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When Emma D’Arcy landed one of the leads on House of the Dragon, it’s not like they weren’t a fan of the Game of Thrones franchise. They had just never seen it. Now the British performer is becoming a big star, praised for their work as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, ancestor of Daenerys, as well as one of their favorite beverages. They’re not even convinced they could have done it had they been some George R.R. Martin superfan.

“I hadn’t seen it before I auditioned, which I honestly think is the only reason I’m able to do the job,” D’Arcy confessed to Interview (as caught by Entertainment Weekly). “There’s no way I’d have made it through the audition process if, at that time, I had the love for the show that I have now. I think I’d have buckled under the pressure.”

It’s not like they were totally unaware of it. “I was aware of the show as a cultural phenomenon,” they said. “I haven’t lived under a rock and it was very much in my peripheral awareness.”

D’Arcy also discussed another, more personal aspect of the gig:

“This is the first job in which I’ve brought my nonbinary identity to work. And part of that was because HBO asked me what pronouns I use, and I thought a lot about whether this was the right time. The reason it’s important is that there was a point, earlier in my career, where I really worried that it wasn’t possible to be an actor if you aren’t a cisgendered person. Typically, within casting sites, there are two columns, and I wondered if those two identities were going to have to live separately in order for me to have a career. The reason I decided to be honest in my presentation professionally is that I really hope that younger people who want to do this work know that there is absolutely space and that space is opening up.”

It was a big deal when Dragon did a big time jump and D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over the role of Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent Hightower from their younger performers, but the transition has been, fans have noted, smooth. But there’s a chance we’ll still see Milly Alcock and Emily Carey again.

(Via Interview and EW)

No one would blame you for not being able to keep up with all the new whiskey drops these days. It’s endless and fall is a dense time when it comes to new whiskeys hitting the shelves. That’s especially true of American rye whiskeys, a segment growing by leaps and bounds as a whiskey style. Since there’s a nearly endless stream of new stuff right now, I figured I’d take eight rye whiskeys that landed on my desk, basically over the last month or so, and blind taste-test them.

For this blind tasting, I’m looking at the flavor of the whiskeys to rank them. I’m not concerned with the prices or the techniques employed. This is about what tastes good enough to actually seek out. The rest is all secondary to that prime tenant — does it taste good or not? Luckily, I had some killer new ryes to try, so ranking these wasn’t the easiest task I’ve ever had.

Our lineup today is:

• Michter’s Limited Release US*1 Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel no. 22B325
• High West Double Rye Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Batch No: 22B16
• Redemption Rye Batch No: 267
• Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Straight Tennessee Rye Whiskey Finished in High Toast Maple Barrels Selection # 008
• Contradiction Rye Batch 60
• Templeton Rye Barrel Strength 2022
• Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series Sherry Finish 2022
• Filmland Spirits Presents Ryes of the Robots Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey

Okay, let’s dive in and see which of these ryes have the strongest noses, the deepest flavor profiles, and actually land their finishes!

Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX

• All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The 50 Best Rye Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• We Tasted Rye Whiskeys Blind To See If Any Of Them Could Beat Willett
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Dark cherry and butterscotch candies pop on the nose next to sour red wine mixed with mulled wine spices — lots of cinnamon, clove, and star anise — next to tart apple skins, apple bark, and a hint of singed marshmallow between lightly burnt Graham Crackers. The palate leans into spices in a subtle way with a nutmeg/eggnog vibe next to rich vanilla ice cream and smoked cherries with a minor note of fresh pipe tobacco and singed cedar bark. The end adds some dried red chili and sharp cinnamon to the tobacco with a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and a supple sense of a fresh fruit bowl with a lot of red berries.

This is going to be hard to beat. It’s delicious.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is full of berries and orchard fruits with a hint of mint chocolate chip tying it all together as mild notes of sassafras, orris, and allspice linger in the background. The palate pops with the same bright red berries with a sweet and creamy vanilla/caramel vibe next to creamed honey, green tea, and menthol tobacco. The end has a hint of spiciness that’s more nasturtiums than peppercorn with a brief hint of burnt orange and eucalyptus next to a floral honey sweetness.

I’m never a big fan of eucalyptus, but it works here. There’s a nice subtlety to it.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mild sense of old lawn furniture sitting in partially dry grass on the nose with hints of soft leather and spicy nasturtiums. The palate leans into black peppercorns with a hint of lemon oils, cedar bark, and dried red chili pepper flakes countered by pancake syrup and mild vanilla sauce. The end has a touch of white pepper that leads to mint chocolate chip tobacco (almost like vape smoke) with a hint of humidor and lemon pepper.

