While the ocean remains untamed, the precision and balance needed to carve towering wave faces and dance inside roaring barrels represent more than just a professional sport. They are the pillars of a unique art form all its own. While soccer is often called “the beautiful game,” surfing certainly deserves a shout-out in that conversation, too.
And just like soccer, surfing is global. While certain countries are deeply associated with certain sports, beaches are everywhere and so are great waves — making pro surfers excellent travel ambassadors. From the coasts of Australia to the shores of Hawaii, there are plenty of barrels to ride and people to meet along the way.
On the World Surf League 2023 Championship Tour, surfers travel the globe riding the best waves on the planet (while taking plenty of time to chill). We got the chance to ask eight female WSL CT surfers about their favorite breaks and what they do (besides surfing) while they’re there. Check their answers under the video!
Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) – Hale’iwa Beach (North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii)
World Surf League
My favorite break to surf is probably my home spot of Haleʻiwa Beach (North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii), it’s one of my favorite waves in the world and I grew up on that wave. I like that it’s very powerful and it’s a very strong, dominant wave. You have to match its power of it or you won’t be able to surf the wave as well as it offers. I always have a good time no matter the current out there, so that’s what makes it so beautiful.
Other than surfing, I love just hanging out with friends on the beach and fishing and diving. That’s also the main barbecue spot for families there because it offers the perfect gathering spot.
My favorite break to surf would probably be in Fiji at this perfect right hand point break called Swimming Pools. I love the area, it’s where I live part time and it’s very simple living. It has everything you need: ocean, salt, sand, clarity, warm water, and it just brings the best out of you.
When I’m not surfing there, I like to snorkel, stand-up paddle, kind of everything that involves the ocean. It’s a place where I feel the most relaxed and calm, it’s a special place for me.
Courtney Conlogue (USA) – Teahupo’o (Tahiti, French Polynesia)
World Surf League
My favorite break to surf is Teahupoʻo (Tahiti, French Polynesia). For me, I just really love the beauty of the wave and the power. There’s something about the energy and the lineup that is just amazing. It’s very powerful yet graceful at the same time. It’s the perfect balance.
It’s also a great area for fishing and cruising around.
Isabella Nichols (AUS) – Jeffreys Bay (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
World Surf League
I think Jeffreys Bay (Eastern Cape, South Africa) has got to be my favorite wave to surf. South Africa is just so beautiful, the culture there is amazing, the wildlife, the waves are insane, the food is incredible, and the people are just beautiful too.
Outside of the water, I like to go on safaris, find great places to eat, go around and find new breaks, and hang out with some really good friends I have over there and have some authentic South African barbecues.
Lakey Peterson (USA) – Jeffreys Bay (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
World Surf League
On tour and throughout the entire world, my favorite break would have to be J-Bay (Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa). I love that wave and the place. Any right hand point break is kinda gonna be my favorite. The overall environment and aliveness of it all kinda reminds me of West Oz (Western Australia) the same culturally. There’s so much happening, the ocean is alive, the animals are alive, and it’s thriving. It’s a beautiful place.
Africa definitely has a special place in my heart. When I’m not surfing, I’ll usually go down to Cape St. Francis for the day and hit up some good cafes and play some golf. Obviously, the safaris are always a great option for fun things to do.
Sophie McCulloch (AUS) – Stradbroke Island (Queensland, Australia)
World Surf League
I love some places at home on the sunshine coast, there are a lot of fun beaches. Otherwise, I love going to Stradbroke Island which is also in Queensland. They can be really peaky and fun with short paddle outs. You can do a little bit of everything, get tubed or do some cool turns. It allows you to tap into your creative side on the water.
The lifestyle on Stradbroke is also really nice — there’s a big coffee culture. You can go for an early surf because the sun rises really early. The climate is nice and temperate most of the year. I’m always so grateful when I’m able to be back there in my home.
Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) – Teahupo’o (Tahiti, French Polynesia)
World Surf League
My favorite break to surf is probably Teahupoʻo (Tahiti, French Polynesia) because it’s very beautiful and it has always felt like a home away from home. It’s one of the most gorgeous places ever.
There’s not much to do there besides surfing, haha. But if you’re really looking for something else outside of the wave, there are great locations for workouts, hanging out with friends and watching the sunset, and playing soccer on the lawns.
Tyler Wright (AUS) – Fiji
World Surf League
Fiji has some cool waves. The waves, water, culture, and people there are all amazing.
When I’m not surfing… Basically, you can do anything to do with being in the ocean here. There’s great: swimming, snorkeling, fishing.
