A new Sexiest Man Alive has been named, which unfortunately means previous winners Matthew McConaughey, Denzel Washington, and Chris Hemsworth are all dead. They had a good run. Anyway, People‘s Sexiest Man Alive for 2021 is none other than Paul Rudd, a choice that’s impossible to argue with. I love Paul Rudd. You love Paul Rudd. Everyone loves Paul Rudd, who’s been in too many good things to name all of them.
But here’s a few: Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, a bunch of Marvel movies, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and They Came Together. He was also an all-time great guest on Conan.
“I do have an awareness, enough to know that when people hear that I’d be picked for this, they would say, ‘What?’ This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me,” Rudd told People. He joked about how his friends are going to give him “so much grief” for his sexy title, but he’s hoping to “finally be invited to some of those sexy dinners with Clooney and Pitt and B Jordan.” Rudd continued:
“And I figure I’ll be on a lot more yachts. I’m excited to expand my yachting life. And I’ll probably try to get better at brooding in really soft light. I like to ponder. I think this is going to help me become more inward and mysterious. And I’m looking forward to that.”
I look forward to adding PaulRuddSexyPonder.gif to my collection. People‘s choice was celebrated across social media…
tell me what’s better than Paul Rudd saying he’s gonna use his title as SEXIEST MAN ALIVE to “be on a lot more yachts” pic.twitter.com/D9UMzOabJ3
… but while everyone loves Rudd, he wasn’t considered the frontrunner. The New York Post‘s Page Sixreported last week that Chris Evans, America’s Ass himself, was going to be named Sexiest Man Alive. He wasn’t. And his fans are not pleased.
I love Paul Rudd. Doesn’t everyone? But how can he be the “Sexiest Man Alive” when @ChrisEvans exists?
So the other day they just straight up lied when they said that Chris Evans was gon be sexiest man alive this year. Like I love Paul but I- pic.twitter.com/jxBfNTUNFr
Jimmy Kimmel hasn’t got a whole lot of sympathy for Jenna Ryan, the MAGA rioter who is going to jail after declaring that she was “definitely not going to jail” because of her “blonde hair,” “white skin,” “great job,” and “great future.” Oops!
On Tuesday night, Kimmel shared that the trials for those individuals accused of storming the Capitol are beginning to heat up, and mentioned that Ryan’s had just concluded, where she was sentenced to 60 days in jail. Kimmel had trouble feigning any sympathy for the Texas realtor, and made sure to remind his audience who she was:
“This is the woman who flew to D.C. in a private jet and used her attendance at the insurrection to plug her real estate business… So then, much to Jenna’s surprise, she got arrested. And despite the fact that this woman flies on private jets and uses her social media to brag about how wealthy she is, she set up a PayPal asking for donations. She said ‘I’m accepting donations to pay legal fees and losses due to my arrest and charges by the FBI for protesting at the US Capitol. Thank you for your support. Any amount helps.’
So then, when PayPal shut her down, she admitted it was a grift. She wrote: ‘I really don’t need the donations. I was just giving people the opportunity to contribute and be blessed by their giving. Whoever donates to me is going to be blessed beyond measure.’ Yes, I believe it was the Apostle Matthew who said, ‘Blessed are those who pay legal fees for idiots for they shall be screwed out of 20 bucks.’”
Kimmel even brought up Ryan’s tweet from March, then giddily announced that in January, Ryan will be going to prison. “To really rub it in, the prosecutor used that tweet against her saying it showed she thought she was immune from punishment because of her race and physical appearance… Anyway, if you live in North Texas and you’re looking to buy a house from Jenna Ryan, act quick, because the open house is about to close.”
You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 6:50 mark.
With so many big-name bourbon brands filling up the shelves right now, crafty bottles can get lost in the mix. That’s especially true if you’re not in the particular region in which that craft whiskey is being made. It’s the nature of the beast. We can’t all know all of it.
Still, we do feel obligated (and excited!) to highlight some of the craft whiskey makers making quality bourbons out there. Bottles that expand the palate and change the game up, in part because they don’t have storied legacies or prototypical flavor profiles to live up to.
