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Mike Lindell’s Live ‘Real-Time Crime’ Midterms Show Wound Up Derailed By Technical Snafus

For months MAGA Republicans have been playing Chicken Little with the Midterms. They still claim — absent of anything approaching hard evidence — the 2020 election was stolen, at least from Donald Trump. Heading into this year’s elections, they prepared themselves, announcing they were ready to call out voter fraud, at least if they don’t win. But when maybe the most prominent election denier — who’s not a certain former president, that is — tried to do live election policing, he ran into some IT issues.

As per The Daily Beast, Mike Lindell — the pillow salesman who’s spent the last two years torching a fortune spewing incoherent nonsense — hoped to hold a “real-time crime” livestream show as the results poured in. Alas, everything went sideways, at least from a technical end. As the evening progressed, his Frank Speech site kept crashing, displaying one of those “1020 Access Denied” messages.

During the show, Lindell tried to address the problems, but sounded like an aging professor fumbling with YouTube. “I didn’t expect—I thought we were immune to sabotage, but I guess not…the app is not working!” he spluttered to whoever was watching him.

At other times, he struggled to get working audio from his fellow voter fraud sleuths, among them Nixon tattoo enthusiast Roger Stone. “On my end, the feed is terrible,” Lindell fumed at one point. “I couldn’t hear anything!”

Lindell has been in rare form in the lead-up to the election, even for him. He vowed that he had “cyber guys” who can see “inside” the voting machines, which definitely doesn’t sound illegal (or impossible).

(Via The Daily Beast)

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Sean Penn May Not Have ‘Smelt’ His Oscars, As Promised, But He Did Give One To Volodymyr Zelensky, Because Of Course He Did

Few in Hollywood have been as enthusiastic cheerleaders for Ukraine during the Russian invasion as Sean Penn. The Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker was there on the ground from the start. He was even told, two months later, to “get the f*ck out of there” or risk life and limb. At one point, he even threatened to “smelt” one or both of his Oscar trophies if president Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to appear on this year’s disastrous Academy Awards telecast.

Speaking of, Deadline reports that Penn is back in Ukraine, during which he gifted Zelensky with one of his statues.

“It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here then I’ll feel better and strong enough for the fights,” Penn told Zelenskyy in a video the latter posted online. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu, because I’ll feel much better knowing there’s a piece of me here.”

So does this mean Penn didn’t smelt his Oscars? Did he only smelt one and leave the other, perhaps hoping one day to lend it to Zelensky? And which one did he give him? Was it the trophy he won for Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River? Or for playing Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s Milk? As of now, that’s unclear.

Penn didn’t leave empty handed. In return, Zelensky awarded him the Order of Merit honor “for his sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization of Ukraine in the world.” Penn also gushed to Zelensky about Ukraine, saying, “there are three places in the world that all the pride of my life will be. The place where my daughter was born, the place where my son was born and this.”

(Via Deadline)

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Harry Styles Fans Are Literally Risking Their Safety To Get Barricade At His Shows

Concert camping culture seems to only be getting worse and worse these days. Take the recent story of two Harry Styles fans making a video about waiting in line in a parking lot for nearly a month to see him. A new outrageous scenario has arisen as of tonight, November 8, after a Twitter user shared a video of people in tents outside during a storm to see the “As It Was” singer at the Kia Forum in California tomorrow.

The clip shows the tents blowing in the intense winds, getting soaked under a downpour that doesn’t look like it’s ending any time soon. Most of the reactions to this are fans expressing frustration that other fans are willing to risk getting sick and then spread that sickness at the show — a totally fair argument.

Unfortunately, Styles’ fans can often be inconsiderate and just plain odd. In August, an audience member chucked a chicken nugget at the singer, to which he responded, “Interesting, very interesting approach.” When a chant broke out encouraging him to eat it, he said, “I don’t eat chicken, sorry. I don’t eat meat.”

Tomorrow’s show will be his first show since postponing three of his Los Angeles shows due to having the flu.

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Did ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Use An Intimacy Coordinator?

Over the last few years, a specific job has gained a lot of traction in the entertainment industry: the intimacy coordinator. As per SAG-AFTRA, they’re the people on set whose jobs are to act as “an advocate, a liaison between actors and production … in regard to nudity and simulated sex.” If a show or movie has a sex scene, they’re there on set, choreographing intimate action, ensuring closed sets stay that way, even working with costumes and prosthetics. They’re even there during pre-production, helping plan what kind of intimacy will be captured on camera. It’s a job that’s become especially pronounced in the #MeToo era. But not all films use intimacy coordinators, even ones with tabloid-grabbing sex scenes.