This was perfectly fine but felt very much like a cocktail base.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

There’s a heavy sense of dark fruits with rum-raisin and dates leading to sweet red berries and a touch of walnut loaf with a hint of bananas Foster with plenty of wintry spice and maybe a touch of sourdough pancake batter. The palate opens with cherry hand pies dipping in powdered sugar icing next to nut and dark chocolate clusters, poppy seed pounds cake, and a hint of salted caramel next to fresh leather. The end circles back around to the fresh and bright berries mild nuttiness and a whisper more of that maple syrup and a hint of cedar.

This is sweeter, sure, but really freakin’ good.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Cherries stewed with cinnamon sticks and star anise open the nose toward old vanilla pods and dried roses with a hint of burnt orange. The palate leans into the woodiness of the spices with a twinge of cedar next to spiced tobacco leaves cut with toasted coconut and vanilla pudding powder. The end creams the vanilla with some honey and layers the woody cinnamon with the spicy tobacco and dips it in salted dark chocolate.

Damn, this was pretty solid all around.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice hint of sweet grains on the nose with a hint of caramel chocolate malts next to rum-raisin and a hint of nasturtiums. The palate is pretty washed out until the mid-point when a hint of black peppercorn, soft brown sugar, and floral honey counter sultanas and dates with a good dose of woody cinnamon and allspice. The end mixes creamy vanilla with soft pepperiness for a solid finish full of woody spice and honey-laced tobacco.

This almost didn’t recover from that washed-out flavor on the tip of the taste. Then everything really came together.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a deep mix of old oak staves dipped in a mash of dates, figs, and prunes with cinnamon, black licorice, and clove next to soft leather pouches full of fresh pipe tobacco with a hint of apricot and blackberry in the mix. The palate opens with soft marzipan laced with orange oils and dipped in salted dark chocolate with sticky toffee pudding, minced meat pieces, orange marmalade, and creamy honey. The end leans into the dark and almost bitter dark chocolate with a hint of espresso bean before a mild sense of old oak leads to a nutty and dark orange-forward finish.

This is another winner. It’s damn tasty.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a nice mix of dark berries and old leather next to cinnamon bark and clove berries with a hint of caramel. The palate starts off pretty thin but ends up hitting a mint chocolate chip vibe and a dash of black peppercorn with a hint of red berries floating in vanilla-laced cream. The end is pretty thin with brief hints of oak staves and cinnamon next to very mild menthol tobacco.

This is really proofed down and it washes out some of the nuances of this one. That’s a shame since there’s some good depth somewhere under all that proofing water.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Filmland Spirits Presents Ryes of the Robots Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 8

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This brand-new whiskey blends Hollywood B-movies with sourced whiskey is very new. The actual juice is a 95/5 rye/malted barley sourced whiskey from Kentucky. Beyond that, not much is known. Though there’s been an incredible amount of work about writing a script and drawing up storyboards around the release.

Bottom Line:

Maybe a little more time should have been spent on blending the juice than writing a faux script for the release…?

There’s good whiskey here, it’s just not quite there yet.

7. Templeton Rye Barrel Strength 2022 — Taste 6

ABV: 57.3%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This yearly release from Iowa’s Templeton Rye is the peak of the brand. The release is a small blend of their best barrels of 95/5 rye/malted barley whiskey barrels. The age of the barrels doesn’t matter as much as the flavor profile, hence this release doesn’t carry an age statement. Beyond that, the barrels are batched and bottled without proofing.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. There’s a lot of nice nuance at play. Ultimately, I was just thinking about mixing this into a nice cocktail rather than reaching for it as a sipper.

6. Redemption Rye Batch No: 267 — Taste 3

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

This affordable rye is a sourced whiskey from MGP. It’s the famed 95 percent rye — aged for just under three years — that’s dominated the market for the last decade or so. The juice is blended by Master Blender Dave Carpenter and is brought down to a very reasonable 92-proof with soft Kentucky limestone water.

Bottom Line:

This is another whiskey that feels like a very solid cocktail base, rather than something you’re keen to sip straight.

5. High West Double Rye Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Batch No: 22B16 — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

High West’s Double Rye is quickly becoming a modern classic. The Utah whiskey is made from a blend of 95 percent rye from MGP of Indiana and two-year rye from High West’s Utah distillery with a mash of 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted rye. All the whiskeys in the mix are at least two years old before they’re blended and proofed for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is a really solid pour of whiskey. I think it hits just right as a lower-proof pour. You can sip this on the rocks (maybe with a dash of bitters) and be content. It also makes a great bottle to have on the bar for cocktails.

