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The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has proven that he has no problem pushing back at trolls, like the ones who review-bombed Season 2 (before even watching much of it) because they were so mad about the weekly release schedule. And Kripke has also stepped up to confront a group that’s being equally (or even more) ridiculous because, as Erin Moriarty recently revealed, they’re making the Starlight actress feel “dehumanized” and as though she’s being “silenced.” That’s the case because the trolls are tossing out misogynistic rhetoric about Moriarty’s appearance and the costume that Vought International makes the character wear. That costume has actually been a plot point and one that even otherwise horrible Stormfront drew attention toward in Season 2, and the show’s very much in on the issue with a satiric bent.

In addition, Starlight’s been through a lot on the show. Her introduction to her fellow The Seven members included a sexual assault by The Deep, an act that saw the tables turned on him later with a gill-involved scene. More to the point, though, Kripke has responded (while linking to Variety‘s story on the subject) to tell those trolls to no longer watch the Amazon show, and he’s not kidding.

“Hi trolls! One, this is literally the opposite of the show’s f*cking message,” Kripke wrote on Twitter. “Two, you’re causing pain to real people with real feelings. Be kind. If you can’t be kind, then eat a bag of dicks, f*ck off to the sun & don’t watch #TheBoys, we don’t want you. #TheBoysTV.”

Enough said, hopefully. In the meantime, let’s hope that Erin Moriarty is feeling the support that’s been sent her way following these revelations and her statement. And here’s to hoping that Annie January gets to kick more ass in The Boys Season 4. She may no longer be with Vought, but she’s still got her Supe powers.

What makes a person a champion? What makes a person a success? What is that extra edge that allows a person ascend above the expectations made by outsiders, as well as themselves? Before he was a Super Bowl winner and All-Pro wide receiver, Cooper Kupp was an underweight, unassuming high school senior with no college recruits knocking at his door.

So how did he go from mostly ignored by recruits to the Most Valuable Player of the biggest game in the NFL?

The answer is an endless amount of work, early mornings, and a religious dedication to becoming better every single day. But there is something more than training routines or diet plans that we can learn from Kupp — the ultimate power of perseverance and self-improvement. We spoke to the LA Rams slot receiver about his personal journey to greatness to get a glimpse into the mentality of a champion. And while you may not be trying to compete in the NFL, there are plenty of takeaways that you can apply to any of your own passions or endeavors.

***

Do you remember the first time you realized that football was your path in life?

The first time I stepped out onto a football field, when I was nine years old, I knew that I wanted to be a football player. That day I put on the football pads for the first time, and I told my dad that that is what I wanted to do. I had thrown the ball around with him for years before that, he was a NFL quarterback, but that is when it became a reality for me. I was lucky that the first great coach that I worked with was my dad. Since he was teaching me from the perspective of a quarterback, I learned the role in the right way.

Did you face any adversity early on in this pursuit?

Growing up everyone was taller than me and everyone was faster than me. There came a point where I needed to be working when nobody else was so that I could keep up with my friends and hang with them. Freshman year of high school I was 5-foot-4 and 115 pounds. I made a concerted effort to put on 15 pounds every off-season that I had. During those high school years, I got laughed at all of the time. But that didn’t stop me.

How did you go about that process of putting on the muscle?

I would go into the weight room after hours and late at night — I knew all of the janitors who would let me in. I wore these ankle weights to school every day because that is what I felt I needed to do to make the leaps and bounds that I needed. I would wear them under my sweatpants while walking around. The work paid off though. By the end of high school I was 175 pounds, but still coming out of a school that no one had really heard of.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college that I felt like I really came into my body.

What was it like showing up for your first real spring training and participating in your first OTAs (organized team activities)?

I am always excited about finding ways to improve. The only issue was I have allergies, more specifically eye allergies, and it’s hard to catch a football when you can’t see. I started to use Pataday eye drops which got me through. I know there are a lot of people out there that suffer from allergies like me.

