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Sure you might be busy this holiday season, but are you “Dave Grohl busy”? Last week, the Foo Fighters leader found time to join Billie Eilish on stage in Los Angeles for a song. Then yesterday, Grohl played Foo Fighters classics and a Nirvana rarity as part of an acoustic session for the Letters To Santa benefit. Meanwhile, his and producer Greg Kurstin’s The Hanukkah Sessions is in full swing, dropping a new performance on each of the eight nights of the Jewish holiday. Judd Apatow and Pink joined Grohl and Kurstin for the first two editions of the series this year and night three, features Kurstin’s bandmate in The Bird And The Bee, singer Inara George, taking the lead with Tenacious D’s Jack Black and Kyle Gass on backing vocals.

In the new clip taken from The Hanukkah Sessions live show at Los Angeles’ Largo at The Coronet venue, George, Grohl, Kurstin, Black, and Gass take on 10cc’s “The Things We Do For Love.” While we still have a dearth of Hanukkah songs within the holiday music spectrum, The Hanukkah Sessions is dedicated to songs by Jewish musicians.

“Once referred to as the ‘biggest Jewish band to come out of Britain,’ 10cc’s MOTs Godley, Crème and Gouldman recorded a ton of hits,” Grohl and Kurstin wrote in the video’s caption. Gass and Black provided high-pitched backing vocals to George’s lead in a delightful revue of the tune.

Watch Grohl, Kurstin, George, Black, and Gass perform “The Things We Do For Love” above.

Maggie Rogers surprised fans with a new live performance of “Different Kind Of World,” the closing track from her recent album, Surrender. Filmed in Paris through Blogothèque and director Hugo Jouxtel, the video opens with Rogers happily engaging with her friends at a dinner table. Eventually, she grabs her guitar to treat everyone to the song.

“It’s like an end-of-dinner prayer,” Rogers says in the video. “On the recording, there’s all this noise. So, everyone can do their own version of that.” She explains that her friends can tap on the table or do whatever while eventually explaining the vocal notes as a call-and-response. It works out wonderfully, as her friends add some gentle backing vocals to the uplifting song.

“I feel like thinking about the state of the world has always been a part of my record process. It’s because I am a part of the world,” she told NME about the song. “I don’t know how you go through the pandemic, or the election, or the amount of social change the last couple years, and not have it be a part of what you’re thinking in some way.”

Watch Rogers’ live performance of “Different Kind Of World” above.

Yes, the year is winding down. Not that long ago, that would have meant the bourbon release schedule was winding down too. That’s not so much the case anymore. The world of bourbon rests for no one these days, and that means there are tons of new bourbon releases hitting shelves as we count down the last moments of 2022.

All of this is to say that it’s time for one last “new bourbon blind taste test” before the calndar flips.

For this blind taste test, I’ve grabbed 12 bottles of new bourbon whiskey. These bottles have either just dropped (some mere days ago) or are new bottles that “officially” dropped a month or two ago but are only hitting shelves right now. Fortuna Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, for instance, was released back in September but only went wide this week on liquor store shelves outside of Kentucky.

That makes the lineup today the following bottles:

• Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• George Dickel Tennessee Whisky Reserve Cask Strength Aged 17 Years
• Parker’s Heritage Collection 16th Edition Double Barreled Blend Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Fortuna Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Rabbit Hole Raceking Cask Strength Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon
• Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Rum Barrels
• Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished with Toasted American and French Oak
• Booker’s 2022-04 “Pinkie’s Batch”
• Backbone Bourbon Anniversary Edition “Decade Down” Uncut Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2022 Batch
• Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey 2022 Holiday Blends
• Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Premium Whiskey Barrel No: 007
• Frey Ranch Malted Grain Series 100% Malted Corn Bourbon Whiskey

When it comes to the ranking of these bottles, I’m going on taste alone. Luckily, these were all stone-cold-killer bottles of bourbon. So even the “last place” bourbon whiskey is a goddamn fine pour of whiskey. That said, the space between each of these whiskeys is very small with the top half all being stellar. Long story short: it’s a good time to be a bourbon lover, folks.

Let’s dive in!

• 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:

The nose draws you in with a sense of light pepper next to bog notes of dark citrus, powdered cacao, and stewed peaches with classic bourbon vanilla, orchard fruit, and an oaky vibe. The palate is a mix of apricot jam cut with nutmeg and cinnamon next to a deep sense of bruised peaches, pear cores, and red berries with a mix of spiced peach tobacco wrapped around dry wicker and cedar bark. The end leans into the sweet and spiced stone fruit while the tobacco slowly fades through sweet caramel and vanilla buttercream toward a silky finish.

