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The Kings and Warriors are returning to Sacramento for Game 5 with the series tied 2-2, as both teams have taken care of business at home. While the home team has won each game, the series has been filled with late-game drama and has been the most entertaining of the first round tilts.

The first four games have, in particular, cemented Kings guard De’Aaron Fox as a star. Fox has averaged 31.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game in his first four postseason appearances, carrying the Sacramento offense at times and continuing to thrive in the fourth quarter as he did all regular season. Fox’s game translating to the playoff stage has been absolutely critical to the Kings’ success, which is why Monday’s news that the rising star had suffered a fracture of the tip of his index left finger (which is his shooting hand) in the fourth quarter of Game 4 provided a significant damper on the excitement for Game 5.

The Kings are heavily reliant on Fox’s creation skills, especially late in games where he’s their only real isolation threat as a scorer. If he’s unable to go in Game 5, which seems likely given the expected “doubtful” designation, this year’s Coach of the Year, Mike Brown, will have his hands full crafting a new rotation. On top of his huge offensive performances, Fox has also been vital to the Kings’ defensive gameplan against Stephen Curry, where he and Davion Mitchell take turns hounding the future Hall of Famer fullcourt to disrupt the Warriors’ rhythm.

Without Fox, executing that gameplan becomes much more difficult because no one can replace Fox’s recovery speed, which is part of why he can pressure full court. On top of that, Fox makes playing Mitchell much easier on the offensive end, where Davion is not an on-ball threat and is a below average shooter (but has made some timely baskets in this series). Malik Monk is the obvious answer for where Brown turns for on-ball creation in the backcourt, but he’s not been able to replicate quite the same success he had in Games 1 and 2 over the past two on the road. Domantas Sabonis also becomes more important as a hub, as the dribble-handoff game with the Kings’ various shooters would likely be an even bigger staple of the Kings offense without Fox.

Even if he can play, it’s hard to see the injury not inhibiting him at least some, and the rest of the Kings will have to be ready to step up, particularly as shooters, if the finger issue causes him to struggle with his feel on his shot.

For the last few years, Lil Baby has been considered one of the hottest names in rap. However, fans now fear his hot streak could be coming to an end after he was photographed dining out with Khloe Kardashian. Lil Baby fans wondered whether the photo meant that Lil Baby and Kardashian had begun dating — and worried that he would be the latest entertainer to fall victim to the so-called “Kardashian Curse,” which many insist has already claimed everyone from Kanye West to James Harden.

It’s no doubt misogynistic and gross, but a meme on the internet over the past decade has been the half-joking, half-serious belief that entertainers who become romantically entangled with the Kardashian family (including the Jenners) are doomed to fall into a slump in which their output suffers greatly, both creatively and commercially. This goes for the athletes that get involved with any of the five sisters, resulting in losing streaks and stretches of poor performance compared to their previous averages.

Ball players and rappers who have supposedly fallen victim to the curse include Blake Griffin, French Montana, James Harden, Jordan Clarkson, Kanye West, Kris Humphries, Lamar Odom, Tristan Thompson, and Tyga.

The legend of the curse likely originates in the sisters’ apparent shared preference for, well, Black NBA players and rappers, and the fact that nearly all of them did have slumps in performance while dating one of the Jenner-Kardashians. However, there is also a number of alternative explanations that don’t involve sexist assumptions about their dating histories. Also, some have had their greatest successes in that time, such as Travis Scott.

Still, that won’t stop fans from freaking out any time one of their faves is photoed hanging around the Kardashian crew — just see the responses to Bad Bunny being shot by paparazzi with Kendall Jenner and the reactions to Lil Baby’s apparent association with Khloe Kardashian.

I need to report that I recently found a slice of paradise. Seriously. So much so that it has brought me to the area twice in a two-year span. And while Jamaica is obviously the icon of Caribbean culture among travelers, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica is my favorite Caribbean spot. I decided to book myself a 10-day vacation in the small beach town when I flew to Costa Rica to cover Jungle Dreaming Festival, which was canceled last minute. After scraping together as many memories as I could with other would-be festival attendees, I headed off for 10 glorious days alone on the southernmost segment of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast for some amazing eats, sun-kissed beach days, and jungle bungalow stays.

The thing about Puerto Viejo is that it isn’t the easiest place to get to. After landing in the capital of San José, it takes an average of five hours to drive there. Depending on traffic and road closures, it could take as long as seven. This discourages all the tourists who are looking for an easy tropical trip and opt for the more mainstream travel itineraries in San José, La Fortuna, or Tamarindo.

Let me tell you: the long travel time is so worth it. Instead of a “Americanized” coastal town flooded with ex-pats, you’ll find a thriving Costa Rican community that celebrates Caribbean culture and the slow, easy “pura vida” lifestyle. Even the long road trip to get there feels like an adventure — you pass right through some of Costa Rica’s most diverse climates, including the winding mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park and the lush flora and fauna of the cloud forest.

