St. George/Bordiga/Mr. Black/St. Germain/istock/Uproxx
To say that lot is going on in the spirits world is a ridiculous understatement. From highly sought-after bourbons to complex rye whiskeys, bold dark rums, nuanced, vegetal tequilas, memorable single malt Scotch whiskies, and so much more. It’s a chaotic, busy industry. It’s not surprising that with all of these (and way more) choices, liqueurs sometimes seem to get lost in the shuffle. They’re always there, we just don’t seem to make room for them.
Well, we’re here to tell you that you should. Especially during the winter months.
For the uninitiated, the definition of what a liqueur is might not be totally clear. Not only is it spelled slightly different from the word “liquor” (even though technically a liqueur is a form of liquor), but it’s also a spirit with (usually) a lower alcohol content (from 15% to 55%) and often has extra flavors and ingredients like herbs, spices, fruits, and sugars. Many liqueurs are best enjoyed as a digestif or as a decadent, end-of-the-day drink. They’re also aces to mix with.
Now that you’re likely craving a nice, sweet, indulgent, warming liqueur, you probably want to know which ones to try. Well, we did the work for you. Okay, technically a handful of bartenders did. We asked them to tell us the best liqueurs to drink or mix with this winter and they didn’t disappoint with their varied and exciting answers. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Kronan Swedish Punsch
Kronan
Roberto Cibrian Stockbridge, USBG bartender in Boston
Kronan Swedish Punsch. A rum-based liqueur with three different kinds of rum and excellent baking spices. We have been using a lot of this liqueur this season to bring depth and nuance to our cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
This rum-based liqueur is known for its flavors of candied nuts, vanilla beans, and gentle spices. It’s well-suited for a wintry cocktail.
Drambuie
Drambuie
Gary Mennie, food and beverage director at The Mills House Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina
Drambuie. This is a liqueur produced from Scotch whisky, honey, herbs, and spices. Drambuie has a sweet and herbal quality to it that goes well in a glass or one of our desserts at Iron Rose, the signature restaurant of The Mills House Hotel in Charleston.
Tasting Notes:
This popular liquor is known for its mix of caramel and honey sweetness and wintry spices.
The best liqueur that I would not recommend consuming straight, but rather as an addition to any cocktail would be Ancho Reyes. This product comes in both the Chile pepper and green pepper varietals. The green pepper product is the one that I have the most experience with and have enjoyed playing with it to create some unique concepts.
Tasting Notes:
When mixed with a margarita, it provides a sharp mouth feel and a very subtle heat component. This small and easy take on a spicy margarita will completely transform the cocktail and be sure to wow your friends. This a great addition during the winter to really bring some warmth to the soul.
Sorel Liqueur
Sorel
Jonathan Cano, lead bartender at Amara in Paraiso in Miami, Florida
Jack from Brooklyn’s Sorel, a hibiscus-flavored, Caribbean classic, with roots in Africa, and a touching story of resilience, makes this artisanal liqueur a must-try. You’ll definitely want to keep it chilled or serve it over ice, or better yet, prepare yourself a JFB Sorel Spritz, a winter spritz, enlivened with notes of hibiscus and a touch of spice from ginger and clove.
Tasting Notes:
This liqueur is used more as a modifier in cocktails in small quantities, adding perfect notes of warm spices such as cloves, and when mixed with citrus, provides a beautiful pink/red hue, however, it’s also delicious on its own.
Rapa Giovanni Ratafia di Andorno Cherry Liqueur
Rapa Giovanni
Max Stampa-Brown, beverage director and partner at The Garret Group in New York City
Rapa Giovanni Ratafia di Andorno Cherry Liqueur is a distant cousin of chartreuse that is really incredible. It’s made with black cherries, sugar, and spices.
Tasting Notes:
It has the same warm spice notes, intense acidity, high proof, plenty of natural sugars, and really rich, almost savory herbal notes.
Fernet Branca Menta
Fernet Branca
Greg Coll, food and beverage director at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville, California
Fernet Branca Menta is not appreciated as much as it should be. Add some to your coffee or my personal favorite, hot chocolate, for a winter warmer worth drinking.
Tasting Notes:
For those faint of heart for the original Fernet Branca, Menta is the more approachable, smoother version with mint dominating the experience.
St. George NOLA Coffee. There is no added sugar, and it is made with French chicory coffee. It is slightly different than what is out there, but it has natural flavors so you can really taste the difference. This is what I use to make a strong espresso martini.
Tasting Notes:
The flavors are dominated by freshly brewed coffee, but there are also notes of vanilla and hazelnut.
Il Mallo Nocino
Il Mallo
Brandon Ristaino, co-founder and beverage director at Good Lion Hospitality in Santa Barbara, California
When it’s chilly outside, I’m looking for comfort in my cocktails. The Nocino (Italian walnut liqueur) made by Il Mallo is all the comfort I’m looking for, and then some.
Tasting Notes:
I like adding a bit of the nocino to classic stirred cocktails (like the Manhattan or old fashioned), as a complement to a hot toddy, or sip it neat by the fire. It’s all baking spice and walnut deliciousness.
Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur
Zirbenz
Kira Collings, bar manager at Hearth and Hill in Park City, Utah
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a case of Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur this winter. Hailing from the Austrian Alps, this bitter, herbal, unique liqueur gets its flavor from Arolla Stone Pines fruit – harvested in the Austrian Alps. I appreciate that Josef Hofer has also been a family distillery since 1797.
