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There’s a pretty good chance you’ll need a drink at some point this week. You may as well make it a good glass of bourbon; or a cocktail made with a good bourbon base; or maybe just a quick shot to take the edge off of all of the “festivities.” And no matter what the reason you might need a nip of bourbon this week, we’ve got your back.

Below, I’m calling out 20 great, classic, and affordable bourbons that transcend the ordinary. This isn’t about what’s brand new or the most award-winning. This is about comfort, nostalgia, and making merry while eating, hopefully, a lot. The bourbons below are the whiskeys that work before, during, and after Thanksgiving. They’re great to share with friends. They’ll get you through the long weekend. They’re also goddamn tasty, which is the whole point anyway.

For the ranking, I’m simply going by my professional opinion. While you’d get a pour of any of these bourbons if you’re invited to my house this week, there is a bifurcation point. The bottom 10 or so — let’s say numbers 20 through nine — all lean more towards the bourbon that I’d use for mixing up mean cocktails. The top ten or so — let’s say numbers 11 to one — are all bourbons that also work wonders in cocktails and are great pours over some rocks or even neat. Yes, there’s some overlap with some of these bourbon pours because there’s some serious versatility at play.

I’ve also thrown in some special bottles that might impress some folks too if that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for. It’s a good, wide list of great bourbons so let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• 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
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States

20. Benchmark Small Batch

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $19

The Whiskey:

This is a one-step-up “small batch” from Buffalo Trace’s budget brand, Benchmark. There’s not a whole lot of information on what this is exactly when it comes to the mash bill or aging. The “batch” could be 20 barrels or 200. We do know that the bourbon is cut down to 90-proof before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s that Buffalo Trace distillery vibe again with hints of old vanilla beans, fresh leather, old wicker porch furniture with a hint of black mold, and a hint of apple blossom next to honey. The palate leans into the apple and honey while adding rich caramel with a nice dose of sweet cinnamon, allspice, and freshly ground nutmeg with a hint of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and dried corn husks. The end sweetens toward a corn mush cut with maple syrup and raisins next to vanilla pods and a hint of old leather tobacco pouches with a whisper of cherry wood in the background.

Bottom Line:

If you only want to make cocktails this week/long weekend, then this is the play. This whiskey stands up to varied mixing from sours to old fashioneds to flip and everything in between.

19. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Bib & Tucker pulls barrels of Tennessee whiskey from an (undisclosed) old and quiet valley in the state. They then blend those barrels to meet their brand’s flavor notes. While they are laying down their own whiskey now, this is still all about the blending of those barrels in small batches.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a light sense of sour mash with a hint of leather, wet cedar, old grain mills, and warm apple pies with plenty of brown spice and sugar. The palate leans into the graininess with a sweet edge (Hell, Tennessee) before vanilla Necco Wafers counter fresh ginger snaps, apple tobacco leaves, and a hint of dry cedar kindling. The end leans into the apple pie filling with a bit of vanilla bean and sweet oak before fading out pretty quickly.

Bottom Line:

This is a great mixer as well. I like this bourbon more of an acidic turn in cocktails — think a whiskey sour or gold rush— to counter the lush vanilla, apple, and grains.

18. Jefferson’s Very Small Batch

ABV: 41.5%

Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

This is a sourced bourbon from around Kentucky. The age, mash, and vital details are undisclosed. What we do know is that the team at Jefferson’s spends a lot of time tinkering with their barrels to create accessible and affordable bourbons.

Tasting Notes:

This opens pretty thin with hints of caramel, vanilla pods, and maybe a touch of leather and oak with a mild berry vibe. The palate is either subtle or thin … I can’t decide. There are notes of classic bourbon caramel and vanilla countered by a hint of stewed apple, buttery toffee, and maybe a hint of nutmeg. The end stays pretty mild but does build to a nice finish full of classic bourbon notes.

Bottom Line:

This is a very easygoing whiskey. I’d lean toward using this in highballs. Get some really good, sharp fizzy water, add some ice, and maybe garnish with some cranberries to compliment that mild berry vibe. Sorted!

17. Legent

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $47

The Whiskey:

This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky Bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The juice is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo.

Tasting Notes:

Sticky toffee pudding with a hint of sour grapes, sweet red berries, old oak staves, vanilla husks, and salted toffee all mingle on the nose. The palate has an almost bitter cinnamon and cherry bark vibe that smooths out toward creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog with a hint of clove next to dried cedar bark and raisins. The end mixes wild berry jam with a sense of buttermilk biscuits, brown butter, sultanas, dates, and winter cake spices as old wine-soaked oak staves add a gentle woodiness to the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those whiskeys that you can show off. It’s really good. But this whiskey truly shines as a base for Manhattan above a sipper or any other cocktail even.

16. Elijah Craig Small Batch

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye (12% and 10% respectively). Originally, this was branded as a 12-year-old whiskey. The brand decided to move away from that labeling and started blending younger whiskeys to create this label.

Tasting Notes:

A hint of chocolate pops on the nose with woody apples, caramel, taco seasoning, and some sharp spearmint over vanilla ice cream. The palate has a nice vanilla base that leads to cinnamon and allspice with a hint of eggnog nutmeg over apple pies. The end is lighter and hints at mint tobacco and vanilla woodiness with a touch of chocolate cake cut with stewed cherry and pine.

Bottom Line:

You should probably have this around anyway. I’m going to pull an audible here. While this is great for cocktails (it’s not really a sipper), it’s also great for cooking. Cut your cranberry sauce with some Elijah Craig. Add some to your pecan or pumpkin pie and skip the over-priced vanilla beans. Slow-cook sweet potatoes with a cup of this, some butter, brown sugar, bacon, and wintry spices! You get the point.

15. Penelope Rose Cask Finish

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

This whiskey takes Penelope’s beloved and multi-award-winning four-grain bourbon blend — 76 percent corn, 14 percent wheat, seven percent rye, and three percent malted barley — and re-barrels it in hand-selected French Grenache Rosé Wine Casks from the Southern Rhône of France. Once those barrels hit just the right flavor notes, they’re vatted, proofed, and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Soft orange blossoms and white flowers on a summer day pop on the light nose with a hint of candied cherry soaked dipped in dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla underneath it all. The palate holds onto the lightness with a strawberry and cream vibe next to tart raspberry and lush vanilla with a hint of dusty cinnamon that’s more sweet than sharp. The end has a hint of fresh herbs with more tart red berries and brand-new porch wicker.

