On the heels of his new album, More Love, Less Ego, Wizkid has shared the video for his latest single, “2 Sugar.”
On the song, which features Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, the latter seeks for her flame to be straightforward with her, singing, “Got a bag full of feeling / And a house full of regret /This baggage is conflicting, no plane / Don’t mean to digress.”
Wizkid joins in, singing, “Man I fight my own demons / Keep the bad energy gone / Play with no time when you see us / We got the right energy on / Burst to the rhythm, nothing long.”
In the song’s accompanying video, Wizkid and Starr are seen dancing in a mansion, filled with beautiful works of arts and luxury decor.
Though Afrofusion is on a global rise, and Wizkid is one of the most recognizable voices in the genre, he admitted in an interview with The Guardian that he is still adjusting to fame.
“Most of the time, I don’t want cameras in my face,” he said. “But I understand why I have to. That’s one of the things I still battle with. I just want to live a normal life.”
Check out the video for “2 Sugar” above.
More Love, Less Ego is out now via RCA. Stream it here.
While the fall foliage alone should be enough to get you to finally take that road trip to Vermont this fall, there are also quaint, little postcard-looking towns, a great food scene, and a surprising number of high-quality craft breweries. Sure, California (and San Diego, in particular) gets a lot of praise for its beer (specifically IPAs), but when it comes to quality per capita?
Vermont just might have Cali beat.
Obviously, an actual visit to the home of Ben & Jerry’s and Bernie Sanders might not be in the cards for everyone. Especially if you live very far away, but that shouldn’t stop you from sampling some of the pale ales, IPAs, lagers, and other beers The Green Mountain State has to offer anyway. We found eight of the best beers that prove that Vermont is one of (if not the best) states for beer fans — check them out below!
If you’re a big beer fan and hazy IPA drinker, you’ve probably already tried Fiddlehead IPA. It’s well-known for its juicy, citrus-filled, dank flavor profile. It’s time to step it up to Second Fiddle, its 8.2% ABV, dry-hopped imperial IPA.
Tasting Notes:
Fresh cut grass, grapefruit, tangerine, caramelized pineapple, and resinous, floral one highlight the nose. The palate is juicy and loaded with more tropical fruits, citrus peels, grapefruit, ripe melon, and dank, bitter, herbal hops. It’s a very complex, multi-dimensional take on the imperial IPA.
Bottom Line:
If you’re an IPA fan, Fiddlehead Second Fiddle must be on your list. It’s like someone took the juicy, tropical fruit flavor of a New England-style IPA and paired it with the dank, bitter, citrus flavor of a West Coast IPA.
The Alchemist Heady Topper is more than just a great IPA. Just like Sierra Nevada created the American pale ale style we all know and love The Alchemist’s John Kimmich created the hazy, juicy, New England-style IPA when he brewed Heady Topper back in 2004.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all bready malts, caramel, citrus zest, tropical fruits, and dank, resinous pine. It’s definitely inviting if you’re an IPA fan. On the palate, you’ll find ripe tangerine, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, caramel malts, and more floral, herbal, earthy, dank pine needles. The finish is a dry mix of fruity sweetness and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
This is a very complex, balanced beer. It’s the kind of beer that is on every beer drinker’s bucket list and one that you should definitely try if you get a chance.
Referred to as Vermont’s “#1 draft beer,” Switchback Ale proves that sometimes simple is better. It’s a refreshing malty, hoppy, easy-drinking amber ale. It’s 5% ABV, unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and truly memorable.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of wet grass, bready malts, caramel, dried fruits, and herbal, piney hops greet you before your first sip. The palate is a mix of bready malts, sweet caramel, dried fruits, pine, fruit esters, and herbal, slightly bitter hops. It’s a crisp mix of sweet malts, fruits, and lightly bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-drinking mix of malt and hops that you’ll go back to again and again. There’s nothing overly dynamic about this beer. It’s just simple, clean, and refreshing.
Grass Roots Brother Soigné
Grass Roots
ABV: 5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
For those unaware, Grassroots Brewing is a part of the highly regarded Hill Farmstead Brewery. This offshoot’s most iconic beer is its Brother Soigné, a saison known for its tart flavor due to the addition of blood orange, hibiscus, and lime in the fermentation process.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with aromas of bold citrus peels, earthy yeast, lime zest, and a final note of floral, herbal scents. The palate is crisp, tart, and slightly sour with notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lime peel, and light floral flavor. The finish is dry, crisp, and slightly tart.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly unique beer. It’s a summery, yeasty, earthy saison that also has unique tart, citrus, and floral flavors. There’s a reason it’s such a coveted beer.
There’s something special about a well-made lager. And in a state known for its hazy IPAs, Zero Gravity Green State Lager manages to make a name for itself due to its crisp, easy-drinking flavor profile of Noble hops and Pilsner malts.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll enjoy aromas of lemon zest, cereal grains, bread-like malts, wet grass, and floral, piney hops. The palate is a mix of caramel, bready malts, citrus peels, cereal grains, and herbal, earthy resinous hops at the very end. It’s crisp, refreshing, and perfect for any time of year.
Bottom Line:
Zero Gravity Green State Lager is tremendously popular and it definitely deserves the acclaim it gets. It’s simple, crisp, and very well-balanced.
