Rapper Lil Baby has been rumored to have beef with Migos for the past couple of years. On “Messy,” a track from Quavo and Takeoff’s new album, Only Built For Infinity Links, many think Quavo is addressing their alleged beef, despite the fact that he doesn’t identify anybody by name.

Do Quavo and Lil Baby have beef?

On “Messy,” Quavo addresses an unnamed party with the lyrics, “B*tch fucked my dog behind my back, but I ain’t stressin’ / You wanted the gang, you should’ve just said it, we would’ve blessed it.” Many have assumed he is alluding to Quavo’s ex, Saweetie, who is rumored to have had an affair with former Migo, Offset. Offset and his wife, Cardi B have denied the rumors, and some have accused Quavo of milking the timing of the rumors to generate buzz for the project.

Some have also said that Quavo may be referring to Lil Baby, who was rumored to have taken Saweetie on a $100,000 shopping spree in New York City last year. Both parties have since denied any sort of rumors insinuating romance between the two,

But the alleged Migos and Lil Baby feud dates back to 2020, when Lil Baby’s crew reportedly got into a physical altercation with Offset, which reportedly left him in his boxer shorts.

Lil Baby took to his Instagram Story shortly after to shut down the rumors, saying, “Stop spreading fake news!! That sh*t fake!! Please!!,” according to iHeart.

At the time of writing, Saweetie, Offset, or Lil Baby had not commented on “Messy.”

Check out “Messy” above.

Saweetie and Cardi B are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We live in a world that is full of dedicated people doing incredible things, but unfortunately, we don’t hear about most of them. Much of the work to solve global problems and move the human race forward isn’t glamorous or exciting, and most of the people doing that work aren’t in it for the limelight or fanfare.

So when changemakers are honored for their service to humanity, we have the opportunity to shift our focus away from headline and spotlight chasers and celebrate the people working diligently to make the world a better place.

The Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards has provided such an opportunity.

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The awards, given by the Gates Foundation, honor global changemakers who are helping to move humanity closer to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, 193 world leaders committed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (aka Global Goals or SDGs), a series of ambitious objectives and targets to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change by 2030.

“While the world is far from being on track to reach the Global Goals by 2030, there is still cause for optimism,” said Blessing Omakwu, head of Goalkeepers. “We’ve seen how human ingenuity and innovation can lead to game-changing breakthroughs and progress toward our shared goals, and that’s exactly what we see in this year’s Goalkeepers Global Goals Award winners.”

Omakwu tells Upworthy that having women sweep the awards was not planned, but it’s telling that that’s how it turned out. “These women represent some of the best of humanity,” she says. “Women are central to the future of progress.”

Attended by global leaders and influencers, the awards ceremony included award presentations by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, Angelina Jolie, Malala Yousafzai and Lilly Singh.

Meet the honorees:

2022 Campaign Award: Vanessa Nakate (Uganda)

The Campaign Award celebrates a campaign that has raised awareness or built a community by inspiring action and creating change.

Vanessa Nakate’s work highlights the disproportionate impacts of climate change and the inequalities it exacerbates, especially for women and girls in Africa. Nakate founded the Rise Up Climate Movement, which amplifies activist voices from Africa and around the globe. She also founded the Green Schools Project, which addresses energy poverty in rural schools in Uganda using economical and sustainable solutions. One of those solutions is equipping 24,000 schools with solar panels and eco stoves, which Nakate says will both drive a transition to renewable energy and reduce the consumption of firewood, as most schools in Uganda use firewood to prepare food.

Nakate tells Upworthy that the initial inspiration for her work was Greta Thunberg’s school strikes for climate change action. “But right now, I’m really inspired by the resilience of the different young people across the world that continue to mobilize and organize and demand climate justice,” she adds.

She says this award will help her message of climate justice reach new audiences. “For me, this is an opportunity to use these new platforms to talk about the impacts of the climate crisis and the solutions that are already working, especially in our communities at the grassroots level,” she says. “I believe in our fight for climate justice we need everyone involved, and it’s an opportunity to meet new people and tell them, ‘This is happening, but you can do something about it as well.'”

