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Summer is right around the corner, meaning two things: Festival season is upon us and the year is already halfway over. Whether you’re looking to open up the pit to mosh at a show or throw on a wistful album to accompany a long drive, indie musicians have already shared a number of exciting releases in 2022.

From Arcade Fire’s triumphant comeback album We to Angel Olsen’s country-leaning Big Time and Sharon Van Etten’s monumental We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, indie artists gave us some of the most compelling releases of the year thus far. With the steady roll out of new music, it can be hard to keep track of all the best new albums — and that’s where we come in. Check out our unranked list of 2022’s best indie albums (so far) below.

Angel Olsen — Big Time

Fans who were introduced to Angel Olsen on her synth-led 2019 effort All Mirrors won’t recognize the songwriter’s Southern drawl on her sixth studio album Big Time. Big Time is Olsen’s version of a country record; steeped in emotion and penned following a particularly devastating period of time after both of Olsen’s parents passed away just months after she came out as queer to her family. As a result, Big Time is humbled and down-to-earth as Olsen attempts to make sense of the contradictions in her life; grief amid love, and tragedy amid romance. – Carolyn Droke

Arcade Fire — We

It’s hard to stay relevant as a rock band today, especially when your most nostalgia-inducing era ended well over a decade ago and when pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo work rock into their music and make guitar-based groups less necessary for a casual music fan to seek out. Arcade Fire took a pretty good stab at it this year, though, with We, which was better-received than its predecessor Everything Now. We works because instead of trying to modernize with dance influences like Everything Now did, it reaches for, and often touches, the same feeling that Funeral gave wide-eyed fans back in 2004. – Derrick Rossignol

Band Of Horses — Things Are Great

After a period of spotty records in the 2010s, Things Are Great felt like a conscious return to the brawny, vision-quest-y rock of Band Of Horses’ mid-aughts era, when they first roared to indie fame on the strength of their 2006 debut, Everything All The Time. After all this time, Ben Bridwell remains uniquely talented at crafting big-hearted rock songs that sound predestined to soundtrack life-changing road trips. – Steven Hyden

Beach House — Once Twice Melody

Not only did Beach House essentially define the contemporary dream-pop genre (or at least raise its bar), but a decade after making that type of music, they’re probably still the best at it. The massive scope of Once Twice Melody — an 84-minute, 18-track album — matches the grandiosity of the band’s sound. This epic-scale (again, both in structure and aesthetic) doesn’t come at the cost of intimacy, though, as the album is still filled with enough detail and vulnerability to prevent it from being just a sea of reverb, a balance Beach House has always been able to strike better than just about anybody else in their field. – D.R.

Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

So much of the pleasure of listening to this masterful album comes from appreciating the subtle and delicate ways in which Big Thief works and plays together, whether it’s the excellent jam that closes “Little Things,” the surprisingly heavy rock groove that subsumes “Flower Of Blood,” or the way Buck Meek’s voice rises to harmonize with Adrianne Lenker on the chorus of the stunning love song “12000 Lines.” An instant classic. – S.H.

Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There

Ants From Up There is no casual affair. Black Country, New Road put on an idiosyncratic folk-rock opera with clashing instruments and Isaac Wood’s warbling baritone. The album fluctuates between colossal moments of bombast and quiet periods of withheld intensity like on the dynamic “Concorde” when the sound pauses and Wood wonders calmly: “I was made to love you / Can’t you tell?” Every second matters on Ants From Up There; the stakes are always getting higher, and catharsis is always brewing, even if it’s beneath the surface. – Danielle Chelosky

The Black Keys — Dropout Boogie

Since taking a lengthy break between albums, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been as productive as any point in Black Keys history over the past few years; This past May delivered Dropout Boogie, the duo’s third album since 2019, and if it sounds like a return to their roots, that makes sense: The three latest albums are the duo’s first to be produced solely by them since 2006’s Magic Potion. The result is the Black Keys in its purest form: no-frills rock music built on guitar, drums, and not a ton else. – D.R.

Camp Cope — Running With The Hurricane

Returning for the first full-length release since their acclaimed 2018 album, Aussie rockers Camp Cope showcase their refined and relatable ballads on Running With The Hurricane. Contrasting the music’s sunny chords and distinct rhythms, the project as a whole is confessional, tender, and sincere. Over shimmering, folksy instrumentals, Camp Cope deal with heavy subject matters like misogyny in the music industry, sexual assault, and mourning the death of loved ones. – C.D.

Caracara — New Preoccupations

The Philly band Caracara use less as more on New Preoccupations, an album that thrives off of intense restraint that helps create a dynamic, cathartic listening experience. Songs explode into each other seamlessly and Will Lindsay’s earnest vocals imbue them with color and raw emotion over soaring instrumentals. A guest appearance from Anthony Green proves that Caracara are still connected to their emo roots, interested in digging into complicated feelings and sharing them with the world unabashedly. – D.C.

Caroline — Caroline

When the collective Caroline released their self-titled debut this year, it was clear why the band garnered comparisons to groups Black Midi and Black Country, New Road. Not only do they have an unusually large amount of members, eight to be exact, but the album was produced by Black Midi producer John “Spud” Murphy. There are not many lyrics to be found throughout the release, but there doesn’t need to be — the music speaks for itself. Inventive and evocative, songs like “IWR” open with a hymn-like chorus while others like “Skydiving On The Roof” break down into a dizzying array of strings and cool-toned guitars. –C.D.

Christian Lee Hutson — Quitters

Christian Lee Hutson quickly became this decade’s buzziest folk artists with his gentle and ruminating 2020 album Beginners. Continuing to showcase his observant songwriting, Hutson translated reflections on how time alters memory on his timeless sophomore album Quitters. The Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst-produced project is filled with wistful, ballad-like tracks like “Strawberry Lemonade” and “Rubberneckers,” led by acoustic chords and thoughtfully arranged orchestral sections. – C.D.

Father John Misty — Chloë And The Next 20th Century

If an FJM album drops and there isn’t a polarizing press tour to go with it, does that album make a sound? I’ll admit I’m still getting used to this era of Father John Mum. But it feels appropriate for his most recent batch of songs. Rather than write about the familiar swaggering anti-hero that was his persona on the first four albums, Josh Tillman has instead focused on his other made-up characters — the titular “borough socialist” Chloë, a striving entertainment biz creative named Simone, the actress known as Funny Girl, an unnamed pair of ex-lovers who are reunited by their recently deceased cat Mr. Blue. It’s as much a collection of short stories as it is a record. – S.H.