Tasting Notes:
This fascinating liqueur is smooth, crisp, slightly sweet – it tastes like you’re exploring the snowy mountains and is lovely mixed with mezcal and a good tonic. For a perfect après-ski ski, I offer guests my “Mountain Toddy” – made with Scotch, ginger honey, lemon, hot water, and Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur.
St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur
St. George
Sean Pantazi, director of beverage at The Ritz-Carlton in Lake Tahoe, California
I have to admit that the St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur is pretty darn wonderful. I typically like to add my own flavors to cocktails and not depend on too many flavored products, but this one when blended well adds very nice structure to winter cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
This liqueur carries great ripe, juicy pear flavor that is perfectly tempered with the addition of clove and cinnamon.
Bordiga Dilei Amaro
Bordiga
Kirk Paganelli, taproom mixologist at The Clancy in San Francisco
The recipe is original from its debut and was derived in piedmont. With this product having such an array of flavors, the best way to enjoy this would either be neat or in a classic Manhattan. The bourbon and bitters pair very well with this liqueur.
Tasting Notes:
Bordiga Dilei Amaro is a great sipper, rich with juniper, mint, and thyme. This liqueur has a combination of 30 different botanicals, each individually infused and distilled.
Licor 43
Licor 43
Nick Akira Amano Dolan, general manager at Trick Dog in San Francisco, California
I can’t say enough how much I think everyone should have Licor 43 in their home bar. It is one of the most versatile liqueurs out there and can turn a variety of classic cocktails into a next-level drink.
Tasting Notes:
It is a great substitute for triple sec in any recipe and the added bit of vanilla in this liqueur really puts it over the edge.
A liqueur worth drinking this winter has to be Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur. This well-made Liqueur is crafted with purpose and ethics, and there is not a single coffee liqueur that can compete with it. It’s fantastic for making a coffee old fashioned and espresso martini.
Tasting Notes:
This liqueur is the equivalent of a great cup of coffee in alcohol form. There are a ton of espresso, caramel, and chocolate flavors.
St Germain
St Germain
Erica Dimmig, lead mixologist at Pendry Hotel in Chicago
St Germain is a delicious classic with beautiful floral notes. Kaitlyn Stewart’s High and Dry cocktail, replacing sweet vermouth with St. Germain and topping with sparkling wine in a riff on a negroni has quickly become a guest favorite at my bar.
Tasting Notes:
This elderflower liqueur carries other flavors as well including grapefruit, citrus peel, tropical fruits, and a light floral character.
Domaine de Canton – premium quality and flavor. Baby ginger is specifically used for its distinct flavor properties and viscosity. The ginger is hand cut, rinsed, and allowed to dry for several days, in preparation for being married into the overall recipe. Additionally, hand-selected Tahitian vanilla beans and Provencal honey are sourced and added to the recipe in careful amounts.
Tasting Notes:
The result is a flavor profile that is exceptionally delicious and balanced with ginger, vanilla, and orange peel.
It’s tough to quantify whether today’s parents are stricter or more permissive than previous generations, but the overall sentiment seems to be that parents are more lenient than they were a few decades back.
A poll by YouGov found that younger Americans are more likely than their elders to have been raised by “not very strict” or “not at all strict” parents. Thirty-nine percent of under-30s say that their parents weren’t very strict or not strict at all, compared to only 15% of over-65s.
Nicola Kraus, author of “The Nanny Diaries,” believes that it’s a natural outgrowth of the fact that we know a lot more about children than we did in the past.
“We are deeply aware that our children are cognizant, conscious humans in a way previous generations weren’t aware. Children were treated like pets or-worse-release-valves for their parents’ stresses and fears, then expected to magically transform into healthy, functional adults,” she writes.
But this change in parenting has encouraged other trends that many think are creating a greater number of entitled young adults who can’t fend for themselves. These days we have helicopter parents, bulldozer parents and dependent parents whose overinvolvement in their children’s lives renders them incapable of becoming fully integrated adults.
Reddit user u/qquackie asked the online forum “What parenting ‘trend’ do you strongly disagree with?” and got an overwhelming number of responses from people who think that today’s parents are raising entitled children.
Many of the responders think that parents are being too sensitive with their children and they don’t provide firm boundaries. They also think it’s a big problem for kids to think they’re the center of the universe.
Here are 21 of the most popular responses to the parenting question.
1. Pretending that not parenting is parenting
“I won’t tell my child to stop kicking your leg repeatedly because i don’t want to crush his spirit!’ — StoicDonkey
2. Denying your kid any negative experiences or emotions
“They are a normal part of being a person, teach them to handle negative emotions now before you send them out into a world they are not prepared to handle.” — IAmRules
3. Fake “gentle parenting”
“You hear and see so many parents letting their children do whatever they want, no matter how destructive, rude or hurtful their behaviours are. Parents find themselves beholden to the whims of their childrens’ emotions in the name of gentle parenting, instead of true gentle parenting where (so I hear) boundaries are set alongside validating emotions.” — candianuk
4. Not setting clear boundaries
“You are the adult, not the kid. Children benefit sooo much more from clear rules and consequences.” — NorthWeight3580
5. The “bulldozer” parent
“The parent who removes all obstacles/challenges from a child’s life so they don’t learn about perseverance, problem solving, failure (sometimes you can try hard and still not get the reward) and learning from mistakes – unless the goal is to develop a highly anxious person – then, being a bulldozer parent is great.” — spinefexmouse
6. Stage-mom syndrome
“Abusing the talents of your child just to boost your self image in society.” — sweettooth_92
7. Nonstop supervision
“Hovering over them at every turn. Whatever happened to tossing them in a play area in another room and letting them create, explore, and get the occasional bumps?” — ansibley
8. Not believing the teacher
“‘My kid never lies to me.’ Seriously. Parents absolutely should be their kid’s biggest supporter. But support sometimes means holding the kid responsible when they don’t do the right thing.” — jdith123
9. “No talking back!”
