U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio, sparked considerable outrage on Wednesday when he compared proof of vaccination cards to the Gesundheitspass, a health pass that Nazis demanded people carry during Hitler’s reign of terror.
His tweet was a response to Washington, D.C.’s new mandate that anyone 12 and older will need to show proof of at least one vaccine shot before entering restaurants and other indoor venues.
Davidson tweeted an image of a Gesundheitspass along with the caption, “This has been done before” as a response to a tweet about the mandate from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. He then took things a step further by doubling down on his tweet with an explanation.
“Let’s recall that the Nazis dehumanized Jewish people before segregating them, segregated them before imprisoning them, imprisoned them before enslaving them, and enslaved them before massacring them,” Davidson tweeted. “Dehumanizing and segregation are underway – and wrong.”
This has been done before. #DoNotComply https://twitter.com/mayorbowser/status/1480956796395216900u00a0u2026pic.twitter.com/pHeeNPVhlP
By invoking the Holocaust, Davidson broke the first rule of politics, never compare anything or anyone to the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis. The only logical comparison that can be drawn between the Nazis and Washington, D.C. is that they both required people to present official documents with information about their health.
The city of Washington, D.C. is trying to keep people healthy by preventing the spread of a deadly disease. The Nazis were running a campaign of racial purity that would lead to the deaths of millions of people. The two aren’t remotely alike.
Davidson’s statement wasn’t just ridiculous, it was dangerous as well. It trivialized the unspeakable suffering that was caused by Hitler. When we downplay the seriousness of such an event, we embolden those who wish to see it happen again.
It also falsely turns those who are unvaccinated into victims when they are the people who are much more likely to cause the spread of the disease and put others’ health at risk. Davidson’s tweet is also playing up the idea that the unvaccinated are somehow righteous martyrs and victims of an authoritarian state. When people get a feeling of self-righteousness over their decisions, they are much less likely to change their minds.
Let’s face it, people who incorrectly believe they are standing up to people as bad as Nazis feel pretty good about themselves.
Davidson’s tweet was criticized by the Auschwitz Museum in Poland for “exploiting the tragedy.”
Auschwitz was the site of the Nazi’s most notorious concentration camp where more than 1.1 million people were exterminated.
Exploiting of the tragedy of all people who between 1933-45 suffered, were humiliated, tortured & murdered by the totalitarian regime of Nazi Germany in a debate about vaccines & covid limitations in the time of global pandemic is a sad symptom of moral and intellectual decay.
Davidson’s tweet was also condemned by Yad Vashem, which said he denigrated the “memory of victims and survivors.” Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered and honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors.
Yad Vashem strongly condemns the use of the Holocaust to further agendas that are totally unrelated to the Holocaust. Manipulating the Holocaust in this way trivializes the horrific atrocities that were perpetrated & denigrates the memory of victims and survivors.
On Thursday, Davidson did something rather shocking in today’s political climate, he apologized for his tweet. It wasn’t a full-throated mea culpa, however, as he clung to the idea that there was some association between both health passes.
He started it with a quote from Mark Twain, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”
“I had hoped to point that out,” Davidson wrote. “Bad things happen when governments dehumanize people. Sometimes, there is a next step – to systematically segregate them. Unfortunately, any reference to how the Nazis actually did that prevents a focus on anything other than the Holocaust. I appreciate my Jewish friends who have explained their perspectives and feel horrible that I have offended anyone. My sincere apologies.”
For my Jewish friends, and all others, my sincere apologies.pic.twitter.com/gyZm1onCOb
Davidson may have apologized for his comparison, but he doesn’t seem to understand the deeper error of his ways. We need politicians who represent large factions of unvaccinated people to speak to them honestly about the benefits of vaccination and the good it does for public health. Instead, he chooses to play to their self-righteous victimhood, which only exacerbates the pandemic and makes it necessary for governments to mandate vaccine passes in the first place.
A sheriff’s deputy in Houston, Texas responded to a call about a robbery at a CVS on Wednesday night. When he arrived, he saw a man getting into a car that matched the description he heard on the scanner.
The deputy attempted to stop the man but he sped off, sparking a pursuit. The chase led the deputy to an intersection where he was involved in a crash with six other cars. Surveillance footage shows the deputy’s car rocketing into a parking lot in front of a store.
The police car was mangled, wedged between two other vehicles, and it caught fire. A man experiencing homelessness was at the scene and rushed to help.
“I’m homeless. I was doing some work for someone. I was taking some tools back when I heard ‘boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,'” Johnny Walker told ABC13. “I ran out here to see what it is and I saw a lot of cars, but I paid attention to the fire. My instincts were to go to that car and help him out, because he was crushed in on both sides.”
Even though the car was smoldering, Walker bravely rushed over to assist.
