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Jack Daniel’s is no longer the random bottle sitting on your grandparent’s shelf collecting dust. The brand has completely reinvented itself while holding onto the traditions that made them so beloved in the first place. Branching out into Tennessee rye, releasing a bottled in bond whiskey that rules, jumping headlong into the American single malt whiskey scene, dropping some of the best age-statement whiskeys around, and letting amazing single barrels at barrel proof into the wild have all added to the resurgence of Jack Daniel’s as one of the most respected and sought-after brands in 2023.

Jack Daniel’s latest release combines their fantastic single barrel program with their Tennessee rye whiskey (possibly one of the most under-appreciated ryes on the shelf today). Jack just dropped a limited edition Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey — I know, it’s a mouthful. To be clear, the team at Jack dropped one or two of these in the past as complete one-offs. The fan and wider whiskey world reaction was so positive that they decided to make this particular expression a yearly special release.

It’s a single barrel. It’s barrel proof. It’s Jack Daniel’s rye. These are all good things, folks. The best part is that this is a nationwide release with a very accessible price point that you can actually (for real!) find at its suggested retail price — or a skosh above.

Let’s dive into what’s in the bottle!

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Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey

ABV: 68.65%

Average Price: $72

The 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 head 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:

Wow. This is bold whiskey. The ABVs are a lot, I’m not going to lie. But they don’t burn or numb your senses out — there really is a balance in this pour. That means there’s still a lot to dive into in this whiskey.

Trying it with a few drops of water and it gets super creamy with marzipan, orange marmalade, plum pie, and an almost fatty/creamy sense of pear pipe tobacco. It’s kind of wonderful.

If you do grab this one — don’t sleep on adding some water to bring that heat down and really bloom this one in the glass. It runs deep.

Ranking:

90/100 — This is very Tennessee rye — it’s sweeter and fruitier than a lot of other ryes you might or might not know. I like that a lot. But if you’re looking for a peppery spice bomb or even herbal savory funk, this ain’t it. On the other hand, if you’re looking for truly sharp dark spiciness with a wonderful fruity-sweet counterpoint, then this is the rye for you.

Availability:

Shockingly, you can walk into a store right now and get this at MSRP (or very close to it) or buy it online. It’s on the shelves nationwide. That won’t be true forever as this is a limited edition and we won’t see it released again until next year. Act now!

It’s always daiquiri season. Sure, daiquiris are far more popular in warm weather months, I’ll concede that. But it’s always warm somewhere on earth and a daiquiri or even a Papa Doble is sure to hit the spot when you get there. With North American summer just about here, it’s time to break out the cocktail shaker and the rum.

You can add some good white rum, sugar, and fresh lime to any old shaker and you’re going to have a good time. But the beauty of fresh and old-school daiquiris is that you can also add any fresh fruit to the shaker and take that simple (yet brilliant) basic daiquiri to the next level flavor-wise. The best part is that anything is possible here. Kiwi? Nice. Fresh blackberries? Ah, yeah! Banana? Do it! It’s awesome. The key of course is straining that fresh fruit out when you serve the cocktail (I’ll explain below), leaving you with a crisp and light cocktail layered with serious flavors.

Does that sound good? Is the weather truly starting to heat up where you are? It’s time. It’s daiquiri season!

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Mango Daiquiri

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. white rum
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz. simple syrup
• 2 slices of fresh mango
• Ice
• Pinch of salt

The one key here is good white rum as your base spirit. I like using something a little funkier than a clean Caribbean white (like Bacardi or Havana Club). I like using brands like Copalli White Rum — a white rum made with fresh sugar cane juice instead of molasses (making it a rhum agricole, technically). That fresh cane juice gives the run a nice funk that leans into tropical fruit skins and a sense of terroir that’s very vegetal. You want those flavors in your daiquiri.