Ultra Music Festival — one of the biggest EDM-centric festivals in the US — returns this weekend with a lineup headlined by some of the genre’s biggest names, including Martin Garrix, Marshmello, and Swedish House Mafia. The Miami-based festival begins this Friday, March 24 at Bayfront Park, and continues through to Sunday, March 26. The set times for all seven stages at the festival were announced earlier this week, and you can check those out below.
Friday, March 24, the festival begins at 4:00 pm and runs until midnight. On Saturday, March 25, the gates will open at 12 noon, with headliner Marshmello taking the main stage at 10:45 pm. Finally, on Sunday, the festival will end at 10:00 pm, with Swedish House Mafia closing things out at 8:45 pm.
This week’s event marks the second Ultra Music Festival since the long-running festival — first established in 1999 — was canceled in 2020 in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the 2021 event was also pulled due to concerns of a rise in cases of the novel coronavirus. The festival resumed in 2022 with an attendance total of 165,000 and a lineup including Kygo, Martin Garrix, Nina Kraviz, and Gareth Emery. Hardwell closed out the festival.
The Ultra Music Festival website currently touts general admission tickets as “99% sold out” but that still leaves one percent for latecomers. Check out the website for more information and see the set times below.
As the winter winds down, we find ourselves thinking fondly of the spring weather on the way and all the refreshing beer that comes with it. But with rain across the nation, sunny days and green grass still seem to be some way off, so we decided to get a jump on spring beers instead. And today that means sipping on the best Helles lagers.
Helles or Hell are popular German lager beers that are widely available in the southern parts of the country, especially Bavaria. While the word hell means something completely different in English, when it’s translated to German, it means pale or light. And that’s exactly what these refreshing, easy-drinking lagers with a touch of sweetness are. They’re so popular in Europe that countless American brewers have also tried their hand at crafting these crisp, full-bodies lagers.
Known for their complex, well-balanced, thirst-quenching flavor profile, Helles lagers are great beer for spring — meaning the time is right to start stocking up on these bangers. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorites, ranked on overall flavor and thirst-quenching quality.
This 4.9% German-style lager is brewed with German-sourced pilsner malt as well as Hallertau and Saaz hops. The result is a crisp, dry, surprisingly complex, sessionable spring beer.
Tasting Notes:
A classic, soft, and bready lager nose of cereal grains, honey, citrus zest, and lightly floral hops greets you before your first sip. The taste is similar albeit muted. Lemon, grass, light cereal grains, and lightly bitter, floral hops. Overall, it’s a decent, if not unexciting beer.
Bottom:
If you’re looking for a light, almost watery lager, this is a good choice for you. If you’re looking for more flavor, head further down the ranking.
Schlenkerla Helles is one of those beers that, when you crack it open, makes you feel like it probably tastes the same way it did when it was brewed the first time hundreds of years ago. Using the same brewing equipment as the more popular Schlenkerla Smokebeer (thus adding some smoke to this beer), it’s crafted to be a classic Bavarian-style Helles lager.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma is surprisingly smoky with honey, grass, biscuit-like malts, and floral hops. On the palate, you’ll find lemon zest, honey, more fresh cut grass, biscuit malts, and light smoke. The finish is dry, bitter, and smoky. It’s definitely not for everyone.
Bottom:
This is a unique Helles lager and this is both a good and a bad thing. If you’re up for trying a lightly smoky lager, grab this one. If you’re more interested in a classic Helles, veer away.
Two Roads Cruise Control is listed on the label as an “easy-riding” lager and that’s exactly what it is. This award-winning, 4.8% ABV Helles-style lager is known for its simple, clean flavor that is reminiscent of the lagers brewed for centuries in Germany.
Tasting Notes:
Traditional aromas of clover honey, biscuit-like malts, grass, hay, and floral, herbal, lightly piney hops make up the nose. Drinking it reveals more biscuit malts, fresh grass, dried hay, honey, and floral, Noble hops. The finish is lightly bitter and spicy. It’s a decent beer, but overall a little thin.
Bottom:
Two Roads Cruise Control is a very flavorful Helles-style lager. It’s just a little lighter and thinner than we’d prefer.
This Munich-style Helles lager is as traditional as it gets in the American craft beer world. It’s golden in color, simple and balanced in flavor, and loaded with Pilsner malts as well as Bavarian-grown hops from the capital of the hop universe: Hallertau.
Tasting Notes:
Bready malts, honey, grass, caramel malts, and floral hops make up a very welcoming-yet-subtle nose. The palate is filled with notes of brown bread, honey, citrus zest, and floral, herbal, Noble hops. The finish is crisp, sweet, and lightly bitter.
Bottom:
This beer is clean, crisp, and very easy to drink. If we didn’t know better, we’d assume this was actually a German beer.