What kept you pushing forward during the more difficult years or situations? And kept you winning?

The only thing that never changed was my mindset and my mentality. That is the most important part of everything. You can get yourself in the best shape in the world, and still come up short. I know that because every year we see freakily strong athletes who are able to do incredible things physically who, for whatever reason, don’t end up making it in the league.

There has to be a reason, a differential, and I believe a lot of that is the right mentality.

I put just as much importance on proving myself of this mentality, as I do those around me. That happens in moments like practice, when we are doing a five versus five match-ups, offense versus defense. I want my coaches to count on the fact that I wanted one of those slots every time. I do it for them, but also because I want to solidify it in my own mind. Everybody has that opportunity to go above and beyond, and when you take those chances are when you find what you are capable of.

Who are the coaches that have helped guide you to where you are today and what did they impart to you?

There are so many people who have helped me get as far as I have in this sport. This past year is the first year I have worked with the same trainer back to back, Erik Jernstrom of EForce Sports. I have been lucky enough to work with some great coaches and trainers from who I pulled bits of what I have in the routine now. One of those coaches was Junior Adams, who I had in college and who is now an offensive coach at Oregon State. Skills-wise he’s one of the best out there. I was driven by what he challenged me and the other players to be. He helped me believe in myself. That year made the biggest difference for me and how I play football to this day. I have built upon that foundation over the last ten years.

Back during my senior year in college, they had us figure out some sort of competition after every one of our workouts. They were always awful and punishing, like how long can you hold a pull-up or some other kind of miserable experience. Those challenges gave me the extra ability to take on those end-of-game experiences. My attention went inward during those tests and when it came time to make a play in a game, I wanted to be the one who stepped up to make it happen.

I didn’t want to be in my head at all about what people might be thinking or what they might be expecting or who was watching. I learned that I wanted to be the one who made that big play.

Can you speak on how you managed to keep your head during the highs and lows of last season?

I truly enjoyed the whole process of last year. I’ve always tried to be a very process-oriented and process-driven person when it comes to results. I think people forget that we didn’t win a single game in November, and went on a three-game losing streak. There was a bye week right in the middle of that losing streak and that was a rough stretch. We lose again after all of that, the last game of the regular season going into the playoffs. That is when you are wanting to be building momentum, not losing it. The whole world noticed it at that point, saying that we had lost what we had gained to that point.

But that was not a reality that we were going to accept, we just kept building as a team. Those results, even though they weren’t what we wanted, didn’t mean that we were any less of a team. There were things that just didn’t play out for us the way that we wanted, and we fell short in certain areas. So the conversation became about how can we move past that and continue to improve as a team in those moments.

We got to that place where we were stepping onto the field at So-Fi and we know who we are. We know that we are a better team than we were earlier in the season.

That last drive to victory at the Super Bowl was epic and you stepped up to the challenge in a big way, including catching the winning pass. Were you able to take in that moment of success amidst and after the chaos?

Of course, to a degree, but there is also a part of you that remembers that you are going to be back at it in two months. So it’s important that those months are spent recovering before we are back on the field. Because as happy as we are for the result of this year, we are starting back over this next season, to win another Super Bowl.

There are a lot of people that pay attention to stats, whether they are fans, sports professionals, or producers of games like Madden NFL 23. How do they fit into your vision of success if at all?

When it comes to football I’m not big on numbers, accolades, or any achievement that isn’t a team achievement for that matter. My goal is simply to be a better football player every year, every month, and every day. Being a better person every year, every month, and every day. That’s what keeps me focused and what keeps me moving forward. Always.

Batman is returning to theaters. Batman Returns is also returning to theaters. So many batty returns.

In addition to the Tim Burton-directed, Michael Keaton-starring Batmen hitting Cinemark on September 17th in celebration of Batman Day, the animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm rounds out the marathon of some of the best orphaned Billionaire crime-fighting around.