Bottom Line:

This is bright and fruity, which makes it a great dessert cocktail pour. Cut this with some fresh orange juice, Amaretto, and an egg white for a killer, frothy sour.

14. Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $46 (one-liter)

The Whiskey:

This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy. The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into a cinnamon sticky bun with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate. That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.

Bottom Line:

Yes, you can drink this neat, but it’s not really made for that. If you want a neat pour of Knob Creek, you need to aim for the 12-year, 18-year, or a Single Barrel Reserve.

With this expression, you want to be making old fashioneds all damn day.

13. Weller Special Release

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills. Educated guesses put the wheat percentage of these mash bills at around 16 to 18%, which is pretty average. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown as well. Overall, we know this is a classic wheated bourbon, and … that’s about it.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a tannic sense of old oak next to sweet cherries, vanilla cookies, and that Buffalo Trace leathery vibe with a hint of spiced tobacco lurking underneath. The palate has a creamy texture kind of like malted vanilla ice cream over a hot apple pie cut with brown sugar, butter, sharp cinnamon, and walnuts next to Frosted Raisin Bran with a hint of candied cherry root beer. The end takes that sweet cherry and apple and layers it into a light tobacco leaf with a mild sense of old musty barrel warehouses.

Bottom Line:

This is another great option for mixing up cocktails this week. I tend to lean toward bold and classic cocktails like a Vieux Carre or Sazerac with Weller thanks to nuttiness, woodiness, and tobacco spice already built into the pour.

12. George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $43

The Whisky:

Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.

Tasting Notes:

Sour cherries, maple syrup, and pecan waffles mingle with dried apple chips, old leather boots, and winter spice with a hint of vanilla wafers on the nose. The taste leans toward spicy apple pie filling with walnuts, plenty of cinnamon, and some raisins before malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate milk arrive on the mid-palate and lead toward a moist oatmeal cookie dipped in salted caramel. The end has a dry woody spiciness with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice mingling with marzipan and cherry/cinnamon tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is a great whiskey that makes a great cocktail and a great neat pour. There’s just so much going on in this dram that you end up spending a lot of time nosing and tasting. That said, this makes a killer cocktail in any form.

11. Frank August Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $66

The Whiskey:

The whiskey is a sourced bourbon. The juice is made in Kentucky, where it’s also aged. The team at Frank August then takes roughly ten to 15 barrels per batch and builds this bourbon painstakingly to fit their desired flavor profile. The whiskey is then lightly proofed down to 100 proof before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is pure classic bourbon with hints of salted caramel with a twinge of soft grains next to spicy cherry syrup, a whisper of sour apple, and a touch of aged oak staves soaked in mulled wine. The palate moves on from the soft grains towards rum-soaked raisins with a warm winter spice matrix — cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice — before a brown sugar/rock candy sweetness takes over on the mid-palate. The finish is long and sweet with a nice dose of sharp cinnamon and soft nutmeg that leads to a supple vanilla cream with a thin line of dry cedar and tobacco spice just touched with dark cherry on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is the perfect bridge whiskey. It’s a great neat or on-the-rocks pour that also makes a fantastic Sazerac, Manhattan, Vieux Carre, or old fashioned.

10. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

This expression takes the standard Woodford bourbon (triple distilled, matured for six to seven years in a climate-controlled warehouse) and gives it a finishing touch. The bourbon is blended and moved into new barrels that have been double-toasted but only lightly charred. The juice spends a final nine months resting in those barrels before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a welcoming aroma of marzipan, blackberry, toffee, and fresh honey next to a real sense of pitchy, dry firewood. The taste drills down on those notes as the sweet marzipan becomes more choco-hazelnut, the berries become more dried and apple-y, the toffee becomes almost burnt, and the wood softens to a cedar bark. A rich spicy and chewy tobacco arrives late as the vanilla gets super creamy and the fruit and honey combine on the slow fade.

Bottom Line:

I’d argue this is more of a sipper than a mixer. But then I made an old fashioned with this and it was delightfully full of creamy Nutella notes alongside soft spices and fruity tobacco. That said, this works really well with a few cubes or neat too.

9. Evan Williams Single Barrel

ABV: 43.3%

Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The juice is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.

Tasting Notes:

This has a really nice nose full of woody cherry, salted caramel with a tart apple edge, and a soft leatheriness. The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco. The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.

Bottom Line:

This has a nice winter spiciness to it that feels like both a great pairing dram but also a good pour going into the full-on holiday season. It’s also very easy to drink with a soft accessibility that’s lush but fun.

8. Jim Beam Single Barrel

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than one percent of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with classic notes of vanilla sheet cake, salted caramel, wintry mulled wine spices, and a sense of cherry pie in a lard crust next to a hint of dried corn husk, old broom bristle, and dark chocolate pipe tobacco. The palate layers in floral honey and orange zest next to sticky toffee pudding, old leather, and cherry tobacco layered with the dark chocolate with this lingering sense of coconut cream pie lurking somewhere in the background. The finish leans into more woody winter spices (especially cinnamon bark and nutmeg) with rich toffee and that cherry-chocolate tobacco braided with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.

Bottom Line:

Orange zest and sticky toffee pudding are very “holiday season” flavor notes. This really is a great, easy, and affordable pour that’s on pretty much every shelf around the country.

7. Eagle Rare 10

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $49

The Whiskey:

This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This juice is made from their very low rye mash bill. The whiskey is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee round out the nose. Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce. The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar.

Bottom Line:

This is a great pour over a single, large ice cube. The water and lower temperature let the whiskey get a little creamier with the marzipan, chocolate, and spiced cake really amping up.

6. Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy. The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows. The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.

Bottom Line:

While I do tend to use this for simple bourbon cocktails, this really is the quintessential bourbon pour both neat and on the rocks. I really dig it over some ice with a dash of Angostura bitters and that’s it. It’s just classic.

5. Kirkland Signature Single Barrel by Barton 1792 Master Distillers

ABV: 60%

Average Price: $32 (1-liter bottle)

The Whiskey:

This Costco release is sourced from Sazerac’s other Kentucky distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is very likely the same distillate/barrels as 1792 Full Proof. However, this is proofed down a tiny bit below that at 120 proof instead of 125 proof, adding some nuance to this release.