One such film was Don’t Worry Darling, director Olivia Wilde’s highly anticipated — then tabloid-grabbing — follow-up to Booksmart. One of the first attention-nabbing bits of the film, which purports to be about a closed community in the 1950s, was some torrid action between stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, including a roundelay on a kitchen table. So did they use an intimacy coordinator?

The answer: Nope. The Cut studied the film’s end credits, and while there were 11 people in the “health and safety” section — including COVID-19 precaution gigs — there was no intimacy coordinator to be found.

Wilde has not specifically addressed the lack of that job on her latest film, but she has spoken about the film’s sex scenes. She told AP that “we still live in a really puritanical society,” she argued that “the lack of eroticism in American film is kind of new,” perhaps alluding to the decline of erotic thrillers and other films that prominently feature sex — once a significant part of the cinematic and TV landscape.

“Then when it comes to female pleasure, it’s something that we just don’t see very often unless you’re talking about queer cinema,” she added. “You know, it’s interesting because in a lot of queer films, the female characters are allowed to have more pleasure. Audiences aren’t as puritanical as corporations think they are.

“And yet people get upset,” she continued. “I mean, people are upset with me already over this. I think it’s a testament to the film. We want to be provocative. The idea is not to make you feel safe.”

Still, it’s clear some would prefer intimacy coordinators on set. Over the summer, Amanda Seyfried lamented the lack of those positions on films she made when she was younger. And Sean Bean earned scorn when he lambasted the job, saying they ruin sex scenes — a take that prompted many to take umbrage.

Don’t Worry Darling now streams on HBO Max.

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SZA Shows Lots Of Skin In Her Hypnotizing, NSFW Teaser Clip Called ‘PSA’

It’s finally happening. After teasing her fans all year, saying it will be out in the summer and then admitting in October that she’s not rushing the release, SZA’s album seems to be very much on its way. The icon unveiled “Shirt” at the end of last month, and today she shared a breathtaking, explicit preview clip called “PSA.”

In it, SZA sits in a bikini inside a ring of green fire, looking at the camera seductively as her hypnotizing rap plays in the background: “I don’t want nobody calling me anything but number one / I got problems, I don’t know how to take losses.” The sound is ethereal and enchanting. The camera flashes back and forth between that scene and another scene of her pouring a glowing substance onto herself — and that includes her chest, and — NSFW warning — toward the end she goes full-on topless.

SZA tweeted the clip, writing, “happy birthday to me. Clock starts now.” It immediately went mega-viral, but her replies are turned off. The comments on the YouTube video are full of all-caps level excitement.

Last month, SZA disagreed with Punch’s description of her album. @szaoncharts tweeted: “.@sza’s new album is called a continuation of Ctrl but with a completely different sound. While Punch describes the new album as ‘somebody who’s lost and then discovered themselves.’” SZA replied, writing, “Ion agree w this at all.”

Watch the “PSA” teaser above.

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Charli XCX Will Star In ‘Overcompensating,’ A Comedy Produced By Jonah Hill’s Strong Baby

Charli XCX is having a great year thanks to the release of her album Crash plus a few great one-offs like “Hot Girl” and “Hot In It.” It looks like things are just getting bigger for her: Now she’s going to be taking on the TV world.

Charli will be starring in a comedy by Amazon Studios called Overcompensating, alongside Benito Skinner. It’s being produced by Jonah Hill’s production company Strong Baby and A24. It centers on Benny, an Idaho football player who struggles with his sexuality and ends up overcompensating because of it.

Last month, Charli talked about the weirdness of fame. “To be famous – a stratospheric level of famous – you have to f*cking want that sh*t to happen to you, and you have to do the deal with the devil,” she said. “You have to f*cking go there and run people over. I’m not saying it’s a negative thing, it’s not, but I think with Crash I definitely wanted to play that game. But I think because of who I am, and the artist that I am and the reference points that I have and the world that I come from, it’s like… there’s just this part of my brain that doesn’t want to function like that.”

Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Brewers Tell Us Their Absolute Favorite ‘Guilty Pleasure’ Beers

What is a guilty pleasure? By definition, a guilty pleasure is anything (movie, TV show, song, food, drink) that you enjoy even though it might not be seen as high-quality by the masses. Or the enjoyment of something that makes others want to “guilt” you — Taco Bell, perhaps. Or In-n-Out.