4. Contradiction Rye Batch 60 — Taste 5

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $43

The Whiskey:

This new release from Smooth Ambler mixes some very interesting whiskeys together. The blend is two Tennessee ryes (one 70 percent rye, one 51 percent rye), MGP’s 95 percent rye, and Smooth Ambler’s own rye which has a mash bill of 88 percent rye. Those whiskeys are then blended, proofed, and bottled in the hills of West Virginia.

Bottom Line:

This is another whiskey that’s really nice. It’s not the most complex one on the list, hence its ranking, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I like it on the rocks and actually finished my bottle last year.

3. Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Straight Tennessee Rye Whiskey Finished in High Toast Maple Barrels Selection # 008 — Taste 4

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $42 (375ml bottle)

The Whiskey:

The whiskey is created with a mash of 70 percent rye, 18 percent corn, and 12 percent malted barley. After sugar maple charcoal filtration, that rye is aged for four years in new oak before going into a high-toast, no-char maple wood barrel for another year of rest. Finally, the whiskey is batched from those maple barrels and proofed down for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was a clearly solid whiskey all around. It was far fruitier than the others on the list, which gave it away as a Tennessee rye, but whatever. It’s still really well-made and has a great flavor profile. All of that said, I still think I want to roll this into a nice, simple cocktail or sip it on the rocks with a little bitters.

It’s not quite as subtle of a sipper as the next two.

2. Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series Sherry Finish 2022 — Taste 7

ABV: 53%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This is Sagamore Spirit’s signature rye whiskey (95/5 rye/malted barley) that’s aged for four long years. That whiskey is then re-barreled into 132-gallon Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for an additional 18-month-long rest. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed a tad, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This just hit right today. It was deeply flavored and kind of fresh. I didn’t need any water or ice to cool it down. It felt right neat. Though, I imagine this would make one hell of a Manhattan.

1. Michter’s Limited Release US*1 Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel no. 22B325 — Taste 1

ABV: 54.6%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This rare Michter’s expression is pulled from single barrels that were just too good to batch or cut. Once the barrels hit the exact right flavor profile, each one is filtered with Michter’s bespoke system and then bottled as-is at the strength it came out of the barrel.

Bottom Line:

This was undeniably the best pour of the panel. There was serious depth but the overall vibe was welcoming and engaging. The flavor profile was distinct and carried you on a journey. The finish was lingering and lush and hit a beautiful end. This is just great whiskey.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

This was a solid lineup of whiskeys. I wouldn’t turn any of them away. Though, it’s pretty clear that eight through three or four are really more of a cocktail base rye whiskey. That’s not to say you can’t pour them on some rocks and have a great time. You can. They’re just not quite as deeply flavored as the rest.

That all said, non of them really come close to that Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye. It’s just goddamn delicious and the one bottle you should be looking for.

The Crown is a Netflix drama slowly creeping its way into the present and causing all kinds of controversy across the pond. It comes with the territory when you’re making a show mostly based on the scandals of a royal family that is (mostly) still alive and certainly dealing with the fallout of all the scandals and drama covered in the series.

While the show’s filming was put on pause following the death of Queen Elizabeth, who is very much a main character in the show’s now-five seasons, one actress featured prominently in Season 4 seems preoccupied with a SpongeBob SquarePants meme about her own Crown character.

Gillian Anderson, who has brilliantly played both a sex therapist and Margaret Thatcher for Netflix in recent years, loved that fans are comparing one image of her playing Thatcher to a still from the long-running Nickelodeon cartoon. The image is taken from an episode that aired all the way back in the first season of the cartoon, which started in 1999. In an episode that introduced underwater heroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, SpongeBob dresses up like an old woman and pretends to get robbed by his friend Patrick, hopefully triggering a rescue from the now-elderly heroes.

That outfit, however, looks very similar to something Anderson wore as the Tory lawmaker. And a side-by-side of the two images went viral online on Monday.

Amazingly, Anderson seems to have seen this just hours after it was posted despite not being tagged in it. And she enthusiastically responded by retweeting it.

She then changed her Twitter profile picture to another image related to the meme, this time a photo of SpongeBob in that outfit with a Thatcher-esque wig on to finish the look. Credit to Anderson, she even gave credit to a Twitter user who made the image, which clearly made their day to say the least.

What we’ve learned here is that Anderson is probably one of the most Online members of The Crown‘s cast. And that she’s perhaps a big fan of SpongeBob. Either way, this is far less dramatic than anything that will occur on Season 5 of The Crown when Netflix lets it see the light of day.

It seems like SM Entertainment followers, including EXO-L (EXO’s fans), have been fed well the past couple of weeks with the amount of content coming from the label. Although EXO has yet to announce a group comeback (since it has been ages), solo projects where some members come together for a TikTok challenge or some type of content are the crumbs the whole fandom cherishes and consumes.

