Travis Kelce has made over $76 million during his 11 seasons (and counting) in the NFL, all with the Kansas City Chiefs, plus millions more in endorsements. That sounds like a lot, because it is. But the money disappears quickly when you’re spending three million bucks on a suite for the Super Bowl.
During an episode of the Netflix series Receiver, Kelce — who, as you might have heard, is dating Taylor Swift — asks San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle if he bought a suite for his friends and family to watch Super Bowl LVIII between the Niners and Chiefs.
Hopefully Kelce went halfsies with Swift, who watched Super Bowl LVIII in a suite with actress Blake Lively, rapper Ice Spice, singer Lana Del Rey, stylist and designer Ashley Avignone, her mom Andrea and dad Scott, and Travis’ brother Jason, among others. According to Page Six, “Kelce seemingly snagged the suite at the last minute as his mom, Donna Kelce, revealed a week before the Super Bowl that she was planning to watch from ‘the stands’ because VIP boxes were in the multimillions.” Good thing the Chiefs won.
Post Malone decided that in 2024, he would be a country music star. F-1 Trillion, his first country album, comes out in August. He’s not going about his journey alone, as he’s calling on some of the genre’s most esteemed figures to help him out. Malone collaborated with Blake Shelton on “Pour Me A Drink,” and that was preceded by the No. 1 single “I Had Some Help” alongside Morgan Wallen.
It appears he has another link-up in the chamber, too. Last night (July 10), Luke Combs shared a 55-second snippet of a new song with Malone, seemingly titled “Guy For That,” and tweeted, “We doin’ this or what, @PostMalone?.” Malone shared the post and hinted at the existence of a second collaboration, writing, “Okay, FINE but you like this more than the other one?!?!”
Even after seven seasons, 9-1-1 remains one of the 25 biggest shows on network television. “It’s been amazing to be reminded of the cultural impact that a show like this can have,” actor Oliver Stark, who plays Evan “Buck” Buckley, told Decider about the show’s popularity. “We have such a good time making it that it almost feels like this little project I go and make with my friends. You forget how many eyes are actually on it at the end of the day… It’s been a really beautiful reminder of the work that we’re doing.”
9-1-1, which follows the first responders who are “thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations,” is coming back to ABC in the fall for more bus-launching and some-guy-wearing-a-Santa-hat-getting-sucked-into-a-plane nuttiness from creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear. Here’s everything we know about season 8, including plot details.
Plot
9-1-1 season 7 ended on a cliffhanger. After Captain Bobby Nash (played by Six Feet Under‘s Peter Krause) expresses his intention to retire from the 118, he suffers a heart attack soon after. There’s also a house fire, because this show loves drama. Anyway, when Bobby recovers and expects to return to his post like nothing happened, he and the rest of the crew are surprised to see former captain Vincent Gerrard (Brian Thompson), who announces that he’ll be taking over as captain. Will Bobby get his job back from this sexist bully?
“It was a bit of a storytelling leap,” Krause told Decider. “I’m not sure exactly what [showrunner Tim Minear] has planned. But I’m sure it’s not going to be an immediately easy road for Bobby to regain the captainship of the 118. I have faith that he will. But I’m not sure I’m not sure exactly what he’s got got in store.” As for Bobby’s relationship with his wife Athena (Angela Bassett), he teased to Entertainment Weekly, “I certainly really enjoy all the work I get to do with Angela. I did pitch to [Minear] that maybe they’d go for another honeymoon in this time. Maybe it’s an RV trip. What could go wrong?” A lot!
Beyond Bobby’s world (the only 1990s show to not get a reboot… yet), Ryan Guzman gave a hint about what’s in store for his character, Eddie Diaz, after his son caught him sleeping with someone who looked like his dead mom, as one does. “That leaves Eddie in new territory, which can be scary on both spectrums of life,” he told Decider. “Is he going to go back into the craziness of beating his walls and going nuts and losing himself? Or is he going to choose something that we’ve never seen in these past seven seasons? My hope is the latter, obviously. But if the first one comes, that’ll be interesting as an actor.”
Cast
Season 8 of 9-1-1 is expected to feature most of the same cast as season 7, including Peter Krause as Bobby Nash, Angela Bassett as Athena Grant-Nash, Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Buckley, Kenneth Choi as Howard “Chimney” Han, Ryan Guzman as Eddie Díaz, Aisha Hinds as Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, and Corinne Massiah as May Grant. “We all get along, we all work hard, and [we’re] all very appreciative of others and what they bring to the table,” Bassett told People about her co-stars. “So it’s a great, great working environment, and that’s a good thing. It’s long hours, so it helps that we can crack each other up during the downtime.”