If you find yourself with a four-pack of this delicious beer, you definitely won’t want to spill any. This 8% ABV double IPA from the folks at Foam Brewers is known for its hazy, juicy flavor profile of ripe pineapple, citrus peels, and tropical fruits.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is lemon zest, pineapple, grapefruit, mango, guava, bready malts, and grassy, herbal hops. The palate follows suit with mango, caramelized pineapple, bread-like malts, tangerine, and more herbal, floral, piney hops at the finish. The ending is a mix of sweetness and subtly bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of a New England-style IPA done right. It’s hazy, juicy, and fruity, but it also has enough malt and bitter hop presence to round it out nicely.
Technically Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine is currently brewed in Connecticut at Two Roads, but its genesis was in Vermont and it’s Green Mountain State through and through. It’s known for its mix of tropical fruits, citrus zest, and layers and layers of piney, herbal hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all ripe grapefruit, tangerine, freshly cut grass, pineapple, and other tropical fruit aromas. Drinking it reveals hints of bread-like, caramel malts mixed with pineapple, orange peel, mango, and earthy, dank, bright hops. The finish is a nice mix of sweetness and hop bitterness that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine is one of those beers that you always want to grab if you spot it in the wild. Fresh, floral, and fruity, it’s an iconic New England-style IPA for a reason.
Hill Farmstead Edward
Hill Farmstead
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Hill Farmstead is not only the biggest name in Vermont brewing, but it just might also be the biggest name (among aficionados) in American brewing. One of its most recognizable additions to the beer world is its iconic Edward. This 5.2% ABV American pale ale is brewed with house ale yeast, American malted barley, and Chinook, Columbus, Centennial, and Simcoe hops.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of lemon peels, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, and herbal, earthy pine needles greet you before your first sip. The palate is all wet grass, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon zest, bready malts, and floral, piney hops. The finish is crisp and highly refreshing.
Bottom Line:
This is yet another beer that proves that simplicity is key. This is a straightforward fruity, citrus-filled, hoppy American pale ale. Definitely a beer you should add to your bucket list if you’ve never tried it.
The year-end slowdown is upon us, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no new music coming out — merely that the flood has become a much more manageable stream. Indie artists would be wise to take the advice of Audio Mack’s Brian Zisook, who pointed out ” this represents a great window to land editorial with less competition.” Meanwhile, a few artists who offered new music this week include Slowthai, Channel Tres, Stormzy, DDG, and the artists named below.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending November 11, 2022.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
David Sabastian & DJ Drama — Gansta Grillz: God Save The Rave
David Sabastian & DJ Drama
David Sabastian has been kicking around the LA underground fashion scene for some time, but it seems he’s been pursuing rap in earnest recently, signing with Warner Records and releasing a handful of singles. This week, like labelmate Symba, he teams up with DJ Drama for a Gangsta Grillz installment that shows just how seriously he’s taking his music.
GloRilla — Anyways, Life’s Great…
GloRilla
Talk about a breakout year; Glo’s hit single “FNF” was a fan favorite, but its follow-up, “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B, took all that forward momentum and supercharged it. Now, the bundle of lovable ratchet energy releases her first major-label collection of songs, packaging her stellar hits with a handful of new songs, with features from her new label boss, Yo Gotti.
Nas & Hit-Boy — King’s Disease III
Nas & Hit-Boy
I’d say Nas and Hit-Boy scored a hat trick with this one, but given they split their KD trilogy with Magic last year, the most appropriate sports analogy might be the relatively rare four-point play. Consider this one the made free throw, putting the puncuation mark on an incredible feat. To sweeten the deal, Nas goes solo eschewing contemporary features to prove he can finish just as strong.
Yung Bleu — Tantra
Yung Bleu
Yung Bleu still lands firmly in the “hip-hop new releases” categories on DSPs despite his love for gentle melodies and emotive subject matter, so we’ll keep him here until further notice (DRAM, unfortunately, has gone full neo-soul on me, meaning I have to let Wongo have that one this week). Notable features on this one include Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla Sign, and Zayn Malik(!!).
Singles/Videos
38 Spesh X Harry Fraud — “Band Of Brothers” Feat. Benny The Butcher & Ransom
38 Spesh and Harry Fraud are two of underground rap’s go-to producers for soulful, nostalgic beats, so seeing them team up is exciting enough on its own, but doubly so when you realize who all they’re probably bringing along. Obviously, pairing the polysyllabic flows of Benny and Ransom is an appetizing teaser of what guests like Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, Conway The Machine, and Stove God Cooks will bring to Beyond Belief next week.
BabyTron — “AirTron”
Coming from BT’s Bin Reaper 3: Old Testament last week, “AirTron” nabs a sample of the Kurtis Blow classic “Basketball” to backdrop the Michigan rapper’s herky-jerky NBA punchlines. A sports fan’s dream come true.
Dusty Locane — “Rolando 2 (Catch The Rain)”
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why this Brooklyn drill stalwart hasn’t caught fire yet. I can only assume that it’s because the genre as a whole has gotten so crowded it’s hard to cut through the noise. Between his distinctive voice and consistent work ethic, it really should only be a matter of time.
G Herbo — “It’s Something In Me”
Lil Herb’s new album Survivor’s Remorse weirdly flew under the radar last week, but that isn’t stopping him from supporting it like a top-ten hit. “It’s Something In Me” is a prime example of the Chicago vet’s rugged but tortured perspective and the cavernous instrumental supports some of his most engaging bar work from the project.