2022 Changemaker Award: Zahra Joya (Afghanistan)

The Changemaker Award celebrates an individual who has inspired change using personal experience or from a position of leadership.

Zahra Joya is an Afghan journalist who is dedicated to ensuring women’s stories are told and shared with the wider public. Joya founded and self-funded Rukhshana Media, an online news agency focused exclusively on covering issues that affect the women of Afghanistan—the first national news organization of its kind.

Joya tells Upworthy she named her media company after an Afghan woman named Rukhshana, who was arrested, stoned and killed by the Taliban after fleeing a forced marriage in 2015. The name is a reminder of all the women who have lost their lives to traditionalist and extremist governments and Joya’s goal is to defend the humanity of all women.

“For me, [winning this award] is huge,” Joya says. “It’s my goal that one day Ruskhana Media can work as international media, not only in Afghanistan…and we can hire female journalists from across the world, and we can publish the stories and issues that affect women’s lives.”

2022 Progress Award: Dr. Radhika Batra (India)

The Progress Award celebrates an individual who supports progress via a science, technology, digital, or business initiative.

Dr. Radhika Batra tackles health inequalities by providing healthcare solutions to disadvantaged children. While working as a resident doctor in a hospital in the slums of New Delhi in 2017, Batra founded Every Infant Matters. The organization has saved 74,173 children from blindness and given prenatal vitamins to more than 40,000 disadvantaged women. Every Infant Matters has also provided education to prevent gender inequality and to battle the stigma of TB, HIV/AIDS and blindness for more than 65,000 families.

2022 Global Goalkeeper Award Winner: Ursula von der Leyen (president of the European Union)

The Global Goalkeeper Award recognizes a leader who has driven progress toward achieving the SDGs on a global scale.

As a champion of global health and equitable access, von der Leyen helped created a global collaboration to get COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines into the hands of people around the world. She led the EU efforts to support lower-income nations in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and announced a new European Commission’s contribution of €300 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

We can all take inspiration from these changemakers to make our own unique contribution to humanity’s progress, however large or small. Omakwu reminds us that despite being recognized on a global stage, these women have done most of their work in isolation and against many odds.

“[These award winners] are not that different from us, but they’ve had passion and consistency and fearlessness,” Omakwu says. “Progress is possible if we do our part.”

Learn more about the Goalkeepers Awards here.

One of Trick Daddy‘s biggest hits came to him at a small price. This week, the rapper attended the BET Hip-Hop Awards and spoke to HipHopDx about how his 2004 hit “Let’s Go” came to be. The song, which features Twista and Lil Jon, contains a prominent sample of “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, and according to Trick, Osbourne was excited about the fact that he was going to use portions of the song on “Let’s Go.”

“When I heard that the original owner of the song loved the fact that I wanted to redo a sample of his beat and it wasn’t gonna take that much? I was ready to do that,” said Trick.

As part of the deal, Osbourne earns a cut of the song’s royalties. At the time of writing, the song has peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and has over 9 million views on YouTube. While the song was a huge hit, Trick revealed that he didn’t break the bank to clear the Osbourne sample.

“Of course, I gave him his share,” Trick continued. “But as far as upfront money, it was pennies.”

Despite the fact that Osbourne had given “Let’s Go” his blessing, he hadn’t actually heard the song until 2021, nearly 17 years after its release.

In a clip shared to Lil Jon’s Twitter page, Osbourne is seen reacting to the song, as he hears it for the first time when producer Andrew Watt plays it for him.

WWE is mixing up its announce teams across all three of its major shows beginning on October 7 with Smackdown, according to Variety.

About a year after joining the company, Jimmy Smith has wrapped up his time with WWE, as the new commentary team at Monday Night Raw will feature Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves. Byron Saxton will step out from behind the announce desk and back to conducting onscreen interviews alongside the returning Cathy Kelley.