Release Date
Every season of 9-1-1 has premiered in January or September, with the exception of season 7 (March). But ABC has wisely slotted season 8 for a fall 2024 return. Specifically, Thursday, September 26, at 8 p.m. EST ahead of Doctor Odyssey (a medical procedural starring Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson set aboard a luxury cruise ship) and season 387 of Grey’s Anatomy.
Emily In Paris, the show in which people wear gorgeous clothing and treat each other horribly with zero consequence, put Lucas Bravo on the map with U.S. audiences who adore Hot Chef Gabriel. That series will return on August 15, and after the widespread binging reaches a conclusion, Bravo devotees can look forward to seeing him in a movie directed by Inglourious Basterds actress Mélanie Laurent, so let’s not waste time getting to the delicious stuff.
Plot
Prime Video/Amazon
Bravo will once again be taking up a romantic role, but this Prime Video/Amazon movie will be very unlike his breezy Netflix show. Freedom carries an ambiguous title but is inspired by the real-life story of Bruno Salak, the so-called “gentleman bandit” (and we’re not talking about Lupin, also on Netflix) who very politely held people at gunpoint while committing crimes.
This guy actually pulled off his heist so gracefully that never fired his weapons while carrying out heist. He did, however, sit at the top of Parisian Most Wanted lists, and this film will include law enforcement’s pursuit of this suave dude in script from Laurent and Chris Deslandes. The movie looks like a cat-and-mouse game unlike others onscreen, and it remains to be seen how closely the story will adhere to reality, but a synopsis does exist:
Inspired by the daring exploits of a legendary outlaw in France in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Freedom follows the electrifying story of Bruno Sulak, a suave and daring criminal who stole hearts alongside riches. Known for his charm and finesse, Sulak masterminded daring heists without firing a single shot. But as his infamy grew, so did the relentless pursuit of George Moréas, a tenacious police commissioner with a knack for outsmarting criminals. As Moréas closes in, Sulak’s escapes from prison become legendary, fuelled by a lust for freedom, and a burning desire for his lover Annie. Amidst the chaos of their criminal spree, Sulak and Annie become the ultimate symbols of defiance.
Variety quotes Amazon Studios French Originals chief Thomas Dubois, who calls Bravo’s performance (which is his first leading role) “topnotch.” Surely, American fans will tune in to see Chef Gabriel on a crime spree.
Cast
In addition to Bravo, the film co-stars Léa Luce Busato, Steve Tientcheu, David Murgia, Léo Chalié, Yvan Attal, Rasha Vukvic, and Slimane Dazi.
Release Date
Prime Video/Amazon’s Freedom will stream around the world on November 1.
Trailer
No footage or trailer has officially surfaced, but Amazon did drop these photos:
LAS VEGAS — The United States men’s Olympic basketball team gathered for training camp in Las Vegas this weekend, with a significant showcase on the schedule for Wednesday evening at T-Mobile Arena. Following four days of practice and a roster swap involving Kawhi Leonard and Derrick White, Team USA faced off with one of its top Olympic challengers, Team Canada, in a friendly before heading overseas to continue their exhibition tour ahead of Paris. After a hiccup out of the gate, Team USA assumed control for most of the evening, eventually leading by 15 points at the end of the third quarter and cruising to an 86-72 win.
It was a comfortable win, but one that also comes with plenty of talking points, and here we’ll look at four takeaways from our first official look at this year’s U.S. Olympic squad.
No Worries About A Slow Start
The first few minutes were pretty rough for the home team. Team USA trailed 11-1 to begin the game, even as Canada wasn’t exactly throwing 100 miles per hour on the corners. The Americans missed their first six shots and committed two turnovers before a badly needed three-pointer from Stephen Curry almost five minutes into the game. That wasn’t the end of the uneven play, as Team USA committed eight (!) turnovers in the first quarter, scoring only 14 points.
Alas, it looked to be the product of rust and perhaps the realization that Team USA actually had to ramp things up from an intensity standpoint in this setting. That happened quickly in the second quarter, as the Americans made 12 of their next 17 shots after the 0-for-6 start, and a 14-4 run to begin the second period helped to push Team USA into a solid halftime lead. Steve Kerr did note prior to the game one of the challenges for this team would be stars who are used to feeling their way into games needing to be more aggressive early as they’ll play in shorter bursts, but it seemed that got message got received after the first stint.
Who’s The Fifth Starter?
Intel on the ground in Las Vegas points to most assuming four starters are at least fairly entrenched for Team USA — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid. While some may attempt to argue against that choice, Durant is perhaps the best player in Team USA history, James is James, and Curry is Curry.
Embiid is a little bit different, of course, but Team USA did woo him a year ago to get him to play, which shouldn’t be forgotten from a context perspective. Embiid also didn’t play very well for most of Wednesday (he fouled out by the mid-third) and he seemed a bit clunky at times with the other starters, which could cause a bit of attention on his placement in the lineup. With that said, the recent MVP probably isn’t coming off the bench. At least that’s the feeling around the team.