This is just really f*cking good.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Old oak-filled cellars and creamy vanilla mix with sourdough bread crusts and aged corn kernels, damp rye, and a sense of old vanilla wafers. The palate is full of winter spice and mulled wine with a focus on star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and a whisper of saffron with a burnt orange vibe. The end has a nuttiness that leads back to those old grain silos from the nose with vanilla wafer tobacco spiciness on the finish.

This was nice and tasted like a very old Tennessee whiskey.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sour leather sense next to salted toffee, almonds, and dark chocolate next to old sweet oak with caramel tobacco just kissed with dried chili and old dark cherry. The palate is bold with a sense of cinnamon bark, whole nutmeg, star anise, and allspice next to sweetgrass and cherry cream soda and plenty of ABV warmth. The end has a sense of salted black licorice and dried chili with a rummy plum pudding and tons of dried and brandy-soaked fruits that eventually become very creamy with a sense of brandy butter.

This is delicious.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Fresh orange blossom and nasturtiums mingle on the nose with honeycomb next to stewed plums with hints of clove and allspice. The palate is luxurious with a sense of salted caramel, cherry Dr. Pepper, and sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spice, dark orange zest, brandy butter, and black-tea-soaked dates. The end has a sense of plum pudding with burnt sugars and orange tobacco kissed with star anise and clove and rolled up with wild sage and cedar bark and wrapped in old leather pouches.

This is another excellent whiskey.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Dark chocolate-covered hazelnut, chili pepper, and orange with a maple syrup sweetness over cinnamon toast with a hint of sharp spearmint. The palate has a sense of that hazelnut tied to cinnamon bark and black cherry tobacco with a twinge of firewood bark resting in rich black dirt next to dry dark chocolate just flaked with salt. The end has a sense of old boot leather and cedar chocolate boxes just emptied and refilled with spiced cherry tobacco and eggnog-infused espresso beans.

Yeesh, what a run — another winner!

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sense of soft and sweet grains — think caramel drizzled over grits or Cream of Wheat — with toffee butterines, red berries, and ripe apricots next to tangerine and pear pie. The palate has a sense of deeply creamy caramel, apricot jam, marmalade, and vanilla white cake with a butterscotch frosting that gives way warm ABVs with a hint more of that sweet graininess cut with rum raisin. The end is full of soft and sweet spice and orchard wood barks next to molasses-kissed tobacco.

Yup, delicious.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Pecan dark chocolate nut clusters mix with burnt orange, spiced and sweet mulled wine, and rum-raisin with a touch of fresh cedar on the nose while a deep leatheriness draws you in. The palate has a sense of Nutella over scones with a Cherry Coke on the side while singed cedar and cherry bark mingle with clove-studded oranges and a dusting of freshly cracked black pepper. The end has a nice spicy warmth and a touch more of that singed wood next to spicy cherry tobacco.

This is yet another really nice whiskey.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Wow, this nose is wild. It’s full of dark brown sugar vanilla pods and winter spices that start to lean toward chili and cumin and then a sense of a well-seasoned pork butt before it goes into the smoker — it’s kind of like raw leather. The palate is classic bourbon with a rich vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream next to bold dark cherry, woody notes of dry reeds, and salted caramel with a twinge of orange oils. The end has a mild sense of tangerine flesh and star fruit that leads back to warm ABVs and dark winter spices layered into fresh tobacco and old cedar bark.

This is a wild ride that ends up pretty classic.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

The nose is classic bourbon with a balance of caramel, vanilla, cherry, and sweet wood that’s cut with plenty of dark winter spice. The palate is largely the same with a sense of stewed plums and marmalade next to an almost malty note tied to the vanilla and spice. The end has a nice sweet oakiness that leads back to dark caramel and cherry tied to tobacco leaves and humidors.

This was really nice, standard bourbon.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Fresh butterscotch and orange dark chocolate balls, apple cider, and a nice sharp cinnamon and clove spiciness present on the nose. The palate opens with that orange dark chocolate, brown sugar sweetness, and a touch of powdery white pepper next to ground cinnamon and star anise-heavy mulled wine. The end has a slight minerally edge with a dash of black pepper and creamy butterscotch next to apple cider spiked with cinnamon and orange rinds.

This was light and very easy to drink.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Rich and dark cacao powder next to burnt caramels, black licorice, old vanilla pods, and old leather boots appear on the nose with a dash of fresh nutmeg and clove. Lush salted caramel and a rich sense of honey loaded with cinnamon sticks and a black cherry cola drive the palate before a pinch of black pepper arrive, adding a bold ABV heat. The end has a cream soda feel with spiced nut cake and mince pies over a Cherry Coke cut with chocolate sauce that’s just kissed with chili pepper tobacco.

This is pretty tasty and hot. I think a single cube would have made this one pop!