Once I arrived, I found it tempting to stay indefinitely. With over 10 miles of different beaches, a community that walks and bikes everywhere, and a plethora of restaurants, bars, and day trip attractions, it was the perfect place to go full “pura vida.” Check out my guide below!

PART 1 – Where To Eat & Drink

Puerto Viejo has literally tons of local food carts everywhere you look. (Remember, traveling internationally doesn’t have to be crazy expensive!) I found that snagging a homemade chicken or beef empanada hit just right as a mid-day lunch or snack on the beach. There’s also this amazing Trinidadian food cart located at Playa Cocles. Tara – the owner – is usually parked facing the road on the weekends when the beach gets packed (and for good reasons, more on the beaches later). She sells a delicious, vegan Trinidad street food staple called Doubles, which melt in your mouth and are perfect as a pick-me-up on the beach.

To satisfy your late-night food cravings, look out for any food cart selling enyucados. “Cheesy stuffed, fried goodness” is all I wrote in my little notebook. You’ll also be approached by friendly locals while sunbathing on the beach. This is where you can luck out and make your tastebuds happy without even needing to get up off your beach blanket –homemade ice cream cups, weed-based brownies and chocolates, cookies, empanadas, and more.

For breakfast, Cafe Gustitos serves up delicious – yet extremely cheap – authentic Costa Rican desayunos. None of the staff speaks English, so you better make sure your Spanish is on point (or at least functional). It’s nestled right on the main strip of town and they open promptly at 7 am each morning, except Saturdays. For around $6, you can get a full plate of rice, beans, fried cheese, plantains, and fresh papaya juice to start your day.

If you’re missing your American-style pancakes and waffles, head over to Bread & Chocolate. This place gets packed early and for good reason. You’ll find a great (and very familiar) breakfast and lunch menu with comfort foods and a whole line of chocolate-based coffees and drinks.

After extensive testing, I’m quite sure that the town’s best gelato is located at Gelateria. In fact, this is the best damn gelato I’ve ever had (yes, I’ve been to Italy!). It’s located right in front of Playa Puerto Viejo, next door to Puerto Pirata. It closes by 6 pm every day and there’s almost always a line. Ask for the “special” chocolate flavor, you’ll thank me later.

Sushi on the beach? Yes, please.

As far as I could tell, there were two sushi restaurants directly in Puerto Viejo’s town center. Chile Rojo is located right on the main road and serves up delicious Thai fusion dishes and a huge selection of large sushi rolls. I often don’t go for dessert at Asian restaurants, but the vegan chocolate mousse was incredible. The restaurant also serves up two-for-one drink specials all day, every day. Just around the corner, you’ll find Samurai Fusion. It’s easy to walk miss — as it only hosts four small tables and a little walk-up ordering window — but it’s quality sushi, made with care. I’d say grab your order to go so you can spend more time basking in the Costa Rica sun.

Located on the town’s main road, Koki Beach Restaurant Bar Lounge features excellent food and a brightly lit jungle vibe. This is a perfect place to go for dinner, but make sure you make reservations! Vine-wrapped trees swirl up through some of the infrastructure and because of this, the restaurant is known for the occasional sloth drop in.

In fact, I was sitting down eating dinner with a girlfriend when a sloth crossed right over our heads. It was quite the experience.

Of course, what would an international trip be without a fancy dinner? I happily made reservations at La Casita de Monli for my last night in the little town based solely on many people’s recommendations. It boasts a French Caribbean-style food menu with a selection of specials each night based on what the fishermen bring in fresh that day. This means you’ll never get the exact same special offered to you. You’ll definitely need to make reservations, as it hosts maybe only 10 tables or so for a more personalized dining experience.

I got the bouillabaisse and was happily surprised when I received a second bowl filled with warm water to wash my fingers in.

My all-time favorite place in Puerto Viejo is CariBeans. I’ll admit, I shamelessly went there around six times during my 10-day stay. Located just before Playa Cocles on the right-hand side, it’s one of the area’s best coffee and chocolate cafes around. It’s a perfect wooden jungle bungalow digital nomad hub serving up delicious locally-sourced coffee, chocolate, and healthy and vegan food offerings.

The chocolate frio drink is literally to die for.

For yummy cocktails, the town is crawling with two-for-one specials nearly everywhere you look. For the best sunset views, you can’t go wrong with a coco-loco at Puerto Pirata. If you’re craving some whiskey, head to the Irish pub, The Green Dragon to help satisfy your cravings. Salsa Brava and Johnny’s Place also host great late-night beach parties for a perfect mix of locals and international travelers.

PART II – Where To Beach

The best part about visiting Puerto Viejo is basking under the sun on all of the beautiful beaches. Most locals and tourists end up renting a bike for as little as $5 per day to easily beach hop. If you’re brave enough, you can also rent electric scooters, ebikes, or flag down a tuk-tuk for more efficient beach hopping.