All that to say, there is a spot open. Durant was sidelined with what the team has called a minor calf injury on Wednesday, and Steve Kerr elected to start Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker on the wings. While no one would argue Booker and Holiday were the best overall players available in a vacuum, they were both key cogs of the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, which is something Kerr likely was weighing.
From there, Anthony Edwards would be another logical candidate to start after he was arguably the centerpiece of the 2023 World Cup team, and he looked the part on Wednesday.
The fifth starter battle will generate plenty of attention. Does it matter? Maybe not. Regardless, Kerr will receive feedback from all corners on this one and the decision may stretch all the way out until the group stage in Paris.
Team USA’s Stars Are Known For Offense, But Defense Is This Team’s Biggest Strength
As with any team comprised of star-level players, Team USA has a few guys who skew toward the offensive end. No one would confuse Stephen Curry with prime Tony Allen, even if he is more than respectable on defense, and Tyrese Haliburton is perhaps a step or two down from Curry’s defensive baseline. Still, most of the roster is (very) capable of ramping things up, and that was on display against Canada.
Admittedly, it wasn’t an “every second of the game” effort from Team USA, but the highs were very high. Canada’s offensive numbers reflected that impressive defensive performance on the whole, especially inside the arc. The Canadians shot just 34 percent from the field, including a dismal 43 percent on two-point attempts. Team USA also generated 11 steals and blocked nine shots, creating general havoc throughout the night.
There is probably a conversation to be had on how Kerr will handle the rotation of Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt, as playing two of them together may have offensive drawbacks. Still, Team USA will always have a high-level anchor at the center spot, and the wings are all terrifying. An engaged version of James is tremendous on defense and gets to play short bursts on this team. Tatum has always been quite good. Edwards has the ability to simply overwhelm opponents with physicality and athleticism. Jrue Holiday is fantastic, as is his Celtics backcourt mate Derrick White who arrives soon. Kevin Durant, when he returns, has the wingspan of most centers and the ability to deploy it effectively.
There were moments in this contest in which it seemed like a talented Team Canada had no chance to score. That is worth remembering amid what will almost certainly be extensive discourse about how the American squad looks on the other end of the court. Also, that defensive ceiling is a big part of the transition advantage that Team USA has over anyone on the other side of the floor, and it should also produce fireworks on a regular basis.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry Playing Together Is Extremely Fun
Team USA hasn’t made its way to Paris just yet, but Wednesday provided a glimpse into one unique dynamic. LeBron James is indisputably one of the greatest players of all-time and, while he is seemingly immune to aging, one could assume the 39-year-old will be appearing in his final Olympics. James also hasn’t played for Team USA since 2012 and, if the game against Canada was any indication, James isn’t fooling around — his teammates voted him as the best player in camp over the weekend.
He looked dynamic and burst-y, using his physicality to his advantage and playing with the off-the-charts basketball IQ that basketball observers have come to expect. In addition, James isn’t having to carry a massive workload on a team like this, and in short spurts, he can ramp it up on the biggest stage. It was hard to avoid thinking ahead to the medal round when watching him turn on the jets in an exhibition.
Curry’s journey is different in that he has never played in the Olympics. That alone is a major storyline for the greatest shooter ever, and at age 36, this might be a “one last ride” for Curry, even in his first experience. His translation to the FIBA game is clean in that Curry’s shooting plays anywhere and he can also function off the ball with enough size to get by. Plus, well, it helps to have a guy that no one on the planet wants to leave open for even a millisecond.
Then, there is the pure appeal of James and Curry suiting up together. Obviously, they are not the only superstars in the mix here, but this marks the first time they will play together in any meaningful competition, much less on a stage like this. Durant is the player that mostly closely resembles James or Curry in terms of longevity and impact but, of course, he didn’t play on Wednesday and Durant is also a firm Team USA staple who has earned “American hero” status more than a few times on the court.
Ironically, James and Curry fit perfectly together on a basketball court, but the first time seeing it in this form (i.e., with real intensity and not just in an All-Star Game) was something of a “wow” moment for basketball sickos.
Vodka is an interesting spirit to say the least. It’s not flavorless… but it is often marketed that way. And while we agree that the filtration process is designed to remove many flavors and aromas in order make the spirit as smooth as possible, the grains or other ingredients it’s made with do impart some flavors.
That being said, this neutral grain spirit gets a bad name because of some of the cheap, harsh, seemingly flavorless bottles on the market. So I picked eight of my favorites and blindly nosed and tasted them to find out which ones are actually worth sipping neat. Each of the eight vodkas is priced at or under $30 — keep scrolling to find the champ.
