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Eminem’s ex-wife Kim Scott, reportedly attempted suicide last month but survived the incident.

TMZ reports that according to law enforcement sources, police and emergency workers responded to a call of a suicidal person at Scott’s Michigan home on July 30. Scott apparently had to be restrained due to her combative behavior and was so violent that paramedics were unable to check her vitals. She appeared to have cut herself, due to multiple small lacerations on the back of her leg and the “good amount” of blood that was on the floor. She was rushed to the hospital for medical and psychological evaluation and is now reportedly recovering at home.

If the report is accurate, this isn’t the first time that Scott attempted suicide. Speaking about one of those attempts in 2016, in which Scott intentionally crashed a car, she said, “I sat at the end of a road where I knew that no one else but myself would get hurt. Yes, I drank, I took pills, and I hit the gas and aimed for a pole. I apologized immensely. I did not expect to even make it through that. I told [first responders] that I tried to do this on purpose, and I’m so sorry. I never lied to them. I told them everything that I did.”

Friends gave us many things, including hairstyles that only genuinely looked good on Jennifer Aniston, that would be best left in the 1990s. Could Ross and Rachel stand the test of time, though? Perhaps. The show’s writers saw fit to put them back together for the finale, and this week, unsubstantiated rumors swirled that Aniston and the actor who portrayed Ross, David Schwimmer, were together in real life. This really means nothing unless it’s confirmed because someone, obviously, decided to attribute random sources with the idea that they’d grown close after the Friends reunion. Like, someone just tossed a molotov cocktail into the Internet and walked away like Angela Bassett in Waiting To Exhale, and the end result is sheer chaos.

As it turned out, the idea of Ross and Rachel together in real life was too much for people to handle (even as Aniston toasted her ex-husband, Justin Theroux, on his birthday), but at the same time, they’re here for it, with Janice’s most favorite utterance.

Soon enough, this started happening, and honestly, it was lovely to see people get so worked up over something, you know, fun, rather than a crisis.

Then, everyone started melting down while unironically noting their own ridiculousness at caring about Ross and Rachel IRL.

Yes, “collectively losing their sh*t” is a great way to describe this situation.

Maybe these two can even bring about “world peace.” Go ahead and laugh!

And if you thought you were surprised at this rumor, imagine how Aniston and Schwimmer might feel? Being famous must feel so weird.

Marvel fans, we’re officially (following Loki) in the multiverse, baby. That’s a maddening prospect that will be further explored in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and, possibly, the Hawkeye show and beyond. For now, however, What If…? couldn’t be better placed in the timeline of interwoven films and Disney+ TV series. The animated show, which features most of MCU actors voicing their characters, is one of the most daring endeavors that we’ve seen from Marvel Studios.

Each episode will be overseen by a character called The Watcher, who will guide viewers through universes where one small change leads to significant shifts in where these characters ended up and how they identify. The premiere episode shows Peggy Carter (due to a laboratory SNAFU) stepping up to take the super-soldier serum when Steve Rogers could not. So, Peggy became The First Avenger, which would’ve changed almost everything in the MCU, if this had taken place in the universe where every movie took place. That’s a mind-boggling prospect, so it’s worth considering how that would have affected several significant events that viewers witnessed.

Let’s have a little fun with this. After all, comic book movies are only make-believe, no matter how seriously people might take them. Here are five situations to consider while wondering how they’d go down with Peggy being Captain Carter and Steve Rogers remaining an ordinary, yet honorable, scrawny dude.