“If this also counts… Parents who punish their kids for speaking up or otherwise explaining something, saying that they’re ‘talking back.’ I honestly don’t get why most parents refuse to admit they’re not always right sometimes. Besides, what if their kid one day comes up to them and says another adult is touching them inappropriately?” — EntryRepresentative5
10. Helicopter parenting
“Kids need freedom to explore the world, get dirty, engage in free play. I am not advocating putting the child outside on a Saturday morning and telling them to come home when the street lights come on, but an age acceptable level of freedom.” — Cat_Astrophe_X
11. Pushing them too hard
“Pushing them too hard in sports, academics, etc. Like pushing til they need therapy or get injured, no free time, no downtime. FFS, they only get to be young & without excessive responsibilities once.” — Oh-Oh-Ophelia
12. Tablets in public
“Loud cartoons and games on tablets in public places.” — StarrCreationsLLC
13. Potty training too late
“Oh man, I’m a nanny and work in daycare. I can talk so much about this. One is late potty training. Waiting to potty train a child is more and more common. Which I generally agree with. Wait until they’re 2.5-3 and knock it out. Some take longer, some are probably ready earlier. Better than rushing it and causing issues. What this has turned into. Not potty training. I nanny a 4 year old that is still in pull ups. She is more than capable of using the potty. Our 4 year old classroom just installed a diaper genie because so many 4 year olds are starting preschool in diapers. My best friend who is a Kindergarten teacher had 2 kids start kindergarten in diapers. Luckily they’re potty trained now.” — cleaning-meaning
14. Kids on social media
“Creating social media channels for your children where they proceed to upload videos and photos of their kids. Perfect place for pedophiles.” — AJSK18
15. Too much structure
”I guess the overall trend of prioritizing academics/extracurriculars and college admissions over everything else. Give your kids some chores and let them hang out with their friends outside of structured sports and musical activities!” — hausfrau224
16. Tablet addiction
“Constantly giving your kid(s) a tablet or cellphone to keep them busy because you can’t be bothered to actually be a parent or pay attention to them.” — ZRuneDemonX
17. Letting the kid make all the choices
“I believe kids should have reasonable choices, like what their snack is and the character that’s on their bedspread, but you can’t let your 3 year old decide when you’re allowed to leave your house. The world doesn’t work that way.” — cihojuda
18. Silence
“Saying ‘what goes on in this house, stays in this house.’ I know hundreds of victims of abuse, go through years of pain because of this phrase.” — Dixie_Maclant
19. Birthdays
“The social media trend that keeps upping the expectations for birthday parties and any celebration connected to a kid. When I was a kid, birthdays consisted of a handmade invitation made by me, a cake from the grocery store, food that my Mom cooked and then inviting some friends and family over for games. Today’s expectation is that every monthversary and half-birthday consist of a huge arch of balloons that will end up in the trash, a customized three-tier fondant cake, gift wrapping that color-coordinates with the themed party favors and of course, a very intentional outfit for the numerous photo ops that will take up most of the day. Anything for the ‘gram, right? Don’t even get me started on gender reveal announcements.” — littlebunsenburner
20. Parent, not friend
“Trying to be your kid’s ‘friend,’ not a parent. A parent is there to provide guidance and responsible behavior to model. Yes, sometimes making their actions have consequences and setting boundaries can be difficult and they’ll not be too happy with you. That’s part of the job. Ultimately I think that will result in a healthier relationship than being the “cool” permissive parent. I’ve seen results of that style of (not) parenting with very sad outcomes.” — DataPlenty
21. You’re not special
“Perpetuating the myth that one’s children are somehow special. With about 97% certainty, they are not. Teaching them that they are just sets them up for crushing disappointment down the road. It’s far better to raise kids to believe they are ordinary people with a few gifts, but also some flaws and weaknesses.” — AssistantToTheSensei
Humans may not always recognize greatness right away, but sometimes it’s so clear it simply can’t be denied.
You don’t have to be a dancer yourself to see when someone’s got moves, and a viral video from choreographer Phil Wright spotlights a kid who’s got moves. Like, wow.
Mariandrea Villegas may be tiny, but she packs a mighty amount of energy, skill, coordination and x-factor into her dancing. Oh and joy. Did I mention joy?
Villegas, 13, danced alongside choreographer Phil Wright at The Dance Awards and holy moly. She snatched the stage right out from under him.
“I think I got smoked,” he wrote when he shared the video on his Instagram page. “I need to stop dancing with these kids. 😂 They’re low-key superheroes.”
Upworthy shared the video on Instagram as well, and people loved it.
“When you find your passion at a young age, it’s a beautiful thing to see,” wrote one commenter.
