Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters in NBA history, but like anyone that relies heavily on the three-ball, there are times where they go cold.
The Warriors star is currently trying to shake free of a slump through two games of the NBA Finals in which he has hit just 4-of-15 from deep at home. With the series shifting to Boston tied at 1-1, the Warriors will eventually need Klay to get it going as Boston will surely be looking to send extra attention to Stephen Curry after back-to-back big games. Thompson, unsurprisingly, isn’t panicking after a relatively slow start to the series, as he leans on that beloved mantra of every gunner: “shooters shoot.”
On Tuesday, Thompson did divulge some information on how he tries to get back on track with the help of the internet, noting that he’ll go to YouTube and watch some of his best performances so he can get that visual of what it looks like when everything is in sync and that ball “was just flowing off your fingertips.” Specifically, his go-to search is “Game 6 Klay,” which offers a number of choices from his illustrious career.
It makes sense why this would work, but Klay will need to make sure he doesn’t get caught watching those videos in the locker room, as Draymond Green is ready to get some jokes off if he does.
Green and the rest of the Warriors might find Klay’s methods funny, but if it works, they’ll be thrilled whenever he finds that rhythm (as he has in big games in each of the last two series).
Last month, Shygirl announced that her debut album Nymph would be coming out on September 30th. It set the stage for a methodical rollout that showcases the UK singer’s unique avant pop created with a talented cadre of producers representing the best in experimental pop, hyperpop, and more. Each new track is taking a different shape, like the shimmering bounce that Sega Bodega and Kingdom brought to “Firefly” and now the riveting tension of the Arca-produced “Come For Me.”
The arresting “Come For Me” arrives with a new visual that journeys through a forest, with the elusive Shygirl waiting for the camera to find her at the end of a mossy stream, or perched atop a lone rock amongst tall trees. “Come when you’re called, be easy if I take the lead,” she sings hypnotically over Arca’s twisty synapses.
Shygirl recently appeared on FKA Twigs’ “Papi Bones” off of Caprisongs, and it’s clearly informing the aesthetic she’s building for Nymph. It’s one that will also feature producers like Danny L Harle, Mura Masa, Noah Goldstein, BloodPop, and Vegyn. Shygirl summed up her ethos in a statement: “Every piece of work or project is like a sculpture to me.”
Watch the video for “Come Home For Me” above and check out Shygirl’s upcoming tour dates below.
06/10 — Gräfenhainichen, DE @ Melt! Festival
06/11 — Beyond The Pale Festival, Ireland
06/17 — New York, NY @ Ladyland Festival
06/22-26 — Pilton, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
06/24 — Madrid, ES @ Paraiso Festival
07/02 — Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
07/13 — Berlin, DE @ Berghain
07/14 — Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
07/22 — Maubeuge, FR @ Les Nuits Secretes Festival
08/07 — Katowice, Poland @ Katowice Festival
09/03 — Bristol, UK @ Forward Festival
09/16-18 — Los Angeles, CA @ Primavera Sound
09/23 — Bentonville, AR @ FOR_MAT Festival
11/05 — Sao Paolo, BR @ Primavera Sound
11/12 — Santiago de Chile, CL @ Primavera Sound
11/13 — Buenos Aires, AR @ Primavera Sound
Nymph is out 9/30 via Because Music. Pre-order it here.
One of the first things Johnny Depp did after the conclusion of his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard: join TikTok. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor posted a montage of his tour of the United Kingdom with former-Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck on the video platform (where the #johnnydepp hashtag has been viewed a ridiculous 33.7 billion times). Depp also shared a message to his “loyal” fans on Instagram.
“To all of my most treasured, loyal, and unwavering supporters. We’ve been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared. And now, we will all move forward together. You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you,” Depp wrote, signing the message “JD.” The post has over 3.5 million “likes” in less than three hours.
Depp and Beck are releasing an album in July together. “I met this guy five years ago and we’ve never stopped laughing since,” Beck said about the actor, who was accused of domestic violence by Heard. “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” she wrote following the verdict.
You can watch the TikTok video and read the Instagram message below.
After being the First Man, it’s only natural for Ryan Gosling to be The Gray Man, yes? And as the titular Gray Man, Gosling is not playing around. That’s not surprising, since Gosling is known for going all-out, even in his movies that aren’t real.
In The Gray Man, Gosling plays a violent CIA operative who is suddenly being hunted down by another equally strong and handsome man, played by Chris Evans but with a mustache, so you know he means business. The movie is set out to be Netflix’s most expensive film project ever, tied with Red Notice, starring a different but equally snarky Hollywood Ryan.
The latest clip shows Gosling and the former Captain America showdown with violent punches in between witty one-liners. So basically, a Marvel movie! It ends with Gosling asking Evans his foot size, which seems like a really personal question to ask someone he just met.
As per the official description:
THE GRAY MAN is CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it.
The Gray Man hits Netflix on July 22nd. Check out the clip above.
Get your tickets to the freak show, baby! Demi Lovato is hitting the road in support of their upcoming eighth album, Holy Fvck.
The news comes ahead of the album’s upcoming lead single, “Skin Of My Teeth,” which is set for release this Friday, June 10. The album will see Lovato pivot back to their pop-rock roots, with more guitar- and drum-driven tracks. Lovato announced the album yesterday on social media and shared snippets of new music. One particular song, thought by fans to be called “Freak Show,” features Lovato singing, “Get your tickets to the freak show, baby / Step right up and watch the freak go crazy.”
Dead Sara and Royal & The Serpent will join Lovato on select dates.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 10. Check out the full list of tour dates below.
08/13 – Springfield, IL @ Illinois State Fair
08/14 – Des Moines, IA @ Iowa State Fair
09/22 – Wheatland, CA @ Hard Rock Live Sacramento
09/23 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
09/25 – Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds
09/27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
09/28 – Inglewood, CA @ YouTube Theater
09/30 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas
10/03 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10/05 – Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
10/07 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre Detroit
10/09 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10/10 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
10/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
10/13 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/15 – Toronto, ON @ History
10/16 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia
10/18 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
10/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
10/25 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
10/28 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
10/30 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Event Center
11/01 – New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore New Orleans
11/03 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
11/06 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Holy Fvck is out 8/19 via Island. Pre-order it here.
