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The last week has seen the United States dealing with various forms of fallout from numbers of Trump supporters storming the United States Capitol with the hopes of, among other things, overturning the 2020 presidential election. Politically, this has meant a looming attempt by the House of Representatives to impeach the president for the second time, but beyond that, there have been ongoing efforts to identify those who participated in the whole thing.

Of course, this is a gigantic undertaking, so while it’s a necessary part of this whole process, that does not mean it will be easy. The good news is that some of the people made it easy for them, which was apparently the case with Olympic swimmer Klete Keller.

According to SwimSwam, Keller, who won five medals as an Olympian for the United States in his career, was captured as appearing in the Capitol Rotunda in videos of the riot last week. If you look at the 21 second mark of the following video, you can see a tall, maskless man in what appears to be a U.S. Olympic jacket.

SwimSwam did some digging and cited “at least a dozen people within the sport” who identified the man as Keller. There is no word on whether he’s confirmed it is him, because he does not have social media accounts, although SwimSwam noted that he was a vocal Trump supporter. In his Olympic career, Keller won golds as a member of the United States’ 4 x 200 freestyle relay team in 2004 and 2008, along with a silver in that race in 2000. His individual medals came in 2000 and 2004 in the 400 meter freestyle.

The relationship between outgoing president Donald Trump and soon-to-be-ex-vice president Mike Pence has always seemed like a peculiar one, to put it mildly. The former is a brash, seedy trash mouth who had to pay off a porn star with he once slept. The latter is a deeply religious old school conservative who has barely said a public word in four years. Pence has often joked about their odd couple pairing, but any tension festering over a long administration finally came to a head in the last week, according to The New York Times.

What prompted the rift? A mob of MAGA rioters whipped up by Trump’s lies about voter fraud storming the Capitol during a joint session of congress, with some hoping to actually hang Pence, didn’t help. As the Times put it, “Evacuated to the basement, Mr. Pence huddled for hours while Mr. Trump tweeted out an attack on him rather than call to check on his safety.”

It was then, the Times reports, that Pence had a decision to make: do Trump’s bidding and overturn an about-to-be-ratified election, naming Joe Biden the 46th president, or do the right thing. Pence did the right thing.

Mind you, it seems Pence was planning to do the right thing — that is, ratifying the election for Biden — anyway, having reportedly reminded the president the night before that he couldn’t overturn the results anyway. But surely his decision wasn’t helped by a president who had all but abandoned him to men with zip ties and pitchforks, decked out in what one commentator memorably put it “Chewbacca bikini.”

And there was one more detail, which surely made his decision not to disobey the will of the people all the easier. As Pence was headed over to the Capitol, Trump called him one last time. “You can either go down in history as a patriot,” Mr. Trump allegedy told him, “or you can go down in history as a p*ssy.”

Perhaps Trump’s swearing finally got to Pence — or simply fearing for his life as the president’s base raised some Cain.

(Via The New York Times)

YFN Lucci’s 2020 ended on a high note, with the release of Wish Me Well 3. However, according to Atlanta police, he’s been up to more than releasing records. Lucci, born Rayshawn Bennett, is wanted on a murder charge in connection with the shooting of 28-year-old James Adams. The news was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and confirmed to Variety by Atlanta police.

Adams was discovered with a gunshot wound to his head on December 10 and later died as a result of his injuries. According to a statement given to the AJC by Atlanta police spokesperson Sgt. John Chafee, a second gunshot victim arrived at a nearby fire station on the same night. Luckily, the second victim survived their injuries. It was later determined by investigators that the two incidents were connected. A police report reveals that Adams was shot on the 900 block of Dimmock Street in Atlanta before his body was dropped off on the 900 block of Peeples Street. Multiple shell casings were also discovered at the former scene.

According to an Atlanta police news release, Bennett also faces additional charges of aggravated assault, participating in criminal street gang activity, and weapons charges. Two other individuals, Ra’von Boyd, 23, and Leroy Pitts, 17, were arrested in Miami on similar charges for allegedly participating in the shooting. Atlanta police are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the rapper’s arrest.

(via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

YFN Lucci is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A new year always brings in new stars, and even though 2021 is barely out of the gate, one of the year’s rising pop voices is already making huge waves. Olivia Rodrigo has been featured on several Disney shows, playing Paige Olvera on Bizaardvark and Nini Salazar-Roberts in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and even appeared on an episode of New Girl back in 2017.