“Sometimes you have to make a choice. That car was on fire. I could lose my life,” Walker recalled.
While Walker put his life on the line, a crowd of people stood and stared.
“Nobody was trying to make an effort, so when I went on one side, couldn’t get in. I jumped over the car, two more youngsters came and jumped behind me,” Walker said. “We pulled him. I opened the door and got him out. We picked him up, put him over the car, took him inside the store.”
The deputy was unconscious when they got him into the store to safety. “He came to when we were checking his pulse. I kept talking to him, ‘Stay with us. Help is on the way,'” Walker added. An ambulance arrived on the scene and the deputy was taken to a local hospital.
Tragically, a woman died at the scene of the crash and two children were admitted to the hospital. “I think I was at the right place at the right time, being homeless,” Walker said while tearing up. “I tried to help that lady. She passed though.”
“I’m just thinking about them little kids,” Walker continued.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says that the deputy is in stable condition and it is “praying that he makes a full recovery.”
The suspect who was being pursued fled the scene and has yet to be apprehended.
When reports of Walker’s heroics hit the news, he was reunited with his family who had been looking for him since Christmas Eve. After hearing from numerous people who wanted to help, his sister, Monica Collins, set up a GoFundMe page to help him get counseling and a home.
“He’s a good-hearted person that has been through a lot of hard times,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Tulum, Mexico is known for its heavenly beaches, lush jungles, Mayan ruins, and upscale nightlife. While its natural beauty and incredible dining experiences have been buzzed about for going on a decade now, these aren’t the only things that make the secluded beach city worth a visit. Tulum is also the location for Day Zero, an annual festival that fosters, “a cosmic collision of ancient tradition and forward-thinking electronic music.”
10 years after its debut event, Day Zero returned to Mexico’s mystic (and downright magical) Mayan jungles in Tulum on January 10th. Music-lovers and party people from around the globe were quick to head back to the jungle for the return of Day Zero post- (more accurately mid-) pandemic. The annual music and arts festival is where ancient spiritual rituals, world-renowned performers, young partiers, and Alice in Wonderland-like characters collide. To kick off the new year, thousands of effervescent attendees immersed themselves in Day Zero’s colorful atmosphere for a day full of non-stop electronic, dancing, jungle views, and good vibes.
With three stages, a slew of LED lights, and smoke machines galore, the event’s top performers included Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers, Solid Groove superstar Michael Bibi, Carl Craig, DJ Holographic, Flying Circus’ Audiofly, and Pachanga Boy (among others). It’s safe to say Day Zero was a party to remember. If you missed out on the fun, check out the photos from Day Zero below.
The contagiously cool energy and vibrant visuals are undeniably electric.
Logic’s last album arrived in 2020 with No Pressure, a project that was billed as his last album after he announced his plans to retire from hip-hop. That retirement was quite short as Logic returned with new music the following year. Over the course of 2021, he released a collection of singles like “Tired In Malibu,” “No Vaccine,” and “My Way.” He also released three songs with Madlib as the rapper-producer duo MadGic. With that being said, it was safe to say that Logic is back in action, and for his first move in 2022, the rapper returned with an announcement for those hoping for more music this year.
In a post to Instagram, Logic shared what he’s been working on so far this year. “I’m working on a new album called Vinyl Days,” he captioned the video. The post itself captures Logic working on a beat. “This is JAY-Z‘s microphone,” he says to start the video as he removes the microphone from its case. “No I.D. gave it to me.” Logic then begins recording sound effects with his mouth before adding them to a beat as it plays. His longtime producer 6ix also joins him in the video.
Logic also shared a snippet of the title track from “Vinyl Days” in a later post. “From dawn to dusk,” Logic raps to begin the snippet. “Hit the homie Mac Demarco like, ‘What up, my man?’/ I need some raw sh*t.” It remains to be seen when Logic will release Vinyl Days, but based on the snippet, the project seems to hold a sound that’s similar to his early Young Sinatra mixtapes.
You can view Logic’s posts about Vinyl Days in the videos above.
One of the most important parts of every vacation is where you choose to stay — whether you’re on a solo adventure, a couples getaway, or an insane group trip. The accommodations you choose can pretty much make or break an entire travel experience. When it’s bad, it’s bad. If you’ve never booked a hotel room that looked nothing like the advertised photos, had horrible service, or worse, a bug problem that you didn’t notice until you discovered a damn cockroach or spider in the shower…count your blessings.
But when you find an epic spot that exceeds your expectations? That’s what takes a vacation to the next level. Comfort, aesthetics, service, and overall coolness f*cking matter — let’s not try to pretend that they don’t.