Dead Sara and Royal & The Serpent are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Angel Olsen — Big Time
For her sixth studio album Big Time, Angel Olsen pivoted to country music to make sense of her grief. Adopting a dusty slide guitar and slight twang, Olsen makes sense of the emotional whiplash of both her parents’ passing over 10 dazzling tracks. Songs like “Dream Thing” see Olsen lulling into a dream world while others like the title track “Big Time” has her basking in the warm glow of a new romance.
Horsegirl — Versions Of Modern Performance
Drawing inspiration from experimental artists like Sonic Youth and Brian Eno, Chicago teen rock trio Horsegirl delivered a gritty and witty album that subverts modern-day indie rock expectations. The shoegazey Versions Of Modern Performance combines danceable guitar tones and deadpan lyrics on tracks like “Anti-Glory” and “Billy.”
Queen Of Jeans — Hiding In Place
Fans of bands like Hop Along and Waxahatchee will be on board for this Philly trio’s latest EP Hiding In Place. The four-track effort gives a taste of the band’s melodic rhythms and lead singer Miri Devora’s impressive vocal range. Inspired by the music she’d listen to in lockdown, Hiding In Place is the band’s most pop-inspired effort yet.
Kid Bloom — Highway
After sharing a stage with the likes of The Neighbourhood, The Regrettes, and Lennon Stella, Kid Bloom combines groovy bass and vibe-heavy synths on his debut album Highway. Citing inspirations such as Tame Impala and Travis Scott, Highway is brimming with introspective lyrics and swirling psychedelic melodies on blissed-out tracks like “Cowboy” and “Like I Never Left.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” Feat. Perfume Genius
Returning for a new era of music for the first time in nine years, Yeah Yeah Yeahs shared the glistening track “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” featuring Perfume Genius. Taking their music in a more wistful direction, the synth-heavy song is meant to examine our collective looming anxiety about climate change.
Tim Heidecker (feat. Kurt Vile) — “Sirens Of Titan”
Comedian/musician Tim Heidecker teamed up with Kurt Vile for the meandering ballad “Sirens Of Titan,” which is set to appear on his upcoming LP High School. The slice-of-life track runs through ephemera of his youth like water beds, report cards, and live newscasts about the Gulf War.
Will Butler — “A Stranger’s House”
Now that he’s officially out of Arcade Fire, Will Butler is sharing a taste of his upcoming solo work with the heart-tugging track “A Stranger’s House.” The track samples a fussing baby and is a haunting ballad about feeling the weight of the world.
Phoenix — “Alpha Zulu”
The last we heard from French band Phoenix, whose 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was a predominant staple of 2010s indie culture, was on their 2017 LP Ti Amo. Now, the band is back in the studio working on their next album, which they’ve previewed with the upbeat indie-pop number “Alpha Zulu.” Featuring electrifying keys, it seems like the band are leaning into their danceable melodies.
Turnover — “Wait Too Long”
Gearing up for a West Coast tour this summer, Turnover share the shimmering number “Wait Too Long.” Peppered with swirling, bedroom pop melodies, lead singer Austin Getz shared his inspiration behind the track: “‘Wait Too Long’ is about expectation from yourself and others about what life is supposed to be like. Finding that balance of being motivated and inspired by what’s around you without it feeling like something pushing you down.”
Florist — “Sc-fi Silence”
Sharing another look at their upcoming majestic self-titled album, Florist debut the tender and confessional ballad “Sci-fi Silence.” Opening with hazy, atmospheric synths, the band infuse floating melodies into the lulling track. “Sci-fi Silence is a love song about the mystical forces that attract us to one another and the spaces in-between words that can hold profound communications,” singer Emily Sprague said.
Flasher — “I’m Better”
Flasher’s new album Love Is Yours is right around the corner, so to celebrate, the band shares the rocking number “I’m Better.” Combining cascading rhythms and frenetic instrumentals, Flasher deliver a dynamic track about forging a new path forward. “‘I’m Better’ is about leaving a toxic relationship and finding joy, freedom, and self-assurance on the other side,” the band said.
Young Guv — “Cry 2 Sleep”
It’s only been a few months since Young Guv, the moniker of versatile songwriter Ben Cook, released his album Young Guv III, but the prolific musician is already prepping its follow-up. Gearing up for the release of Young Guv IV, Cook shares the comforting track “Cry 2 Sleep.” The timeless and meandering track details the fall out of a relationship over glistening melodies.
With the year half over, I figured it was high time to talk about some of the best bourbon whiskeys of 2022. And ho-boy, it’s been a good year so far. It’s also been an overwhelming year. New bourbons are dropping left and right and, spoiler alert — a lot of it is shit. Those are the breaks of an increasingly saturated market. Lucky for you, I’ve taken one for the team and narrowed the year (so far) down to good stuff.
For this list, I’m keeping it simple. Was the bourbon good? Yes? It’s on the list! Price be damned. While I haven’t tasted every single release (yet), I have tasted hundreds of bourbons over the past five months. These are 40 that stood out.
As for the ranking, I’m keeping that simple too. Consider 40 through 31 as bottles that I find perfectly fine but will likely not be reaching for myself. Read the tasting notes — maybe you’ll dig it. 30 through eleven are all killer pours but lean more toward everyday mixers/sippers. Ten through one are the magic bottles that transcend.
Sound good? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This release from Sazerac’s other distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery, has become a yearly release. The juice in the bottle is generally kept under wraps. What we do know is that the bourbon is finished in a Cabernet Sauvignon for a spell before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Stone fruit and vanilla lead on the nose with hints of sugar cookies, bright peach, and old-yet-soft oak. The palate leans into cherry bark with plum, mulled wine, vanilla, and sharp sassafras. The spice on the mid-palate leads to some old leather, more of that soft oak, and a hint of sweet potting soil with a plummy finish.
Bottom Line:
These releases are squarely in the “fine” category. Look at it this way, if you want something unique, try this. It’s not going to be mind-blowing, but it will be satisfying.
This whiskey marries Italian-American heritage with bourbon in Kentucky’s horse country. The juice is a contract-distilled high-rye bourbon that spends six years resting in new American oak. That juice is then just barely touched with local water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose feels like walking through a peach orchard on a sunny day with blossoming honey suckles wrapped around cinnamon sticks in your hand. The taste builds on that spiced honey with a mild root beer vibe next to overripe peach, a touch of vanilla cream, and a whisper of fresh mint. The finish stays fairly mellow with the creamy honey and mild spices blending with a soft touch of vanilla/mint tobacco warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is another unique bourbon with a familiar flavor profile. I always like grabbing one of these simply to have something different around. Overall, it works best over rocks.