Fontaines DC — Skinty Fia

Fontaines DC is a commercial juggernaut in the UK and Ireland: Their new album, Skinty Fia, went No. 1 in both areas. They’ve managed to cultivate a high level of respect stateside, too. That’s something they’ve earned via both consistency and a sense of adventure, emphasized by tracks like the grungy alt-rocker “Jackie Down The Line” and the trip-hop-influenced title track. – Derrick Rossignol

Gang Of Youths — Angel In Realtime

If 2017’s Go Farther In Lightness was this Australian band’s Joshua Tree — the fearlessly earnest collection of guitar-based spirituals rooted in an unending desire for transcendence — then perhaps the follow-up could be their Achtung Baby. An album in which beat-heavy, danceable, and often ecstatic music acts as a shield for blood-and-guts, dark-night-of-the-soul introspection. An intimate confession made to sound loud enough to engulf the entire world. – S.H.

Girlpool — Forgiveness

LA duo Girlpool did not hold back on their new album Forgiveness, which candidly explores lust, shame, and relationships, maturing suddenly since their previous, more innocent material. Vivid imagery and unabashed emotion propel the album forward: “Every day it’s Friday night / I hold my body like a butcher knife,” Harmony Trividad lulls over soft rhythms on “Faultline.” The unhurried pace doesn’t take away from the electricity and thrill of this album; they can excite with simple melodies and succinct lines about parties that are whispered honestly over twangy guitars. – D.C.

Haai — Baby, We’re Ascending

After honing her sound over the last five years with a handful of singles and a 2020 EP, Haai’s technical skills are on full display in her euphoric debut LP Baby, We’re Ascending. Tailor-made for sweaty, low-lit dancefloors, the album is moody, glitchy, and euphoric, jam-packed with fractal beats and atmospheric soundscapes. Her songs layer dizzying beats over gauzy vocals, like you’re hearing the words from within a dream. Fans of Porter Robinson, Hot Chip, and Kelly Lee Owens will fall head over heels with this London-by-way-of-Australia producer/DJ. – C.D.

Horsegirl — Versions Of Modern Performance

Chicago teenage trio Horsegirl effectively delivered one of 2022’s most exciting indie debuts with their shoegazey LP Versions Of Modern Performance. Drawing inspiration from the greats that came well before them like Kim Gordon and Brian Eno, Horsegirl subvert modern-day indie rock expectations. They evoke the grittiness and intellect of groundbreaking post-punk artists on tracks such as “Option 8” and “Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty),” combining droning guitar tones and deadpan lyrics that infuse just the right amount of humor and apathy. – C.D.

Joyce Manor — 40 Oz. To Fresno

Following up Million Dollars To Kill Me, Joyce Manor are summoning the chaotic, raw energy of 2012’s Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired with their new album 40 Oz. To Fresno. The album clocks in at 16 minutes in a sort of sonic collage featuring taut, off-kilter rock songs like “You’re Not Famous Anymore” and “Don’t Try,” catchy tracks with poppier melodies with “Dance With Me” and “Reason To Believe,” and absolute rippers such as “Gotta Let It Go” and the merciless finale “Secret Secrets.” – D.C.

Khruangbin, Leon Bridges — Texas Moon

The companion piece to 2020’s Texas Sun is filled with David Axelrod-like explorations from Khruangbin, Bridges’ impeccable vocal delivery, and symbiotic sounds from the group. “I think my collaboration with Khruangbin is really where my heart is. I love how raw our sound is,” Bridges said in Uproxx’s February cover story on their project. Their chemistry is palpable throughout the spirituality of “Doris” and “Father Father,” the tender love of “Mariella” and “Chocolate Hills,” and the stone, cold groove of “B-Side.” Texas Moon fully established the foursome as a bonafide supergroup, one that makes you want to look deep into the Texas night sky, and hope that there’s much more yet to come. – Adrian Spinelli

The Linda Lindas — Growing Up

Viral moments are terrific for getting a young act off the ground, but it also takes more than that to maintain liftoff. So, after “Racist Sexist Boy” vaulted The Linda Lindas to internet stardom (and a record deal with Epitaph), they got to work on Growing Up, which is just a flat-out good rock album, no qualifications necessary. With how adept and confident the group is here, it’s easy to forget that they’re all in their teens. Well, except for drummer Mila de la Garza, who turns 12 this summer. Growing Up is a substantially stronger creative product than the vinegar-baking-soda volcanos and copy-pasted middle school essays most of us were making at that age. – D.R.

MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

The reference points for this album — early Wilco, “ditch” era Neil Young, all periods of Jason Molina — might seem pretty standard for an alt country-leaning singer-songwriter. But as is the case with his regular band, the rising North Carolina twangy shoegaze outfit Wednesday, Lenderman has a way of taking the familiar in new and refreshingly irreverent directions, like in the song “Dan Marino,” which references the former Miami Dolphins quarterback and an obscure quote from The Last Waltz over a lo-fi guitar rumble that sounds like side two of Tonight’s The Night. – S.H.

Nilüfer Yanya — Painless

This buzzy British singer-songwriter was a breakout artist back in 2019, thanks to an eclectic amalgam of influences suggesting that Yanya ultimately wanted to fuse the slinky grace of Sade with the sort of chunky and lovably punk anthems associated with Blink-182 and Libertines. But she really raises her game with this album, in which she channels mid-period Radiohead through the lens of ecstatically dark-hued millennial pop. – S.H.

Orville Peck — Bronco

The gravelly-voiced gentleman of the lowlands, one Orville Peck is back with his second full-length album. Though Peck plays into the traditional cowboy and country tropes in some ways, he also subverts them in just as many; Peck is a South African musician based in Canada, so he’s twice removed from the American west. Maybe that’s part of what helps him see the humor and mystery in the great outdoors, and all three subjects are laid bare within his baritone blues, fringed mask intact. Bronco is an expansion of the queer themes that his debut album, Pony, explored and proves that Peck is anything but a one-trick musician. – Caitlin White

Porridge Radio — Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky

Porridge Radio rose in the music scene for their unafraid expression of complicated feelings, which continues on their new album Waterslide, Dive Board, Ladder To The Sky. Their powerful honesty can best be exemplified by “Birthday Party,” in which vocalist Dana Margolin sings, “I don’t want to be loved” 57 times. The instrumentals are as massive and evocative as ever, but this time around there are also gentler moments, allowing for intensity to be conveyed through smallness in a way that is truly beautiful and resonant. – D.C.

Say Sue Me — The Last Thing Left

The South Korean indie favorites got a lot of folks on their side with their 2017 self-titled debut album and have been building up a nice discography for themselves since then. They added to it this year with The Last Thing Left, which, like many exemplary albums, is a mixed bag. As far as the overarching aesthetic at play, though, it’s best summarized by songs like “Around You,” relentlessly sweet and joyful on its surface but with more emotional depth if you pay attention to what’s being said. – D.R.