As for defining “Craft” bourbon whiskey, let’s look at it this way. For this exercise, “craft” is a distillery that’s owned and operated by an independent entity or group. That doesn’t mean that a small crafty distiller doesn’t have a distributor that also puts, say, Remus Reserve or Yellowstone on the shelf. It just means that these are distillers making their own juice their own way in their own neck of the woods.
The ten bottles of craft bourbon below are bottles we’ve tasted recently (sometimes again) that really do deserve a bit more shine. As always, click on those prices to see if you can snag one of these bottles in your neighborhood. And if you’re planning a trip to the region these whiskeys are made, maybe consider dropping by the distillery to say hello.
This bourbon from Washington is truly one-of-a-kind. The mash bill is 55 percent local corn and 45 percent local triticale. “Triticale” is a hybrid grain that marries wheat and rye into a single product. So, essentially, this whiskey is has a mash of corn, rye, and wheat. That juice is then aged for a minimum of three years before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with this creamy vanilla ice cream that’s bespeckled with chunks of soft yet sweet peaches that are just touched with cinnamon and allspice next to a light, almost oaty vibe. The palate really holds onto the vanilla ice cream aspect of the nose while layers of wet cedar lead towards a very mild and slightly sweet chili tobacco hint next to a touch of new leather and lemon pepper straight from the 90s. That citrus and pepper drive the finish towards a warm yet soft end.
Bottom Line:
This is softly spicy while still feeling very familiar. The depth at play isn’t overly deep but still distinct enough to make for either a nice sipper on the rocks or a cocktail base.
Kentucky Peerless Distilling takes its time for a true grain-to-glass experience. Their Single Barrel Bourbon is crafted with a fairly low-rye mash bill and fermented with a sweet mash as opposed to a sour mash (that means they use 100 percent new grains, water, and yeast with each new batch instead of holding some of the mash over to start the next one like a sourdough starter, hence the name). The barrels are then hand-selected for their taste and bottled completely un-messed with.
Tasting Notes:
This is bold yet delicate, with a nose full of berry brambles hanging heavy with dark fruits with a touch of tart next to old leather, a spicy plum pudding, and a touch of old cedar. The palate takes that cedar and leans into the wet bark, as a moment of espresso bean bitterness leads into a mid-palate that’s the softest and moistest vanilla cake with poppy seeds. Those berries tumble onto the cake, now dusted with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon, as the finish slowly melts into pure silk.
Bottom Line:
Peerless’ Rye gets a lot of attention from the public while their bourbon tends to be an afterthought. That’s a real shame, as this whiskey is pretty phenomenal. For a craft bourbon whiskey from Kentucky, this can easily stand next to the biggest names (and probably win a blind test or two against them).
Iowa’s first distillery planted itself right in the middle of America’s grain belt. They’re making a product that requires corn, rye, and barley, so there’s really no better place to set up a distillery. Cedar Ridge’s Reserve Iowa Bourbon wins awards pretty much everywhere it drops a new expression.
The corn-fueled bourbon spends five years aging, adding a deep complexity that’ll help you fall in love with bourbon in general.
Tasting Notes:
This is a big whiskey with a lot to ponder. It opens with a flourish of freshly cracked black pepper, warm honeycombs, and fields of blooming jasmine. There’s a dry nature to the sip with fresh herbs — dill and fennel, predominately — hitting first. Then the corn arrives. You can almost taste the fresh green husks in the whiskey.
This is a spring farm in full bloom distilled into a glass.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bourbons that I wish I had more access to. It’s really well-made and very accessible. It’s also a great cocktail base if you’re looking for something a little more floral and herbaceous.
Litchfield is one of those local craft distilleries that do a little bit of everything. Their Double-Barreled 5-year-old is a highwater mark of the operation. The juice is made from locally grown Connecticut grains. That whiskey is then aged for a few years. Finally, it’s proofed with local water and re-barreled to add an extra layer of woody depth to the bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
The sip starts with an almost vinous note that goes into sweet caramel and spice. There’s a clear vanilla essence through the woody oak. The aged-grape flavors come in again with a slight sweetness before a warm, woody, and spicy finale.