While summer drinkers save the Helles lagers for the warmer months, Buoy makes its award-winning Helles-style lager available all year long. Brewed with Pilsner malts, and Magnum hops, it’s cold fermented and lagered for five full weeks.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of freshly baked bread, wet grass, lemon zest, cereal grain sweetness, and floral, earthy, herbal hops. On the palate, you’ll find caramel malts, freshly baked bread, citrus zest, hay, and Noble hops. The finish was dry, crisp, sweet, and lightly bitter.
Bottom:
This isn’t the most spectacular lager ever made. But it’s crisp, refreshing, and does just about everything right.
Tucher might not have the name recognition in the US like other German brewers, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying this epic Helles lager. This unique lager is a blend of oak-aged Helles lager as well as fresh lager. The result is a complex, highly refreshing, memorable lager.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of freshly baked bread, sweet honey, cereal grains, and lightly spicy, herbal, floral hops start the nose off right. The palate continues this trend with cereal grain sweetness, yeasty bread, honey, toasted grains, grass, oaky wood, and floral, Noble hops. The finish is dry and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom:
Tucher Helles is a unique, highly drinkable Helles lager. The oak-aged portion gives it more depth than many of the others on the market.
You might recognize the Vonn Trapp name from ‘The Sound of Music’. And, to answer the obvious question, yes, it is the same family. They opened a lodge in Vermont decades ago and eventually started a brewery. Known for traditional, European-style beers, its Golden Helles is one of its best. Known for its crisp, dry, refreshing flavor, it’s brewed with Pilsner malt as well as Perle and Tettnanger hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly light but effective with freshly baked bread, toasted grains, citrus zest, honey, and herbal, floral hops. The palate is a symphony of pilsner malts, yeasty bread, caramel, lemongrass, hay, and floral, lightly piney hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and highly refreshing.
Bottom:
This German-style Helles lager is as simple as it is delicious. It’s not overly complex and bogged down by flavors. It’s crisp, snappy, and very thirst-quenching.
Weihenstephaner touts itself as the long, continuously operating brewery in the world with its genesis in the year 1040. In the almost 1,000 years since the brewery has perfected a few beers. While it’s well-known for its Hefe Weissbier, it also makes a really great Helles lager. Although it’s quite a bit younger than some of its counterparts, first being released in 2020. It’s 4.8% ABV and gets its flavor from the addition of hops from Hallertau and Bavarian malting barley.
Tasting Notes:
This beer smells the way you imagine a well-made lager to smell. There are prevalent notes of yeasty bread, honey, light citrus, and a ton of floral, Noble hops. It really draws you in for more. Sipping it brings forth flavors like pilsners malt, cereal sweetness, honey, orange peels, yeast, and more floral, herbal hops. The finish is dry and totally refreshing.
Bottom:
Weihenstephaner’s take on the classic Helles might not have the same history as some of its German counterparts, but it’s a full-flavored, highly complex beer you’ll want to stock all spring and summer long.
Pat Sajak was apparently out of patience during Wednesday night’s episode of Wheel of Fortune. While a contestant struggled to come up with an answer, the longtime host broke and literally told her to “Solve the darn puzzle.” Hey, at least he didn’t wrestle her like he did the night before.
Here’s what went down. During the category “Same Names,” only six letters were left to solve the puzzle when it got to contestant Nicole. She then correctly guessed the letter “c,” which was in three spaces, making the answer even more obvious. But instead of going for the kill, she guessed two more letters, and that’s when Sajak couldn’t keep still.
Finally, she decided to solve the puzzle. “Oh, I’m going to solve,” Nicole exclaimed to Sajak’s relief. The 76-year-old host replied, “Please, solve the darn puzzle!”
She correctly guessed “coconut and cough syrup.”
Sajak continued to shade the happy winner, telling her, “It’s a horrible moment when you know that everyone in America knows what this is – why don’t I? But you got it.”
However, Sajak didn’t stop there. He made another comment about how long it took Nicole to solve the puzzle.
“We appreciate you pretending that you didn’t know what it was until the end,” Sajak said. “You increased the drama, that was great.”
Between wrestling contestants and telling them to hurry the heck up, we gotta ask, does Pat need more naptime between episodes? He’s getting a little cranky lately.
Let’s face it, platonic relationships between men and women rarely get the same amount of attention as romantic ones, to the point where we debate whether or not they can actually exist in the first place.
That’s what makes a clip of Jennifer Aniston gushing about her decades-long friendship with Adam Sandler so cool to watch. There’s no Harry-Met-Sally-ing here, just one pal talking about another pal.
Aniston sat down with Jimmy Fallon to promote the film “Murder Mystery 2,” starring both Aniston and Sandler, but the conversation quickly veered into several anecdotes about “The Sand Man,” including how the two first met at a deli in their 20s.