But this year she’s put the silver screen on the back burner to focus on her music career, releasing her debut single, “Drivers License,” last week. Since it came out, the video has racked up over 16 million views on Youtube and earned her comparisons to the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift – not bad company! “Drivers License” is the lead single on her forthcoming EP, and follows up a track she wrote for the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series soundtrack called “All I Want,” along with a co-write with High School Musical co-star Joshua Bassett on “Just For A Moment.”

Those songs are very much in the Disney lane though, while “Drivers License” is a more mature reflection on heartbreak and coming of age. The fact that the song is resonating with both critics and other pop stars is also a great sign of things to come for Rodrigo. Because along with getting comparisons to Taylor’s songwriting, she’s also found a fan in the Evermore artist.

“Next to Taylor on the US iTunes chart I’m in a puddle of tears,” Rodrigo wrote in an Instagram comment earlier this week, a moment made more sweet when Taylor commented back “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud.” Obviously the only thing to do after praise like that is post about it on a different social media platform, so Rodrigo took a screenshot and took to Twitter writing “Thinking about legally changing my name to “Taylor Swifts baby.”

Next step? Collaboration. I mean, Taylor is obviously in the zone lately. Let’s see how this plays out. If you haven’t heard it yet check out “Drivers License” above and look for a lot more from Olivia coming soon.

Coke and Pepsi; Bud, Coors, and Miller; Taco Bell and McDonald’s — every category of the food and drink world are dominated by just a few major brands, with everyone else falling in line somewhere behind them. The same is true for Scotch whisky, with the likes of Johnnie Walker, Glenlivet, Lagavulin, The Macallan, and Dewar’s gobbling up attention and shelf space.

And while you can’t go wrong picking up a bottle from one of those brands, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t branch out and try something lesser-known, too. The winter of our collective quarantine is a perfect time to try a new dram, after all.

When Tommy Cummins, Head Buyer at The Umbrella Project in London, thinks about lesser-known winter Scotches, he always envisions sherry bombs.

“Ones that feel like you are chewing them not drinking them,” he says. “GlenDronach is one of those distilleries that has always been pasted over, god knows why, as the 12-year-old is a perfect dram to sit down and have with a beer.”

While not everyone is as enthusiastic as Cummins about sherry-rested Scotch, plenty of other bartenders were happy to share their go-to lesser-known bottles the help us make it through the long, cold winter.

The Dalmore King Alexander III

Demetrëa Dewald, lead bartender at Bar Mateo at Zinc Café in Los Angeles

The Dalmore King Alexander III Single Malt Scotch Whisky is an often-overlooked Scotch created by one of the most legendary distilleries in the world. With a perfect blend of zesty orange, creamy chocolate, and tropical fruits, this complex spirit is like none other.

Smooth and well balanced with the vanilla aroma that The Dalmore is known for. Not always easy to find, but always worth the hunt.

Glendronach Revival 15

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

If someone is looking for a lesser-known bottle, I always point them towards Glendronach. Glendronach Revival is a well-rounded, sherry-forward bottle that always pleases.

Kilchoman Machir Bay

Alex Tack, bartender at Rex 1516 in Philadelphia

Kilchoman’s Machir Bay scotch is one of my favorite Islay scotches, most of which sort of play second fiddle to Laphroaig, Ardberg, and Lagavulin. It’s matured in both sherry and bourbon barrels, so while the intensely peaty, briny notes typical of the region are intact, they’re softened a bit by the choice of aging receptacles.

Lismore 18

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

One of my favorites, but definitely not on the mainstream radar, is Lismore 18. The nose is light, with citrus and dry lumber. On the palate, it gets a lot more interesting — with lots of toffee burnt graham cracker and a touch of smoke. The finish is light barrel and char.

With a $40 price point, it’s hard to beat.

Glenmorangie Signet

Justin Moses, wine director at Sand Valley in Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Glenmorangie is the cornerstone of any Scotch lineup. But one of their lesser-known offerings is the Glenmorangie Signet. The secret here is malted chocolate barley. Normally, this is reserved for breweries that specialize in stouts and porters, but here it lends the same espresso and dark chocolate notes to a blend of 35-40 year single malts.

It’s certainly worth the splurge.

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch|Bar & Kitchen in Encino, California

Ardbeg Uigeadail is maybe not the most obscure, but for people who love Lagavulin or even Laphroaig, Ardbeg is underappreciated. It’s got the intense smoky quality that many people are looking for in Scotch, but it has a nice fruity quality on the front palate that really works for me.