Bottom Line:
Connecticut is probably pretty low on the list of whiskey destinations all things considered. Still, this distillery is doing some fine work and is a stone’s throw from New York City (if you’re in the area and looking for a day trip).
Out in California, Sonoma County Distillery is working some unique magic with their bourbon. Sonoma Bourbon has a mash bill that eschews rye and instead uses local wheat. The bill ends up at 70 percent corn, 25 percent wheat, and five percent barley. The wheat adds a nutty and bitter dimension to the final product that’s worth checking out.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a grassy nature here. Think of a field of grass at the very end of summer when everything is amber-gold and the sun is scorching the earth. Then rushes of buttery and brisk toffee come into play alongside oaky vanilla, bitter roasted coffee beans, and wonderful echoes of almond-heavy marzipan. There’s a mild alcohol spice on the backend that leaves you wanting another sip.
Bottom Line:
There’s a lot of interesting craft coming out of California right now. This small distillery in the heart of wine country is a highwater mark for the region and continues to make some truly tasty (and award-winning) whiskey.
This small-town craft distillery is making some of the finest grain-to-glass whiskey on the market. Their signature bourbon is a wheated bourbon that utilizes grains grown within 100 miles of the Wyoming distillery. The juice is aged for at least four years before it’s small-batched, proofed with local water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The vanilla and caramel on the nose are creamy to the point of feeling like a stiff pudding with a hint of wildflowers. The palate holds onto those flowers and pudding while adding cinnamon sticks warming in browned butter with a note of cedar. That spice broadens out to a Christmas spice vibe as a buttery toffee sweetness and mouthfeel lead you toward a finish that’s just the right length.
Bottom Line:
You’re starting to see this on more and more shelves and we’re here for it. The whiskey feels unique while still delivering on classic bourbon vibes. It’s 100 percent worth checking out if you can snag a bottle near you.
Pinhook’s contract distilled bourbon is all about refinement. The expression is made from 100 barrels that are matured for 34 months before being small-batched by Pinhook’s Master Taster Sean Josephs. The juice is barely touched with that soft Kentucky limestone water to take the edge off.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a lemon curd vibe with a buttered bread — nearly croissant — feel next to a mild dose of spiced fruits. The taste is toffee sweet but is countered by a powdered dark chocolate bitterness, marzipan smoothness, and plenty of that creamy citrus. The sip ends quietly and fades quickly, leaving you with a nice touch of lemon oils next to dark chocolate powder and a hint of spicy stewed oranges.
Bottom Line:
This is always an interesting release every year. It’s refined, different, and well-made without being ostentatious or overdone. It’s just an easy sipper and a great mixer, taken all around.
A.D. Laws out in Colorado is a special shingle. The distillery is renowned for its award-winning four-grain bourbons. This bottle, to us, is the most accessible of the bunch. The juice is made from 60 percent corn, 20 percent heirloom wheat, ten percent heirloom rye, and ten percent heirloom malted barley. That hot juice is then aged for over six years before it’s batched and cut down to 100 proof per bonded whiskey laws.
Tasting Notes:
This feels more crafty on the nose, with a balance between bitter black tea that’s been cut with a summer-y and floral honey as touches of cinnamon and orange pop in the background. The orange and spice thickens and leans into an orange pound cake with a buttery and spicy streusel crumble as that black tea bitterness circles back to cut through all that butter, spice, and orange. The end leans into the spice with more of a cinnamon candy vibe that drives towards a final dusting of dark cocoa.
Bottom Line:
This list probably could have just been Colorado crafties. Laws is one of many great whiskeys coming out of the state. But if you haven’t tried any juice from Colorado yet, we’re telling you: start here.
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:
The sip draws you in with hints of burnt orange rings next to fresh honey, apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, cherry tobacco, and vanilla pods. The palate leans dry with cornmeal, bales of straw, woody eggnog spices, cherry stems, and a touch of dried mint next to cedar boxes full of vanilla tobacco. The mid-palate turns with a note of pancake syrup that leads back towards the dry woods and tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Nevada is another one of those states that probably doesn’t scream “bourbon” to most whiskey drinkers. Still, there are some interesting distilleries popping up, with Frey Ranch leading the pack.