Playa Negra:

Translated to “black beach,” Playa Negra is of course known for its sparkling volcanic black sand. It stretches into the town of Puerto Viejo six miles north. I found a lot of solace here in the early morning as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Once the sun comes out, the sand gets hot quick — like “burn the bottoms of your feet” hot — so you need to bring a blanket as a buffer.

The conditions of the water always depend on the weather and wind, but you can usually find calmer water to swim farther from town, while the surfers tend to stay closer to town.

Playa Cocles

This is where most of the action happens! Located two miles south of town, you can bike here (and pick up a chocolate frio on your way from CariBeans) and easily mingle with sometimes hundreds of locals and tourists. The weekends are when it really fills up and there are often live musicians jamming, plus plenty of food and drink options – including fresh coconut water for only 500 colones – sunbathing, joint smoking, and surfing.

The waves are known to be a little rough here, so be cautious when going in the water. There’s a huge surf community here and there’s always a surfing competition of some sort during the weekends.

Playa Chiquita & Punta Uva

Once you keep biking past Playa Cocles, it starts to get a little more remote and the beach stretches pretty far. You’ll pass Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva, both offering quiet and remote beach access. Here’s where I made use of the wide open space and tanned without worry of tan lines. Seriously though – it’s like having your own sliver of crystal-clear paradise.

PART III – Where To Sleep

There’s something about staying in an actual house when abroad that really just resonates with me. The whole point of travel is to live among the locals and integrate yourself in the local culture. I’m also someone who likes to travel pretty cheaply, so having five-star amenities isn’t really important to me. Plus, I enjoy meeting fellow travelers. Puerto Viejo has a decent range of accommodations for all people, ranking from budget-friendly hostels to luxury jungle cabins and rental houses.

I love staying at Hidden Jungle Beach House every time I come to this town. This beautiful, rustic, rainbow-painted beach house is exactly what it sounds like. It’s right across the street from Playa Negra and a short six-minute walk or three-minute bike ride downtown. The owner, Amy, took over the piece of land back in 2017 and has really turned it into a special little spot. She lives in her own home on the property and tucked in the back is the “hidden” jungle beach house boasting six bedrooms all fitted with mosquito nets and a fan, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a welcoming community of like-minded traveling souls.

Both of the times that I’ve stayed here, I’ve met a wonderful and eclectic mix of people from around the world; some of whom I still stay in touch with. You’ll also encounter friendly free-range chickens, a couple of Amy’s dogs, a multi-named cat (I called her Sweets), and many, many spiders. While I’m someone who is terrified of spiders – especially ones the size of my fist – I recognized the purpose of them around the property and paid my respects as they caught all the annoying mosquitos that naturally live around the area.

For all my solo female travelers, La Tribu is a beautiful, boutique hostel for women only. Hosting anywhere between 10 to 25 female travelers at any given time, it’s a wonderful space that caters to the divine feminine, adorned with golden lighting, a huge modern kitchen and dining area, a comfortable sitting area lining the outside wall, an indoor hot tub, and shared hostel-style bedrooms. Even if you’re not staying there, it’s a safe space for women to come during the day and intermingle with other women.

When I went there, I got there just in time to participate in a volunteer-led cacao ceremony on the night of the new moon. We all gathered in a circle and summoned some magical divine feminine energy through chanting, dancing, and singing. Fun, witchy stuff.

There’s also Hotel Selina. As one of the world’s more reputable hotel and hostel accommodation groups, you can’t go wrong staying at its Puerto Viejo location. While being centrally located in Puerto Viejo, it boasts beautiful beach views with a bar, a gorgeous swimming pool, a yoga deck, and a co-working space. With all of its amenities, it can be easy to stay completely on-site and not leave, especially with your own private beach.

PART IV – Where To Play

It’s definitely easy to be a “pura vida” beach bum in Puerto Viejo, but there are actually a lot of amazing things to do while you’re in Puerto Viejo. Most activities are easily accessible by walking or biking, which makes it that much easier to fit into your long days under the sun.

Visit Tasty Waves:

I strategically placed Tasty Waves in the “where to play” category and not the “eat and drink” category solely because it really is more of an experience. Located right next to CariBeans before you get to Playa Cocles, Tasty Waves will become one of your favorite places to spend your evenings. This beachfront restaurant, bar, and entertainment area boasts an incredible atmosphere of locals and travelers through its various themed nights, including Thursday Night Free Trivia (where you can score free shots and joints) and Friday Open Jam.

It also has the best spicy Guaro shots you can get in the area.

Wander The Downtown Farmer & Artisan Market:

There’s nothing better than supporting local businesses, which is why you should make sure to hit up Puerto Viejo’s local farmer and artisan market. Locals will pop up tents along the main street and side streets every Saturday morning from 8 am-12 pm. Here’s where you can practice your Spanish as you buy local vegetables, fruits, and handmade jewelry.