If you’re looking to book your next big trip (or just scrolling travel options instead of Omicron numbers), check out the hotel suites below. From a cowboy-esque escape in the Catskills to a classy Hollywood abode to a downtown Dallas hotspot, these suites are worth splurging on.
Previously a dilapidated 1956 Motor Inn, The Dive Motel is a mixture of classic motel Americana meets Pantone-inspired romantic nostalgia. It features 23 one-of-a-kind rooms, including the Honeymoon Suite, showcasing an in-your-face ’70s-inspired color scheme, shag carpeting, side-by-side, six-foot soaking tubs, a sunken platform bed, and twin disco balls.
Bottom Line:
Whether you’re on your honeymoon or not, this motel-inspired suite will make for a unique stay. It’ll make you feel like you time-traveled back to the world’s grooviest decade. Neon orange decor, a furry comforter, and disco lights?
It’s like a steamy ’70s romance film IRL. You need that.
Two Queen beds, a sleeper sofa, and 640 square feet of space. You can fit a whole crew in the Lifestyle Suite – just make sure to call dibs on the shower.
The Bottom Line:
The Canvas Hotel has everything you need for a boujee and boozy getaway. Besides the industrial-chic decor and swanky vibe of the Lifestyle Suite, the hotel is also home to a popular rooftop bar and pool. That means a fun night out on the town is only an elevator ride away — partying doesn’t get easier than that (neither does the ride home).
If you do feel like venturing out, Canvas Hotel’s location is incredibly convenient, as it’s located in the heart of Cedars District in downtown.
Located in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood, Dream Downtown’s GuestHouse is a luxurious duplex penthouse featuring over 2,500-square-feet of space. Perfect for entertaining and gatherings, the suite encompasses a spacious garden terrace, a glass-bottom jacuzzi, and a Savant home automation system, as well as a personal security guard upon request.
Bottom Line:
Let us repeat…A glass-bottom jacuzzi and a personal security guard. This suite is begging you to throw a legendary party in the heart of the Big Apple. Sure, this trip is on the rather extravagant side of things, but splitting the bill with a group of friends for an iconic weekend in NYC is totally worth it.
No one remembers the money they saved. (Unless they use that money to gain financial security, I suppose, but… YOLO!)
Executive Suite at westdrift — MANHATTAN BEACH, CA
westdrift
PRICE: $429 Per Night
What the Hotel Says:
A boutique hotel for travelers of all callings, westdrift Manhattan Beach delivers the sophistication of a true blue East Coast classic blended with the laidback vibe of coastal California. This luxurious Executive Suite features oversized balconies with golf course views.
Bottom Line:
First of all, Manhattan Beach is a totally underestimated beach destination just outside of LA. From the pristine beach and pier to the many boutique shops, restaurants, and seaside bars, Manhattan Beach makes for a quintessential Southern California weekend sans the overcrowded boardwalks.
You can live out your endless summer daydreams at westdrift’s nine-hole golf course, chill by the pool, or book a surfing lesson through the hotel’s guest services. Nothing beats coming home to a luxurious room and ultra-comfortable bed after an active day in the sun.
The Executive Suite gives you just that. With a view.
Perfect for gathering friends or preparing for a big event, The Wayfinder’s premiere suite features an extra-large living room with a dining area, along with an oversized bathroom with a sit-down vanity, bathtub, double sink, and walk-in shower. Just over 800 square feet, the Wayfinder Suite is ideal for a group getaway or a romantic weekend respite. The Wayfinder Suite is complete with custom bohemian decor and furnishings, vintage finds, and local art.
Bottom Line:
Newport, Rhode Island is the kind of place that might totally surprise you — in a good way! It’s an ideal destination for a few days off the grid, and there’s no better place to stay than in a homey suite that perfectly embodies the laidback, seaside vibe of the city.
Glass doors open to an expansive wraparound private terrace allowing fresh air and sunlight to pour into the spacious interior. With panoramic views of Las Vegas’ famous fountains, the Wraparound Terrace Suite boasts amenities not typically found in a luxury Las Vegas hotel room, including a sleek wet bar with a Sub-Zero wine chiller.
Bottom Line:
If you’re going to go to Las Vegas, you might as well go all out. Between the panoramic views of Sin City and the in-room bar, this room makes for the most badass pregaming and post-party setting. It’s the ultimate birthday or bachelorette experience.
The Lodge Penthouse is the unofficial ‘Honeymoon Suite’ of the wilderness. Found at Urban Cowboy Lodge nestled on 68 acres in the Big Indian Wilderness, the room features the famous towering black-willow headboard, oversized leather seating, a desk, a private furnished deck, a giant en-suite master bath with a clawfoot copper tub for two, and a palatial double-headed rain shower. This suite can be booked with an additional attached living room offering seating, a wet bar, and some of the best views on the property.