Gucci Mane — ” Sh*t Crazy Remix” Feat. BIG30, Sett & Mac Critter
Gucci shares the spotlight with his Icy Gang here, letting the youngsters shine while remaining his usual consistent self.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Among Portland Trail Blazers supporters, the overwhelming points of optimism entering 2022-23 focused on their offensive potential. Supernova star Damian Lillard, back from injury, was healthy. Anfernee Simons asserted himself during Lillard’s extended absence and the two looked ready to form a prolific backcourt tandem. Jerami Grant, whose offensive prowess has expanded in recent years, was acquired via trade over the summer. Josh Hart made strides as a member of two separate teams in 2021-22.
Visions of a playoff revival were presumably founded upon a top-10 offense and struggling, albeit workable, defensive unit. Through 12 games, the Blazers are 9-3 with a 6-1 road record. They’ve knocked off the Phoenix Suns twice, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans. Lillard has missed five games. Simons, Grant, Justise Winslow, and Jusuf Nurkic have combined to miss six more. And yet, here is Portland, nipping on the heels of the 10-3 Utah Jazz for the West’s No. 1 seed.
There is no explosive offense fueling this fast start. The Blazers are 16th in offensive rating, and Lillard’s hiatus unsurprisingly factors in there. He and Simons are also still discerning how to maximize one another together. Head coach Chauncey Billups’ offensive scheme keeps Lillard off the ball considerably more than he was under previous lead man Terry Stotts. That requires adjustments as well.
To make up for this, Portland is smothering teams defensively. Following three consecutive years of finishing 27th or worse, this team finds itself sixth in defensive rating. Only once since 1998-1999 have the Blazers ranked this highly (2017-18, when they finished sixth). Further, according to Cleaning The Glass, they’re third in half-court defensive rating (90.5).
Over the past few seasons, and especially since general Joe Cronin replaced the ousted Neil Olshey last fall, the Blazers have stockpiled multifaceted wings, all of whom are contributing to this stifling defense. Throughout much of the Lillard Era, that’s been a glaring weak point of the roster. They lacked wing-sized scoring juice and defensive versatility to complement Lillard and his former longtime running mate, C.J. McCollum. It is why Grant was brought in.
In 2019, Portland made the Western Conference Finals, due in part to the quartet of Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, Evan Turner, and Rodney Hood. Four years prior, before Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles in early March, they were third in the West at 41-19, with the Matthews, Nicolas Batum, and Arron Afflalo trio playing a key role. Healthy forward depth has been integral to some of Portland’s most successful seasons with Lillard at the helm.
This year, the likes of Grant, Winslow, Hart, Shaedon Sharpe, Nassir Little, Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, and Keon Johnson have all cast their fingerprints on the defense. The first five are the ones typically receiving rotation minutes when everyone suits up, but each player has had moments through the first three and a half weeks of the season, which speaks to the talent of the roster, even on the backend.
That eight-player grouping has allowed Portland to go small when it wishes and selectively deploy the centers, Nurkic and Drew Eubanks. On various occasions, the Blazers have elected to end games without either one out there. In their opening win of the season over the Sacramento Kings, Winslow closed at center and stymied All-Star Domantas Sabonis inside. This week, Winslow and Watford have served as the centers during crunch time in wins against the Heat, Pelicans, and Charlotte Hornets.
At any time, Portland can trot out four wings alongside Lillard or Simons. The entire team is physical, plays the gaps well in help, and operates bigger than their listed height, especially Hart and Winslow. Part of what’s flustering opposing offenses is the schematic flexibility these undersized lineups adhere to. Usually, small-ball opts to switch everything. That’s the Blazers’ most popular scheme, but they’ll throw out drop coverage or a zone.
According to Cleaning The Glass, in 160 possessions without Eubanks or Nurkic on the court, the Blazers tout a plus-12.6 net rating and 96.2 defensive rating. These quintets, led by a bunch of rangy, synergistic, brawny wings, fly around to cause havoc (93rd percentile turnover rate) and close off airspace.
The communications and off-ball rotations are highly impressive. They constantly talk, point, and move to cover for one another; Lillard is chief among those fulfilling the communicator role (similar to what D’Angelo Russell does with Minnesota). They’ll seamlessly switch to siphon off openings. They complicate post-ups on perceived mismatches. The guards embrace and initiate contact. The cohesion and attention to detail are stunningly vital.
They’re likely in line for some regression, given their deficiencies on the boards (19th percentile defensive rebounding rate) and beneficial shooting luck (45.3 percent effective field goal, 0th percentile). But these dudes are balling and are by no means merely thriving because of fortunes outside their control. The tape is a pleasure to watch.
When Nurkic or Eubanks is in the game, they’re playing lots of drop, often near the level of the screen. Nurkic is periodically showing or switching, but the foundation is for the point-of-attack defender to fight over and Nurkic to hover around the level of the screen. Whether it’s the corner or at the nail, they’re also prioritizing aggressive help in the gaps, even from the strong-side. Some defensive principles advise against this and suggest staying at home on the strongside; the Milwaukee Bucks and their league-best defense, for instance, practice such tenets.
The stunt-and-recovers, along with the backside rotations on tags, have been stellar. Note the connectivity on all these possessions. The entire lineup is operating harmonically to quell ball-screen actions. Opportunities for clean field goals are rare. The backline help behind Nurkic has drastically improved since last season. He’s not left on an island because someone, or someones, are around to support him.
Nurkic’s primary reinforcements are Winslow, Grant, and Hart, who all sit among the top five in minutes for Portland thus far. These are the pillars of the Blazers’ defense. They are tremendous.