Castle & Key Distillery is the renovated Old Taylor Distillery outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. This distillery has spent years contract distilling for other brands, until this year when they released their first batch of this expression in April. The juice is a mash of 73% white corn, 17% malted barley, and a scant 10% rye. After four years, 80 barrels are chosen for this small-batch expression and proofed down with local water.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a sense of unbaked sourdough cinnamon rolls next to Graham Crackers dipped in vanilla-creamed honey served with a warm can of peach soda. The palate leans into the fruitiness with a pink taffy vibe that’s countered by slight pepperiness, a touch of “woody,” and more of that creamy honey laced with vanilla. The fruity take on a savory essence — think cantaloupe — on the mid-palate before circling back to the pepperiness with a bit of woody spice on the short end.
Bottom Line:
I didn’t really like this on the first sip. It’s grown on me over the months but still feels more like a mixer than a sipper. I tend to pour it in highballs.
Green River Distillery has been pumping out contract distilled juice for a while. In the spring of 2022, they finally released their much anticipated Green River Bourbon to much hoopla. The bourbon is a blend of five years and older barrels of bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% winter rye, and nine percent malted two-row and six-row barley.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a hint of dry cornmeal on the nose with clear and rich butterscotch (which feels a little young) alongside vanilla pudding cups, wet brown sugar, and a hint of an old leather jacket. The taste holds onto that leather note as a foundation and builds layers of sticky toffee pudding with vanilla buttercream, a handful of roasted almonds, and a thick buttery toffee sauce tying it all together. The finish is green with a big note of fresh mint that leads back to the leather with a whisper of dark fruit leather and Red Hots.
Bottom Line:
This is a nicely complex bourbon that is very average overall. Average price with classic/average taste, if you will. But it does nail that classic vibe, especially in a cocktail.
This Diageo whiskey is a sourced Kentucky bourbon that’s aged at the famed Stitzel-Weller distillery for four years. The whiskey is then finished in red wine barrels from California before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Buttery caramel, rich vanilla, sweet cherry, and dried red wine in the bottom of a wine glass mingle with a hint of dry porch wicker on the nose. The taste is more about tart cherries, soft oak, and plenty of spicy yet sweet mulled red wine. Nutmeg and vanilla cream mix on the backend as dark chocolate, a hint more of that sweetgrass, and a soft cherry bark end the sip a little short.
Bottom Line:
There are a lot of wine casks coming out lately (this is the second on this list already). I’m still very much on the fence. That said, this is. perfectly fine on the rocks or cocktail bourbon.
This sourced bourbon from Lux Row is a blend of wheated and rye-heavy bourbons. Those barrels are blended and then filled into French oak casks for a final six-month maturation. That whiskey is proofed and bottled without any fussing.
Tasting Notes:
This feels like descending into a cellar from the jump with cobwebs, a dry dirt floor, old cellar beams, dried flowers, a hint of rusty iron, and a whisper of grape must. The palate builds on that grape must with oatmeal raisin cookies with ground walnuts and plenty of nutmeg as a hint of pear candy sweetens the mid-palate. A hint of anise arrives late and leads to wet oak staves, more of that cellar floor, and a tiny dash of dried chili pepper.
Bottom Line:
This has a nice clarity to the flavor profile. It’s a little funky for a bourbon. But they make it work here. Still, this is very much a mixer for cocktails over a sipper.
These bottles are the masterwork of chef-turned-master-blender David Carpenter. The juice is hand-selected MGP single barrels that provide a classic bourbon base that then leans a little softer on the palate.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla wafers with flecks of orange zest open up toward red berries that are slightly tart yet sweet and dusted with cinnamon, clove, and anise. The palate refines those notes toward dried cherries dipped in chocolate next to a black pepper spice with a touch of lemon, a hint of cedar, and some old glove leather. The finish softens toward a chocolate-mint ice cream pipe tobacco on the very end while the cherry, lemon pepper, and cedar all slowly fade away.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the better cocktail base bourbons on the list. The flavor notes are solid and will provide a good foundation for any cocktail.
This Texas bourbon is made at Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company with an undisclosed mash bill. What we do know is that this whiskey spends two years maturing under the hot Texas sun before it’s transferred into Cognac casks for a final 17-month rest.
Tasting Notes:
Apricots and floral honey mingle on the nose as a hint of raw oats, soft leather, and plum pudding round things out. The palate leans into the spices from the wintry plum pudding with plenty of lush vanilla and salted caramel sweetness on the mid-palate. The finish ramps up the dark brown spices with a Red Hot vibe as the floral honey returns with a hint of grape seeds and skins on the dry backend.
Bottom Line:
This has a lovely and pronounced profile. It’s a little sweet for my palate but might be your jam.
This contract distilled juice from Pinhook celebrates the young racehorse “Bourbondini.” The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley. After a long rest, the whiskey is just touched with water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a big nose full of hot apple cider spiked with clove, raisins, and molasses next to a soft bar of high-quality marzipan all with a whisper of figgy jam in the background. The palate leans toward that savory fruit with a hint of dry tropical fruit before a chili-infused dark espresso takes over with a dash of powdered dark chocolate. The finish sweetens with a rich toffee and brown butter vibe as the charred barrel makes an appearance at the very end.
Bottom Line:
These continue to get better and better year after year. While I’d likely only use this for cocktails, it works perfectly well on the rocks too.
This expression from Illinois’ FEW Spirits marks the 125th anniversary of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The juice is made from 70 percent corn, 20 percent rye, and ten percent malted barley. That whiskey spends four years resting before it’s proofed down to 100 proof and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a sense of vanilla cream pie with an extra thick vanilla pudding next to dry cedar bark with a touch of white moss, a touch of black licorice, and a hint of barrel smoke. The palate leans into cherry bark with a light cherry tobacco spiciness that melds with the vanilla pudding, a pan of fresh sticky buns with plenty of cinnamon and walnuts, and a hint of black pepper and more of that dry cedar bark. The finish has a bit of an oatmeal cookie vibe that leads back to the spicy cherry tobacco and white moss.