Kilchoman 100% Islay

Brandon “Habi” Habenstein, bartender at The Kitchen & Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Kentucky

I’m a huge fan of Kilchoman 100% Islay. They are the first Scotch producer I’ve seen tackling the “grain to glass” approach head-on. For this particular bottling, they grow their own barley, malt it, cook it, ferment it, distill it, age it, and bottle it all on-site! Malting is an entire industry to itself.

That type of passion is not only inspiring but pretty much always ends up with fantastic products for consumers.

Arran 10

Courtney Cantrell, bartender and assistant manager for Old Hickory Whiskey Bar in Pensacola, Florida

Though it has only been around since 1995, the Isle of Arran distillery is one of the few independent distilleries in Scotland and is also one of my top contenders. Near Campbeltown, the Isle of Arran offers one of my favorite single malt Scotches, the Arran 10 year. This Scotch has a nice, creamy mouthfeel, yet offers tartness and notes of honey with developing complexity from sip to sip.

GlenDronach 18 Allardice Sherry Cask

Tommy Cummins, head buyer at The Umbrella Project in London

For that winter warmth, I would reach for a bottle of GlenDronach 18 Allardice Sherry Cask. It was named after the distillery’s founder. If you are going to name something after its founder, it wants to be something you’ll dream of — and boy will you dream of this!

Aged all its life in Oloroso sherry, when pouring this dark rich liquid into your favorite drinking vessel, the air will be punctuated with the smell of black forest gateau — cherries, raisins, dark chocolate, and toffee. This is a drop that needs to be respected. Once this full-bodied show-stopper passes your lips, buckets of plums, cinnamon, and allspice come rushing at you. Then comes the chewing. This special drop is one to pour to impress your partner’s father (or mother, for that matter).

They won’t have a bad word to say about you after they’ve been turned into this.

Buchanan’s Black & White

Freddy Yanez, bartender at Unreserved Beer Garden in Orlando

Black and White from Buchanan’s distillery, also imported by Diageo, is a high quality yet affordable Scotch. It’s very good to mix or enjoy broken with a splash of water.

Earlier this week, Lana Del Rey shared some key details — the project’s artwork, tracklist, and release date — of her upcoming album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club. But when she shared it, she did something that enraged many online: she made comments about race and the people she included in the album cover, which came off as tone deaf to many people. “My best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers,” she said in the now-deleted post. “My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I’m not the one storming the capital.”

A day after she posted the controversial comments, Lana addressed them during an interview with BBC Radio 1 where said inclusivity was not one of her “issues” and that critics could not “just make it my problem.” Despite her attempt to clear the air, some saw additional problems in her interview and shared their reactions to them. But now Lana has responded, attempting to defend herself.

The singer caught wind of a tweet from Complex that read, “Lana Del Rey is back at it with another controversial take: she says Trump didn’t mean to incite the Capitol Building riot.” She quickly slammed the publication for the “cool soundbite taken out of context.” “I said that the bigger problem is Sociopathy-so whether he meant to incite a riot is less important than the larger issue in America at hand -the problem of sociopathy,” Lana said in one tweet. She posted additional comments that called the post “f*cked up” and “pathetic,” before sharing a video that further expanded on her frustrations with “bigger magazines.”

So I just want to talk about a couple of things, some of the articles that are coming out today about me thinking that Trump didn’t mean to incite the riots. I think it’s cute that that’s the little takeaway that Complex gets from that, especially with our relationship over the last ten years — obviously completely disregarded. The other bigger magazines, that goes for you as well. I get it, I have something to say, and I don’t just show up, giggling, talking about my hair and my makeup. I was asked directly political questions for over 40 minutes by the BBC Radio 1, and I answered them. I said, “When someone is so deeply deficient in empathy, they may not know that they’re the bad guy.” That may be a controversial opinion, but don’t make the controversy that I don’t think that he meant to incite the riot. It’s not the point is what I was saying. The general point is the wider-ranging issue of sociopathy in our system that’s being reflected in our government right back to us. What we’ve seen in the pandemic is the second epidemic and I talked about this for ten minutes. I said to Annie Mac, “This is the takeaway for me: we’ve seen violence within the household increase 300-fold throughout every county in America, 911 calls going up 300% because of issues of delusions of grandeur between one partner or another and the violence that stems from that and the chaos.”