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

The nose boldy meanders through floral and citrus-forward notes with an almost dank hoppiness next to savory melon, dry smudging sage, and a hint of lard-filled tamales that then leads to cherry and vanilla. The palate leans into fresh honeycombs next to orange and grapefruit peels soaked in apple cider with a fleeting sense of anise and then a massive note of dry and earthy corn husk takes over everything. The end really leans into the floral and citrus dank with a bold sense of a corn field right after the harvest when everything is still green driving the finish toward an earthy and corn-filled close.

This is a hell of a corn bomb.

Part 2: The Ranking

12. Frey Ranch Malted Grain Series 100% Malted Corn Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 12

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a unique concept from out in Nevada. The bourbon is made with 100% malted corn that’s grown and malted at Frey Ranch. That corn has to be grown in the summer to save it from frost. Once fermented and distilled, the hot juice rested for exactly five years and 10 months before it was batched and bottled as-is with a touch of local water.

Bottom Line:

This is tasty but supercharged with corn notes on the palate. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is going to be your jam.

11. George Dickel Tennessee Whisky Reserve Cask Strength Aged 17 Years — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $350

The Whisky:

George Dickel 17 is back! This whiskey is made from Dickel’s classic Tennessee mash of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. That hot juice is then left to rest in a single-story warehouse in Cascade Hollow for 17 long years. Finally, the perfect barrels were picked for batching and bottling completely as-is — yes, this is cask strength at 46%.

Bottom Line:

This is really tasty, especially if you’re looking for a heightened Tennessee whiskey experience.

10. Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey 2022 Holiday Blends — Taste 10

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $46

The Whiskey:

This high-rye bourbon from out in Colorado was blended especially for the holiday season this year. The juice is rested for three years high up in the mountains before it’s batched and cut with that iconic Colorado Rocky Mountain glacial water for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is the perfect base for a wintry old fashioned.

9. Backbone Bourbon Anniversary Edition “Decade Down” Uncut Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2022 Batch — Taste 9

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $105

The Whiskey:

Backbone is made with classic MGP whiskey. That juice is hewn from a mash of 74% corn, 21% rye, and 5% malted barley that’s five to seven years old. The barrels are shipped down to Bardstown, Kentucky, where they are batched and bottled as-is with proofing or filtering.

Bottom Line:

This was great, standard bourbon. I’d lean towards using it in boozy cocktails.

8. Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Premium Whiskey Barrel No: 007 — Taste 11

ABV: 60.5%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This new single-barrel release is made with juice distilled, aged, and bottled at the Nearest Green Distillery in central Tennessee. The single barrels are chosen for their exact flavor profile and greatness and bottled completely as-is with no filtration or cutting with water to maintain that barrel’s greatness in the bottle.

Bottom Line:

This is where things start getting really good. This is a solid sipper that needs a rock and nothing else really.

7. Booker’s 2022-04 “Pinkie’s Batch” — Taste 8

ABV: 61.2%

Average Price: $249

The Whiskey:

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

Bottom Line:

This was so different that the last release. I mean that in a good way. If you’re smoking some pork products this holiday season, then this is the whiskey to pair with that.

6. Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished with Toasted American and French Oak — Taste 7

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

The latest release from the Bourbon Pursuit team is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons. The three bourbons involved are a Finger Lakes whiskey (70/20/10 corn/rye/malted barley), an MGP bourbon (60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley), and an undisclosed Tennessee whiskey (80/10/10 corn/rye/malted barley). Those whiskeys were finished in both American and French toasted oak barrels before batching and bottling with a touch of Kentucky water.

Bottom Line:

This is a great sipper that makes one hell of a Manhattan.

5. Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Rum Barrels — Taste 6

ABV: 56.85%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This crafty Indiana bourbon is made from a high-corn mash bill. That spirit is then aged for about five years before it’s transferred into used Barbadian rum barrels for a final maturation. The whiskey was then bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent sipper that really gets better with every taste.

4. Rabbit Hole Raceking Cask Strength Double Chocolate Malt Bourbon — Taste 5

ABV: 54.9%

Average Price: $1,599

The Whiskey:

This rare release from Rabbit Hole is a five-grain bourbon that’s made with some unique grains. The standouts are chocolate malted wheat from Germany (4%) and chocolate malted barley (3%) from the U.K. combined with 70% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted rye. That juice rests in Kentucky until it’s just right for batching and bottling completely as-is in only 1.365 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This is just excellent.

3. Fortuna Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4

ABV: 51%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

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.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey is so classically “bourbon” that it’s hard not to fall in love with it instantly.

2. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $49

The Whiskey:

This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is 100% their own juice. The whiskey is made from a wheated bourbon mash bill — 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey spends about six years mellowing before it’s just kissed with local water and bottled at 100 proof.

Bottom Line:

This is going to be huge next year. It’s damn near a perfect pour of whiskey.