Bottom Line:
This is nice and complex. There’s a good balance. It just didn’t quite grab my attention. Overall, I kind of feel like this one that’ll grow on me as the year winds down.
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 might be one of the best Uncle Nearest releases to date. If you dig the brand, you’ll love this. It’s great over a single rock or as the foundation for a killer cocktail.
29. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength 10-Year-Old Straight Bourbon
This release from Sazerac is all about the boldness of the Virginia spirit. The juice is from a few hand-selected 10-year-old barrels from Master Distiller Brian Prewitt from the lowest ricks in warehouses A and A1 at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery. The juice is vatted and then bottled as is, at what is clearly an extremely high cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
I’m not going to lie, the ethanol is absolutely there on the nose. But it doesn’t overpower the deeply-rooted flavors — starting with buttery pie crust that’s well toasted leading towards a few layers of toasted and honeyed pecans, dark Karo syrup-soaked brown sugar, and toasted off, dark spice-filled streusel. The spice really leans into woody cinnamon sticks, plenty of old leather pouches that held decades of tobacco, dry cedar bark ripped from the woodpile, and … the creamy vanilla base and toasted coconut from a coconut cream pie. That creamy mid-palate leads towards a very dry and charred finish that’s cut with bitter espresso oils and the darkest of chocolates that turns into a burnt caramel sweet/bitter heat that torches you down to your soul.
Bottom Line:
This Hazmat bourbon is a big one. Yes, it needs a rock or two to calm it down. But once you get past the ABVs, you’re in for a real treat. That said, this is a one-off pour for when you have friends over.
28. Clyde May’s Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Six-Year-Old
This Alabama whiskey (distilled in Indiana) is a small-batch product of hand-selected barrels. Those barrels are expertly blended by the Clyde May’s team to highlight classic bourbon notes in this special edition from late last year.
Tasting Notes:
This is all about the spicy apple pie filling on the nose with clear notes of cinnamon and clove next to tart apples, plenty of brown sugar, a pad of butter, and a whiff of raw sourdough yeast rolls. The apple becomes stewed on the palate with an almost apple fritter vibe as the spices really amp up with extra hot Red Hots and a hefty dash of that clove. The end is a mix of packed brown sugars and dark winter spices with a long, warming buzz that nearly washes everything out.
Bottom Line:
This is a very classic bourbon. I’d go so far as to call it “chill.” For me, it’s a nice everyday pour that’s never challenging but always hits the spot.
This Ohio whiskey is all about grain-to-glass. The juice is made from a mash of sweet yellow corn, soft red winter wheat, dark pumpernickel rye, and Two-Row malted barley. The whiskey spends about four years in oak before it’s bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Coconut cream pie dominates the nose with a lard crust, a touch of black banana, and almond-covered toffees round things out. The palate leans into the creaminess of the pie while adding in soft dried fruits, a touch of winter spice, and a whisper of cedar. The finish arrives with a Honey Nut Cheerios vibe as the wintry spices amp up toward a warm end.
Bottom Line:
This feels a little crafty with that banana vibe but is so well-rounded that you can’t help but like it. Still, I’d use this more for cocktails and as a sipper in a pinch.
This whiskey, from Owensboro Distilling Co., is all about the finish. The whiskey is finished in casks with staves from ex-bourbon, sherry, and French oak barrels. Once that whiskey hits the right point, it’s vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Dark chocolate powder opens the nose up to fresh raspberry, vanilla husks, buttery toffee, and those candy orange wedges with the sugar coating. The palate leans into the berries as oatmeal cookies dipped in Earl Grey tea lead to almond shells and dark earthy soil. The mid-palate re-sweetens with a vanilla shortbread that ends up at an eggnog creaminess and spiciness next to a very mild and dry cornmeal finish with a hint of dark chocolate pipe tobacco.
Bottom Line:
I like the dryness and bitterness of this one. It’s unique but never overwhelming. Makes a nice old fashioned too.
This California whiskey is a four-grain bourbon with a mash bill of 69 percent corn, 22 percent rye, five percent malted barley, and four percent wheat. That juice spends five years mellowing in oak before only 26 barrels are small-batched and proofed down for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Raspberries and cinnamon sticks mingle with freshly cracked walnuts, browned butter, and a hint of orange zest on the nose. The palate leans into that bright orange zest as salted caramel is cut with a hint of unbaked buttermilk biscuits, an inkling of orchard wood, and plenty of wintry spice. The finish marries a lot of that toward an oatmeal cookie with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg, raisins, and vanilla next to soft pine and a hint of walnut-laden tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
I’ve started reaching for this one a little more lately. It’s solidly built and hits a nice balance between fatty and fruity with plenty of earthy undertones. That’s all to say that this is a nice sipper every now and then.
This new release from Kentucky Owl is meant to be an affordable and accessible Kentucky Owl from the otherwise elite brand. The juice is a blend of contract distilled whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Company and sourced barrels from around Kentucky that are four to eight years old.
Tasting Notes:
This is very interesting on the nose with a mix of circus peanut, garam masala, sweet grass, and pine resin next to a hint of rich and buttery toffee sauce with a flake of salt. The palate leans into that toffee and then layers in raspberry sorbet, vanilla beans, masa azul, and wet cedar planks. A leathery tobacco pouch rounds out the sip near the end with more of that cedar, dry sweet grass, and a hint more of the spice.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty solid all around. The balance is tight and the whiskey works well as a cocktail foundation or on the rocks sipper.
Frey Ranch is all about the farm behind the whiskey. In this case, that’s a 165+-year-old farm in the Sierra Nevada basin near Lake Tahoe. The grains (corn, wheat, rye, and barley), fermentation, distilling, aging, and bottling all happen on-site at Frey Ranch.
Tasting Notes:
Fruity cherry gummies mingle with raw sourdough bread dough, vanilla beans, dry firewood, and burnt brown sugars on the nose. The taste has a very crafty corn chip vibe that leads to tart cranberry, more of that vanilla, and a cinnamon-spiced oatmeal raisin cookie. This all coalesces on the finish with the spice, oats, tart red fruit, and vanilla playing second fiddle to the dry firewood and slightly spiced tobacco end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the better crafty bourbons on the shelf. It feels classic and centuries-old with real ease to it. It’s a smooth sipper and mixer that always shines.