On Smackdown, Michael Cole will be joined by Wade Barrett, with WWE acknowledging that Pat McAfee will return to the promotion following his commitments to ESPN’s College GameDay. Both McAfee and Triple H announced previously that due to his role with ESPN, he would have to put his WWE career on pause. The pair made it a point to say that this is not a permanent end to his time with the promotion, and WWE is following up on that with clear plans for his return in the future. Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant will serve as onscreen interviewers for the blue brand.

Booker T will head back behind the announce desk as well, joining Vic Joseph as the commentary team over at NXT.

The report also acknowledges Cole and Graves will join forces for WWE’s major live events, presumably setting the stage for the duo to call this weekend’s Extreme Rules show.

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Mixing his voice with Martinet, Morillo completely replaces Pratt’s voice and reimagines the trailer. People were quite pleased.

“Wow I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, that maybe Mario’s high pitched voice wouldn’t work for a full movie, but it’s actually way better like this. I now wish they weren’t using Chris Pratt,” one person wrote in the YouTube comments.

“This one makes me feel warm and fuzzy.. It actually made me laugh,” wrote another.

One commenter also pointed out perhaps the key ingredient to why Pratt’s performance seemed to fall flat. “Famous voices should stick to voiceovers of humorous documentaries; let the voice actors do the real work. There’s so much more life in a character voiced by a professional voice actor.”

Technically, no formal training is required to become a voice actor. However, it’s much more than simply speaking into a microphone—it can take years to acquire the skills required to bring a character to life in an authentic, engaging and lasting way. And that doesn’t just go for larger-than-life cartoon characters—the legendary speaking voice of James Earl Jones came as a result of voice lessons.

It’s not that celebrities don’t engage in this type of specialized training when preparing for a role, however there is often an unspoken permission to simply use their regular voice, as Pratt seemingly has for his Mario. Sometimes this takes viewers out of the story, thus making everyone lose out on the magic.

By contrast, Jack Black, whose experience as a singer clearly bleeds into his voiceover talents, has had overwhelmingly positive reviews for his portrayal of Mario’s most well-known nemesis—Bowser. He doesn’t sound much like Black at all, which helps the character stand out on its own.

The call to bring back trained professionals in the craft (yes, craft) of voice acting, rather than hoping a star-studded cast will fill seats for better box office numbers, is part of a larger conversation around producing quality art versus making a cash grab. It’s a conversation that perhaps will never come to full closure, but just like this faux “Mario Bros.” trailer, hopefully we can reimagine something better.

Lizzo embarked on The Special Tour last month and we’ve already had a slew of notable moments. In Washington D.C., the “About Damn Time” singer played a 200-year old crystal flute that was once owned by President James Madison (while somehow managing to draw the ire of conservative pundits for doing so.) In Detroit, she got teary-eyed on stage for her homecoming appearance saying, “It’s emotional being back where your roots began.” But her incredible antics at her performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden might have just been the most Lizzo moment of them all.

Lizzo starts talking to a fan (Brittney) near the front row, who explains that she’s in a “situationship with this guy.” It seemed as though they’d been dating off and on, but there was no commitment from him and the relationship is at a standstill. Lizzo told the fan, “There should be no excuse in the world, if someone really f*cks with you, they’ll drop everything.” Then she pauses and says, “That being said, I still wanna be messy and call his ass!”

Lizzo takes Brittney’s phone and calls her fleeting lover (DJ) and asks him if he can do a FaceTime. DJ is confused for a moment and then realizes who he’s speaking with. “Oh my god is this Lizzo?” he asks. Lizzo wasted no time and says. “DJ you’re Facetiming me live on stage right now bitch. I’m wasting a lot of minutes at Madison Square [Garden]. So what’s the f*cking deal? You about to miss out on a bad bitch or what?”

The crowd goes wild and Lizzo smiles at Brittney and says, “He looks mad as hell.” Then sings to DJ on the phone, “You looooking maaad as helll!” and hangs up on him. Just another day at the office for Lizzo.

