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Finding the best cheap scotch is never an easy task. Scotch tends to get really expensive really quickly, whether we’re talking about single malts or blends. Still, there are some well-priced bottles on the shelf that are worth at least trying, and that’s what we’re here to do today.

For this blind tasting, I’m not trying to guess the prices or even guess which blended scotch I’m tasting (I don’t know the category well enough to even take a stab at naming some of these). I’m simply tasting them and then ranking them by which ones taste good and which I’d want to drink again. As for the price, this is squarely in the cheap-but-not-bottom-shelf category.

The bottle prices range from $20 to $35 and are all pretty easy to find at any liquor store. Accessibility is the key here.

While I did do know a few of these expressions well, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and drinkability of each dram. Still, this was about a ranking and that meant there was a first and last — so see which blended scotch landed where!

Part 1: The Blind Taste

Taste 1

The Taste:

There’s a clear sense of butterscotch next to whisky malts with a slight sweetness. The taste gets a bit woody with a slight alcohol burn (not a spiced warmth). Still, this did grow on me after the second sip and became slightly woody/sweet. It’s fine but a little jagged.

Taste 2

The Taste:

This is a combo of fruity, malty, woody, and nutty, first and foremost. Then a hint of florals arrives with a soil earthiness counterpointed by a hint of buttery toffee, spicy tobacco, and a touch more of oak. The end is a little chewy, which is nice. If I was guessing these, I’d pretty confidently say it’s the Chivas.

Taste 3

The Taste:

Hello, Johnnie! There’s a softwood box feel next to mild sweet fruits with a hint of peat and earthiness. The malts shine through with a minor note of spice warmth that leads to a whisper of smoke on the end that’s peatier than smoky.

It’s easy drinking and really mellows/ subtly sweetens as you sip more.

Taste 4

The Taste:

Malts and butterscotch dominate with this one. It’s very thin with a sweet cherry candy underbelly that hints at spicy wood as the thinness gets a little thicker and chewier. Interesting.

Taste 5

The Taste:

This is tinny yet soft. There’s a mild tobacco spice that’s cut by an apple-esque bridge between tart and sweet. The end builds with a green woodiness that helps keep the sip very easy and, again, soft. It’s super simple and straightforward to sip.

Taste 6

The Taste:

There’s a matrix of vanilla, oak, and caramel up top that leads towards malts and Christmas spices with an emphasis on nutmeg. That vanilla gets very creamy and a sweet almost nut brittle edge arrives with a little dried fruit.

The end is velvet smooth. This is really good. Or I’m getting tipsy.

Part 2: The Ranking/Answers

6. Ballantine’s Finest (Taste 6)

ABV: 40%
Average Price:

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $19

The Whisky:

This blend has a high concentration of single malts with Ardmore single malt at its core. The whisky is advertised as using Ardmore’s peated malts in the blend to add subtle smokiness and deeper whisky flavors.

Bottom Line:

I got zero smoke or peat from this. That being said, it was fine, though that heavy butterscotch on the nose was a bit off-putting. Still, it did smooth out and was perfectly drinkable.

I can see finishing this bottle off in highballs or with ginger ale.

3. (tie) Grant’s Triple Wood (Taste 5)

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $22

The Whisky:

Willam Grant & Sons have a deep bench of whisky distilleries to draw their malts and grains from for this expression. The ripple with this blend is the triple barreling with new oak, American oak, and re-fill American oak, hence the name.

Bottom Line:

This started off a little tinny but really opened up nicely with an amazingly approachable softness. That tinniness became more minerality, which made it a nice sip overall and a very good candidate for mixing into a highball with good, fizzy water.

I can defintely see drinking more of this.

3. (tie) Johnnie Walker Black Label (Taste 3)

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $35

The Whisky:

This signature blend from Johnnie Walker is designed to be an entry-level sipper. The whisky is a marriage of nearly 40 whiskies from Diageo’s deep stable of distilleries with a focus on the peat-laden juices from Talisker, Lagavulin, and Cardhu.

Bottom Line:

I’m not a peat monster seeker. But the subtlety of the peat in this dram really appeals to me. Granted, this isn’t Johnnie Green, but it’s still a very accessible scotch for mixing with water or sipping on the rocks, especially when you’re looking for that whisper of peat and smoke.

2. Chivas Regal 12 (Taste 2)

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29

The Whisky:

The Highland’s Strathisla Distillery is where Chivas comes together. The whisky is well-rounded and designed to be a workhorse that’s an easy sipper but also works wonders in a cocktail.