Grant’s brought a blend of size, mobility, and length at the point of attack they’ve coveted for years. His activity as a weakside rim protection is as precise as it’s been since his final year with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018-19. Opponents are shooting 8.1 percent worse than their average within six feet of the hoop when he’s the primary defender, according to NBA.com. His ground coverage in a multitude of roles is enhancing the defense. He’s excelling as an on-ball stopper, off-ball chaser, and interior helper, all at 6’8 with a 7’3 wingspan.
Winslow, after a few seasons of unfortunate injuries, is back to wide-ranging and menacing defense. He’s the Blazers’ fun-sized 5 of choice, has assumed assignments from point guard through center and is a tyrant in the passing and driving lanes, the last of which is a particularly critical job in this scheme. He curtails post-ups against bigs, treats his arms like windshield wipers to deter jumpers, and is nearly impossible to move off his spot. He and Hart are the Bash Bros. with their penchant for contact, either absorbing it or inflicting it.
Speaking of Hart: he just flat-out rocks. The dude’s a gamer. Despite his condensed frame, he whirls around screens rather gracefully. He’s a heady interior helper. Much like Winslow, his help in the gaps and ability to close out effectively is integral to the defense; both rank in the 69th percentile or better in steal rate. Playing the 3 alongside Lillard and Simons, Hart’s rebounding (99th percentile in defensive rebounding rate) and brawn negate the challenges his 6’5 stature conceivably present. He plays bigger than his size, which enables some of these small lineups to work properly.
Each well-traveled wing is a heartbeat of the NBA’s sixth-ranked defense.
To augment the services of those three, along with all the other forwards on the squad, Billups is diagramming lots of zone. According to Synergy, only Miami (18.4 percent) dials it up more commonly than the Blazers (14.4 percent). They’re the lone teams to eclipse 7.5 percent. Portland’s 0.828 points per possession surrendered is fifth league-wide (Miami is third at 0.777 PPP, by the way).
Offenses are bewildered by this 2-3 zone because they Blazers get tricky with it. Rather than keep Lillard above the break, which is where guards tend to be, they’ll send a pair of long-limbed wings to engulf decision-makers up top. Lillard, instead, plays one of the corners and directs orders to his teammates — he seems to lead these efforts, along with Winslow and Hart.
The alignments are fluid, too. Depending on where the ball is moving and where offensive options are stationed, they’ll rearrange positions on the fly. Nobody is static, and that can make it tough for opponents to gauge whether they’re seeing man or zone and how to attack it. But the Blazers always know and that’s all that matters for them.
Sometimes, they’ll toss out a zone for a possession, earn a stop and revert back to man-to-man. The diversity to toggle across all these coverages is a hallmark of their early prosperity. Facing gangly wings and a center bouncing between the ball and the rim, cracking the shell of the zone is an arduous endeavor for offenses. The Blazers dare teams to flip the court via skip passes, but that’s a risky proposition with sprawling, attentive defenders lurking.
If not for Utah’s 10-3 sprint out of the gates, the Blazers’ 9-3 start would be the feel-good surprise of the league’s opening month. The case can be made that the way their start materialized warrants the top spot, regardless. This defense is legit good. They’re comfortable in an array of concepts. They can alter the rotation and lineups for different matchups. They’re physical. They shrink the floor. They operate in unison.
Teams are shooting an unsustainably low 34 percent from midrange against them. They’re among the bottom 10 in opposing rim and three-point frequency. That’s not an ideal recipe for a top-10 defense, though offenses are already capitalizing beyond the arc at a 37.1 percent clip. Gary Payton II, a malleable defensive whiz on the perimeter, has yet to even play, too, and will help.
But the Blazers have wiggle room to fall from sixth overall and remain a good team. A Lillard-led offense, given his resurgence (29-5-5, 66 percent true shooting), is too lethal to sit south of league average, as is the surrounding personnel. An upswing there will help mitigate some defensive drop-off, if it occurs.
Right now, though, the Portland Trail Blazers, thanks to their assortment of fruitful schemes, are a defensive-minded bunch giving teams nightly fits. The ship may still be captained by a pair of offense-first guards, but these Blazers are playing a brand of hoops not seen in Lillard’s tenure. And it’s working about as well as possible.
Rye whiskey is always changing and evolving. That makes tasting new releases, limited edition one-offs, and new batches a fun prospect. That’s right, folks! It’s time for yet another BRAND BRAND new rye whiskeys blind taste test. We’ve done a few of these of late, but what can we say — the market keeps growing!
For this blind tasting, I grabbed eight new bottles from my desk. I could have added a few more as three new rye whiskeys arrived at my door while I was tasting these ones (no joke). So keep an eye out for another one of these blind tastings soon.
Anyway, the rye whiskeys tasted below are all newbies either by virtue of being the latest release or batch from a known brand’s expression (Thomas H. Handy, Milam & Greene for instance); or they’re brand new whiskeys that we’ve never seen before (Nashtucky Small Batch, New Riff Aroostook, Uncle Nearest Rye for instance). The point is that these are new releases that you can track down this month.
Our lineup today is:
Savage & Cooke Lip Service Rye Whiskey
Nashtucky Nashville’s Finest Small Batch Rye Connected Spirits
Leopold Bros Single Barrel Three Chamber Rye Whiskey 2022 Release
Uncle Nearest Rye
Redwood Empire Rocket Top Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey BTAC 2022
Milam & Greene Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks
New Riff Aroostook Kentucky-Grown Straight Malted Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years Bottled In Bond
Okay, let’s dive in and find you a great rye whiskey to sip on this November!
Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX
There’s a clear sense of bourbon with cherry/vanilla notes that lead to orange rinds, gingerbread, and a touch of dark cinnamon, clove, and allspice. There’s a lush body to the taste that leads to a hint of white pepper and tart red berries with a touch more of that creamy vanilla with a slightly woody honey. The end has a hint of cumin with that white pepper but ends up pretty light and vanilla-forward.
This was fine. It felt more like a bourbon than a rye at the end of the day.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a big and deep nose of burnt orange and lime leaves next to black licorice ropes, wet cedar bark, and the faintest whisper of pine varnish with a twinge of lemon iced tea in there. The palate is slightly funky with oily mint and sage next to oranges sutdded with cloves over a cherry cream soda with a whisper of anise and allspice. The end lingers with a sweet herbal vibe — kind of like sugar-coated mint — next to a touch of woody tobacco leaves folded into an old pine box.
This was complex, full of herbal rye notes, and kind of fresh. It was inviting while offering serious depth. It also felt unique.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a crafty sense of rich grain porridge cut with maple syrup and rum-raisin next to creamy Nutella and salted peanut shells. The taste is luxurious and opens with a molasses-filled bran muffin crafty vibe that then leads to a deep bench of flavor notes that build: Apple cider, Cherry Coke, cloves, allspice, creamy eggnog, black licorice, cinnamon candies, nasturtiums, and apple-candy tobacco on the very end.
This is really good. It starts off super crafty with those sweet grain notes but then goes deep on classic rye funkiness, spiciness, and fruitiness.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is a toffee bomb on the nose — in a great way — next to layers of rum-raisin meatiness, sour mulled wine, Almond Joy, and a spice matrix full of star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a dash of root beer sharpness. The palate has a salted black licorice vibe that leads to a hint of sour rye bread encrusted with caraway next to gree fennel and a twinge of spearmint. The mid-point has a butterscotch sensation that leads to a finish full of almond horn cookies, marzipan cut with cherry, woody cinnamon sticks, and allspice berries layered into a soft pipe tobacco leaf.
Well, this was delicious. It’s funky, fresh, and very old-school with those sour rye, caraway, and licorice notes. We might have a winner right here.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This feels very bourbon-forward on the nose with a lot of dark fruit and old leather with a scattering of bitter orange, savory squash, and maybe some fresh sage. The palate leans into the bourbon vibes with cherry and vanilla foundations supported by red peppercorn, salted caramel, and cinnamon sticks. The end has a nice peppery warmth with a cinnamon-caramel tobacco feel.
This is pretty nice. It’s very bourbon-heavy which works.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is tannic from the jump with a nutty sense of old almond cookie next to buttery biscuits with marmalade and a trio of old saddle leather, star anise, and lemon meringue pie with a flutter of dried flowers in the background. The palate lights on fire with high ABVS. Then, those florals pop on the palate as candied orange and spiced holiday cake lead to a dark chocolate brownie, some burnt orange, and sweet cinnamon with a peanut brittle sweetness. The end is piney and full of dried roses, orange rinds, and incense.
This was clearly a well-made whiskey but sort of overdid it on the floral side for me.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose is sweet and fruity with grapes and maybe some blackberries next to dark chocolate laced with cinnamon and a light mustiness. The palate leans into lush vanilla with a strong and dark fruit cake full of clove, cinnamon, candied fruits, and nuts. The finish is shorter and a little light but delivers vanilla lushness beneath woody winter spices, roasted nuts, and a light sense of spicy chewing tobacco.
This was fine. The end was a little short.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a sense of gingerbread dipped in vanilla frosting with toasted coconut and banana leaves next to a hint of sourdough rye crusts and caraway with a sprinkling of wild sage and huckleberry. The palate has a sweetgrass vibe with dark red berries next to mint chocolate chip ice cream and oranges studded with cloves. The end has a red berries feel to it that leads to menthol tobacco rolled up with whole dry red chili peppers and dry pine bark with a light sense of spiced winter cake.
This is pretty goddamn delicious too.
Part 2: The Ranking
Zach Johnston
8. Milam & Greene Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks — Taste 7
This whiskey is made in Indiana (at MGP) and shipped down to Texas where it’s batched. That whiskey is then refilled into port casks imported from Portugal. After a final rest under the hot Blanco, Texas sun, the barrels are small batched, proofed, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was fine. It had a soft landing on the finish which can be covered up in a cocktail application easily.
7. Savage & Cooke Lip Service Rye Whiskey — Taste 1
This whiskey starts off by blending rye from Tennessee — 51% rye, 45% corn, 4% malted barley — that are at least three years old. Those barrels are batched and then refilled in California into wine barrels sourced from Maury, France. Those barrels are then batched after a short finishing maturation.
That whiskey is then cut with pure mountain water from the Alexander Valley in Northern California.
Bottom Line:
This was also perfectly fine. I would use it for mixing drinks before I’d use it as a sipper though.
6. Redwood Empire Rocket Top Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002 — Taste 5
This California whiskey was made back in the spring of 2017 with a mash of 87% rye, 5% malted barley, 5% wheat, and a mere 3% corn. Five years later, the juice was small batched from 55 barrels and bottled with a hint of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Bottom Line:
This is really nice, especially if you’re looking for a bridge between the world of bourbon and rye whiskeys. It’s also a nice sipper that works wonders in cocktails.