Tasting Notes:

This is a classic nose full of salted caramel next to dried red chili, Mounds bars, mulled wine spices, and creamy vanilla malt milkshakes with a cherry on top. The palate really leans into the sour mulled wine focusing on star anise, cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, and maybe even some cumin next o brown sugar clumps, creamy eggnog, and a cherry-dark chocolate tobacco vibe with a slightly woody edge. The end into the spiciness and wood with a hint of black potting soil, firewood bark, and warm cinnamon in a cherry-apple hot buttered rum cider.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the best deals in all of bourbon with a deeply-hewn flavor profile. This is an essential easy sipper that will bloom in the glass with a little water and time spent nosing and tasting.

4. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Batch no. 21-08

ABV: 56.25%

Average Price: $45

The Whisky:

This special release from Maker’s Mark is their classic wheated bourbon turned up a few notches. The batch is made from no more than 19 barrels of whiskey. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the barrel at cask strength with no filtering, just pure whiskey-from-the-barrel vibes.

Tasting Notes:

Burnt caramel candies and lush vanilla lead the way on the nose with hints of dry straw, sour cherry pie, and spiced apple cider with a touch of eggnog lushness. The palate has a sense of spicy caramel with a vanilla base that leads to apricot jam, southern biscuits, and a flake of salt with a soft mocha creaminess. The end is all about the buzzy tobacco spiciness with a soft vanilla underbelly and a hint of cherry syrup.

Bottom Line:

Cask Strength Maker’s is always a good idea. The wheated bourbon really shines at this ABV, especially when you add a rock to let it blossom in the glass. That eggnog lushness really amps up with deeply spiced apple cider and creamy choco-cherry goodness.

3. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Bourbon

ABV: 58.4%

Average Price: $54

The Whiskey:

This is the mountaintop of what the main line of Wild Turkey can achieve (this is easily found on liquor store shelves for the most part). This is a blend of the prime barrels that are married and bottled untouched. That means no filtering and no cutting with water. This is a classic Turkey bourbon with nowhere to hide.

Tasting Notes:

This opens like a dessert table during the holidays with crème brûlée next to a big sticky toffee pudding with orange zest sprinkled over the top next to a bushel of fresh mint. The palate hits an early note of pine resin as the orange kicks up towards a bold wintry spice, soft vanilla cream, and a hint of honeyed cherry tobacco. The end keeps the winter spices front and center as a lush pound cake feeling leads to soft notes of cherry-spiced tobacco leaves folded into an old cedar box with a whisper of old vanilla pods lurking in the background.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey’s flavor profile is a consummate bourbon experience. Those bold wintry spices are the star of the show with a great throughline of orange, tobacco, and vanilla that feels very holiday dessert.

2. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Stewed cherries, figgy pudding, apple butter, cinnamon waffles, woody maple syrup, and dark chocolate with a pinch of salt all dance on the nose. The palate leans into Cherry Coke with a spice vibe, burnt orange peels, cloves, creamy eggnog, sour mulled wine, and a hint of apple fritter dusted with cinnamon sugar. The end has a singed cherry bark sensation that leads to dry winter spices — star anise, allspice, clove, cinnamon, and pine — next to dates and prunes layered into pipe tobacco with a twinge of dark chocolate and cedar.

Bottom Line:

This is a trifecta bourbon. It has the wow factor of a great flavor profile, the niche/special factor of true craft a lot of folks haven’t cottoned onto yet, and has a great story to tell (small family farm in Indiana, unique barrels, true small batch, etc.). Trust me, this will be a hit at any Thanksgiving table.

1. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $53

The Whisky:

The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.

Tasting Notes:

Cinnamon, brown butter sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream. The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates. The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is just a great pour all around, Thanksgiving, holidays, summer, or whenever. It’s also still a little niche enough to get people’s attention and maybe even make some new fans because, again, this is really good whiskey.

Everything comes to an end eventually, and after nine seasons it appears the bell has tolled for Chrisley Knows Best. No, it wasn’t because ratings had declined or some merger screwed it up or the cast simply wanted to move on. In fact, it’s because the cast is moving on to somewhere they don’t want to be: prison.

Over the summer, amidst a certain other high-profile trial, a jury found reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley guilty on various charges of fraud and tax evasion. On Monday, some five months later, their sentences finally came in. As per WBS-TV out of Atlanta, Georgia, a federal judge awarded Todd 12 years in prison as well as 16 months of probation. Julie “only” received seven years, plus 16 months of probation. Todd won’t begin his sentence until May after he’s finished recovering from hip surgery.

The Chrisleys, who had first been indicted in 2019, were found guilty in June of conspiring to defraud community banks out of over $30 million in fraudulent loans between 2007 and 2012. They were alleged to have targeted smaller banks, believing they were less diligent about checking in on potential loanees.

Deadline reports that Chrisley Knows Best — which premiered in 2014 and spawned a media empire around Todd, a colorful real estate tycoon, and his family — has since been cancelled. It had been renewed for a 10th season — right before its two main stars were convicted. They managed to shoot at least enough for USA Network to air a handful of new episodes. Fate has also come for Love Limo, a greenlit dating show that was to be hosted by Todd. Alas, he’ll be a little busy elsewhere.

(Via WSB-TV and Deadline)

Ken Jennings is the Jeopardy! GOAT — for now.

Amy Schneider, who has the second longest winning streak in the game show’s history (40), won the the 2022 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. The Oakland resident and trans icon was the first to win three games in the tournament, besting Andrew He, a software developer from San Francisco, California, and Sam Buttrey, an associate professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School from Pacific Grove, California. (It was a good tournament for Californians; everyone else was out of luck.)

Heading into Final Jeopardy, Schneider was in the lead with $15,600, followed by He at $14,200 and Buttrey at $8,000. The Final Jeopardy clue: “The January 12, 1864 Washington Star reported on a performance of this ‘dashing comedy’ to a ‘full and delighted house.’” Both Schneider and He guessed the response correctly (“What is, Our American Cousin?”), but He’s wager was only $2,801, giving him a grand total of $17,001; Schneider wagered $13,000 for a final total of $28,600. And the tournament.