As with any healthy friendship, there’s plenty of ragging on each other.
During the interview, Aniston teased Sandler for his schlubby fashion choices, like showing up to a “nice dinner” in Italy wearing his signature basketball shorts and turquoise velour top which “had no relationship to the pants.” This, she joked, was Vogue’s fault for dubbing him a style icon. “Thanks, Vogue!” she said.
Aniston then quipped that Sandler does his fair share of calling out, primarily when it comes to her dating choices. Usually, the reaction is, “What are you doing? What’s wrong with you?” Aniston yelled, doing her best Sandler impression.
But at the end of the day, there’s also genuine care. Aniston told Fallon that when working together, she is always looking out for her buddy’s well-being since he often overlooks it.
“He’s so concerned with taking care of everybody else, which he really does, but he doesn’t take care of himself,” she said, adding, “I’m sorry for calling you out on national television, Adam, but you have to know this.”
That’s why Aniston “makes him smoothies” and “gives him all sorts of Chinese herbs when he’s exhausted.” How stinkin’ cute.
Sure, friendships between men and women can (and often do) lead to romance. But even when they don’t, as Aniston can probably attest, there is a certain unsung joy of platonic love that deserves to be celebrated.
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Millie Bobby Brown turned down a $12 million offer to star in a Stranger Things spinoff. More like the Daily Fail, because according to the writers of the Netflix series, the rumor is BS.
“Yeah there’s nothing in this article that is true. Don’t know why we have to keep debunking this rumor but get those clicks you guys!!” @strangerwriters tweeted in response to the article.
Yeah there’s nothing in this article that is true. Don’t know why we have to keep debunking this rumor but get those clicks you guys!!
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year, the Duffers said their spinoff ideas were not centered on pre-existing characters. “I’ve read these rumors that there’s gonna be an Eleven spinoff, that there’s gonna be a Steve and Dustin spinoff or that it’s another number,” the Duffer Brothers said. That’s not interesting to me because we’ve done all that. We’ve spent I don’t know how many hours exploring all of that. So it’s very different.”
For her part, Bobby Brown sounds ready for the Stranger Things chapter of her life to be over. Not out of animosity, or anything, but she’s excited for something different. “I’m definitely ready to wrap up,” she told Seventeen. “It’s been in our lives for a very long time. But I’m very ready to say goodbye to this chapter of my life, and open new ones up.”
For decades, Beam was known for their standard Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey line (Jim Beam White Label, Jim Beam Black, Jim Beam Rye, Jim Beam Apple, etc.), their small batch lines (Knob Creek, Baker’s, Booker’s, and Basil Hayden), and their “Olds” line (Old Overholt, Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow). Today, those lines have all expanded while new labels/expressions like Legent, Hardin’s Creek, Little Book, and some experimental labels have hit liquor stores around the world. Beam’s bench runs deep and covers everything from blended American whiskey to high-end masterpieces and everything in between.
There’s a lot is what I’m getting at. So today, I’ll be pulling from my tasting notes and ranking all the Jim Beam brands, which are as follows:
Jim Beam (straight bourbon, straight rye, and flavored whiskeys)
Knob Creek (small batch straight bourbon and straight rye)
Booker’s (small batch barrel proof straight bourbon and straight rye)
Little Book (small batch blended straight whiskey)
Baker’s (single barrel straight bourbon)
Legent (special barrel-finished straight bourbon)
Hardin’s Creek (limited edition straight bourbon)
Lineage (travel retail straight bourbon)
James B. Beam Distiller’s Share (experimental straight bourbon)
Old Grand-Dad (high-rye straight bourbon)
Old Tub (bottled in bond and unfiltered straight bourbon)
Old Crow (budget straight bourbon)
Old Overholt (budget straight rye)
But I’m not just ranking the brands, I’m also calling out the one single expression you should track down from each brand. Yes, some of these brands only have one bottle under that label — seven out of 16 to be exact. The other nine brands from Jim Beam have some very long lists of expressions to their name. Booker’s for instance, puts out at least four expressions per year. Regular ol’ Jim Beam has about 14 expressions. Knob Creek has nine core expressions. You get the point. I’m winnowing each brand down to the key expression that you should add to your bar cart.
Savvy? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This is an old-school American blended whiskey. That means that the actual whiskey in the bottle is made from a blend of neutral grain spirit (cheap vodka) and straight whiskey. In this case, that split is 72.5% grain spirit blended with 27.5% straight whiskey from Clermont, Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of apple pie on the nose that leads to a vanilla extract note and maybe some faint oak soaked in vodka.