5. Leopold Bros Single Barrel Three Chamber Rye Whiskey 2022 Release — Taste 3
The latest release of Leopold Bros.’s famed Three Chamber rye is a stellar single barrel release made in a bespoke still designed by Todd Leopold specifically to make this whiskey. The 2022 release is made with Abruzzi rye and sourced from the best five-year-old barrels in the warehouse, according to Todd Leopold’s master-level palate. Once a single barrel is selected, the whiskey is then slightly touched with water before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was very good. The only thing holding it back on this list is the big crafty sweet porridge note at the beginning. Once you get past that, this is amazingly well-layered rye whiskey.
4. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey BTAC 2022 — Taste 6
This year’s Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was distilled back in the spring of 2016 with a mix of Minnesota rye, Kentucky corn, and North Dakota malted barley with some of the iconic Kentucky limestone water. The hot juice went into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds). Those barrels were racked in warehouses I, L, and M on floors 2, 4, 5, and 6. After six years and four months, 31% of the whiskey was lost to the angel’s share before these barrels were batched and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is very well-made whiskey. That big floral/potpourri note just isn’t my jam. That said, this is hot whiskey with a bit ABV buzz in the middle. If you’re looking for a big kick, this is the whiskey for you.
This new release from Nashville Barrel Company is all about master blending of very small batches (with a handful of barrels). This whiskey was made up in Kentucky. Once barreled, those barrels were sent down to Nashville where they aged for up to four years. Once the barrels were just right, the whiskey was batched and bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This has serious depth and felt fresh. I’d lean towards sipping this on the rocks without hesitation. That said, I want to experiment with cocktails with this one thanks to that big and funky rye vibe.
2. New Riff Aroostook Kentucky-Grown Straight Malted Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years Bottled In Bond — Taste 8
New Riff’s latest release is all about local malted rye. The rye for the mashbill is a Kentucky-grown Aroostook Rye that was malted just over the Ohio River in Indiana. Once distilled, the hot juice went into new American oak for six long years before it was small batched, proofed down to 100 proof, and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was delicious, new, and just the right level of funky. It was silky and so easy to drink while offering a serious flavor profile work going back to again and again. Overall, this is a great sipper.
This brand-new release from Uncle Nearest — it’s only hitting shelves this week — is made from 100% rye whiskey made up in Canada according to U.S. straight whiskey laws. Those barrels were sent to New York where they rested for four years. Finally, the best barrels were sent to Tennessee where they were small batched, just proofed with local water, and bottled as-is otherwise.
Bottom Line:
This is a damn near-perfect rye. It’s soft and funky with a hint of woody spice and plenty of fruity vibes. It’s great neat, on the rocks, and will certainly make an amazing Manhattan.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
Let’s cut to the chase. You’re not going to be able to get that New Riff unless you’re in New Riff’s club and in Kentucky to pick it up. You will find it on the secondary market, sure. But alas, it’s a fleeting release and will be hard to source.
The new Uncle Neartest 100 Proof Rye on the other hand is going to be available nationwide this month. It’s worth $60 for a holiday bottle to make amazing Manhattans or just slow sipping as the snow falls outside. There are a lot of great bottles on this list. But Uncle Nearest Rye is both great and attainable.
As we begin season 3 of Mythic Quest(with the first two episodes now live on Apple TV+ followed by a weekly rollout), the show’s writers and actress Jessie Ennis have created quite the challenge for themselves. Ennis’ character, Jo, is quite possibly the person most impacted by the events at the end of last season that saw Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) leave MQ to start a new company and Brad (Danny Pudi) wind up in prison. Now, with only David as a wobbly pillar of power in the office, Jo feels the need to be, gasp, dutiful. Something that is clearly destroying her as she waits to unleash chaos.
“(She) only has so much restraint,” Ennis told us when we spoke recently.
Still, the actress loves playing the twin extremes of Jo, the waiting game for Jo to unleash chaos, the confidence that playing the character has unlocked in her, and she seems excited about fans getting the chance to see her interact more with scene mates that she hasn’t had the chance to work with as much previously. Before we get to all that and Ennis’ VR experiences, however, we start with the tough questions.
How are you doing? Can you tell that this is a dragon on a mountain? I was doodling.
Ennis: Lift it up a little. (Ennis considers the work of art before her on the Zoom call.) Dragon would not be my first choice.
Tabrys
My wife said the same thing. I think you’re both wrong. But I sent it out on Twitter. Let’s see what they say.
I appreciate your confidence.
Art is… it’s all very…
Subjective.
Exactly. So, Jo is going through an interesting phase in her life right now. There’s a different kind of energy this season. She’s trying to change and there’s a lot of restraint. What sparks that and how that is to play?
We really established in season 1 that Jo has this terminal drive toward power. She’s ruthless. And then in season 2, we watch where that leads her, which is this obsession that eventually leads her to crash and burn. So season 3 we pick up where she’s trying to be reformed. She’s a bit more invested in the menial tasks that David needs her to complete. So she puts as much intensity into making a cup of tea that she once put into bullying a 14-year-old online. She is told to track down a rodent and she tracks it down like it’s a criminal. There’s a lot to play with Jo. Because we’ve established so much that it’s easy to just go wild with the whole thing.
