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After nearly two years in a gridlocked pandemic, this year in music was all about paying homage to nostalgic acts. Pop icon Britney Spears made her triumphant return to music, as did Backstreet Boys. While rock band Blink-182 plans to make their return next year, No Doubt plans to do the same. Musicians weren’t the only ones feeling the throwback energy in the air. According to Billboard, consumers of music felt the same opting for vinyl album purchases in mass this year.

Data and insight company, Luminate, revealed that last week (ending on December 15) was the third-largest week for vinyl sales since 1991 — well that’s when the company began tracking the metrics. Of the albums released on vinyl this year, the company reported, A Charlie Brown Christmas, sold a total of 469,000 pieces of vinyl. Overall, this year’s official vinyl album sales total $39.659 million dollars (or 1.521 million units), a 3.5% increase since last year.

This is quite normal for the 1965 animated TV special, as the document outlines, A Charlie Brown Christmas is consistently among the top-selling holiday album on vinyl annually domestically. Other albums at the top album sales chart include Taylor Swift’s Midnights which currently sits at No. 1 for the eighth consecutive week (a record previously held by Adele’s 30) and Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak at No. 4.

But not all old music technology is being embraced. CD albums sale fell for the second consecutive year. The data should CD album sales only accounted for $33.822 million, which is down 11.3% compared to a year ago.

Yesterday, December 22, Mac DeMarco shared a glimmering cover of “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” to get into the holiday spirit. Now V from BTS is doing the same.

V’s cover is much fuller and more extravagant than DeMarco’s more minimalist take on the song. The rendition brims with charm; it’s the perfect carol for BTS fans. It’s definitely a gift for them, which they’ve been getting a lot of lately, considering fellow BTS member RM just recently released his debut solo album The Indigo, which had features from Anderson .Paak, Erykah Badu, and other notable artists.

Earlier this year, V made headlines for a weird reason. The group’s label HYBE attempted to trademark and obtain the rights to the term “Borahae,” but it was actually made by V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung. Their attempt was rejected by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). KIPO stated HYBE Corporation “applied for trademark rights even though they know that it is a trademark used by V.” Denying the trademark application was done in “the principles of good faith” knowing “HYBE is not V” and the music company has “a partnership and employer-employee relationship with Kim Tae Hyung.”

Listen to V’s rendition of “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” below.

Mike Bahía is embracing the sounds of his hometown Cali, Colombia in his new single “De Qué Manera.” In the retro music video that was released today (December 23), the Colombian singer-songwriter plays a salsa music singer.

Bahía is most known for winning Best New Artist at the 2020 Latin Grammy Awards. Since then, he has amassed global hits like “La Falta” alongside Mexican singer Carin León and “Esta Noche” with his fiancée, fellow Colombian singer Greeicy.

Cali is known as the salsa capital of the world. Many of the best salsa music dancers in the world have come from that city. For “De Qué Manera,” Bahía wanted to tap into the music that’s popular in his hometown. He worked on the sultry love song with Colombian hit-maker Keityn, who is behind hits for Shakira, J Balvin, and Maluma. Bahía also worked in a sample of the salsa music classic “Ya No Es Igual” by Colombian group Two Flow.

“I’m from Cali and I’ve wanted to put out a salsa song for a long time because it’s the music I grew up listening to and I’ve managed to incorporate it into some live songs during my recent concert tours,” Bahía said in a statement. “Many people think that I’m from some other city in Colombia, but I come from Cali, the salsa capital of the world, where salsa is lived and breathed everywhere you go.”

In the “De Qué Manera” video, Bahía dials it back to the eighties. Many happy couples are dancing to his song as he serenades them in a club. In February, Bahía will tour the US with Greeicy. The couple, who became parents to their son Kai earlier this year, will embark on the Amantes Tour: Kai in 2023.

Watch the video above and find the tour dates below.

02/23/2023 — New York, NY @ Colden Auditorium
02/24/2023 — Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
02/25/2023 — Miami, FL @ James L. Knight Center
02/26/2023 — Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Hall
03/02/2023 — Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
03/03/2023 — Houston, TX @ Arena Theatre
03/04/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Copernicus Center
03/05/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

Although whiskey and wine generally get all of the holiday attention, industry professionals and savvy booze consumers know that this holiday, it’s amaro that’s on everyone’s brains. These unique Italian herbal liqueurs are produced by infusing neutral grape spirit with a variety of herbs, spices, roots, and barks. While generally synonymous with post-dinner consumption, the enjoyment factor of these “digestivi” go far beyond the end of a long meal.