This comes 33 years after Keaton first defined the character for the modern era, becoming the Bruce Wayne to live up to (to varying degrees of success throughout the sequels…). In a different world, it would also be an introduction and reunion of a classic incarnation that was about to spread through the DCU like wildfire. Instead, Batgirl and Keaton’s return to the character have been shelved, his presence has been dropped from Aquaman 2 because it made no sense for him to be there, and it’s a Riddler-sized question mark what will happen with the upcoming Flash movie and Keaton’s presumed cameo there.

So it’s possible that the Batman Day celebration will only make the world thirstier for a Keaton Batman that they can’t have.

If you can’t make it to Cinemark, all three films are streaming on HBO Max (until they’re inexplicably removed by corporate decree).

(via Collider)

I don’t know if anyone other than the producers at Revolt would have thought Yung Miami of City Girls would be such a provocative and surprisingly insightful talk show host, but if they did, they were right on the money. In previous episodes of her show Caresha Please, Miami got some dating advice from Gucci Mane and brought out the flirt in Megan Thee Stallion; in this week’s episode, she puts Bay Area rapper Saweetie in the hot seat, making the usually unbothered Icy Princess visibly flustered as she fires off her probing questions.

Among the inquiries that appear in the teaser, Yung Miami shared for the upcoming episode of Caresha Please are plenty of queries into Saweetie’s dating life. Caresha doesn’t hold back, asking the coy culture consultant about supposedly having her car repossessed after breaking up with Quavo, that rumor that she and Lil Baby went on a $100,000 shopping spree date, and whether or not she cheated herself. Give the trailer editor some props — even if her dumbfounded expressions don’t really match up with the questions in the full episode, it’s clear that Saweetie is having fun, even if she does get a little hot under the collar.

The new episode of Caresha Please launches at 8 pm on Revolt. You can watch the teaser above.

In 2016, Marco Rubio described Donald Trump as “the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency.” And while nothing has changed to make that superlative seem less true today (quite the opposite, really), you’d likely never hear those words coming out of Rubio’s mouth.

Like so many other one-time opponents who Trump cut down to size (in Rubio’s case literally — remember Trump’s “Little Marco” nickname?), Rubio has now at least positioned himself to seem squarely on the side of Team Trump. In the wake of the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago, Rubio has put himself out there with some one of the dumbest excuses for why a former president would have classified intel shoved into boxes with much memorabilia as magazine covers: it was simply a “storage” issue.

While Rubio has been appropriately dragged since making his “storage” comment to MSNBC over the weekend, he hasn’t backed down from defending the former president. On Wednesday morning, he appeared on Fox & Friends, where even the hosts seemed skeptical that Trump should have had access to the documents that were taken from Mar-a-Lago. Yet Rubio wasn’t about to play along or speculate with Fox or its Friends. Instead, he decided the best response was to question where the information about the documents was coming from — and make that the problem. As Rubio sees it:

All of this information is coming from one side and one place, and that is sources with knowledge of the investigation. Well, who are the sources with knowledge of the investigation? The FBI and the Justice Department. And they are leaking to the media.

So, generally, when there’s an investigation by the FBI or the Justice Department, they’re not even acknowledging there is an investigation, much less leaking. These people, every single day, are strategically leaking information — that can’t be rebutted, by the way, or in any way analyzed — for a reason. And that’s politics. To influence the narrative.

Yeah, that should shut them up Little Marco.

The New York Mets have spent almost all season in the top spot in the NL East division standings, having started the season hot while the reigning World Series champion Braves stumbled out of the gates.

However, on Tuesday night, the Braves caught the Mets, tying for the division lead with a win in Oakland coupled with New York dropping a game to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Watching the Braves reel in the Mets has been quite the sight over the past couple months, as Atlanta’s gotten red-hot while the Mets have come back to earth a bit, although still have been playing solid, yet unspectacular, ball.