Here’s today’s vodka lineup:
Tower Vodka
Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka
Ketel One Vodka
American Harvest Vodka
Prairie Organic Vodka
Reyka Vodka
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Part 1: Vodkas Under $30 Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mix of light tropical fruit sweetness and peppery spice. It’s not such a bad thing as both aromas are intriguing. The palate has more tropical fruit sweetness, some orchard fruit flavor, light spices, corn, and light vanilla. All the flavors were a little muted though.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
There’s not a lot going on with this vodka’s nose. There are some light apple, vanilla, and floral scents, but that’s about it. There’s more of the same on the palate with some sweet grain, green apple, and light spices. The finish has a little more heat than I’d prefer.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of vanilla beans, cracked black pepper, caramel, and sweet corn greets you before your first sip. There’s a bit of mineral water flavor on the palate as well as white pepper, vanilla beans, light citrus, and caramel corn sweetness. The finish is sweet, warming, and very pleasurable.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of vanilla beans, light spices, and brown sugar. The palate is soft, sweet, and mellow with a ton of vanilla, sugar, and some cracked black pepper and orange peel. It has a lightly spicy, lightly sweet finish. It’s warming and lingering in the best way possible.
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle fruity aroma on the nose that really draws you in. There’s also a mineral element and vanilla and pepper. The palate is filled with vanilla beans, lemongrass, fresh flowers, cracked pepper, sweet wheat, and a fruity, sweet, orchard-fruit warming finish. All in all, a really complex, sippable vodka.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
While faint, there’s a mineral, spiced, lightly floral aroma on the nose. Sipping it brings a little more flavor with cracked black pepper, vanilla beans, licorice, and orange zest. Overall, it’s smooth, but not overly exciting.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is mineral, peppery, vanilla, lightly fruity, citrus, and grain-forward. There’s more of the same in the palate with a mineral, earthy flavor up front that’s followed by floral flavors as well as lemon zest, orange peels, barley, vanilla, and a nice kick of cracked black pepper at the finish. It has a great balance of citrus, vanilla, and warming spice.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is sweet and sugary with fresh bread, flowers, cracked black pepper, and vanilla beans. It seems simple, but it’s surprisingly fragrant and welcoming. The palate is very soft and sippable. Drinking it brings forth notes of black licorice, cracked black pepper, light citrus, vanilla beans, and a light minerality. It’s warming, sweet, and memorable.
Made with a base of 100% USDA-certified organic corn grown in Minnesota, Prairie Organic Vodka is known for its gluten-free, creamy, sweet palate. Not only can you expect vanilla and orchard fruit aromas and flavor, but you can expect to pay under $30 for a 750ml bottle every time.
Bottom Line:
Prairie Organic Vodka is a lightly fruity, decent spirit. It’s a little too hot and harsh on the backend to be anything but a mixer.
Ketel One Vodka has been popular for a long time. Even with its name recognition, it remains a surprisingly inexpensive vodka. This is known for its soft, sippable body thanks to being made from 100% wheat and from being filtered over charcoal.
Bottom Line:
Wheat gives Ketel One a soft mouthfeel. It’s a decent mixer, but not flavorful enough to be an everyday sipper.
Like Tito’s, this award-winning vodka comes from the Lone Star State. Surprisingly inexpensive, it’s a gluten-free, corn-based vodka that is distilled six times to remove any impurities and give it a creamy, mellow mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason this is an award-winning vodka. It’s smooth and easy to drink. It’s just that all the distillation might have removed some of the aroma and flavor.
This vodka is Americana in a bottle. Made from Rocky Mountain red winter wheat sourced from a third generations organic farm. It’s gluten and GMO-free. Not only is it a flavorful vodka, but 1.3 of the power to make it comes to windmills.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve never tried American Harvest, it’s time to try this Idaho-made vodka. It has a great mix of sweetness, spice, and warming heat.
There aren’t many American-made vodkas more well-known than Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Distilled since 1995, this pot-still distilled vodka is made with corn and is gluten-free. It’s known for its sweet, mellow, memorable flavor.
Bottom Line:
Tito’s is a classic, mellow, flavorful vodka that has stood the test of time. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular vodkas in the US.
Sweden’s Absolut is one of the most popular vodka brands in the world. Made from red winter wheat and water from the brand’s 140-meter-deep wells. It’s made with continuous distillation to make it as clear, mellow, and smooth as possible.
Bottom Line:
Absolut might be a giant brand, but the product they make it flavorful, balanced, and very soft.
Iceland is known as the land of “fire and ice” and it’s the home of Reyka Vodka. This award-winning vodka is made with wheat and barley, pure glacial water, distilled in Carter-head stills, and filtered through volcanic rocks. It’s known for its unparalleled, crisp, easy-drinking flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
To say that Reyka Vodka is an earthy, flavorful vodka is a bit of an understatement. In the best way possible, it tastes like the rich earth of the volcanic island.
This vodka’s name tells you everything you need to know about it. Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka is an award-winning spirit made with locally-sourced wheat from Washington State. The result is a soft, sippable, complex vodka.