“Amaros belong to a very long tradition of beverages enjoyed during festivities,” explains Valentino Longo, brand ambassador of the Italian Trade Agency Spirits Campaign. Longo notes that amaro can vary in flavors depending on where they come from—stating that oftentimes, amaro from the north of Italy tend to be richer and deeper, whereas those from the south often err on the lighter and more fruity side of things—and the producer at hand. And while they’re relatively “new” in the US, these herbal liqueurs are definitely very common in Italy.

Izzy Tulloch, head bartender at Milady’s, notes that in addition to enjoying amaro during holiday gatherings, these unique bottles of booze make for excellent (and unique) gifts.

“Chances are, people are going to get quite a few bottles of whiskey and wine for the holidays—and while there’s no such thing as having too much of either of those, why not add a little variety?” she ponders, stating that thanks to the vast number of amaro brands out there, you can most definitely find something for everyone. Not sure where to begin? Here are five go-to picks for gifting and gathering alike.

Amaro Sibilla (Marche, Italy)

Crafted in the Marche region of Italy, Amaro Sibilla is the brainchild of Italian herbalist Girolamo Varnelli. Today, over 150 years later, the liqueur is still crafted at the Varnelli distillery in Pievebovigliana using a local concoction of herbs and barks, which are prepared over fire and sweetened with honey. On the palate, flavors of birch, crushed nuts, and dark spices jump from this complex and refreshing amaro. Fun fact: Sibilla gets its name from the nearby mountains from which the botanicals used in this amaro hail.

Longo notes that because amaro is such a unique product, that each bottle is completely different from the other, which makes it nice to try a variety of bottles from different producers. “For an Italian, amaro f is part of the culture, like bread, olive oil, or coffee – you can’t miss it,” he says, stating that the more you try, the more likely you are to find the perfect fit for your preferences. “There is truly an amaro for every palate,” he affirms.

Braulio Amaro (Lombardy, Italy)

Hailing from the Valtellina area of Lombardy, Braulio is an Alpine-influenced amaro with over 145 years of history. Today, the same processes as those used in the early days of production are still implemented – most notably, a minimum of two years of aging in oak barrels to allow all of the botanicals to breathe and mesh properly prior to bottling. This herbal amaro is packed with cooling flavors of clove, bark, and dried herbs.

For Tulloch, amaro is simply a necessity. “I’d argue that no table is complete without amaro,” she affirms. “As soon as the savory food is cleared and the coffee starts to brew, I reach for an amaro. It’s the perfect dessert pairing, it helps you digest, and it’s delicious.”

Averna Amaro (Sicily, Italy)

For a full-bodied, more citrus-forward amaro, look no further than Averna. Produced in the heart of Sicily, this authentic amaro’s island roots date back to 1868, and today still uses the same ancient recipe crafted over 150 years ago. Expect flavors of orange, sage, and juniper to mingle on the palate and lead to a gentian-and-anise-tinged finish.

Although generally enjoyed as a digestivo, Tulloch also reveals to enjoy amaro prior to the main course. “I love amaro at the beginning of a meal too, with some club soda and a lemon,” she says. However, the true power of the liqueur lies at the end of the meal. “However, nothing beats amaro after dinner,” she says. “There’s plenty of variety in the market, from less bitter and herbaceous to the really potent, so there’s something for every palate.”

Amaro Montenegro (Bologna, Italy)

Sipping Amaro Montenegro is like enjoying a taste of royalty—quite literally, in fact. First crafted in Bologna, this Italian bitter liqueur was created by Stanislao Cobianchi in 1895 and was named for the Princess Elena of Montenegro, who at the time, was destined to marry into the royal family of Italy. The original recipe calls for 40 different botanicals, including orange peels, balsamic, coriander, and vanilla. On the palate, this historic amaro is definitely the most floral of the bunch listed here—and if you have a thing for bright citrus or rose petals, this one’s definitely for you. To add a burst of life to this flavor-packed sipper, simply add a splash of sparkling water with a lemon twist and serve over ice.

Meletti Amaro (Marche, Italy)

Who says you can’t have your dessert and drink it, too? Meletti’s chocolate and caramel-inspired notes promise to satisfy those looking to pair a more approachable amaro with their end-of-meal treats. Sweeter than the other amari listed above, this easy-to-sip liqueur jumps with flavors of cinnamon, caramel, and clove, with floral-driven flavors leading to a long-lasting finish.

