The latest season of Jaden Pinkett Smith’s candid talk show Red Table Talk, which she hosts with her daughter Willow and mother Adrienne Banfield Norris, will premiere this week with another round of intense, deep conversations. The long-awaited trailer just dropped, featuring a wide range of dramatic conversations about family, trauma, and, of course, scammers!
Noticeably absent from the trailer is any mention of the infamous Oscars Slap which brought an unwelcome amount of attention to the Smith family. It’s likely that the season was filmed months ago, and even if it wasn’t, it seems like the family will be dealing with that whole situation internally…for now.
Guests from the upcoming season include singer and actress Janelle Monae, who opens up about her father’s harrowing drug addiction. Monae is also joined by her mother Janet Hawthorne. Also featured on season five of the show will be Kim Basinger, ex-wife of Alec Baldwin, who emotionally retells her traumatic divorce. “I went through a very heavy-duty, out loud divorce,” the Oscar winner says. “I wouldn’t leave the house, I would no longer go to dinner. I had to relearn to drive.”
This season will also feature some tell-all conversations with the victims of some of the highly publicized recent scams, including one of the former girlfriends of the Tinder Swindler, Ayleen Charlotte, and one of Anna Delvey‘s ex-BFFs, Rachel ReLoache Williams.
The fifth season of Red Table Talk premieres this Wednesday on Facebook Watch (yeah, that’s still a thing) at 12 pm EST, with new episodes weekly.
When you think of all-time great beat’em up games a few names come to mind. There is of course Double Dragon, River City Ransom, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but for many the best of them all is Streets of Rage. SEGA’s beat’em up series received a trilogy of games in the 90s and each one was incredibly popular and well received. The story of former police officer vigilantes using nothing but their fists to fight off a corrupt government in a fictional city was just enough of a hook to bring in plenty of fans.
While Streets of Rage 4 wasn’t quite as popular as the originals, its 2020 release managed to hit a decent level of nostalgia that fans were yearning for. This, and also the recent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, may have been just the push SEGA needed to greenlight a reported upcoming Streets of Rage movie. According to Deadline, a Streets of Rage movie is in the works and it already has some notable names and quite a resume behind the production of it.
On the heels of its success with Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog films, SEGA has another franchise coming to the big screen with beat ’em up game Streets of Rage getting the film treatment, sources tell Deadline. Derek Kolstad, who created the John Wick action franchise and penned the Bob Odenkirk actioner Nobody, wrote the script on spec.
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Sonic producer dj2 Entertainment and Escape Artists (Equalizer franchise) will produce the film adaptation.
Streets of Rage will be the latest project under dj2 Entertainment’s belt, following Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s impressive box office performance.
It’s pretty cool that the success of Sonic has potentially created the opportunity for fans of other SEGA franchises to get movies made after their favorite games as well. Streets of Rage is a perfect candidate for a movie too, because its basic plot is open to interpretation. It’s also just an excuse to create a bunch of fun action set-pieces. With the right action stars involved this could be another fantastic video game movie — and maybe, just maybe, this is the video game adaptation The Rock was teasing as his next project.
On Russian Doll, death is like a box of timelines — you never know which one you’re going to get.
And sure, the comedy series from Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler asks plenty of existential questions and plays with some trippy metaphors in its first season but let’s be real: we’re here for the purgatorial Groundhog Day hijinks. Ranking all of the bizarre, gruesome, strangely humorous ways Lyonne’s Nadia kicks the bucket in season one may be a bit nihilistic, but it’s also the best way to recap all of the weird time f*ckery that went down before season two. Enjoy.
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19. Shock to the Heart
Cause of Death: Alan is moping by the same river Nadia fell into earlier in the season after learning his girlfriend has been cheating on him with her professor. He throws her engagement ring in the water before a power box attached to a light pole sparks, sending an electric jolt through the wet concrete and into the steel railing he’s holding onto.
The Last Word: Is this the most exciting death sequence? No, but it does accurately illustrate how damn unlucky Alan is in life at the moment so, that’s something.
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18. The Bees
Cause of Death: Nadia and Alan discuss their shared allergy to bees right before hopping on the subway – which explains how they both end up in their separate bathrooms after a swarm of them causes passengers to run screaming from the tracks.