This expression dropped last year and has been garnering a lot of attention. The mash is made from 64 percent corn, 21 percent malted barley, and 15 percent Abruzzi Heritage Rye that Todd Leopold grew for his malting house at the distillery in Denver. That mash ran through a classic pot still before it was barreled and left to rest for five years.
Tasting Notes:
The floral and spicy nature of that Abruzzi rye really comes out on the nose with a touch of candied apples, Quick powder, and the faintest hint of sourdough rye with a light smear of salted butter. The taste leans into stewed pears with nutmeg and clove spices leading the way as Almond Roca and green peppercorns jostle for space on your palate. The end mellows out as that spice fades towards an eggnog vibe with a creamy vanilla underbelly and a final touch of that floral rye and hint of pear.
Bottom Line:
This continues to be one of those bourbons that you can’t stop thinking about. While it’s harder to get outside of Colorado, it’s worth the effort to experience something truly unique in the world of whiskey.
For more than 10 months, authorities and government agencies have been attempting to get to the bottom of what role—if any—Donald Trump had in the violent insurrection that took place at the Capitol Building on January 6th. And at every turn, the former president has used whatever excuse he can come up with (the phrase “executive privilege” has been mentioned on more than one occasion) to avoid being put in the hotseat. But U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan—the same person who laughed out loud last week when Trump’s lawyers filed a legal brief falsely stating that The Donald had been cleared of any January 6th misdeeds—proved yet again that she is not playing when it comes to the January 6th Committee’s investigation.
According to The Washington Post, Team Trump has been holding onto hundreds of pages of documents that the January 6th Committee wants, and using every excuse in the book not to hand them over. In a 39-page opinion, Judge Chutkan wrote that the agencies requesting these documents “contend that discovering and coming to terms with the causes underlying the January 6 attack is a matter of unsurpassed public importance because such information relates to our core democratic institutions and the public’s confidence in them. The court agrees.”
Team Trump, unsurprisingly, immediately filed an appeal. Taylor Budowich, Trump’s spokesperson, issued a statement on the former president’s behalf—on Twitter, of course—which said: “The battle to defend Executive Privilege for Presidents past, present & future—from its outset—was destined to be decided by the Appellate Courts. Pres. Trump remains committed to defending the Constitution & the Office of the Presidency, & will be seeing this process through.”
The battle to defend Executive Privilege for Presidents past, present & future—from its outset—was destined to be decided by the Appellate Courts. Pres. Trump remains committed to defending the Constitution & the Office of the Presidency, & will be seeing this process through.
Chutkan, however, seemed to have intuited that response, as she addressed what she knew might be a sticking point in her ruling by essentially stating: There can only be one president at a time, and Trump ain’t it. And since the Biden administration has already approved the release of these requested documents, Chutkan’s opinion states that Trump’s “assertion of privilege is outweighed by President Biden’s decision not to uphold the privilege, and the court will not second guess that decision.”
Midway through her argument, Chutkan delivered the biggest blow when she wrote that:
“Presidents are not kings, and [Trump] is not President. He retains the right to assert that his records are privileged, but the incumbent President ‘is not constitutionally obliged to honor’ that assertion.”
As for Trump’s contention that what is being requested of him is “unprecedented,” Judge Chutkan stopped that argument in its tracks, noting that:
“[H]istory is replete with examples of past Presidents declining to assert the privilege. From President Nixon permitting the unrestricted congressional testimony of present and former White House staff members, 5 to President Ronald Reagan’s decision to authorize testimony and the production of documents related to the IranContra affair, including information about his communications and decision-making process,6 to President George W. Bush’s decision to sit for an interview with the 9/11 Commission to answer questions about his decision-making process in the wake of the attack, 7 past Presidents have balanced the executive branch’s interest in maintaining confidential communications against the public’s interest in the requested information.”
Your move, Donald.
You can read all 39 pages of Chutkan’s opinion here.