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

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Quavo & Takeoff, Open Mike Eagle, and more.

As the weather turns cooler, so to does the machinery of the music industry begin to cool down in anticipation of the holiday season. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any new music coming out. On the contrary, this week saw a bunch of new releases from the likes of NLE Choppa, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Nicki MInaj, and the artists listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 7, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

G Herbo — Survivor’s Remorse: Side A

Chicago’s haunted conscience returns with 12 new songs recounting the PTSD of growing up rough-and-tumble in the Windy City. This time, Herb secures the assistance of Benny The Butcher, Future, the incarcerated Gunna, and Offset (who’s been on a bit of a tear lately after ostensibly separating from Migos brethren Quavo and Takeoff).

Grip — 5 & A F*** You

The Georgia battle rapper’s latest bears the Stray Society label rather than Shady Records, but that doesn’t dull the horror movie aesthetics and interlocking rhymes on which he’s built his reputation. “Popular Demand” is a personal favorite, while “Cook Up” is perfect for your spooky season-themed workout playlists.

Quavo & Takeoff — Only Built For Infinity Links

Perhaps this week’s most anticipated release, Infinity Links seems calculated to get listeners to agree that “two out of three ain’t bad.” Ironically, this one is causing more controversy than it’s clearing up, as Quavo’s intentionally vague verse on “Messy” has prompted more speculation about the crew’s supposed breakup rather than less.

Open Mike Eagle — A Tape Called Component System With The Auto Reverse

There’s been a lot of chatter about this one on Twitter, considering how little press it’s received in comparison to some of his previous works. That said, it’s an Open Mike original from top to bottom, packed with quirky beats and witty wrestling references (“I say ‘Hey!’ like The Bushwackers” made your boy do a double take). Armand Hammer, RAP Ferreira, and Video Dave assist.

Rich Homie Quan — Family & Mula

I sh*t you not, I was just wondering where this guy has been. He might be nearly a decade removed from his breakout single “Type Of Way,” and there’s certainly been some separation between him and his closest comparisons, Future and Young Thug, but the melodic trap pioneer still has plenty to say and says it well on this short EP. If he’s going to regain his footing, this will be the project that does it for him.

Singles/Videos

Enny — “Champagne Problems”

Peng gyal Enny has been slowly but surely building a following with her unique approach to blending street-tough raps, moody R&B aesthetics, and a no-nonsense attitude. All three attributes stand out in her latest single, in which she points out one of hip-hop’s worst double standards: “If I rap about pussy I’m a sellout?” she wonders incredulously. Here’s looking forward to the day when this stops being the case.

Kay Flock — “Geeked Up” Feat. Gucci Mane

The Bronx drill artist is having an impressive year; after dropping “Shake It,” with Cardi B, Dougie B, and Bory300, in April, he returns with another big-name co-sign — this time from trap godfather Gucci Mane. Although drill and trap have plenty in common, it’s still thoroughly satisfying to hear Gucci sounding so at home with a completely different production style, and Kay Flock acquits himself well despite being blown away on his own song for the second time this year.

SleazyWorld Go — “Creepers”

The Midwest as a whole is such a fascinating incubator for emotive but menacing music. Artists from there truly capture both the sense of despair of coming up in flyover country, as well as the get-it-out-the-mud motivation that often offers the slimmest source of optimism for the future. Kansas City, Missouri’s SleazyWorld Go spits in the same vein as Midwestern neighbors like Polo G, but even more brokenhearted and snake-eyed, reflecting their disparate but similar circumstances.

Vado — “Fast Life” Feat. Dave East

Harlemites Vado and Dave East link up for a hardbody, back-and-forth cipher session, showing some appreciable chemistry. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind a full project from these two in this mode because they bring … well, if not the best, then some really effective stuff out of each other.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Small batch bourbon tends to be most people’s “next step” into bourbon after they get the bourbon bug. The juice in a “small batch” bottle tends to be more exclusive and, theoretically, “better” than your average bottle. While that’s not always true (more on that in a moment), small batch offerings do tend to lean toward a more refined flavor profile than the average bottle from any brand. To figure out which small batch bottles actually have the best flavor profiles, I’m stacking ten of them up against each other in a blind taste test.