The Last Word: A “Worst Death By Bees” ranking would likely have this scene in the top five. (Obviously, the number one spot goes to My Girl.)
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17. The Ambulance Accident
Cause of Death: Nadia has told Ruthie about her death loop and, because she can no longer blame the drugs, the only reasonable explanation is that she’s gone completely insane. Ruth calls an ambulance to take her to the hospital but on the drive over, a trio of paramedic mama’s boys pisses her off to the point where she tries to jump out of a moving vehicle. The commotion causes the driver to crash and Nadia to land back in the bathroom.
The Last Word: Between the sexist jokes and the medic’s knee-jerk usage of a sedative to calm Nadia down, we can’t say we’re sad to see these bozos say the Big Adios for good.
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16. Jay Walking
Cause of Death: After going on an epic tirade Alan gets himself kicked out of Nadia’s birthday party and drunkenly wanders the streets of New York. He pleads with Bea to realize that Mike is a sex addict but before he has time to really make his case, oncoming traffic intervenes.
The Last Word: This is a fairly mundane way to get sent home in a box but props to Alan for using the most of his final minutes on Earth by comparing his girlfriend’s lover to a steaming pile of garbage whose scent even the East River couldn’t drown out.
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15. The Take-Out
Cause of Death: Nadia goes off the deep end when Alan decides to clean and organize her apartment after their drunken hook-up. She sends him packing and visits Ruth, snacking on some chicken wings as she opens up about her mother’s mental illness. Sadly, their heart-to-heart is cut short when Nadia chokes on a chicken bone.
The Last Word: Remind us to never order take-out chicken wings in the middle of a death loop again.
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14. Swimming With The Fishies
Cause of Death: Nadia experiences her death loop for the first time but all of the deja-vu and existential panic is worth it because she finds Oatmeal again. This time she avoids getting railed by a taxi and ends the night petting her deli cat while perched precariously on a railing overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, as soon as she convinces herself it was the coke-laced cigarette that caused her to hallucinate her own death, Oatmeal vanishes, and she tips in the wrong direction, knocking her head on the way down before drowning in the very polluted waters of the East River.
The Last Word: We don’t know what’s worse: your beloved cat disintegrating Thanos-snap style before your very eyes or living with the knowledge that in some alternate timeline, your dead body is floating in that pit of sludge they call the East River.
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13. A Menace
Cause of Death: Nadia is still clinging to the hope that her current mental meltdown has been sparked by whatever Maxine’s joint was laced with so she pays a visit to their dealer, War Dog. Their chat is interrupted by Nadia’s ex, John, who weirdly doesn’t have a great response to her admission that she’s f*cked up on drugs and thinks she might be dead. Go figure. When Nadia starts unloading on him – telling your former boyfriend he really needs to start f*cking other people is some next-level savagery – her rant is interrupted by an opened sidewalk cellar door that she dives headfirst into, knocking a few stairs on the way down before waking up in the bathroom once again.
The Last Word: We don’t care how long you’ve lived there, every New Yorker has an adversarial relationship with cellar doors. As Nadia proclaims, they’re a damn menace.
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12. A Menace, Dammit!
Cause of Death: Nadia discovers her very hard, never-ending night might be due to some sh*tty ketamine, but her victorious moment is short-lived… literally. She spots her Bodega guy helping Alan, the man she saw take down a shelf of wine the night before, back to his place and runs after the two. Only problem? Those damn cellar doors are open again and she falls in.
The Last Word: Seriously, f*ck those doors. But also, this one might be on Nadia. If you’ve fallen down the hatch once in your death loop already, you need to be more observant of your surroundings.
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11. An Eternal Nap
Cause of Death: After a fight with her ex, Nadia arms herself with a bottle of liquor and goes searching for Oatmeal in the park. She runs into Horse, a homeless man who offers to cut her hair. The two bond over their shared grievances with life and, eventually, Nadia cuddles up with him on the street with just a ratty blanket to keep them warm. She wakes up in the bathroom again, eventually sussing out that she froze to death.