Sharon Van Etten — We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

Deviating from the usual album release cycle, Sharon Van Etten didn’t release any singles ahead of her album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong. Even still, her monumental sixth studio effort was worth the wait. Departing from her rocking 2019 album Remind Me Tomorrow, Van Etten’s latest effort is far less guitar-driven. Translating the restlessness and anxiety of the last two years into music, the album revolves around themes of coexistence and motherhood over sprawling beats and atmospheric production. – C.D.

The Smile — A Light For Attracting Attention

This side project for Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood presents itself as the most un-Radiohead-like of propositions — a guitar-driven power trio! — that happens to sound, tantalizingly, like a version of Radiohead that Radiohead no longer is apparently interested in being. Given the dearth of actual Radiohead albums since A Moon Shaped Pool, it’s almost too easy to regard A Light For Attracting Attention as the next best thing, a kind of musical methadone for Kid A nation. – S.H.

Soul Glo — Diaspora Problems

Philadelphia group Soul Glo didn’t hold back on this new album Diaspora Problems, a collection of eclectic songs whose common denominator is relentlessness. From the start, the opener “Gold Chain Punk (Whogonbeatmyass?)” melds together metallic riffs with chaotic rap and piercing screamo; the album brilliantly balances humor with seriousness, grappling with capitalism, police brutality, and the complicity of leftists, all under clever song titles like “We Wants Revenge” and “F*cked Up If True.” It might be the loudest, most unafraid album of the year, but it doesn’t want to be; it wants others to scream, to pick up their instruments and shred, and to use their voices to the fullest possible capacity. Along with bands like Turnstile, Soul Glo is expanding the meaning of hardcore music and creating space for others in the scene. – D.C.

Toro Y Moi — Mahal

Everything Toro y Moi does these days exudes coolness. With Mahal, he’s dug deeper into his Filipino roots, by cruising around in a vintage jeepney and probing the influence and evolution of ’60s mod rock and ’70s global funk. The utter psychedelia of “Déjà Vu” sees these inspirations converging, whereas on “Magazine,” he brings on Salami Rose Joe Louis for a hypnotic duet. But it’s on “The Loop” where the sleek veneer and fashionable lean of Toro’s Chaz Bear shines the brightest. It’s the sound that galvanizes skater kids, hip-hop heads, audiophiles, and mouth-breathers alike. And it hardly feels like the lesson in vintage rock and roll history that it is. – A.S.

Wet Leg — Wet Leg

When was the last time an indie band released six tracks before the album came out that were actually worthy of being singles and not just some boardroom marketing play? With their blend of tongue-in-cheek Britpop lyrics with downright electric rock and roll guitar riffs, the Isle of Wight duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers have been this year’s true lightning-in-a-bottle indie band. And yes, it’s not just “Chaise Longue,” “Wet Dream,” “Too Late Now,” “Oh No,” “Angelica,” and “Ur Mum” that go extremely hard. Enjoy the ride. – A.S.

Wilco — Cruel Country

Wilco rose from the ashes of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo and the band retained that twangy sound early in its life. They eventually strayed from it, but now the prodigal son has returned, as Wilco has gone back to country for its twelfth album, the indicatively titled Cruel Country. The result is an album that’s mostly understated on its surface but not undercooked, bringing Jeff Tweedy and company’s collective wisdom to the aesthetic by which their younger selves were most immediately enamored. – D.R.

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

Amy Schneider’s historic run on Jeopardy! inspired awe and, unfortunately, some controversy among those made uncomfortable by watching a transgender woman dominate the syndicated game show to the tune of 40 wins and $1,382,800 in winnings.

Schneider currently holds the record for the winningest woman in Jeopardy! history, second in wins behind Ken Jennings and fourth in earnings overall. And fans will see much more of her on their TVs later this year when she headlines the show’s next edition of its yearly Tournament of Champions. But one place Schneider didn’t show up was on a Fox Sports baseball broadcast, and some fans wondered if the network intentionally snubbed Schneider for some reason.

The drama started on Saturday when Schneider threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game. Schneider, a trans woman from across the Bay in Oakland, took part in the team’s Pride Night festivities, with the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers wearing special Pride-themed hats for the occasion. But bizarrely, Fox Sports decided to pretend that former NASCAR driver and now-Fox broadcaster Kurt Busch threw the pitch instead.

As The Comeback noted, the footage was actually from two days earlier. And the move was good enough to dupe a local TV station into reporting that Busch threw out the pitch on Saturday, not Schneider. It’s a really strange thing all around, which could have been a mistake or perhaps something carrying a bit more malice. It’s something Schneider herself alluded to on Twitter in the days that followed.

“Well that’s Fox for you,’ she replied in a quote tweet about the apparent snub. But Fox Sports addressed the situation this week, and it was apparently more about advertising than anything. As SFGate reported on Tuesday, the network officially denied it intentionally snubbed the 40-time Jeopardy! champ by refusing to air her first pitch. Rather, it had other business to attend to during the broadcast.

“On Saturday, as part of a promotional package for the weekend’s NASCAR race in northern California, we aired a taped first pitch of famed NASCAR driver Kurt Busch,” a Fox Sports spokesman told SFGATE. “This promotion was in no way meant to overshadow the ceremonial first pitch for the game as it is not routine for us to air.”

The spokesperson also reportedly noted that first pitches don’t often make the broadcast, which is fair. But it seems really strange to then intentionally show a first pitch from another game, advertising for NASCAR aside. It’s really strange TV all around, especially when you consider the broadcast decision put the announcer in the unfortunate decision of pretending a first pitch of stock footage was fresh just to bump stock car racing.

The stakes here are, all things considered, pretty low. Major League games can have several “first” pitches. But erasure is certainly a major topic during Pride, and a Fox-affiliated sports network curiously erasing a trans woman’s first pitch was inevitably going to turn some heads. Even if it was only about auto racing.

Anyway, you can see Schneider’s actual first pitch below.

(Via SF Gate)

For years now, if Phoebe Bridgers has made a public appearance, odds are she’s done it in the same skeleton costume she’s really taken to wearing virtually all the time. Sometimes, though, she’ll mix it up, like she did with her fancy Thom Browne skeleton dress at the 2021 Grammys (that dress actually partially inspired the whole skeleton thing for Bridgers, by the way).

She switched things up again on The Tonight Show, where she performed “Sidelines.” This time, Bridgers donned a football uniform, complete with bulky pads, and stripped the song down, singing over delicate piano and strings for this Jimmy Fallon rendition.