1. Parker’s Heritage Collection 16th Edition Double Barreled Blend Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 66.1%

Average Price: $175 (MSRP)

The Whiskey:

This year’s Parker’s Heritage starts off with Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. From there, it’s all about where and how that whiskey aged. The lion’s share, 67% of the blend, comes from a 13-year-old double-barreled bourbon from the 5th-7th floors of Rickhouse Q. 33% of the blend comes from a 15-year-old bourbon that was aged on the 2nd and 5th floors of Rickhouse II. Those barrels were batched and then bottled 100% as-is without any filtering or proofing.

Bottom Line:

This is Heaven Hill at its peak. This is a magnificent pour of whiskey. Make sure to take your time with this one. Add a little water, nose and taste some more, and really let it bloom on your palate. It’ll be worth the effort.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

This was one hell of a lineup of bourbon whiskeys. There wasn’t a fault in the bunch. Each of these offers a little something different, but the top six were all quintessential pours of bourbon.

Since Parker’s Heritage is pretty fleeting (very allocated and pricey), I’d highly recommend grabbing that Bardstown Bourbon Company or Fortuna release. They’ll be your best bet to ring in the new year with an amazing bottle of bourbon in your hand.

SZA has been giving fans lots of cinematic visuals lately. Fans got a kick out of her “Big Boy” skit on Saturday Night Live, and her Lakeith Stanfield-assisted visual for “Shirt” has also received much praise.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, she expressed the desire to participate in other cinematic projects and even teased some of the visuals she has on the way.

“I would love to act more,” she said. “I’d love to learn another craft and get to lose myself in another way creatively. I’m in an Eddie Huang movie that is coming out, with Chloe Cherry from Euphoria and a couple of other people. I don’t know if the whole cast is announced, so I’ma keep quiet. It’s an action comedy: An assassin is trying to kill me, but we fall in love instead. It should be pretty silly.”

Film seems to be a recurring motif across SZA’s latest album, SOS. On a particular track called “Kill Bill,” in which she fantasizes about killing her ex, she takes inspiration from the Quentin Tarantino film of the same name. Elsewhere in the interview, she revealed that the song’s upcoming music video will be loosely inspired by the movie, Kill Bill.

“But that’s all I can say,” SZA said.

New York Knicks broadcaster Wally Szczerbiak had some choice words for Tyrese Haliburton after a recent Knicks win over the Indiana Pacers. Szczerbiak, a one-time All-Star selection who played for four teams in his career, blasted Haliburton for being a “supposed, wannabe, fake All-Star.” It is unclear why he did this — it seemed to be a way to uplift Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle in their efforts to make it to the All-Star Game — but even then, Szczerbiak really went in.

Haliburton got the chance to respond to Szczerbiak during an appearance on Taylor Rooks’ podcast, and he made one thing clear: He’s not 100 percent certain who Wally Szczerbiak is.

“I have no clue!” Haliburton said when Rooks asked what he did to Szczerbiak. “I know the name Wally Szczerbiak, I couldn’t tell you where he played, I couldn’t tell you what he did as a basketball player. I don’t know, he had a lot to say about me, and I was really questioning, like, first, who is this, and why is he talking about me like this?”

Haliburton went on to say that he doesn’t ever recall explicitly saying he wanted to be an All-Star and for people to vote for him, then attributed Szczerbiak’s rant to him being excited after a Knicks win and trying to get attention.

Haliburton is in the midst of a breakout campaign, averaging 19.5 points and 10.7 assists in 33.4 minutes per game for the Pacers this season.

There’s been a lot of conversation lately about performers kissing their co-stars without prior consent. First, it was Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt in Babylon (“When else am I gonna get the chance to kiss Brad Pitt? I’m just gonna go for it,” the actress said before later clarifying that “we all established our boundaries before making this movie”). Now, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown is being criticized by an intimacy coordinator for kissing Louis Partridge, who plays Lord Tewkesbury, while filming Enola Holmes 2.

“Right on the rehearsal I grabbed his face and kissed him and he was like…” the actress said in a TikTok posted to Netflix’s account (here’s her impression of his face). “It was so cute really seeing [Enola] take the lead. And also seeing a girl just make the first move is just really exciting.” Bobby Brown also discussed the scene in the movie where she repeatedly punches Partridge. “Because Louis is a good friend I just kept punching him, I wasn’t doing stunts, I really was hurting him,” she said. “By the end of it, he said, ‘Millie can you just fake punch me?’ I was fully just getting him right in the stomach.”

The TikTok was posted in November, but it recently caught the attention of intimacy coordinator Jessica Steinrock, who made a TikTok of her own in response. “Ooh no, I love Millie Bobby Brown, but this is not the cute story you think it is,” she said. “I’m sure she and her scene partner have a lot of rapport built up and a great amount of trust, but we should never be surprising anyone during a fight or intimate scene ever.”