In true Italian fashion, Longo believes that amaro is the best way to finish a lunch or dinner, with a good cup of coffee on the side. “As part of working as a really good digestivo, they also keep the conversations alive on the table, as well as keep your guests a few more minutes before leaving,” he says. “Amaro has to be enjoyed with friends and families, and a good amount of laughter.”

Netflix was the streamer that started it all. Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Disney+, Shudder — they’d be nowhere without the company that started as a rent-by-mail DVD service. Nowadays, they’re not doing so hot. Reckless spending and fleeing subscribers have put the company in jeopardy, making them desperate. They’ve already created a cheaper ad-supported version, hoping to lure some folks back. Now they’re looking to do something they’ve long threatened.

A new report by The Wall Street Journal claims that Netflix brass are planning to put the kibosh on password sharing, in which one subscriber gives their login info to family and/or friends. It’s not an uncommon practice among their clientele. Indeed, the report says it will affect 100 million viewers, which is a lot of shared passwords. What’s more, the end of the good old days is coming awfully soon: The plan is reportedly coming into effect in early 2023.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos knows this won’t be popular. “Make no mistake, I don’t think consumers are going to love it right out of the gate,” he told investors earlier this month. And it is a gamble: Instead of throwing up their hands and signing up for their own subscription so they can keep streaming Seinfeld, many may simply bid adieu, turning to another streamer that doesn’t have such a draconian rule. Sure enough, when this plan goes into effect (if it does at all), it will make Netflix the only platform to restrict password sharing. Maybe they’ll have to give the next Knives Out sequel an actual theatrical run, just to keep the lights on.

(Via WSJ)

Is expensive whiskey ever worth it?

I mean … that’s a loaded question. If you’re an investor, then yes. Whiskey is a better investment right now than cars or art — any of it. If you’re looking for a good whiskey to drink, then the answer is a lot closer to “no” — but not never. Astronomically priced whiskeys bottles are often the best of the best and the rarest of the rare. That means that they’re usually delicious (the irony being most people will never get to taste any of them, ever). But if you do get to drink them… well, it’s a moment.

To really end the year with a bang, I grabbed some of the most expensive bottles from my shelf and put them to a big ol’ holiday blind taste test. $52,465. That’s how much these 10 bottles will cost if you buy them in retail right now. That’s patently absurd. The cheapest bottle on this list is $500. You could easily buy 10 $50 bottles of really good bourbon for that one bottle alone. There’s no question of that. But this is about more than just “really good” anything.

This is about finding something truly special. Our star-studded lineup today is:

• Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition 19-Year-Old
• A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2
• Yamazaki Mizunara Japense Single Malt 2022 Edition
• George T. Stagg Uncut/Unfiltered BTAC 2022
• The Balvenie The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years
• Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail
• Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon 20 Years Old
• Talisker Forests of the Deep Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 44 Years
• Mortlach Midnight Malt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged for 30 Years
• FUJI Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Aged 30 Years

When it comes to ranking these bottles, I’m going on taste alone. There’s no sense looking at anything else. All of these whiskeys — from regions all over — are all some of the best of the best from their brands. We already know they taste great. But which one is truly the most embracing and delicious? Let’s find out!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 30 Best Bourbon Whiskeys For Fall, Blind Tasted & Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Deep leather, oily vanilla pods, dark chocolate-covered cherries dusted with salt and nutmeg, and a mild sense of really fancy Almond Joy with this faintest whisper of singed marshmallow and smoldering apple wood.

Palate: Woody spices with black licorice and spearmint candy blend into mint chocolate chip ice cream and root beer spiked with cherry syrup topped with creamy vanilla and dusted with cinnamon, clove, and dark cacao powder.

Finish: The end has a long and supple sense of those woody spices before delivering into soft Black Forest cake with a brandied cherry vibe and a hint of star anise-infused apple-berry cider.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.

Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamed soft nut butter, vanilla cake, and apple cider spiked with spiced cherry tobacco.

Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of winter spice that meanders from woody cinnamon bark toward cloves, allspice, anise, cardamon, and even some soft nutmeg before light yet. creamy vanilla custard leads to a thin whisper of sandalwood and lavender.

Palate: The palate hints at agarwood with a dash of old potpourri next to sweet cinnamon and allspice in a slightly sour mulled wine with a bit of brown sugar lurking in the background.

Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spices with a bit more floral incense burning beneath it all.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Your nose is met with buttery pecan waffles loaded with dark salted chocolate chips and dripping with maple syrup that feels expensive next to darkly roasted espresso beans, singed vanilla husks, and dried sour cherries next to a medley of holiday spices.