22. Kirkland Signature Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
This Costco release is sourced from Sazerac’s other Kentucky distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is very likely the same distillate/barrels as 1792 Full Proof, which won double gold as well from San Francisco this year. However, this is proofed down a tiny bit below that at 120 proof instead of 125 proof, adding some nuance to this release.
Tasting Notes:
This is, again, classic from top to bottom with a nose full of oily vanilla, thick caramel sauce, and a sense of almond shells by way of sweet oak with some dark fruit lingering in the background. The palate builds upon those promises with mulled wine-soaked cinnamon sticks, corn husks, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, creamy vanilla, a touch of dark cherry tobacco, and a dusting of dark chocolate powder. The finish brings it all together with a spicy/hot finish that’s part spicy chocolate pipe tobacco and part brandied cherry with an oaky base.
Bottom Line:
If your local Costco has this on the shelf, buy a case. That price for a single barrel from Barton 1792 is wild. Plus, it’s a good sipper or mixer that really does stand up to scrutiny.
Larceny is made from a mash bill of 68 percent corn, 20 percent wheat, and 12 percent malted barley, which is Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon standard mash. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of six to eight-year-old barrels that are vatted and bottled at cask strength as-is. It’s as easy as that, folks.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with full-tree cedar beams next to a fire cracking away in a huge river rock fireplace. That woody note is supported by touches of warm brown butter, maple syrup, pancake batter, and a hint of sticky buns with walnuts and orange pith lurking in the background. The palate starts off sweet and nutty, kind of like almonds dipped in that maple syrup and then rolled in holiday spices with an echo of warmth. The mid-palate leans into ripe figs and spiced prunes before a vanilla husk woodiness arrives with whispers of hazelnuts, dry sweetgrass, and woody spice with a hint of cedar-infused tobacco leaves. On the very backend, there’s a bit of a sweet straw with a touch of that spicy warmth.
Bottom Line:
Of the two Larceny releases so far this year, this one falls a little lower for having a bit more heat on the mid-palate. It doesn’t blow anything out, but it does need a little ice to calm it down, preferably in a good cocktail.
The second Elijah Craig Barrel Proof of 2022 is a combination of 12-year-old barrels from the Heaven Hill rickhouses. The vatted barrels go into the bottle with no fussing — no filtration, no cutting with water, no nothing. This is classic, as-is bourbon from top to bottom, straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this is so heavy with dry cedar kindling that it feels like it might catch on fire. There’s a line of vanilla shortbread underneath that wood that leads to a hint of sweet orange blossom, a drop of Cherry Coke, a fleeting hint of dried chili, and dark toffee with a minor note of nuttiness somewhere deep in that nose. The palate starts off like velvet — almost innocently — and slowly builds towards a crescendo while passing through notes of vanilla beans, cherry skins, digestive biscuits, and, eventually, woody spice with allspice and clove berries next to sharp cinnamon sticks that feel wet on the finish. That finish lingers and builds some real warmth that falls off into a mix of wet denim and cedar.
Bottom Line:
The first Elijah Craig release of 2022 was such a killer (more on that later), that it was nearly impossible for this one to live up to that. Still, this is a perfectly good sipping whiskey with a lot going on.
This whiskey from out in Colorado combines two whiskeys from Indiana (MGP) with Colorado’s Rocky Mountain vibe. The whiskeys are a corn/rye/barley mash bill combined with a corn/wheat/barley mash to create a four-grain experience from blending instead of scratch. That whiskey then spends six to seven years aging in the Rocky Mountain state before it’s bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Dark fruit and almonds play with sweet apple wedges and vanilla sheet cake on the nose with a hint of leather, oats, and toffee lurking underneath it all. The taste is all about the creamy and nutmeg-heavy eggnog with a nice counterpoint of sweetgrass and vanilla pipe tobacco. The mid-palate has a sweet winter spice vibe that leads to a raw and sweet carrot and apple cores next to a hint of new wicker.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that end up finished far more quickly than a lot of others. It’s just super easy drinking with a nice yet complex profile.
This whiskey — a collaboration between Kentucky’s first female master distiller, Marianne Eaves, and Colorado’s famed 291 Distillery — just dropped in February. The juice in the bottle was blended by Eaves over weeks as she tasted through 291’s aspen stave-infused bourbon barrels. The end result is a blended bourbon of aspen stave finished whiskey at barrel proof.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one opens with freshly cut green sweetgrass with hints of savory herbs, wet cornmeal, winter spices, apple cores, and sweet and soft pine resin. The palate leans into the greenness with more of that sweetgrass leading toward a green pepper vibe next to cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg with a stewed apple pie filling edge to it. That soft and fruity mid-palate leads back to the sweet pine resin and now dried sweetgrass, dried mint, and a hint of spicy apple tobacco and stringy cedar bark on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is another killer bottle that’s both unique and nostalgic. The only reason it’s a little lower is that it’s a tad hot on the palate and benefits greatly from a single rock.
17. Jeptha Creed Four Grain Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This four-grain bourbon is all about the farm-to-glass experience. The juice is made from a mash with Bloody Butcher corn — a sweeter red corn used by Indigenous Americans throughout the Midwest and South for millennia — grown right outside the still house on an expansive Kentucky farm. The red corn is mixed with malted rye, wheat, and barley in the mash and aged for an undisclosed amount of time before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
This is like your grandmother’s garden on berry picking day on the nose with huge notes of rhododendrons and wisteria next to blackberry jam, blueberry pie, and mason jars of apricot jam with plenty of dark spices layered in. The palate holds onto the jammy notes but adds in rich vanilla pudding, candied walnuts, nutmeg dusted eggnog, and a tiny echo of cherry sasparilla. The dry spices circle back around on the finish with a touch more of that vanilla and a whisper of fresh mint from the garden with a little dirt still on it.
Bottom Line:
This utilizes floral notes really well (trust me, a lot of crafty producers do not). Overall, this is a great bottle to reach for when you’re looking for something different from Kentucky.
These barrel picks from Huber Winery’s Starlight Distillery are starting to light up the craft bourbon scene. The Indiana juice is real craft from a family going back to the mid-1800s on the same farm (this isn’t MGP). Depending on the barrel, the mash here is a unique one with 58 percent corn, 27 percent rye, and 15 percent malted barley. That whiskey is aged for at least four years before it’s considered ready for these barrel picks.