1. Would Bucky have become the Winter Soldier? Clearly, this was not in the cards, at least not in the same way because (as shown in this episode), Bucky never fell off the train into an icy ravine, later to be retrieved by Arnim Zola and brainwashed, trained, and injected with super-soldier serum, too. (In fact, he’d have aged like the rest of the world, so Bucky would have never even become an Avenger.) Also, even if Bucky had fallen to his “death,” Peggy never had the same emotional (or historical) connection to Bucky as Steve Rogers did. To Peggy, he was only an acquaintance and fellow soldier. So, there would have been no propelling motivation for any sort of compelling dynamic in the subsequent film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

2. Would Captain Britain: Civil War have taken place? Maybe, but it would have happened very differently. If Bucky had not become the Winter Soldier, some other assassin would likely have killed Tony Stark’s parents. Yet one of the plot-driving forces was the fact that Zemo staged himself as Bucky, which caused all the governments (those behind the Sokovia Accords) to go after Bucky, and then all the Avengers took sides with Steve’s ultimate goal being to protect Bucky. And it was the emotional factor of Cap and Bucky’s friendship that set up the Civil War teams and the whole climactic battle, which would not have gone down the same way with Peggy holding the shield. Also, Tony would not have been a jealous a-hole towards Peggy, like he did because of Steve’s relationship with Howard Stark. Even if Tony was jealous of Peggy, it’s unlikely that Zemo could have effectively manipulated that rivalry because he couldn’t tug at the heartstrings without Bucky involved.

3. Would Peggy have gone back in time at the end of Avengers: Endgame? Probably. Of course, this assumes that events would have transpired to the degree that this was possible, including some timeline fixing, since the end of the premiere shows Peggy emerging from a portal 70 years into the future. Yet all other independent factors considered, yes, Peggy probably would have gone back in time to get that promised dance from Steve if Endgame ended like it did in a universe where the movies took place. Sure, she would have towered over him at that point, given that the non-super-serum-filled Steve was rendered (through some laughable CGI) to be a diminutive Chris Evans, but that didn’t stop the romantic remarks from happening throughout this first What If…? episode. She was still his best girl and all that jazz.

4. Would Sam Wilson still have the shield? Hmm, that’s a tough one. Yes, there’s all the cultural resonance of a Black man holding the shield at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but in order for Peggy to have handed the shield to Sam at the end of Endgame, they would have had the same sort of close friendship for her to know that Sam was worthy. I’m not sure that this could have happened, unless we presuppose that, yes, Bucky somehow became the Winter Soldier, which is what sent Steve and Natasha on a mission that was joined by Sam Wilson in his Falcon attire. Perhaps Peggy and Sam would have eventually grown acquainted at the VA’s office or while running near the Washington Monument (she would have smoked his ass), but ultimately, there wouldn’t have been the same trust-building highway battle and so on, given that Bucky wasn’t an unstoppable threat. This is a tough one, but no matter what, it’s pretty rad to see a woman holding the shield in What If…?

5. Would “America’s Ass” have ever been a silly MCU thing? God, I hope not, unless Ant-Man was female, too, which would have made the comment alright but still not as funny as when it was wielded against stick-in-the-mud Steve Rogers. Disney already pushed their envelope for having Steve, a character who couldn’t even handle profanity back during the Age Of Ultron film, acknowledging his on superior posterior. That was a fine moment, yet it wouldn’t have translated if a man commented about a woman’s tush, especially in a Disney flick. Besides, you know that Captain Carter would have punted anyone into the next universe after such a remark, and Ant-Man would be Dead-Man. So the answer here is a big “nope.”

Thank you for joining me in this very scientific investigation.

Disney+’s ‘What If…?’ streams new episodes on Wednesdays.

Halsey is gearing up for the release of her latest album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. They previously shared the attention-grabbing, nipple-freeing artwork, and now she has unveiled more info about the record.

She shared the 13-song tracklist on Twitter yesterday. Hours later, they followed that with an explanation of the tracklist’s lack of features, writing, “it feels very cool to have an album with no features again. It felt like this had to be entirely from my voice, similarly to Badlands. I can’t wait for you to hear everything.”

Of course, while there are no featured artists credited on the album, the whole thing was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails.

Halsey also took time to answer some fan questions. Most notably, one person asked if the project was always meant to be a concept album or if that changed in light of her pregnancy. Halsey responded, “Weirdly enough it was always supposed to be about mortality and everlasting love and our place / permanence. It was just amplified by me being pregnant. Introduced new themes of control and body horror and autonomy and conceit.”

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is out 8/27 via Capitol. Pre-order it here.