Bottom Line:
Staying in The Lodge Penhouse feels like you’re sleeping outside in the wilderness, without actually having to sleep outside in the wilderness. It’s highly stylized and very cool.
The 1,750-square-foot urban retreat is encased in glass and inspired by the clean simplicity of Los Angeles’ modern, mid-century architecture. The GuestHouse offers unparalleled, sprawling views of the city, from Downtown to Hollywood Hills. The suite features a plush king room, spacious living room that can be transformed into a private screening room, private terrace, and lavish bathroom with glass walls to take in the surrounding landscape.
Bottom Line:
You can literally live the Hollywood dream in the GuestHouse suite. Besides its incredible views and location, the suite itself is downright sexy thanks to the ultra-modern decor and sleek aesthetic. I mean, a glass shower? The sexiness rating of this room is off the charts.
An experience at Hotel LeVeque is a dazzling escape. The 149-room boutique hotel located in the heart of Downtown Columbus is sure to enchant each guest with stunning details ranging from custom, locally curated bath amenities to an inspiring signature starry turndown service. Hotel LeVeque’s Queen Suites and grand amenities guarantee a picturesque stay in downtown Columbus. We are greatly influenced by our city’s rich history, creating a romantic, exquisite atmosphere, but never sacrificing your comfort.
Bottom Line:
You can literally sleep under the stars in Hotel LeVeque’s dreamy suites. Each room comes with a nightlight that projects a starry night sky on your hotel room’s ceiling. Talk about ambiance. If you want a romantic weekend getaway without giving up the lively atmosphere of a big city, then Hotel LeVeque is the spot to do it.
Welcome to the largest and most magical suite at Dive. The two-room, two-bed Paris Suite includes all our Dive standard amenities but takes design and inspiration to a whole new level. It features an original 1919 belle époque brass and copper elevator cage from Paris, fully restored and converted into a Queen bed and lounge, as well as a full-sized bar in a stunning Tambour cabinet featuring eight full bottles of premium liquors, elegant vintage glassware, and premium wines and vintage Dom Perignon.
Bottom Line:
This hotel is hot in more ways than one, which makes for a sultry desert oasis. The adults-only petite boutique hotel only has 11 rooms, which adds a level of exclusivity and privacy to the experience. Basically, if you want to get away from the city, enjoy desert views, chill by the pool without being disturbed, and have cool sex in a scenic setting you should book the Paris Suite.
As we continue to move into a more digital age, video games are following suit with more people purchasing their games through online stores. With consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S offering a digital-only version of the leading consoles, it’s pretty clear where the future of gaming is heading. While physical copies aren’t going way, more and more are making the shift to buying most of their games from digital stores.
As a result of so many more people buying their games through digital stores, it creates a little bit of fun trivia on what games we’re seeing pop up the most on places like the PlayStation Store. Luckily, for those of us that are interested in this kind of thing, PlayStation recently put out a blog post with the PlayStation Store’s highest-selling games of 2021. While we don’t want to assume too much based on these rankings, it looks like the scenario where everyone buys all their games through digital means isn’t quite there yet.
One thing that is very apparent is that right now the majority of people using the PlayStation Store for original releases are doing so with their PlayStation 5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Resident Evil Village, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart all make Top 10 appearances for the PlayStation 5 in the United States and you can add on Kena: Bridge of Spirits in Europe. However, all of those games failed to surpass Call of Duty: Vanguard which rode in at the No. 2 spot for the PlayStation 5 in both regions. What was the top game you may be wondering? In the United States that would be NBA 2K22 and in FIFA 22 in Europe.
Over on the PlayStation 4, we saw Grand Theft Auto V continue its dominance as the highest-selling game in the United States with FIFA 22 once again taking the top spot in Europe. We also saw some older releases start to appear near the top of the PlayStation 4 rankings with games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Minecraft, and NBA 2K21 all making high appearances for the previous generation console.
If there was one thing this list made clear it’s that people still really love Call of Duty and sports games. While it was cool to see more artistic and/or story-driven games high on the PlayStation 5 list we are fully well aware of the popularity of franchises like NBA 2K, GTA, FIFA, and Call of Duty. Be sure to check out the full list for even more categories such as free-to-play and the PlayStation VR.
Imagination is the world’s greatest spice. In the real world, nothing about the idea of blue-colored milk sounds good, it sounds straight-up frightening and if you saw it in real life you’d probably be too scared to smell it, let alone drink it. Yet, for whatever reason, Star Wars fans of all ages have been absolutely f*cking captivated by the concept of blue milk ever since we first saw Luke Skywalker pour a glass in Star Wars: A New Hope.
What does this stuff taste like? Blueberry Nesquik? Does it have a raw milk vibe? Does it taste good in espresso? All valid questions.