She wants to break free though, obviously. I mean it’s almost like she’s waiting to be activated so she can get back to classic Jo mode and be really evil and a little scary.
Yeah. I think something I revel in about Jo is that there are two really strong modes. There’s like the sweet school girl who still hasn’t really grown into her adulthood. And then there’s a full-blown raging psychopath. And if I can eliminate as much of the middle ground as possible, I feel like it’s funnier. So this season we really, really see her lean on the like, “I’m just sweet.” And so, when the rage shows up, it’s like we almost miss it. And we’re so thrilled to finally see her cut loose again.
What’s more fun to play for you?
The rage. I love the rage. It’s great. I mean, it’s not something I’ve ever had to do before on camera. And not something I knew I could do until we started shooting the first season. I love it. And it’s not that common that you see a cute girl who gets to scream horrible insults at people on TV. So the fact that I get paid to do it is a plus.
Do you see a lot of other roles coming now that are in that mode that are trying to typecast you a little?
Yes, definitely. And I try to be kind of selective. Ideally, I’ll get to play a bunch of different characters and you’ll be like, “that’s the same person playing those two characters?” So I’ve been turning down some stuff that feels a little bit too reminiscent of Jo. But she’s also just clued me into a confidence in my own ability as an actor and my range. So getting to play on this show the way that I have has just kind of opened up a billion opportunities for me, internally and externally.
How has it been this season with everybody kind of scattered at the start of the season and not necessarily having the same people to play with as scene partners?
It did feel like we’ve really shaken up the dynamics. I don’t think I have many scenes with Rob. I have a couple of scenes with him this season, which were always fun. I remember at one point I was like, “Oh, your facial hair is different.” He was like, “It’s been different for three months. What’s wrong with you?” I was like, “Oh, I guess you’re usually wearing a mask is also part of it.” But yeah. I mean I have a lot of fun stuff with Rachel and with Poppy this season, which was fun and new. And I remember last year people kept saying, if you could pair up with anybody, who would it be? And I was like, “I’d love to see the women of this cast come together.”
So we have a couple of episodes where we explore what it would be like for those three to bond, which is deeply unnatural if it’s something they figure out how to do together. The girls take Jo out to brunch, which is really not an environment in which she thrives. And so she decides to bring them to where she feels most comfortable, which is a demolition yard where they crush cars.
Apple TV+
That’s awesome. I imagine that was a lot of fun to film.
It certainly was. Also very dirty and very dusty and incredible. I mean I can’t imagine being more different than Jo. The things that thrill Jo are so far from the things that I’m interested in. But that’s part of why it’s so fun.
The VR rig.
Yeah. That treadmill thing.
Do you get a chance to play around with that at all this season?
No. We weren’t even allowed to touch it. It was a look. There was tape around it all the time saying, “this is too expensive for us, don’t touch it.” It reminded me a lot of my childhood. No, I never stepped on it. I never even touched it. I just looked at it. But it looks pretty fun and when I saw it on the show I was like, “man, if I was rich I still probably wouldn’t buy that.” But I could consider it.
Are you into VR? Have you played around with an Oculus?
Yes. The thing I like the most is watching YouTube on an Oculus. I’m like, I am at this Kacey Musgraves concert! It’s pretty intense. Also Beat Saber. I’m a big fan.
Do you have people in your life who have been fair to you when you’re on the Oculus? People who aren’t taking videos of you with the headset on (and mocking you)? Because I have people in my life who have done that. It’s very harming.
I haven’t had that. But I was at a friend’s house and they had a guest over who was on the Oculus and he broke a lot of stuff in that room. And I have a video of that. He broke the light fixture. He broke something that was on a bookshelf. And he didn’t realize. I think because the sound was so loud, he just was breaking stuff and turning around and breaking more stuff. It was a scene out of a really, really broad silly comedy. And he just had no clue. So I have a video of that. Oh, you know what? He’s famous. It was Nick Viall from The Bachelor. He broke so much stuff playing with an Oculus once and I was there for it.
I will say capturing video of somebody breaking stuff on an Oculus perhaps without them knowing, that’s kind of a Jo thing to do, no?
Sure. This was long before I was playing Jo. She definitely always has her phone like an inch away, ready to document someone’s most embarrassing moment.
The first 2 episodes of ‘Mythic Quest’ season 3 are now on Apple TV+
The Grammy Awards are the biggest night of the year in the music industry and the 2023 Grammys are right around the corner. This year’s yearly awards show is officially referred to as the 65th Grammy Awards and the nominations are set to be announced on November 15 by stars like John Legend, Olivia Rodrigo, Ledisi, and more. The awards will be taking place on Tuesday, February 5, 2023 and while the 2022 Grammy Awards were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the 2023 Grammys will be returning to a familiar place.
Where Are The 2023 Grammys?
On February 5th, 2023, the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony will be taking place in Los Angeles, CA. The venue for this year’s awards show is the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center. This is the same venue where the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Sparks, and Los Angeles Kings play their home games. But it’s also a state-of-the-art concert venue, hosting shows from big-name artists like Post Malone, Roger Waters, and Taylor Swift. Swift actually owns the Crytpo.com Arena record for the most sold-out performances and a banner hangs up in the rafters to mark the feat, along with banners for each of the Lakers’ 17 NBA championships.
The 65th Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on CBS networks on Tuesday, 02/05/2023 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET and streaming and on-demand via Paramount+.