The yearly drop of Parker’s Heritage Collection Limited Editions is often the most anticipated whiskey drop of the year. The releases from Heaven Hill — which honors the memory of their former Master Distiller Parker Beam — are very limited editions that are pulled deep from the company’s rickhouses. This year’s drop continues on the brand’s “heavy char” trajectory but with a wheat whiskey instead of a bourbon. Essentially, what we’re getting this year is a one-off and very unique edition of Heaven Hill’s Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, which is pretty exciting for fans of the brand out there.
Before we dive into what’s in the bottle, yes, this is a very rare bottle of whiskey. That means outside of very high-end whiskey shops and horse-trading for bottles, you’re not going to find this one randomly sitting on a shelf. In short, you have to want it and you have to then put in the work to get it. Good luck out there, folks!
Okay, let’s get into the latest release from Heaven Hill’s legendary Parker’s Heritage Collection.
This year’s release is a wheat whiskey that’s small-batched from 75 barrels with a heavy char. The juice in those barrels is a mash of 51 percent wheat, 37 percent corn, and 12 percent barley. The whiskey was matured on the sixth floor of Rickhouse Y for eleven long years before batching and bottling as is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with a honey sweetness that’s steeped in nutmeg and cinnamon sticks with a hint of ginger snap, peanut brittle, and a fair amount of that heavily charred oak bitterness. The taste sweetens on the front of the palate as the honey turns to a rummy dark syrup vibe and then the midpalate kicks in with a buttery vanilla touch next to spicy tobacco notes and a fleeting hint of candied cherry on the very backend. The finish does warm considerably with that Kentucky hug next to an almost espresso oil bitterness from the char and a slight inch towards a dry apple cider with a hint of cinnamon tobacco.
The Bottle:
Parker’s Heritage bottles tend to stand out on the shelf. They’re bottom-heavy with a slight taper and a very iconic label and embossed logo.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of wheat whiskey (especially Bernheim Wheat Whiskey from Heaven Hill), then this is a must-try. This is a wheat whiskey that’s taken to eleven with an accessible nose and palate that’s pleasantly easy-drinking yet complex (and rare) enough to merit the price tag.
Ranking:
94/100 — This is delicious and a highwater mark for the wheat whiskey genre.
Mark Ronson has been one of the most in-demand producers of the past decade-plus, as he’s worked with everybody from Bruno Mars to Miley Cyrus to Kacey Musgraves. He’s made a lot of music in his day, so it’d be understandable if he didn’t have a perfect memory of all of his work. Indeed, that seems to be the case based on a funny story he told on Late Night With Seth Meyers last night.
Ronson, who was on the show to promote his Fader Uncovered podcast, told Meyers that he liked a song he heard in an airport, so he used the Shazam app on his phone to identify it only to discover it was actually a track he had a hand in making:
“I was in the airport, actually, and I heard this song playing [while I was] far from the speaker, like some duty-free… I was in the whiskey store at 7 in the morning in [London’s Heathrow Airport]. I was like, ‘Oh that’s cool.’ I was like, ‘Those drums sound cool,’ because I always hear drums. If the drums have a good sound, I want to hear the song. I ended up Shazaming it and I looked and I was like, ‘Oh, I made that.’ It wasn’t so amazing, but I was like, that’s so funny. ‘I wonder who did the drums on this song,’ and I forgot that I had done that song.”
Check out the full interview above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Breaking through in the historically male-dominated green space is hard. But the four women we’re profiling today have pulled it off in grand fashion. They’ve also successfully struck a balance between what it means to be an “influencer” and how to use that influence to make the world more ecologically sound.
Through their work, these women have helped us return to the most vital roots of environmentalism — stewardship and conservation. Interestingly, both are concepts that have been dutifully upheld by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) women globally since time immemorial.
These four dynamic women create and support movements that are changing the way we look at and engage in everything from fast fashion to the great outdoors to what products we put in and on our bodies. While this is a shortlist, it features stars in the movement — Following their careers will put you on the fast track to gaining a more nuanced understanding of the quest for true sustainability.
Meet Jhánneu:
Jhánneu
Jhánneu is your go-to person for sustainable products. Through her social media platforms, she highlights alternatives to your everyday routine that will make your closet, cabinet, and shopping cart more eco-friendly.