Blue milk is such a part of the Star Wars expanded universe and mythology that when Rian Johnson dared to give us an image of an old curmudgeonly Luke Skywalker drinking *gasp* green milk straight from the teet of… whatever the hell this thing is in The Last Jedi, a certain sector of the internet lost their shit. Which is exactly why when Disneyland put together their Star Wars land, Galaxy’s Edge, they capitalized on our unhealthy obsession by giving us our first official taste of the stuff.
I’ve been wanting to know how the Disney-fied blue milk tastes for a while now, ever since Galaxy’s Edge first opened in the summer of 2019 (full review of the park incoming) and… then the pandemic hit. The pandemic is by no means over, but since this is seemingly a permanent part of our lives now I decided to risk it all, make the trek to Disneyland rocking an N95, and try this milk for myself in my own private corner of the busiest happiest place on Earth.
While at the park, I actually discovered that isn’t just one flavor or colored of milk, there are three. Naturally, we reviewed them all!
Blue Milk
Dane Rivera
Price: $7.99
The Milk:
Available at the unimaginatively named “Milk Stand” in Galaxy’s Edge (on the planet Batuu), I was pleased to learn that this “blue milk” is thankfully, not milk at all and is mostly dominated by a hard to decipher fruity flavor. In an attempt to, I’m certain, cater to the widest audience possible ($$$), this milk is entirely plant-based, featuring a mixture of coconut and rice milks.
I think that makes for a better drink. But I don’t know that it’s going to satisfy Star Wars fan’s expectations.
Disneyland could’ve gone with a food coloring and made this a simple milk tea inspired drink (I’m not opposed to adding boba to this thing either) but instead this relies on fruity characteristics above all else, a tasting note that I don’t think any Star Wars fan expected out of the legendary piece of set design.
The flavor is dominated by notes of sweetened coconut and the slightest hint of pineapple on the back end.
Dane Rivera
A bit like a piña colada, but leaning much more heavily on the coconut than anything else. The drink features an icy consistency that comes off a bit like a loose slushy with shavings of ice present throughout. It tastes nothing like I expected it, or even wanted it to. To be fair to Disney though (because Disney needs/deserves/reciprocates fairness?) this isn’t Bantha milk, which is what Luke was drinking, it’s “Batuu’s legenadary blue… treat, served frozen.”
So you could argue it’s not what Luke drank anyway. But then… why are we drinking it?
Green Milk
Dane Rivera
Price: $7.99
The Milk:
Next up was the green milk. It looks much less appetizing than the blue, but the two flavors are pretty interchangeable at the end of the day. While the blue milk had a cooler more refreshing vibe to it, the green has a more tropical quality. I’m tasting more coconut but also mango, and maybe even a hint of citrus.
It’s really hard to decipher the fruity notes of each drink because they are primarily dominated by sweetness. There isn’t a lot of subtlety here at all, but I can see the green milk being more enjoyable on a hot day when you’re looking for a refreshing snack between waiting in punishingly long lines.
The Milk Bar’s description of the Toydaria Swirl is a bit misleading. The signage suggests it’s simply a mix of flavors but it’s actually a lot more crafted than that. The drink doesn’t utilize both flavors, instead it uses the green milk as a base with a swirl of mango fruit sauce topped with a dusting of chili lime seasoning. The flavor is akin to sprinkling Tajín on a tropical mango raspado and drinking the syrupy ice at the bottom. I got mango, coconut, lime and orange citrus, and a subtle and spicy aftertaste that lingered brilliantly between brain-freeze inducing sips.
As a drink it has absolutely no connection to Star Wars whatsoever and it’s kind of better for it, even if that does ruin the immersion a bit. To get one last little nerdy rant in, I find it puzzling that Star Wars branded this drink the “Toydaria Swirl.” The most famous Toydarian in all of Star Wars is Watto, you know, the Mos Espa junk dealer that literally owned Anakin Skywalker and his mother before losing the former in a pod race bet with Liam Neeson.
Very weird move, Disney. Why not the Dagobah Swirl? Same planet color, but I digress.
The Bottom Line:
Blue milk in the winter, green in the summer, swirl for the best bang for your buck. Ultimately, the legendary blue milk will forever taste best in our imaginations (or as a milk tea with food coloring). If you’re really going to shell out close to $10 for what is essentially a 12oz coconut slushie, go all out and get the Toydaria Swirl. It won’t feel like you’re drinking something from the Star Wars universe, but look around you, you’re in Galaxy’s Edge and it’s inarguably one of Disneyland’s best creations and absolutely chock full of other references for you to nerd out on.