Bottom Line:

This is probably the bottle I know the best on the list. And it still didn’t snag the top spot. It’s complex, super easy to drink even neat — definitely a dram I want to have another one of immediately.

1. Dewar’s 12 (Taste 6)

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $30

The Whisky:

Dewar’s blends malt and grain whiskies from over 40 distilleries with the famed Aberfeldy at its core. The juice is blended and then aged for an additional six months in oak to marry all the flavors before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This really had a deeply interesting texture and flavor profile. I can see sipping this on the rocks without hesitation and am really looking forward to playing with the juice in cocktails, especially with that spiciness.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I was pretty surprised by the Dewar’s 12. Generally, I’ve been a fan of Dewar’s but didn’t expect it to beat out Chivas for me. That’s a very high quality $30 bottle, in my estimation.

I think the biggest standout was Grant’s, though. I really wasn’t expecting a lot. But tasting it blind, it really mellowed and made for a nice, sweet experience. That’s also true of Teacher’s Highland Cream. It was really easy-drinking by the end and that’s saying a lot for a blended scotch that costs just south of $20.

If you ask people who play Madden 21, particularly on last-gen consoles, what they want to see in the game, I have to imagine SpongeBob SquarePants-themed gear in “The Yard” game mode would be high on the list. However, with the NFL set to have a playoff game shown this weekend on Nickelodeon for a kid-themed broadcast, the corporate synergy has demanded we get a SpongeBob x Madden crossover.

Unfortunately, this does not mean any of the SpongeBob characters are in the game, which might actually be incredibly fun in the backyard football mode, but a “Reef-Top” stadium with a SpongeBob-themed look, along with special uniform options that can be unlocked and more.

I fully understand that I am not in the target audience for this, but it feels like a strange investment into the game that I cannot imagine will drive an awful lot of users to play the mode — again, I could be very wrong! It’s certainly not apples to apples, but as players ask for improvements to game play or the ever-stagnant Franchise mode, trotting this out as your big development to start 2021 doesn’t exactly hit the mark.

Now, again, if I could go out there and put together a Bikini Bottom squad to play with, I’d be far more intrigued, and I know the technology exists to do this because the NCAA Football franchise had a mascot mode a decade ago. Let me turn Patrick Star into an elite pass rusher, you cowards.

While the country still reels from the coup attempt from Donald Trump supporters at the Capital in Washington DC on Wednesday, the publishing world is taking actions to condemn a US senator directly involved with inciting the violence and chaos that left four people dead.

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri was seen cheering on MAGA protesters before entering the building those same rioters later stormed while he and other Republicans attempted to throw out the results of the Electoral College,
According to the New York Times, the book was scheduled to be published in June, but publisher Simon and Schuster released a statement on Thursday saying the book will be canceled.

“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, DC, Simon and Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, The Tyranny Of Big Tech,” the statement said. “We did not come to this decision lightly. As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”

Hawley was vocal in supporting Trump’s baseless efforts to overthrow the election he clearly lost, and on Wednesday was photographed with a raised fist in support of protesters at the National Mall. It’s unclear if Hawley will self-publish his missive or if another publisher will pick it up, but one of the most notable bookmakers in the country has moved to deplatform Hawley as a result of his actions and the destruction he helped incite on Wednesday.

And judging by the unhinged response he put out after news broke, well, he certainly could use some editorial assistance.

After more than two decades of torturing parents and offering a horrible example for preschool-aged children, the era of Caillou has finally ended. The Canadian kids’ show started in 1997, kept churning out new episodes until 2018, and now the will be taken off the air, finally.

As a huge fan and ardent defender of PBS—especially the network’s generally excellent children’s programming—it pains me to launch such a passionate criticism. But seriously, how on Al Gore’s green Earth did this show last for this long?

My children were born during Caillou’s early years. Having been raised myself on a steady diet of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I felt confident that PBS Kids’ shows would be healthy, educational entertainment for my own children as they entered the preschool phase, and for the most part, PBS delivered. In addition to the awesomeness of Sesame Street, my kids got to explore the alphabet through Martha Speaks, dive into scientific questions with Sid the Science Kid, and build reading skills and curiosity with Super Why. My kids loved learning while being entertained, and I loved that they were learning while being entertained.