Before we dive in, there’s no real law or rule for what makes a “small batch.” In fact, the number of barrels varies wildly from brand to brand — that means quality will too. The general rule is that a small batch expression is at least one barrel smaller than a standard batch of bourbon from any given brand. That can mean anything, as some standard expressions have over 1,000 barrels in each batch whereas other standard expressions have closer to 350 barrels or far less. That in turn means that there is no “x” number for making a small batch of bourbon “small batch.” In reality, we’re talking about a marketing term that denotes a slightly different/more refined flavor profile than an entry-level expression from any given brand.

Knowing that we’re really talking about flavor profile when we’re talking about small batch bourbon whiskey, a blind tasting is a great way to differentiate them. To do so, I grabbed ten small batch bourbons from my shelf. I specifically grabbed bottles that say “small batch” on them instead since going by how many barrels are in a particular whiskey would be pointless (I have plenty of bourbons that don’t call themselves “small batch” that I know have fewer barrels in the mix than some of the small batch whiskeys below).

After blindly tasting them, I’ll rank them by… what tastes best, of course. Spoiler alert, it did not shake out how I expected. A super cheap small batch expression damn near stole the whole show.

Our lineup today is:

• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled In Bond
• Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 1792 Small Batch
• Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 12 Years
• Kirkland Signature Small Batch by Barton 1792 Master Distillers
• Booker’s Small Batch Collection “The Lumberyard Batch”
• Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 Small Batch Aged 5 Years
• Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years
• Bomberger’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Benchmark Small Batch

Okay, let’s get into it!

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

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with maple syrup, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky. The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream. The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.

This smells like walking into Buffalo Trace on the nose, it’s unbelievably specific. The mix of softly sweetened mash turning into distiller’s beer and then spirit is hard to miss.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

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

This was pretty nice. Very fruity but that worked with the overall sweet vibe. It kind of ended up feeling like a bunch of fresh fruit piled into a vanilla pound cake with a boozy edge.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This is very cherry/vanilla forward on the nose with a hint of sour apple fritter next to a mash of fermented/sweet grains (again with that distillery vibe). Sweet and lush caramel mingles with vanilla cookies as winter spice leads to a Cherry Coke vibe. The end holds onto that feeling with a bit more caramel next to spiced tobacco but ultimately thins out on the finish.

This is really classic but just doesn’t quite land the finish. It gets a little too thin and washes out a tad.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this one is thick and juicy with notes of dark cherries dipped in dark chocolate next to sourdough fritters with plenty of brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, and apple mush with this fleeting sense of dried mint way in the background. On the palate, there’s a sense of those dark cherries swimming in brandy next to blackberry pie with a big scoop of rich vanilla ice cream that’s countered by dried ancho chili flakes, a hint of pecan, and a whisper of espresso cream. The end has a spiced holiday cake vibe with some dried figs and plums next to a hint of marzipan and salted sour cherry.

This is f*cking delicious. It feels like you’re drinking the best from the nose to the finish. It’s luxurious yet never overpowering on the palate or the senses. There’s a balance that’s just right and plenty of great dark notes to dig into.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a cherry/vanilla vibe that drives toward peach candies, a touch of black licorice, and some nutty dark chocolate. The palate leans into the rich vanilla while a box of Hot Tamales adds some heat before a sense of apricot jam and buttermilk biscuits arrive. The end has a creamed honey feel with plenty of salted caramel, spicy cherry tobacco, and a hint of oak before fading pretty quickly.