Palate: The palate is creamy and sweet for a micro-second (think caramel candy) but then devolved into wood-flavored vodka.
Finish: There isn’t one.
Bottom Line:
Look, this is an $8 bottle of booze. You get a faint sense that this is/was “whiskey” but you really have to stretch your imagination to get there. Skip.
15. Beam’s Eight Star — Beam’s Eight Star Kentucky Whiskey, A Blend
This American blended whiskey mixes 75% neutral grain spirit with 25% straight whiskey from Beam’s Clermont and Frankfort, Kentucky facilities. That whiskey is then proofed and bottled for the bottom shelf.
I don’t mean this is a shitty way, but this feels like the plastic flask you keep under the kitchen sink as a cleaning solvent.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel sweets and corn husks are present on the nose with a slight sense of vanilla.
Palate: There’s a hint of oak and maybe cherry vanilla on the palate with a rip of alcohol burn.
Finish: There’s a lot of ethanol at the end.
Bottom Line:
It doesn’t quite “taste like burning” but it’s close while also tasting kind of like nothing at all. It’s weird. Yeah, you can skip this altogether and just pay four or five bucks more for a Jim Beam White Label and drink legit and tasty straight bourbon instead.
14. Old Crow — Old Crow The Original Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a classic bourbon that became part of Jim Beam about 30-odd years ago. Until then, it was famed for being the drink of choice of President Grant, back in the 1870s — which gave it a lot to hang its hat on as a brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a year younger than a typical Jim Beam bourbon — so three-ish years — and it is cut way down to 80 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh Wonder Bread and burnt popcorn lead to buttery caramel and a dab of vanilla oil.
Palate: The palate is very balanced between a sense of caramel, cherry, and “spice” with a wintry vibe.
Finish: The end is pretty short and watery with the vanilla and brown spice leading to a dash of dry straw.
Bottom Line:
This is barely bourbon on the flavor profile (it legally 100% is). Again, pay an extra couple of bucks and just get a nice bottle of Jim Beam White Label or like eight more dollars for a Jim Beam Black. They’re lightyears better than this one.
13. Old Tub — Old Tub Unfiltered Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Back in 2020, Beam decided to release this “distillery-only” expression nationwide. The classic Jim Beam whiskey is a tribute to what the brand was before Prohibition. “Jim Beam” used to be “Old Tub” as a brand back then. Anyway, the whiskey in this bottle is Beam’s low-rye bourbon that’s batched to comply with Bonded laws, meaning the barrels are from one distilling season, from one distillery and distiller, and bottled at 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a sweet yellow corn meal, a hint of butterscotch, and a mix of creamy honey and creamy eggnog with plenty of nutmeg and allspice next to a very distant dry woody note.
Palate: The palate has a touch of candy corn next o Almond Joys, sweet cinnamon Hot Tamales, and black cherry tobacco leaves rolled up with dried sweetgrass.
Finish: The end is lightly dry with a sawdust vibe next to apple stems and burnt orange.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice but kind of rough-around-the-edges straight bourbon. This is a decent enough cheap bottled-in-bond bourbon for mixing. You’ll definitely want to use this for mixing highballs (think ginger ale, 7-Up, or fizzy water with a big garnish).
12. Old Grand-Dad — Old Grand-Dad Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The juice is made with a mash bill of 27% rye alongside corn and malted barley, which is Beam’s official “high-rye mash bill” (recipe). The whiskey is then aged for at least four years in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 100-proof, which lets a bit more of the aged whiskey shine in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of green spice counterpointed by a creamy vanilla pudding with a touch of brown sugar and spices.
Palate: There’s an orange blossom floral/fruity nature that sharpens to an orange oil cut with Christmas spices, which leads towards more of that vanilla pudding with a touch of oak.
Finish: The finish leans into the vanilla, green pepper, dark spices, fruit, and oak as a final note of corn arrives to remind you this is bourbon and not rye.
Bottom Line:
People love this cheap yet tasty pour. It’s fine and the Bonded version is definitely the expression you want to get from this brand. This is a good shooting whiskey, works as a mixer with soda, and can be layered into a cocktail in a pinch. We’re still pretty far from slow-sipper territory though.
Freddie Noe — Beam’s eighth-generation Master Distiller — created this expression by blending classic Basil Hayden with bourbon partially aged in California red wine casks. The resulting batch is then proofed down to Basil Hayden’s historically low 80-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of orange zest on the nose with sour mulled wine spices — star anise, cardamom, cinnamon — next to Cherry Coke and vanilla cake with white frosting.
Palate: The palate is soft yet creamy with a nutty spiced cake vibe next to zucchini bread with a dollop of butter next to tart, dried berries dipped in brandy with a hint of dark cacao in the background.