Then there was Caillou. I’m not sure if I have the words for my depth of loathing for that character, and I’m someone who loves all (real) children. I’m not the only one who feels this way. For years, Caillou has been a running joke in the parenting world, regularly taking first place in the “Most Annoying Kids’ Show” category. Social media erupted in virtual celebration at the news of its demise.

---

Check out these moms sharing their undying hatred for Caillou:

Moms Share Their Undying Hatred For Caillou

youtu.be

The agony is real. The first time I watched an episode of Caillou, I was gobsmacked by how whiny, bratty, and tantrummy he was. He’s four, which is a challenging age for sure. But in my opinion, all Caillou did for parents of young kids was make those years even more challenging.

First of all, the whining was absolutely incessant. And his voice made it worse. Like, I don’t know how any parent could sit through an entire episode of Caillou “Waaaaahhh“ing without wanting to poke their ears out with a crochet hook.

Secondly, his behavior was atrocious half the time. The episode where he pinched his baby sister in her crib until she cried? That’s not an idea I’d wanted to plant in my preschooler’s head. The way he talked to other kids? Ugh. Just no.

And therein lies the major problem with Caillou. Preschool-aged kids imitate what they see. That’s the developmental stage they are in. As a parent, I watched every kids’ show through the lens of “Is this how I want my child to behave?” and when it came to Caillou, the answer to that question was “LORDY NO” nine times out of ten.

But honestly, the adults in the show were almost as bad. It would be one thing if the storylines showed parents helping kids how to work through their feelings or problem solve, but Caillou’s mom was bafflingly hands-off. It seemed like there was never any real resolution to the issues, and preschool-aged kids don’t have the capability of processing a character’s emotional story arc to take a moral from the end anyway. Older kids, yes. But the age of kids who actually enjoy Caillou? Nope.

Check out these few clips and see if this is what you’d want your young child imitating:

Caillou Being a Brat Comp.

www.youtube.com

I literally didn’t allow my kids to watch Caillou because he was such whiny little douche nozzle, his parents were mostly useless, and I didn’t feel like making parenting any harder than it needed to be.

(For the record, my 20-year-old has thanked me for banning Caillou from our house. She agrees that he would have served as a terrible example to follow and can’t stand to hear his voice either.)

Goodbye and good riddance, Caillou.

The Brooklyn Nets will play their second game of at least three without the services of Kevin Durant on Thursday night as they host the Sixers, as the star forward is in COVID-19 protocols due to being a close contact of someone who tested positive — Durant announced back in March he had tested positive, but still has to return seven consecutive negative tests under league rules.

Brooklyn throttled the Jazz on Tuesday in their first Durant-less game, but the challenge against Philadelphia, which holds the league’s best record, will be even more difficult than anticipated as they will likewise be without Kyrie Irving (who led the team with 29 points on Tuesday). Irving was a surprise addition to the injury report, as he is simply listed as out due to personal reasons.

Steve Nash was asked about Irving’s absence in his pregame media availability and said he had just found out about Irving not being available and had not yet gotten a reply from the star point guard.

Hopefully everything is OK with Irving and his family, as that’s the most important concern in this instance. From a basketball perspective it’s obviously a significant loss for the Nets going up against a fellow top team in the East. Nash has been pretty adamant about keeping Caris LeVert with the second unit even after losing Spencer Dinwiddie and on Tuesday against the Jazz, but it’s possible that without Irving or Durant he gets moved into the starting group — Bruce Brown got the start next to Irving against Utah.

After more than two decades of torturing parents and offering a horrible example for preschool-aged children, the era of Caillou has finally ended. The Canadian kids’ show started in 1997, kept churning out new episodes until 2018, and now the will be taken off the air, finally.

As a huge fan and ardent defender of PBS—especially the network’s generally excellent children’s programming—it pains me to launch such a passionate criticism. But seriously, how on Al Gore’s green Earth did this show last for this long?

My children were born during Caillou’s early years. Having been raised myself on a steady diet of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I felt confident that PBS Kids’ shows would be healthy, educational entertainment for my own children as they entered the preschool phase, and for the most part, PBS delivered. In addition to the awesomeness of Sesame Street, my kids got to explore the alphabet through Martha Speaks, dive into scientific questions with Sid the Science Kid, and build reading skills and curiosity with Super Why. My kids loved learning while being entertained, and I loved that they were learning while being entertained.

Then there was Caillou. I’m not sure if I have the words for my depth of loathing for that character, and I’m someone who loves all (real) children. I’m not the only one who feels this way. For years, Caillou has been a running joke in the parenting world, regularly taking first place in the “Most Annoying Kids’ Show” category. Social media erupted in virtual celebration at the news of its demise.