This was nice. It felt classic. The end sort of petered out, but that’s not the end of the world.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Sour mash, dry pecans, old leather boots, dusty cellars, and dry tobacco mix with dark cherry, salted caramel, and vanilla cake on the nose. The palate starts off creamy and lush with that vanilla before hitting a moment of moist chocolate chip cookie with walnut and then serious heat (this is a barn burner). That heat pops through the mid-palate until a sense of sharp cinnamon and black pepper fade toward caramel apples, broom bristles, and dark chocolate laced spicy tobacco braided with old cedar bark and used wicker.

This really needed a rock to calm it down.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose is hearty and full of holiday spices, old boot leather, very dark salted chocolate sauce, dry cedar, and a hint of an orange creamsicle. The palate has an old back porch vibe before hitting on fresh-baked zucchini bread with walnuts and nutmeg, rich toffee creaminess, and a subtle sense of Earl Grey. That creaminess drives the mid-palate to the finish with more walnuts, more old leather, and a whisper of dark chocolate creaminess layered into creamy orange sauce.

Well, I think that’s the most I’ve ever used some version of “creamy” in a review. But it’s apt. This was lush and silky with a real depth to it. It didn’t blow me away, but that’s going to be hard with the whiskeys that have already come and gone on this panel.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

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

This is a nice pour overall but didn’t really stand out.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

A dash of sweet mashed grains with a hint of sourdough leads on the nose next to rich sticky toffee pudding, old leather tobacco pouches, dry cellar beams, plenty of sweet cinnamon, and a hint of orange dark chocolate cut with nutmeg and salt. The palate is creamy and soft like a crème brûlée before hitting an easy warmth tied to winter spices (nutmeg, clove, allspice, star anise, etc.) with a nice balance of dry cedar and that orange/dark chocolate vibe now tied to marzipan and creamed honey. The end blends figs and prunes with spices and spreads the paste across chewy fresh tobacco leaves and rolls it all up with a few specks of salt and dark chocolate.

This was great. It’s so rich and approachable (no “too much heat” here). It’s just really good and I want to go back to this one.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

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

This is really nice. I can’t decide if it’s the Taylor or the Benchmark though. Either way, this is a winner through and through.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

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

Bottom Line:

This was fine. It felt like a great cocktail base bourbon but that’s about it.

9. 1792 Small Batch — Taste 3

ABV: 46.85%

Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown but Sazerac does mention that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could mean anything, really. The juice is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was fine but really petered out in the end. That basically means that you can build a good cocktail with this to cover up that soft finish.

8. Kirkland Signature Small Batch by Barton 1792 Master Distillers — Taste 5

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $19 (1 liter)

The Whiskey:

This is the entry point to Costco’s new lineup of Kentucky bourbons (along with a Bottled-in-Bond and Single Barrel release). The whiskey in the bottle is from Sazerac’s Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown with a mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley. That juice is left to age for four to five years before being blended, proofed, and bottled for Costco.

Bottom Line:

This had a bit more refinement than the last two and a stronger finish overall. That said, this felt more like a cocktail base that works as an on the rocks sipper in a pinch.

7. Booker’s Small Batch Collection “The Lumberyard Batch” — Taste 6

ABV: 62.4%

Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

The second Booker’s release of 2022 is a masterful blend of barrels from seven locations around Jim Beam’s rickhouses. Those barrels are mostly from the seventh floor of those rickhouses, with one coming from the ninth floor. All of them averaged out to this whiskey being seven years, one month, and seven days old before it was batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was just a little too hot today. And that might not be fair to this whiskey. It’s really good but overwhelmed next to a lot of 45-55% ABV whiskeys. Aside from that, pour this over ice and you’ll be fine.

6. Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

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

Bottom Line:

There’s a nice sense of classic, fruity bourbon on this sip. I think I’d lean more toward using this for cocktails based on that, hence it placing a little lower on this list.

5. Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 Small Batch Aged 5 Years — Taste 7

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $83

The Whiskey:

This bottle celebrates our National Parks with each limited edition release. In this case, the release celebrates Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary with part of the proceeds from each bottle sold going to Yellowstone Forever, which helps protect the park. The whiskey in the bottle is a special release from Wyoming grains — 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — and water. After five years, the barrels are small-batch blended and bottled with a drop of proofing water.