The Last Word: One of the darker ways Nadia “restarts” her loop happens here. Also, the downtown Manhattan mission can, in fact, “eat a dick” for handing out such crappy blankets.
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10. Gas Leak
Cause of Death: Nadia goes searching for her favorite book from childhood and ends up at Ruth’s apartment. The two have a loaded conversation about the duality of life with a small aside about a burglar terrorizing the neighborhood before Ruth offers to make Nadia some tea. As she goes to light the gas stove a massive explosion rocks the building sending Nadia hurdling back to the bathroom.
The Last Word: Another character reset that took us by surprise, this one also claims Nadia’s sweet “grandma” Ruthie which is just unacceptable. Do better universe!
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9. Don’t Look Up
Cause of Death: After Nadia bails on a pancake breakfast, she meets Alan on the street. The two comically quiz each other on whether they died that day and, just as Alan asserts his theory that they’re dying at the same time, an air conditioning unit falls from a five-story building crushing them both.
The Last Word: Again, Russian Doll is tapped into the everyday fears of New Yorkers in a way that’s starting to feel like an attack on their way of life.
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8. Rotting Fruit
Cause of Death: Nadia realizes that all of the rotting fruit is proof time is still moving in some kind of linear fashion which means their death loop likely has an expiration date. As she walks down the street with Alan she sees a vision of herself as a child before stumbling back and telling Alan she thinks she might be having a heart attack.
The Last Word: This marks the first time the deaths start happening because of changes inside the characters which feels monumental … if only we could figure out the reasoning behind it.
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7. Asthma Attack
Cause of Death: When Nadia realizes that fruit isn’t the only thing rotting and disappearing because of time – people at her party start dropping like flies too – she takes Maxine and Lizzy with her to find Alan. They get as far as the sidewalk in front of Lizzy’s building before Nadia has a panic-induced asthma attack after seeing another vision of herself as a child.
The Last Word: “You’ve had asthma all this time?” A completely normal question to ask your friend who’s chainsmoked two packs a day for the past 25 years as she bites the dust in front of you.
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6. Bodega Bye-Bye
Cause of Death: Nadia drags Maxine and Lizzy to the deli where she meets Alan. They both swap death stories and realize they seem to be dying because of internal issues. For Alan, he suspects his last death was caused by liver failure. Nadia’s was an asthma attack. As he answers Lizzy questions Nadia gets another glimpse of herself as a child only this time, blood starts pouring from the little girl’s mouth which sparks some sort of seizure in Nadia, who dies as Alana yells at her to meet him at his place next time.
The Last Word: Points to Alan here for being so fed up with the death loop that he’s impatient for Nadia to quit her flopping around so they can start this process all over again.
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5. Mistaken Intruder
Cause of Death: Nadia still wants to find that damn book but this time, she calls in a gas leak at Ruth’s before commencing her search. She also fails to wake up the woman which might be why a disoriented and terrified Ruth ends up shooting her in the back while she’s rifling through the closet.
The Last Word: This was a brutal death to witness, not only because a gunshot to the back is likely painful, but also because Ruth was the one pulling the trigger – by accident of course.
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4. The Elevator Meet-Cute
Cause of Death: Nadia’s late for work after spending the night in the homeless shelter. She gets on an elevator filled with random strangers and Alan who strangely doesn’t panic when the lift malfunctions and starts to crash. When Nadia asks him why he isn’t more freaked out over the likelihood that they’re about to die he replies, “It doesn’t matter. I die all the time.”
The Last Word: What makes this scene really memorable though is that it marks Nadia and Alan’s first official meeting with a cliffhanger ending that totally f*cks with your idea of what this show is up until this point.
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3. A Pancake Passing
Cause of Death: Nadia relives some painful childhood memories and decides giving her favorite book to John’s daughter is the way to ensure good karma and maybe even escape the death loop. She pays the girl a visit at the diner, hands over the book, and, before leaving, drops dead. But not before choking on a shard of glass – an allusion to her mother’s mental breakdown – spitting blood all over the poor girl’s face, and once again hallucinating a younger version of herself ominously telling her it’s time they break free.
