Lately, there has been a lot of talk about method acting, what it is, and why everyone seems to be all frazzled by it. There are many different types of acting styles from the Jeremy Strong-type, to the “send your co-stars a series of disturbing packages” type that Jared Leto is so used to. But then there is Nic Cage.
Cage has been in over 100 movies throughout his very diverse career, even playing himself at one point, so he’s not one to just phone it in. His latest film Renfield follows Cage as Dracula, who is accompanied by his long-time servant Renfield, who is trying to make his own way in the vampire world. In order to really stay in the zone, director Chris Mckay said that Cage was always on point as Dracula, even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
McKay told Insider, “Whatever scene we did, [Cage] would still be 100% living in that attitude after we stopped shooting,” the director explained, adding that Cage’s character was often present in between shoots. “So if he’s a little frosty in the scene he’s going to have a little bit of that between takes. But still up for whatever we were doing.” What do you think a “frosty” Nic Cage would be like?! Probably something like this.
It might seem a little stressful to have Dracula breathing down your neck all day, but McKay said that it was more of a logistical choice than a methodic one. “You also have to remember, he’s covered head to toe in Dracula makeup and costume, so it’s a different thing,” McKay said. “Sometimes he couldn’t even bend his body very much because he’s got a whole body appliance on. So he’s Dracula whether he wants to be Dracula or not.” He opted to be Dracula a lot, it seems.
Cage even said he would be open to revisiting the character after Renfield debuts. As long as his method of acting doesn’t involve actually drinking people’s blood, it should be fine.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has quickly become one of the NFL’s best quotes, as he’s willing to show a little more of his quirky personality to the masses than most coaches who seem to prefer to act more as football robots than people in press conferences.
On Monday, McDaniel spoke with the media, as did all of the NFL’s coaches at the annual league meetings, and he was asked for his thoughts on the impending sale of his former employer, the Washington Commanders. McDaniel seemed to not want to indulge much into talking about Dan Snyder and what it was like working for him, but he couldn’t help but offer an incredible quote (and say plenty about Snyder and how he runs the team) by noting that he was shocked when he learned the value of the Commanders when he remembered they wouldn’t even provide free coffee to the coaching staff.
Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel, coached in Washington for three seasons.
McDaniel was part of the now legendary offensive staff that had current head coaches Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and McDaniel all aboard, and apparently in the early 2000s, the franchise wasn’t exactly providing a lot of perks in the workplace. That tracks with just about everything we know about Snyder and how he runs the team. He’s reportedly asking for $6 billion from the sale of the franchise, and there are probably plenty more former employees of his a little frustrated at his penny-pinching ways given the windfall he’s about to receive.
After filming The Birdcage, Nathan Lane and Robin Williams went on a press tour to promote the Mike Nichols and Elaine May comedy hit. It was while they were on The Oprah Winfrey Show that Lane, who was not publicly out yet, credits Williams for protecting him from questions about his personal life.
“I don’t think Oprah was trying to out me,” Lane explained on Sunday Today, “but I said to Robin beforehand, ‘I’m not prepared. I’m so scared of going out there and talking to Oprah. I’m not prepared to discuss that I’m gay on national television. I’m not ready.’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s alright, don’t worry about — we don’t have to talk about it. We won’t talk about it.’”
The Lion King star recalled Winfrey asking questions like, “How come you’re so good at that girlie stuff?” (it was a different time?), but Williams “sort of swoops in and diverts Oprah, goes off on a tangent and protects me.” Lane, who publicly came out in 1999, called his co-star a “beautiful, sensitive soul.”
“I just wasn’t ready to do that,” Lane added. “Now you have to make a public statement about it — I was terrified… It’s great that everyone now feels comfortable but homophobia is alive and well and there are plenty of gay people who are still hiding.”
For those who haven’t been putting their Disney Plus subscription to work, The Aristocats follows the adventures of a family of rich kitties (hence, “Aristocats” — get it?) who are left a massive fortune in their owner’s will. Her vengeful butler, however, catnaps them and abandons them in the French countryside, and its only with the the help of O’Malley, a streetwise alley cat, that they can make it back to Paris and the fortune that awaits them.