Colorful infographics freckle her Instagram page, showing us sustainable alternatives to popular items such as cleaning products, underwear, electronics, and makeup. As a woman of color, she also uses her popular YouTube platform to showcase low waste methods for maintaining curly hair as well as a guide to Black-owned farms and food gardens.
Following Jhánneu will give you chance to refine your lifestyle. Utilizing her recommendations in your day-to-day also allows you to ease your impact on our fragile ecosystem in a tangible way. That’s a value you can’t put a price tag on.
Meet Summer Dean:
Summer Dean
Summer Dean doesn’t just explain the climate crisis, but she offers feasible solutions. She uses her platform to break down complex solutions to climate adaptation like translating exascale computing into more understandable language.
Dean also promotes sustainable fashion by partnering with large brands to bring awareness to ecologically friendly methods of clothing manufacturing. She encourages us all to upcycle, reuse, and thrift-shopping clothes instead of purchasing new ones all while championing for an end to fast fashion.
Instead of shaming you into changing your habits, Dean works hard to celebrate those of us who can change our habits for the better with a focus on a more sustainable future in our everyday purchases.
Meet Evelynn Escobar:
Evelynn Escobar
Most people might not understand why hiking is a radical act, but Evelynn Escobar — founder of @hikeclerb — puts it into perspective. She created a hiking club that brings together BIWOC to heal together through nature. By creating an intentional space for women of color to experience nature, she is providing grounds upon which an ecological revolution is built.
Her impetus is to familiarize a community with its environment to lead to more reverence for the natural world. “The outdoors were essential for my own healing journey, so I wanted to bring, facilitate, and hold space for other women and for what nature can do for them,” Evelynn says. Hike Clerb started as a casual gathering of friends hiking in L.A. and morphed into a non-profit that hosts around 20 people per hike. “We speak to everyone from the person who has never been on a hike to the person with experience — outdoorsy looks different for everyone,”
Meet Quannah Chasinghorse:
Quannah Chasinghorse
Quannah Chasinghorse — a climate warrior and Indigenous woman — is breaking the traditional beauty standard in the high fashion industry. She speaks out against extractive industries (such as fossil fuels and mining) that harm the land that she holds precious. She’s modeled for brands such as Gucci and Chanel with publications in Vogue but mainly uses her platform to spread awareness of climate injustices.
“Being able to be an Indigenous youth in this space is so important,” she says. “I grew up never seeing any representation. Now, I get to be that person for a lot of others.”
Chasinghorse goes beyond just pointing out injustices on runways. You can see her actually marching on the front lines of pipeline protests and #MMIWG2S (Murder and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit) rallies. Chasinghorse engages, talks, and protests while also demanding that the Euro-centric fashion world start taking Indigenous fashion seriously.
There’s a lot of scotch out there, folks. Currently, 36 bottles of Scotch whisky are shipped around the world everysecond. That’s well over a billion bottles hitting shelves each year. And remember, all of that whisky comes from only 134 distilleries across Scotland. It’s kind of mindboggling (and far eclipses bourbon’s numbers).
So we totally understand if you feel daunted when deciding which bottle of single malt scotch to pick off the shelf. That’s where blind taste tests come in.
Today, we’re tasting eight single malts from Scotland with two throughlines. One, all of these whiskies are unpeated single malts, sometimes referred to as sweet single malts. Two, all of these bottles should cost less than $100 at most stores. Beyond that, we’re ranking each expression based on taste alone.