You can watch the video above and read additional tweets from the singer below.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club is out 3/19 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.

A perusal of Bruce Willis’ recent filmography is a reminder he hasn’t been much in the public of late. He has Glass, from two years ago, and a small but key role in Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn last year. But the majority of his IMDb page is littered with small straight-to-streaming oddities that have hardly made a cultural dent. So when his name went viral on Tuesday, it was little shock that it wasn’t for a movie. It was because he was reportedly booted from a pharmacy for refusing to wear a mask.

The New York Post reported that, according to a “spy,” the former A-list star was spotted at a Los Angeles Rite Aid, wandering around maskless, to the horror of patrons inside. He left without making a purchase, but not before having his picture taken. What’s more, he had a bandana around his neck, which would have been an adequate substitute for a proper pandemic mask.

California has been one of the epicenters of the pandemic for a while now, with cases continuing to hold at alarming numbers. So when they heard reports that a key Hollywood player wasn’t taking it seriously, people went off.

People also had jokes.

According to The Los Angeles Times, L.A. County alone is nearing one million cases. The nation is also nearing 400,000 deaths, likely from the holiday bump of people who traveled in the middle of an out-of-control once-in-a-century pandemic.

(Via The New York Post)

On Tuesday, the NBA and NBPA jointly announced additions to the ongoing health and safety protocols as teams attempt to navigate the 2020-21 season. That announcement came in response to an uptick in players becoming unavailable and games being postponed but, on the same day, the Boston Celtics saw their third game postponed in the early going, with potential impact on the team later this week. Then, on Tuesday evening, the NBA announced that Wednesday’s scheduled game between the Washington Wizards and the Utah Jazz is postponed due to contract tracing prohibiting Washington from reaching the eight-player minimum to begin a game.

Earlier, the Wizards canceled practice after sidelining two players for protocol reasons, and head coach Scott Brooks spoke about the decision.

“Throughout the league it’s happening, and we knew there was always going to be a possibility that it might happen with us,” Brooks shared on Tuesday, via the Washington Post. “We have a couple of players in the safety protocol, but we canceled practice just so we could be smart about it. We don’t know until the next — you know, today or tomorrow, what that all means. We’re just going by the NBA’s safety and protocol rules. … We canceled practice just to be on the side of safety with everything.”

Washington’s next scheduled game is on Friday, Jan. 15 at home against the Detroit Pistons, and it remains to be seen what kind of impact the current situation could have on that contest. The Jazz face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday and, with the postponement, Utah’s next scheduled game would be Friday at home against the Atlanta Hawks in Salt Lake City.

There isn’t a single person out there right now who doesn’t wish they could jump on a plane and go on a vacation. We mean a real vacation. We’re not talking about queuing in endless lines while braving COVID-era airports or wearing a face shield while you respectively distance from locals.

That’s not a vacation, it’s just a bad idea. We’re in a global pandemic, remember? And the fact is, right now travel is extremely limited — for good reason.

Of course, since the early days of the pandemic, travel influencers have pushed the boundaries of social distancing restrictions. Considering that they are masters of branding, it’s no surprise they keep trying to Facetune COVID out of existence, but if recent events have shown us anything, pretending a thing that is clear to everyone doesn’t exist is stupid, at best, and dangerous, at worst.

Don’t tell that to the British travel influencers taking gigs with Dubai Tourism and highlighting their adventures on social media. They’re posting and tagging up a storm, much to the chagrin of their country-folk. According to the BBC and Dazed, over the past couple of weeks, British influencers and stars from reality shows like Love Island, Geordie Shore, and The Only Way Is Essex have been hitting the beach and filling up their feeds with vacation shots and party images straight from Dubai, UAE. (It seems that this was a state-sanctioned series of travel promotions, as indicated by the tagging of @VisitDubai and the proliferation of the #VisitDubai and #MyDubai hashtags.)

The plot twist came just yesterday, when it was announced that Dubai has officially been removed from the UK’s safe travel list after a recent uptick of COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates with a significant portion coming from, get this, imported cases. And considering that Europe has also banned travelers from the UK, that leaves the influencers with one of two options: stay in Dubai or face a 10-day quarantine back home.

As you’d expect, the people of Twitter are having a field day making fun of the rare moment of fustration that has fallen upon the most influential, beautiful, privileged (and sometimes selfish) humans on the planet. All Credit to Clive Martin, who came up with “COVID Casablanca,” which is just f*cking golden.