After those results, the Mets broadcast partner SNY posted to Instagram about the Braves tying things up and one of the Mets’ biggest and most famous fans, Jerry Seinfeld, chimed in to blame Timmy Trumpet’s live performance during their recent Dodgers series for the Mets losing their division lead.

The Mets are 3-3 since Timmy Trumpet did a live performance of Narco to welcome closer Edwin Diaz to the mound — including that game where Diaz shutdown the Dodgers in a scoreless inning — which isn’t great but not catastrophic.

The Trumpet Curse isn’t something only Seinfeld has complained about, as Mets fans are naturally inclined to expect the worst anytime they’re having too much fun, but it seems more to be the Braves playing ridiculously good baseball while the Mets have been a touch flat than anything else.

One could also make the point that while the Mets still held the lead for a week following Timmy Trumpet’s performance, they lost it immediately on the day the Jerry Seinfeld x Kith photoshoot released with him in a Mets hat.

You have to wonder if Seinfeld is deflecting from the real cause of the Mets struggles, his fashion shoot, by pointing fingers at the innocent Timmy Trumpet.

Gorillaz are beginning a tour of North America this month, but it’s not necessarily in support of their new album, Cracker Island. Considering the world’s most famous virtual band doesn’t simply just roll out an album, but rather they create an entirely new universe surrounding each release, it’s going to be a bit longer until Gorillaz give Cracker Island gets its proper release. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have a lot in store for the virtual quartet of 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. So when is Cracker Island due out officially?

When Will Gorillaz’s New Album Come Out?

Two bombastic new singles have already come out from Cracker Island, but Gorillaz won’t be releasing the album until February 24th, 2023. We’ve already been graced with the magical “New Gold” featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde, as well as the album’s cosmic title track, “Cracker Island,” featuring Thundercat. Both tracks are certifiably awesome.

Cracker Island will also feature guest appearances from Stevie Nicks, Beck, Bad Bunny, and Adeleye Omotayo. It’s always an elaborate affair with a Gorillaz album and there will surely be more interactive drops in the lead-up to the 2023 release of Cracker Island.

Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Cracker Island below.

1. “Cracker Island” Feat. Thundercat
2. “Oil” Feat. Stevie Nicks
3. “The Tired Influencer”
4. “Tarantula”
5. “Silent Running” Feat. Adeleye Omotayo
6. “New Gold” Feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown
7. “Baby Queen”
8. “Tormenta” Feat. Bad Bunny
9. “Skinny Ape”
10. “Possession Island” Feat. Beck

Cracker Island is out on 2/24/2023 via Parlophone. Pre-save it here.

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

Single malt whisky is one of the most universal styles of whisk(e)y on earth. In fact, it might just be the most universal style of all — since it can be made in any country and isn’t beholden to geographical designations. The only real “law” is that it has to be made with 100 percent malted barley in the mash bill. Beyond that, countries like Scotland, Japan, Ireland, and so on have their own rules for what classifies — but when you take a step back, single malts are made everywhere whisk(e)y is made and that’s the real throughline of all of it.

So which countries make great single malts?

To answer that, I’m gathering up some single malts from all over the world and putting them to a blind taste test. Generally, these all fall in the fairly affordable $40 to $100 range. I threw in one high-priced bottle to see where it’d land but the thrust of this blind tasting is about taste, not price.

Our international lineup today is:

• Old Line American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength (USA)
• The Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky Puncheon 2022 Edition (JP)
• The Irishman Single Malt Irish Whiskey (IE)
• The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve (UK)
• Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky (USA)
• Baller Single Malt Whiskey by St. George Spirits (USA)
• Starward Octave Barrels The Octavius Single Malt Australian Whisky (AUS)
• Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky Biodynamic Luna 1.1 (IE)

Okay, let’s travel around the world and find a whisk(e)y for your bar cart!

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

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

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This feels very dialed toward a rye/bourbon nose with big notes of fresh green chili pepper, Red Hots, maple syrup, a touch of Dr. Pepper, and a hint of sawdust. The palate is a mix of leather, sweet vanilla pudding, sugar cookies, and woody Christmas spices with a hint of pine in the background. The end is soft and sweet with a fruity rock candy vibe next to soft cedar and warming holiday spices with a dash of dark chocolate powder.