Finish: The end is pretty short (low-proofed) and finishes with a sense of old oak staves soaked in sour red wine with a dash of burnt orange and dried winter spice rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is one of my favorite Basil Hayden expressions. It’s deep and fresh. It also works really well as a food pairing whiskey thanks to the soft red wine vibes throughout the profile. If you’re a bourbon and red wine lover, then this is a must-buy.
10. Old Overholt — Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey
This rye hails from the Pennsylvania rye traditions of the early 1800s. The brand was moved to Kentucky almost 200 years later thanks to Beam. The whiskey in the bottle is a bit of an enigma since Beam doesn’t disclose the mash bill. It is aged for four years and bottled at 100-proof per bottled-in-bond laws.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This leans a bit more towards a high-rye bourbon than an out-and-out rye whiskey, with hints of vanilla, dry oak, and sweet corn.
Palate: The taste really leans into the vanilla with a creamy pudding vibe leading towards salted caramel, more dry wood, roasted almonds, and a final spurt of heavy spice with a grassy edge.
Finish: The finish stays dry and nutty as the spiciness is more woody than peppery with a green edge.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice rye. I’d lean more toward mixing cocktails with it thanks to that bourbon sweetness and higher proof. Still, this is a pretty fine bottle of classic sweet and nutty Kentucky rye at a great price point.
9. James B. Beam Distiller’s Share — James B. Beam Distiller’s Share Toasted Brown Rice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jim Beam has been toying with brown rice for a while now. In this case, the rye in the bourbon mash bill was replaced with brown rice. The whiskey was then aged for five years before it was re-barreled into new toasted oak barrels for a final rest. Finally, those barrels were batched, slightly proofed, and bottled for this experimental release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like opening a can of sweet and nutty brown bread and then drizzling it with toffee while a rush of dry grains and old orchard wood lingers in the background.
Palate: Spiced molasses bread leads to hints of cherry cake, vanilla cream, and millet tea with a touch of caramel.
Finish: The end leans into woody spices and sweet oak as the orchard wood starts to singe and the spice leans toward a barky and almost herbal winter vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is just fascinating. It’s very out there for a Kentucky bourbon. I’d get this if you’re looking to expand your palate and drink something somewhat out of character from Beam.
8. Baker’s — Baker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Aged 8 Years 1 Month
Baker’s is pulled from single barrels in specific warehouses and ricks across the Beam facility in Clermont, Kentucky. The bourbon is always at least seven years old. In this case, it was aged eight years and one month before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sourdough rye crusts and star anise with a fleeting hint of caraway counter cellar funk and cherry/vanilla tobacco on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets that vanilla get super lush with a sense of cinnamon bark and allspice berries next to hints of dill and fennel.
Finish: The end has an eggnog softness with a bit of Red Hot and chili-laced tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a very rye-heavy bourbon with a great funkiness to it. This is the bourbon you get when you want more herbal and floral depth on top of a classic sweet and fruity Kentucky bourbon. Thanks to that, it’s a great and fun sipper that just keeps delivering new nuance and flavors. If you’re an Old Grand-Dad fan, this is really going to be your jam.
This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The whiskey is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo at Suntory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plummy puddings with hints of nuts mingle with vinous berries, oaky spice, and a good dose of vanilla and toffee on the nose.
Palate: The palate expands on the spice with more barky cinnamon and dusting of nutmeg while the oak becomes sweeter and the fruit becomes dried and sweet.
Finish: The finish is jammy yet light with plenty of fruit, spice, and oak lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This sherry-finished bourbon is spot on. The whiskey has a great texture and depth, making it a great sipper or cocktail base. If you want to make a great Manhattan or just have an everyday easy sipper around, get this bottle.
6. Little Book — Little Book Chapter 6: “To The Finish” Blended Whiskey
This year’s Little Book is another masterpiece from Beam’s Master Distiller, Freddie Noe. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with cherrywood staves, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished in applewood smoked barrels, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished in hickory smoked barrels, four-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with maplewood staves, and Beam’s classic five-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, making this a kind of single malt/bourbon hybrid. The whiskey was bottled after blending with no filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose reveals hints of sour cherry, tart apple cores, and bright orange zest with a smidge of smoked plum in the background with a dash of winter spice and maybe some oatmeal cookie dough.
Palate: The palate kicks in with a mix of winter spices and dry green herbs (a hint of sage?) next to lightly smoked sweet cherry wood and some dry hickory that leads to a hint of cherry root beer.