The new costume might remind fans of Bridgers’ 2020 video for “I Know The End,” which ends with Bridgers, in her traditional skeleton outfit, performing the song in a football stadium.

It was previously indicated that “Sidelines” would be Bridgers’ only new song of 2022, but since then, she has decided to not rule out the possibility of more fresh music this year: In an interview from April, Bridgers was asked if “Sidelines” actually will be her sole output of the year and she responded, “Uh, who knows, actually. I try to do things that are exciting, so I never really know what I’m gonna do.”

Watch Bridgers perform “Sidelines” above.

Move over, Kim Kardashian: there’s a new Marilyn Monroe in town.

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for Blonde, Andrew Dominik’s NC-17-rated biopic of Monroe starring Ana de Armas as the legendary actress. You can watch it above.

Dominik has described Blonde as “a movie for all the unloved children of the world. It’s like Citizen Kane and Raging Bull had a baby daughter,” and that it’s “an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.” This ain’t your dad’s Marilyn Monroe biopic.

“Andrew’s ambitions were very clear from the start: to present a version of Marilyn Monroe’s life through her lens,” de Armas, who was great in Knives Out and the best part about No Time to Die, told Netflix Queue about the movie. “He wanted the world to experience what it actually felt like to not only be Marilyn, but also Norma Jeane. I found that to be the most daring, unapologetic, and feminist take on her story I had ever seen.”

She continued:

“We worked on this film for hours, every single day for almost a year. I read [author Joyce Carol Oates’] novel, studied hundreds of photographs, videos, audio recordings, films — anything I could get my hands on. Every scene is inspired by an existing photograph. We’d pore over every detail in the photo and debate what was happening in it. The first question was always, ‘What was Norma Jeane feeling here?’ We wanted to tell the human side of her story. Fame is what made Marilyn the most visible person in the world, but it also made Norma the most invisible.”

Blonde comes out on September 23.

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is not going as easily as planned, and (over 100 days into the invasion) troops’ wives are incensed over their mystery whereabouts. It’s a sad addendum to news that Putin’s crumbling army is losing officers like crazy (including a top commander, “The Executioner,” who got whacked by a Ukrainian sniper). Things are also very much not great at home for Putin with rumors of ill health and assassination attempts swirling, prompting his inner circle to allegedly plot to insert a successor while Putin’s political future appears to be in jeopardy for various reasons.

On the battlefield, troops have already been reported to have had enough with the Kremlin’s ill-advised, shoddy plans. Putin seems to have expected Ukraine to immediately fold, which didn’t happen (President Volodymyr Zelensky’s digging in his feet, as are his people), and leaked audio revealed how troops threatened to blow up their general. Back to the homefront, though, wives of some of those troops are demanding answers after their husbands were due back on June 6 but never materialized. And the Kremlin has ignored their pleas for information.

As Newsweek reports (while posting sensitive video footage), these emotional wives are marching in the streets after their husbands were ordered into battle in eastern Ukraine, and four months later, no one will say where they are:

“From their 121st regiment, only the 4th company (battalion) made it here,” the woman said, adding that the military unit “refuses” to tell them where their husbands are and that nobody is giving them any information.

“Where are our husbands? This is how they mobilized our husbands, took them from their jobs–they haven’t been home even for a day,” the woman said. “We don’t know what’s happening to them now, whether they are alive or not, no one can give us an answer to that. How is this possible? Two hundred people, is that a needle in a haystack? Answer us, to whom should we appeal?”

It’s a sobering reminder that, after the world delighted at Putin’s botched invasion and endless reports of fired and/or missing commanders, plenty of troops are falling by the wayside (or simply missing or lost) as well. And it appears that the Kremlin isn’t even letting their families know what’s happening to their loved ones (husbands, fathers, and sons) from this region, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), where all men were involuntarily mobilized into this ongoing cluster of a war.

(Via Newsweek)

Virginia isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of a musical hotbed. Those are places like NYC, LA, Nashville, Atlanta, and Miami. But Virginia native Pharrell Williams has been trying to change that perception for years, outrightly so with his Something In The Water Festival. Back in 2019, Pharrell described his vision for it, noting that it wasn’t just to bring artists together, but for corporations, the NCAA, and the world to understand that Virginia is here, “open for business,” and deserving its flowers for its outsized yet lesser-known impact on popular music.

To fully grasp that outsized impact, one maybe does need to quickly look back at history. Virginia, with its colonial blend of English, Scots-Irish, and African influences, was a launching pad for old-time music — the foundation for blues, bluegrass, country music, and more. Many of America’s most iconic performers, from Patsy Cline to Ella Fitzgerald, hailed from the state and drew influence from that unique sonic landscape. Popular music today, from jazz to blues to hip-hop, is a reflection of a poly-cultural makeup — and Virginia was one of the first places where those diverse perspectives and styles began to manifest into tangible works of art.

Fast-forward to more recent history, and the state’s impact on the music world is undeniable, yet still seems to fly under the radar. All one needs to do is have a look at Pharrell and his production partner, Chad Hugo, who formed The Neptunes in 1990 from their hometown of Virginia Beach, VA. The iconic duo gave the world hits like “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg, and “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, with the two eventually being named the second most influential production duo of the 21st Century, only behind pop savant Max Martin. Of course, that’s not the last the world has seen of Pharrell. The multi-hyphenate musician gave us the now divisive, yet still monstrously successful “Happy” (which he himself seems to be sick of), and has contributed to recent work from Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow, Kehlani, ROSALÍA, Omar Apollo, Ashnikko, and Snoh Aalegra — just to name a few. He also just dropped this jam with 21 Savage and Tyler The Creator.

He’s not alone though. Surrounding Pharrell is a vortex of other successful artists and producers who also call Virginia Beach and the surrounding Hampton Roads area home, from Pharrell’s cousin Timbaland and his long-time collaborator Missy Elliott to Pusha T and his brother No Malice, otherwise known as Clipse. Each act came up together at the same time in the exact same town — a puzzling revelation that sparks a lot of intrigue. This is where the diverse cultural makeup of Virginia meets with a somewhat surprising facilitator for its melting pot feel — the US Navy. Newport News, where Missy, Pharrell, and those other VA players come from, is home to a large number of naval bases that over the years have brought families from all over the country to the region. That raises the question: could it be that all those disparate influences and regional styles made the area an easy-bake oven for totally fresh yet immediately recognizable and universally resonant music?