This is really nice. I’m not sure where it’ll land. That heavy sweet bourbon feel is familiar but not overly malty.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This is supple on the nose with a hint of old orchard tree bark next to dried pears and slightly floral honey with a line of sour butter lurking in the backend. The palate is luxurious with a sense of almost burnt toffee, smoked salt, pears stewed in saffron, and a little bit more of that fresh sour butter covered in honey. The dry bark makes a comeback on the finish as pear pudding and vanilla cream mix with a lightly bitter pear core with seeds and stems.

This is very clearly the Japanese whisky, thanks to that mild sour butter underbelly. I like this but I’m not sure I like it that much more than the last taste.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is all about the apple candy with a hint of pear in there alongside mild notes of cinnamon and maybe a little honey. The palate is light and touches on chocolate chips and winter spice before going big with the apple candy again. The end washes out a tad with the proofing water, leaving hints of dark spices, raisins, and more apple/pear candy.

I wasn’t a big fan of this. It’s just too washed out from all that proofing water.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

There’s a good sense of butterscotch with red apples and old pears on the nose next to a hint of winter spice and maybe some cream soda. The palate has a banana/butterscotch feel to it that’s very sweet, which leads to apple pie filling with cinnamon and nutmeg and a sense of rock candy. The end is sweet and ultimately washed out by the proofing water but keeps some sense of rum-raisin, winter spice, and stewed apples.

Meh.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is dense and very American with a pile of pecan waffles smothered in cinnamon butter and maple syrup with a hint of spicy root beer and creamed vanilla. The palate is creamy and deep with pear tree bark, sharp ginger, pecan shells, and almost musty Earl Grey tea leaves. The end leans into the nutshell with a black tea tobacco vibe next to more spicy root beer and a sense of an old back porch full of wicker on a hot day.

This is another really good pour (from Texas). The thing is, none of these have blown me away yet.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

This whiskey opens with a nose that feels like breaking up a stem of lemongrass in your fingers before leaning into hints of maple, plum skins, and malty spice. The palate is a silky sip that starts off with spiced prunes and stewed peaches next to woody maple syrup, a touch of marzipan, and a hint of burnt peach pits. The end sweetens with a line of fresh mango flesh next to old charcoal drenched in plum wine with a whisper that lemongrass peaking back in late.

This was really f*cking good. It was also very different from the rest thanks to that citrus note (likely because it’s an American crafty single malt).

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is already lush with a chocolate-toffee vibe leading to hints of old raisins, stewed peaches with plenty of cinnamon, bright tart berries, and a braid of dry cedar bark, sweetgrass, and tobacco. The taste slowly leans into a thick sense of wild berry compote and salted butter on a malted biscuit cracker with thick vanilla cream and caramel sauce. The end arrives with a dry sense of that cedar bark braid while leading into huckleberry tobacco with a hint of wet tree bark and moss held in an old leather glove.

Well, this is a winner. I’ve been tasting a lot of Australia’s Starward lately and this definitely feels like their wheelhouse.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

The buttery note on the nose is so distinct it almost feels like buttery Popeye’s Southern Biscuit with a hint of orange peels, green grass, wildflower honey, pear trees, and red cherries all mingling beneath it. The palate boils the cherries down into a jam as nougat and buttery biscuits counter marzipan and grape must. The end arrives with a hint of white pepper and floral honey with a hint more of that marzipan and red cherry.

This is very good whiskey. It felt a little wild compared to the last couple of pours but it made sense.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve — Taste 4

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

The Glenlivet is a classic Speyside whisky This expression is a no-age-statement whisky. It’s created from vatted barrels of whisky that are then refilled into Jamaican rum casks for a final maturation run. Those barrels are then blended, proofed way down, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was just too faint. I don’t really even recommend buying or trying.