Gunna released his third album DS4EVER this past Friday and fans quickly noticed that a notable collaboration was missing from it. Gunna’s “P Power” track with Drake — which was previously titled “P*ssy Power” — was absent from the project when it was made available on streaming platforms last weekend. A reason for it was not given by Gunna, Drake, or their respective teams, but at long last, the song is finally here.
The track is carried by a sample of Donna Summer’s “Could It Be Magic” thanks to excellent production from Metro Boomin. “P*ssy Power” as a whole is an erotic record dedicated to women and their sexual prowess. Both rappers detail drug-driven moments with the women in their lives and how they cater to them thanks to their lavish and wealthy lifestyles.
With the release of “P Power,” Drake joins a healthy cast of guest acts on DS4EVER which includes Future, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Roddy Ricch, Chloe Bailey, G Herbo, Yung Bleu, and more. The release of “P*ssy Power” also comes after Gunna shared a video for “Pushin P” with Future and Young Thug. Gunna also shared a deluxe version of DS4EVER with four additional songs, but it was quickly removed from streaming platforms.
You can listen to “P Power” in the video above.
DS4EVER is out now via YSL / 300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Golden State Warriors got a boost in the form of the return of Klay Thompson this week, as the star shooting guard played in his first game since the 2019 NBA Finals on Sunday, but one large piece remains missing from Golden State’s rotation.
Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, James Wiseman, has been sidelined for over nine months due to a torn meniscus suffered late last season, and on Thursday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said they were hopeful Wiseman would begin contact work soon, either in 1-on-1 or 3-on-3. Every person responds differently to the rehab process, so timetables for one player won’t be the same as another, but many fans were wondering why there seemed to be an additional delay to Wiseman’s return compared to others who have come back from a meniscus tear.
What’s the explanation for the elongated recovery? Another previously unreported surgery was needed. Because of some minor-yet-persistent swelling, Wiseman needed a scope and cleanup in mid-December, flushing out some loose bodies, sources confirm, which slowed his anticipated comeback.
It is for the best that Wiseman got it fully taken care of, but it does come as a surprise given the Warriors chose not to divulge that information publicly via a release when he had the procedure. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here for Wiseman in his recovery, but for fans hoping for the big man’s return this month, it seems it might take a bit longer before he gets to begin his sophomore campaign.
Distiller Freddie Noe knows that you probably have preconceived notions in your head about Jim Beam. As the eighth-generation distiller at the best-selling bourbon brand in the world, he knows that’s unavoidable. So he decided to lean into his family history and bourbon heritage, while also making serious craft-driven adjustments to the distilling process sure to completely alter everything you think you know about Beam and their brands.
The biggest example of Noe’s approach is the brand-new Fred B. Noe Distillery (named after Freddie’s dad and Beam’s current Master Distiller), which is a true small-time craft distillery right in Clermont (KY) and surrounded by the freshly refurbished and re-opened James B. Beam Distillery with a new visitor’s center, tours, tasting rooms, and restaurant (don’t sleep on the Hot Brown pizza, trust us). The new distillery was Freddie Noe’s brainchild, based on his Little Book creations. We’ll get into how that played out below, but the curious can go and visit this craft distillery, drink some great cocktails, and even practice their own blending skills, right on the larger Beam campus. The Fred B. Noe Distillery has also teamed up with the University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits to bring classrooms right into the distillery to educate the next generation of whiskey makers.
To illuminate Jim Beam‘s new era, I sat down with Freddie Noe in his distillery to talk about how Little Book came to be and then helped build the space itself. We also touched on what it’s like taking on the mantle of “Beam” as a brand reaching back to 1795 and how new whiskey expressions are built. Let’s dive in!
You know, ten, 20, 30 years ago people would know the name Jim Beam but not know much about it other than it’s Kentucky bourbon. Today, we know how big the brand is, how it’s made, etc. Jim Beam is the number one selling bourbon in the world. Does that give you a focus of like, “Hell yeah, let’s keep going,” or do you feel like it puts a spotlight on you for people to nitpick you more because you’re in that spot?
I think it’s a little bit of a both. The thing about me, when you say, “World’s number one bourbon,” I’m so proud of that fact. Jim Beam’s been the world’s number one bourbon since the ’70s. But what I’m striving for … I want to see Jim Beam be the world’s number one whiskey. That’s kind of one of my goals.
Watch out, Johnnie Walker.
Exactly. It’s a lofty goal, but through things like Booker’s, Baker’s, the things we’re going to be doing in this facility, hopefully, it amplifies what bourbon is about, drives more education on Jim Beam, and bourbon in the overall whiskey category.
I get a lot of silly questions. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Booker’s and Baker’s or the Little Book is all just Jim Beam in a fancy bottle. But those bottles are built around craft and what we’re doing is craft and that craft isn’t a science. It’s great and I love it.