Today, we’re most interested in guilty pleasure beers. You know, the beer you love that you might not talk about as much as the barrel-aged bangers everyone else is fawning over. While we could write a whole story describing our favorite guilt pleasure beers (we throw back light lagers summer long), we figured we’d let the professionals in on the fun. We asked a handful of well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us their favorite guilty pleasure beers.

Keep reading to see if any of your picks made the list.

Miller High Life

Miller High Life
Miller

Rob Lightner, co-founder of East Brother Brewing in Richmond, California

ABV: 4.6%

Average Price: $6.50 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

It had been a minute, but I just had one last night. It was a Miller High Life. Smooth, drinkable, clean, and refreshing. Honestly, this is the experience we aspire to. And that iconic branding and tagline.

The Champagne of Beers? I’m not feeling guilty at all. Would you?

Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Half Acre Daisy Cutter
Half Acre

Amy Cartwright, co-founder of Independence Brewing in Austin, Texas

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $11.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

I love a good Pale Ale. And while it might not seem like a guilty pleasure, I can’t get enough of beers like 3 Floyds Zombie Dust, Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue, or Half Acre Daisy Cutter. I love full, fresh citrus flavor and aroma with a little danky bitterness for balance delivered with a dry, crisp finish.

If I had to pick one, it would be Daisy Cutter with its bold citrus, tropical fruits, and resinous pine.

Corona Extra

Corona Extra
Corona Extra

Phil Markowski, brewmaster at Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford, Connecticut

ABV: 4.6%

Average Price: $8.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

A Mexican lager fits that bill for me. I like any number of craft-brewed versions, but I have to give a nod to the best known, Corona Extra. I find it ultra clean and refreshing with a surprising amount of hop flavor and aroma compared to others in that arena. It’s consistent and reliable and let’s face it, that’s not easy to do.

Highwater Campfire Stout

Highwater Campfire Stout
Highwater

Aaron Halecky, brewmaster at Great Basin Taps & Tanks in Reno, Nevada

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $7.99 for a 22-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

Campfire Stout from Highwater Brewing. I’m not really a sweets guy, but the nostalgia of eating a s’more that you just assembled using the marshmallow that you perfectly roasted yourself over the campfire that lies before you really does the trick for me. This beer absolutely nails the flavors. Especially the burnt sugar taste of a marshmallow that actually has been toasted over a campfire. You could make a marshmallow in the microwave but that ain’t it.

Narragansett Lager

Narragansett Lager
Narragansett

Katie Beaucage, brewer at Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $6.99 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

Underrated, but an absolute go-to of mine, is Narragansett Lager. A staple New England brew, it’s super crispy and refreshing. It’s always consistent, and mighty affordable.

It also doesn’t hurt that they have an absolute badass female head brewer.

Bud Light

Bud Light
Bud Light

Enrique Vittorino, brand manager at Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $6.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I like to support live music endeavors. Depending on the venue, you don’t get many options. It’s not a guilty pleasure as such, but I suppose whenever I order a Bud Light without hesitation, some of my friends could react in a dramatic way.

What makes it great? I think it’s drinkability and availability for the occasion. It’s all about context.

Coors Banquet

Coors Banquet
Coors

Ryan Joy, lead brewer at Green Flash Brewing Company in San Diego

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $6.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Being born and raised in Colorado, it would be hard for me to say anything other than Coors Banquet. You can get it just about anywhere, but it tastes the best right from a cooler full of ice on a cool evening by a campfire. It’s an aptly named beer since it’s the kind of beer you want to pair with a hearty meal or just drink while you sit in a lawn chair outside on a nice night.

Miller Lite

Miller Lite
Miller

Ian Brown, head brewer at Biggerstaff Brewing in Atlanta

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $6.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My guilty pleasure is usually Miller Light. That stuff is just too refreshing. When it comes to light beers, some are more flavorful than others. Miller Lite is low in calories and alcohol content, but high in crisp, sweet, easy-drinking flavor. Why would you even feel guilty drinking a simple, no-frills beer like this?

Genesee Cream Ale

Genesee Cream Ale
Genesee

Ryan Pachmayer, head brewer at Yak & Yeti Brewpub and Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado

ABV: 5.1%

Average Price: $10.99 for a twelve-pack

Why This Beer?