What You’ll Need:

• Small rocks glass or coupe (pre-chilled)
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Fine mesh strainer
• Jigger
• Hand juicer
• Paring knife

Method:

• Prechill your glass in the freezer.
• Add the rum, lime, syrup, a tiny pinch of salt, and two finger-long slices of fresh mango to a cocktail shaker.
• Add a large handful of ice and shake vigorously for about 15 to 20 seconds — the cocktail shaker should be ice-cold to touch.
• Use both strainers to pour the cocktail into the prechilled glass. Serve.

Bottom Line:

Oh, hell yeah! This is a beautiful cocktail. It’s fresh, citrusy, and full of mango vibes with a nice balance of sweetness next to funky white rum. That rum adds a nice layer of pineapple cores, a hint of papaya, and more mango (though more like mango skins).

All of those tasting notes aside, this is just refreshing as f*ck. The second you finish it, you’ll want to shake up another immediately. That’s especially true if you’re sitting in the sun in the backyard or poolside. Summer 2023 can’t come soon enough!

Toosii’s “Favorite Song” single has already seen the growth of its success, making its way onto the Billboard charts. To celebrate and give back to the fans who boosted it, he has dropped a new “Toxic Version” remix of the song that features Future. (It also follows the first remix he did with Khalid.)

Just as the update describes, Future’s verse finds himself detailing a toxic relationship. While it keeps Toosii’s original intro with Tatiana Manaois, Future tackles the first verse after the chorus.

“These b*tches too smart to compete with you (Smart) / I’ma leave her right now if she mention you,” he notes. See you tired of me constantly hurtin’ you / Feel like true love is the virtue / Can’t deny I bring out the best in you.”

Despite the ups and downs and the chaotic vibes, he still is holding out hope in the name of true love.

Next week, Toosii is set to perform the track solo during the season finale of The Voice on May 23. All remixes of the song, and the original version, will also be included on the rapper’s upcoming album, Naujour.

Check out Toosii’s “Favorite Song (Toxic Version)” feat. Future above.

Naujour is out 6/2 via South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records. Find more information here.

One of the highlights of the WWE calendar five and a half months into 2023 came when the promotion returned to Puerto Rico for the first time in more than 18 years for the premium live event Backlash. While it did not close the night, the co-main event featured Bad Bunny in a San Juan Street Fight against Damian Priest, and unsurprisingly, the pair put on quite the show.

We’ve seen Bunny get in the ring before, and while he hasn’t spent decades perfecting the art of professional wrestling, he’s unquestionably one of the best celebrities to ever step into the ring. The match was a blast, and one thing we’ve learned in the aftermath is that he got banged up, as he showed off some pretty gnarly scars on his back.

As it turns out, those back injuries were worse than they appeared. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Bunny explained that he “suffered,” and that he thought he reached the end of the road.

“I suffered,” he said, per Fightful. “Yeah, I got hurt. I got hurt. My back, my back. My whole body, bro. My whole body. I felt that I was going to die after that match. I really thought that I was going to die after the match, but it’s part of it. I was prepared then, and now I’m going to drop a song. I know. I’m a crazy guy. I love it. I love it, and that’s what matters.”

Here’s hoping his next foray into professional wrestling is a bit more forgiving.

The Denver Nuggets are up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals thanks to Jamal Murray’s 23-point fourth quarter outburst in Game 2. It appeared as though the Los Angeles Lakers were going to be able to tie the series at one game each thanks in large part to shooting struggles from Murray, who shot just 5-for-12 from the field through three quarters before displaying some remarkable shotmaking in the fourth en route to a 37-point night.

The performance was akin to his Bubble playoff run that gave him the nickname “Bubble Murray,” and the fourth quarter shooting display was so effective that 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic did not even register a shot attempt in the game’s final 12 minutes.

Murray’s performance was a reminder of just how dominant the 1-seed Nuggets can be. It has been two seasons since Murray last played in the playoffs due to an ACL injury, and Denver’s guard thinks people have forgotten the level he can reach. He sat down with Andscape’s Marc Spears to make clear that he believes he’s not given the credit he deserves for what he can do on the court, but understands there is one very easy way to remedy things.