The 1970 animated original was distinguished by its extensive use of jazz to drive home the themes of the plot — O’Malley hangs with a swingin’ band, while the Duchess and her kittens are classically-trained musicians (it’s a cartoon, just go with it) — so Questlove, a musical encyclopedia with legs, is the perfect person to direct a live remake. And, as a bonus, some of the more racially insensitive caricatures can be quietly removed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Quest’s also overseeing the music for the film and producing via his Two One Five Entertainment company — along with The Roots partners Black Thought and Shawn Gee, as well as Will Gluck and Zarah Zohlman. Stay tuned for more news to come.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” is a hit and it’s not slowing down: It came out about two-and-a-half months ago and it’s still the top song in the country. On the new Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 1, “Flowers” is once again No. 1 for an eighth total week. The Endless Summer Vacation favorite was Cyrus’ first song to debut at No. 1 and is her second chart-topping single after “Wrecking Ball.”
She’s not the only one making noise on this week’s Hot 100, though, as two artists have made their debut in the top-10 on the new chart: Coi Leray’s “Players” has risen to No. 9 while TikTok-boosted country star Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock And A Hard Place” is No. 10.
Previously, Leray had two songs reach the top 40 of the Hot 100: 2019’s “No More Parties” featuring Lil Durk peaked at No. 26 while last year’s Nicki Minaj collaboration “Blick Blick” topped out at No. 37. “Players” samples the Grandmaster Flash classic “The Message” and has become a hit on TikTok. She also recently released a Busta Rhymes-featuring remix of the song.
Zimmerman, meanwhile, is readying his debut album, Religiously. The Album., which is set for release on May 12 via Warner Music Nashville. “Fall In Love,” his debut single that immediately preceded “Rock And A Hard Place,” managed a Hot 100 peak at No. 29.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The relationship between athletes and referees/officials/umpires has never been more strained than it is right now and all parties involved are at fault. Athletes have become far too combative with officials, who have a near-impossible job given the jump in speed and physicality just about every sport is played with now. On the other side, officials now see just about everything as a slight against them, and some have far too quick of a trigger to hand out an ejection or technical or personal foul.
We saw a rather hysterical example of the latter on Monday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game between the Phillies and Blue Jays, as JT Realmuto asked for a new ball from umpire Randy Rosenberg. After it took a second for Rosenberg to get the ball out of his pocket, Realmuto flipped his glove over and pulled it down, leading to Rosenberg tossing the ball into the dirt. Rosenberg somehow took such great offense at this, thinking it was some diabolical prank by Realmuto, that he gave him an immediate (and forceful) ejection, that left Realmuto absolutely stunned.
As they explained on the broadcast, this came after a pitch clock violation against Craig Kimbrel, which likely had Rosenberg a little defensive and ready for pushback, but even so this is a hysterically soft ejection. Realmuto’s response tells the story as he just turns around asking “what?” after hearing that he’s outta there, and can’t help but chuckle at being tossed from a spring training game for what seemed like a simple misunderstanding — as the broadcast notes, the last time he asked for a new ball Rosenberg just threw it straight to the pitcher — and at absolute worst was a goofy little prank.
Lara Logan is getting roasted on Twitter for her latest tweet about Walmart. The conservative journalist, whose recent penchant for spouting QAnon-esque conspiracy theories has already led to bans at Fox News and Newsmax, tweeted a photo of vibrators sitting on a shelf at the big box retailer.
“Why is Walmart selling sex toys?” Logan asked in the caption.
If this controversy seems familiar, it’s because Marjorie Taylor Greene launched a similar crusade back in December. Although, in the case of Greene, the vibrators were placed next to children’s toothbrushes, which prompted the Georgia congresswoman to accuse the retail giant of grooming.
“Selling sex toys openly where children are exposed to them is wrong, inappropriate, immoral, indecent, perverted, shameful, and incredibly harmful to children,” Greene tweeted. “Why is Walmart participating in the grooming and sexualization of children?”
In a statement to Newsweek, Walmart said, “The placement of the product was a mistake and was promptly corrected at the store.” And that appears to be the case.