Genesee Cream Ale is my guilty pleasure beer. I think this is what people are talking about when they say they love Banquet or PBR or Yuengling (I don’t love any of those). It’s just a sort of “whatever” beer for many, but I grab a fresh pack of Genesee from time to time when I see it, and it really hits the spot. It’s malty, slightly sweet, and highly refreshing any time of year.

What’s not to love?

Drekker Braaaaaaaains Orange & Banana

Drekker Braaaaaaaains Orange & Banana
Drekker

Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $22.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

My guilty pleasure beer is the Chonk sour series from Drekker. My favorite right now is the Orange and Banana. It’s guilty because I can rationalize to myself that I’m having a smoothie when I open one up to have with Sunday morning breakfast.

Maybe I still feel a little guilty enjoying a sour beer that early in the day. Maybe I don’t.

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Rick Ross Swears He’s Not A Hoarder, But The Internet Says Otherwise After A Video Of His Home Was Shared

Rick Ross often makes weird headlines. The rapper revealed last month that he’s afraid to try almond milk: “Is they squeezing it out of the peanut?” In May, he made a lot of people jealous by admitting that he’s never had an email account. Now, he’s attempting to convince fans that he’s not a hoarder after a video circulated of his home that is… well… a little cluttered.

The video, posted by XXL, shows a lot of clothes and shoes, lining the hallways and covering up the floors. “I’m trying to organize some of this sh*t. Man, I got this sh*t spilling out every goddamn way,” Ross says. “Should Rozay have a damn yard sale?” He adds, “This ain’t no hoarder. This rich boss sh*t going on.”

The video went viral with lots of quote-tweets arguing that he is in fact a hoarder.

Ross often calls himself a hustler, which is his excuse in this situation. In February, he wanted 10 oak trees in his backyard cut down but the price was $1,000 each, amounting to a grand total of $10,000. Instead of paying that fee, he put on a cowboy hat and did it himself. “They must’ve forgot who the f*ck I am,” he said in a video.

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Trump Is So Mad At Ron DeSantis That He’s Threatening To Reveal All His Secrets If He Runs In 2024

The 1950 screen classic All About Eve follows a Hollywood star (Bette Davis) who realizes too late her career is being usurped by a young, ambitious ingenue (Anne Baxter). Is the same thing happening to Donald Trump? For months, the former president has watched as a brash copycat — Florida governor Ron DeSantis — has angled in on his 2024 presidential aspirations. Recently Trump has amped up his attacks on him, even giving him a particularly lame nickname. Now he’s basically blackmailing him.

As per The New York Times, Trump spent part of Election Day 2022 — when the GOP might make a comeback after embracing a leader who helped foment a violent attack on the Capitol building — doing what he does best: trash-talking his many enemies. That includes DeSantis, who’s threatened to steal his second attempt at re-election.

“If he runs, he runs,” Trump told journalists, trying to seem cool. The detente didn’t last long. “If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”

What skeletons will Trump summon from the closet? Will they be worse than the recent NYT piece that made some unsavory claims about DeSantis’ brief stint as an arrogant high school teacher who partied with kids and argued with Black students about the motivations behind the Civil War? Or is it all Trumpian bluster?

Trump himself has spent ages declining to formally throw his hat in the ring for 2024 — although he’s been happy to tease the inevitable, over and over and over again. Then again, he might have to run for office from the slammer.

(Via NYT)

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We’re Tasting Crafty New Bourbon Whiskeys Blind To Pick A Champion

It’s a new day and there are new bourbons to try, rank, and argue over. With the holidays just around the corner, now’s the time to start thinking about which bottles you’ll be taking to that Friendsgiving party or gifting in some secret Santa at work (always give booze at those). To that end, I grabbed eight new bourbons (either brand-new expressions or this year’s batch release) and tasted them blind.

I kept this panel of bourbon away from the mainstream to help find you something a little more “crafty.” Quite often, very small bourbons like Square 6 (tasted below) come from behemoths Heaven Hill but that particular expression is made entirely in their tiny craft distillery in a visitor’s center as a “craft” product. Other bourbons on this list are made at MGP of Indiana but then sent to specific regions where those whiskeys become something else via tinkering by a craft bottler or blender. The throughline here is that these are small-time and unique brands instead of overtly mainstream ones. (This is also in contrast to “crafty” flavor notes in a whiskey that denote “wet graininess” or “porridge” aspects popular in craft whiskeys these days).