Our lineup today includes:
Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or
Cardhu Gold Reserve
GlenDronach 12
Aberfeldy 12
Arran Sherry Cask
BenRiach 12
Aberlour 16
Balblair 12
Let’s get to it!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of 2021
There’s a very soft opening with shortbread cut with lemon and vanilla with a clear butteriness and touch of fruit. The palate leans into buttery toffee with light oak and a soft spiced red berry pudding with a ginger/vanilla cookie sticking out of it.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Soft rings through this whole sip as the nose gently expresses toffee-covered apples next to light yet tart berries and a touch of suede. The taste has this chewy oatmeal cookie with plenty of spice and dried fruits vibe next to dark chocolate-covered toffee and apple cores on the very backend.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens with spicy berries next to tart apples with a hint of lemon/lime and old leather. The sip leans into a honey sweetness with vanilla beans, dark plums, and spicy malts. The finish smooths out with a mineral water softness as old cedar boards mingle with a raisin tobacco chewy spice on the very end.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is pure leather and honey on the nose with hints of raisin-filled malt crackers just touched with vanilla extract. The taste delivers on that honey promise with a honey wafer cracker vibe next to a thin line of orchard fruits (especially apples and pears) with a very light brown spicy edge warming the end.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Eggnog nutmeg draws you in with a touch of dark cherry, meaty dates, and old leather on the nose. The palate shifts towards oatmeal cookies with a hefty dose of cinnamon and plenty of soft sultanas as a hint of ginger lurks in the background. Then this big and almost overpowering sense of green pinewood arrives and veers the taste towards orange rinds and not much else besides a chewy and warm buzz.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Pear candy dominates the nose with hints of fresh maple syrup adding more sweetness as leather edges in next to … blueberry? The taste circles back to the pear but stews them in holiday spices next to sherry-soaked plum pudding. The finish has a warm malty oatiness that mellows towards orange-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is all dark berries, old leather, and big chunks of nutty and fruity holiday cake with plenty of spice. The palate delivers on that while layering a lightly dried rose vibe next to clove-heavy plum jam, sweet cedar, and velvet mouthfeel. The end embraces those dark and spicy fruits with a jammy feel as a slight note of cellar cobwebs arrives on the backend.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Apple cores and lemon candy hit on the nose with a touch of malty warmth. The taste leans into spiced honey with a touch of orange oils and woodiness. That wood turns into a dry cedar as an old leather pouch full of rich, spicy, and slightly sticky tobacco emerges on the finish.
This entry-point single malt from the Highlands is an easy drinker. The juice is aged in a combo of ex-bourbon casks and “double fired” or charred, used American oak barrels. The results are touched with a little water to bring it down to proof and then bottled.
Bottom Line:
I’ve had a really hard time getting into this whisky. Part of that is the hardness of the nose. It’s also a little one-note for me and feels more like a solid cocktail mixer than a sipper.
This Islands whisky is aged exclusively in sherry oak for an undisclosed amount of time. The casks are slightly small format, allowing more of the flavors from the oak to impart into the spirit. The whisky is then vatted and bottled without filtration or cutting.
Bottom Line:
I was really digging this until that over-powering raw wood note took everything over on the mid-palate. I definitely need to try this again on its own and add some water to see what’s going on.
This Highland malt is the cornerstone of the much-beloved Dewar’s Blended Scotch. This whisky is a very accessible single malt that spends 12 years resting before it’s married and proofed with that soft Highland water and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This didn’t necessarily fall flat today. It’s more that it felt a little thin compared to the other offerings. That being said, it was still very tasty with all that lovely honey, fruit, and spice.
5. BenRiach The Twelve Speyside Single Malt — Taste 6
Dr. Rachel Barrie’s reimaging of BenRiach has been a stellar success. This dram marries 12-year-old malts that matured in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-port casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This went down very easily but there wasn’t a wow factor anywhere in this sip. That’s not saying it isn’t good but just not as big as I wanted it to be.
This Highland malt is blended by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the brand’s Master Blender to highlight the beauty of those Scottish Highlands. The juice is a blend of whiskies aged for 12 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This being in fourth place doesn’t mean much. I think had I been in a different mood or the weather been different, this could have been number one or two. It’s a solid sipper that’s really hard to find a single fault with.
Cardhu is one of the oldest Speyside distilleries in the region. The juice in this bottle is a “cask selection” of their 12-year-old expression which basically means that these were the honey barrels that came together in the vat to create a heightened sense of the brand’s style and structure.
Bottom Line:
This was so soft and lush while still being distinctly flavored. It’s hard not to really like this whisky but it didn’t quite hit the top rank today. That is in no way disparaging. This stuff is pretty delicious.
This dram from Glenmorangie is a much-loved Highland malt. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed number of years. The whisky is then transferred to French Sauternes barrels which held sweet dessert wines where it spends two more years finishing.