“I feel amazing,” Schneider said after the win. “Earlier in the finals, I had this sudden moment of seeing myself and being like ‘I’m on stage in the Tournament of Champions finals,’ and that was crazy. And I won! It’s a great feeling.” She will take home $250,000 for the achievement, to go along with the $1.3 million she won during her winning streak.

Is it too soon to start demanding Schneider vs. Jennings?

From Bad Bunny to BTS, we’re in a golden era of global sounds dominating American culture. There’s never been a more diverse moment in pop music, but it is always important to remember that the artists involved in this movement are not a monolith. They all represent their own paths, their own narratives, and their own ambitions. Even in the K-pop world, the swoony funk-pop of recent BTS hits has a very different appeal than the more cutesy bubblegum of Twice, who in turn stand apart from the fierce confidence of Blackpink. It’s easy for casual music listeners to lump them all together, but on Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Banc Of California Stadium, Blackpink demonstrated themselves to be a singular talent that can’t easily be boxed in.

For one, Blackpink’s music and aesthetic is less defined by K-pop as many of their peers. While their affiliation with YG Entertainment as well as their formation and years of training follow the same path as many of their K-pop counterparts, at this point, their interests seem to be more about putting their own spin on an American representation of pop, rather than the other way around. This puts the four women — Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo — in a unique position, where they can push boundaries and forge their own path in both their music and the way that music is portrayed. On Saturday night, that included everything from all four artists having a twerking competition to Lisa showing off her pole dancing skills. It was hardly R-rated, but definitely stood in contrast to their more all-ages-appropriate contemporaries.

Their push for Western appeal has been a smashing success. After being the first female K-pop group to perform at Coachella in 2019, they’ve found themselves playing at this year’s VMAs, covering Rolling Stone, and with their recently released Born Pink, topping the Billboard 200 chart. Saturday night was another milestone that the women noted: their first US stadium gig. The quartet was emotional throughout the set when they’d reflect on their journey, so much so that Jisoo had to turn to her native Korean to properly express herself. But with the expert choreography, pyrotechnics, and a guest appearance from Camila Cabello (performing her own “Liar” with Jisoo), Blackpink proved more than up for the task.

Whereas many K-pop groups feature more members than you can count on one hand, the focused nature of Blackpink (much like one of their inspirations 2NE1) allows for each of the women to hold their own in the spotlight and stand apart. Jennie has been maybe the most visible presence in American culture so far, something that will only increase when she appears with The Weeknd in HBO’s The Idol, where Jisoo holds the distinction of being the member who has yet to release a solo single yet — and feels most rooted in Korean heritage. But live, it is Lisa and Rosé who are the biggest standouts. Lisa’s dancing skills impress in their ease, with the Thai singer/rapper able to hold her beaming smile while making the moves look effortless. Rosé, on the other hand, was clearly the strongest vocalist of the bunch, oftentimes handling the reaching pre-choruses before the entire group would join in for a refrain. While no one wants to think about an eventual breakup, there is already movement from most to have their own solo careers, and all seem to have their own unique formula that could find standalone success.

But the best moments of the performance were when their camaraderie showed. During a between-song banter session, the four women strolled from one side of their stadium-spanning stage to the other, seemingly offering an off-the-cuff acapella version of the just performed “Typa Girl.” It was playful and kind of snowballed on itself, with Blackpink laughing through it and eventually noting “I just love that song.” And in the encore, the carefully scripted performance became loose, with the stars galloping around the stage with cameras following them, playing both to the audience in front of them and those watching on the massive screen. The strongest songs, including “How You Like That,” “Heartbreak Girls,” and “As If It’s Your Last” all went over perfectly, but it was often these moments between the songs and outside the choreographed perfection that best brought their fans into their world.

With these being the final dates of a relatively brief American tour, Blackpink could still find more peaks to hit in their continued quest for world domination. They still haven’t landed that ubiquitous smash hit in America or Grammys success or many of the other benchmarks that come with the level they are operating on. The ingredients are there, though. It all feels inevitable.

It’s time to call out some great Scotch whisky for Thanksgiving sipping. Scotch whisky is a wide-ranging category that covers everything from single malt whiskies to blended malts, blended whisky (a mix of grain and malt whiskies), peated malts and blends, unpeated malts and blends, and single grain whiskies. It’s a lot of variation, which means that there’s something for everyone if you know where to look.

That’s where I come in. Below, I’m calling out 20 great Scotch whiskies across several categories that I think are worth tracking down this week. These are the bottles that you can pair meals with, enjoy as easy sippers after a long day, or mix into great cocktails. There’s true flexibility in the whiskies listed below.

I’m also ranking these according to their flavor profiles (nose, taste, and finish). Just to be clear, this is about that profile more than the utility of the actual bottle ranked. That means that all 20 of these whiskies are great for neat sipping, on-the-rocks imbibing, or mixing up highballs and/or cocktails. Versatility is the keyword for these Scotch whiskies.

Moreover, you should be able to find all of these in a good liquor store at a price under $100. Okay, let’s dive in and find you a great Scotch whisky to bring to your Thanksgiving table/weekend/parties!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• All Of Johnnie Walker’s Core Whisky Line, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• Johnnie Walker Vs. Chivas: Which Scotch Whisky Brand Will Win Our Blind Test?
• The Winning Scotch And Bourbon Whiskeys From This Year’s Ascot Awards
• World Class ‘Sipping’ Single Malt Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• Peated Scotch Blind Taste Test: Our Professional Taster Picks His Earthy Favorites

20. The Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut

ABV: 48.8%

Average Price: $83

The Whisky:

The bulbous bottle from The Glenrothes is all about the sherry. The expression spends an undisclosed amount of years in first-fill sherry casks. When those barrels are just right, the whisky is then batched and vatted before being proofed down only slightly.

Tasting Notes:

The nose bursts forth with butterscotch. Once that fades, hints of worn leather, orange peels, and nutmeg mix underneath that butterscotch nose. The palate is nutmeg-forward with a spicy orange zest kissed with dark chocolate and vanilla. The end feels a bit like eggnog laced with orange zest and vanilla with a spicy warmth.

Bottom Line:

This is a great entry point, especially if you’re bringing a bottle of scotch to a table full of bourbon drinkers. That spicy orange chocolate nutmeg vibe will be very familiar.