The Last Word: The only thing worse than seeing blood spurting out of Nadia’s eyes and mouth is the idea that not even a childhood classic by the woman who wrote Anne of Green Gables can save us from this time loop.
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2. Stairway to Hell
Cause of Death: After confronting Maxine about the ketamine-laced joint, Nadia heads for the hills but gets as far as the stairs before death decides her time’s up. Thus begins a hilariously bleak montage of Nadia waking up in the bathroom, blaming Maxine (and the universe) for her current mental state, and then tumbling down the building’s flight of stairs, either because she tripped, she knocked into someone, or she was bulldozed over by an impatient partygoer with a high-pony.
The Last Word: The Israeli joint was initially this show’s breakout villain – we thought for a while it might’ve been why Nadia was constantly kicking the can. But after the stairway to hell montage in episode two, it’s pretty clear this whole series is a metaphor questioning the existence of stairs – likely funded by the elevator industry.
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1. The Cabbie Drive-By
Cause of Death: Nadia’s birthday is going objectively well. Sure she’s stared down the barrel of mortality but she’s also enjoyed a quick hookup, an Israeli joint, and a birthday chicken. She ends the night by doing some coding on her latest video game before realizing she’s run out of cigarettes. On her way back from getting her nicotine fix she spots Oatmeal, her feline soulmate who has failed to come home for the past three days and makes the mistake no respectable New Yorker ever would – she crosses the street without looking both ways. Really, is it the cabbie’s fault she ends up flying a few feet in the air before slamming her head into the pavement and dying a tragic death, or is it her own?
The Last Word: As Sheryl Crow once crooned, “the first cut is the deepest” and on Russian Doll, the first death is still the best – mostly because you just don’t see it coming. Neither does Nadia.
The Golden State Warriors have gotten little in the way of resistance from the Denver Nuggets through two games of their first round series, as Denver simply does not have an answer defensively for the Warriors’ shooting — and they also don’t have the offensive firepower to try and keep pace in a shootout.
Monday night’s Game 2 win by the Warriors saw them once again take control on the backs of their small-ball lineup that forces the other team to try and matchup with Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, and Klay Thompson on the floor all at once, with Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green out there with the three elite shooters. The pressure that group is able to put on the defense on and off the ball has proven too much for the Nuggets through two games, and the frustration boiled over on Monday night in the form of bench arguments and Nikola Jokic getting himself ejected in the fourth quarter.
Part of what makes the Warriors small lineup so difficult to defend is they put people into actions they aren’t used to defending by having their guards screening for each other off the ball, while Draymond operates as the trigger man at the elbow or the top of the key, pulling the opposing center away from the rim. The good news for Denver, I guess, is that they aren’t alone in not being able to get on the same page on how you are supposed to defend those actions, because the Inside the NBA crew likewise got in a shouting match with each other when trying to break down how to cover Stephen Curry coming off of screens.
Kenny Smith is insistent that you chase over the top and have to step up with a quick hedge, which Charles Barkley disagreed with vehemently (with backup from Shaq). For a show that is often criticized by basketball diehards for not diving into actual basketball talk enough and being too much about jokes, this segment is a terrific look at how different personal approaches can be — and a pretty good look at what’s most important to guards and bigs.
It’s not surprising Smith thinks the focal point should be keeping Curry from getting a clean look, as if you’re the guard defending you want all the help you can get. It’s also not a shock that Chuck and Shaq don’t want to show high and risk leaving the backdoor cut open for a layup, because as a big that’ll end up being on you for not protecting the rim. On this particular play, I think I’d go with Chuck since Curry is off the ball and the big stepping up without switching allows the quick cut that results in the layup. Kenny’s argument is probably better for Curry being on the ball and coming around the screen as a live dribbler capable of pulling up, because if the big steps high quick enough, it’ll make for a difficult enough pass that he (or someone else) should be able to recover and at least force another pass or two.
In any case, the fact that the TNT crew couldn’t agree on a coverage shows the predicament this lineup puts opponents in, particularly since this lineup played one (1) game together all year so there wasn’t a chance to scout it prior to this series. You can bet Denver will be drilling coverages for that group before Game 3 and for any future Warriors opponents this postseason, they better know what the plan is because the Warriors are begging you to end up in conflict and leave someone open.