“And all with a smile on her face,” wrote another.
“This kid is an absolute star 🙌” shared another, echoing the sentiment of the copious fire emojis in the comments.
Keep on dancing with joy and passion, Mariandrea! We can’t wait to see more from you. (You can follow her on Instagram if you want to see what she’s done up to now. It’s impressive.)
In a recent BuzzFeed interview, Pink ranked her music videos, including “Lady Marmalade,” which Pink, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, and Mýa made for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack in 2001. She didn’t place that one high on the list, explaining, “It wasn’t very fun to make; I’m all about fun, and it was a lot of fuss. There were some personalities… Kim and Maya were nice. I guess it is iconic, but I remember I kept crying because my skin didn’t like the makeup. It was just… There was some annoying things happening that day.”
Given that she said Kim and Mýa were “nice” without saying the same of Aguilera, the only other artist primarily credited on the recording, it appears Pink didn’t much care for her time with Aguilera. In her response to that, she said she wasn’t “shading” Aguilera, but she didn’t exactly appear to reverse course in terms of her tone towards Aguilera.
On Twitter this weekend, she wrote, “Y’all are nuts. Xtina had sh*t to do with who was on that song. If you don’t know by now- I’m not ‘shading’ someone by telling it over and over and over what actually happened. I’m zero percent interested in your f*cking drama. If you haven’t noticed- I’m a little busy selling. And by selling- I mean tickets and albums and bake sales and sh*t. Also- I kissed xtinas mouth. I don’t need to kiss her ass.”
Y’all are nuts Xtina had shit to do with who was on that song.If you don’t know by now- I’m not “shading” someone by telling it over and over and over what actually happened. I’m zero percent interested in your fucking drama. If you haven’t noticed- I’m a little busy selling https://t.co/f9RLuotptf
Bourbon that sets you back around $85 per bottle is a big ask, sure. But the beauty of bourbon whiskey at this price point is that there tends to be very good stuff that’s worth that price … for the most part. I’d love to say that all bourbons priced around this point are great. They’re simply not — which makes listing the best of the best at $80 to $90 essential to help you find the right ones to spend that cash on.
For this list, I’m calling out 20 bourbon whiskeys that all cost around $85 and are definitely worth the price tag. These are whiskeys that live up to the hype and I believe deserve a spot on your bar cart.
Again though, not all bourbon is created equal, even when you are nearing $100 a bottle. There are a few of these bourbons that I really dig and 100% vouch for as well-built bourbons but they’re bottles that lean more toward “mixing pours” than straight slow sippers neat. You might ask, “why would I pay $85 for a whiskey to mix cocktails with?” And I’ll retort — do you want to drink shitty whiskey in your favorite cocktail or delicious whiskey? It should always be the latter. To that end, I’ve also ranked these whiskeys by how close they get to perfect slow sippers (the top 10 to 12 entries on this list are all in the “sippers” category).
Lastly, the prices are for delivery or pickup in the Louisville, Kentucky area or near the distillery bottle shop. Prices and availability will vary from region to region. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This New York whiskey is a four-grain bourbon. The mix starts with 60% corn and adds 15% rye, 15% wheat, and 10% malted barley. The juice is barreled and left alone for at least seven years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a grainy sense of cornmeal next to sourdough rye bread crusts, cherry cough syrup, and lush vanilla cake frosted with rich cream and dusted with dark chocolate shavings.
Palate: A hint of blackberry pie leads to toffee and oak with a sense of sweet grits dusted with white pepper and dried red chili pepper.
Finish: The cornmeal graininess rides the finish toward spiced tobacco and sweet red fruit with a clear cinnamon base.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is dialed in for easy mixing into fruity sweet-forward cocktails. It’s soft and rich, which makes it a nice old fashioned candidate.
19. Traverse City Whiskey Co. Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof
This expression from Michigan is comprised of single barrel selections of seven-year-old MGP that are taken up to the Great Lakes for a little bit longer aging. The whiskey goes in the bottle uncut and unfiltered at barrel proof after resting through a few of those harsh Michigan winters and calm but hot summers.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, there’s a mix of wet oats, corn husks, and butterscotch leading toward raw leather, orange slices, and a touch of caramel.
Palate: The palate leans into almond and toffee with plenty of vanilla and old oak staves.
Finish: The finish hits on chocolate-covered almonds with a hint of vanilla tobacco, orange rinds, and more of that old oak.
Bottom Line:
The orange and nuttiness make this a solid candidate for Manhattans. It also works on the rocks with a dash of Angostura Bitters.
18. Thomas S. Moore Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Casks
This release from Sazerac’s other distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery, has become a yearly standard release. The whiskey in the bottle is generally kept under wraps. We do know that the bourbon is finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks for a spell before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stone fruit and vanilla lead on the nose with hints of sugar cookies, bright peach, and old-yet-soft oak.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry bark with plum, mulled wine, vanilla, and sharp sassafras.
Finish: The spice on the mid-palate leads to some old leather, more of that soft oak, and a hint of sweet potting soil with a plummy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great mixing whiskey. The red wine vibes really help accent drinks like Manhattans or Sazeracs. If you’re looking for a really refined cocktail bourbon, this is the bottle to buy. That said, if you’re a red wine lover who’s bourbon curious, this is a good and familiar place to start, especially if you’re looking for a food pairing whiskey.