19. Compass Box Orchard House

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $58

The Whisky:

This blended malt leans into apples as a predominant flavor note of sweet Scotch whisky. The juice in the bottle is a blend of 39% Linkwood single malt aged in ex-bourbon barrels, 20% Clynelish single malt also aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and Benrinnes single malt from ex-bourbon barrels. The following 8% is a single malt from a distillery in the town of Aberlour (not the distillery) that is aged in ex-sherry butts with two percent from a Highland malt blend that is aged in custom-built and toasted French oak barrels, and the final 2% from a peated malt from Caol Ila that matured in ex-bourbon casks.

Tasting Notes:

Naturally, apples burst forth on the nose with tart, sweet, and juicy notes next to a soft pear vibe, lemon and lime zest, a touch of sweet pineapple, and a soft echo of dry but fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves. The palate leans into fresh ginger soaking in a pot of floral honey next to minor notes of fresh strawberry shortcake with a soft vanilla sponge cake, fresh berries, and a dollop of vanilla-laced whipped cream. The finish leans into a light white floral note while the pear and apple return with a ripeness that feels like they’re fresh off the vine and a final note of lightly spiced malts with a whisper of applewood smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is like a holiday fruit basket in drink form. The pears, pineapple, apples, ginger, and deep vanilla all feel like something bright on a rainy day. Make sure to add a little water or a rock if you want to get into some creamy brandy butter vibes with a tropical fruit pie feel.

18. Glenmorangie The Cadboll Estate Batch #2

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $90

The Whisky:

Glenmorangie has finally made this a regular drop on the North American market. The juice is made from Highland barley grown exclusively on the 440-acre Cadboll Estate, which surrounds the distillery. The juice is then filled into French casks which held Muscat and Sémillon wines. It’s then left alone for 15 years to mature. Finally, those barrels are batched and brought down to a low 86 proof with local highland spring water.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sense of buttered scones with lemon curd next to a good dose of vanilla and a touch of savory herbs on the nose. The palate really holds onto that biscuity nature while adding in a caramel candy note next to a bit of butter with a white sugar cube vibe. That lemon comes back on the short finish with hints of old straw and strawberry jam while the savory edge sneaks back in with a hint of lightly spiced tobacco leaf.

Bottom Line:

That hint of savory herbs and spiced tobacco feels very turkey brine adjacent with the citrus providing a nice counterbalance as a pairing whisky.

17. Aberfeldy 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $47

The Whisky:

This Highland malt is the cornerstone of the much-beloved Dewar’s Blended Scotch. This whisky is a very accessible single malt that spends 12 years resting in various casks before it’s married and proofed down and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

The heart of the nose is in the mingling of pear and honey with a hint of Christmas spice, especially nutmeg. The palate expands on that with a lush maltiness, creamy vanilla, mild spice, and more of that honey and orchard fruit. The end gets slightly nutty and bitter with a little water as the honey, fruit, and spice linger on the senses.

Bottom Line:

Nutmeg, honey, nuttiness all add up to a great holiday pour of whisky. That said, this works wonders in simple cocktails too, especially if you’re mixing up a highball or old fashioned.

16. Benromach Contrasts Organic

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whisky:

This is the first Soil Association-certified organic single malt from Scotland. The mash is made from organic Scottish barley. That juice was then filled into new American oak barrels for a long rest. When those barrels hit the right mark, they were batched, proofed, and bottled without chill filtration.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a fascinating mix of bran muffins cut with rich vanilla and lemon oils next to dry ramen packs, softly stewed brown beans, and apple-cider-infused malts with a hint of cumin, cardamon, and cinnamon that’s almost garam masala. The palate leans into the spiced malts with an undercurrent of rich toffee, gingerbread, vanilla cream, and salted banana chips with a light flutter of sage and thyme. The end has a soft espresso cream vibe next to black licorice and dry chocolate crumbles.

Bottom Line:

This is funky and fun with a good dose of holiday spices and savory green herbs. Then that bitter espresso vibe hits at the end, creating a little more depth that feels like a great digestif pour.

15. The Dalmore 12

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $68

The Whisky:

This Highland whisky is a gateway whisky that feels like a classic. The juice is aged in ex-bourbon for nearly a decade. The whisky is then transferred to former sherry casks for that crucial finishing touch of maturation for around three years. It’s then proofed down to a very accessible 80 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Oranges studded with cloves mingle with a deep dark chocolate foundation and a hint of eggnog creaminess and spiciness. The palate goes even deeper on the orange and spice as heavy vanilla arrives — the husks, seeds, and oils are all present. The end is fairly succinct and touches back on the chocolate with a bitter mocha-coffee vibe and more vanilla.

Bottom Line:

This is a great and easy pour. It’s a crowd-pleaser that leans into holiday spirits with a nice and creamy chocolate base, especially over a rock or two.

14. Glendronach 15 Revival

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $79

The Whisky:

Revival 15 takes its sherried nature very seriously. The juice is aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks for 15 long years. Those casks are married and this whisky is brought down to a very easy-drinking 92 proof with that soft Highland water.

Tasting Notes:

Dark berry brambles with tart and sweet fruit, stems, thorns, and even a little black dirt draw you in on the nose with a hint of walnut shell and cherry pie. The palate is a creamy-yet-bitter dark chocolate orange that leads toward a semi-savory fig countered by ripe apricot. The chocolate comes back with cinnamon spice and more dark berries and walnut at the end.

Bottom Line:

There’s a nice sense of figgy pudding with plenty of dark winter spices that help this malt shine this time of year. I like this in a simple cocktail (like a Rob Roy) but it also shines on a rock with that water opening up a level of creaminess with the chocolate.

13. The Balvenie DoubleWood Aged 12 Years

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $70

The Whisky:

This is the whisky that launched the “double aging” trend back in 1982. This unpeated single malt spends 12 years mellowing in ex-bourbon casks before it’s transferred to ex-sherry casks for a final maturation of nine months. Finally, the whisky is vatted in a “tun” where it rests for three to four months before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Soft and floral honey mix with a hint of vanilla extract, sweet red berries, and wine-soaked oak. The palate meanders through light touches of marzipan with a hint of cinnamon and fields of plum trees with a whisper of tree bark and leather lurking in the background. The finish lets the spicy malt kick in with a dose of hot cinnamon and honey tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is another essential pour of easy-going whisky. I do tend to pour this more for cocktails (it’s great in a penicillin) than sippers, but it really works well either way.