No one is more invested in Venom appearing in a Spider-Man movie (or Spider-Man appearing in a Venom movie) than Tom Hardy. This decision is, of course, above his pay grade, but he’s willing to do “anything to make that happen.” The man’s already jumped into a tank and crunched on a live lobster — what more does he have to do?

“I would be remiss if I wasn’t trying to steer any kind of connectivity,” Hardy told Esquire UK when asked about the two Marvel characters (only one of whom has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) being in the same film. “I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t awake and open to any opportunity or eventuality or be excited by that. Obviously, that’s a large canyon to leap, to be bridged by one person alone, and it would take a much higher level of diplomacy and intelligence, sitting down and talking, to take on an arena such as that.” The Esquire UK journalist notes that Hardy was “drawing on his vape” during this section of the interview, which is something you should absolutely visualize.

The Peaky Blinders star continued:

“Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be. I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business. But it would be foolish not to head towards the Olympic Games if you were running 100 meters, so yeah! I want to play on that field.”

It sounds like Hardy’s Venom meeting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is going to happen; it’s just a matter of when. For what it’s worth, Hardy says the studio is “really, really pleased” with Venom: Let There Be Carnage (how could they not be with that delightful title?), and he’s already “thinking about the third movie.” Yummy.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage comes out on September 24.

(Via Esquire)

An Open Letter to All Bad Men: If you’ve had to shell out tens of millions of dollars to settle multiple sexual harassment claims that have been lodged against you, you have forfeited your right to have an opinion when one of your handsy brethren goes down—and most definitely are not allowed to share your thoughts publicly.

However, former Fox News anchor and always obnoxious loudmouth Bill O’Reilly doesn’t appear to have gotten the memo. Because he could not wait to tweet out something following the resignation of New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, who is currently embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal. O’Reilly’s gem of a thought?

“Like Cuomo, many of the loudest woke voices have quiet resumes that are appalling; especially in the media and in Hollywood.”

(P.S. on that Open Letter to All Bad Men: If you’re over the age of 20, do not, under any circumstance, use the term “woke.” Ever.)

Given the high level of hypocrisy in that tweet, it didn’t take long for O’Reilly’s statement to get ratioed:

You get the picture. Overall, the general sentiment toward O’Reilly and his tweet seemed to be: Sit the f*ck down, Bill.

Funnily enough, O’Reilly’s first tweet about Cuomo’s resignation seemed much more self-aware—or at least to come from a place of experience, when he noted: “Don’t expect criminal charges but he’ll have a slew of civil suits.”

Because O’Reilly would know.

While the rest of the Internet was collectively losing its sh*t over rumors that Jennifer Aniston and her former Friends co-star/love interest David Schwimmer might be dating in real life, Aniston had another former flame (this one not fictional) on her mind: ex-husband Justin Theroux, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday.

As Page Six reports, Aniston took to Instagram to share a couple of images of her shirt-hating former husband via an Instagram Story, which she captioned “Truly One of a Kind, Love You.”

The Leftovers star responded by reposting Aniston’s pictures on his own Instagram Story, along with messages of birthday love he had received from others, including fellow actor Naomi Watts and director Zoe Cassavetes. Theroux also posted some pictures of his own to commemorate the milestone birthday, while wryly noting that: “As a kid I couldn’t begin to imagine what 50 looks like… and yet of course it looks like this. Both dumb and hilarious at the same time. Thank you life. Subverting my expectations for 5 decades. Always funny, always profound…You win again. ”

Though Aniston and Theroux were only married for a little over two years, their relationship lasted much longer. The couple began dating in the spring of 2011, and bought a home together less than a year later. They got engaged on August 10, 2012 and married at their home in August 2015. In March 2018, the couple officially announced their split via a joint statement that read:

“This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of [2017]. We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship. Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another.”

Clearly, that’s worked out for them. Now about those Rachel and Ross rumors…

(Via Page Six)

DaBaby is in the midst of a PR nightmare following his controversial HIV/AIDS comments made on-stage at Rolling Loud a few weeks ago. The way 50 Cent sees it, though, DaBaby can actually bounce back from this.