Other Virginian artists, from Dave Grohl and D’Angelo to Kali Uchis and Dave Matthews, may not come from Newport News specifically but their varied musical styles embody the state’s broad sensibilities. Their music showcases distinct regional flair and speaks to hotspots just outside the state’s borders, from the country twang of Tennessee to the punk rock and urban flair of Washington D.C. D.C., for instance, is where Grohl cut his teeth in the punk scene, loading him up with influences that he’d take to Seattle in the late ’80s before joining Nirvana with their mix of fast-slow-fast melodic heaviness. The end result was a mix that has made the Foo Fighters an all-time band around the world.

DC’s influence on Virginia’s music shouldn’t be understated with the Nation’s Capital housing so many different artists, from the aforementioned Kali Uchis to rapper Wale, plus a multitude of venues in such a concentrated area. Catering to all sentiments — the heart of the establishment, the spirit of rebellion — Virginia’s neighbor to the north reflects the same diverse cultural personality and output, something that could again easily be attributed to the area’s military and government outposts. As that city welcomes a refreshed version of Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival this week, music lovers will be given a chance to re-embrace Virginia and its surrounding area’s lasting impact on culture while rejoicing in the art coming out of every under-the-radar city, state, and country across the world.

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

At long, Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend / Staten Island ferry co-owner Pete Davidson has made his The Kardashians debut… kind of.

In the season one finale post-credits scene (the MCU-ification of reality programming) of the Hulu series, Kim is seen talking to someone off-camera about the show’s audio producer Erin Paxton, a.k.a. Paxy. “You have to meet Paxy. Paxy has worked with me as audio 14 years from Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She knows everything about me. She’s probably seen my vagina,” she said. Then, we hear a familiar voice:

“More than me?” the former-SNL cast member wondered. “Not more than you,” Kim answered. “But she’s probably seen it.” Paxy, in fact, hasn’t seen Kim’s vagina, at least not in person. “You haven’t seen my vagina? We’ll get there. It takes time to warm up to seeing my vagina,” a surprised Kim said. “But you could look on the Internet.”

And that’s a wrap on season one of The Kardashians, folks.

Davidson (who shared his first kiss with his very famous girlfriend on SNL) has been a frequent off-screen presence during The Kardashians this season, but “I have not filmed with him,” Kim told Variety ahead of the premiere. “I’m not opposed to it. It’s just not what he does. But if there was an event happening and he was there, he wouldn’t tell the cameras to get away.” He will, however, have a larger presence in season two. “I think I might film something really exciting coming, but it wouldn’t be for this season,” she said.

A few days ago, Beyonce removed the profile pictures from her social media accounts, which many took as a sign that some major news, perhaps of a long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s Lemonade, was on the way. Indeed, fans are getting what they hoped for: Late last night, Tidal announced Renaissance, a new album from Beyonce.

The image Tidal shared indicates that “Act I” of Renaissance is coming on July 29. Beyonce’s social media profiles have also been updated to indicate the release date. Two possibilities here are that either Beyonce plans to release additional installments of or sequels to Renaissance after the initial drop, or that the project is being split into multiple parts, so just one part of it is coming out on the 29th.

Pre-orders for multiple editions of a box set for the album are available now, but they do not show the album art or tracklist, nor has that information been shared elsewhere.

In an August 2021 interview, Beyonce said (and even used the word “renaissance”) of working on new music, “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”

Renaissance is out 7/29. Pre-order it here.

The best way to celebrate the start of summer is to take yourself on a well-deserved beach getaway. While tropical islands and international trips are great, you don’t need to go too far to bask in the goodness of a classic beach vacation. The U.S. offers a plethora of coastal gems that can make you feel like you’re worlds away.

To help you find the absolute best beaches to visit this season, we asked 10 travel writers and influencers to share their all-time favorite U.S. beaches. From classic California hotspots to a lakeside oasis to unexpected, rocky coastlines, the beaches below will inspire your summer travel itinerary.

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• Travel Influencers Share Their Biggest Travel Mistakes (So You Don’t Make Them Too)
• Travel Writers And Influencers Predict 2022 Travel Trends
• Hotels We Love: Surfhouse In Encinitas (CA) Is A Beach Lover’s Dream

EDITOR’S PICK: STEVE BRAMUCCI (@steve_bramucci) — LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Is it a homer pick for me to vote for Laguna Beach — having lived there on and off for quite some time now? Or did I choose to live in Laguna because it’s the best beach in the nation? All I know is this: As far as beach destinations go, I’ve never seen a mix of weather, waves, and scenery inside the United States quite like Laguna Beach. And I’ve been to 45 states and territories with beaches always on my mind.

What’s so great about Laguna Beach? It’s the cliffs.

See, unlike Newport to the north or San Clemente to the south, Laguna is cut into segments by sandstone cliffs that often push into the sea, thereby creating a series of coves. Some of these many coves are well known. Others are not. If you pressed me, I could show you a beach in Laguna that you can share with maybe a handful of other people on the freaking 4th of July. No joke — beaches like Totuava in the south of town and Shaw’s Cove in the north are legitimately never crowded.

For my money, you can’t beat the famed Thalia Street Beach — Laguna’s most well-known longboarding surf spot and a favorite among… just about everyone. Not to veer into cliche but this beach is seriously vibey. You’ve got the surfers sharing “party waves,” the families playing along the shoreline, and the teenagers camped out next to the lifeguard tower. It feels like a scene out of another, more idyllic time where everyone is surfing and laughing and flirting.

Best of all, thanks to some very vigilant locals, Laguna’s beaches are clean — nearly devoid of trash. That’s such a pleasure and adds to the experience tremendously. Whether you’re hanging at Treasure Island Beach with the movie stars staying at The Montage or getting “body whomped” by the shore break waves at Crescent Bay, please help us keep it up when you visit next!

NICOLETTA DARITA DE LA BROWN (@vida.magica.love) — TAMPA, FLORIDA

You gotta go to Tampa. I will pack a bikini in my carry-on. So that as soon as I get off my flight, I take a car service to my hotel which is always right on the beach. Then walk from my room in a bikini to the pool and then to the beach. I’m in the water in just a few steps. The water is a crystal clear, gorgeous turquoise blue. It is so calm, peaceful, and warm.

There are beautiful little crabs that dance up and down the beach, and the sand is super soft. It’s so expansive. No matter if there are so many people on the beach, you always feel like you have so much space. I can feel like I’m in my own oasis even if I’m clearly on a beach with lots of people who are also staying at their own glamorous hotels.

My favorite time is to go in the morning right after sunrise and just dance on the beach. It’s so cool still in the morning in Florida. So before it gets really humid and sticky hot, I’m out there dancing in the waves. That’s my favorite thing. It’s definitely going to Tampa, whether that’s St. Petersburg Beach or Clearwater Beach. You can only do things right in Tampa. Everyone should definitely book a flight to Tampa and book a gorgeous hotel on the coastline.