12. Grand Old Parr 18

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $94

The Whisky:

This old-school brand just expanded into 18-year territory this year for the U.S. market. The juice is made from malts and grain whiskies mostly pulled from the famed Cragganmore distillery. Those whiskies are vatted/batched, proofed, and bottled in this old-school stubby bottle.

Tasting Notes:

Dark and meaty dates and figs are countered by a hint of vanilla cream, woody cinnamon, and … I want to say … oyster or clam shell. The palate is a classic malty experience with a touch of sage over caramelized root vegetables with a touch of vanilla cake filled with spicy stewed plums. The end has a mild woodiness that’s attached to the spices with a hint of oak and mustiness.

Bottom Line:

This really leans into a big old roasted dinner with all those caramelized root veg, savory herbs, woody spices, and meaty dried fruit tasting notes. This is also an easy-to-drink whisky that’s pretty much perfect over some rocks.

11. Dewar’s 18

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $64

The Whisky:

The heart of Dewar’s is Aberfeldy whisky. This blend is a testament to Master Blender Stephanie MacLeod’s prowess in bringing good whisky together to make great whisky. The juices are aged for 18 long years in American oak before they’re vatted into a large oak tun and allowed to rest before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s that signature Aberfeldy honey on the nose with hints of almonds, stone fruits, and red berries next to a hint of dried leather, Christmas spices, and maybe even some tobacco leaf. The palate dials all of this in with a marzipan vibe next to floral honey, bruised apricot skins, and dark chocolate-covered red berries with a hint of tartness and bitterness. The end is soft, silky, and brings a final bite of sweet oak with a slight tobacco chew layered with dark chocolate and marzipan.

Bottom Line:

I like this poured over some spicy holiday cake to give it a much-needed kick. It’s also great as an accompaniment to that spiced cake thanks to that deeply holiday-themed flavor profile.

10. GlenAllachie Aged 15 Years

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $99

The Whisky:

This Speyside single malt is aged in ex-Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for, you guessed it, 15 years. Those barrels are selected for their distinct flavor profile and vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtering.

Tasting Notes:

Apple juice slowly boils down to a cinnamon-spiced apple sauce on the nose as a hint of dry firewood sneaks in. The palate is part warm malts and part sweet orchard fruit with a hint of burnt orange and more dry wood. The end is light but carries a hint of warm spice and sweet fruits.

Bottom Line:

This feels like an easy win if you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser whisky. There’s a nice spiced apple cider feel that’s very seasonally apt.

9. Mortlach 12

ABV: 43.4%

Average Price: $61

The Whisky:

The Beast of Dufftown hails from a tiny yet beloved Speyside distillery. The actual whisky is also made on their smallest still, nicknamed “Wee Witchie.” That juice then goes into ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 12 years. Finally, those whiskies are married, proofed, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

This is subtle yet engaging with a nose of almost burnt toffee next to bright red berries, mild spice, hints of oak, and a bit of cedar. The palate leans into the berries by becoming jammy with more of that toffee and a mild sense of spicy tobacco arriving late. The end is long-ish with a plummy chew next to that tobacco and malty spice.

Bottom Line:

That hint of berry and toffee help this one stand out as a truly great workhorse whisky. It’s great over some rocks, neat, or in a cocktail, especially something easy like a hot toddy or Godfather.

8. Chivas Regal 18

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $79

The Whisky:

Chivas 18 is the brand’s signature higher-end blend. The juice is built around a specially made Strathisla 18 single malt. That juice is supported by 20 other single malts from around Scotland with various casking processes.

Tasting Notes:

This smells like classic “Scotch” from the first sniff thanks to layers of creamy dark chocolate, dried tart berries, buttery toffee, and a sense of marzipan just kissed with rose water and orange oils. The palate has a mild old leatheriness that leads to dried roses, salted dark chocolate bars, and smoked cranberry next to a whisper of raspberry vanilla cake. The end has a hint of dry and almost woody florals and winter spices next to smoked berries and dry cedar bark.

Bottom Line:

This is the quintessential on-the-rocks brand and pour. It’s also one of the most accessible drams on the list thanks to an easy-going nature and deep flavor profile that’s never taxing.

7. Aberlour A’bunadh

ABV: 56.2% (varies)

Average Price: $95

The Whisky:

A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the juice in this Highland bottle represents that for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. The juice then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.

Tasting Notes:

That sherry plumminess is evident right up top, with hints of bright orange oils, clumps of dark chocolate, honey, and nuts, and a hint of oak. The taste shines with notes of dark, ripe cherries, prunes, more bright orange zest, dark chocolate, and a good measure of svelte vanilla. The slow finish leaves you with a creamy mouthfeel next to bitter chocolate next to sweet cherries and plums, all of which lead towards a warming spice on the tongue at the end.

Bottom Line:

This is the pour that’ll get your palate ready for the holidays. This is truly Christmas in a glass, which, let’s be honest, Thanksgiving is just a practice run for food and drink wise.

6. Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $89

The Whisky:

Cragganmore is an iconic Scottish distillery. The whisky is matured in sherry casks for 12 years. It’s then transferred into American oak casks that held port for a final maturation phase before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Fennel leads to dried fruits — sultanas, prunes, dried fig — and fresh apples on the nose with a hint of tartness and skin. The taste, on the other hand, leans into sweet oak, pear candies, fresh figs, and a softness that’s almost hard to believe. The end is full of sweet fruits — think ripe pears, green tomatoes, and star fruit — and has just the right touches of soft oak, oily vanilla, and savory green herbs as it fades towards a final note of wet wicker right after a rain storm.

Bottom Line:

This really pops as a great pairing whisky thanks to those funky and fresh herbal notes. Then the dried and green fruits kick in offering a wonderful balance of texture and flavor.

5. Glen Scotia Victoriana Single Malt

ABV: 54.2%

Average Price: $95

The Whisky:

This Campbelltown whisky is a rarity, like most whiskies from the tiny region. After an initial maturation, the whisky spends a final 12 months maturing in 30 percent Pedro Ximenez sherry butts and 70 percent heavily charred American oak before bottling truly as-is — no proofing, no filtering, no coloring.