Jaguar Rescue Center:

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I was actually standing outside of Tasty Waves one night smoking a spliff when I heard a volunteer talking about her work experience at this place and she confidently said it is her favorite animal sanctuary and hospital she’s worked at all throughout the world. I can see why. Jaguar Rescue Center works as a temporary or permanent home for ill, injured, and orphaned animals, especially monkeys, sloths, small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

What’s astonishing about this place is that for the past 20 years that it has been operating, it receives no money or funding from the government and solely relies on the support of patrons. Each tour is an hour long and winds you through the grounds to learn about the current animals that are living there. Surprisingly, there are no jaguar here but the center averages around 170 total animals and 36 species in its care at any given time.

Go On A Cacao Tour:

Did you know that Costa Rica is home to some of the world’s best and most fruitful cacao plants? If you want to see for yourself and learn all about the medicinal magic of these seeds, I highly recommend you take a cacao farm tour and chocolate-making class. While you can find classes and tours offered all over Puerto Viejo, Talamanca Chocolate knows how it’s done. Led by founder Amsel, the farm has over 30 years of experience farming organically on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica and takes its “chocolate is medicine” approach quite seriously. They offer hands-on workshops, where you can learn about the traditional cacao drink, make rustic truffles, and practice the art of tempering chocolate bars. It was so beautiful to walk among the grounds and see real and aging cacao trees and learn how many health benefits real cacao and chocolate can provide to the human body.

Visit Cahuita National Park:

This is a must-do when you’re in Puerto Viejo. Costa Rica has 28 national parks, and Cahuita National Park is definitely one of the best. The park is located 10.5 miles North of Puerto Viejo, so you actually pass right by it when you’re driving into the town from San José. You can easily hop on a public bus from Puerto Viejo to the little town of Cahuita for only $2 and in 25 minutes you’ll end up at the front entrance. It’s honestly an amazing day trip here because it doesn’t cost any money to get in, although you should totally donate what you can manage. One, five-mile trail winds through the lush jungle flora and fauna and along the crystal-clear shores of Playa Blanca. I found myself face-to-face with monkeys, raccoons, and crabs. Sloths slept high in the tree canopies above me. It’s also home to some of the country’s best-protected coral reefs, so you can also book a snorkeling tour to out and explore the colorful underwater forest.

While everyone is mourning the death of a certain big-shot media mogul, Karl and Frank are out here thriving. Sure, it’s sad that Logan died all the way up in the sky and yeah, everything at Waystar Royco is off the rails, but now Frank and Karl are being given their time to shine and, as it turns out, we should have been getting a lot more of them over the years on Succession.

In episode five, the two hoisted up their compression socks before jet-setting to Norway, which is a sign of proper foot care that nobody ever talks about (seriously, you should all be taking care of your circulation). Not only that but they were treated to a nice outdoor excursion and donned cushy robes, implying that maybe Logan Roy was holding these men back from living the lives they truly wanted to live? Just look at them. That is a high-thread count plush robe. They are not messing around here.

Even though their future at the company is a little uncertain, they always have the option to move to a Scandinavian oasis and live out the rest of their lives Bert and Ernie style. This obviously didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who have begun to compare the two to various old guy duos, all while the rest of the characters are fighting it out. These guys can just coast for now:

A potential spinoff idea: the two decide to get really into kite making. It would be great for both of them!

On Monday morning, CNN news anchor Don Lemon announced he had been fired by the network after 17 years of service on-air. He did so in a fiery tweet that claimed his former employer sent the news of his termination through his agent instead of contacting him directly.

“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” the tweet read. “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”

But, according to the network, Lemon’s version of events in regard to his recent departure doesn’t paint a full picture of the truth. While CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht shared a memo bidding a fond farewell to the news anchor thanking him for his contributions and claiming Lemon would always be a part of the CNN family, the network also clapped back against the anchor’s claim about the way in which he was notified of his termination.

“Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” CNN wrote in a statement posted online. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”

The news of Lemon’s termination comes after Variety released a report that alleged a pattern of misogynistic behavior and on-set sexism throughout the veteran reporter’s decades-long career.

It’s been a terrific past week-plus for Blink-182. At the opening weekend of Coachella 2023, the band played its first live show since Tom DeLonge returned to the group. Then, their schedule got shuffled around and they ended up setting the stage for Skrillex, Fred Again.., and Four Tet to close out the festival yesterday (April 23). There was even a bit of meme-ing, as DeLonge took some time on stage to poke fun at his own voice.

In a video from the set shared on Reddit, during the breakdown section of “All The Small Things,” DeLonge said to the crowd, “So a lot of you people didn’t grow up singing and playing in a band like us, and you think you can do what we do, but to have the true voice of an angel, I’m going to teach you how to do it, how to sing like me. Repeat after me, alright?”

Then, he belted out a particularly gravely “All the” and had the crowd repeat, followed by a “Where are yoouu” from “I Miss You.” He added, “That was pretty good. Now that you know, it’s going to get you laid tonight.”