In an interview with E!’s Nightly Pop (as Billboard notes), 50 — who assumed a mentorship role to the rapper shortly before this all happened — was asked about DaBaby and he summarized his view on the situation, saying:

“He is a really talented, special artist, right? And he just transitioned from being in that pool that everyone’s in, as a rap artist. They didn’t notify him that he’s turning into a superstar. There’s nobody that tells you, ‘Now you’re being held to these standards that are mainstream standards that you can’t say things, you can’t do these different things.’ He didn’t have a publicist involved, and this is why the response took so long. Even his apology, his first apology, made it worse. […] He’s only two years into his career. There’s no artist development, there’s no strong A&R, and there’s definitely no media training.”

When asked if he thinks DaBaby can bounce back, 50 said, “Yeah, he will, as long as he keeps the consistency with the music. He’ll be back like… remember they canceled Chris Brown, like five, six times?”

Check out the interview below.

We write about the India Pale Ale often and there’s a reason for it. When it comes to beer hierarchy, it’s very difficult (especially during the misty summer months) to beat the appeal of the IPA. It’s a complex, complicated beer that was originally created in the 1700s in England with the sole reason to stay fresh on the long journey to India (hence the name). In the centuries since, it’s become a style that has branches that appeal to every type of craft beer drinker.

While the IPA is most known for its hoppy aroma and flavor, there are various types of IPAs with different levels of hops and bitterness (as well as many other unique, fruity, citrusy flavors). These include the English IPA, Black IPA, Session IPA, Double IPA, Triple IPA, American IPA (also known as West Coast IPA), and the newly popular New England IPA.

Since we spend a lot of time writing about well-known IPAs, we figured the time was right to highlight some of the lesser-known, underrated IPAs you should be sipping as summer fades into fall. Check out eight of our favorites below and click on those prices to try them yourself.

DC Brau Joint Resolution

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $13 for a six-pack

The Beer:

In a time of great divide in our nation, we really need a joint resolution, even if it’s just in beer form. This 5.5 percent, highly crushable, cloudy, juicy, hazy IPA is brewed with Pale 2-row, white wheat, flaked oats, Carafoam, and Acidulated malts alongside multiple hops like Michigan Copper and Chinook.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is exactly what you’d hope for in a hazy IPA. It’s loaded with aromas of citrus zest, ripe tropical fruits, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The palate echoes the nose with flavors of tangerine, grapefruit, mango, peach, and a nice floral, dank hop flavor that leaves you wanting more.

Bottom Line:

This is the juicy, hazy, tropical IPA you’ll want to sip for the rest of the summer. It has everything New England IPA fans crave.

Evil Twin Falco

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This 7 percent ABV IPA isn’t as bold and bitter as most West Coast IPAs but also isn’t as hazy and fruity as a New England IPA. It’s complex, balanced, and just might become your new summer sipper.

Tasting Notes:

This almost amber, straw-colored beer begins with a nose of freshly baked bread, caramel malts, and light wildflowers. There’s very little hop resin in the nose. Taking a sip reveals the missing hop flavor with notes of spruce tips, more floral flavors, grapefruit, pineapple, and a nice citrus zest finish.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the most well-rounded IPAs on the market. It’s filled with fresh fruit and citrus flavors and just the right amount of hop bitterness to appeal to all IPA drinkers.

Upslope IPA

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

If you’ve never tried Upslope, you’re really missing out. The Colorado-based brewery has been cranking out bangers since it opened in 2008. Its IPA is the brewery’s shining star with its 7.2 percent ABV. It’s malty, piney, slightly bitter, and highly drinkable. One sip and it will earn a permanent spot in your beer rotation.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is highlighted by scents of lemon peel, butterscotch, and bready malts. The palate is a complex mixture of caramel malts, fresh-baked bread, lime zest, and light, resinous, bitter hops. It’s surprisingly well-balanced and sippable.

Bottom Line:

Hops aren’t the main event in this IPA. There’s a healthy dose of caramel and bready malts to temper the piney hops presence.