In the photo tweeted by Logan, the vibrators are located next to women’s razors and contraceptives, a pretty appropriate place if there ever was one. However, for conservatives like Logan, the proper place for sex toys is nowhere, and she was roundly schooled on Twitter for her puritanical stance.
“Because people buy them and Walmart, being a business that sells products to people who want them, realizes they can make money by selling these,” David S. Cohen tweeted. “What part of capitalism do you not understand?”
Because people buy them and Walmart, being a business that sells products to people who want them, realizes they can make money by selling these. What part of capitalism do you not understand?
Why not? Your religious beliefs should not stop others from enjoying and living their own lives. Don’t like them? Don’t look at them. Just walk on by. I don’t like the Goya section so I walk on by! See how easy that is!
An Australian band called Private Function is selling vinyl records made of… well, their private functions. In a post shared to their Instagram page, Private Function revealed that a special edition of their upcoming album, 370HSSV 0773H, is made of urine-filled vinyl.
“Congratulations to the 50 people who ordered the ‘Gold’ version of our new record,” said the band. “You just bought a liquid disc full of our piss. We worked with local legends @saltydog.records to build the worlds first piss filled record, it turns out it’s really hard.”
Also in the post, the band shared a video of each of its members walking into a bathroom, and then walking out with bottles full of pee.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the band’s first outrageous vinyl stunt. Early pressings of the band’s 2020 album Whose Line Is It Anyway? contained small bags of speed.
In an interview with Louder Than War, the band’s guitarist Joe Hansen revealed how the idea for the speed baggies came together.
“We were trying to think of novelty cash-grab vinyl variants that people love,” Hansen said, “and [vocalist] Chris [Penney] came up with the idea of pressing bags inside the record. We weren’t sure if it was possible, but we asked around and found someone here that was able to do it. Let’s just say it’s probably not a record you’d want to risk sending overseas.”
Check out the clip of the making of the pee-pee LPs (if you must) above.
The NBA MVP conversation has morphed into an extremely heated debate this year in some circles, with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo each vying for their third (and for Jokic, his third in a row), while Joel Embiid has plenty of support to earn his first.
As such, every matchup between two of the three bigs leading the MVP conversation becomes magnified, with Monday night’s showdown between Embiid and Jokic in Denver as highly anticipated a cross-conference matchup as we’ve had this season. Unfortunately, the shine has been removed from the potential Embiid-Jokic showdown due to a lingering calf injury Embiid is dealing with that, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, will keep him out.
ESPN Reporting with @Ramonashelburne: The showdown of MVP frontrunners is off tonight: Sixers are ruling out Joel Embiid (calf) vs. Nikola Jokic and Nuggets. Embiid attempted to work out this morning, but team is taking a precautionary approach given density of recent schedule.
Embiid’s calf issue first popped up last week in a blowout win over the Bulls, as he sat the entire second half after feeling some discomfort. He then played in the Sixers’ back-to-back against the Warriors and Suns on Friday and Saturday, a pair of losses where he combined for 74 points across the two games. Two days later, the Sixers are shutting him down for a night, but just so happen to be picking the game everyone wants to see.
It’s understandable from a team standpoint given their upcoming schedule features some big matchups in the East, as they have the Raptors, Bucks, Celtics, Heat, Hawks, and Nets all coming up to closeout the season. While they’ve clinched a playoff berth, there’s still a little work to do to lock down the 3-seed over the Cavaliers and those East showdowns may be bigger from a team standpoint in terms of building confidence going into the playoffs.
Even understanding that, it’s a major disappointment for overall fans of the game who want to see two titans of the league go head-to-head. Embiid and Jokic almost always deliver great performances when they go up against each other and it’d be refreshing for at least one night to have the MVP conversation shift fully to the outcome of a game and what happened on the floor. Instead, this potential MVP showdown is another casualty of a contender trying to navigate an 82-game season in order to be at its best come playoff time.
Finding, buying, and actually enjoying a good bottle of Scotch whisky at this price point is where I come in. I’m lucky enough to get to taste this stuff year in and year out and have done all the pre-sifting for you. So below, I’m calling out 12 bottles of expensive Scotch whisky that I think you should give a shot (well, pour into a nice whisky glass and slowly sip, really).