Bottom Line:

This was lush and just really nice to drink. This is a clear winner as a sipper with or without ice.

4. Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled In Bond — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.

Bottom Line:

I had to go back to this whiskey a couple of times to figure out where to rank it. It was good but wasn’t quite as full-bodied as the next three. That said, this is a really tasty whiskey when you’re not looking at it under a microscope while trying to rank it blind. Pour it over some ice or neat or mix an amazing cocktail with it, you will not be disappointed.

3. Benchmark Small Batch — Taste 10

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $19

The Whiskey:

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

Bottom Line:

This was a great pour and came out of left field. If I had been guessing these, I would have pegged this as the E.H. Taylor and been wrong. That said, this punches way above its weight class and is in contention for the best value-per-dollar whiskeys of 2022.

2. Bomberger’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The juice on the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. The Kentucky bourbon was then bottled in an extremely small batch that only yielded 2005 bottles this year.

Bottom Line:

This was dam near perfect. I toyed with this and the next both in the number one slot. So, basically, these are tied. I guess the next pour just had that little something extra.

1. Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 12 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $67

The Whiskey:

This is classic Beam whiskey. The low-rye juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.

Bottom Line:

This was a clear winner the moment it hit my senses today. It’s luxurious and unique while still feeling like a nostalgic pour of bourbon. It’s a great journey to go on in a glass.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Well, look at that! The cheapest bottles didn’t all fall to the bottom, nor did the lower ABV ones. This ended up being far more of a mix than I would have expected with seriously great-priced bottles beating out the expensive and very hyped ones.

In the end though, grab that Knob Creek 12. You can find it, it’s cheap, and it’s delicious. The Bomberger’s is great as well, but it’s going to be far and few between. Benchmark Small Batch is another great option, but might not be in your neck of the woods — though I’m still shocked how highly I ended up ranking it. Which leads us all back to Knob Creek. It’s unbeatable and findable.

The unprecedented, two-game exhibition series between Metropolitans 92 and the G League Ignite gave basketball fans a prequel to the story of two fantastic NBA Draft prospects in one of the most enticing classes in recent memory: Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. The latter shined brightly in the first matchup, but exited the second early with an injury.

That game still captured the collective eyes of the basketball world, a testament to how impressive Wembanyama’s display was as he went for 36 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks on Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, he lit up the box score with 37 points and five blocks, including a 7-for-11 showing from deep.

It’s simple to point out his size — the dude is 7’4! It’s what he’s doing at that size, and doing routinely while flashing the capability of doing even more, that has led to him receiving more hype than any prospect since LeBron James. Hype is not always a good thing, because the word ties into expectations and the difficulty that can come in trying to meet them.

To me, Wembanyama ascends the notion of hype, as he breaks the game and changes the dimensions of the court. You know how Fortnite removed building in some aspects of the game? That’s an apt analogy to how Wembanyama controls the court — the things he can do redefines how the game is played. It’s one thing to be 7’4 with an 8-foot wingspan, it’s another to have that size while being able to do this.

We’ve seen plenty of seven footers who can shoot. Some of them have been able to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts, some of them are able to take defenders off the dribble. None have been able to do it with this level of quickness, fluidity, coordination, and touch around the basket. Wembanyama is consistently able to play through or over contact due to his height and release point, while his balance is also extremely good for his size. There is still room for him to grow, but as of right now, he is a good enough shooter that you can’t just leave him alone and live with the results.

He’s not just shooting open corner threes. Wembanyama is taking shots off of movement, trailing in transition, some self-created jumpers, and ghosting out of screens. His ability to self-gather and have advanced footwork prior to a shot are ultra-smooth and a joy to watch.

The shooting gravity combined with his downhill fluidity makes him a player who can legitimately utilize the majority of the half-court. His release point — which, I’d love to know what it is when measured out, because it has to be close to level with the basket — cannot be bothered. This is absurdity!