7. The Irishman Single Malt Irish Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is made from Irish barley that’s mashed and then tripled distilled. The juice is then filled in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a long maturation (no age is given). Those barrels and then blended and the whiskey is proofed down for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was very one note with all the apple candy. It was very much in the “fine” category. That said, you can probably skip and spend $50 on a great bourbon instead. Or two bottles of Jameson.

6. Old Line American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength — Taste 1

ABV: 62.3%

Average Price: $68

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Maryland is made from 100 percent malted barley grown in Washington State. The juice in the bottle spends several years aging in small-format (ten-gallon) barrels in Maryland. Those one-fifth-sized barrels speed up the aging process slightly. The whiskey from those barrels is vatted and then bottled without any proofing water.

Bottom Line:

I genuinely like this. The only reason it’s this low on this ranking is that it felt like a single malt that was made for bourbon drinkers and not just a great single malt on its own. I missed some of the malty aspects that I think would have shined with what was already in the flavor profile.

5. Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky — Taste 5

ABV: 53%

Average Price: $78

The Whisky:

The juice in this now-classic malt is made with 100 percent malted barley imported from Scotland, specifically Scottish Golden Promise Malted Barley. The spirit then ages in a combination of barrels ranging from new and used American, French, and Hungarian oak. After a few years under the hot Waco, Texas sun, the barrels are vatted and bottled as-is with no fussing besides a touch of local water.

Bottom Line:

This is where we get into the malty good stuff. This was bold and memorable. The only reason it’s not higher is that the next four were just a little more refined. This wasn’t rough. It was more like a loving wake-up slap in the face from an old friend.

4. The Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky Puncheon 2022 Edition — Taste 2

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $3,930

The Whisky:

This is classic Yamazaki whisky. The juice is made from malt whisky that is aged in large puncheon barrels (480 liters, compared to around 200 liters for a standard barrel). The barrels were made by Suntory from American oak specifically to age this whisky.

Bottom Line:

This was funky and classic at the same time. I’m not in love with this whisky but it’s really, really solid. This has more nuance than the Balcones above and that’s why it’s ranked higher, but I’d probably reach for the Balcones first to actually drink again.

Also… um… you might have noticed… it’s pricey.

3. Baller Single Malt Whiskey by St. George Spirits — Taste 6

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This single malt from St. George Spirits out in California is beloved. The juice is made from 100 percent malted and lightly roasted barley with an eye toward Japanese traditions. The whiskey spends three to four years in ex-bourbon and ex-French wine casks before vatting and re-barreling into umeshu casks (Japanese plum wine that the team at St. George makes themselves) for a final rest. Finally, the whiskey is blended and just touched with local proofing water before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was the biggest outlier of the group. On another day, I could see this taking the top spot given that the flavor notes were distinct and not general. The lemongrass felt real. That’s something special.

2. Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky Biodynamic Luna 1.1 — Taste 8

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $110

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is made from 100 percent organic and sustainable farms in Ireland. The barley comes from three small farms that utilize “biodynamic” farming practices which take organic to the next level by integrating agriculture with animals and humans to create as natural a product as possible. The juice made from that barley is loaded into 500 barrels and left to rest for years before blending and bottling with a touch of proofing water.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey had the deepest flavor, by far. I really like this whiskey but it does kind of feel like a project to nose and taste to find everything. Sometimes you really just want a nice whiskey that you don’t have to think about and this isn’t that (by design).

1. Starward Octave Barrels The Octavius Single Malt Australian Whisky — Taste 7

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $80

The Whiskey:

This new whisky from Austrailia really leans into the old-school red wine tradition from Down Under. The 100 percent malted barley juice is aged in old shiraz red wine barrels that held Yalumba The Octavious from the oldest wine-making family in Australia. Those barrels were dumped in 2018 and Starward filled them with their whisky. Three years later, those barrels were vatted and just proofed with a little local water before bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was such a clear winner. It’s deep, nuanced, yet playful and kind of fresh. It was just a nice sip from nose to finish with a true journey of flavor in between.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Australia wins the day! I don’t think I’ve had a bad pour of Starward whisky lately. The Octavius is such a refined and beautiful expression — it’s definitely making a “top whiskeys of 2022” list.