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is thick with a lot of savory fruit — figs, squash — next to sweet oranges, overripe pineapple, and robust but fresh florals. On the palate, that floral nature takes in a nasturtium vibe with a layer of spice next to a thin line of saltwater taffy wax paper wrappers, rum-soaked cinnamon sticks, and a thin layer of creamy vanilla. The end has a vibe that’s kind of like malt-soaked tropical fruit next to spicy vanilla pudding with a whisper of singed apple bark lurking in the background.

Bottom Line:

There’s a lovely fruitiness that plays into cinnamon and orange on this one. It’s subtle but delivers a great balance of maltiness and whisky vibes. Make sure to add some water or a rock to bring about a sort of pineapple upside-down cake vibe with a creamy brandy butter vanilla feel.

4. Ardbeg An Oa

ABV: 46.6%

Average Price: $73

The Whisky:

This is a quintessential Islay peaty whisky. The juice is aged in a combo of Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak, and ex-bourbon casks before being married and rested again in Ardbeg’s bespoke oak “Gathering Vat,” allowing the whiskies to really meld into a cohesive pour.

Tasting Notes:

Slow-smoked peaches mingle with soft cherrywood and a bundle of smoky savory herbs — sage, rosemary, ramps — on the nose. The palate is soft and buttery with a sweet burnt toffee vibe next to nutmeg, walnut, Earl Grey, and maybe a touch of woody maple syrup. The end takes its time and meanders through salted black licorice, wild florals, more singed savory herbs, and a hint of black-pepper-covered brisket fat that’s been heavily smoked over sea-soaked driftwood.

Bottom Line:

Smoky savory herbs are where it’s at when pairing with a big roasted meal. This feels like the first no-brainer whisky that might be a little off-putting to the uninitiated. Ardbeg does not skimp on the peat. You’ve been warned. That said, if someone is smoking or frying a turkey this week, this is the perfect pairing bottle.

3. Talisker 10

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $64

The Whisky:

This is one of the most awarded single malts ever. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon casks in Talisker’s warehouse which is literally feet away from the sea. The subtly peated malts take on a real seaside feel as those years tick past, creating a whisky that will not disappoint.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with this soft sense of pitted orchard fruits next to a thin line of beach campfire smoke far off in the distance with a hint of minerality and bright spiced malts. The palate has a hint of an oyster shell that leads to dried pears and apricot with a hint of warmth and spice malt next to dry sweetgrass. The end is full of lightly smoked plums with a touch of cardamom and cinnamon next to sea salt and a final whiff of that beach campfire way down the beach somewhere.

Bottom Line:

This feels like the ultimate whisky for every part of the week, party, day, meal, or whenever. It’s so easy-going as a whisky while offering something unique and satisfying. And it kind of pairs with any flavor profile from oyster shooters to herb-heavy slow-roasted meats, to nutty and spicy desserts.

2. Oban 14

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $69

The Whisky:

This is a great gateway to both Oban and scotch, in general, to have on hand. The juice is classically made and then matured in the Oban storehouses for 14 long years — all within a stone’s throw of the sea. The whisky barrels are then blended and proofed by Oban’s tiny distillery team (only seven people work there) before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Citrus, salt, and a billow of peat smoke open this one up in classic fashion on the nose. That citrus carries on as a foundation for mild spices on the palate as a note of honey, hints of pears, and plummy dried fruits mingle on the tongue. The oak spice and extremely mild peat smoke meet at the end with a slight malty sweetness as the sip fades.

Bottom Line:

This is a lovely “wake up the senses” pour of whisky thanks to the citrus and honey on the palate. It’s bright and inviting while leading to darker dried fruits and spices. It’s also delicious over a rock, which opens up a creamed sort of lemon meringue pie and orange marmalade on creamed scones vibe.

1. Johnnie Walker Green Label

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $55

The Whisky:

Johnnie Walker’s Green Label is a solidly crafted whisky that highlights Diageo’s fine stable of distilleries across Scotland. The juice is a pure malt or blended malt, meaning that only single malt whisky is in the mix (no grain whisky). In this case, the primary whiskies are a minimum of 15 years old, from Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood.

Tasting Notes:

Soft notes of cedar dance with hints of black pepper, vanilla pods, and bright fruit with a wisp of green grass in the background. The palate really delivers on that soft cedar woodiness while edging towards a spice-laden tropical fruit brightness. The finish is dialed in with hints of cedar, spice, and fruit leading toward a briny billow of smoke at the very end.

Bottom Line:

If there was only one bottle on this list that hit every mark perfectly for Thanksgiving week, it’d be this. Everything is here on the nose — palate, and finish. It’s amazingly well-priced. And you should be able to find this one pretty easily. And it’s f*cking delicious Scotch whisky.

Lots happened at the AMAs last night: Cardi B unexpectedly performed with GloRilla, Anitta brought our Missy Elliott, and Taylor Swift gave an inspirational speech. On top of all that, Imagine Dragons And JID performed their hit “Enemy.”

The performance was animated and full of fire — literal fire — while frontman Dan Reynolds ran around the stage in an impassioned sweat. The song came out last year, attached to the League Of Legends-inspired animated Netflix series Arcane.

“Enemy” followed the release of the two-part album Mercury — Acts 1 & 2. About the LP, Reynolds told Uproxx, “We went into it not knowing it was going to be two albums. We sat down with Rick Rubin who produced it and went through a lot of demos that I had worked on over the previous years.” He added, “There were two prevalent themes that Rick had pointed out. I dealt with quite a bit of loss. I lost quite a few people in my life. Then there was also really a prevalent theme of, ‘and then what?’ Post grief and seeing the world differently, we really felt like we couldn’t tell that in one album properly, and so, it was Rick’s idea actually to do two records.”

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is in the midst of one of the more impressive rushing stretches by a quarterback in NFL history. Fields is averaging 106.7 rushing yards per game over the last six contests, helping to spur Chicago’s offense into a much more competitive place in recent weeks. That included an 18-carry, 85-yard showing against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and, while the Bears fell short by a 27-24 margin, Fields was the clear centerpiece of the offense with his multi-faceted abilities.

However, there is potential downside to leaning so heavily on a quarterback in the ground game, and Fields reportedly suffered a left shoulder dislocation during the Week 11 matchup. Fields apparently played through the injury late in the game, and he is being described as “day-to-day” by the team before a Week 12 matchup against the Jets.