Some heroes wear capes. Others just have a decent Wi-Fi connection and $8 to spend to make their least favorite politicians and celebrities look all a fool. And there’s definitely been a lot of that happening on Twitter lately.
Case in point: the online hooligan (at least we presume) who brilliantly decided to set up a fake verified Twitter account for Rudy Giuliani, then tweet out all sorts of embarrassing things, Here’s just a taste of them:
While “I’d like to announce I shidded” was admittedly a good start, and “Helen Keller is a dusty fraudulent bitch pushed on us by globalist media” made us think, just for a second, that maybe it was the former New York City behind the Twitter wheel on these messages, the one post that had everyone talking was when “Rudy” addressed the elephant (smell) in the room, and broached the topic of a certain orange-hued president, Air Force One, and what might have been a bathroom in need of serious ventilation:
“I will neither confirm nor deny the reports I made a big stinky doo doo on Air Force One. All I know is after Roger Stone used a bathroom it would smell brazy in there.”
As Snopes reports, ever since Elon Musk begrudgingly purchased Twitter for a criminally overinflated $44 billion, the Tesla billionaire has attempted to quickly make his mark on the social media site — largely by trying to get people to pay for services that have always been free. This blatant attempt to nickel-and-dime the millions of Twitter users who have long relied on the platform as their primary (and primarily free) source of social media interaction has caused many to flee… and given others some pretty genius ideas of how to exploit the new rules.
Even though Netflix is trying oh-so-hard to convince viewers that maybe their portrayal of the Royal family isn’t completely accurate, they still like to throw in fun bits every once in a while. The world was shocked by those first images of Diana’s “revenge dress” and just how much Elizabeth Debick resembles the iconic princess. The attention to detail is pretty thorough for a show that must be taken with quite a hefty tablespoon of salt.
It seems like Dominic West, who portrays Prince Charles in season five, wanted his own moment to shine, so, of course, they choose something that Prince Charles is so well-known for: breakdancing.
Wait, you didn’t know that Prince Charles, who is now a King, by the way, likes to dance in his spare time when he’s not being pelted with raw eggs? You’re not alone. But… the cast of The Crown found a video of him dancing at a club in 1985 and decided they simply MUST be historically accurate about that specific moment in time.
West explained how it all went down in a new interview: “Peter [Morgan] hadn’t written [the scene] initially and we alerted Peter to it—just, ‘You’ve gotta see this amazing video footage of Charles break-dancing,’” the actor told Vanity Fair. “So he put [the scene] over the credits and I’m really glad, because it actually says so much about him. He really has a go. He knows he’s going to look ridiculous, but you could see there’s a certain—especially when he was younger—a certain competitive streak in Charles, particularly when it came to sports.” Maybe you wouldn’t know from looking at him or hearing him speak or do anything really, but King Charles is an avid skier and horse rider (you can’t forget that the is Royalty, after all) so the moves just came naturally to him!
West explained, “He’s physically very courageous and you could see that coming out in the excruciating moment when he is in a club and he’s asked to dance with these brilliant dancers. So I love that moment. I thought it was very telling about him.” Courageous is definitely one way to describe Prince Charles’s dancing, but West really did his homework in order to learn the moves. “We did spend quite a bit of time with Polly learning the dance he does on YouTube, which is extraordinary,” West said, despite the fact that most of the dance didn’t make it to the screen. “I learned the whole thing but it doesn’t make the cut. Anyway, it was fun…. He has extraordinary moves. It’s fabulous actually.” To be fair, break-dancing was a lot more common in the ’80s before the internet made you realize how silly it looked.
Before you ask– Yes! There is a video, though it should come with some sort of content warning like “Caution: This video features a very rich guy dancing in a way that will make you want to look away but you need to watch it so you can blog about it” or something along those lines. But you can watch it here!
We did not have the lead singer of The Strokes going postal on the CEO of Twitter on our 2022 bingo card, but does anything surprise anyone anymore these days? Julian Casablancas went fairly unhinged on Elon Musk, calling the tech magnate, “a typical ceo *sshole bottom-line hungry super-villain,” a “great symbol for 2020s pieces of sh*t,” and “elon tw*t,” in a series of since-deleted Instagram posts that seemed to be in response to Musk’s new blue checkmark verification policies.
The oft-erratic Casablancas took to his @minorbutmajor Instagram account and made two posts directed at Musk and an impersonator. The first of the two deleted posts featured an image of Saved By The Bell90’s crush Kelly Kapowski (played by Tiffani Amber Thiessen) and it read:
“dear fake ‘verified’ twitter (thanks elon tw*at) acct person pretending to be me… hope ur good at hidingg, cuz imma cut your ugly ass throat when i find you. and i will. — Ana De Armas.
No idea why Casablancas attributed his words to Ana De Armas, but his second post was attributed to Ryan Gosling (again, no idea why) and it featured a photo of Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry. In the caption, Casablancas wrote:
“PS dear Rober Baron asshole who makes butt ugly ass cars and thinks billionaires show pay no taxes… (elon musk) maybe twitter could deal if you didn’t (like a typical ceo asshole bottom-line hungry super-villain) fire half your staff. what a great symbol for 2020s pieces of shit -Ryan Gosling”
It seems as though someone might’ve been impersonating Casablancas on Twitter and Musk’s new lax verification policies might’ve made it seem like it was the real singer. Anyways, just another day in the year of our lord 2022. And as we stated before, the posts were deleted, but the internet keeps receipts:
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