Steinrock, whose credits include Yellowjackets and Never Have I Ever, added, “At the end of the day, this basically means she didn’t ask consent to kiss him. And when your scene partner reacts in surprise after you’ve kissed them that means the communication didn’t happen the way it really needs to.” You can watch the video below.

Not only were fans flipping about about news of RBD’s reunion on Monday (December 19), but so were other pop stars. Mexican singer Danna Paola fangirled over the announcement on Instagram and she received a sweet response from RBD’s Anahí.

RBD rocked the Latinx Internet this week with the announcement of the Mexican band’s reunion next year. Anahí, Dulce María, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni will join forces once again under the RBD name. Alfonso “Poncho” Herrera is the only original member who opted not to return.

The five returning members of RBD posted a video teaser of the band’s comeback on their personal Instagram accounts. On Anahí’s post, Paola commented, “Aaaahhhh! I love you guys!” with multiple crying face, heart, and flame emojis. Anahí responded to Paola’s comment with a sweet message. “I love you!!!!,” she wrote with heart emojis.

On the website SoyRebelde.World, fans can sign-up for more information on RBD’s comeback. There’s a countdown clock that leads to the date January 19, 2023. There’s also a message that says, “Get your tie ready,” which is a reference to the band’s outfits in the telenovela Rebelde. Though more details haven’t been offered about the reunion, it’s being reported that RBD will embark on the Soy Rebelde World Tour next year.

Earlier this year, Paola released a cover of one of RBD’s classics. She recorded a new version of “Solo Quédate En Silencio” alongside Mexican glam rock group Moderatto.

Lucy Dacus has had a busy week. In addition to appearing alongside Phoebe Bridgers at Jack Antonoff’s event for The Ally Coalition on Monday night, Dacus dropped by Yo La Tengo’s concert. The band, which hosts a yearly residency at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom for Hannukah, played the third night yesterday.

As they’ve played quite a bit of songs in honor of Carole King this year, Dacus joined in on the theme. She played The Ronettes’ “Walkin’ In The Rain,” King’s “Home Again,” and her own song, “First Time,” from her 2021 album, Home Video.

She has also been a documented fan of Yo La Tengo, making her a perfect choice for a surprise guest. In 2020, she covered their song “Tom Courtenay” for the anniversary reissue of Electr-o-pura, and wrote an essay about what it meant to her.

“One day my friend brought me a stack of CDs, all Yo La Tengo, and told me to take them home, listen to them, burn them, and return them,” she wrote. “I did what I was told. I liked those records from the start, and more with every listen. I’d lay in bed listening to one of their records, pause the song I was listening to when I got too tired, then push play upon waking.”

Yo La Tengo are continuing with sold-out shows until December 25. Watch a fan video of Dacus’ encore performance below.

Before rap superstar Drake was gallivanting around Hollywood, attempting to collect every A-list woman’s heart like some sort of industry infinity stone, there was pop crooner John Mayer. The guitarist made a splash in the music industry in 2002 because of his romantic rock and pop blends, but his love life quickly took center stage. Unfortunately, Mayor hasn’t helped ease the public’s interest in his intimate pursuits, often using his past lovers as muses for his recorded works.

However, in a new interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast, the songwriter is clearing the air about the long-lived rumor surrounding his hit 2001 single, “Your Body Is A Wonderland.” During the interview, host Alex Cooper mentions the Grammy-winning song, and Mayer jumps in to add that although the song was released in 2001, it was written about his high school years: “That was about my first girlfriend. So that was about the feeling, which I think was already sort of nostalgic… I was 21 when I wrote that song and was nostalgic for being 16.”

For the record, this isn’t the first time Mayer has made this clarification. For example, he previously spoke about the song’s muse during a 2010 VH1 Storytellers performance.

Despite that, like many others who are old enough to remember the song’s debut, Cooper was stunned at the artist’s confession. In the past, Hewitt herself hinted that the idea that the track was about her was “a real compliment,” but she didn’t “believe that it was written for [her].”

But Mayer insisted that it wasn’t, saying, “No, that’s one of those things where people just sort of formed that idea, it gets reinforced over the years, no, no, no. I had never met a celebrity when I wrote that song.”

Hewitt spoke with Vulture about her struggles with the media’s relentless obsession with her body, so she will probably be glad to hear the rumor has been eradicated.

Listen to the full episode of Call Her Daddy here.

Finding the best whiskey to drink has never been easier and yet… harder at the same time. It’s harder in that there’s just so much on the shelf these days. It’s natural to get overwhelmed with seemingly endless expressions, styles, special releases, and labels. It’s easier in that there’s never been more access to professional information about all of those bottles on the shelf — especially via high-end spirits competitions.