Check in on some of the jokes below.

Our quest to find the best bottles of bourbon at every price point has landed us in the $10 to $20 bracket. We’re still squarely in the cheap stuff, but we’re already getting to some very drinkable bottles of bourbon. Bourbons under $20 are almost always devised as workhorse whiskeys, but sipping territory is just past the horizon.

Our method here is pretty simple: Do these whiskeys taste good? Are they under $20 per bottle, on average (though they may be priced differently depending on which part of the country you’re in)?

Those simple parameters left us with 10 great bottles and even a few solid picks just outside that cutoff. Evan Williams White Label, for example. All of these picks are widely available nationwide, too. Hopefully, that’ll allow you to give one or two a pour if you dig their tasting notes.

Ezra Brooks Kentucky Sour Mash

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $11

The Whiskey:

Luxco’s Ezra Brooks is a throwback to the Mad Men days of bourbon. The juice is a standard rye-infused bourbon without an age statement. It’s made as a workhorse whiskey that’s easy to find and cheap when you do find it.

Tasting Notes:

Classic yet mild notes of caramel corn, vanilla, and oaky spice lead the way. There’s a continued sense of those notes on the palate, with a hint of dark chocolate and spice when a little water is introduced. The end is short, caramel sweet, and has hints of kettle corn.

Bottom Line:

This is nice, but it’s a workhorse. Use it in cocktails and highballs.

Heaven Hill Green Label 6-Year

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $13

The Whiskey:

Heaven Hill’s Old Style Bourbon is always affordable and very palatable. This expression adds an extra two-years (or so) of aging to the entry-level juice. Beyond that, we’re talking about a very standard bourbon that’s meant to be mixed, shot, and enjoyed without breaking the bank.

Tasting Notes:

Sweet oak comes through on the nose with a hint of dried mint and maybe some brown sugar. The palate holds onto that oak and gets a little bitter, thanks to the char of the wood, while vanilla arrives with a touch of pancake syrup. It’s really the oak that holds on the longest, as the sip creates a warm buzz on your senses and slowly fades out.

Bottom Line:

This is a perfect bottle of booze to learn mixology with. It’s bold and cheap and works really well in an old fashioned or Manhattan.

Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 40.5%

Average Price: $13

The Whiskey:

This was devised as a more approachable and mixable version of Wild Turkey 101 (Campari Group). The juice is rye-forward and aged from six to eight years in heavily charred “alligator” barrels. Finally, it’s brought down to proof with that soft Kentucky limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

This is truly classic bourbon through and through. The nose has hints of that oak with sweet pears covered in caramel with a slight spice and plenty of vanilla. Hints of buttery kettle corn mix with more pear and maybe a touch of peach too. The spiciness edges towards a Christmas spice boldness as the oak, vanilla, and caramel slowly fade out.

Bottom Line:

This is a great cocktail base. It also works on the rocks in a pinch as that water helps the juice really shine in the glass.

Four Roses Bourbon

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

The Whiskey:

Four Roses’ (Kirin Brewing) entry-point bourbon is a blend of the brand’s ten signature whiskey recipes. The distillery uses a high-rye and low-rye mash bill, each fermented with five different yeast strains, bringing a lot of variable flavors to the whiskeys.

The juices are then blended, proofed, and bottled with the idea of mixing in mind.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a definite steel note to this whiskey that leans toward minerality when water is added. The nose also brings along dried flowers, plenty of honey, and orchard fruits, with a hint of dark spice. The palate adds vanilla to the honey and apple foundations. The end is short but full of fruit, sweetness, spice, and green oak.

Bottom Line:

This is a solid workhorse whiskey that shines best as a cocktail base, especially for beginners looking to practice with a good, cheap bottle of bourbon. We also like it highballs with this, as the water really lets it bloom.

Jim Beam Bonded

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $16

The Whiskey:

This bonded bottle of Beam is classic Jim Beam that’s dialed into something a little more special. The juice is from one distilling season, matured for a minimum of four years in a bonded warehouse, and bottled at a higher proof of 100, in accordance with the law.

All of that makes for a (slightly) heightened mixing-level bourbon from the world’s biggest bourbon maker.