Spending up to $500 for a single bottle of Scotch whisky deserves a spit take. On paper, it sounds absurd, crazy, maybe even a little dumb. You can buy all 10 of the bottles on this list for the same price. But we’re not here to compare price tags. We’re here to talk about Scotch whisky that actually deserves your attention at this (very high) price point.
Before I dive in, let’s explain a little about what these whiskies are. These aren’t really the collectible bottles (or unicorns) yet. We’re talking about the rare-to-very-rare bottles that are still worth drinking (as opposed to holding onto, like appreciative assets). Every bottle on this list has its own panache that makes it special. They’re also all pretty well-aged whiskies, with only three out 10 clocking in south of 20 years old. The point being, these are special bottles for special occasions. Sure, you might make some cash holding onto one or two of these for a decade, but that’s not at all the point of this list. These are meant to be drunk and enjoyed with the people you care about.
Having said all of that, I get it, $500 for a single bottle of booze is still a little absurd. If you are going to spend it, at the very least, know that you’ll be getting some of the best of the best out there at this price point. Which does make trying to rank these damn near impossible. I like to think about it this way: the top four on this list are open on my shelf right now, and I actually drink these when I need to break out a great bottle. The rest of the list are all bangers that I don’t get to quite as often and end up collecting a lot of dust on my shelf. Cool? Let’s get into it!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This masterpiece from Glenlivet is their iconic whisky that’s left to mature for 25 years. That whisky is then finished in an Olorosso sherry cask for that final chef’s kiss before going in the bottle at an incredibly accessible 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine the best, most bespoke dark chocolate-covered raisins from an expensive chocolate shop and you’ll be on the right track. Those sweets are the foundation for burnt orange peels, Almond Roca candies, and sweet caramel malts with zero edges. The finish is so long that you might still be thinking about it on your death bed, thanks to an orange/spice/nutty matrix of silky whisky smoothness.
Bottom Line:
The Glenlivet XXV is a wonderful whisky. The only reason it ranks so low on this list is those low ABVs. This is nuanced but lacks the depth of some of the other whiskies on this list.
This newly-released whisky from BenRiach is a combination of peated and unpeated malts. The whiskies are then aged for 21 years in ex-bourbon barrels, ex-sherry casks, virgin oak casks, and former Bordeaux red wine casks. Those are then blended after their two-decade rest and proofed with that soft Speyside water.
Tasting Notes:
Smoked apricot opens this one up on the nose with a sweetness that leads toward salted plums with a hint of spice and malt on the nose. The taste delves into a honeyed sweetness spiked with spicy stewed apples, old and wet oak, roasted almonds, and a big tobacco chew while a touch of burnt moss and dark soil adds a peaty yet earthy depth. That all tapers off, leaving you with a rich apple candy finish that tempers a singed cedar and dry pear tobacco finish with a hint more that burnt dirt.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t my favorite peated whisky but it is certainly interesting and tasty. If you’re looking for a more earthy peated malt with a nice balance of sweet fruit, then this is the play. If you’re looking for a briny peated malt or a big medicinal peated malt, you’ll be disappointed.
It’s all in the name of this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.
Tasting Notes:
This burst forth with an apple orchard in full bloom, day-old brioche, and a sweet yet tart lemon curd on the nose. The palate is all vanilla cookies with pear candy, white grapes, and singed potpourri leading toward a mid-palate of honey. That honey circles back towards the pear with a slight core and stem feel as the finish slowly fades back through all that honey and orchard fruit for the softest landing possible.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is pretty stellar. Again, this falters ever-so-slightly thanks to those very low ABVs. This is a great sipper if you’re looking for something super easy and refined. If you’re looking for a genre-defining single malt, you might be a little let down.