And while this is all pretty stellar scotch, I’ve still ranked these bottles. Some of them simply have more depth and nuance plus go that extra distance to make them truly transcendent pours of whisky. My advice, find the tasting notes that speak to you and then click those price links to see if you can get it in your region. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This The Macallan expression ups the ante by using barley from the Easter Elchies Estate around The Macallan distillery, making it a single-estate whisky. The spirit from that hyper-local mash is aged for an undisclosed amount of time in undisclosed barrels but you can bet there’s some sherry and bourbon involved.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody cinnamon sticks rubbed with orange zest pop on the nose as a thick banana bread batter with walnuts, nutmeg, and plenty of butter leads to a smidge of lemon oil and maybe some river rock.
Palate: The palate has plenty of woodiness from that cinnamon and adds in a touch of clove and allspice before savory figs and meaty prunes lead to a mix of raisins, nuts, and candied orange peels.
Finish: The finish is pure silk with layers of orange cake, cinnamon frosting, and fig jam culminating in a rush of soft woody spices on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This is a great “next step” The Macallan. It’s nuanced and soft while being one of the most inviting whiskies on the list. But by that same token, this might not play as “exciting” to more advanced whisky drinkers out there. Either way, add this to your collection if you’re looking for a masterclass in easy-going Highland Malt that’ll be a major crowd-pleaser.
11. Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 21 Years
Rum casks and sweet single malts are a great match. This whisky starts off by mellowing for 21 years in ex-bourbon casks before that juice is transferred to Caribbean rum barrels for a final rest. That whisky is then blended and proofed down for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is very “perfume” driven on the nose with plenty of sticky toffee pudding — the dates, nutmeg, toffee, vanilla, everything — leading to a hint of cherry bark and old leather.
Palate: The palate has a thin line of cream soda with more of that floral perfume, woody cinnamon apple, and a bit of sultana and prunes.
Finish: The finish leans into the florals and honey as a waft of freshly baked banana bread floats past and the creaminess amps up towards a kind of a Key lime pie vibe.
Bottom Line:
“Easy-going” is going to be an early theme on this list. This is an excellently tuned unpeated single malt. It’s kind of like a long hug from an old friend. It has zero kick and registers as lush and velvety on your senses. If you’re looking for a whisky that feels like a long and soft slumber in sweet malt, this is the one.
10. The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 21 Years
This redesigned The Glenlivet is still a classic whisky. The hot juice is aged in a triple combination of first-fill Oloroso sherry, Troncais oak Cognac casks, and vintage Colheita Port casks. After 21 long years (at least), the barrels are vatted and proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leather and winter spices lead the way on the nose with a hint of saffron-stewed pears, ripe peaches, and lush eggnog next to boiled beans with a bay leaf.
Palate: The palate leans into the peaches and pears but puts them in a pie with plenty of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg next to apricot jam and rum-raisin.
Finish: The mid-palate hits a pine resin note before descending toward brandied cherries and dark chocolate with fresh ginger sharpens and a dash of cinnamon candy.
Bottom Line:
This is very similar to the above whisky with a hint more dankness. Overall, this is the bottle you get when you’re ready for a slightly more advanced unpeated single malt experience but still want to feel safe while enjoying a delicious pour of whisky.
9. Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Signet
This Glenmorangie expression is a prime example of something truly special. The whisky is a mix of single malts with estate-grown malts and “chocolate malts” (meaning they were roasted until dark and chocolatey). The hot juice then went into new American oak for varying amounts of time for blending, proofing, and bottling. While there’s no age statement, there are barrels up to 40 years old in the mix.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re greeted with a note of dried apricots with a hint of clove, leading towards a very light dark orange chocolate.
Palate: The chocolate amps up the bitterness, reaching espresso bean levels as some eggnog spice kicks in with a silky mouthfeel and a touch of wet tobacco.
Finish: The end brings about a flourish of bright citrus zest that dries everything out, leaving you with a lingering final note of earthy dried mushrooms, burnt orange cut with clove, moist marzipan, and this faint whisper of sagebrush blooms.