The competitions circuit has made finding a great or even “the best” whiskey a little bit easier. And one of the premier awards to follow is the John Barleycorn Awards — not just because I was a judge this year but also because they exclusively employ whiskey critics, authors, and scholars as judges. Through that roster, the Barleycorn Awards pick their best spirits in both Spring and Fall seasonal competitions. This year, they dove deeper by pitting those best spirits against each other for a “Best of 2022” round via another double-blind tasting. That means the spirit was double-blind tested twice before the finals judges came in to break any ties and check one last time to see which dram truly stood above the rest in yet another double-blind tasting.

Whew. That’s a lot of layers of double blinds to get through to get to the Best Whiskeys of 2022.

Since the list of John Barleycorn Awards’ Best of 2022 Whiskeys (and other spirits) just dropped, I thought I’d list them for you with my own tasting notes. There are some great whiskeys on this list this year. They’re broken down into categories for easy scrolling. And hey, if you dig any of these according to my tasting notes, maybe add them to your bar cart. Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2022, Ranked
• The 50 Best Rye Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Whiskey Expert Nate Gana Reveals The ‘Best Whiskey Pours Of 2022’
• The 25 Best American Single Malt Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• The 30 Best American Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• The 30 Best International Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked

Best Bourbon — Pursuit United Batch 002

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is vatted from 40 total barrels from three different states. While the team at Pursuit United doesn’t release the Tennessee distillery name, we know the juices from Kentucky and New York are from Bardstown Bourbon Company and Finger Lakes Distilling, respectively. Once those barrels are vatted, they’re slightly touched with water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Spicy and sweet mulled wine with a layer of honey, raisins, cinnamon/clove/nutmeg, and a hint of toffee round out the nose as a lurking sense of old porch wicker sneaks in underneath it all. There’s a nice balance of chocolate tobacco and honey cake with cardamon and clove on the palate that leads to a hint of orange oils and sticky toffee pudding. The end leans into warm spices and a sense of prunes and dates with a hint of soft cedar and tobacco.

Bottom Line:

It’s always great to see this brand getting some love. This bourbon was created by true bourbon lovers for bourbon lovers, and that ethos shines through in every sip.

Best Scotch Whisky — Aberlour 18-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $168

The Whisky:

The expression from Speyside’s Aberlour also uses old bourbon for its primary maturation and ex-sherry for its finishing maturation. Finally, it’s proofed down with soft Speyside water and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

You’re drawn in with a note of hard butterscotch candies next to a touch of chinotto (bittersweet Italian orange), butter toffee, and the slightest wisp of peach pits. The taste builds out from that peach pit layer with a note of ripe peach flesh and fuzzy skin while jammy blackberry leads towards a soft cedar. The finish really takes its time and leaves you with a silken texture next to a honeyed sweetness and a final roundness of vanilla cream.

Bottom Line:

This is a great Scotch, especially if you’re looking for a wintry pour of the good stuff as the year winds down.

Best Single Barrel Bourbon/Tennessee Whiskey — Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This was first introduced in 1997. The juice is hand-selected from barrels on the upper floors of Jack’s vast rickhouses. The whisky is bottled at a slightly higher proof to allow the nuance of the juice to shine.

Tasting Notes:

The banana notes are drawn way back here and replaced by a clear sense of toasted oak. That oak is the underpinning for notes of caramel corn, mild spice, and plenty of oily vanilla beans. The sweet banana fruit is there and marries well to a peppery spice, cherry gum, and mulled wine that amps up as the end draws near with plenty of that toasted wood lingering the longest.

Bottom Line:

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel might be one of the most under-appreciated bottles by the public. This is a true gem of a whiskey that deserves all the hype it gets from insiders — hint, hint. It also makes a mean Manhattan.

Best Luxury Whiskey — Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2022

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $1,276

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was distilled and laid down in barrels back in 2004. The barrels were vatted after 17 years and proofed down to the bottled-in-bond standard of 100 proof and then bottled in the iconic Old Fitz decanter for a Spring 2022 release.

Tasting Notes:

A hint of woodiness comes through on the nose via cherry tree bark with the faintest echo of dried rose next to soft vanilla oil, a hint of cedar, a distant thought of old leather, and a touch of burnt orange peels. The palate starts off softly with a lush vanilla cream that builds towards a winter spice matrix of nutmeg, allspice, and clove with a touch of cherrywood that sweetens toward dried cherries. That mid-palate builds on the cherry with spices (nutmeg and allspice) and sticky tobacco vibes as the finish arrives next to a super creamy dark cherry in vanilla cream feel with a dusting of dark chocolate and more of that dry cherry tree bark.

Bottom Line:

This is a stellar pour of whiskey that’s also a shining example of quality bourbon.