Following the solo debut of member Xiumin last month, one of EXO’s leading vocalists is set to make his solo return after two years. In an announcement made earlier today, Chen will be releasing his third EP titled Last Scene on October 31 at 6 p.m. KST — 5 a.m. EST/2 a.m. PST.

To kick off promotions, EXO’s social accounts released an image teaser below. (And it’s actually quite reminiscent of Chen’s solo debut in 2019, “Beautiful Goodbye.”)

While the announcement was made today, further details on the album, concept, and promotional schedule are soon to come, leading up to the 31st.

Chen’s comeback to the music scene comes after his return from the military, followed by the news of his marriage and two children — one of which was born earlier this year. Over the last couple of months, the power vocalist slowly started to appear in the public eye again by taking part in music festivals and concerts such as SMTown Live and HallyuPopFest London 2022.

Rootin’ Tootin Lauren Boebert may not be doing so well these days, politically speaking. Her Shooter’s Grill, which is also tied to her political image and gun-loving ways, recently lost its lease and had to saunter off into the sunset (in a brick-and-mortar sense). She also recently caused a debate ruckus as well while confronting a moderator and declared that D.C.’s biggest problem “is that there’s not enough of me.”

From there, Boebert’s poll numbers began to slide. Even though she’s in a red district, Axios reported that her “little known” opponent, Adam Frisch, advanced to the point where he’s right behind her, meaning that (if one accounts for the margin of error) he’s statistically tied with the controversial Rifle Republican. Boebert’s not acknowledging the poll so far, and she’s deflecting, which has led her to a blunder. This time, though, she’s not tripping over civics but, instead, chose to issue a “two words” tweet (while attempting to drag Joe Biden) while using three words: “Let’s Go Brandon!”

Naturally, people couldn’t resist the low-hanging fruit of Boebert declining to count her words, and after a few days of those responses on Twitter, Boebert fired back with many more words. She decided to be adventurous and (while linking a Fox News report noting the leftist response to her initial stumble) drop twelve words: “Thanks for proving that liberal pundits exist only in an echo chamber.”

Well, first off, mistakes happen. They do. No doubt about it, but as experienced as Boebert is at deflecting, she probably would have been better off ignoring the two-or-three-word tweet subject because now there’s a real question on how many times she counted the words in this comeback tweet:

We’ll see how Boebert’s constituents feel on November 8.

The list of things Donald Trump has taken credit for: the Covid vaccine, the Supreme Court abortion ban, peace with North Korea, the revival of the phrase “Merry Christmas,” and now, the death of late night TV.

Trump, who guested on Jimmy Fallon’s NBC talk show during his 2016 presidential run, logged onto his Truth Social platform to herald the demise of his least favorite TV genre. First, he congratulated Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld for his recent ratings victory. Gutfeld now hosts his own comedy talk show and, according to a Fox News report, its viewership is beating out the likes of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Add to that the recent announcement from The Daily Show concerning Trevor Noah’s surprising departure and, well, Trump seems more than happy to pat himself on the back for late night’s downfall.

“It was my great honor to have destroyed the ratings of Late Night ‘Comedy’ shows. There is nothing funny about the shows, the three hosts have very little talent,” Trump wrote referring to Kimmel, Colbert, and Noah.

But he had a specific grievance to air with Fallon, who’s publicly apologized for having Trump on his show and admitted he’d do things differently following the backlash from viewers that his chat with Trump sparked.

“When Jimmy Fallon apologized for having humanized ‘Trump,’ and his ratings soared, the Radical Left forced him to apologize—that was effectively the end of The Tonight Show,” Trump continued. “In any event, congratulations to Greg Gutfield!”

It’s Gutfeld, buddy. But good try.

(Via Mediaite)

We already know that Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are best friends who talk all the time via secret codes. We also know that Curtis loves returning to old franchises years later. Keeping those two facts in mind, it makes sense to conclude that a Freaky Friday sequel would not be out of the question.

Now, Curtis has revealed that she has already asked her friends at Disney if it’s going to happen. Due to all of the remakes and reboots that have been popping up in Disney+, the Freaky Friday sequel is actually very plausible. “I’ve already written to Disney, my friends at Disney. I’m in their new Haunted Mansion movie,” Curtis recently said on The View, referencing Eddie Murphy’s 2003 movie that is set to get a sequel next year.