Palate: The palate leans into those spices with a clear sense of sharp cinnamon, old clove buds, allspice berries, and whole nutmeg bulbs next to a hint of star anise and maybe some cardamom before that darkly roasted coffee jumps back in with a deeply stewed cherry in a dark treacle syrup before the ABVs buzz hard on the mid-palate.

Finish: The end amps up the woodiness with the spices and adds in a sense of old cedar bark, dark chocolate nibs, and a cherry-tobacco buzziness.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a classic sense of old and sweet malts on the nose that leads you to sweet and floral perfume that’s so subtle and enticing before a hint of sticky toffee pudding and geranium bound toward old mint rolled into chocolate malts.

Palate: The palate has a soft and salted toffee with honey nut cluster dusted with light notes of sweet winter spice and floral orchard blossoms before a hint more of honey and sweet old oak arrives.

Finish: That sweet oak drives the finish toward nutty creaminess, old orchard wood, and a sense of soft summer flowers with a hint of malt cookies cut with raisin and cinnamon.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of tart red currants and old red wine barrels with a sharp grapefruit pith balancing things out before spearmint and raspberry jam lean the nose toward creamy and sour espresso with a hint of root beer cut with cherry syrup.

Palate: The palate leans into orange and lime leaves with a twinge of strawberry and rhubarb next to sage, mint, and parsley tied up with pine resin burned to toast marshmallows.

Finish: The end has a ginger vibe with a touch of spicy rum, cran-apple cider, wet wicker, old boots, and grilled pineapple drizzled with rummy toffee.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A sense of dark cherry with deep rummy molasses, dried rose petals, old almond shells, and cedar bark mingle with a fresh pipe tobacco leaf just kissed with apple and pear essence with a hint of vanilla oils and old wintry wine spices.

Palate: The taste leans into smoldering vanilla pods with a sense of old oak staves from a dusty old cellar next to sweet cinnamon and cherry over dried sage and sharp spearmint with a clove syrup base and a dash of toasted marshmallow sweetness.

Finish: The end is full of dark cherry and woody spice with moist marzipan, burnt orange oils, and chewy fresh tobacco wrapped up in old leather and cedar bark with a hint more of that old cellar sneaking in.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of classic fruit orchards with a hint of blossom next to briny smokiness from a distance that slowly fades in toasted seaweed salad tossed with roasted sesame seeds and chili oil with a fleeting sense of mild soy sauce lurking way in the background.

Palate: The taste leans into orange zest and maybe even lime leaves with a twinge of old and sweet oak before a twinge of soft rope dipped in seawater leads to a thin line of a beach campfire surrounds by grey stones and spitting rain.

Finish: A mild note of chili pepper arrives late with a mild waxiness tied to chocolate, plum, and pear with a final flourish of a fruit orchard in full bloom.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a lovely hint of malt dipped in honey with a touch of apple stewed with cinnamon and saffron that leads to roasted pork skin and fat cut with a sense of rosemary and singed sage before a honeyed oaked sweetness arrives again

Palate: The taste is like a creamy, apple-forward, malty lush elixir cut with hints of black pepper, burnt orange, and marzipan that leads to a sense of honey-soaked cinnamon sticks floating in apple cider.

Finish: There’s another rush of that black pepper late that leads to woody apple cores and wintry barks that eventually fade towards a mildly spiced apple-cinnamon tobacco leaf packing into an old cedar box.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is full of marzipan and nutty berry cobbler with a hint of orchard fruits, mulled wine, dark chocolate touched with very light spice, and a sweet and soft brown sugar vibe.

Palate: The palate opens with an old honey pot next to dark nut clusters with a pecan/dark chocolate/raisin vibe over malted cookies dipped in black currant compote and dusted with soft and powdery white pepper.

Finish: The end is lush and silky with a slight sense of wet reeds and cedar bark braided with faint tobacco kissed with dried red berries and soft toffee.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2 — Taste 2

ABV: 72.25%

Average Price: Lottery Only

The Whiskey:

This new batch from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on last year’s bold ABV release. This year, Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.

Bottom Line:

This was so hot it burnt. That’s the point as it’s a hazmat whiskey. Still, wow, it’s a lot. That said, there’s a well-balanced and deep flavor profile under all that heat, you just need a firehose of ice to find it.

Also worth noting, these tend to top $3,000 easily once they hit the aftermarket — but will only cost $99 via the lottery.