“I don’t think I get enough respect as I should be,” Murray said. “I’m better than a lot of players in the league. Every time I see rankings of guys I think, ‘Man, that is crazy.’ Maybe it’s because I have been out for so long. But if we win the chip, it changes everything.”

Denver employs Jokic, the two-time MVP who has a great case for best player in the world, and spent the majority of the season as the 1-seed in the Western Conference. Despite that, the belief as the postseason approached was that the Western Conference was more open than ever. Murray believing that he and the Nuggets have not garnered the respect they deserve very well might be justified, but if they can secure a Finals berth by taking down LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers, maybe the league will finally see them for the contender they’ve always shown themselves to be.

The Trump family is taking its MAGA act on the road. Don Jr., the second-favorite child of former president Donald Trump, announced via Twitter that he has plans to travel to Australia this summer in order to spread the bigoted, fear-mongering philosophy that got his dad elected, then impeached … twice. The shouting nepo baby is taking his finger-quotes and big cocaine-guy energy Down Under in July with the aim of pushing Trump’s Make America Great Again message, just with an Aussie twist.

“Interestingly enough, great MAGA fan base,” Don Jr. said. “I think they saw their rights being infringed, the insanity that went on there around COVID, and they understand the existential threat to the West that’s taken root. The disease of woke identity politics and cancel culture that’s crippled so much of the U.S. has just taken root there and we need to stop it.”

Considering how well Australia handled the pandemic compared to the U.S., making COVID restrictions one of his mob-galvanizing talking points might not be the best move for this Kendall Roy wannabe. And why Australia, you might ask? Because decades ago, Don Jr. spent a month backpacking there in college and suddenly, he’s an expert on the country’s culture and its politics.

Now, who’s going to break the news that he can’t carry his emotional support firearm with him through customs?

(Via Mediaite)

This week, Disney taught Ron DeSantis a significant lesson by pulling the plug on the development of a $1 billion office complex that would’ve brought roughly 2,000 jobs to Florida. The move arrived after weeks of Disney suing DeSantis for violating the company’s first amendment rights by retaliating against the entertainment giant for opposing the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. DeSantis sought to take control of the special district where Disneyland sits, but was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Disney’s lawyers.

However, following the office complex debacle, DeSantis is now trying to to reframe his war with Disney as a missive in the fight against “corporate welfare.” Never mind that DeSantis and Florida Republicans are on the record specifically attacking Disney for being “woke” and publicly stating their intentions to use the full power of the government to punish the company for its protected speech, DeSantis is going to plow ahead and pretend that the feud isn’t an easily actionable first amendment violation.

“They want to have their own government,” DeSantis said during a campaign stop. “They’ve had their own government for 50 years. It’s massive corporate welfare. We’re not doing that. They’re going to live under the same laws as everybody else. They’re going to pay their fair share of taxes. They’re not going to govern themselves.”

There’s just one small problem with DeSantis’ argument. Disney isn’t the only corporate entity with special districts in the state. During an earnings call last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger already dismantled this talking point.

“There are 2,000 special districts in Florida to foster business and investment,” Iger said while mentioning the Daytona International Speedway. “It’s easy to say Reedy Creek benefits us, but it’s misleading not to say how it benefited the state of Florida.”

As for taxes, Iger also noted during the call that Disney paid $1.1 billion in taxes in 2022. Try again, Ron.

(Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter)

Quentin Tarantino is working on his 10th movie, which he claims will also be his final movie as a director. He could change his mind at any moment and decide the time is right for his unrealized Iron Man project. I’m sure Marvel wouldn’t mind. But as of now, his final film is set to be The Movie Critic, which is believed to be “set in late 1970s Los Angeles with a female lead at its center.” Little else is known, other than what writer and director Paul Schrader revealed in an interview with Indiewire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast.