JOE SILLS (@joesills) — NEPTUNE BEACH, OREGON

Neptune Beach is as barebones as they come. While the beaches of northern Oregon are popular escapes for weekend crowds coming out of the cities, crowds start to thin further south. Three hours from Portland, a blip on the map gives road trippers the perfect place to unplug.

Little more than a pullout on the side of the 101, this stretch of Oregon sand is a natural playground. Low tide delivers access to a labyrinth of tide pools filled with starfish, sea urchins, and crabs beneath coastal cliffs. A freshwater creek cuts through the beach that often hosts harbor seals and passing whales—and it’s all located just minutes from seaside coffee stands that dot the small towns up and down the Oregon Coast.

EMILY HART (@emilyventures) — JACKSON LAKE SWIM BEACH, WYOMING

When I visualize the perfect summer beach day, I don’t often think of a sandy coastline. While I love a traditional tropical vibe, my favorite beach could not be more different. Its coastline is rocky, the water is often frigid, and I would choose it over any other any day.

Jackson Lake Swim Beach is a stretch of rocky shore on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Located within the Colter Bay area of the park, it is the perfect place to take a dip, read a book, or get in some sunbathing. Bring a chair or a thick blanket for comfort, and some water shoes if you’re getting in.

The view over the lake is truly unreal. The glacially carved canyons tower above you in a way that I haven’t experienced anywhere else. There are no foothills here, the peaks just jut out magically above. It is a beach experience I hope everyone can have one day.

To access, you’ll need to enter the Colter Bay area of Grand Teton National Park. You can pick up food or drinks at the general store then turn to the right on Cottonwood Way when you get to the water. There is parking along the lakeside — I recommend parking at the far end of the road where it turns around. If the water is too cold, head to the marina to rent a kayak or boat. And spend your beach day enjoying the view.

JARED RANAHAN (@jaredranahan) — OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA

It’s a pretty tough decision, but my ultimate favorite beach has to be the entire Outer Banks shoreline. I’ve been coming here on family vacation for the past decade and a half, I have a massive extended family so we get a beach house that fits about 20 people and just hang out for the week, it’s a really beloved tradition for us. But aside from the nostalgia factor, the beaches across the Outer Banks are gorgeous, with soft sand and a lot of potential for bodyboarding.

Also, the Outer Banks coast has one pretty incredible feature that few beaches around the world are able to match. As a writer who focuses on wildlife and ecotourism, the wild beach horses are so incredible to see in person. No one is sure exactly how they arrived in the area—it’s possible that they were tossed overboard by Spanish ships to reduce weight and they swam to shore and survived, which is a pretty fascinating origin story. They’ve actually adapted quite well to survive in the area — they dig trenches in the sand to find potable water underground, they’re really incredible creatures. There are a couple of tour operators in the area that give ample insight into the history of the horses, I’ve personally had a great experience with Wild Horse Adventure Tours.

Beyond the horses, there’s a lot more to love about the Outer Banks. History-wise, the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight took place in Kitty Hawk, and the famed pirate Edward Teach—better known as Blackbeard—used to prowl the nearby shores for loot, and even met his demise on the Outer Banks coast. For modern-day visitors, I recommend checking out the local brewery scene (I’m a big fan of Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company, they have great lagers), sampling some of the local seafood restaurants, checking out the Roanoke Aquarium, and—speaking as a serious fan of birdwatching—going on a birding expedition around Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

I’ll be heading back to the Outer Banks this August and I can’t wait to see them again!

JORDAN FIELDS (@theplacesjogoes) — SIESTA KEY, FLORIDA

When it comes to US Beaches I have to say I am definitely a Florida girl. From the North Beaches in Destin all the way down to the Florida Keys, I’ve had the opportunity to see my fair share of Florida beaches and I have yet to be disappointed!

For a long time, Destin was definitely my favorite, up until recently when my family and I took a family vacation to Siesta Key, and I have to say that it’s definitely the front runner now!

From the white-sand beaches to the most charming little town filled with the cutest shops, bars, and restaurants, everything about Siesta Key makes for a perfect beach vacation!!

ESTHER SUSAG (@estherelsewhere) — TANGUISSON BEACH, GUAM (U.S. Territory)

I wish I had been better at photography when I was in Guam to properly showcase how insanely beautiful this beach is. But, Tanguisson is the prettiest beach I have been to in the U.S. (even if it is “just” a territory). This beach is the absolute best at sunset. Get yourself a friend or significant other, grab a bottle of wine, and go enjoy one of the most beautiful picnics you’ll ever have. I had heard that this beach was pretty, but until I saw it with my own eyes, I had no idea just how beautiful it was.

I genuinely think it’s one of the prettiest parts of Guam. Not to mention, it’s a little off the beaten path a bit and around a 20-minute drive from the main city on Guam, so it’s not very crowded. Also, if you are into star gazing, this place is absolutely insane for watching the stars at night.

CHLOE CALDWELL (@chloeicaldwell) — VENTURA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

I grew up about 45 minutes from Ventura Beach, so maybe the nostalgia of spending many summer days of my childhood and adolescence there makes me biased. But to me, Ventura is an underrated beach destination that’s well worth a visit. Tucked on the coastline between LA and Santa Barbara, Ventura offers a more low-key, laidback beachside getaway.

You’ll find wide stretches of sand, sunset views from the Ventura Pier, boutique shopping and diverse dining on Main Street, outdoor sports like paddleboarding, surfing, and biking, and pretty much anything else you’d imagine a quintessential Southern California beach town to feature. You’ll never get bored during a weekend spent in Ventura.

While the water is chilly year-round and the beach gets crowded during summer, it’s not nearly as packed as the tourist-infested beaches of LA like Santa Monica and Venice (although these are still some of my favorite beaches, too). You’re able to enjoy your time in the sun without fighting for a spot in the sand or waiting an hour to eat at a nearby lunch spot. Whenever I need to get away from the city and relax, Ventura is my go-to staycation destination.

KIM LOGAN (@kim.n.logan) — BAKER BEACH, OREGON

If you’re driving south on the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon, there’s a fantastic pullout after the Sea Lion Caves on the way to Florence, which offers a stunning view of Baker Beach and a trail through sand dunes will take you to the water. The lookout is perfect for a moment of wellness and the pristine sand is just begging to be walked on.

I’m Aussie, so I have high standards when it comes to beaches but with the pristine coastline and wild surf, Baker Beach gives Australian beaches a run for their money!

EMILY HART (@emilyventures) — INDIANA DUNES BEACHES, INDIANA

I grew up in Illinois, so there will always be a place in my heart for a midwestern beach. There is something different about a day spent along the coast of the Great Lakes. And just like the midwest itself — it’s not pretentious or trying to be anything that it’s not. Luckily, what it is is pretty great.