17. St. Augustine Distillery Port Finished Bourbon
This Floridian bourbon rests for three years in new American oak, giving it a classic base. Then the booze goes into port casks from San Sebastian Winery next door to the distillery for up to six months (depending on the Florida heat). The end result is a unique bourbon that’s both enticing and refined.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a touch of woodiness but the star of the show is the red berries that are both tart and sweet next to a dusting of winter spices.
Palate: Vanilla and hints of mint show up on the palate with white pepper, mild florals, and a little bit of ripe cherry.
Finish: The end leans into oak, dark chocolate bitterness, and a whisper of ripe red berries with a touch of clove.
Bottom Line:
This is another great cocktail bourbon that I’d argue works really well as a food-pairing whiskey. The subtle yet sharp woody spice and berries with that mild floral edge add a nice depth to a meal or as a digestif in a cocktail afterward.
16. Old Charter Chinkapin Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This limited release from 2020 rounded out the Buffalo Trace Old Charter Oak Series. The whiskey was aged in Chinkapin oak barrels which, in some cases, are made from trees up to 200 years old. The staves are air-dried for 24 months before the barrels are built. Those barrels were then filled with standard Buffalo Trace distillate and left to do their thing for nine long years before mingling, proofing with limestone water, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose reveals a hint of Double Mint gum that leads towards cherry blossoms with a hint of the tree bark in the mix, a touch of raw leather, and a thin layer of vanilla wafers.
Palate: The palate kicks off with a spicy grain vibe that builds towards dark chocolate spiked with orange zest, a flourish of those cherry blossoms, and a honey candy mid-palate.
Finish: That sweetness leads back to the dark chocolate with a slight wintry spice leaving you warmed with a mild cherry tobacco chew.
Bottom Line:
Amazingly, you still see these around. Overall, I’d say this is a bottle you grab if you’re both a Buffalo Trace completist and a fan of unique oak aging vessels. Imagine a Buffalo Trace Bourbon that’s dialed a little more toward honey, orchard flowers, and winter spice than the average bottle.
This bourbon starts off as Penelope’s beloved and much-lauded four-grain bourbon. That whiskey is then re-barreled into Spanish Vino de Naranja casks from Valencia before small batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light sense of burnt orange and cinnamon toast on the nose that leads to a hint of cherry vanilla cream soda with chocolate chip cookies cut with orange zest.
Palate: That orange zest turns into chunky orange marmalade on the palate over buttery southern biscuits, woody mulled wine spices, wet brown sugar, and oily vanilla pods.
Finish: The end has a nice bitterness to it tied to the orange rinds and seeds with a hint of orange blossom next to salted dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect bottle to have around for old fashioneds. The orange note draws a straight line to the orange oils your express over that drink, creating a nice symbiotic vibe to the whole drink. That makes this the ultimate whiskey to grab if you’re stirring up a lot of old fashioneds at home.
14. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years
Bib & Tucker is a classic example of what great blending can do with sourced whiskey. The Tennessee whiskey is a marriage of ten-year-old whiskeys aged in the lowest char barrels available, allowing more direct contact with dried wood rather than black char. Those barrels are blended and then proofed down with soft Tennessee water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of vanilla bean (pod, seeds, essence) up top with hints of spicy chewy tobacco, dry oak (almost pine), and a distant note of fresh corn husks.
Palate: The palate really holds onto that velvety vanilla as the corn husks dry out and notes of orange-infused dark chocolate mingle with that spicy tobacco, which starts buzzing on your tongue.
Finish: The end is longish, has touches of that dry pine, and holds onto both the vanilla and dried corn husks.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the good sippers and mixers section. I really like using Bib & Tucker with sour and other citrus-forward cocktails. It also works perfectly well over a glass of ice as a sipper on its own or paired with food.
13. Widow Jane Aged 10 Years A Blend Of Straight Bourbons
This is sourced from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee bourbons. The hand-selected barrels are sent to New York where they’re blended in small batches (no more than five barrels), proofed with New York limestone mine water, and bottled. What you’re paying for here is the exactness of a whiskey blender finding great barrels and knowing how to marry them to make something bigger and better.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Raw pancake batter opens this one with mulled red wine with plenty of spice and orange next to a vanilla pudding and light mint wax.
Palate: The taste has a mix of marzipan next to dark chocolate and real maple syrup.
Finish: The finish adds some cherry to that dark chocolate and layers in woody birch water on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and deep whiskey that hits some serious wintery whiskey vibes with all that spiciness and nuttiness. That said, this really works in a Manhattan any time of year or a nice slow digestif after a big meal, especially over a large ice cube.
12. Garrison Brothers HoneyDew Straight Bourbon Whiskey Infused with Honey
This is technically a “flavored” bourbon but it’s nothing like any other flavored bourbon you’ve ever had. This is Garrison’s Small Batch Bourbon, infused with Burleson’s Texas Wildflower Honey. That means that the bourbon was transferred to a steel tank for storage. In the meantime, those empty barrels were rebuilt into smaller wooden cubes and dipped into the honey until they were completely honey-laden. Those cubes were then put into the steel vats of bourbon to infuse the whiskey over seven long months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with clear bourbon notes that worn leather, dry straw, and apple next to elderflower, ripe peaches and apricots, and a touch of raw honey.
Palate: That honey note creates a bridge to the palate which is full of wildflowers, orange oils, cinnamon buns with a little pecan, and a final honey drizzle that’s almost creamy.