To rank these bourbons, I’m going by the taste alone. Price is neither here nor there this time of year. This is simply about finding good new bourbon to drink and enjoy with friends and family. The point is to find something a little different and unique to try.

Our lineup today is:

  • Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch no. B2205
  • Olde Raleigh Small Batch Honey Barrel Finished Bourbon
  • Bespoken Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon
  • Dunce Whiskey
  • Cathead Distillery Old Soul 7-Year-Old Bourbon TinType Series #1
  • 291 Bad Guy Colorado Bourbon Whiskey
  • Oak & Eden Wheat & Spire Fired French Oak

Okay, let’s dive in and find a great bourbon whiskey for you to drink right now.

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

Part 1: The Tasting

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Taste 1

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a dark cherry bomb next to spiced prune jam over cinnamon and pecan waffles with real maple syrup, dark chocolate powder, and a hint of vanilla cream. The palate leans into Cherry Coke spicy vibes with a hint more of that dark chocolate leading to freshly fried apple fritters, eggnog creaminess, and a mix of orchard woods. The end has a soft warmth thanks to the wintry spices that lean toward sour, sweet, and spicy mulled wine with a whisper of fresh pipe tobacco laced with dates, dark cacao, and cedar bark.

Well, this is brilliant. Can we call this ranking now? This is going to be hard to beat.

Taste 2

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a tannic nature to the nose with dark and woody spices (cloves, allspice, anise) next to a mild sense of Honey Nut Cheerios. The palate has a honey candy feel next to Hot Tamale candies, singed toffee, and dark red berries with a dry edge. The end has a sense of honey vanilla wafers next to more of that bold cinnamon and woody allspice, a hint of cherry/vanilla, and a twinge of charred oak with honey tobacco backing.

This is pretty damn nice too. It’s subtle but has a bold woody/honey feel to it that’s very enticing.

Taste 3

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This has a very light nose with hints of winter spices, mocha lattes, and maybe some sourdough bread crusts with hints of orchard fruit and nuts. Those nuts lean toward peanut brittle on the palate with a whisper of gingerbread, Almond Joy, and maybe some more of that sourdough with a hint of salted butter. The end is ultimately pretty light but creamy, full of vanilla, and hints at apple tobacco.

This was fine. It feels like something you’d mix with more than a sipper though.

Taste 4

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This is a grain bomb on the nose with thick lines of wet oats, bran muffins, and cornbread batter mixed with pancake batter and maybe even some wet grass with hints of cherry soda and vanilla cookies lurking underneath with a dash of dark winter spice. The palate is largely the same with a massive dose of Cream O Wheat and buttery white grits next to molasses-laced bran muffins and vanilla white cake.

This is very much in the new wave of super grain/porridge forward craft bourbons. This one is especially pronounced in that way.

Taste 5

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sense of orchard fruits next to dried cranberry, a hint of pear candy, and cinnamon/vanilla cookies dipped in waxy milk chocolate. The palate leans into the pear with a drizzle of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla sauces all spiked with mild winter spice. The end has a soft sweetness with a hint of Hot Tamale candies, chocolate tobacco, and pear juice.

This was also just fine. It was well-balanced but a little “meh” overall.

Taste 6

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a subtle boot leather on the nose with a hint of caraway on rye crust next to salted caramel sauce, and old oak staves with a hint of musty earthiness. The palate leans into the salted caramel with a buttery underbelly next to warm winter spices — cinnamon, cardamom, star anise — next to burnt orange and a whisper of marzipan. The end is fruity, vanilla-filled, and just kissed with woody tobacco spice.

This was a pretty nice pour overall. It felt like a solid sipper that’d also make a killer Manhattan thanks to that rye vibe.

Taste 7

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

There’s a whole fruit basket of fruitiness with stone fruit really shining through — think apricots and peaches — next to old tart apples, cinnamon sticks, toffees dusted with crushed almonds, and a murmur of chamomile tea. The palate has a crafty graininess that’s akin to oatmeal cookie dough with a hint of nuttiness, brown sugar, cinnamon, and something slightly floral but woody. The end brings the apricot back as a spicy jam with a little vanilla creaminess and tannic florals.

This was pretty good. I’m not quite sold on the floral note but it’s still well-balanced overall.