Bottom Line:
This was my first experience with Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka and I was pleasantly surprised by the soft complexity of it.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Vodka is a tough spirit to judge. While it was clear I preferred vodkas that were more balanced, memorable flavors (even if there weren’t many) seemed to rank well. Also, any overly hot, harsh vodka was immediately thrust into the less desirable category. Great flavor always wins out.
We got our first official look at the 2024 USA men’s Olympic basketball team on Wednesday night as they played a showcase game in Las Vegas against a talented Canadian squad. It wasn’t a perfect first outing, as there are clearly some things to clean up — particularly getting Joel Embiid in rhythm and not fouling out in the mid-third quarter — but they flexed their defensive muscles and showed the potential to be a terror in transition.
Earlier in the day, some big news about the Team USA roster got announced when Kawhi Leonard dropped out with some lingering knee issues and Celtics guard Derrick White replacing him. That brought a bit of controversy, as Jaylen Brown very clearly wanted to be a part of the team coming off a Finals MVP campaign but got left off for his teammate. USA Basketball director Grant Hill said the goal was to build the best team and he and the staff felt White fit the needs of this team best, indicating the need for more of a role guy was more important.
While that created a bit of a kerfuffle, it was nothing compared to what happened when the women’s team got announced earlier this summer and WNBA rookie star Caitlin Clark was not on the roster, as that became the lead story on every network (sports and beyond). On Wednesday’s broadcast of the USA-Canada game, Grant Hill joined Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery during the third quarter and Johnson decided to ask Hill about Clark’s omission, which Hill wanted no part of, making it clear he’s only in charge of the men’s team.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark brought up on the Team USA vs Canada showcase.
Grant doing analyst work as his day job when he’s not working on USA Basketball helped him in this scenario as he had no problem quickly and deftly dodging that question firmly but nicely at the same time — a tough needle to thread. There is no topic in sports that is more of a lightning rod than Clark, and Hill was understandably not interested in touching that at all.
Buffalo Trace is one of the most popular bourbon brands on the planet and their Weller lineup has some of their most sought-after bottles. Weller Millennium now joins the lauded lineup as its new crown jewel and the brand’s most expensive offering ever. With an MSRP of $7,500, Weller Millennium isn’t for your bargain-hunting buddy who stocks up on 1.75ml bottles of Weller Special Reserve like the apocalypse is impending. Indeed, with a price tag like that even the showiest of bourbon snobs — the ones who delight in posting pictures of bottles far more than opening and enjoying them — will probably do a double take on this expression.
That said, the bottle and the packaging look fantastic but if you’re spending used 2013 Cadillac SRX money on a potable beverage, don’t you want to know what it tastes like before buying?
Whether you’re in the market for Weller Millennium (not to be confused with Will Smith’s double-platinum second album) or simply curious about how it differs from the rest of Buffalo Trace’s award-winning wheated bourbon lineup, you’re in luck. We had a chance to try the newest Weller bourbon and we’re going to give it a full review today.
First, what exactly is Weller Millennium? It’s a blend of straight bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006 — which will raise the eyebrows of astute readers. That’s because, for one, this expression doesn’t feature an age statement, despite this indication of provenance, and secondly it’s now the first expression in the Weller lineup that is a blend of straight wheated bourbon as well as wheat whiskey.
Pressed for comment, the brand’s reps have deferred in confirming that the oldest whiskey in this blend is 23-24 years old, though they do take care to describe it as “ultra-aged.” Further, while Buffalo Trace is not releasing the mashbills of the whiskey that comprises this bottling, we are given the percentages of each vintage in the blend. To wit, 3% of the blend comes from the 2000 vintage, 50% from 2003, 40% from 2005, and 7% comes from 2006. Calling this expression “Millennium” is a curious choice that we’ll overlook for now because I’m sure your curiosity is piqued and all that matters is how the whiskey tastes.
The base of this blend is whiskey with an undisclosed mashbill (either wheat whiskey or wheated bourbon) distilled in 2003. Featuring what the brand describes as “ultra-aged” liquid, this blend of whiskeys distilled at the turn of the millennium is housed in an elegant decanter and sold in an equally showy display case that features 99 sunbursts surrounding the bottle — representative of the whiskey’s 99 proof points.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Full of ebullient wheat notes and showing a pleasantly fruit-forward bouquet, this nose immediately reads like a wheated American whiskey. Prominent aromas include the likes of black cherry, apple slices, and honey. There’s also an impressive vanilla undertone, which is accented by graham crackers, celery seed, and leather.
Palate: When sipping this whiskey you’ll taste a strong foundation of honey and graham cracker notes with the flavor of black cherries claiming center stage. Overall, the mouthfeel is incredibly rich and viscous, which is a benefit to the flavor profile, as it allows those sweet, fruit-forward notes to coat your tongue and blossom to their full potential. There’s also caramel and a robust oak presence that undergirds it all, which gives an indication that this whiskey is well-aged while remaining true to wheated bourbon’s core flavor profile despite the undisclosed amount of wheat whiskey in the blend.