Tasting Notes:
Expect a big nose with vanilla birthday cake, sprinkles, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream next to a touch of peppery spice, old leather, and a hint of soft wood. The palate leans into the pepperiness and layers in orange and lemon oils with cream soda and subtle berries vibes. The end dries out a tad as the black pepper gives way to that vanilla cake with a mild dose of dry wood and black soil.
Bottom Line:
Starlight is one of those distilleries that’s blowing up with industry folks right now, so you’ll be seeing it more and more over the next few years. These bottles are pretty stellar and always hit a great balance between sweet, spice, and lush.
Penelope Bourbon is another great example of what a master blender can do with MGP whiskey. In this case, three barrels were blended — aged three to five years — to create a barrel strength expression that highlights the quality of those casks. The final product ended up being a four-grain bourbon with a mash bill of 74 percent corn, 16 percent wheat, seven percent rye, and three percent malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this bursts forth with peaches, red berries, blueberry, and an almost savory gooseberry next to cotton candy, a touch of toffee, and very light-yet-sweet oak. The palate shines as the peaches and berries combine to make a sort of summer fruit crumble with plenty of butter, dark sugar, and spice alongside a thin line of soft leather, rich vanilla, and more of that sweet oak. The mid-palate sweetens with more cotton candy before diving into a warming and spicy finish that keeps the spice sweet and subtle.
Bottom Line:
I know I said the top ten were all the magical bourbons, but we’re already getting close with this one. This is just killer juice that’s hard to beat. Pour it neat or over a rock and take your time enjoying this one.
14. Lost Lantern 2022 Single Cask #1: Smooth Ambler West Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Lost Lantern just dropped their spring 2022 collection of single cask selections from some seriously big hitters in the craft whiskey world. For their first edition, the bottler chose a barrel from Smooth Ambler in West Virginia. This bottling is from one 53-gallon barrel of wheated bourbon from West Virginia that’s bottled as-is without filtering or cutting down with water. That means there are only 190-odd bottles of this around.
Tasting Notes:
You’re taken to a confectionary on the nose with dried cranberries and cherries rolling through rich, bitter, yet creamy dark chocolate that’s just been touched with dark and chili spices and bespeckled with crushed almonds. The palate builds on that with a Christmas cake spice mix next to more dried and candied fruits — think brandied cherries and candied orange peels — that leads toward a deep cacao note that’s nearly waxy. The end is all about the black cherry tobacco and old pine boxes that hold that tobacco.
Bottom Line:
The flavor profile on this one is very dialed. Each note is distinct. It’s a wonderful pour.
The second batch of Larceny Barrel Proof of 2022 is batched from barrels of Heaven Hill’s iconic wheated bourbon (68 percent corn, 20 percent wheat, and 12 percent malted barley). Those barrels are chosen for their specific flavor profile and blended as-is and bottled at barrel proof.
Tasting Notes:
A hint of red berries hits your nose first and then the nose goes full “classic” with notes of rich caramel, fresh leather, vanilla beans, raw pancake batter, and a soft note of kindling. The palate feels high-proof but not “hot” — that means it coats your mouth with a buzzing sensation but there’s no burn — as grassy mid-palate leads to subtle Christmas cake spice, salted caramel sauce, and a layer of cherry compote between two sheets of vanilla cake. The end is silky and lush with that cherry and vanilla fading toward damp and supple wicker that ultimately leaves you with a velvet mouthfeel and warm Kentucky hug.
Bottom Line:
This will be hard for Larceny to beat when the third bottle drops in the fall. This pour has a ton of depth but keeps things classic and nostalgic from top to bottom. Add one rock and you’ll be set.
This whiskey from country music legend Brad Paisley actually crisscrossed the country with the star. The juice in the bottles is largely from Bardstown Bourbon Company, with four whiskeys aged three to 15 years with both low and high rye bourbons in the mix. The team at Bardstown worked closely with Paisley — a whiskey nerd himself — to select, blend, and finish the bourbon according to Paisley’s palate.
After a 7,314-mile trip across America, the barrels were vatted, proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lightness at first whiff that gives way to a soft apricot jam on a buttered Southern biscuit next to a hint of cinnamon-spiked caramel and apple cider-soaked oak staves. The palate really does burst forth with firework pops of old leather, toffee candies, Red Hots, peanut brittle, nougat, milk chocolate, and vanilla pipe tobacco. The mid-palate sweetness fades as the pipe tobacco takes on a little warmth and spice while brioche, black pepper, and braided dry cedar bark round out the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is far better than any other stunt bourbon out there. Real care was given when building this bourbon and shows from the nose to the finish. Though I do prefer this one over a few rocks.
This new release from Nelson’s Green Brier is a big evolution for the brand. This high-rye bourbon is aged for four years before it’s masterfully blended into his expression. It’s then bottled without any fussing or meddling.
Tasting Notes:
A vanilla wafer with soft nougat greets you on the nose with a hint of burnt orange zest, Christmas cake, candied cherry, and a little bit of apple pie filling. The taste has a moment of grilled pineapple that leads to brandy-soaked dark chocolate-covered cherries with a supporting act of zucchini bread, pecan pie, and a whisper of lemon meringue pie — it’s kind of like being in an old-school diner. A mild dusting of white pepper ushers in the finish with a smooth green tea cut with menthol tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This instant-classic bourbon from Tennessee is a hit. The juice has real depth while not overdoing the profile with extraneous notes and textures. It’s just easy and good. What more could you want?
This whiskey is from Jack’s bonded warehouse. The mash of 80 percent corn, 12 percent barley, and eight percent rye is twice distilled before it’s run through Jack’s very long Lincoln County process of sugar maple charcoal filtration. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with that Jack Daniel’s limestone cave water, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla comes through with a bold sense of the oil and beans in the pod as cherry Jolly Ranchers, a light touch of sweet oak, a hint of fresh leather, and an echo of orange peels round out the nose. Going back in on the nose after a minute or two, a sense of potting soil and maybe the vitamin aisle at a health food store alongside more of that fresh leather leads to a little bit of sweetgrass, apple blossoms, and a vanilla cookie with a touch of oat in the mix. The palate is immediately sweet with apple fritters and maple bars next to brown sugar and vanilla cream. The mid-palate adds in a little winter spice with a lean toward cinnamon and clove and a dusting of nutmeg. The finish arrives with brown sugar and butter mixed into Cream of Wheat as a minor note of wood and apple cider kicks in late and lingers the longest on the end.