9. George T. Stagg Uncut/Unfiltered BTAC 2022 — Taste 4

ABV: 69.35%

Average Price: $2,999

The Whiskey:

This year’s return of the Stagg is hewn from whiskey distilled all the way back in 2007 with Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and North Dakota barley. The juice was filled into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds). Those barrels were then stored in the famed Warehouse K on the first and fifth floors over 15 years, wherein 75% of the liquid was lost to the angels. Finally, the barrels were batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was too hot too. Again, there’s a perfectly well-hewn flavor profile underneath all of that heat, you’ll just need some serious proofing in the glass to get there.

8. FUJI Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Aged 30 Years — Taste 10

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $4,190

The Whisky:

This whisky is made just seven miles from the base of Mt Fuji. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of whiskies made in a “Canadian grain whisky style.” The whiskies for this release were aged in used American oak for at least 30 years with some of the barrels in the blend hitting 40 years old. Then Master Blender Jota Tanaka selects the barrels that hit the exact right notes and meticulously blends this whisky with a touch of local mountain spring water.

Bottom Line:

This was really, really good. The only reason it’s a little lower is that it had the weakest finish of all of these pours. That said, I didn’t need a fire extinguisher on my tongue after I took a sip, so there’s that.

7. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition 19-Year-Old — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $1,299

The Whiskey:

The latest decanter release from Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond series was made back in September 2003. Those barrels rested on three floors of rickhouse F and one floor of rickhouse X on the main Heaven Hill campus until October of 2023. They were then batched and proofed down to 100-proof for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty much a perfect bourbon. And it’s ranked seventh today. That’s kind of crazy.

6. Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail — Taste 6

ABV: 70.09%

Average Price: $499

The Whiskey:

This ultimate edition of Barrell Craft Spirit’s beloved Dovetail Whiskey feels genre-defining. The whiskey in the blend is made from Indiana, Tennesee, and Canadian whiskeys that are up to 25 years old that were finished in rum, port, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet wine barrels. Finally, those barrels are batched and bottled 100% as-is in Kentucky.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those whiskeys that just keep going, making it so much fun to return to over and over again. Still, that could be conveyed as meandering and not as concise as some of the next whiskeys ranked below. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still delicious.

5. Mortlach Midnight Malt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged for 30 Years — Taste 9

ABV: 49.1%

Average Price: $4,799

The Whiskey:

This is 30-year-old Mortlach from a couple of barrels that actually made it that long without drying out or becoming undrinkable — it’s kind of a miracle in that sense. The vatted whisky was finished in a trio of barrels — Bordeaux wine, Calvados, and Guatemalan rum — before bottling completely as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is a super rare Mortlach that also happens to have a once-in-a-lifetime finishing. Add in that there are only 350 bottles of this in the world, and you have something to cherish for life. If you’re looking for a slow sipper, it’s also amazing. As you sip it, it feels your soul with joy and then a little moment of sadness knowing that you’re drinking something we’ll never see again.

4. The Balvenie The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $18,799

The Whiskey:

This whisky was named after a famed whisky thief — or “dog” — that was flattened to stop too much whisky being thieved back in the day. The actual whisky in the bottle is from two casks that were put on the racks in 1974 and 1978 and left alone.

Bottom Line:

Two casks from the 1970s (!) were married to create this one-of-a-kind whisky. And while the price is colossal, this is a stunning pour of whisky that everyone should try once in their lifetime.

3. Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon 20 Years Old — Taste 7

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $4,989

The Whiskey:

Master Distiller Dan McKee personally selects these (at least) 20-year-old barrels from the Michter’s rickhouses based on… I guess just “pure excellence” would be the right phrase. The bourbon is bottled as-is — no cutting with water.

Bottom Line:

This is a perfect bourbon.

2. Talisker Forests of the Deep Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 44 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 54.6%

Average Price: $4,892

The Whiskey:

This is one of the more unique Taliskers to hit shelves. The 40-plus-year-old juice is made finished in casks made with staves that were charred with Scottish sea kelp and stave wood shavings. The staves are then used to finish the whiskey before it’s vatted and bottled 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

Only 1,997 bottles were made this year and only 102 made it to the U.S. It’s worth tracking down one of those 102 if you can. This is a one-of-a-kind Talisker that’ll take your love of the brand even deeper thanks to a phenomenal whisky with an extraordinary finish.

1. Yamazaki Mizunara Japense Single Malt 2022 Edition — Taste 3

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $6,999

The Whisky:

This is one of the most sought-after whiskies from Yamazaki. The juice spends over 12 years maturing in Mizunara casks only — this isn’t some whisky that’s “finished” in old Mizurana casks for a few months. After over a decade of mellowing, the casks are hand-picked for their excellence, vatted, and just proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This whisky is so freaking good. It’s just excellent.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Yes, all of these are superior whiskies both in price and flavor profile. Ranking them is kind of stupid when you take a step back. How to rank perfection next to perfection? Alas, I did my best and here we are.