Best American Single Malt — Cedar Ridge The Quintessential

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is all about a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made with 100% 2-Row Pale Malted Barley (the same stuff used in some of the biggest craft beers) from up in Saskatchewan. The whiskey is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed term. That whiskey is then finished in a combination of brandy, rum, wine, port, and sherry barrels before it’s vatted. The whiskey’s blend is then made using the solera method — where the vat is never fully emptied before the next barrel is added.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is immediately full of bright fruit with a peach and pear vibe that leans into a malty banana bread with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and walnut next to a touch of Almond Joy (but the good ones from a high-end shop). The palate is soft and subtle with hints of spiced malted gingersnaps, light cream soda vibes (maybe a light sasparilla), and a mellow and creamy base of chocolate that’s not dark but not milky either. The mid-palate has a nice sweetness that’s slightly apple adjacent with an apricot hint that mellows into a final note of chewy toffees with rum-raisin lurking on the very backend.

Bottom Line:

This is Cedar Ridge’s crowning achievement and a wonderful sipper for anyone looking for something a little different in the American whiskey scene.

Best Rye Whiskey — New Riff Balboa Rye

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $210

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is built around heritage rye from Indiana, Balboa rye, which was popularized in the 1940s. The juice is hewn from a 95/5 rye/barley recipe and aged for up to five years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a trace of saltwater taffy on the nose (or maybe just the wax paper wrappers) next to an almost buttery chili rub with a good dose of salt and red pepper spice that’s both lush and deep. The palate leans into a spicy orange marmalade as a medley of dry grasses, woody spices, and creamy vanilla mingles on the senses. The end is a spiced cherry cola next to more woody spice (clove and allspice berries especially) with a luxurious landing on waxy mint taffy, soft capsicum spice, and dry cedar bark braids.

Bottom Line:

This is delicious whiskey that will hopefully be more widely available in 2023.

Best Single Barrel Rye — 291 Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Staves, Barrel Proof Single Barrel

ABV: 64.3%

Average Price: $108

The Whiskey:

291 uses a quick aging process. For this single-barrel expression of rye whiskey, they added Aspen wood staves into the barrels to accelerate the aging process while adding depth to the spirit. Once those barrels hit just the right flavor profile, they were bottled as a single barrel expression with no fussing, filtering, or cutting.

Tasting Notes:

The whiskey opens with a bold sense of wet pine with a pitchy vibe next to maple syrup over sourdough pancakes with a hint of sour apple and toffee in the background. The palate has a grassy nature that’s supported by an echo of vanilla, more resin, and woody/warm winter spices with a hint of cherry lurking somewhere in there. The end leans into sharp and warm spices with a focus on Red Hots and maybe even some nasturtium with a wet oak sweetness and a twinge of bitter espresso bean.

Bottom Line:

This Colorado crafty whiskey is an easy sipper that offers a deep profile and rewarding feeling.

Best American Whiskey — Copper Sky Cigar Blend Whiskey Finished in Amburana Barrels

ABV: 68.2%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

This is classic rye whiskey that ages in new American oak for a few years. After the whiskey hits the right spot, it’s batched and then re-barreled into Brazilian Amburana casks for a final rest. Those barrels are then re-batched and this is proofed down before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sense of fresh gingerbread on the nose that leads to sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel, buttercream, and a sense of almost mossy tobacco. The palate has a spiced plum jam with a buttery scone, clotted cream, and spiced orange marmalade next to woody cedar bark, old wicker, and dry — almost singed — tobacco stems. The finish has a dark stewed fruitiness with dates, prunes, and figs next to cinnamon bark and allspice berries with cherry tobacco, a touch of mochi, and cedar boxes.

Bottom Line:

This is a classic “cigar blend” with plenty of bold spice and tobacco notes, making this a great pairing with your favorite cigar.

Best Tennessee Whiskey — Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Batch 009

ABV: 59.2%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

While Uncle Nearest is distilling their own juice these days, this is still the work of Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler with carefully sourced Tennessee whiskey barrels. In this case, Eady Bulter hand-selected the best-of-the-best from their inventory to create the perfect whiskey to exemplify the brand and Tennesee whiskey traditions.

Tasting Notes:

This draws you in with a piping hot fresh batch of cinnamon rolls with plenty of white sauce frosting, cinnamon and brown sugar filling, a touch of nutmeg, pecans, firewood bark, and a hint of pipe tobacco. The palate delivers on the bigger notes of the nose with pecan shells, cinnamon sticks dipped in cherry syrup, wet corn husks, old leather gloves that have worked in dirt and firewood, and mild yet spiced cherry tobacco. That mild cherry sweetness drives the mid-palate toward a hint of maple syrup that leans woody as firewood piled in black dirt rounding out the finish with an echo more of that peppery tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is a wonderful whiskey that’s perfect for slow sipping after a big holiday meal.