Bottom Line:
This might be a big surprise for a lot of folks who don’t take Jack Daniel’s seriously. If you were already into the brand, you knew their Bonded-in-Bond expression slaps. This whiskey follows that tradition and has no business being as good as it is for under $40.
And we’ve officially come full circle. This whiskey was distilled at Castle & Key back in 2018. 200 of those barrels were hand-picked for this release to take a look back at the past two years and “reflect” upon the trials they brought.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a distinct note of tart yet slightly sweet cherry on the nose with a supporting cast of butterscotch candies, mild firewood, and a hint of pancake batter. That batter becomes a stack of pancakes with vanilla-laced butter, maple syrup, and a few nuts thrown in that lead to a herb garden full of rosemary bushes. That savory note mellows out through the mid-palate as a dusting of nutmeg rounds out the finish with hints of woody maple syrup and a final echo of that tart cherry.
Bottom Line:
This feels a bit like the greatest hits album of Blue Run, which has only been around for about two years. Still, those hits are huge and this whiskey delivers.
Nashville Barrel Co. is doing some of the best work in the bottling game, full stop. They’re sourcing incredible barrels (a lot from MGP) and bottling them as-is without any cutting, filtering, or fussing — they let the whiskey speak for itself and it’s kind of magical. This expression tends to be five to eight-year-old barrels that will vary slightly in the flavor profile while always leaning into bold and distinct flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Depending on which bottle you come across, expect a nose full of cotton candy, buttered popcorn, vanilla beans, freshly baked cherry pie with a lard crust, and plenty of caramel sauce, mild leather, hints of oak, and a dollop of orange oil. The palate will lean into the spice with plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice with maybe a hint of anise and sweetgrass before a mid-palate of Almond Joy and salted caramel candies take over. That sweet mid-point will give way to a finish with nutty dark chocolate clusters with hints of dried fruits, old leather, sweet oak, and plenty of wintry spices.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the more exciting bottles in bourbon right now. While there will be some serious variation, these always hit it out of the park with serious depth and true, unadulterated high quality.
7. Bardstown Bourbon Company Founders KBS Stout Finish Bourbon
This new whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Company leans into beer barrel finishing. The juice is a ten-year-old Tennessee whiskey (which is, technically, bourbon) comprised of 84 percent corn, eight percent rye, and eight perfect malted barley (which, coincidentally, is the same mash bill as Dickel). That whiskey is then transferred to KBS Stout barrels from Founders Brewing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The whiskey spends an additional 15 months mellowing with the stout-infused oak before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with a balance of almost waxy cacao nibs next to oily vanilla beans, dry roasted espresso beans, milk chocolate malts, a hint of Nutella, and a bright burst of orange oils. The palate builds on that foundation and layers in hazelnuts, mulled wine spices, and a dark, thick, and spicy cherry syrup with a woody backbone. The sweetness of the cherry on the mid-palate ebbs as the woody spices and bitter dark cacao kick in late and bring about a dry finish with plenty of Nutella, espresso cream, and spicy cherry tobacco chewiness with a hint of citrus oils cutting through everything.
Bottom Line:
This is the best stout finished whiskey I’ve ever had.
This year’s first Elijah Craig drop is a 12-year-old whiskey made from Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash of 78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and a mere ten percent rye. Those barrels are masterfully blended into this Barrel Proof expression with no cutting or fussing. This is as-is bourbon from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel draws you in on the nose with a slight sourdough cinnamon roll with pecans, a touch of floral honey, and a soft and woody drug store aftershave with an echo of vanilla candle wax and singed marshmallow. The palate rolls through a soft leather and vanilla pie note as cinnamon ice cream leads to spicy oak. The mid-palate leans into a sweeter, almost creamy spice (think nutmeg-heavy eggnog) which, in turn, leads to a dry cedar bark next to a dry stewed-apple tobacco leaf folded into an old leather pouch for safekeeping.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is pure classic bourbon. It’s just delicious and will remind you of how beautiful bourbon can be.
Okay, bear with me. This is a bourbon blend made with five, six, seven, nine, and 14-year-old bourbons from Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, and Texas. All of those bourbons are expertly blended in Barrell’s Louisville facility and then bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
I swear, this has a nose that’s exactly like a rich, moist, and spicy carrot cake smothered in cream cheese frosting, and it works. The nose is rounded out my Meyer lemons, honeydew melon, grassy sugar cane, and a touch of white peach. The palate is part of apple Jolly Rancher and part raspberries in cream with some brown sugar and cinnamon in the mix. The mid-palate has a banana cream pie vibe that leads to a little bit of waxy cacao bean and a fleeting sense of granite countertop covered in oak staves. The finish has a mix of green tea and mint chocolate chip ice cream with this small whisper of salty pretzel wrapped in banana leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is funky, fun, and fantastic. Pour it over a rock to let it bloom a touch in the glass and take your time enjoying this one.
Knob Creek is what Jim Beam becomes with a little massaging, the right aging locations in warehouses, and some luck from the whiskey angels. The juice is made from Beam’s standard low-rye mash. Then it’s left alone for 15 years in the Beam warehouses on specific floors in specific locations. The best barrels are then small batched and proofed down to 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Saddle leather, cobwebs, cellar beams, dark fruit leather, vanilla husks, and salted caramel all lead to cherry tobacco on the nose. The dark fruit leather continues on the palate as cedar boxes full of sweet tobacco lead to apple cider on the mid-palate. The finish, on the other hand, is all about cherry tobacco oatmeal raisin cookies with nutmeg, and a hint of soft and silky vanilla cream that’s just touched with mint.
Bottom Line:
Fred Noe (Beam’s Master Distiller) really struck gold with this expression. It’s deep, slightly funky, and yet very nostalgic. Over a single rock, it’s unbeatable for this price point.