One thing we can take away from this exercise is that the most expensive bottle doesn’t always mean the best though. That’s something. Right? Right?!

There were rumors for years that Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and recently, Sherman has started to make clear that he had some issues with special treatment Wilson received while the two were members of the Seattle Seahawks. Earlier this season, a Thursday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts sparked a rant from Sherman where he openly begged Wilson to “learn from your mistakes.”

After Thursday night’s game between the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the TNF crew decided to exchange some holiday gifts with one another. Because it was a television segment, the goal was to make people laugh, which included Sherman getting a Richard Sherman doll. There was, however, one catch: When Sherman squeezed it, the doll made a noise, as it was a recording of Wilson saying “Broncos country, let’s ride.”

This is, very easily, the best gift from the segment, although Taylor Rooks getting a Rolodex and Michael Smith getting an autographed picture from Eli Manning — who he once beat when they were both high school quarterbacks — are both very, very good. There is no word on whether or not Wilson will get some kind of a gift that gets a joke off at Sherman’s expense during the holidays.

There’s another new class of incoming GOP representatives. Will there be any nonstop nuisances like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert? Remains to be seen. But one of them has stuck out because he, well, appears to have lied about almost everything in his background. His name is George Santos, and he’s set to represent NYC’s 3rd District, comprising northwest Queens and northern Long Island. Santos initially responded to the accusations by misattributing a quote to Winston Churchill. But now he’s vowing to explain why he may have fibbed his way into Congress.

“To the people of #NY03,” Santos tweeted on Thursday. “I have my story to tell and it will be told next week. I want to assure everyone that I will address your questions and that I remain committed to deliver the results I campaigned on; Public safety, Inflation, Education & more.”

Republicans lying is nothing new; one of the most serial fibbers even spent four years in the White House. But Santos’ alleged fabrications are legion. A New York Times exposé claimed he’d not told the truth about his past employment, his debts, his personal life, and more. He allegedly lives just outside the boundaries of the district he will soon represent. He seems to have misled people about his Jewish heritage. And despite being a first — he’s the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to Congress, to say nothing about being a gay Republican (at a time when the GOP is at war with the LGBTQIA+ community) — he apparently was once married to a woman, which he failed to mention.

Anyway, this ought to be some press conference.

(Via Raw Story)

Dark rum and the holidays just go together. Grog, hot toddies, all the nogs, and so many rum-soaked cakes. The spicy dark spirit is a crucial ingredient in cooking all things nice this time of year. It’s also crucial for some great dark rum cocktails with a holiday twist.

The three rum cocktails I’m making below all have a holiday vibe, making them perfect for mixing at home over the next two weekends. Moreover, these are all pretty easy to master, even for a novice. All the ingredients are easily findable at a liquor and grocery store. And the most you’ll have to prep is to boil some water in a tea kettle for one of them.

Okay, let’s dive in and make some delicious dark rum cocktails for holiday sipping!

• Our ‘Perfect Whisky And Coke’ Recipe Uses The Last Brand You’d Expect
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Chocolate Rum Old Fashioned

Chocolate and spicy dark rum really go well together. Add that chocolate vibe into a dark rum old fashioned with a hit of orange oils and you’ve made a spicy and rummy dark chocolate orange in a glass. It’s delightful!

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. dark rum
• 1 barspoon brown sugar
• 1 barspoon soda water
• 4 dashes of chocolate bitters
• Orange peel
• Ice

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Mixing glass
• Cocktail strainer
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Peeler

Method:

• Add the brown sugar, soda water, and bitters to a mixing glass. Stir until a base starts to form and the sugar slightly dissolves.
• Add the rum and stir until the sugar nearly dissolves.
• Add a large handful of ice and stir until the mixing glass is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the cocktail into a pre-chilled glass over new ice (preferably a large cube). Express orange oils over the cocktail, rub the peel around the rim and body of the glass and drop the peel into the glass. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This is full of holiday vibes thanks to that orange chocolate flavor profile that’s amped up by rummy spice, mince pie vibes, and a sense of spiced holiday fruit cakes. This is the holidays in one rummy glass, folks!