Glenallachie’s Master Distiller Billy Walker hand-selected just five casks for this release. The barrels were ex-Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry puncheons (a large barrel that’s around 100 gallons, give or take). Those whiskies were vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a note of grapefruit pith when you nose this dram that leads towards honeyed chocolate truffles with a touch of cinnamon and orange. The palate goes full Christmas cake with plenty of dried nuts, candied and dried fruits, rich wintry spice, and a touch of chocolate maltiness next to candied ginger, more orange, and a note of golden corn syrup. That sweetness attaches to the fruit and spice to create a stewed plum vibe on the finish that luxuriates in mild spice, sweet and meaty stone fruit, and a touch more of that chocolate.
The Bottom Line:
This is so damn good. The higher ABVs help this one really stand out. Still, this feels very “classic” and Christmas-y, which keeps it more of a holiday sipper than a year-round one. That said, just save it for the holidays and you’ll be set.
Benrinnes is that other distillery in Aberlour up in Speyside. The distillery is also one of the only malts that are triple distilled (like Irish whiskey). The juice in this bottle goes back to that era of distillation with a focus on sherry cask maturation over two decades before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is full of peanut brittle touched with finishing salts, match flints, brewer’s yeast, Milk Duds, and sticky toffee pudding. The palate leans into the date cake and adds bold eggnog spices next to a bowl full of dried fruits soaking in brandy next to a savory fruit that’s halfway between a cucumber and winter squash. The finish lingers for a while and leaves you with an almost burnt chocolate maltiness, salt flakes, and more of those dates.
Bottom Line:
This feels both unique and nostalgic, thanks to all that boxed chocolate candy flavor. I like this, but it is a little outside the box and might be off putting to some (matchsticks and cucumber are a lot even for advanced palates). If you’re looking for something truly one-of-a-kind, this is the bottle to buy.
This eastern Highland whisky is another cask strength drop from Diageo’s Special Release lineup. The juice was aged in refill bourbon barrels and left alone for 16 long years. There was no finishing cask. The whisky was simply vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Soft, soft, and soft. Those could be the full notes on the nose, palate, and finish and we could move on. More deeply, the nose is full of mild notes of dates next to tart apples and orange peels that turn into an apple cobbler of sorts as this very mellow, almost damp, mossy earthiness peek in. That tart apple and orange zest drive the palate towards a soft malted cookie frosted with light powdered sugar and vanilla frosting. The end warms up with a slight pepper tobacco vibe next to a distant idea of a dry woodpile next to that tart fruit.
Bottom Line:
This is where this list gets interesting (for my palate). This feels like stopping by your grandma’s house right after she baked an apple pie, and she’s waiting for you on the front porch smoking a Pall-Mall and sipping whisky. It transports you while being so distinct, deeply hewn, and easy to drink.
This is Ardbeg’s yearly release of special batches of 19-year-old peaty malt. The whisky is Ardbeg’s signature, heavily peated whisky that’s bottled during a “haar.” That’s a thick and briny foggy morning on Islay, which imparts that x-factor into the whisky before it goes into the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
You’re drawn in with a super subtle waft of soft smoke with hints of sour cream, fennel, and cold-smoked salmon on a pine cutting board that’s been washed in the sea. The palate holds onto that briny seaside vibe as it veers towards sea salt-laden dark bricks of fudge bespeckled with dried orange zest and lavender. The end circles back around to a sooty smoke that feels like a warm granite rock that’s been dipped in the sea and then rolled around in the dying embers of a fire.
Bottom Line:
This stuff is bold but it really all makes sense if you give it a shot with an open mind and palate. A single rock can really open this up and help it be a little more accessible. Still, we’re talking about a special peated malt that’s worth at least giving a shot at a high-end whisky bar before committing to a whole bottle.
The Dalmore sort of did the impossible with this expression. The blend is a marrying of six barrels: French wine, Madeira, sherry, Marsala, port, and Kentucky bourbon casks are all in play. This is one of the more creative and extreme examples of barreling in the single malt game, and results in an award-winning whisky.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a deep sense of fruit on the nose which really leans into raspberry, red currant, and a touch of blueberry with chocolate maltiness and creamy bourbon vanilla. The palate embraces the vanilla to the point of creating a pudding texture while dark chocolate-covered almonds lead towards cherry brandy, hints of boozy oranges, and salted caramel ice cream. The end is long and full of Christmas spices that bring everything together like a brandy-fueled, marzipan-heavy, and fruity dessert-laden holiday meal in a Glencairn glass.