This whiskey is a blend of Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky bourbons. Each barrel in that blend is a minimum of 16 years old. The barrels were specifically chosen for their cherry, nutty, high-proof, and chocolate profiles. Half of those barrels were then finished in new American oak for a final touch of maturation before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a sense of wet oak staves (think rained on barrels) next to freshly pressed sugar cane juice, damp, almost still unharvested cherry tobacco leaves, the seeds from a vanilla pod, rainwater, stringy cedar bark, and fresh apricot next to Bing cherry. Dark cherry leads to candied ginger on the opening of the taste as orange marmalade mingles with toasted sourdough, sticky yet subtle fir resin, and creamy key lime pie filling with just a hint of the butter in the crust of that pie. The mid-palate leans into the sugar in that pie filling as the cherry kicks back in with a sliver of tartness next to overripe peaches, dried hibiscus, mild anise, allspice berries, sassafras, and dried cacao nibs. The finish gently steps through a field full of orange blossoms as that cacao dries out more, leaving you with dried choco-cherry tobacco that’s been inside of a cedar box wrapped in decades-old leather.
Bottom Line:
These top three are all in a different dimension. This is funky, hell weird even. But it works amazingly well and has such a deep and fresh flavor profile that it’ll stick with you for life.
2. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 17-Year Spring 2022 Edition
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 a perfect bourbon whiskey. Its balance and depth are incredible. Pour a big Glencairn and really take your time exploring all this has to offer.
1. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon, First Edition
The base of the spirit is Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash of 78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and a mere ten percent rye. This particular whiskey is built from several barrels from four warehouse campuses in the Bardstown area. In this case, three different ages were pulled with 17 years being the youngest. The whiskey is made from 28 percent 20-year-old barrels, 44 percent 19-year-old barrels, and 28 percent 17-year-old barrels. Once those barrels are vatted, the bourbon goes into the bottle as-is, without any cutting or fussing.
Tasting Notes:
The age is apparent from the first nose with old glove leather next to a soft hint of cobweb-draped cellar beams leading towards a dark and thick cherry syrup that’s laced with cinnamon, clove, and allspice. The nose then grows with an almost cherry-maple syrup with a buttery base pushing it toward a toffee creaminess. The palate leans into those spices with a winter-spice-laced chewy (almost wet) fistful of tobacco leaves jammed into an old cedar box. The mid-palate bursts with spiced cherry crumble with baked brown sugar and nutmeg dusted nuts, creating a velvety texture. The finish carries the spice from that mid-palate towards a sweet finish that feels like a marrying of toffee syrup and cherrywood tobacco with that dry cedar tobacco box echoing on the far backend.
Bottom Line:
This is going to be the bourbon to beat this year. It is perfect. But it’s also engaging and takes you on a journey through your own palate and memories as you nose, sip, and ruminate on the pour. We’ll see what the fall releases bring but — to be real — it’ll be hard to beat this one.
There is no E3 in 2022. While June is going to be full of video game showcases from publishers and developers just like always, none of these are affiliated with the organization that hosts E3, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). In previous years, the ESA has played host to a massive, in-person showcase where publishers could go to show off games they’re working on and the media could get an early look at these games. Eventually, regular people were allowed to enter E3 and try out some of these demos themselves.
However, as technology has advanced there have been questions about the need for an in-person gaming showcase. Especially one that requires a lot of resources, time, and cost that could instead be used towards game development. So when E3 was cancelled for 2022, plenty wondered if the event should come back at all. Despite these questions though, the ESA has been adamant that it plans to bring back E3 in 2023. It said as much in a recent interview with the Washington Post..
“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and an in-person event,” ESA president and CEO Stan Pierre-Louis told The Washington Post in an interview. “As much as we love these digital events, and as much as they reach people and we want that global reach, we also know that there’s a really strong desire for people to convene — to be able to connect in person and see each other and talk about what makes games great.”
While the ESA has continued to reiterate a desire to bring back E3, that hasn’t stopped the murmurs about the future of the event. When the ESA initially announced that it would not be hosting an in-person event for 2022, and it was eventually outright cancelled in March, there were rumors that the 2022 event was in danger well before it was actually cancelled.
The truth of the matter is nobody is exactly sure what an in-person event for hosting video games should look like in a digital age. Should it be a trade show meant for only publishers and media to attend, a convention similar to something like a PAX, or the weird in between that the ESA was going for before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most physical events. Until the ESA can answer that question there are always going to be concerns about the future of E3.
On Tuesday, Gerstmann hosted a stream on his Twitch channel where he announced what the future meant for him. Anyone hoping for scandalous details on why he chose to leave will be disappointed because he opted to avoid any discussions on his previous employer and instead focus on announcing his new path, a podcast plus a patreon. His new podcast, The Jeff Gerstmann Show, will be weekly and while he hopes to do more with his Patreon right now it is mainly an option to make the podcast ad free.
Gerstmann’s announcement comes the same day that Giant Bomb announced what its future without him will be like. In a very funny teaser video, the current members of Giant Bomb not only announced their new core members but made a promise for more video games. If that sounds weird to hear from a video game site, it’s because for the last year Giant Bomb has been branching out into different kinds of content with many fans asking them to go back to focusing on gaming.
It’s going to take a long time to associate Jeff Gerstmann and Giant Bomb as two separate entities, but hopefully both parties see massive success in the future as they go in different directions.
Tyler The Creator and Bad Bunny are set to headline the 2022 edition of Made In America, alongside an impressive selection of international stars. The festival returns to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on Labor Day Weekend, September 3-4 with Lil Uzi Vert, Jazmine Sullivan, Burna Boy, Snoh Aalegra, Kodak Black, Pusha T, Lil Tjay, Tate Mcrae, Fuerza Regida, Toro Y Moi, Babyface Ray, Key Glock, Larry June, Rels B, Victoria Monet, Chimbala, Ryan Castro, and more. Passes and more information are available at madeinamericafest.com/.
It’s shaping up to be a pretty stacked summer for music festivals, as Day N Vegas also announced its lineup today featuring headliners J. Cole, SZA, and Travis Scott, who is returning after a months-long hiatus after his own Astroworld Festival in 2021 ended with 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries. We’ve already seen The Roots Picnic this month, while HARD Summer and iHeartRadio are set to take place later in the year. If you’re any kind of music fan, you’ll certainly have plenty of opportunities to catch your faves live at some point — if you can decide which one of the dozen or so fests coming this year you want to spring for.
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@Money23Green on if he saw Klay YouTube videos of himself. pic.twitter.com/LlL8z9FgoU