Orange Daiquiri

The Daiquiri is a simple yet delicious summer concoction with sugar, fresh lime, and rum shaken over some ice. That’s it. You can add some serious depth and wintry vibes — like a tangerine in a stocking — with fresh orange juice and demerara sugar syrup (partially refined raw sugar). The crucial point is to express some lemon oils over the cocktail to bring a deeper sense of citrus and really help the final cocktail pop on the palate and senses.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. fresh orange juice
• 0.5 oz. demerara syrup
• Lemon Peel
• Ice

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, Nick and Nora, or cocktail glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Peeler
• Juicer

Method:

• Add the rum, juice, and syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a large handful of ice and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
• Strain the cocktail in a pre-chilled glass.
• Express lemon oils over the cocktail and discard the peel. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This would be great with just the orange juice and demerara sugar, but the lemon really takes it to the next level. There’s a deep citrus that’s darkened by the spicy and oaky rum that’s all amped up with those fresh lemon oils. It’s just delicious and a good way to use that tangerine in the toe of your stocking.

Hot Buttered Rum

There are few hot rum cocktails more indicative of the holidays than a hot buttered rum. The mix of butter, brown sugar, and winter spices with dark rum damn near screams holidays from the first sip to the last. And trust me, it’s not as hard to make as it sounds.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 drop of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and salt
• 4 oz. boiling water
• Cinnamon stick

What You’ll Need:

• Irish coffee mug
• Muddler
• Barspoon
• Jigger

Method:

• Wash the coffee mug out with boiling water and discard the water.
• Add the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and spices to the mug and muddle until a soft butter base forms.
• Top with rum and boiling water and stir until fully blended.
• Garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve.

Bottom Line:

You can basically set this up in the time it takes to boil the kettle for some water. It’s that easy. The reward is you get a sweet, spicy, and creamy hot cocktail that’ll warm you to your cocktails with a nice and spicy rummy base. It’s really the best of all worlds.

Pro tip: You can make the butter/spice/sugar base beforehand and store it in the fridge. Then you can scoop out spoons for each hot buttered rum you want to make and simply add the rum and boiling water to make this even faster than it already takes.

This post is being republished.

Watching Christmas movies may be my favorite pastime. Finding out that a new Hallmark, ABC Family, or Lifetime Christmas movie is now on Netflix is — no joke — what keeps me going. I love them so much. From the great ones like While You Were Sleeping to the multiple TV movies in which a woman gets trapped in a snow globe, there’s nothing like a cheesy, heartwarming, Christmas movie to really get you in the spirit of the season.

Today, we’re power ranking the Christmas foods in holiday movies — from grossest-looking to most delicious. Whether the dishes look high key disgusting or absolutely on point, you have to agree: None of these movies would be the same without their iconic food moments.

9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — Turkey

Poor Clark Griswold. The dude cannot catch a break. He tries so hard to make things perfect, and like any classic clown, he’s always going to fail miserably. Christmas is no exception.

This classic Christmas dinner scene presents us with the world’s driest turkey. It is so dry that dust literally shoots out when Clark cuts into it. Important note: The sound effect here of everyone chewing what sounds like gravel really makes the scene. It’s the most extreme version of our collective nightmare of overdoing the Christmas main course and ruining the holiday, and it’s almost enough to make you seriously consider just skipping the bird entirely — lest your Christmas dinner end up like the Griswold’s.

8. A Christmas Prince — “Appetizers”

A Christmas Prince is so, so bad. And despite what the internet is telling you, not really in a good way. It’s like watching all the light and hope that goes out of a child’s eyes right after they find out that there is no Santa Claus or…. have to watch A Christmas Prince. Truly bleak stuff. That being said, there are some unintentionally hilarious parts of this movie that we cannot get enough of. Most of all, the neon toothpicks in the “Christmas Jellied Meat” that is served at a fancy cocktail party.

Every part of this movie — from the drab costumes, to the stock footage, to these toothpicks seem to be stuff that was already lying around the director’s house. But pretending this was a purposeful choice, we want to know so much more about the royal Christmas party in which they purposely call aspic, ‘jellied meat’ in order to disgust guests. Are they in bankruptcy and can only afford one plate of appetizers and therefore wanted to make sure no one took one so it can appear like many appetizers are being passed around? It seems plausible, as we know that the entire staff is made of drifters who just wandered into a palace and became staff without so much as an ID check. They’re obviously pretty strapped for cash.

7.Elf — The Spaghetti

This is about as gross a holiday food as one could imagine (remember when we made it?). It’s spaghetti with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, and Pop-Tarts, and yet, it’s still more appetizing than the appetizers in A Christmas Prince — which is something we all should take a second to really reflect on. Seriously, why is a palace trying to upset their very important guests?