---

Check out these moms sharing their undying hatred for Caillou:

Moms Share Their Undying Hatred For Caillou

youtu.be

The agony is real. The first time I watched an episode of Caillou, I was gobsmacked by how whiny, bratty, and tantrummy he was. He’s four, which is a challenging age for sure. But in my opinion, all Caillou did for parents of young kids was make those years even more challenging.

First of all, the whining was absolutely incessant. And his voice made it worse. Like, I don’t know how any parent could sit through an entire episode of Caillou “Waaaaahhh“ing without wanting to poke their ears out with a crochet hook.

Secondly, his behavior was atrocious half the time. The episode where he pinched his baby sister in her crib until she cried? That’s not an idea I’d wanted to plant in my preschooler’s head. The way he talked to other kids? Ugh. Just no.

And therein lies the major problem with Caillou. Preschool-aged kids imitate what they see. That’s the developmental stage they are in. As a parent, I watched every kids’ show through the lens of “Is this how I want my child to behave?” and when it came to Caillou, the answer to that question was “LORDY NO” nine times out of ten.

But honestly, the adults in the show were almost as bad. It would be one thing if the storylines showed parents helping kids how to work through their feelings or problem solve, but Caillou’s mom was bafflingly hands-off. It seemed like there was never any real resolution to the issues, and preschool-aged kids don’t have the capability of processing a character’s emotional story arc to take a moral from the end anyway. Older kids, yes. But the age of kids who actually enjoy Caillou? Nope.

Check out these few clips and see if this is what you’d want your young child imitating:

Caillou Being a Brat Comp.

www.youtube.com

I literally didn’t allow my kids to watch Caillou because he was such whiny little douche nozzle, his parents were mostly useless, and I didn’t feel like making parenting any harder than it needed to be.

(For the record, my 20-year-old has thanked me for banning Caillou from our house. She agrees that he would have served as a terrible example to follow and can’t stand to hear his voice either.)

Goodbye and good riddance, Caillou.

From the looks of it, Saweetie is close to releasing her upcoming Pretty B*tch Music album, as the West Coast rapper has increased her activity over the past few months. Following her last release, “Back To The Streets” with Jhene Aiko, Saweetie kicks off her 2021 campaign with her new single, “Best Friend” alongside Doja Cat. If there’s one thing the “Say So” rapper can be trusted to do on her guest appearances, it’s to provide a solid verse to increase the quality of the song and that’s exactly what Doja does. Walking together with confidence, Saweetie and Doja Cat show each other love for their appearance, demeanor, material possessions, and more on the uplifting track.

The song also arrives with a video that finds the two rappers enjoying a day filled with sisterly activities. From brushing off thirsty men (including Netflix comedy mainstay King Bach, who gives the pair a great opportunity to teach a lesson in feminism and call out his virtue signaling ways) and shopping their lives away to skinny dipping and tanning by a pool, Saweetie and Doja show why they’ve given each other the “best friend” title.

The song was the subject of some controversy even before its release, as the “Tap In” rapper called out her label last month for accidentally releasing it early. Then, Roc Nation duo Ceraadi accused Saweetie and Doja of plagiarizing the video’s concept based on previews the two shared online. Luckily, it appears both situations only increased anticipation for an official release. That’s ideal for Saweetie, who is preparing for what appears to be a huge year for herself. The Bay Area act is expected to release her Pretty B*tch Music debut at some point this year, but until then, fans can catch her on an upcoming episode of Grown-ish.

Press play on the video above to hear “Best Friend.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We’ve said it before and we’re not going to quit beating this drum — Chef José Andrés is an absolute saint and the closest thing the culinary world has to a superhero. While most of us were glued to our TVs yesterday, witnessing insurrectionists descending on Capitol Hill, José Andrés was hard at work making sure the people working long hours and tasked with cleaning up after the chaos were well fed.

A mere four hours after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 12-hour curfew went into effect at 6 p.m. EST, Andres was loading up 120 pizzas from a Bethesda Maryland Domino’s into one of his World Central Kitchen trucks to feed National Guard members, the D.C. police, and cleanup crews dealing with the damage from earlier in the day.

After the delivery, Chef Andrés then opened his kitchen at Penn Quarter’s Jaleo.