Finish: The finish is satisfyingly prolonged, as the viscous mouthfeel leads to a tongue-coating experience that helps extend the length of those well-developed sweet notes. Vanilla ice cream and white pepper join the medley of flavors on the back end, and while the viscousness does taper off, the caramel-drizzled fruit notes remain long after your last sip.
Bottom Line:
If you want to sip whiskey like it’s 1999, that is to say, if you want an ultra-aged expression that delivers a rich vintage profile then you’ve found the Weller for you. The price will likely give you pause, but Weller Millennium offers a more mature take on the prototypical Weller profile by displaying slight tweaks on the periphery which serve to elevate it on the whole. With a deft balance of flavors, an impressively distinct texture, and a deceptively lengthy finish, Weller Millennium is seemingly bottled at the perfect proof. Millennium’s decadence is only rivaled by William Larue in Buffalo Trace’s Weller stable, and it easily outpaces Daniel Weller as a sumptuous sipping experience.
As Buffalo Trace continues to push the boundaries of ultra-aged American whiskey and extend the upper limits of premium-priced American whiskey, Weller Millennium is an expression that fits comfortably into both categories despite being regretfully out of reach for most consumers.
Ranking: 90/100 making it an exceedingly enjoyable, albeit exorbitantly priced, A-minus expression.
Right now additive-free is all the rage in tequila. Honestly, it’s popular with good reason.
Now let’s be clear, additive-free doesn’t always equal good tequila, but when you consider you’re paying for a spirit made from blue weber agave, you probably want that spirit to, you know, taste like agave and not be smoothed out to the point that it lacks character. The best additive-free tequilas are full of bright, nuanced, and agave-forward flavors. They have a quality about them that makes them a true joy to drink and explore.
This got us thinking — how do our favorite affordable bottles of additive-free tequila compare to the high-end top-shelf brands that do have additives?
Not every top-shelf brand is full of additives, but a lot of them are, it’s what helps the liquid to come across as smooth and easy to drink. When a person sips tequila and remarks “Wow, it’s so smooth!” there is a high chance it’s the additives that are causing that experience. The best tequila — in our opinion — has a bit of a burn to it, a sharp kick that hits the tongue and makes it clear that you’re drinking tequila and not something else.
At the end of the day, we want you getting the best bang for your buck, so we put four of our favorite affordable additive-free tequilas — which in this case means bottles between $30 and $50 — against some of the biggest, prices top-shelf brands that do feature additives. Let’s drink.
Methodology
For this blind taste test, we collected eight bottles of affordable bottles of tequila (between $34-$42) that have been certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker and put them against four bottles of expensive ($69-$154) top-shelf tequila that likely have additives. Why do we say likely? Because unlike being additive-free, having additives isn’t exactly good marketing. A brand isn’t going to advertise that it’s using additives, instead they’ll use words like “smooth,” or “easy drinkability.”
So we can’t say 100% that these brands have additives but the fact that they don’t market themselves as “additive-free,” haven’t been certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker (a third-party organization, well trusted in tequila drinking circles), or the CRT, is a pretty good indication that the bottles in question have additives.
We took a third step to make sure though, using a very easy home test that anyone can implement. If you pour some tequila into your hands and rub them together and your hands end up dry, it’s additive-free. If you’re left with a sticky residue or an oily feel, what you’re feeling are additives like extra glycerin. The bottles we’re naming as having additives, did not pass this test.
Here is our tasting class:
Arette Reposado — Additive Free
Tapatio Blanco — Additive Free
Tequila Ocho Plata — Additive Free
Mijenta Blanco — Additive Free
Avión Reserva Cristalino — Contains Additives
Cincoro Blanco — Contains Additives
Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Reposado — Contains Additives
Claze Azul Reposado — Contains Additives
Each bottle was poured at random and served to be in an unmarked glass. I took a couple of sips of each and jotted down my first impressions. Here are the results.
PART I — The Additive vs. Additive-Free Tequila Taste Test
Taste 1:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Warm rich waves of roasted agave and caramel waft from the glass.
Palate: Sweet vanilla begins your journey before warming in a rich chocolate taste with cinnamon, vanilla, and juicy pineapple notes.
Finish: The oak lives on the backend, with some toasted agave notes and more of that juicy pineapple fruitiness.
Taste 2:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Heavy on the alcohol here, I’m going to guess this is one of the cheaper bottles. I’m mostly getting nail polish remover and vanilla on the nose. Very chemical.
Palate: Sweet and creamy with a black pepper counterbalance. I’m also tasting a bit of asparagus, but I have to strain for it.