6. Scrooged — Tab and Vodka

This is some glorious product placement at work. As Bill Murray tries to drown his sorrows, he turns to the drink absolutely no one has ever made ever, a Tab and vodka. The modern equivalent would be a Diet Coke and vodka, and honestly, if you are making this drink and not 16 getting drunk for the first time in your friend’s parent’s basement while they’re out of town, you need to have a serious “come to Jesus moment” with yourself. Because that’s gross, and you need to learn how to make a real cocktail.

That being said, Bill Murray can make pretty much anything seem cool. And drinking is a solid way to get through the holidays. In a “Would you rather” scenario between drinking Vodka Tabs and being sober with our dysfunctional families, you can pull out the time machine, because Tab and vodka just became our best and only friend.

Does Tab still exist? I don’t know. If only there was an endless source of useless knowledge right at my fingers in which I could look it up! But, unfortunately, no such web of world wide information is out there. So I guess we’ll just have to wonder forever.

5. Polar Express — The Hot Chocolate

If you’re ever looking for a song that works equally well for a children’s movie as it does for a sketchy guy standing outside of a strip club trying to give you a flyer, then look no further than Polar Express’ “Hot Chocolate Song”! With the lyrics like, “Oooo we got it. Hot, hot, Say we got it. Hot, hot. Hey, we got it,” you’ll be tantalized by both the delicious, creamy chocolate floating across the screen and the thought of “Girls! Girls! Girls!” at a classy place right off the highway.

Hot chocolate is an amazing holiday treat, and we’d rank it much higher, but where are the marshmallows, man? Hot chocolate without marshmallows is a hollow imitation of true Christmas cheer. Like vodka without Tab.

4.A Christmas Story — Chinese Food

Ah, casual racism played for laughs just in time for the holidays! This scene has aged about as well as the Youtube comments for it. “I hate when this scene comes on because my politically correct sister always gets offended, even though she’s not Asian,” one delightful commenter tells us. Yes, how could anyone be upset about racism if it’s not directed at them?! Insanity.

Anyway, stereotypes aside, the joyful message of eating Chinese for Christmas cannot and should not be lost. Whether you don’t celebrate Christmas or just want to celebrate it in a public place where your drunken aunt feels less comfortable taking her top off and playing show tunes on the piano, going to a Chinese restaurant is a solid and downright delicious way to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

3. The Family Stone — Morton Family Breakfast Strata

In my opinion, every Christmas movie about a dysfunctional family should end in a cathartic chase with everyone on the floor and covered in cold, egg casserole. Actually, even if you take out the “Christmas movie” part, what I said still stands. IRL, what amounts to a good old fashioned food fight would probably make everyone have more fun during the holidays.

The Stone family may not get to eat this traditional Morton family breakfast together (unless they scraped it off the floor later), but I bet it’s really awesome. Meredith really seems to have her shit together, and while here she’s reduced to the trope of another uptight business lady who should stop being so frigid and being good at her job so a man will love her, I’ll take her cooking skills over most of those on this list.

Bet she can follow directions in a recipe, you know? And that’s why she’ll be alone forever.

2. Home Alone 2 — Limo Feast

When you were a kid, it somehow didn’t seem like Macaulay Culkin’s on-screen parents should be put in prison for negligence. You just thought, “Wow, they’re very absent-minded and constantly lose their son for days at a time!” Normal. Or if we didn’t think this was normal, at least we were too caught up in the fantasy to care. A pizza all to ourselves in the back of a limo like a fancy person? That seemed right up our alley. It also seemed to be at the height of ‘adulting’.

Unfortunately, I’ve yet to cruise NYC in a white limo while drinking coke out of a champagne glass since aging up, but I am confident once I hit it big with this article, I’ll be able to afford to. In the meantime, I look forward to the Home Alone gritty follow-up where Macaulay graduates out of foster care with only the clothes on his back and the emotional scars from his parents abandoning him and terrifying men actually trying to murder him when he was just a child.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Roast Beast

Ah the feast of the Whos! It’s the most delicious-looking dinner of all time (what is it about cartoon food that always makes it look so much better than real food?). And as the Grinch carves the roast beast, his heart filled with new joy and Christmas spirit, we have to wonder, what kind of beast is it? I mean if someone says they’re serving you “beast” for dinner, roasted or not, it’s a question you’re going to ask. If I had to guess, due to multiple national parks and monuments possibly disappearing in the new year, it’s something endangered. Mmmmm. Nothing tastier than eating the ‘last’ of something and knowing an entire species has been wiped out forever. The Trumps know what I’m talking about. They know.

Merry Christmas!