The actual incident in which Fields injured the shoulder is unclear, though he took a variety of shots against Atlanta’s defense, but he was clearly ailing after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder on the sidelines late in the fourth quarter.

For Chicago, there has to be some level of long-term consideration with how to handle Fields. In short, the Bears are 3-8 and, even with improvement lately, Chicago’s 2022 prospects are not terribly encouraging. It will be interesting to see what kind of caution is in place when evaluating Fields for Week 12 in particular, but he certainly showed some toughness in playing through a pretty painful injury.

Quentin Tarantino doesn’t have another movie out, and he may not be long for the profession. But he did recently publish his first book of film criticism. You know what that means: He’s doing another round of press, spouting off his wacky hot takes. Some of them aren’t that wacky: Maybe Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really is his best film, as he believes. He’s also telling some inside baseball stories he may not have told before — like that time he went hunting with some of the biggest filmmakers in the business.

“I went duck hunting with Spielberg once,” Tarantino told Howard Stern. “I was the new kid in town, and they were all really impressed with Pulp Fiction.”

Spielberg wasn’t the only walking through the woods with him, carrying firearms. So was the NRA’s most famous filmmaker member, John Milius, responsible for Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, and some of the better lines in movies like Dirty Harry and Apocalypse Now. Also there was Robert Zemeckis, who had his own film that year: Forrest Gump. The two were in tight competition for a number of Oscars, including Best Picture. In fact, that’s exactly why Spielberg invited them both out to go duck hunting.

“You and Bob Zemeckis are gonna be in competition the whole rest of this year, so before the competition starts it might be nice to all go off and do something together,” Spielberg told him, as Tarantino recalled. They had a good time, and Spielberg even pulled him aside to offer some industry advice.

“He’s talking to me very pragmatically. We’re walking through a forest and … he’s like, ‘So, here’s what’s going to happen at the Oscars,’” Tarantino recalled. “I think it’s gonna be Bob who wins Best Picture … and Best Director … but I do think you’ll win Best Original Screenplay.’ And then he stopped, turned around and looked at me, and said, ‘Second movie. Little gold man. Not too bad.’”

That’s exactly what happened, although over the years Pulp Fiction has been the one with the better rep, prompting its star, Tom Hanks, to mount a defense.

Tarantino’s book Cinema Speculation, which mostly finds him analyzing ‘70s cinema, is available for sale now. You can watch the clip below.

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The “So What” singer revealed in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive that her daughter, who had just done a school production of “Grease,” helped her learn the movie musical’s hit song and do it justice.

The coaching paid off. Her distinct rock-‘n’-roll rasp fit surprisingly well into a song written for Newton-John’s more dreamy, ethereal tone. As she sang, images celebrating the late singer’s life filled the stage. Unsurprisingly, audiences were moved by the powerhouse performance.

“I’m pretty sure @olivianj is looking down from heaven and just thrilled ❤️ ❤️bravo!!,” one person commented on Twitter.

Earlier this year—following Newton-John’s passing—Pink shared a black-and-white photo the two took together, praising her as “kindness personified.” Though they had only met a small handful of times, Pink regarded her as “one of the loveliest, kindest, light from within human beings I have ever met.”

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Newton-John was (and still is) exactly that to so many people. She might be gone, but leaves behind an abundant source of inspiration, especially when it comes to acting with compassion.

Thank you Pink for honoring her memory in such a beautiful way!

Thanks to our close evolutionary proximity and Jane Goodall’s years of field research, humans have an intense fascination with chimpanzees. They are clearly not us, yet they are clearly similar to us in many ways, and a viral video from Sedgwick County Zoo beautifully highlights that connection.

Mahale is a 28-year-old chimpanzee who recently gave birth to a baby at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. According to KSAT News, her labor stalled, which necessitated an emergency C-section. As a result, Mahale and her baby were separated for two days while she started her recovery and her baby received oxygen.

Unlike humans, chimps don’t have the language and cognitive abilities to understand what’s happening in such a situation. It must have been a confusing experience for Mahale, who had already given birth to two babies prior, to find herself no longer pregnant but not having her baby with her.

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So when the two were finally reunited, it was a moment to remember.

At first, Mahale doesn’t appear to know her baby is there. Then he lifts up a tiny little hand and all her mama instincts kicked into high gear. Watch:

The sweet moment brought people to tears and quickly went viral. The way she scoops him right up? Every mama felt that.

The wee one was named Kucheza, which is Swahili for “play.”

The keeper cam shows the two have been inseparable since then, cuddling, nursing and grooming as they enjoy their “babymoon” together.

“Mahale is THE MOST amazing mama,” shared the zoo. “She hasn’t put baby down since she first picked him up yesterday morning and the two are IN LOVE.

The zoo has been posting regular updates on its Facebook page, with photos and videos of Kucheza and Mahale.

The reunion video has more than 30,000 comments from people who were moved by the mother’s reaction to seeing her baby.

“Oh my goodness!! Sobbing!! The way she sees that little hand and rushes to hold her baby!! So beautiful!! Thank you for sharing,” wrote one person.

“Aw man, I remember seeing my baby for the first time after waking up from an emergency c section,” shared another. “I just started to cry and held him to my face. This is so sweet.”

“Thanks so much to our dedicated keepers and staff for 48 hours of hard work to make this birth possible,” wrote another. “We appreciate each of you so much. Also a heartfelt thank you to the Wichita doctors that attended to momma’s surgery. We are blessed!”

The zoo has used the viral opportunity to share ways people can help the world’s chimpanzee population.

“The whole world has fallen in love with Mahale and Kucheza, after catching a glimpse of their emotional reunion,” the zoo shared on its Facebook page. “Chimpanzees in AZA-accredited institutions like Sedgwick County Zoo receive the highest level of care to meet their physical, emotional, and social needs – including the life-saving decision to deliver Kucheza via emergency C-section.

“All of the animals in our care serve as important ambassadors for their species. Mahale and Kucheza have reminded us all that chimpanzees are smart, charismatic, and amazing animals. And they need our help! Small actions – like recycling your old cell phones and using only sustainably-sourced (certified) palm oil and paper products – can help save chimpanzees like Mahale and Kucheza in the wild.”

The Sedgwick County Zoo website shares ways people can make a difference in chimpanzee conservation here.