Check out the clip above.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

This week’s Succession episode, “Kill List,” felt decidedly less gut-wrenching than the past few installments. However, we did receive tons of wonderful one-liners, including “snakes on a plane” and “bleed the Swede.” On that last note, Kendall and Roman likely believe that their resistance was what led Lukas Matsson to hike his sale offer, but Shiv knows better.

She had quite the telling conversation with Alexander Skarsgard’s abs, particularly when Lukas admitted to sending his blood to his head of comms in a (gross) attempt to court (?) her. As far as we know, too, Shiv remains pregnant, although this moment sparked people’s curiosity because Shiv picked up a cocaine vial.

People did wonder what on earth was happening because it didn’t look good.

Alas, Shiv was never actually seen snorting any cocaine during the episode. Nor did she drink any alcohol (although she did pretend to do so), and she was previously seen turning down champagne in an earlier episode this season. Oddly enough, Shiv asked Tom to dinner after they returned home from Sweden, which means that she might be breaking the news to him? Either that, or she really likes being told that her “earlobes are thick and chewy.”

One never knows with this family.

“The Otto Show” rarely appears in lists of the best The Simpsons episodes of all-time, but it’s full of great jokes. The season three episode has Spinal Tap (“This is a rock concert, not the bleeding… splish splash show”), Homer’s helpful advice for Bart (“If something’s hard to do, then it’s not worth doing”), and Otto being called a “sponge,” an even more hurtful insult than “cheese-eating surrender monkeys.” But it’s a joke that you don’t hear that has Simpsons fans talking about the episode, 31 years after it first aired.

Early in “The Otto Show,” Marge is excited for Bart to attend his first rock concert, but she hopes “the Spinal Taps don’t play too loud.” Homer consoles her by saying that he “went to thousands of heavy metal concerts and it never hurt me.” Marge replies back, but we don’t hear it; her words are drowned out by Homer’s tinnitus (if only Sound of Metal came out decades earlier).

Marge could have been saying anything, but because The Simpsons couldn’t go three seconds without a joke in the early seasons, video editor Andrew “Ewzzy” Rayburn discovered that there’s another gag underneath the ringing.

“I used my audio editing skills to recover a buried @TheSimpsons joke,” he tweeted. So what is Marge telling Homer? “Well alright, but make sure they don’t pick up any of the band’s attitudes toward women… liquor… religion… politics… really anything.” Including farms.

You can watch the clip below.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — there are a lot of bourbons out there, folks. The vast majority of them are under $100 and many quality, readily available bottles are under $50. But that’s not the whole story, the prices go sky high, as anyone who has dabbled in whiskey investing knows. I suppose the overarching point is that bourbon is as diverse a category as wine or Scotch whisky, with just as much nuance and value spread across a wide price spectrum.

To highlight that variety across price points, I’m offering up a long list of my favorite bourbons by price — ranging from $15 all the way up to $500. While that sounds pretty straightforward, there are some caveats here. Bourbon — like all booze that is collectible/traded/invested in — can be highly allocated (distributed in very small batches to very specific accounts). That means that MSRP prices (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) are not always a guarantee. Local availability can be tricky and the small number of bottles that make it to certain markets are often via the “secondary” or “after” -market at highly inflated prices.

What does that all mean? Well, some of the prices for these bottles are higher than their MSRP simply because you’re rarely (or almost never) going to find them at those MSRP price points. That’s just the way it is.

As for the rest, these are the bottles that I vouch for as a professional in the industry. They cover a wide range but aren’t as niche as you might think. While some of the higher-priced bottles will be harder to source, no bottle on this list is a full-on unicorn bottle. Moreover, this isn’t ranked since it’s by price point. So my recommendation remains the same — read through my tasting notes and find the bottles (and the price!) that speak to you.

Once you’ve found something that sparks your interest, hit that price link and see if you can find it in your neck of the woods. Sound good? Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $50-$60, Ranked
• Every Single Buffalo Trace Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $20-$30, Ranked

$10-$20 — Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $16

The Whiskey:

This is Evan William’s small-batch bourbon reissue. The expression is a marriage of 200 barrels of Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That whiskey is batched and then proofed down to 90 proof (instead of the old 86 proof) and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a very distinct nose that ventures from vanilla-soaked leather to a very clear sense of allspice berries and ground clove with a hint of cornbread batter and soft oak.

Palate: There’s a light sense of caramel apples on the palate leading toward Johnnycakes covered in butter and honey with a light nutmeg lurking in the background.

Finish: The finish arrives with a hint of dry reeds that ends up on a vanilla cream with brown spices.

Bottom Line:

This is the whiskey — at this price point — that truly punches way above its class. It’s just really freaking good and serves as a great sipper over some rocks or a sturdy cocktail base.

$20-$30 — Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $29

The Whiskey:

Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell go barrel hunting in their Wild Turkey rickhouses to find this expression. The whiskey is a marrying of bourbons Jimmy and Eddie Russell handpicked with a minimum age of ten years old. They then cut it down to a very accessible 90-proof for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is just a straight-up classic with depth on the nose leading to rich vanilla, salted caramel, sour cherry, wintry spices, and a touch of old oak.