Finish: The finish is a balance between the rich honey vibes and the clear sense of bourbon with cinnamon spice, dry pecans, and orange oils all slowly soaking into a pot full of honey.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect whiskey for a citrus-forward cocktail like a sour, smash, or Gold Rush. That honey vibe really works wonders with bright citrus in a cocktail.
11. Laws Whiskey House Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bonded
A.D. Laws out in Colorado is renowned for its award-winning four-grain bourbons. The whiskey is made from 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley. That hot juice is then aged for over six years before it’s batched and cut down to 100 proof per bonded whiskey laws.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This feels more crafty on the nose with a balance between bitter black tea that’s been cut with summery and floral honey as touches of cinnamon and orange pop in the background.
Palate: The orange and spice thicken and lean into an orange pound cake with a buttery and spicy streusel crumble as that black tea bitterness circles back to cut through all that butter, spice, and orange.
Finish: The end leans into the spice with more of a cinnamon candy vibe that leads towards a final dusting of dark cocoa.
Bottom Line:
This is damn good bourbon and where we really get into the good stuff. This is a great buy for anyone looking for something local but classic and crafty. There’s a clear sense of those sweet grains that lead to a deeply familiar and delicious bourbon-y depth. If you’re looking for something new yet feels vintage as a sipper, this is it.
This year’s first Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is hewn from Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye. That hot juice is loaded into charred American oak barrels and left to rest for 12 long years before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a classic nose that leans towards toasted chocolate beans, dried chili pepper flakes (and maybe even some fresh green chili), burnt vanilla pods, singed cherry bark, and old leather dipped in caramel.
Palate: Bold! The palate opens with a sense of sweet stick toffee pudding (dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, salted caramel sauce) before hitting a high note on the ABVs with a spicy heat that’s immediately countered by a rich cherry syrup and caramel sauce.
Finish: Another wave of heat arrives late and ushers in a light sense of old oak staves and cinnamon bark with a mild sense of apple tobacco and maybe some cedar kindling with a fleeting sense of leather and cherry stems.
Bottom Line:
This has really grown on me as a quintessential bourbon sipper this year. This is deep, bold, and nuanced Kentucky bourbon at its best (at this price point) and worth adding to any bar cart. Give it a shot to see what all the fuss is about. It’ll be worth every penny.
9. Filibuster Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
This Virginia whiskey is a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from locally-grown grains — 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley — and local spring water in the Shenandoah Valley. After five years of mellowing in Appalachia, a small bundle of barrels are batched and proofed to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a waft of old porch wicker next to floral honey, burnt orange, black tea leaves, and a classic sense of woody cherry and vanilla.
Palate: The palate creams the honey while adding in soft oak and cherry pie filling with a hint of vanilla malt next to mulled wine spices — heavy with star anise, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a pinch of mace or cardamom.
Finish: The end has a dark chocolate-covered espresso bean vibe that leads to a mild dried cranberry note next to a strawberry-rhubarb-walnut crumble with a scoop of vanilla malted ice cream that finished back at the old porch wicker braided with dark cherry tobacco and dry cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’s a nice surprise. Of course, Virginia has good bourbon but this is really good. It’s deep and deeply interesting. If you’re looking for a great and classic bourbon from outside of Kentucky, then this is the play.
8. Blue Run Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Reflection
This whiskey was distilled at Castle & Key back in 2018. 200 of those barrels were hand-picked for this release to take a look back at the past two years of Blue Run and “reflect” upon the trials they brought and the successes they’ve had in making tasty whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a distinct note of tart yet slightly sweet cherry on the nose with a supporting cast of butterscotch candies, mild firewood, and a hint of pancake batter.
Palate: That batter becomes a stack of pancakes with vanilla-laced butter, maple syrup, and a few nuts thrown in that lead to a herb garden full of rosemary bushes.
Finish: That savory note mellows out through the mid-palate as a dusting of nutmeg rounds out the finish with hints of woody maple syrup and a final echo of that tart cherry.
Bottom Line:
This is a new bourbon with a fresh vibe and profile. This is the bottle you get when you want to be on the cutting edge of bourbon’s future but also want to drink really good whiskey.
7. Nashtucky Single Barrel Aged 6 Years Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a new label the famed Nashville Barrel Company. This whiskey is an MGP of Indiana classic high-rye bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) mash bill that spent six years aging in Tennessee before single-barrel bottling completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The fruity nose leans into Red Delicious apples and fresh pineapple cores with a hint of rum raisin, eggnog nutmeg, and a hint of dank cedar kindling.
Palate: The taste darkens with burnt orange peels and cinnamon toast with a buttery vibe next to real maple syrup and a touch of smoked chili pepper heat backing everything up.
Finish: The chili pepper buzzes on the palate as the finish leans into buttery cinnamon cream with a whisper of orange blossom and stewed peaches on the backend with plenty of winter spice.
Bottom Line:
This is an essential bottle to add to any collection of MGP greats. The unique barrel aging in Tennessee adds that little something extra to the whiskey that helps it pop as a slow sipper with true depth.
6. Peerless Double Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey from Kentucky Peerless is around five to six years old and comes from one barrel that lets the grains shine through before it goes into another barrel that lets the oak shine through. That final barrel is bottled at cask strength, as-is, allowing all that beautiful bourbon and oak aging to shine brightly.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a nose full of salted butter next to hints of very soft leather, light notes of vanilla bean, a touch of toffee sweetness, and freshly cracked walnuts with a dry edge.