Two Brothers Heavy Handed

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

More than two decades ago two brothers (Jason and Jim Ebel) started Two Brothers in Warrenville, Illinois. They’ve been making award-winning beer ever since. One of its best, unique brews is its Heavy Handed IPA. This wet-hopped IPA is referred to by the brewery as a “hop lover’s dream” and we couldn’t agree more (though the taste varies based on the hops included in each batch).

Tasting Notes:

This hop-centric beer begins with aromas of wet green grass, dried hay, resinous, floral hops, light citrus, and a nice malty backbone to tie it all together. The taste is a combination of caramel malts, pine needles, fresh-squeezed lemon, and a gentle bitterness at the finish.

Bottom Line:

Even with the high alcohol content and heavy hand (get it) of hops included, this IPA manages to be very well-balanced and surprisingly mellow in flavor.

Shed Mountain IPA

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This is the replacement for the brewery’s original Shed IPA. It’s brewed with Chinook, Centennial, and Simcoe hops and is a true hop bomb. This is because, while there is a malt backbone, the piney, resinous, slightly bitter hops are the main event.

Tasting Notes:

Potent aromas of orange rinds, grapefruit, pine trees, a kick of floral hops greet you on the nose. The palate opens with biscuit-like malts that are overshadowed by resinous pine, more grapefruit, tangerine, and a nice dry, refreshing finish.

Bottom Line:

This beer is touted as being super hoppy, but, unlike some of the harsh, bitter West Coast IPAs that claim the same thing, it manages to be flavorful, floral, and un-abrasive in its hop flavor.

Starr Hill Northern Lights

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Starr Hill Northern Lights is brewed with 2-row and caramel malts, as well as Falconer’s Flight, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, and Columbus hops, giving it a balanced, crisp, hoppy flavor.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is littered with scents of grapefruit, wildflowers, fresh hay, earthy grass, and a slight, sweet malty scent. Sipping it brings forth notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, slight pine, and just enough caramel malt flavor to temper the hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

While this beer definitely leans in the floral, citrusy, piney IPA zone, there’s enough malt backbone to appeal to all IPA fans.

Uinta Hop Nosh

ABV: 7.3%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Uinta is fairly well-known in the craft beer drinking community, but it’s still a little underrated in the general beer world. Its award-winning Hop Nosh is its flagship beer for a reason. It’s pleasantly bitter, aromatic, and refreshing. Its balance of bitterness to malts is what makes it a real winner in our book.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a symphony of ripe pineapple, juicy melon, slight pine, and a hint of floral hops. The flavor is dank, resinous, and filled with hints of grapefruit, pineapple, lime, sweet malts, and a strong, yet not abrasive bitter finish.

Bottom Line:

This is more in line with the classic West Coast IPAs we know and love. While there are sweet malt flavors included, this is a bitter hop bomb and we love everything about it.

Terrapin Hopsecutioner

ABV: 7.3%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Story:

With a name like Hopsecutioner, you better believe this is an intensely hoppy beer. This 7.3 percent ABV IPA might be aggressively brewed with Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Cascade hops, it’s well-balanced with the addition of 2-Row Pale, Crystal 24L, and Victory malts.

Tasting Notes:

Resin and pine are the dominating aromas after your first nosing. They’re followed by hints of lemon peel, grapefruit, and a nice, sweet caramel malt scent throughout. The palate is a symphony of tangerine, grapefruit, ripe berries, pine needles, and bready, sweet malts.

Bottom Line:

This is our kind of IPA. It has the wallop of six hop varieties bringing it bitter, floral, resinous flavors with the heavy malt component making it less aggressive than it might have been.

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If you don’t know a lot about scotch and someone gave you a glass of an Islay single malt, you might assume that all whisky from Scotland was smoky, briny, and rich. But this is far from reality. The flavors vary by region, sometimes drastically. Speyside whiskies are known for vanilla, spice, honey, and only sometimes gentle smoke. Highland whiskies vary from sweet honey and heather to bold spice to smoke bombs. Lowland whiskies tend to be sweeter with more pronounced caramel flavors. Campbeltown, the Islands, and to a bigger degree Islay is where you’ll find briny, salty, and peaty smoked whiskies.