Palate: The palate opens with orange-oil-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate next to bolder holiday spices, moist spiced cake, and a very distant whisper of barrel smoke.

Finish: The end is a lush mix of orange, vanilla, chocolate, and spice leading to an old leather pouch full of sticky maple syrup tobacco.

Bottom Line:

I’ve seen these on sale for $24.99 a bottle. I bought a case. This is great bourbon that’s crazily low-priced. Shoot it, mix with it, or just sip it — it’s all good, folks.

$30-$40 — Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $31

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is made from Jack’s classic mash of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye before it’s twice distilled and run through Jack’s long Lincoln County sugar maple charcoal filtration process. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with a little water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with Cherry Jolly Ranchers next to sweet cedar bark braided with old strands of leather and orange-laced tobacco leaves while a hint of vanilla wafer and general “health food store” vibes underneath it all.

Palate: The palate feels like warm apple pie on a sunny day with the best vanilla ice cream on top as layers of eggnog nutmeg and creaminess move toward a Cream of Wheat vibe.

Finish: Some apple wood chips for a smoker and a hint of almond shells pop on the finish.

Bottom Line:

The lesson here is that higher proof Jack is better Jack, especially if you’re looking for a killer cocktail base or easy sipper.

$40-$50 — Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

ABV: 56.25%

Average Price: $42

The Whisky:

This special release from Maker’s Mark is their classic wheated bourbon turned up a few notches. The batch is made from no more than 19 barrels of whiskey. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the barrel at cask strength with no filtering, just pure whiskey-from-the-barrel vibes.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Burnt caramel candies and lush vanilla lead the way on the nose with hints of dry straw, sour cherry pie, and spiced apple cider with a touch of eggnog lushness.

Palate: The palate has a sense of spicy caramel with a vanilla base that leads to apricot jam, southern biscuits, and a flake of salt with a soft mocha creaminess.

Finish: The end is all about the buzzy tobacco spiciness with a soft vanilla underbelly and a hint of cherry syrup.

Bottom Line:

This is delicious whiskey. It’s so clearly a good and lush bourbon, even the newcomer can taste the excellence (and the flavors are dialed, which makes analyzing it a little more clear-cut). Get some!

$50-$60 — Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $53

The Whiskey:

The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The whiskey is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005: yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cinnamon, brown butter sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream.

Palate: The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates.

Finish: The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey rocks. It’s a great bottle to impress whiskey heads but also a subtle sipper that delivers on several levels if you’re looking for a solid slow sipper. Naturally, it also slays in Manhattan, Sazerac, or old fashioned.

$60-$70 — Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 12 Years Old

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This is the classic Beam whiskey. The juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol.

Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.

Finish: The very end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy.

Bottom Line:

This is the best Beam product, by far. It has the perfect balance of taste, warmth, and depth. It’s amazingly easy-to-drink neat while also really blooming with a little water or a single rock — expect a deeper level of creaminess and dark, almost waxy chocolate with a medley of dried tart berries with a soft whisper of hickory smoke.

All of that said, make a Manhattan with this and you’ll fall in love with that cocktail all over again.

$70-$80 — Peerless Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 54.65% (varies)

Average Price: $74

The Whiskey:

Kentucky Peerless Distilling takes its time for a true grain-to-glass experience. Their Small Batch Bourbon is crafted with a fairly low-rye mash bill and fermented with a sweet mash as opposed to a sour mash (that means they use 100% new grains, water, and yeast with each new batch instead of holding some of the mash over to start the next one like a sourdough starter). The barrels are then hand-selected for their taste and bottled completely un-messed with.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Expect notes of blackberry next to worn leather, rich toffee, vanilla oils, and wet tobacco leaves.

Palate: The taste holds onto the toffee and vanilla as the tobacco dries out and spices up, with touches of cedar bark and a few bitter espresso beans.

Finish: The end is long, holds onto the vanilla and tobacco, and touches back on the berries as it fades through your senses.

Bottom Line:

This bourbon comes from a true craft distillery in Louisville, Kentucky that leans into optimal Kentucky bourbon vibes. You feel the love and expertise in this bourbon from first nose to last sip. The kicker is that this was made by a fresh-faced 25-year-old kid who’s now only 30. It’s magical stuff and feels like both the future of bourbon and its past (it’s so classically built) in every single pour.

$80-$90 — Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength Batch# 034 A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

ABV: 57.31%

Average Price: $84

The Whiskey:

The latest Batch from Barrell Bourbon is a blend of bourbons from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. The barrels in the mix are between six and 15 years old. Those barrels are masterfully blended and bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a dry apple cider vibe that leans into orange marmalade, dried apricot, and moist almond cake dipped in luxurious eggnog on the nose.

Palate: There’s a woody huckleberry jam vibe on the front of the palate that leads to old-fashioned cinnamon apple fritter, pecan waffles, more orange marmalade, and nutty almond cookies dusted in powdered sugar and nutmeg.