It sort of blows my mind that I can be in Berlin and I can walk into a shop and get a bottle of Jim Beam for 9.99, about 12, 13 bucks and it’s identical quality and exactly what I want. The fact that I can get that quality of straight bourbon from right here in Clermont for that price…
It’s crazy.
… It’s kind of a miracle.
One of my favorite ads for Jim Beam is from when he was out kind of traveling and just getting this thing going was, “Beam Whiskey, no finer in all this world, yet moderately priced.”
That was the point. He knew he had good whiskey and he knew he was making money off of it. He didn’t need to make a million dollars off of everybody, right? He wanted to get our whiskey in everyone’s mouth because he thought it was the world’s finest whiskey.
I think that’s what you and the Russells [the family behind Wild Turkey] understand is, “Hey, let’s keep this accessible so that everyone can buy it.” Then, of course, that’ll lead people to the Booker’s, Little Book, etc.
Absolutely. You have to have that because I want to find an American whiskey for everyone in the world. I think there is the possibility of that. We have the most levers to pull. It’s holding those levers in, delivering products like Booker’s or even like Booker’s Rye that kind of elevates things, but you never lose sight of that Jim Beam. That was one of the last things that my granddaddy said to my dad is, “Take care of my Booker’s, but don’t ever lose sight of Jim Beam because that’s what got us here.”
And when I was a kid I was like, “But my granddaddy’s got a product named after him. Why does he care about that?” Now, I know. If they call me and there’s a Jim Beam quality problem. I’m probably more up their ass than if they said, “We got a problem with Little Book.” Because I know I can correct that. That’s mine, right? I can deal with those problems. But if you are in Berlin and buy a bottle of Jim Beam and it’s at all off from that quality mark, we may have lost you as a consumer.
Guess what’s sitting right next to Jim Beam on the shelf?
Exactly. There’s something else sitting right there now. There’s so much sitting there. We have to be the biggest upholders of integrity.
Beam Suntory
Building off of that. There’s always going to be something different these days. Somebody’s always going to be coming along with new ideas and making new expressions, which sort of leads me to this new craft facility because I feel like this is a new idea that you don’t see in a lot of distilleries this size. What was the “aha” moment where you knew this was the step forward for Beam?
When I first started working on Little Book, I didn’t know anything. I was just doing some blending. It wasn’t even called Little Book yet. It was just “Freddie working on this idea he had.”
Right.
Right around that same time, it became “Little Book” because someone was reading my granddad’s book where he called me “Little Book” as a child. And they’re like, “Look, your granddad’s got Booker’s. How cool would it be to name it Little Book?” And I hadn’t even thought of that, but that’s perfect.
So, as I was working on that, I got to a place where I had a couple of blends I really liked. And no one really knew what I was doing except for one other fellow and my dad and a couple of marketing people who said, “Go for it.”
So I’ve done this, we got this place and I’m like, “This is pretty fucking good.” So I take it to a couple of people to taste it and they’re just, “Wow, this is good stuff. What is this?” I said, “It’s a blend.” Silence.
“A Blend?”
One of them actually called my dad up. “What the fuck is Freddie doing doing blends? Are you sure we want this kind of publicity coming?” And Dad was kind of like, “Let him do his thing and we’ll see what happens.”
As if Four Rose’s didn’t already exist.
Exactly! So a few months go forward, we’re about to launch Little Book, and our CEO, Matthew Shatter, comes down for my grandmother’s wake. I hadn’t seen him in a while but he was my mentor. He come down and after the service, he come to the house, and then we had a drink. He’s like, “What are you working on these days?” So I slid him that glass of Little Book and he was like, “What do we need to do to get more of this?”
And I said, “I need a distillery.” He’s like, “You got two distilleries, right?” I said, “We need a small distillery because these are very differentiated products that I blended together very delicately and patiently.”
To get to this kind of stuff, you can’t just take your everyday whiskey. You need to go and stretch the boundaries of what the flavor is to get into the different areas I was looking for.
Beam Suntory
Where did you start finding these whiskeys, to begin with?
It’s kind of funny. It started when I was working in the distillery, just learning about corn, rye, and malt and the flavor that each of them individually attributes to our mash during fermentation and then to the distillation. I always thought we should put all these together from each part. Each of them has its own flavor individually. Could you maximize what flavor is available and then blend them together?
Or, I didn’t say blend because back then it was a dirty word. If I said “blend,” dad or grandad would’ve beat me with a stick. That was a terrible word.
It was “mingling,” right?
It’s “mingling,” exactly.
But I thought if you put them together after you made the whiskey, what’s that like versus cooking it together? And the distillery guys are all, “This guy will never fucking make it around here. He’s going to separate how we cook all of this?!?”