“I don’t know what else to do right now…” Andres posted on Twitter around 1 a.m ET. “Pizzas weren’t enough for everyone… many have been working over 30 hours nonstop. So we turned Jaleo in WCK kitchen cooking 100s of hot stews on this cold night… plus fried egg sandwiches & fruit.”

By 2am., Chef Andrés was behind the grill preparing nearly 700 meals for responders working in the D.C. area. World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook shared photos of Chef Andrés in action as well the meals being prepared, which look pretty astounding despite the lack of prep time.

Andrés World Central Kitchen is a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. You can support their mission here.

Veteran DJs Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia will pay homage to their longtime friend and collaborator MF DOOM tonight on their Stretch and Bobbito Radio on Apple Music Hits show, playing exclusive interview’s from DOOM’s original group KMD, as well as bringing in guests from all over hip-hop to salute the late masked rapper, who passed away on Halloween last year, although his death wasn’t announced until New Year’s Eve.

It was Bobbito who helped MF DOOM — formerly known as Zev Love X of ’90s rap trio KMD — reinvent himself, signing the mysterious MC to his Fondle ‘Em imprint in 1999 and recording his Operation: Doomsday solo debut. It’s Bob’s voice that appears at the end of “Rhymes Like Dimes,” offering an iconic ad-libbed outro that has been imitated and appreciated throughout hip-hop ever since.

Stretch and Bobbito were also instrumental to KMD’s initial rise, interviewing the group on their WKCR radio show in the early ’90s. One of those interviews will be unvaulted for the first time in 25 years on tonight’s show, while guests like Dante Ross, El-P, Just Blaze, Pete Nice, and Prince Paul will stop by to reminisce about their exploits with DOOM and discuss his legacy.

You can listen to the show live or on-demand tonight at 7pm PT/10pm ET at apple.co/_StretchAndBobbito.

Pieces of a Woman (Netflix film) — Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf star as Martha and Sean, respectively, who experience an unimaginable tragedy when a home birth goes wrong. Martha then undertakes a yearlong odyssey while coping with grief and her relationship with Sean, which (unsurprisingly) strains under the pressure of their mutual loss. Meanwhile, Ellen Burstyn plays her overbearing mom, and Molly Parker plays the publicly shamed midwife. Look for this movie to be a big awards contender.

Star Trek: Discovery (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — The crew’s still in the midst of their guise while Burnham’s hard work on a mission to help the U.S.S. Discovery get home, and Tilly’s engrossed with helping Stamets.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (ABC, 8:00pm EST) — This evening’s contestants include the irrepressible Leslie Jones, Chandra Wilson, and Tony Hawk.

The Hustler (ABC, 10:00pm EST) — There might be some melon-stabbing going on while the group takes on trivia questions for money while “The Hustler” among them keeps doing his or her secretive and enigmatic thing.

Jimmy Kimmel LIve — Tessa Thompson, Paul Bettany, Steve Earle

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Ricky Gervais, Daisy Edgar-Jones, The Avett Brothers

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Michael Sheen, Jo Ellen Pellman

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Bill Hader

In case you missed these recent picks:

Cobra Kai: Season 3 — (Netflix series) The good news? This The Karate Kid revival is still as much of an adrenaline shot as the last two rounds. The bad news? It’s also infuriatingly good. After Johnny and Daniel’s combined bad moves contributed heavily to Miguel landing in a hospital bed, Johnny’s looking for redemption. While he does the hard work in the hospital — and Kreese re-takes the dubious reigns of the Cobra Kai dojo, which makes me worried about him instructing Hawk to be even more of an anger-bear monster — Daniel-san heads to Okinawa, where an old rival is ready for him. The soul and fate of every sensei (and their students) are up for grabs.

Vikings: Season 6B — (Amazon Prime) The final ten episodes of the History Channel series are making their debut on streaming first. The epic saga comes to a close with grave consequences from the confrontations between the Vikings and the Rus. Ivar the Boneless has a last reckoning with the King, and there’s unfinished business all over England. Get ready for (of course) a violent and bloody end to the show.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: Part Four — (Netflix series) The Riverdale spinoff will come to a (planned) end with this installment starring Kiernan Shipka. This time around, the Devil-afflicted Nick’s attempting to win Sabrina back after surrendering to his darker urges, but The Eldritch Terrors have descended upon Greendale, and The Void could truly be the End of All Things. Can the Fright Club save the day? I’m (strangely) pulling for Harvey over here. And Salem the Cat. Meow.