Finish: There’s a hint of dry sweetgrass and dried pear chips with a hint of sasparilla root, sea salt flakes, and this fleeting sense of cold slate on a rainy day balanced by rich yet dry chili spice and dark and burnt orange and espresso beans.

Bottom Line:

This stuff is so good it makes you shake your head. You will say, “God Damn!” when you taste it. It’s so wildly deep and fun while truly taking you on a journey. This is already in the ranks for one of the best bourbons of the year. That means you have to get some now before it disappears from shelves.

$90-$100 — Nashtucky Special Release Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years

ABV: 64.08%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This new whiskey from Nashville Barrel Company is a marriage of Kentucky spirit and Tennessee ingenuity. The whiskey is made and preliminary aged in Kentucky before the barrels are sent to Nashville to continue the maturation process in a different climate. After five years, the barrels are bottled one at a time at cask strength with no filtering or fussing.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a nice mix of old porch wicker (hardcore nostalgia really) next to supple caramel sauce, white pepper, and a sense of savory fruits like figs and maybe some starfruit.

Palate: The palate holds onto that savory fruit before some ABVs kick in with a nice mix of woody spices and burnt sugars.

Finish: The mid-palate leans into green sweetgrass, savory herbs, and a hint of sweet fruit candy that subtly morphs into strawberry soda at the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is another delicious whiskey that proves that sourcing whiskey is more than just putting whiskey in a bottle. The care that the selection process takes and then the aging of this whiskey in a different place adds a whole new dimension to the whiskey. Seriously, this is special stuff for anyone looking for something both new and delicious in the world of bourbon right now.

$100-$125 — Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2022 Edition

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $119

The Whiskey:

This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. The Kentucky bourbon was then bottled in an extremely small batch that only yielded 2005 bottles this year.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet mashed grains — thinks a bowl of Cream of Wheat — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of burnt orange and dark chocolate next to eggnog with a flake of salt.

Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of marzipan in the background.

Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to figs and prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

This is often called “secret Michter’s” and that’s apt. Semantics aside, this is a killer bottle of whiskey. It’s going to be harder to find, but it’s worth it just to add to your whiskey journey. Once you try it, this might end up being your new go-to.

$125-$150 — Garrison Brothers Guadalupe Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Port Cask

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This Texas whiskey is hewn from 90 30-gallon barrels of four-year-old bourbon that were transferred into 26 59-gallon Tawny Port casks for a final maturation of over one year. That whiskey is then bottled as-is after a touch of water was added.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this bursts with raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, and blueberry all stewed with plenty of holiday spices and folded into a cobbler topped with dense buttery buttermilk biscuits.

Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a focus on clove, nutmeg, and a very small whisper of anise as the berry turns more towards a fresh strawberry with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans chiming in on the mid-palate.

Finish: That chocolate-bitter vibe drives towards a finish full of cinnamon-spiked dark chocolate tobacco leaves, stewed plums, and a dollop of floral honey.

Bottom Line:

This is probably the best American craft whiskey on the market right now. The balance of soft craft bourbon notes beside the deep port is perfection. Plainly speaking, this is delicious whiskey. It being “port cask finished” or “craft bourbon” or “Texan bourbon” is just a sidenote to how well made this is at its core.

$150-$200 — Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $185

The Whiskey:

The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.

Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.

Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet toasted marshmallow on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is classic Kentucky bourbon and the essential sipper that most other bourbons are measured against (that few actually live up to). Although this whiskey wasn’t released last year, 2023 bottles are hitting shelves right now. That means that you might be able to find this at MSRP right now.

Start hitting those bourbon streets. You might get lucky and find one or two of these out there!

$200-$250 — Booker’s 2022-04 “Pinkie’s Batch” Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 61.2%

Average Price: $249

The Whiskey:

The last batch of Booker’s of 2022 is a nod to Booker Noe’s father, Pinkie Noe. The whiskey in the bottle was created from barrels from the middle/sweet spot of four warehouses. The average age of the batch ended up being 6 years, 10 months, and 10 days old when it was bottled entirely as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is full of dark brown sugar vanilla pods and winter spices that start to lean toward chili and cumin and then a sense of a well-seasoned pork butt before it goes into the smoker — it’s kind of like raw leather.

Palate: The palate is classic bourbon with a rich vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream next to bold dark cherry, woody notes of dry reeds, and salted caramel with a twinge of orange oils.

Finish: The end has a mild sense of tangerine flesh and star fruit that leads back to warm ABVs and dark winter spices layered into fresh tobacco and old cedar bark.

Bottom Line:

This is a whiskey blending flex that leans toward backyard barbecue notes. It’s like hanging out at a 4th of July pig roast with a great classic glass of whiskey in your hand while someone smokes a good cigar in the distance and the kids run through the sprinklers.

Point being — it’s a vibe. And that’s the little something extra you expect at this price point.