“Quentin [Tarantino] — this may have changed — but about a month ago he was making a film, had something to do with filmmaking in the ’70s,” the Master Gardener filmmaker said. “And part of this, he’s going to use clips from movies from the ’70s, but he’s also gonna remake movies from the ’70s. And he asked me, ‘Can I redo the ending of Rolling Thunder?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, go for it. I’d love to see you redo the ending of Rolling Thunder.’ Who knows whether he actually will or not. But it was something that was tickling his imagination in a very Tarantino-esque way.”

Two things:

1. Rolling Thunder is not only the partial name of a Bob Dylan tour, it’s also a 1977 thriller starring William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones; I don’t know how Tarantino plans to “remake” it, as well as other films from the decade, but I’m fascinated to find out.

2. The guy who wrote Taxi Driver is allowed to say “Tarantino-esque” without irony, but no one else.

(Via Indiewire)

Season two of The Bear is being served up on June 10th, and the highly anticipated series will pick up right where Carmy and the gang left off as they revamp the restaurant and get to work on “starting fresh.” The new season brings in some new guest stars, including Bob Odenkirk (!) and Molly Gordon.

Gordon has been in a number of fan-favorite projects over the years, like Booksmart and Shiva Baby. While her character details are under wraps, FX confirmed earlier this month that Gordon would be playing a “key recurring role” meaning she isn’t just a regular sandwich customer.

From the first trailer that dropped earlier this week, it seems like Gordon will play someone from Carmy’s past, perhaps a former love interest. Gordon’s character asks, “So how’s your life been?” That certainly implies that they have some sort of complex history together. The two then have a snarky debate about if he had told her the name of the new restaurant, which also alludes to the fact that they have known each other for quite some time.

You’re probably thinking: is this when we will finally see Carmy secure his own love interest? Only time will tell!

The Bear returns to Hulu on June 22nd.

Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?

Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. “Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year,” Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.

“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.

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“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” she said. They looked into deals they could find through loyalty memberships and then factored in the potential sale price of their home and realized their dream was totally affordable.

The rough math makes sense. If the couple hits their goal of spending $100 per night to live on a cruise ship, that’s $36,500 a year. Currently, the average price of a home in Tukwila, Washington—where the couple has a house—is about $607,000. Let’s say you moved there today, put down 20% and financed the rest, the mortgage would cost you around $44,000 a year.

Plus, on a cruise ship, the couple doesn’t have to pay for groceries.

The Burks are able to live their dream because they’ve spent a lifetime being responsible. “We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” she says. “We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”

Angelyn says that cruising takes the stress out of travel. “It is leisurely travel without the complications of booking hotels, restaurants, and transportation while staying within our budget,” she told 7 News. The couple travels lightly with just two suitcases between them and if they need anything, they just buy it on the ship or in the next port.

The one thing to consider before embarking on a never-ending cruise is COVID-19. The coronavirus is easily spread in close quarters and a cruise ship that recently docked in Seattle had 100 people on board who tested positive for the virus. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated before going on a cruise and that immunocompromised people should consult with their physicians before traveling.

Richard told Upworthy that he believes COVID-19 safety is still very important and has had both his shots and a booster. “I would suggest wearing a mask at all times when out in public no matter whether on a ship, in a movie theater, at a restaurant or even meeting with friends inside or outside,” he said.

After leaving their jobs and the mainland behind, the Burks completed a 21-day cruise via the Panama canal. They look forward to a 50-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea, taking in the sights of Europe, as well as a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.

The Burks’ favorite destinations, no matter how they get there, are Italy, Canada, Iceland and the Bahamas, but their ultimate favorite is Singapore.

Looking to give it all up and go on a permanent vacation just like the Burks? Angelyn has some advice for those wanting to get started.

This article was updated on May 17, 2022, after a conversation with Richard Burk.

The hosts of our podcast, “Upworthy Weekly” had a pretty funny take on the story.

This article originally appeared on 05.11.22