Taste 8

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Tasting Notes:

This opens pretty tannic and a little plasticky with a sense of cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and licorice root next to cans of fruit salad, vanilla extract, and a hint of caramel. The palate leans into the caramel sweetness before hitting a pretty tannic bitterness tied to a woody spiced nature and some burnt orange. There’s a hint of banana bread and clove next to more tannic vibes.

I don’t know. This felt off. There’s an artificial vibe on the nose and the palate is so woody that it’s hard to get much else.

Part 2: The Ranking

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

8. Oak & Eden Wheat & Spire Fired French Oak — Taste 8

Oak & Eden
Oak and Eden

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This Indiana whiskey is sent down to Texas where it’s batched and bottled. The juice in this blend has a mash of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and only 4% malted barley. The whiskey is finished “in the bottle” with a toasted French Oak spire.

Bottom Line:

This one is a pass for me. It’s too overly done with that spire in the bottle.

7. Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon — Taste 4

Square 6 Bourbon
Heaven Hill

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

Square 6 is Heaven Hill’s bespoke craft whiskey that’s made at the Evan Williams Experience on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. The very small batch juice is made with a mash of 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley. It’s pot-distilled on-site and aged right there on Main Street.

Bottom Line:

This is a grain bomb and very indicative of craft bourbon right now. So if you’re looking for something completely different, this is the play.

6. Dunce Whiskey — Taste 5

Dunce Whiskey
Dunce Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Tamworth Distilling technically isn’t a bourbon even though the mash is 70 percent corn with rye and malted barley as support. The whiskey (that they don’t call a bourbon for some reason) is batched by Tamworth and bottled with a pretty accessible 90 proof.

Bottom Line:

This was very much in the “fine” section of the tasting. It didn’t really capture my interest.

5. Bespoken Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

Bespoken Bourbon
Bespoken Bourbon

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This Northern California distillery is all about making “craft spirits.” The juice in the bottle is a standard straight bourbon that’s distilled at MGP and aged for two years before being finished/blended in California.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was very much in the “fine” section. This was nice enough, and had classic bourbon vibes, but was ultimately a little light.

4. 291 Bad Guy Colorado Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 7

291 Bad Guy Bourbon
291 Colorado Distillery

ABV: 57.8%

Average Price: $108

The Whiskey:

This Colorado whiskey is made from a mix of local corn, malted wheat, malted rye, and beech-smoked malted barley. As per 291’s classic aging methods, the whiskey is aged for about two years with aspen wood staves in the barrel to accelerate the aging process. Finally, this is batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the good stuff on this ranking. Overall, this was quality whiskey that had a nice depth to it. it was a little fruitier, which I think makes for a great mixing bourbon — especially with sours or flips.

3. Cathead Distillery Old Soul 7-Year-Old Bourbon TinType Series #1 — Taste 6

Old Soul Tintype
Old Soul

ABV: 59.6%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was distilled in Indiana with a high-rye mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those barrels were then sent to Jackson, Mississippi, where they spent a few years aging. Finally, the team at Cathead batched the barrels and bottled them as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is a solid whiskey all around. There’s great depth and balance. It’s also nice to try an MGP that was aged in the deep south instead of the Ohio Valley. It’s unique and tasty. You can’t ask for more. Well, maybe it could be a bit cheaper.

2. Olde Raleigh Small Batch Honey Barrel Finished Bourbon — Taste 2

Olde Raleigh Honey Barrel
Olde Raleigh

ABV: 50.09%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

The juice in this bottle is a four-grain of corn, malted barley, rye, and wheat from barrels of whiskey sourced from Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Those barrels were five, nine, and 17 years old when they went into this blend and were finished in an old honey barrel.

Bottom Line:

This was very nice. It was super easy to drink with a clear honey vibe. Overall, I’d 100% use this for my next Gold Rush or whiskey sour.

1. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch no. B2205 — Taste 1

Starlight Bottled-In-Bond
Starlight Distillery

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $60

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.

Bottom Line:

This was the best bottle of whiskey today and it wasn’t even close. This was both classic and fresh with a deep bourbon feel. It was lush and silky and enticed you back for more. It also feels like it’d make an amazing cocktail while being an easy sipper.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

New Bourbon Blind
Zach Johnston

Brass tacks, numbers four, three, and two are worth seeking out. Look back at those tasting notes and see what speaks to you. Five through eight are probably pretty skippable at the end of the day.

In the end, none of these came close to Starlight’s Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. It’s a damn near perfect whiskey in that category and really hits the flavor profile outta the park. Hurry though, it’ll sell out quickly on Seelbach’s.