I did a little bit of a stint where I went to quite a few different departments and spent three to six months there. I got invited to go to R&D and they tasked me with coming up with a new product. So I just asked the lady I was working with, “I want to do a blend of corn, rye, and malt whiskeys. Do we have that?” And she’s like, “I think we do.”
And that’s where Little Book started. What I used was corn whiskey that was existing stock, a rye whiskey which was our normal rye that had lower content rye right above the 51 percent. So it still had quite a bit of corn in it. And they were four years old. There were still a lot of immaturities that those liquids were bringing about. It wasn’t that good, but I did it as an exercise.
Then a couple of years later, it comes back up as an opportunity to work on innovation. I thought, “I did this and did it at 80 proof and four years old,” Then I thought, “What can I do differently?”
So some of it was a different age, maybe utilize more of that kind of rye, like Booker’s rye. Could we utilize some of that? So that’s essentially what I did was assemble a high rye content older whiskey with that corn whiskey with some older malt whiskey. The corn whiskey was actually 13 years old and that’s where it all started to really come together. But it all stemmed from a thought of, ‘if we cook these together and it comes out like this, what would happen if you cooked them individually, distilled them individually, and then mingle them together?’
Right.
I always want to know the what if? What if we did it this…? If we do it this way and it does this, but what if we do this, what happens?
It doesn’t always work out the best in the distillery because you lock things up and you have to shut things down to do something different. That’s why I was telling the CEO that we need a place where I can essentially lock it up and no one’s going to be calling me saying, “Gosh damn, we missed 400 barrels of whiskey yesterday because you shut the distillery down for 14 hours.” You know what I mean?
It gives you time to think.
This place gives me that opportunity to do that and it literally all stemmed from that Little Book conversation about how we can extend further into whiskey and the differentiation that we can do.
Then there’s the added layer to this spot in that it’s an experiential location for people to come and watch you, watch the experience, and watch this literal craft whiskey get made live while drinking a killer cocktail.
Correct.
Beam Suntory
What are some of the things that you’re looking forward to people actually experiencing when they come here?
I think the biggest thing, it’s a quote from what we’ve been saying, “Genuine in the making.” Everything we do here is genuine. I pointed out when we were walking around, we run natural fermentation so we don’t use synthetic enzymes. We propagate our yeast here on site. It’s in the room in the corner over there, right under my watchful eye. A lot of people have outsourced those things. They get them in bags.
But to me, I think it makes you a better distiller when you have to watch everything, you have to make sure your assets stay in touch, or you got to cut out your setback. So there are things that we do here that are purposefully inefficient because it’s all about the quality that goes in the bottle. It’s not about making more whiskey. It’s not about selling thousand-dollar bottles of whiskey. It’s about always making sure the quality hits.
That’s what it’s about is that people come here and they get to experience that genuine in the making, that we’re still doing this. I say this and I think some people in our company maybe get a little nervous when I say it but “It’s the Beam way and it’s the right way,” because we’ve been doing it for a long time.
There have been opportunities to maybe grab synthetic enzymes or to take our yeast and let it be outsourced so we just come in perfect every time. But we own this process. My family’s owned this process for 226 years now. And my dad said it and I say it too, “I’m not going to be the guy that’s going to change that authentic process or alter that.”
If anything, you lean in.
Exactly. I’m going to lean into it. I’m going to help us maybe make it a little bit less inefficient if we can, but we’re still going to do things the Beam way and so that’s what I hope people experience.
When you come here and you take away the Beam way, when you see the products we create and the liquids that are here, hopefully, it rises that word “craft” as what’s genuine in making. You see we’re doing craft and not science. I think if you come here and you see this stuff, it’d be hard for you not to be very inspired. You’ll see that the world’s number one bourbon maker is still doing things so inefficiently for craft, right?
For sure, I think a lot of people see Jim Beam as so big that It must be a huge, faceless factory. And that’s the opposite of what we’re sitting in right now, which is pure character, but also pure craft. I mean, this is really the antithesis of what people probably have been programmed to think about Beam.
Correct. If we were to walk around the facility just on that side of the building, or if I took you through the bottling house, or around the warehouse team, or when we walk through that door, I’ll be a little bit nervous about the shit they might give me because we’re all very close.
That’s good though.
Right? Because they’d be excited to see me and they’d be excited for you to be here. That’s what’s cool is our people interact with people like they’re in church. It’s not because we’re telling them, “You got to talk to these people.” They’re proud of what they do here and they want to showcase it to anybody and everybody who will come through.
So luckily, since we’re opening back up. we’ll hopefully have more people coming in, getting a chance to see it. They’ll see that everybody here is an extension of me and the Beam and Noe family. And that they’re proud of this place and proud to showcase what we’re doing here.
Beam Suntory
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