Tasting Notes:

Red cherry vines mingle with toasted oak and a sense of fresh vanilla pods. Sweet caramel corn mixes with apples stewed in dark spices with more of that vanilla, buttery toffee, slight notes of honey, and a distant wisp of mint. The toffee and vanilla merge near the end as a sense of dark chocolate and pipe tobacco arrive with the addition of water. The end is slow, full of oak, spice, and vanilla, and leaves you wanting more.

Bottom Line:

Most bottles of Jim Beam are $20 or less. This is the one to pick up if you’re looking for a cheap sipper (with some ice) or a really solid mixer.

Coopers’ Craft Bourbon

ABV: 41.1%

Average Price: $17

The Whiskey:

This unique offering from Brown-Forman celebrates the coopers who make all their barrels, including those for Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel’s. The juice isn’t just aged in those Brown-Forman barrels, it’s also filtered through beech and birch charcoal, adding an almost Tennessee whiskey edge to the Kentucky bourbon expression.

Tasting Notes:

Toasted and charred oak both come through on the nose with a clear sense of tart apples stewed in butter and Christmas spices with a hint of lemon zest. That lemon turns into a creamy pudding as the spice from the stewed apples amps up and marries with the cedar notes from the wood. With a little water, nutty notes pop with a bit of orange zest and mint. The end is deliberate and hits on the toasty oak, spice, apples, and sweetness as it fades.

Bottom Line:

This might cost just over $20 when you find it, or you might get lucky and find it for less than that. Either way, this works as a sipper on the rocks as well as a really nice mixer for simple bourbon cocktails.

Maker’s Mark Whisky

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

Beam Suntory’s Maker’s Mark is one of the classic “wheated” bourbons on the market. The mash bill includes red winter wheat in place of the more standard measure of rye. This expression’s juice is then aged for up to seven years before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is full of those heavily charred oak barrels next to classic hints of caramel and vanilla with a grassy underbelly. That grassiness becomes slightly floral as slightly spiced caramel apples arrive, along with a chewy mouthfeel. The end holds onto the fruit and sweetness as the oak and dried grass stays in your senses.

Bottom Line:

This is a great place to start your “wheated” bourbon journey since this bottle should be available on pretty much every liquor store shelf. It’s also a great bottle to use while you learn to mix drinks.

Old Forester 100

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

Old Forester 100 (Brown-Forman) is a solid whiskey that’s crafted as equal parts mixer and sipper. The juice is bottled at a higher proof, 100, though it’s not a bottled-in-bond whiskey. Still, the craft is there and it’s a unique whiskey at this price point.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is bold with hints of butterscotch, dark chocolate mints, and espresso bean bitterness. The palate veers away from those notes and embraces a tart stewed apple with plenty of Christmas spice, especially nutmeg, as peaches and toasted oak arrives. The end holds onto the spicy, stewed apples as the oak brings the bitter char until the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is an interesting sip with plenty of ice. It also is the perfect base if you’re mixing up some mint juleps.

Old Grand-Dad Bonded

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $19

The Whiskey:

Hailing from Jim Beam’s line of “Old” whiskeys, this is a very high-rye bourbon worth checking out. The mash bill is comprised of 27 percent rye, making it on the very high end of the spectrum of “high-rye” bourbons. The juice is also botted-in-bond, meaning it spent at least four years in the barrel before bottling at 50 percent ABV.

Tasting Notes:

Black pepper greets you but is counterpointed by rich and creamy vanilla pudding with a burnt sugar topping and a hint of dark spices. Those spices lean into the Christmas season, as orange oils arrive with a floral edge, more vanilla pudding, and a sense of toasted oak. The end reminds you of the black pepper sharpness that drew you in, as vanilla, oak, fruit, and a final touch of popcorn fade across your senses.

Bottom Line:

Whip up a Manhattan, Sazerac, or boulevardier with this.

Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

Bulleit’s (Diageo) signature bourbon is another high-rye bourbon. The mash bill exceeds Old Grand-Dad’s rye content by one percent, with a 28 percent rye mash. The juice in this case is aged up to six years before it’s blended, cut down to proof, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with peppery spice, plenty of oak, classic bourbon vanilla, and a hint of tobacco. The taste delivers on those notes while spice edges towards Red Hots, the vanilla gets creamy, and the tobacco creates a buzz in your mouth. The end brings about caramel kettle corn flourishes as the spice, vanilla, and oak all slowly fade out.

Bottom Line:

This is probably the easiest sipper on this list, but only if you’re adding a little water or a rock or two. This also works wonders as a cheap cocktail base that tends to hold its flavors impressively when used as a mixer.