Palate: The taste leans into that oak barrel with dashes of woody spices (think allspice berries, star anise, and cinnamon sticks), dry cherry tobacco leaves, salted caramel, and more of that super soft leather.
Finish: That leads towards a mid-palate of dark red fruits stewed in mulled wine spices and cut with a dollop of fresh honey before the (long) finish dries out towards an old wicker chair, a very distinct hint of a cellar funk, and a touch of dried mint.
Bottom Line:
This is the bottle you buy when you want both a great craft whiskey but also want a stone-cold killer classic bourbon profile. This is the ultimate deep and quintessential Kentucky bourbon sipper. There’s no crafty grain sweetness, only Kentucky bourbon spice, sweetness, and deliciousness.
5. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Pineau des Charentes Barrels
This whiskey from craft-distilling darling Starlight up in Indiana is a masterpiece of distilling and aging. The juice is made from a high-corn mash with a touch of rye and malted barley in the mix alongside local water. The hot spirit goes into new white oak Canton barrels for about four years before it is refilled into hand-picked Pineau des Charentes casks from France (that’s a light grape-forward fortified wine) for a final maturation.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft sense of sultanas soaked in brandy with an echo of an old cheese cellar oak beams, vanilla wafers with floral honey pressed between them, almond crescent cookies, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and orange and clove marmalade with a hint of savory scone.
Palate: The palate builds on the nose with layers of dark berry fruit leather, spiced holiday cakes with dates, allspice, and plenty of almond (and maybe some walnut) next to chestnut chutney cut with orange, pear, sultana, and a good dollop of winter spices with a hint of caramelized dark ale lurking underneath it all.
Finish: The end is a supple landing in softly spiced and dark fruity bourbon notes by way of a luxurious holiday cake soaked in brandy.
Bottom Line:
This is a great whiskey that you’d never in a million years think was from a tiny craft distillery in Southern Indiana. This feels like a big and bold swing from the biggest brands and can stand up next to them (and beat a lot of the biggest ones).
If you’re looking to really take your whiskey collection to the next level with a nice touch of insider cred, this is the bottle to buy right now.
4. Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a lush and creamy grit vibe with spicy cinnamon and clove next to pecans, maple syrup, singed cherry bark, and old lawn furniture with dead leaves strewn about.
Palate: The taste hits on a buttery toffee vibe with a dark and old leatheriness next to dark chocolate tobacco, dried ancho chili peppers, and more of that sharp woody cinnamon with a whisper of salted black licorice lurking in the background.
Finish: The end has a sense of salted caramel and cinnamon candy next to malted vanilla ice cream, huckleberry pie, and dark cherry tobacco rolled into an old leather pouch.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that 100% live up to the hype (and is still findable for the most part). This whiskey is the perfect storm of classic and delicious, which makes it a great sipper. It also makes it a must-have for any bourbon lover who’s really trying to get the good stuff from one of the biggest names in whiskey on their shelf.
This whiskey — a revival of a centuries-old dead brand — is from the new company founded by Heaven Hill’s Andrew Shapira with partners Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky, based around the Rare Character Whiskey shingle. The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from six barrels of six-year-old whiskey that’s expertly batched and bottled with just a touch of local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a beautiful sense of fresh orange blossom and nasturtiums on the nose with a lush honeycomb vibe next to stewed plums with hints of clove and allspice.
Palate: The palate is luxurious with a sense of salted caramel, cherry Dr. Pepper, and sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spice, salted toffee, orange zest, brandy butter, and black-tea-soaked dates.
Finish: The end has a sense of plum pudding with burnt sugars and orange tobacco kissed with anise and clove and rolled up with wild sage and cedar bark and wrapped in old leather pouches.
Bottom Line:
This is another insider cred brand that also happens to slap pretty damn hard. This is killer bourbon to sip on (or make a Manhattan with) that has a nostalgic vibe both in presentation and in the bottle’s whiskey. You feel the beauty of bourbon in this whiskey and start to understand how Kentucky bourbon became the gold standard for bourbon worldwide. This stuff is that good.
2. Heaven’s Door Aged 10 Years Decades Series No. 1 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a stellar expression from Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Tennessee whiskeys. The whiskey is a 10-year-old straight bourbon that was made in Tennessee but wasn’t charcoal filtered before or after aging (so it’s a more standard bourbon). The sourced barrels were blended and just proofed down before bottling without any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens strong on the nose with a mix of overripe pear, wintry spice, rich toffee, soft vanilla, and woody maple syrup.
Palate: The palate is luxurious and leans into buttery toffee and soft vanilla cream with layers of warming spices that lean toward a black Necco Wafer, moist marzipan, and old porch wicker.
Finish: That earthy note leads towards some soft powdered dark chocolate with an almost sour edge before worn garden leather gloves with a speck of sweet potting soil mixes with a stewed pear tobacco finish.
Bottom Line:
I mean, do I have to state the obvious? “If you’re a Bob Dylan fan” and all that? Seriously though, this whiskey is one of the best expressions Heaven’s Door has released. It’s seriously good whiskey that has a beautiful bottle that will look good on your bar cart. So if you’re even remotely a delicious bourbon fan who digs Dylan, this is a must-buy bottle.
1. Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength Batch# 034 A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
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.
Steve Bannon is supposed to be heading to jail sometime soon over a contempt of Congress charge. Until he does, he’s been very busy podcasting. His show, The War Room, airs an hour-long episode at least twice every day. Surprise surprise: Among political podcasts it’s reportedly the one with the most misinformation.
As per The New York Times, a study released Thursday by the Brookings Institution revealed its findings after downloading and transcribing 36,603 podcast episodes from 79 political talk shows. Of those, The War Room was the worst offender. It’s estimated that nearly 20 percent of the show features a false, misleading or unsubstantiated statement.
Was Bannon troubled by the report? Of course not. In an interview the grifter who’s been stiffing his lawyers called it a “badge of honor.”
The War Room is, predictably, far from the only offender. About 70 percent of the reviewed podcasts boasted at least one false or misleading claim. Some were worse than others. Coming in second place behind The War Room was The Charlie Kirk Show, hosted by the youngish MAGA twerp who sometimes goes on his show looking like crap. Bronze was a tie between The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show and The Rush Limbaugh Show, which was included in the report despite its host having passed away in 2021.
One of the analysts for the Brookings report admitted that sometimes falsehoods and misleading data can slip out during these podcasts due to their conversational manner. She added, But what does stand out, particularly for a show like Bannon’s War Room and a few others, is just how frequently this type of content appears.” In other words, Bannon keeps inviting on guests who are going to spew nonsense — that is, when he’s not doing it himself.
Rina Sawayama’s Hold The Girl Tour hit Europe this month. She’s touring in support of her sophomore album by the same name, which Uproxx called a “deeply introspective record, repacking therapeutic breakthroughs about healing her inner child and re-parenting herself with the type of grace her own parents weren’t allowed.”
According to one fan, Sawayama has used her “XS” chorus to bust out fun, attitudinal choreography. In Brussels on Valentine’s Day, she rolled her eyes. The following day in Paris, she did NewJeans’ “OMG” choreo. And on Saturday, February 18, Sawayama treated her fans in Milan to M3GAN’s dance.
See them all below:
rina sawayama doing different things/choreos during the second chorus of xs on tour – a very important thread
Imagine what dance routine will permeate once the M3GAN sequel, currently billed at M3GAN 2.0, arrives in 2025.
In the more immediate future, Sawayama is set to hit Utrecht in The Netherlands on Tuesday, February 21, Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, February 23 and Berlin on Friday, February 24. See all of her remaining European dates below.
Last fall, the world saw a nice little Back to the Future reunion. It happened at New York Comic Con in October, and it was pretty small: just stars Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Cut about six months later and there was a slightly bigger reunion.
At this weekend’s Fan Expo Portland, Fox and Lloyd met back up, but this time they had two more Back to the Future alumni: Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson. Thompson, of course, played the mother of Fox’s Marty McFly, who unwittingly tries to seduce her future son, while Wilson was the bully baddie Biff.
Thompson posted pictures and even two videos of the four of them on her Instagram. “Wow, honestly had the best time today with my #bttf family,” Thompson wrote in the caption. “So many fun fan moments too and a llama.”
One of the videos found Thompson asking Wilson, “I’m a butthead, right?”, referring to Biff’s favorite taunt.
Fox and Lloyd have reunited a number of times over the years, even reprising their characters on late night TV. That said, don’t be expecting a proper Back to the Future reboot or revival any time soon: Robert Zemeckis owns the rights and he has been adamant about not letting anyone touch his beloved franchise, which saw two sequels shot back-to-back. But at least you still have the Justin Roiland-less Rick and Morty.
It’s been a year and change since Lil Nas X dropped his debut album, Montero, in late 2021. As for how his sophomore effort is coming along, the rapper decided to open up about that on Twitter today (February 20), answering his followers’ questions about the upcoming project.
A fan asked when the rapper’s next album is coming and he responded, “most likely summer.” Somebody else wondered if the album has any features and Nas was more coy there, replying, “ooooooh.” Another Twitter user asked, “how many tracks confirmed,” and he responded, “idk i love so many songs plus i’m still in the studio making music so it’s gone be hard to pick.”
In response to another tweet, he explained, “it’s mostly planning now. i could easily just release music but i have to build moments around this sh*t. i have to go bigger than before!” Someone asked if he plans to drop a new single soon and he replied, “is tour soon?”
it’s mostly planning now. i could easily just release music but i have to build moments around this shit. i have to go bigger than before!
Elsewhere, when it comes to “sad songs,” Nas noted, “i didn’t make many of those i been too happy lately.” He also confirmed that his leaked song “Down Souf Hoes” is currently still set to be on the upcoming album.
i didn’t make many of those i been too happy lately
Fan-captured video of the concert shows Styles coyly taking off his Adidas shoe and filling it up with some alcoholic beverage before returning to the microphone and (accurately) proclaiming, “This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever [heard of].” Nonetheless, Styles chugged out of his shoe.
“I feel like a different person,” he joked after slipping his shoe back on. “I feel ashamed of myself. It feels so personal! Such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people! […] I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length. At length!”
Maybe Styles will call Post Malone to commiserate. Posty’s shoey came earlier this month during a performance in Sydney, Australia, where he was serving as the supporting act to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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3X GRAMMY WINNER HARRY STYLES (@blueblrdhoneyy)