Some of my favorite beaches are actually just over 30 miles outside Chicago — at Indiana Dunes National and State Parks. Indiana Dunes is one of the United States’ newest National Parks — changing designation from a National Lakeshore to a National Park in 2019. The park covers about 20 miles of the southern Lake Michigan coastline that is so vast and powerful you might forget you are in the middle of the country.

There are nine beaches within Indiana Dunes — with eight inside the National Park and one inside the State Park. West Beach is probably the most popular in the National Park, with the largest parking area, concessions, and a bathhouse. It’s the Westernmost beach (as you might have guessed) and can fill up on warm days.

Another option I love is the Indiana Dunes State Park Beach – although they are separate entities with separate entrance fees ($15 for the National Park and $12 for the State Park). The State Park beach has dunes and is also where you can access the 3 Dune Challenge – a hike that takes you up over the three tallest sand dunes in the park. At only 1.5 miles, but with 552 vertical gain on sand, trust me when I say you’ll want to jump in the water immediately after your attempt.

COLLETTE STOHLER (@roamaroo) — HERMOSA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Hermosa Beach is the sweetheart of SoCal. Best known for its volleyball culture, great surf, and lively apres-beach cocktail scene, this quintessential California beach town has nearly two miles of soft sand beach that hugs the Pacific Ocean. When visiting Hermosa Beach, make sure to play volleyball (or take a lesson from a pro), grab coffee at Two Guns Espresso, dine on breakfast burritos at Brothers Burritos, rent bikes and bike along The Strand, and end the day with margaritas at Palmilla Cocina Y Tequila.

The spirits awards are rolling in fast these days. This week, the John Barleycorn Awards — what a name! — announced their Best of Spring 2022 winners. The award announcement cut straight to the chase and didn’t tease out the best of the best with separate double gold and finalists announcements. We got them all at the same time.

Naturally, I thought it wise to share all the John Barleycorn Awards Best of Spring 2022 whisk(e)y winners (they’ll announce a Best of Fall 2022 later in the year). But before we dive in a little context. The John Barleycorn awards were created by journalists and industry pros (marketers mostly) who wanted a deeper look at the spirits world. If the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is like the Oscars of the award circuit, the John Barleycorn Awards are the Critics’ Choice Awards since they’re founded and led by writers and critics mostly. That lean into creativity comes through in the name as well, which is a nod to the “John Barleycorn” of myth who was the metaphorical representation of the farmer/distiller/folk hero associated with making and drinking spirits.

Okay, all of that aside, the list of whiskeys below represents a wide range of great whisk(e)y from around the world. I’m going to provide my own tasting notes where I can and the judge’s notes from the awards where I can’t. Hopefully, you’ll find a whisk(e)y to add to your home bar cart. Let’s dive in!

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

• The 50 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• Every Winning Bourbon From Our 2021 Taste Tests, Blind Tasted And Re-Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• The Best Ten-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskeys, Tasted Blind And Ranked

Best Bourbon — Pursuit United Batch 002

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

As mentioned above, this is a vatted from 40 total barrels from three different states. While the team at Pursuit United doesn’t release the Tennessee distillery name, we know the juices from Kentucky and New York are from Bardstown Bourbon Company and Finger Lakes Distilling, respectively. This final release of 2021 from Pursuit United put 9,342 bottles on the market in six states (Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky) and is available online via Seelbachs.com.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a rush of cedar next to Christmas spices steeped in sweet red wine. That sweetness tends to lean into fresh honey with a touch of caramel and maybe a little dark chocolate on the end. The taste holds onto the honeyed sweetness with burnt sugars, light cedar, chocolate tobacco leaves, and a hint of orange oils. That orange is what builds and powers the finish to its silken end, concluding with an orange-choco vibe and a very soft landing.

Bottom Line:

This was one of my favorite bourbons of 2021, so you’ll get no argument from me on this one.

Best Single Barrel Whiskey Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey — Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This was first introduced in 1997. The juice is hand-selected from barrels on the upper floors of Jack’s vast rickhouses. The whisky is bottled at a slightly higher proof to allow the nuance of the juice to shine.

Tasting Notes:

The classic Jack banana notes are drawn way back here and replaced by a clear sense of toasted oak. That oak is the underpinning for notes of caramel corn, mild spice, and plenty of oily vanilla beans. The sweet banana fruit is there and marries well to a peppery spice, cherry gum, and mulled wine that amps up as the end draws near with plenty of that toasted wood lingering the longest.

Bottom Line:

This is a modern classic. The whole single barrel program at Jack Daniel’s has been instrumental in reintroducing the brand to a whole new generation and this bottle is at the forefront.

Best Luxury Whiskey — Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2022

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $1,276

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was distilled and laid down in barrels back in 2004. The barrels were vatted after 17 years and proofed down to the bottled-in-bond standard of 100 proof and then bottled in the iconic Old Fitz decanter for a Spring 2022 release.

Tasting Notes:

A hint of woodiness comes through on the nose via cherry tree bark with the faintest echo of dried rose next to soft vanilla oil, a hint of cedar, a distant thought of old leather, and a touch of burnt orange peels. The palate starts off softly with a lush vanilla cream that builds towards a winter spice matrix of nutmeg, allspice, and clove with a touch of cherrywood that sweetens toward dried cherries. That mid-palate builds on the cherry with spices (nutmeg and allspice) and sticky tobacco vibes as the finish arrives next to a super creamy dark cherry in vanilla cream feel with a dusting of dark chocolate and more of that dry cherry tree bark.

Bottom Line:

This is just straight up one of the best whiskeys of 2022. If it’s not in my top ten at the end of the year, I’ll be shocked.

Best American Single Malt — Cedar Ridge Distillery The QuintEssential

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is all about a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made with 100 percent 2-Row Pale Malted Barley (the same stuff used in some of the biggest craft beers) from up in Saskatchewan. The whiskey is then matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed term. That whiskey is then finished in a combination of brandy, rum, wine, port, and sherry barrels before it’s vatted. The whiskey’s blend is finally made using the solera method — where the vat is never fully emptied before the next barrel is added.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is full of bright fruit with a peach and pear vibe that leans into a malty banana bread with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and walnut next to a touch of Almond Joy (but the good ones from a high-end shop). The palate is soft and subtle with hints of spiced malted gingersnaps, light cream soda vibes (maybe a light sasparilla), and a mellow and creamy base of chocolate that’s not dark but not milky either. The mid-palate has a nice sweetness that’s slightly apple adjacent with an apricot hint that mellows into a final note of chewy toffees with rum-raisin lurking on the very backend.