(Via Variety)

On Friday, Robert Glasper will release the Black Radio III Supreme Edition of his latest album. It features a second disc of nine new songs, in addition to the 13 existing tracks on Glasper’s excellent expression of hip-hop and jazz on Black Radio III. Today, Glasper has released what looks to be the crown jewel of the Supreme Edition, an unearthed track featuring the late Mac Miller called “Therapy Pt. 2,” and Miller just sinks into the instrumentation in masterful fashion.

Glasper explained in a statement how the track came to be years ago: “I was working with my friend. We were just finishing up this specific beat. I immediately sent it to him [Miller], and literally within an hour he sent me back that track,” he says. “Everything was on there — both verses the choruses — and you could tell it was not something that he had written before. He sang the chord changes. You can tell he really came up with that in the moment.”

Miller raps circles around the beat, rapping, “Pickin’ up all of the ashes, I’m burnin’ the house down. Runnin’ from my life, I probably ran a thousand miles now.” He then fills in the gaps during the jazzy hook and it’s really a splendid collaboration between the pair. Miller’s estate shared a statement about it as well, saying, “We’re honored to support in sharing this beautiful song that Malcolm and Robert Glasper created together. The song is a reflection of the special friendship and musical gifts the two shared.”

Listen to “Group Therapy Pt. 2” above.

Black Radio III Supreme Edition is out on 10/14 via Loma Vista. Pre-order it here.

Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Draymond Green is currently taking time away from the Warriors after video of him rocking Jordan Poole with a punch at practice went viral.

The reported reason for the altercation was Green feeling that Poole was rubbing his impending extension in Green’s face, as the veteran is not expected to land a new contract from the Warriors before he hits free agency this summer (unless he chooses to pick up his player option for 2023-24). The irony in that is the punch makes it even more difficult for the Warriors to commit to Green on another long-term contract, considering he punched a guy they’re about to make part of their core.

Green has stated that he wants to be with the Warriors for life, but also understands how rare that is. The Warriors, meanwhile, have youngsters behind Green they just drafted that they might feel can slide into his (very large) shoes on the defensive end and at least somewhat replace him and keep them at a contender level in the future. Whether that’s true remains to be seen, but despite another championship banner going up next Tuesday in the Chase Center, the feeling seems to be trending towards Green and the Warriors parting ways sooner than later.

On Monday, Stephen A. Smith asserted just that in no uncertain terms, noting that his understanding is that Poole and Andrew Wiggins are the “priorities” for the Warriors, while Green is “expecting” this to be his final season in the Bay.

Smith notes that Green’s preference would be to join the Lakers, but financially that is a very difficult thing to have happen unless he’s willing to forego a big contract on his next deal to join his friend LeBron James. However, Smith also points out that all of this can still work to the Warriors benefit this season, because Green now has to show that he’s worth a longterm lucrative deal from someone next offseason. That means being a DPOY candidate (again) while also avoiding some of the Draymond being Draymond moments, as he’s exhausted about all of his goodwill in that regard with his practice punch of Poole.

Green’s free agency market is truly fascinating to think about, as there’s no doubt of his ability and impact on winning, but he’s also done so in a situation that’s been built around him defensively — and with an offensive star that can mask his deficiencies on that end with their two-man game taking advantage of opponents sagging off of him. It’s hard to imagine Green anywhere other than the Warriors, because he’s such a unique player who doesn’t fit into the traditional mold of a big that you see on most any other team. As such, it’s hard to know how other teams will value him on the market and how much they’ll want to pay him at 33 years old next summer.

Nintendo finally unleashed the first trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie and fans went absolutely nuts for Jack Black as Bowser. As for Chris Pratt as Mario, well, not so much. But that little mushroom bump aside, Nintendo fans are stoked for the long-awaited movie from Illumination, the powerhouse creators behind the Despicable Me and Minions movies. Fortunately, there’s not too long of a wait for Mario’s first animated adventure. (We’d say it his first movie, but anyone who was around in the ’90s knows that’s not the case.)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will hit theaters on April 7, 2023. Along with Black and Pratt, the film will be packing one hell of a cast when its release date comes around. Check out this line-up:

Charlie Day as Luigi.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.
Keegan Michael-Key as Toad.
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong.
Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.
Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.

Despite the controversy around his casting, Pratt has remained upbeat about the project and revealed he’s a lifelong fan of the classic Nintendo character. Here’s what he said in an Instagram video shortly after his Mario role was announced in September 2021:

“It just dawned on me right now. The quarter I stole out of the wishing well to play Super Mario Bros. has come true that I get to be the voice of Mario. But I clearly stole someone else’s wish, so just waiting for that row of karma dominoes to come crashing down on me. But for now, it’s-a me, Mario.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie smashes into theaters on April 7, 2023.