Bottom Line:
This is getting into the “risk-taker” section of the list. This is unpeated malt with a deep maltiness that feels nostalgic but kind of fresh and fun. The earthiness and deeply roasted malts really meld well with the woody spices to create a deep and dark whisky that remains light and playful too.
8. Ardbeg Fermutation Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The “happy accident” that led to this whisky was Ardbeg’s boilers breaking down. Instead of throwing out the mash until those were fixed, Dr. Bill Lumsden (the mad-scientist distiller behind Ardbeg) decided to see what would happen if they let it be. The washback lids were opened and the mash was allowed to ferment with the sea-kissed Islay air for three more weeks. To put that in perspective, Ardbeg (and most whiskies) usually ferment for 72 hours before distillation. Once the boilers were back up and running, the whisky was distilled and then barreled in first-fill and re-fill bourbon casks. 13 years later, Dr. Bill decided it was ready and here we are.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose starts off with this burst of fresh green grass just after the rain that melts into a summer herb garden (mint heavy), grapefruit seeds, and smoked butter with sweet lemon candy and orange trees that are underpinned with a dark and rich soil that’s been turned with manure.
Palate: Going deeper on the nose, you get fresh tires, mossy fir bark, and maybe a hint of fennel-heavy focaccia. The palate starts off incredibly soft with a toffee note before veering into burnt scones, hints of absinthe, what feels like powdered turmeric, and finally cigarette ash.
Finish: The finish lets that sweetness stay while the cigarette ash builds towards a crescendo and leaves your senses feeling like you’ve licked an ashtray.
Bottom Line:
This is the whisky you buy and pour when you want to take your love of peat whisky to insane heights. This whisky almost dares you to not like it while still somehow pulling off this magic trick of pure delectability. It’s insanely deep and riveting while still feeling like a wild ride through peated Islay malt, making this a must-have for true peat-heads.
7. The GlenGrant Rothes Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 21 Years
This brand-new release from The Glen Grant Distillery is a part of their Principal Collection. The whisky was crafted by Master Blender Dennis Malcolm, OBE, using at least 21-year-old ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. That final batching was just proofed down for this special bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of spicy and sugary tropical fruits that range from grilled pineapple dusted in nutmeg and clove to stewed peaches in cinnamon and allspice next to a hint of caramelized malts and old cellar oak.
Palate: Those singed tropical fruits and stewed stone fruits drive the palate toward a hint of caramel-chocolate malt biscuits next to a faint hint of old golden honey and burnt sugars over lush vanilla buttercream.
Finish: That lush vanilla creaminess drives the finish toward a sweet and caramelized end with a hint of pear and apricot over lush marzipan.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that just really f*cking nice. Sometimes that’s all you need.
6. Clynelish Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years 2022 Special Release
This unpeated Highland malt from last year’s exclusive Special Release lineup was mellowed in refill American oak barrels that held bourbon and then finished in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry-seasoned casks. This final result was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a subtle mix of mincemeat pies, syrupy pears from the can, floral honey, and a herbal note of maybe bay leaf or sage with a whisper of mint on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a waxy saltwater taffy vibe tied to vanilla with a soft pepperiness and woody winter spice warmth next to soft toffees.
Finish: The end is lightly spiced with dried chili pepper and peppercorns next to that soft and waxy vanilla saltwater taffy on the spicy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent limited-edition whisky. It feels like the candy bowl from your childhood rendered in whisky form. If you’re looking for a truly soft and candied whisky experience, look no further.
5. Glenglassaugh Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 30 Years
This distillery was reopened in 2008 after a long slumber. Back in the day, the malt coming out of Glenglassaugh was primarily used for Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse so this 30-year-old malt release harkens back to those heady days. This particular release was pulled from barrels that rested for three decades in Glenglassaugh’s beachside warehouse, which are exposed to the frigid North Sea atmosphere.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Mango skins and peach compote drive the nose toward mincemeat pies with plenty of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg next to a rich woody tobacco layered with nutty banana bread.
Palate: That mango sweetens on the palate as marmalade and dry figs mingle with more mincemeat pie with a side of mulled wine, toffee candied, and ginger tea leaves.
Finish: A gentle warmth from the winter mulled wine spices and ginger builds with the soft toffee malt on the finish with a good pinch of sea salt and black-tea-soaked dates dipped in salted honey.