Finish: That cherry layers into a dry tobacco leaf with a thin line of dark chocolate and some rum-raisin as the finish veers toward orchard wood with smoked apricot and a twinge of salted vanilla cream lurking underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is Beam inching us toward their eventual American single malt whiskey rollout. That aside, this is a masterful blend that just hits differently than other Beam products. This is a unique and delicious blended whiskey that will take you on a journey. If you want to cement your status as a real whiskey nerd, then this bottle is a must.
5. Jim Beam — Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this whiskey is pulled from less than 1% of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla pound cake and salted caramel are countered by spicy cherry tobacco, mulled wine vibes, and dark chocolate cut with orange zest and a hint of corn husk.
Palate: The palate brings in some floral honey sweetness and more orange oils with a sticky toffee pudding feel next to more spicy cherry tobacco and a hint of coconut cream pie.
Finish: The end amps up the cherry with a little more sweetness than spice before salted dark chocolate tobacco folds into dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
It’s wild how good this bourbon is for this price. Look, I love some Jim Beam Rye and Jim Beam Black Label from this brand. But their Single Barrel 108 Proof is just too good in general not to be the one Jim Beam bottle to have on your shelf.
4. Hardin’s Creek — Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This new expression from Jim Beam is about highlighting the beautiful high-end barrels from Beam’s vast rickhouses. The whiskey in the bottle is a classic low-rye Beam that rested for 16 years and a 15-year-old high-rye bourbon. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the bottle as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a rich spice mix of woody cinnamon, soft nutmeg, almost bitter cloves, and dusty allspice with a hint of black licorice leading to a buttery caramel sauce with a flake of salt, twinge of vanilla oil, and whisper of cherry tobacco in an old cedar humidor.
Palate: The palate builds on that classic foundation with layers of old boot leather, hard sultanas, meaty dates, stewed plums, and rum-soaked Christmas cake with candied orange rinds and cherries.
Finish: The end soaks the raisins and candied fruit in maple syrup with a hint of sour cherry laced with ancho chili peppers and woody spices.
Bottom Line:
This yearly limited edition is a masterclass in long aging and excellent blending from the Fred and Freddie Noe. Moreover, this is just delicious whiskey that speaks to the beauty of cherry/spicy classic Kentucky bourbon whiskey. This whiskey goes deep and is essential for any true bourbon fan.
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 completely 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:
There are so many Booker’s batches that could have been here. I might be partial as I was sipping this with Fred Noe a couple of weeks ago at the distillery and that experience really endeared this expression to me. Part of that was seeing Fred’s excitement about the blend. Another aspect of it is that this is simply delicious. Plus, this is still around on shelves, meaning you might be able to snag one.
2. Knob Creek — Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years
This limited-edition release celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Knob Creek, which started back in 1992 during the darkest days of bourbon. The whiskey is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.
Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Knob Creek after the 12-year expression. I dig their Rye Single Barrel Select as well. Really though, this is the high watermark for the brand. It’s delectable, deep, and a delight to sip. It too makes a mean Manhattan.
1. Jim Beam Lineage — Jim Beam Lineage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey A Father And Son Collaboration
This whiskey was released for the struggling travel retail market late last year. The whiskey in the bespoke bottle is a 15-year-old classic Beam bourbon that was aged on specific ricks in Warehouse K (the most famed warehouse on the Clermont, Kentucky campus). Father and son Fred and Freddie Noe both selected the barrels to make this blend and released it almost completely as-is with just a drop of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic from the jump with a soft caramel candy with vanilla buttercream frosting over spiced choco-cherry cake, a touch of clove-studded burnt orange rind, and soft marzipan with a hint of old oak cellars.
Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of Black Forest cake — stewed cherries, vanilla cream, moist chocolate cake, dry dark chocolate shavings — next to a bunch of woody and barky winter spices with a hint of hazelnut and burnt orange.
Finish: The end leans ever-so-slightly into old cedar bark and rich spiced cherry tobacco layered with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and a hint of sharp mint and maybe some more of that clove.
Bottom Line:
This is Beam at its best. The best part is that even though this is a travel retail release, you can actually get it in the U.S. at the distillery. Wherever you find it, it’s worth tracking down and adding to your collection. It’s delicious.
(Yes, I know this is technically a “Jim Beam” expression, just like Old Tub. But this is its own line as a travel retail release under the “Lineage” moniker.)
Before Swift’s concerts in Glendale, Arizona last weekend, she made a donation to the Arizona Food Bank Network (as People notes). Terri Shoemaker, vice president of external relations at the organization, told AZ Central, “It’s not every day that you get a call from someone who works in PR for Taylor Swift, so we were dubious at first, but happily, it turned out to be absolutely real.”
Shoemaker also noted that according to Swift’s PR agent, the singer “planned to make a positive impact in the communities where she was touring.”