Bottom Line:
This remains one of my favorite single malts at this price point. It really is just a wonderful dram that drinks incredibly well.
This small Speyside distillery has been producing quality whisky for over 200 years. This expression is aged 16 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. It’s then married and proofed with soft Speyside water from the Highlands and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This is delicious. Maybe it’s the season but this dram was far and away the whisky I wanted to drink more of right now. In fact, it’s going to be hard not to finish this bottle as the snow starts to fall and the holiday candy arrives.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
I don’t know if I can say I was surprised the Aberlour 16 won. That brand has been killing it lately with their whole line. Also, it was the oldest and most expensive bottle on the list. So it’s not a shocker.
Overall, this was a welcome break from all the bourbons I’ve been drinking lately. The softness of every single one of these single malts was delightful. I felt comforted while still getting to drink some serious whisky. It was a nice change of pace.
Summer Walker has left her supporters in tears with her newly-released sophomore album, Still Over It, which details the singer’s struggles with love. To promote the new album, she stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform “Unloyal,” an early standout. A live band provided a jazzy touch to the performance while also covering for Ari Lennox, who appears on the official song but was not present for the appearance.
Walker’s performance came as she broke several records on Apple Music with Still Over It, which earned the biggest album debut ever, the biggest R&B album debut ever, and went No. 1 in 40 markets globally. She also responded to a recent report from Rolling Stone that claimed she signed a “brutal” record deal and described her as “effectively an indentured servant for a series of albums.”
“I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted to stay focused on releasing my album. Yow let me clear the air. What that article said is not my current record deal. Over the years my deal has changed many times. I’ve always had my own representation and full support from LVRN. Thank you to my fans for always having my back and for all of the love ya’ll keep showing my new album. Appreciate y’all!!”
You can watch Summer perform “Unloyal” in the video above.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Last week there was great and long-awaited news: The FDA granted emergency authorization for children ages 5 to 11 to finally get the Pfizer vaccine. There was much rejoicing amongst parents, who’ve long had to sweat over their kids’ possible exposure to a highly transmissible disease, and much naysaying amongst Republicans, who have taken out their frustrations on Big Bird and the Muppets. But of course, not everyone is on board. And, alas, one of them might be running for governor of Texas.
As per The Hill, Oscar-winning actor and possible gubernatorial candidate Matthew McConaughey has come out against establishing a mandate for vaccines in schools for young children, at least for now. He dropped the news at the New York Times‘s DealBook summit, where he tried to draw a line between preaching for the efficacy of vaccinations while claiming they shouldn’t be required.
“I’m vaccinated. My wife’s vaccinated. I didn’t do it because someone told me I had to — [I] chose to do it,” McConaughey said. “Do I think that there’s any kind of scam or conspiracy theory?” he asked himself. His reply: “Hell no.”
But. “Right now I’m not vaccinating mine, I’ll tell you that,” he added.
McConaughey claimed that he’s “quarantined harder” than his friends since the pandemic began in earnest about two years ago. Part of that has been using a “heavy amount” of COVID-19 testing. “I’m in a position though where I can do that, and I understand that not everyone can do that,” he admitted.
That, of course, is still a marginally better position than that taken by current Texas governor Greg Abbott, who has, like many Republican governors with high cases of COVID cases and deaths, downplayed the pandemic and come out against vaccine mandates. But it’s still a very low bar. And it didn’t impress one person: US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
“Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children — thousands — have been hospitalized, and as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital,” Murthy told CNN mere hours after McConaughey’s statements went public. “And the vaccines have shown in these trials for children 5 through 11 they are more at 90% effective in protecting our kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe as well.”
McConaughey was also asked about another problem plaguing his native state: the draconian abortion law that went into effect Sunday, prompting panic as well as satirical and amusingly saboteurial attempts to discredit it. The actor called it “overly aggressive,” but added, semi-cryptically, “It doesn’t doesn’t seem to open up the room for a sensible choice to be made at the right time.”
His more elaborate response may not exactly ease the nerves of advocates for safe and legal abortions in Texas. “I believe in this: more responsibility, more personal responsibility to make the right choices,” he said. “And we got to pick context with each situation, and each person’s situation, each woman’s situation.”
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