Bottom Line:
This pulls off a great magic trick of being lower ABV and unpeated while still having a huge flavor profile that grabs your attention and holds it for a while. Even with the “holiday” vibes of this sip, it still feels like a great sipper year-round. This pour just rules.
This whisky is a marriage of American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks, and Talisker’s seaside location. The whiskies in this single malt spend a minimum of 25 years resting in old bourbon and sherry barrels a few short steps from the sea in the Isle of Skye. Talisker’s tiny warehouse feels a bit like an old pirate ship that’s seen too many sea battles and that aura is imbued into every barrel as it matures.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with fresh beeswax candles next to unfiltered apple cider, dried roses, and a wisp of campfire smoke from a mile or so down a rocky and rainy beach. Sea salt combines with old cellars full of cobwebs as wet moss, wisteria in full bloom, and orange tobacco mingles on the palate. The mid-palate dries out with some cedar bark as singed rose pedals lead towards singed orange peels with this tiny echo of dark red cherry on the very back end of the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one of my all-time favorite whiskies from any category. It’s the perfect balance of seaside, mild peat, woody spice, and sweet Scottish fruit and herbs that works wonders in a glass. If you pair this with some good caviar, rich smoked salmon chowder, or raw oysters, you’ll be in for one of the best whisky pairings that exists.
This 21-year-old whisky, released in 2021, was crafted with help from old Port, sherry, and bourbon barrels. The peated whisky from the tiny Campbeltown region is built to highlight the unique and very fruity notes of the style while having its own vibe.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all about the malt that’s a mix of oatmeal cookie and a Graham cracker with rich vanilla pudding notes, a touch of buttery toffee, and a final burst of deep red strawberries. The fruitiness takes on a savory note that’s kind of like smoked watermelon before heading back towards those cookies with plenty of cinnamon warmth and nutty depth on the palate. The finish arrives slowly with a nod towards peat as a passing fancy that’s buried beneath a vanilla cream laced with cinnamon, oats, raisins, and bitter over-roasted coffee beans.
The Bottom Line:
This beats out my beloved Talisker by having slightly more unique notes (smoked watermelon!) alongside a rich and creamy texture that sings on the palate. This is just phenomenal whisky from top to bottom and, believe it or not, worth every single penny of that price tag.
Earlier today, Kid Cudi hinted that he has a song on Pusha T’s upcoming album, It’s Almost Dry, with Kanye West before declaring that it’ll be his last working with his former mentor. As it turns out, it’s not the only momentous happening on that particular album, as Pusha has shared the tracklist and abstract cover art, revealing that It’s Almost Dry also features a Clipse reunion with his brother, who once again appears as Malice. In addition, the album will feature appearances from Don Toliver, Jay-Z (on the previously released “Neck And Wrist“), Euphoria composer Labrinth, Lil Uzi Vert, and of course, longtime collaborator Pharrell.
Throughout the album’s rollout, Pusha has made it a point to call the album “untouchable” and “a masterpiece.” In an interview with Charlamagne the God, he explained how having Kanye and Pharrell co-executive produce the album resulted in a well-rounded project. “I feel like this body of work is untouchable because it doesn’t lean too heavily on either side,” he said. “It’s like you get the whole spectrum — probably my most well-rounded body of work.”
Then, in a separate interview with Rolling Stone, he explained the double meaning behind the album’s title. “I’m always creating a masterpiece,” he said. “In terms of a painting, you end up telling people while they waiting on it, ‘It’s almost dry,’ because they’re always asking, ‘When will it be done?’ And you have to wait on masterpieces… Also in drug culture, a lot of times you’ll have people waiting on the product and it’s not dry yet. You can come get it when it’s dry.”
You can get It’s Almost Dry on 4/22 via G.O.O.D. Music. Here’s the pre-save link.
Had someone predicted, in the late 1980s, that Donald Trump would at one point occupy the Oval Office, everyone would have laughed. What might have been equally implausible would be the idea that Richard Marx—the mulleted singer-songwriter behind such hits as “Don’t Mean Nothing,” “Right Here Waiting,” and “Hold On to the Nights”—would become the hero we never saw coming in the 2020s. But here we are.