Best Canadian Whisky — Found North Batch 004

ABV: 62.4%

Average Price: $145

The Whiskey:

This blended whisky is a mash-up of corn and rye whiskies, which equate to a mash bill of 80% corn, 19% rye, and a mere 1% malted barley. Those whiskies are sourced from barrels that are between 21 and 25 years old. Once vatted, the whisky is bottled as-is with no water, filtering, or coloring.

Tasting Notes:

This whiskey opens with a sense of dark dried fruits — rum raisin, dates, prunes — next to mulled wine sourness and sweetness with plenty of cinnamon, star anise, and clove next to a hint of creamy eggnog nutmeg. The palate is largely the same with a soft warmth from the ABVs that gives way to woody spiced plum tobacco, a big slice of fruit cake, and a dose of vanilla oils cut with orange oils. The end has a dark fruit tobacco vibe that’s accented by a sweet sense of vanilla and caramel.

Bottom Line:

This is a spectacular Canadian whisky that’ll upend any preconceived notions you have about the juice from up north.

Best Irish Whiskey — Waterford The Cuvée

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

Waterford is an interesting experiment in whiskey, in general. This expression utilizes the distillery’s many single-farm-origin whiskeys to create something heightened. The whiskey is a blend of those single farm whiskeys that highlight the terroir from all around Ireland, along with Waterford’s high-level skills.

Tasting Notes:

Red apple peels and rye crust open the nose before soft soil and green grass takes over. The palate is all about the butterscotch candies, with light florals, oat cookies, orange peels, and fresh mint acting as support. The mid-palate has a clove candy vibe that leads to white pepper, grapefruit peel, dark chocolate and cherry tobacco, and a final note of poppyseed cake.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the most interesting whiskeys being made right now. It’s changing the way we think about terroir in whiskey while also delivering a delicious product.

Director’s Choice Awards — Amrut Neidhal Indian Single Malt Whisky

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $105

The Whiskey:

This Peated Indian single malt whisky is from the famed Amrut Distillery. The juice is a special release of 12,000 bottles that highlight the “Neidhal” or coastal region and the tropical vibes of Southern India.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of briny and smoky peat on the nose with a hint of smoldering papaya and mango skins and maybe some burnt sugar cane next to deep tropical fruits and spice malt biscuits. The palate has a nice mix of grilled tropical fruits with burnt sugars, singed spice barks, and a fleeting sense of rich tobacco with a moist toffee cake filled with nuts. The end is short but sweet with a smoky vibe filled with savory and sweet fruits, spicy tobacco, and nutty creaminess.

Bottom Line:

This is a tasty peated whisky that leans so far into the fruit, you might not even notice the smokiness after a while.

Director’s Choice Awards — WhistlePig Double Malt Rye 18-Year-Old

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $450

The Whiskey:

This Canadian whisky is made from two malts with a lot of rye. The mash bill is 79% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley. That whisky was left to mellow for 18 long years before heading to Vermont for batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sense of cedar kindling and whole nutmeg bulbs next to cinnamon toast, orange marmalade, and spiced apple cider with a hint of cellar must. The palate leans into the dark marmalade and spicy apple cut with tart dried red berries, fresh vanilla pods, sweet oak, and a flutter of potpourri. The end is soft and full of spiced nuttiness with a touch of dried apple chips, burnt orange, marzipan, and winter-spiced tobacco leaves layered with cedar bark in an old leather pouch buried in a cellar.

Bottom Line:

This is good Canadian whisky. It’s a little musty, but if that’s what you’re looking for … go for it!

Best World Whiskey & Spirit of the Year — Cotswolds Bourbon Cask Single Malt Whisky

ABV: 59.1%

Average Price: $102

The Whiskey:

This English single malt is made with 100% locally grown barley that’s floor-malted on-site in the Cotswolds. Those malts are fermented with two yeast strains (Anchor and Fermentis) with demineralized village water to extract fruity flavors from the malt. After pot still distillation, the hot juice is filled into ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky for a long rest. Finally, those barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled completely as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla malted shakes and thick crème brûlée dominate the nose with a sense of date-fueled sticky toffee pudding with salted toffee, fresh orange zest, and big flakes of salt. The palate opens with bold dark dried fruits — rum raisin, figs, prunes — that lead to a moist vanilla cake frosted with cinnamon-honey buttercream icing and dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon, and dark chocolate shavings. The end sweetens slightly with a honeyed fig vibe next to old wicker porch furniture, cinnamon-spiced tobacco, and soft vanilla malted biscuits dipped in rum-raisin salted chocolate sauce and honey.

Bottom Line:

This is a delicious whisky. Grab one for winter sipping before it’s sold out.