Here’s a refresher on peat-smoked whisky. For those unaware, peat is a decaying, highly compact organic matter that is found all over the island of Islay and various other places in Scotland, Ireland, and the world. It’s like thick mud that’s cut from the ground and used as a source of fuel. These whiskies get their flavor during the malting process when peat is burned to dry the barley and stop germination while imbuing the grains with billows of peat smoke. This adds the “smoky” flavor that peated whisky fans look forward to with every sip.

Today, we’re going to turn our attention to ten bold, brash, massively smoked expressions from Islay and beyond. Each of these whiskies are for those looking to either get into the style or take a step up with their already smoky palates. Also, if any of these bottles sound good to you, hit the prices to try and a bottle yourself!

Caol Ila 12

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $80

The Story:

A favorite of bartenders and scotch fans alike, Caol Ila 12 is well-known as one of the best smoky/briny Islay whisky gateway bottles. This dominatingly peated whisky was matured for 12 years and somehow manages to be reasonably priced at under $100. It’s herbal, smoky, slightly medicinal, and perfect for slow sipping near the ocean or in front of a painting of the sea.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of pipe tobacco, vanilla beans, subtle ocean brine, and peat. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of salted caramel, spicy cinnamon, dried fruits, and more peaty smoke. It all ends with a warming mouthful of immersive campfire smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is the bottle for peat beginners. Instead of diving right into the likes of Ardbeg and Bruichladdich and demolishing your palate, start with Coal Ila 12 and work your way up.

Kilchoman 100% Islay

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $100

The Story:

This is the tenth iteration of the beloved 100% Islay Series. The expression was distilled using Publican and Optic barley that was grown at Kilchoman and malted and peated on location. It was distilled and then matured in a combination of bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry butts for nine years.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’re greeted with aromas of ocean brine, almond cookies, vanilla, and a boatload of peat smoke. On the palate, you’ll find hay, dark chocolate, buttery caramel, and woodsmoke. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a nice herbal, peat smoke finish.

Bottom Line:

Depending on which year you find of this memorable expression, the taste will be subtly different, making each year a new flavor experience.

Compass Box The Peat Monster

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $65

The Story:

Compass Box is well-known for sourcing and blending whiskies from highly-regarded distilleries. The whiskies included in The Peat Monster are notably smoky and sourced from the Isle of Islay as well as the Highlands. This combination makes this expression both smoky and fruity.

Tasting Notes:

This complex whisky begins with scents of sea salt, iodine, dried cherries, and peat. Sipping this whisky will open your senses to a world of wildflowers, smoky bacon, tropical fruits, and more smoke. The finish is a nice mixture of sweet fruit flavors and rich, earthy smoke.

Bottom Line:

While this definitely fits the parameters of a “smoke monster” on par with the legendary Nessie, it also has a great, fruity sweetness that makes it really well-balanced.

Talisker Storm

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $60

The Story:

First released in 2013, this no age statement expression from the Talisker is matured in a combination of refill and toasted American oak barrels for under 12 years. It’s known for its bold, smoky, spicy, complex flavor.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll be greeted with aromas of crisp pear, astringent, bitter chocolate, and smoke. On the palate, you’ll find hints of wood char, toasted vanilla beans, peppery spice, and wood smoke. It all ends in a dry, pleasingly warm, smoky finish.

Bottom Line:

Talisker Storm lives up to its bold name. Sipping this whisky is like drinking in a swirling, rich, smoky hurricane of flavor.

Lagavulin 16

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $100

The Story:

One of the most well-known smoky whiskies in the world, this expression is matured in oak casks for 16 years. It’s well known for its combination of bold peat smoke as well as a mellow, sweetness, and a pleasing dry finish perfectly suited for sipping.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to give this whisky a proper nosing and you’ll notice hints of fresh Band-Aid, sea salt, and a wallop of peat smoke. Sipping this whisky will reveal flavors of toasted wood, buttercream frosting, spicy pepper, and a mouthful of smoke. The finish is salty, peaty, and smoky.