Indeed, that seems to be true: On March 22, Three Square Food Bank in Nevada, where Swift is set to perform this upcoming weekend, revealed they also received a donation from Swift, writing on Instagram, “We don’t know about you, but we’re feeling grateful on this day, March 22! @TaylorSwift has made a generous gift to Three Square, allowing us to provide thousands of meals to families and individuals struggling with hunger. Thank you to Ms. Swift for supporting our mission and the local community.”
The Los Angeles Lakers could get LeBron James back sooner rather than later. Despite missing the last 12 games with a foot injury, James is apparently eyeing up a return to action before the postseason starts, which would give the Lakers a much-needed boost as they enter the play-in tournament or the playoffs.
Even with James out, though, things have been going pretty good in Laker Land lately, as the team has gone 7-5 in his absence. Anthony Davis has unsurprisingly been terrific, but a pair of guards — Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell — have stepped up in a big way with James on the sideline. Reaves, in particular, is playing the best basketball of his young career, and on Thursday’s episode of Keyshawn, JWill, & Max, ESPN’s Jay Williams told Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman that he has some reservations about how James coming back will impact their play.
“Everybody keeps saying, and I’m the one that said it first and so I started digging down into it: ‘Well, if you bring back LeBron, this team can get to potentially the Western Conference Finals,’” Williams said. “How do you bring back LeBron? The more I sit there and think about it, the more I think about, when you bring back LeBron in this short period, how in the hell is Austin Reaves supposed to continue playing at this level? The ball is in Austin Reaves’ hands a ton, you guys know the kind of lather, the kind of rhythm that you get when the ball is in your hands? You increase the amount of possessions, the volume of possessions, I feel way more comfortable with the rock now.
“When LeBron comes back — and Austin Reaves has been ballin’, D’Lo has been ballin’,” he continued. “But now you bring LeBron James back, are you gonna play LeBron James off the ball if you’re Darvin Ham? You really gonna do that when it comes time for playoff basketball? There’s almost a part of me, Key, that somewhat believes that, yeah, bringing back LeBron, if you had 10 games left in the regular season, 15 games left, it gives him time to get more acclimated. But with what, a week left in the regular season, if that’s the time frame, with two games left, maybe the play-in, maybe into the playoffs, that’s almost maybe working against Austin Reaves and D’Lo.”
When asked by Kellerman if bringing James off the bench is a viable option, Williams, who has praised Lakers guards on TV before, said, “You try to, but still, LeBron is ball-dominant,” while Johnson agreed that he’ll come off the bench as he works to figure out his rhythm.
“That’s what I’m saying, find that rhythm, the ball needs to be in his hands to find a rhythm, right?” Williams responded.
After a conversation about the aesthetics of Reaves as a basketball player, Williams tied a bow on the conversation.
“All I’m saying is, you drop LeBron James in with two games left, man, Austin is doing his thing, D’Lo,” Williams said. “Now, I don’t know how you make guys not defer to maybe one of the greatest players the game of basketball has ever seen.” When Johnson asked if James is sitting and watching and decides it is best to fit into how the Lakers are currently playing, Williams posited that it’s “easier said than done, because at the end of the day, in clutch moments, you’re gonna look at the dude, you’re gonna look at the guy.”
Williams does have a point that bringing James back very well could have a negative impact on guys who are blossoming in larger roles, although it is easy to argue that the trade-off is worth it because James is the kind of player who can win you a championship, even if having players around him performing at the levels we’ve seen out of Reaves and Russell recently is an important piece of the puzzle.
When was the last time you heard a “that’s what she said” in the wild? Five years ago? A decade? Longer? It was stale by the time Michael Scott said it for the first time on The Office — and that was in 2005. The entire point of Michael’s enjoyment of “that’s what she said” was to show how desperately unfunny he is. Speaking of desperately unfunny…
In response to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tweeting, “House Dems are fighting hard for the American people. Right-wing extremists are fighting each other,” Elon Musk wrote, “That’s what she said.”
First off: huh? Is the “that’s what she said” referring to the use of the word “hard”? Or is it a meta non-joke? It’s certainly not an actual joke. Also, it’s 2023. Elon needs to update his material — or go back to “borrowing” memes.
This isn’t the first time that Musk has dropped a “TWSS,” either.
It appears to be one of Musk’s stock replies, along with “looking into it” and the rolling on the floor laughing emoji. You’re one of the world’s richest person, Elon. Hire someone like Henry Winkler, who is good at Twitter, to write your tweets. Or post photos like Clint Eastwood. Anything but “that’s what she said.”
Anyway, Twitter can’t get enough of this EPIC win.
he’s quoting the beloved character Michael Scott, widely known as the funniest person in his workplace
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Andrew