Bottom Line:
This is a complex and very sippable whisky. The salinity really adds a nice counterbalance to all the dark fruit and spice. Overall, this is a splashy pour of malt that’s sure to wow whoever has a glass of it in their hand.
4. Fettercairn Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 22 Years
Fettercairn is somewhat of a whisky lover’s whisky brand. The tiny Highland distillery has been diligently pumping out delicious brown sauce since the 1820s. For this release, they aged their malt in ex-bourbon casks for 22 long years before vatting, proofing with local water, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plum jam and mincemeat pies mingle with nutty spiced zucchini bread, vanilla pods, and a hint of ginger snaps on the nose.
Palate: Stewed pears in cinnamon and allspice lead toward caramelized orange syrup steeped with anise, nutmeg, and clove and poured over salted licorice with a hint of sour cherry and espresso cream.
Finish: That cherry and espresso creaminess drives the finish toward a soft end full of soft dried fruits, woody winter spices, and sweet vanilla buttercream.
Bottom Line:
This is funky and delicious with a clear nod to bourbon thanks to the vanilla whispers throughout. The spices are bold yet the feel is soft and approachable. If you’re looking for something to take unpeated malt to 11, this is the bottle for you.
3. The Dalmore King Alexander III Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Dalmore went above and beyond with this bespoke blend of malts. The mix marries six barrels: French wine, Madeira, sherry, Marsala, port, and Kentucky bourbon casks. This is one of the more creative and extreme examples of barreling in the single malt game and resulted in an award-winning and much-beloved whisky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a deep sense of fruit on the nose which really leans into raspberry, red currant, and a touch of blueberry with chocolate maltiness and creamy bourbon vanilla.
Palate: The palate embraces the vanilla to the point of creating a pudding texture while dark chocolate-covered almonds lead towards cherry brandy, hints of boozy oranges, and salted caramel ice cream.
Finish: The end is long and full of Christmas spices that bring everything together like a brandy-fueled, marzipan-heavy, and fruity dessert-laden holiday meal in a Glencairn glass.
Bottom Line:
This is another whisky that’s just straight-up delicious from top to bottom. It’s damn near perfect unpeated malt that’s almost impossible not to enjoy.
2. Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Special Releases 2022
Mortlach is the quintessential whisky nerd’s whisky. This variation diverges from the normal sherry cask aging that Mortlach undergoes. In this case, the whiskey was finished in red muscat, new oak, and tawny-port casks before vatting and then bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sticky toffee pudding and sour cherries tossed in sea salt mingle with pears stewed in white wine and saffron, dark raspberry dipped in dark chocolate, candied ginger, cinnamon-laced salted butter, and a hint of dry oolong tea packed in an old oak box.
Palate: The palate is lush with layers of pear woodiness, more of that dark chocolate cut with toffee and dark dried fruit next to warm spiced marmalade, a hint of anise and licorice, and a soft buttercream.
Finish: That butteriness attaches to walnut bread with plenty of rich and sharp winter spices next to dark toffees covered in dark chocolate and flaked with salt next to dried figs and prunes over luscious marzipan-vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
Goddamn, this is good whisky. It’s just so nostalgic and deeply satisfying as a sipper. It really is kind of perfect. This may as well be tied for first place.
1. The GlenDronach Parliament Aged 21 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Don’t let the name fool you. The “parliament” in this case is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lot going on with this nose, starting with blackberry brambles hanging heavy with ripe fruit leading towards a well-spiced oatmeal cookie, soft marzipan cut with hints of orange zest, a light sense of dark chocolate with a creamy edge, and soft vanilla cookies sprinkled with mint and lavender.
Palate: A sticky toffee pudding sweetness arrives (heavy on the black tea-soaked dates and nutmeg with a well-salted toffee drizzle) with flourishes of bitter dark chocolate notes and a sharp holiday spice matrix that leans into bark and berry botanicals with a dash of sweet nutmeg.
Finish: The end is very long and very velvety with hints of dark fruits, winter spice barks, soft marzipan, and a fleeting sense of a wildflower orchard.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfect whisky. No faults. It’s just delicious.
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