The Bottle:

I really enjoyed this American single malt. It’s a great example of the huge potential for the style. It’s also a damn fine sipper.

Best Rye Whiskey — BLACKENED X Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished In Madeira Casks

ABV: 54.8%

Average Price: $159

The Whiskey:

This new release from Metallica’s BLACKENED is a masterful collaboration with Willett. The rye is a blend of whiskeys that were aged around six or seven years (with one barrel up to eight years old) that are vatted and then finished in Madeira casks. After an undisclosed amount of time mellowing in those casks, the whiskey is then bottled as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

This is a berry bomb on the nose with raspberries mingling with Bing cherries, blackberry, and maybe even some tart red currants while this strawberry-mint vibe veers the nose towards a hint of burnt spices. The taste leans into fruit with a strawberry-rhubarb cobbler feel next to plenty of vanilla, bitter cacao nibs, cherry-kissed oak, and a hint of, I want to say, Chardonnay. The savory and tart end of the fruits really kicks in late with figs and more rhubarb leading the charge towards a subtly sweet and spicy end that’s like a spicy plum pudding wrapped in a cherry tobacco leaf.

Bottom Line:

This is a delicious whiskey. I do prefer it over a single rock to help bring out all that dark fruit, but it’s perfectly fine neat.

Best Single Barrel Rye — 291 Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Staves, Barrel Proof Single Barrel

ABV: 64.3%

Average Price: $108

The Whiskey:

291 uses a quick aging process. For this single barrel expression of rye whiskey, they added Aspen wood staves into the barrels to accelerate the aging process while adding depth to the spirit. Once those barrels hit just the right flavor profile, they were bottled as a single barrel expression with no fussing, filtering, or cutting.

Tasting Notes (from the John Barleycorn judges):

“Rich caramel is braced by a medley of sweet and herbal spice. This high octane offering is built sturdy and is packed with flavor. A few drops of water tames the beast!”

Bottom Line:

291 always hits it out of the park with their single barrel program. Their single barrel bourbons are stellar — so it makes sense that this would be too.

Best World Whiskey — Single Malts of India Neidhal

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $105

The Whiskey:

This Peated Indian single malt whisky is from the famed Amrut Distillery. The juice is a special release of 12,000 bottles that highlight the “Neidhal” or coastal region and the tropical vibes of Southern India.

Tasting Notes (from the John Barleycorn judges):

“This is a light and smoky peated whisky, with a cooling, inviting peat character. A big, robust nose that gets the mouth-watering, and on the palate it doesn’t disappoint.”

Bottom Line:

Coastal peated single malt is my jam. I’m looking forward to tracking this one down and diving in.

Best Tennessee Whiskey — Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Batch 009

ABV: 59.2%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

While Uncle Nearest is distilling their own juice these days, this is still the work of Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler with carefully sourced Tennessee whiskey barrels. In this case, Eady Bulter hand-selected the best-of-the-best from their inventory to create the perfect whiskey to exemplify the brand and Tennesee whiskey traditions.

Tasting Notes:

This draws you in with a piping hot fresh batch of cinnamon rolls with plenty of white sauce frosting, cinnamon and brown sugar filling, a touch of nutmeg, pecans, firewood bark, and a hint of pipe tobacco. The palate delivers on the bigger notes of the nose with pecan shells, cinnamon sticks dipped in cherry syrup, wet corn husks, old leather gloves that have worked in dirt and firewood, and mild yet spiced cherry tobacco. That mild cherry sweetness drives the mid-palate toward a hint of maple syrup that leans woody as firewood piled in black dirt rounding out the finish with an echo more of that peppery tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is quality juice. It’s also a great example of the heights ahead for Uncle Nearest as a brand.

Best Canadian Whisky — Found North Batch 004

ABV: 62.4%

Average Price: $145

The Whiskey:

This blended whisky is a mash-up of corn and rye whiskies, which equate to a mash bill of 80 percent corn, 19 percent rye, and a mere one percent malted barley. Those whiskies are sourced from barrels that are between 21 and 25 years old. Once vatted, the whisky is bottled as-is with no water, filtering, or coloring.

Tasting Notes (from the John Barleycorn judges):

“A very balanced dram where fruit meets solid foundation meets long finish. An absolute stunner.”

Bottom Line:

This sounds so interesting, especially given the age of those barrels. I’m looking forward to trying this one soon.

Best Flavored Whiskey — The Old Nick Williams Co. CoatTail Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey

ABV: 42.5%

Average Price: $26

The Whiskey:

This Carolina whiskey uses wood and spice to create its flavor profile. Oak chips and cinnamon sticks are added to the barrel during aging to create a cinnamon underbelly. The whiskey is then cut down to 85 proof with no added sugars, artificial flavors, or colors.

Tasting Notes (from the John Barleycorn judges):

“Cinnamon on the nose translates to great ground cinnamon texture and taste on the palate. Full of flavor and not oversweet.”

Bottom Line:

Okay, you had me at “not oversweet.” I generally stay far away from these whiskeys due to way too much sugar usually being involved. This is intriguing. I might chase a bottle down.

Best Scotch Whisky — Aberlour 18

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $172

The Whisky:

The expression from Speyside’s Aberlour also uses old bourbon for its primary maturation and ex-sherry for its finishing maturation. Finally, it’s proofed down with soft Speyside water and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

You’re drawn in with a note of hard butterscotch candies next to a touch of chinotto (bittersweet Italian orange), butter toffee, and the slightest wisp of peach pits. The taste builds out from that peach pit layer with a note of ripe peach flesh and fuzzy skin while jammy blackberry leads towards a soft cedar. The finish really takes its time and leaves you with a silken texture next to a honeyed sweetness and a final roundness of vanilla cream.

Bottom Line:

This is a stellar single malt. Pour it over a single rock to let it bloom and take your time enjoying this one.

Best Irish Whiskey — Waterford The Cuvee

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

Waterford is an interesting experiment in whiskey, in general. This expression utilizes the distillery’s many single-farm-origin whiskeys to create something heightened. The whiskey is a blend of those single farm whiskeys that highlight the terroir from all around Ireland, along with Waterford’s high-level skills.

Tasting Notes:

Red apple peels and rye crust open the nose before soft soil and green grass takes over. The palate is all about the butterscotch candies, with light florals, oat cookies, orange peels, and fresh mint acting as support. The mid-palate has a clove candy vibe that leads to white pepper, grapefruit peel, dark chocolate and cherry tobacco, and a final note of poppyseed cake.

Bottom Line:

This is interesting whiskey. It’s light yet deep while having a malty backbone that still feels familiar. It’s a damn nice pour, especially with a little water or a rock.