost on me that both of my proposed spin-offs here feature Barbara in some capacity. There’s a simple reason for that: I love her.
5. Roy (LAST WEEK: 4)
APPLE
Roy:
Is a Diamond Dog now
Is the coach of the team
Started going to therapy to work on himself, which is nice and is also a reminder that Brett Goldstein co-created Shrinking, another good show about therapy
Lot going on with Roy. Most of it pretty solid, or at least on the way to being solid. He did kind of just stop wearing those fun colorful shirts after one week, though. I like those. Roy, please reconsider.
4. Having a cookout at the end where everybody shows up and eats grilled meats (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
It is not lost on me that both Ted Lasso and the Fast &Furious franchise tell stories about finding your own Family that end with a scene where everyone gets together for a big cookout at the end. This is very funny, to me, and maybe only just me, if only because these two entities could not be much more different in just about every other way. Also, I desperately need to see Vin Diesel play soccer now. And I need to see… oh, let’s say Will Kitman drive a neon Honda outfitted with NoS. Which he might do. You don’t know.
In conclusion, please picture Mae’s face if someone walked into her pub and ordered a Corona.
3. Rebecca (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
Rebecca:
Has a billion dollars
Has a new boyfriend
Got to watch her crappy ex sulk away in shame with a crowd of people chanting mean things about him
These three things alone, even stripped of their context (some of which was a little weird, but still), rocket her into the top three.
2. Trent Crimm (LAST WEEK: Unranked)
APPLE
ON ONE HAND: Trent has perfect hair and finished his book. And the book is absolutely LOADED with fascinating material. It’s easy to forget all of that because we’ve seen it all through the lens of the show, but… the general public inside the universe of this show is really not aware of about 95 percent of it. Yes, sure, the book seems to be a glowing portrait of Ted and the team and not exactly full of bombshells that cut prominent figures down to size, but still. Go back and look at everything this season and remember Trent was there for it all with a notepad in his hand. I really want to read this non-existent book. Or at least get a little Ted Lasso post-credits epilogue that shows him on the book tour with the public reaction to it.
ON THE OTHER HAND: Imagine how stressful it must be to write a book about people and then hand it to them and watch them read the things you wrote about them. Or to read the words someone else wrote about you after following you around for a year. No thank you to any of that. I would rather go live inside a deep hole.
ALSO: It’s pretty funny that the character named Ted Lasso on the show titled Ted Lasso told Trent to change the book’s title from The Lasso Way because “it’s not about me.” I don’t know if that was intentional or not but it did make me giggle a lot when I realized it.
1. Coach Beard (LAST WEEK: 1)
APPLE
HIS FIRST NAME IS WILLIS
WILLIS BEARD
WILLIE BEARD
COACH WILLIE BEARD
IS JANE NOW JANE BEARD?
AFTER THEY GOT MARRIED?
WILLIE AND JANE BEARD?
QUESTION MARK
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(@Latto) 