Finish: Warm, oaky, and incredibly smooth with a sizzling burn. Much smoother than its nose would suggest.
Taste 3:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Pepper and agave on the nose, with a hint of funkiness. I don’t love that, but it tastes undeniably natural, which I do love.
Palate: Wow, it’s rich, buttery, and sumptuous. Almost mouthwatering. I’m getting a lot of roasted agave, cracked pepper, and the slightest hint of vanilla.
Finish: Floral and spicy with a hint of citrus.
Taste 4:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Chemical on the nose, I’m getting a sort of nail polish removed tone.
Palate: Mostly vanilla backed by juicy notes of mango, a bit of asparagus, and pepper.
Finish: Strangely minty and smokey. I’m going to guess this is the cristalino because of its heavy vanilla and smoke presence.
Taste 5:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Rich roasted agave notes mingle with wet grass and some citrus zest.
Palate: That citrus dominates the palate as flavors of sweet key lime and grapefruit collide. Under all the fruity notes, I taste a bit of herbaceousness and tobacco.
Finish: A peppery finish that slowly intensifies. It brings you in for another sip.
Taste 6:
Dane Rivera
Nose: There is a noticeable alcohol harshness here, but I’m also getting warm roasted agave and some vanilla bean notes.
Palate: I’m tasting raw agave, vanilla, and a hint of floral honey. There are also some wet grassy notes lurking here.
Finish: Smooth and oak forward, that burn from the nose is completely absent on the finish.
Taste 7:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Zesty and bright with a lot of rich caramelized agave tones.
Palate: Very peppery with some thyme and cilantro notes.
Finish: A cool minty finish with a bit of spice that builds on the tongue between sips.
Taste 8:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Vanilla frosting, honey, and oak. It’s pleasant, but I’m getting very little if any agave, and that’s not a great sign in my book.
Palate: Very sweet, to the point of being unnatural. I’m tasting vanilla, caramel, and straight-up sugar. This is without a doubt, one of the bottles with additives.
Finish: Sweet, smooth, and very pleasant. I’m not getting any agave on the finish, but there is a wonderful mellowness here that is hard to deny.
PART II — The Additive vs. Additive-Free Tequila Ranking
I incorrectly assumed this was the cristalino during the blind portion of this taste test. It’s not and I was shocked to find out it was actually something completely unaged. Still, I could tell the liquid had a lot going on and strayed very far from having any palpable agave influence, which is why its ranking low for me.
The only celebrity brand we included in this blind taste test, Cincoro is a brand collaboration between Michael Jordan, and NBA team owners Jeanie Buss (the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers), Wes Edens (Milwaukee Bucks), and Wyc Grousbeck (Boston Celtics). It’s expensive tequila, designed to be poured in expensive owner’s boxes at big games. The bottle design was even overseen by Mark Smith, the President of Innovation Special Projects at Nike — it even looks like a giant swoosh.
Flavorwise it’s just fine. Not bad, but not impressive either.
The tequila is produced at NOM 1438, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, where it is one of 205 brands in production. The tequila is cooked in a high-pressure autoclave, roller mill extracted, and fermented in stainless steel tanks before being distilled twice through a stainless pot with a copper coil.
The Bottom Line:
It sure costs a lot, but it’s not worth the price. If you like that smoothed to death flavor, there are other bottles on this list that do it better.
Normally, I wouldn’t even think to include a cristalino in a blind taste test like this, but I wanted an aged tequila that didn’t look like an aged tequila, because then it would’ve been too easy to pick it out during the tasting portion. So a Cristalino will have to do!
Avión Reserva’s premium cristalino has all the hallmarks of a premium bottle, it has a high price tag, an easy-to-drink smoothness, and is sold with an elevated presentation in a gift-worthy box. The agave used here is sourced from the highlands of Jalisco, slow roasted in brick ovens, aged in American oak barrels, and double charcoal filtered for that cristalino shimmer.
Based on the nose alone, I thought this was for sure one of the more affordable bottles. I was wrong, but either way, this one didn’t perform all that well.
The Bottom Line:
For the price, I don’t think it offers an experience that’ll stay with you for very long. It sure looks pretty though.
Additive Free? Yes, ceritified by Tequila Matchmaker.
Arette is the most affordable bottle on this list and look at that, it landed squarely in the middle of this list, that’s an impressive feat! Proof that price isn’t everything when it comes to good tequila.
This tequila is produced at NOM 1109, Tequila Arette de Jalisco, with agave cooked in a high-pressure autoclave that is roller mill extracted, fermented in open-air stainless steel tanks, and twice distilled.
The Bottom Line:
A nice mix between grassy green flavors, and dessert tones like honey and vanilla.
Clase Azul is routinely touted as one of the most coveted top-shelf tequilas. You see this bottle everywhere, restaurants that have it proudly display it, people go crazy for the design, and for good reason. I won’t bullshit you, this looks as expensive as it is. The bottle is a conversation piece!