$250-$300 — E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $299

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace Distillery from their Mash Bill No. 1 (which is their low-rye bourbon mash). In this case, single barrels are picked for their perfect Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose.

Palate: The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco.

Finish: The finish lingers on your senses for a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.

Bottom Line:

This is really, really good bourbon. In fact, it’s one of my favorite bourbons from Kentucky. If you’re looking for a phenomenal single-barrel product to add to your shelf, this is a must-have.

And yes, this is a $40 MSRP bottle of whiskey. And if you’re in the right spot at the right moment, you might be able to get it for that price once a year. Otherwise, this is 100% worth paying above retail for. It’s that good.

$300-$400 — Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels Cask Strength

ABV: 59.9%

Average Price: $393

The Whiskey:

This modern classic is a yearly limited release from the beloved Lousiville distiller. The whiskey is made from a mix of locally sourced barrels that are finished in Ruby Port casks. The best of the best are hand-selected by Angel’s Envy’s team for as-is batching and bottling with only 14,000 odd bottles making out this year.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a deep sense of blackberry jam over a Southern biscuit with plenty of brown butter, vanilla sauce, and apple fruit leather with a dash of cinnamon, allspice, and star anise next to a whisper of cherry cream soda and orange-chocolate tobacco packed into a cedar box.

Palate: The palate is soft and supple with a brandy butter vibe next to mince meat pie with powdered sugar icing, meaty dates, black tea, and rich Black Forest cake.

Finish: The end subtly meanders through shaved dark chocolate and stewed cherry, eventually landing on a vanilla-laced tobacco leaf rolled up with apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks and old wicker canes.

Bottom Line:

This is goddamn perfect. I wrote “excellent” in my notes when I first tasted this one this year. If you’re even remotely an Angel’s Envy fan, get this bottle immediately. If you were ever on the fence about the brand, this bottle will convert you.

$400-$500 — Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 43.4%

Average Price: $499

The Whiskey:

This well-aged bourbon from Eddie Russell highlights deep and balanced Turkey bourbon flavors in every sip. For this expression, Russell hand-selects 17-year-old barrels of Turkey that “travel” between their wooden and brick rickhouses, traversing roughly 200 miles over 17 years. Those barrels are batched and then bottled as-is at a lower proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There are clear and bold notes of smoldering cherry and apple bark next to oily vanilla pods, buttery and almost burnt toffee, orange orchards in full bloom, and fresh piles of pipe tobacco cut with clove and cherry on the nose.

Palate: The spice kicks in with a holiday spiced cake edge that leads towards a salted caramel, bitter chocolate-covered espresso beans, and freshly chopped firewood resting in sweet black potting soil.

Finish: The end is soft and luxurious with a deep musty cellar vibe that leads to an old leather pouch full of dried apple and cherry tobacco leaves braided with dried wild sagebrush, cedar bark, and strips of old saddle leather with a hint of black mushrooms lurking underneath.

Bottom Line:

This is old, earthy, and musty while still holding onto that emblematic Wild Turkey vibe. Overall, this is a well-aged sipper that might be a little too aged for the uninitiated into funky bourbons that spent nearly two decades in a centuries-old warehouse. Or not, I think it’s delicious and weird and fun.

When it comes to the price, the $150 MSRP almost seems too low for the quality of this booze. I know that sounds outlandish. But the MSRP on this could be $499 and I don’t think anyone would bat an eye. It’s that good.

Lauren Boebert is raring to go on a Monday after her bad week that included an ill-advised Rosa Parks tweet following a Bud Light self own and constituent pushback toward her threats over drag story time in her district.

More fruit for her ire has certainly arrived in plentiful supply, too. In rapid succession, Fox News announced that Tucker Carlson is suddenly departing Fox News, which led to a deluge of jokes, which were interrupted by Don Lemon revealing that he had been fired by CNN.

Both departures appear to be acrimonious in nature with CNN tweeting that Lemon’s statement “is inaccurate,” and that he chose to release the news on Twitter rather than meet with CNN management, and Fox News apparently scuttling an interview that Carlson was scheduled to conduct on Monday evening. Given that Tucker was already in the chute to expand his universe of masculinity-filled programming, the suggestion is that both of them were pushed out, but Lauren Boebert naturally had wildly different reactions for the hard-right and more progressive cable news counterparts.

“Wherever Tucker Carlson goes, America will follow!” the rooter and tooter tweeted. “Thank you for being one of the greatest and most powerful voices in the conservative movement. Can’t wait to see what’s next!”

For Lemon, Boebert simply declared, “Looks like Don Lemon was actually the one past his prime.”

Both hosts have been mired in controversy as of late, given that Carlson’s Big Lie propagation is one reason why Fox News will end up shelling out a $787 million settlement after being sued by Dominion Voting Systems. As for Lemon, he was reportedly severely reprimanded after making unfortunate remarks about women and aging while discussing Nikki Haley.

No one has ever accused Boebert of being neutral on any subject, so at least she is staying on brand.