The mid-range tough shots have been a club in Wembanyama’s bag for a while, but Thursday was a clear and concerted effort to show what he can do, and it was the sort of performance that will stick with me for quite some time. Shot after shot after shot drew a reaction — see if your jaw hits the floor while you watch this, because mine sure did.

He was already the clear-cut No. 1 pick headed into the class at the end of last season, and his early season play with Metropolitans has been extraordinary for his development. His assertiveness and aggression have ratcheted up, while his overall feel for the game has grown, too. He’s that much better at finding ways to use his size to impact play. There’s still room for him to improve as a passer. He threw some wayward passes in that second game, but the court vision is solid. Repping out reads and continuing to work on his deliveries and accuracy will be worth tracking.

His defensive aptitude, event creation, mobility, and ground coverage are staggering. He’s starting to bend the court with his gravity offensively, but he’s been warping offenses with his stifling play on the other end of the floor for some time now. What stands out the most isn’t necessarily the blocks. Rather, it is the hesitation that he can cause, as his mere presence strikes fear into players on the other team. Numerous Ignite players showed timidity inside the arc, and understandably so.

A counter after the interior lane is shut off with a spin into the hook is a normal shot for Efe Abogidi. It’s a bit telegraphed, but look at the point where Wembanyama tips it. That’s at the very apex. Hook shots are normally getting blocked in a player’s hand, as they’re used to flip up and over length, but the geometry is changed here.

He doesn’t need to sit back in drop, even though he can thrive there. He’s an adept rim protector, but his defensive feel and timing are special. The mobility he possesses allows him to play multiple pick-and-roll coverages, while that awareness and timing are what make him so capable of putting those tools to use.

Henderson is a quality pull-up jump shooter, and usually, defenses will scheme to show high help and recover over top to live with the jumper and prevent paint touches, as that’s where the magic happens for Scoot.

It’s unquestionably a concession, and some teams could have benefitted from strong contests, but the math made sense for them in the moment. Henderson has a bit of a forward motion into his shots that he’ll use to get to the foul line, and it can deter defenders. It’s a nice tool to creak open even more space.

Once again, Wembanyama changes the equation. Watching opposing players truly gain an understanding of Wembanyama’s length and timing for the first time on the court is — and almost certainly will forever be — an endearing experience.

While Henderson didn’t get as much of a chance to shine due to his injury, these two games were a special showcase for Wembanyama and a phenomenal introduction to the general public of his impending stardom. The growth track he is on is exceptional. There has never been a player like him in my lifetime, and he’s not even in the NBA … yet.

With the Community movie officially confirmed, making good on the promise of “six seasons and a movie,” creator Dan Harmon dropped another major bombshell at New York Comic Con: There’s a chance that Donald Glover might be coming back after all. Glover famously left the show after Season 4 to pursue other creative endeavors, including his critically acclaimed series Atlanta. He’s also busy at Amazon working on a Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV series, so the assumption was that he’d be too busy for the film.

Not so much, according to Harmon.

“I think that Donald is coming, based on word of mouth, but it’s just the deal isn’t official or wasn’t official,” Harmon said via Variety. “It would be difficult to really commit to doing this thing without Donald. So I believe he is coming back.”

With that big news out of the way, Harmon got to work shutting down the inevitable questions about Chevy Chase also making a return. As fans know, Chase’s character Pierce Hawthorne was killed off amidst reports that the actor was difficult to work with. In fact, Chase confirmed those reports earlier this year by telling CBS Sunday Morning that he “doesn’t give a crap” if everyone hated him. So, yeah, the chances of Chase returning for the movie were already slim, and Harmon pretty much put a nail in that coffin.

“I don’t even know if it’s legal for him to come back,” Harmon said. “That may be out of my hands. There may be something I sign for with an insurance company.”

So there you have it: Solid maybe on Donald Glover coming back, and almost definitely a hard pass on Chevy Chase. What a day.

(Via Variety)