Overall, there weren’t any terrible whiskeys on this list. There were two very skippable ones. But even then, you can blend those out into highballs with Coke or ginger ale or fizzy water if you want. They’re not undrinkable. More just … boring.

As for seven through two, they’re all really solid. Look through those tasting notes and find one that speaks to you and then give it a try. And hey! The most expensive whisky didn’t dominate. It wasn’t even top three.

While we have to wait until next year for Gorillaz to drop their eighth album, Cracker Island, the band is heading out on a North America 2022 tour starting in September. Cracker Island will feature appearances from Thundercat, Beck, Bad Bunny, Tame Impala, and others, but the slate of openers for their concert tour is different from the album’s guests.

Who Is Opening Gorillaz’s Tour In North America?

The Gorillaz North America tour begins on September 10th at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and ends on October 23rd at Miami’s FTX Arena. The two opening acts on the tour are EarthGang and Jungle. Credit to Gorillaz for choosing two vastly different-sounding acts to support them on tour, but who both fit perfectly within the scope of the Gorillaz musical universe.

EarthGang are the hip-hop duo from Atlanta consisting of Olu and Wow Gr8. They’ve drawn comparisons to fellow ATLiens Outkast with their funky, eccentric style and dropped their most recent album, Ghetto Gods, earlier this year on J.Cole’s Dreamville label.

Jungle are an electronic-leaning band from London led by the duo of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. They’ve stood out with their vocally-charged songs that feel more like being on the West Coast than in the UK. Their latest album, Loving In Stereo, came out in 2021 via their own Caiola label and AWAL.

Check out the full list of Gorillaz’s tour dates with EarthGang and Jungle below and get tickets here.

09/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/12 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/14 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/17 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life is Beautiful Festival
09/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
09/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
09/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
09/30 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/01 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/03 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/05 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/06 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
10/08 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
10/17 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
10/19 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheater
10/21 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/23 – Miami, FL @ FTX Arena

Oh boy, get ready for Euphoria to destroy you again (in a productive way) when Season 3 arrives. Granted, HBO hasn’t disclosed when this third swing is coming, but it’s definitely in the works, which is what really matters. Colman Domingo (also a power player on Fear the Walking Dead) stepped up to reveal some tidbits about the secretive production, which is still apparently in the early stages of cobbling together more triggering stories. And he knows of what he speaks, given that he portrayed Ali Muhammed, who’s the Narcotics Anonymous sponsor of Zendaya’s Rue on the show. Domingo has plucked up his first Emmy Award (for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series) for his work on the Sam Levinson-helmed series, and yep, these two have recently spoken.

As Domingo told Deadline, the pair has had “really deep conversations,” and the show’s going to go much deeper into many characters’ arcs. And Colman continued:

“It’s an organism and he wants it to keep shifting it in many ways and I think he’s going to take some really big swings actually with Season 3. He’s someone who, once there’s an expectation of the show, he wants to smash that expectation because he truly is a consummate artist and he wants to make sure he’s telling some really compelling storytelling.”

As with the conversation between himself and Sam, Domingo relayed how the show will go much “deeper” while wiping away “layers” and to “get to the human heart.” In other words, get ready for a lot more pain and depictions of drug use, self-harm, abuse, and the whole nine-yards. In the end, Euphoria is a difficult show to watch, but it’s one that people nonetheless grow invested within to see if these characters can claw their way out of terrible experiences. And Domingo also relayed how he’s known Zendaya for most of her life, although “[I]t feels like we know each other for many, many, many years and many lifetimes.” It’s a connection that comes through onscreen, too.

(Via Deadline)