In an effort to push his latest batshit documentary, The End of Men, Carlson is claiming that “one of the biggest stories of our lifetimes is the total collapse of testosterone levels in American men.” And the Fox News host has managed to outdo even himself with his newest obsession about how to combat this problem: testicle tanning.
Tucker is promoting his new documentary called, ‘The End of Men.’ He says, “One of the biggest stories of our lifetimes is the total collapse of testosterone levels in American men.” (This may be more autobiographical) pic.twitter.com/QFIpcNhaIU
New Brockhampton music is on the way, and you better cherish it, because as the band has teased several times, their upcoming seventh album will be their last. Following a performance at Coachella, Brockhampton shared a trailer on social media, further teasing the band’s swan song.
In the video, Brockhampton founder Kevin Abstract sits at a table across from the boys of Brockhampton, prepared to have what appears will be an intense conversation.
“I love you guys and I miss you guys,” Abstract tells his fellow bandmates. “Basically like, I went to New York, made something. It’s not a solo thing, it’s a group album. It’s about the group, it’s about… That’s all I’ma say. I’ma just play it, and then we can have a discussion after and really like talk. I wanna hear everyone’s opinions.”
Abstract then proceeds to press play on what is likely a series of instrumental and reference tracks for the album, before the screen fades to black. The screen then reads “THE FINAL ALBUM.”
This past weekend, Brockhampton played their penultimate show at Coachella. During their set, Brockhampton member Joba wore a jacket that read “All good things must come to an end!”
The far-right seems particularly riled up about Easter’s aftermath this year. First up, Lauren Boebert went in hard without reading her scripture and earned a Bible-school lesson, and Rudy Giuliani had a total (and typical) melt down. Ex-President Trump fired off a degrading message to his perceived enemies, and Don Jr, uh, celebrated armed furries or something.
Over on Fox and Friends, they’re still cleaning up the mess. Rather, they’re spilling the mop water all over the place. That’s especially the case for Brian Kilmeade, who is just so very mad that a White House staff member (dressed as the Easter Bunny) interrupted Biden at an event about business that needed attention. Kilmeade cannot believe that Biden allowed the Easter Bunny to take control, for real:
“At least finish the sentence and say ‘Okay, this is a fun day, I’ll catch up to you guys later…. turns around like a robot and just pushes away. Who’s in control here? My goodness… How embarrassing is that?”
The Fox News chyron — “Easter Bunny stops Biden from answering questions” — also tells the tale. What a strange narrative to weave. Lis Power of Media Matters For America tweeted this clip.
“BUNNY PULPIT?”
Kilmeade trying to get to the bottom of bunnygate: “Who is in control here, my goodness!”
According to Mediaite, Kilmeade wasn’t done yet. He cited this as an example of “why Saudi Arabia’s version of SNL is mocking him as a doddering old man being led by the vice president.” Yup, “Bunnygate” is truly upon us.
A Colors Show has been debuting new songs this month as part of a new partnership with 2K Games. Each week, the popular YouTube channel is bringing a new track to its curated collection in NBA 2K22‘s latest season update. After kicking off the collaboration with Guapdad 4000’s new song “Black Iverson,” the campaign continues today with another new track, this time from Inglewood’s D Smoke.
Titled “Glide,” the boastful new single finds D Smoke in his element, offering lyrics of both encouragement and inspiration on the rapid-fire verses. However, in the chorus, he adds his own swag, bragging, “I look sexy when I’m movin’ through your city.” With a cerulean background, his orange and white ensemble pops right off the screen as he shows off his vocals and proselytizes remaining true to himself.
It’s not the first time D Smoke has contributed a single to a basketball-related piece of media. In 2020, he released the single “Basketball” to coincide with the release of Netflix’s latest hoop-focused season of Last Chance U, while the video for Smoke’s own War & Wonders single “Crossover” has the Inglewood native showing off his streetball skills alongside Compton’s Westside Boogie.
Watch D Smoke’s A Colors Show performance of “Glide” above.
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BY 
(@RonFilipkowski) 