But, it’s straight-up overrated. The bottle design is doing a lot of work here, the liquid inside is just fine and I think this blind taste test reflects that.
The tequila is produced at NOM 1595, Casa Tradición, and utilizes agave cooked in stone brick ovens, and roller mill extracted before being aged in American White Oak barrels for eight months.
The Bottom Line:
A very good tequila, but for the price, you could pick up three additive-free brands that taste more like tequila should. If you like your tequila so smooth you can’t tell its tequila, this is the bottle for you.
Additive Free? Yes, certified by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Tequila:
I had a feeling Tapatio — one of our favorite blancos — would rank highly, so I’m glad to see my blind palate confirm my biases. This tequila is produced at NOM 1139, La Alteña, which I’m not sure is capable of making a bad tequila. The agave goes through a meticulous hand harvesting process with the bud of male plants removed. Tapatio claims the bud “adversely affects the flavor of tequila,” and we’re inclined to believe the, as Tapatio tastes particularly great.
The agave is slow-cooked in stone masonry ovens, roller mill extracted, and fermented in open air wood vats for 72 to 96 hours.
Nose: Rich roasted agave notes mingle with wet grass and some citrus zest.
Palate: That citrus dominates the palate as flavors of sweet key lime and grapefruit collide. Under all the fruity notes I taste a bit of herbaceousness and tobacco.
Finish: A peppery finish that slowly intesifies. It brings you in for another sip.
The Bottom Line:
Grassy and herbaceous. One of the finest additive-free tequilas in any price range.
Additive Free? Yes, certified by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Tequila:
Tequila Ocho has appeared on a bunch of our lists this year, so it should probably go without saying, it’s one of our favorite tequila brands right now. Because of that, I was certain this was going to take the top spot, but it looks like my palate went another way.
Ocho is made from agave hand-harvested between 7-10 years, slow cooked in brick ovens for 48 hours, rested for a full day, and roller mill crushed. The liquid is then fermented in wood vats and twice distilled.
The Bottom Line:
An absolute steal at this price point. One of the best tequilas you’ll drink in any price range.
2. Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia — Reposado (Taste 1)
If you’ve written off Jose Cuervo as bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, you’re making a mistake. Yes, you’re not going to find Cuervo’s Especial series on any of our best bottle lists, but the brand’s premium Reserva De La Familia line is top-to-bottom great. For this blind taste test, we went with the Reposado.
This tequila is made from the inner portions of hand-harvested agave that is cooked at the La Rojeña distillery for 48 hours. Each bottle is numbered, dated, and wax-sealed by hand. To reach the repo state, the tequila rests in three different oak barrels over two years.
This bottle performed very well in this taste test, it’s one of the more expensive bottles and I can definitely taste some additives here, but not in an overpowering way. If there was ever proof that additives can be done in tequila without totally ruining it, this bottle is it!
The Bottom Line:
For the price, it comes across as luxurious while offering that smoothness and easy drinkability that’ll impress more casual tequila drinkers.
Additive Free? Yes, certified by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Tequila:
No surprise that this one performed well. My tastebuds are geared toward Mijenta, the brand is one of my favorites. The purity is unparalleled when compared to the other bottles in this list. There is a bright, agave-forward, ever-shifting flavor here that makes it a true joy to sip on.
Mijenta is produced at NOM 1412, Destiladora de Los Altos, using agave harvested from the highlands of Jalisco, cooked in a low-pressure autoclave, and roller mill extracted before being fermented in stainless steel tanks and distilled in a stainless steel pot.
The Bottom Line:
Natural, agave forward, and complex. This is additive-free at its best — outkicking its coverage by a country mile.
USA Basketball is wrapping up its pre-Olympic training camp in Las Vegas. Once they’re done there, the team will head to Abu Dhabi and London for a few more exhibitions, and then, it’s off to Paris, where Team USA will try to win a gold medal for the fifth Olympics in a row.
Before they’re done in Vegas, the team has to play an exhibition against Canada, which are one of the teams with the best shot at knocking them off of their perch atop the sport — and it’s coming on what has been a difficult day for the team, as it was announced one member of the roster, Kawhi Leonard, would leave the squad and get replaced by Derrick White. Like many high-profile events in Las Vegas, there are some big names in attendance, which includes former President of the United States Barack Obama, a well-documented basketball fan who was able to get courtside seats for the game.
Obama got a little face-to-face time with the team and its coaching staff before the game, and a video hit the internet of him saying hello to everyone. You almost certainly know what is coming, but the clip led to seemingly everyone on Twitter making the same joke.
If you have never seen the Key and Peele sketch that is being referenced here, I have good news! You can, and should, watch that right here.
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(@lukecombs) 
but you like this more than the other one?!?! 
(@big_business_) 
(@BronGotGame) 