Bottom Line:

If you only buy one bottle on this list, make it Lagavulin 16. In our opinion, there’s no better peated whisky for the price.

Port Charlotte 10

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $70

The Story:

If you take a look at the bottle, you’ll immediately notice the words “heavily peated” and you’ll know exactly what you’re about to get in to. First released in 2018, this is the flagship expression for Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte line. This super smoky Islay single malt was matured for ten years in a combination of virgin American oak barrels, second-fill American oak barrels, and French wine casks.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll be struck by the vibrant aromas of candied orange peels, ocean brine, vanilla beans, and astringent peat. Take a sip and you’ll find notes of campfire smoke, salted caramel, sugar cookies, and spicy cinnamon. The ending is dry, smoky, and spicy.

Bottom Line:

This is not a smoky whisky for beginners. It’s briny, salty, subtly medicinal, and full of potent peat smoke throughout.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength

ABV: 60.1%

Average Price: $85

The Story:

Laphroaig 10 is one of the most well-known gateway Islay malts. It’s astringent, smoky, perfectly salty, and sweet. If you’re ready to level up to a bolder, brasher, more high-proof version that’s aged for ten years in ex-bourbon barrels before being bottled at cask strength, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is the bottle for you.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find scents of clover honey, almond cookies, toasted vanilla beans, and smoky astringency. Take a sip and you’ll be greeted with flavors of salted caramel, seaweed, buttery caramel, and peat smoke. The finish is dry, warming, and ends with a nice combination of vanilla, smoke, and brine.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to high-proof, potent, smoky whiskies, it’s pretty difficult to beat this expression from Laphroaig. It’s surprisingly wallet-friendly for the bold flavors in the bottle.

BenRiach 10 Curiositas

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Story:

Obviously, when drinkers think of peated scotch, Islay’s distilleries immediately come to mind. But, this smoky, peated, flavorful whisky comes from BenRiach up in Speyside. The malted barley is peat-smoked with Speysides more forest-driven peat and then it’s aged for ten years in oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Before you dive right in and take a sip, take a few seconds to fill your nostrils with the smells of caramel apples, vanilla beans, wood char, and rich smoke. Next, you’ll enjoy hints of dried fruits, wildflowers, butterscotch, and bold peaty smoke. The finish is peppery, smoky, and subtly sweet.

Bottom Line:

While Islay gets all the press for peated whiskies, it’s important to note that there are plenty of mainland distilleries making peated expressions. This bottle from BenRiach is one of the best.

Bruichladdich Octomore 10.4

ABV: 63.5%

Average Price: $250

The Story:

When it comes to peaty, smoky Scotch whiskies, no list is complete without the godfather of all smoke bombs, Octomore. 10.4. The youngest Octomore to date, it was distilled in 2016 and spent only three years aging in virgin oak barrels. This whisky isn’t just in your face with smoke like some of the previous expressions in this series, it’s more well-rounded with fruity sweet flavors.

Tasting Notes:

Take a few moments to breathe in the scents of cinnamon apples, sea salt, dried fruits, and dried peat. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of pipe tobacco, raisins, sticky toffee pudding, and campfire smoke. It all ends with a nice, spicy, warming smoky heat.

Bottom Line:

This is definitely not the first smoky scotch you’ll add to your collection. But, once you’ve tried some of the beginner malts, this is the kind of bottle that will find a “forever home” on your whisky shelf.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $95

The Story:

The name Ardbeg is synonymous with peat smoke. You can bet that if you crack open a bottle from this Islay distillery, there’ll be a fair bit of smoky goodness paired with sea brine. Corryvreckan — named for a nearby whirlpool in the sea — is a perfect blend of those two notes.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find vanilla cream, dried fruits, charred wood, and herbal, smoky peat. The palate is swirling with candied orange peels, sweet treacle, peppery spice, iodine, and smoked bacon. The finish is a nice mix of salted caramel and campfire smoke.

Bottom Line:

You can’t go wrong with any of the expressions from Ardbeg. They’re all a little different. If you enjoy Corryvreckan, make sure to try Ardbeg 10, An Oa, Uigeadail, and the other outstanding expressions.

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