GoneTrending

In our desire to highlight the best bourbons for you to spend your hard-earned money on, we often look to awarding bodies and experts. You know, the sorts of folks who get paid to pick the “best bottles.” Do we believe that the experts and judges are always right in their selections? Of course not. But they do often lead to at least some cool finds for aficionados seeking out new drams to love.

For years now, the fall whiskey season has kicked off with the release of the Jim Murray Whisky Bible. The book has grown considerably over the years, with 4,500 reviews from Murray on whiskeys from all over the world. This year’s Whisky Bible added another 1,000+ bottles to the list as the world of whiskey expands even further.

Does that make Murray the be-all-and-end-all of the whiskey reviewing world? No. No one is. The industry is rapidly changing and growing with more diverse voices than ever before. Murray — while being a big part of the growth of whiskey over the last decades — is failable. In fact, he’s particularly embattled this year, over allegations of sexism. He’s also prone to palate exhaustion, just like other whisk(e)y tasters (myself included). Still, the man has tasted over 20,000 drams — that’s a whole lot of context to bring to the table.

The eight bottles of bourbon below are the ones that Jim Murray called out as “the best” going into 2021. Some of them are still fairly accessible at your local liquor store. Others are quite inaccessible — unless you’re a collector with a near limitless budget for bottles of booze. Still, it’s fun to window shop and check out what this longstanding expert has to say.

Bourbon of the Year — Stagg Jr. Barrel Proof

ABV: 64.2%
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac)
Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This expression also won “Bourbon No Age Statement, Multiple Barrels.” So, this is a bit of a two-fer. This barrel-proof bourbon has been lauded all around the world over the last year. Don’t expect the price to stay this low for much longer.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“Rich, sweet, chocolate and brown sugar flavors mingle in perfect balance with the bold rye spiciness. The boundless finish lingers with hints of cherries, cloves, and smokiness.”

Bourbon of the Year Runner Up — William Larue Weller, 2019 Release

ABV: 64%
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac)
Average Price: $700

The Whiskey:

Okay, we’re already in inaccessible territory. This expression from the illustrious Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is one of the harder to find and more expensive bottles of bourbon out there. Still, the wheated bourbon is a masterpiece of craft and you can still score a similar version from Buffalo Trace’s W.L. Weller line at a much more affordable price.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“Fragrant scents of caramel corn, new leather, plums, light toffee, and pipe tobacco. The palate tastes of marshmallow, salted almonds, nougat, figs, and dates. This whiskey finishes smooth, composed, and flavorfully sweet.”

Bourbon No Age Statement, Single Barrel — Elmer T. Lee, 100 Year Tribute Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac)
Average Price: $800

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace continues to dominate with this special release Elmer T. Lee. The bottle commemorates what would have been whiskey legend Elmer T. Lee’s 100th birthday with a special high-proof version of the standard Elmer T. Lee the distillery puts out.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“The nose brings notes of clove, vanilla, and old leather. The flavor balances fruit, honey, and vanilla with a light spiciness. A long and warm finish.”

Bourbon 9-year & Under — Bib & Tucker, Small Batch Bourbon 6-Year-Old

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits (Sourced)
Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

This high-rye bourbon wins a lot of awards. The juice is over 26 percent rye and is aged in a very low charred oak barrel, which lets the spirit shine a bit brighter than the wood.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“Bib & Tucker leads with a scent of strong vanilla and sweet hay. And is accented by a whiff of sandalwood and mace. With a smooth entry, the bourbon is nicely balanced with a hint of pecan pie sweetness. It fulfills the promise of its nose before evolving into a warm, rich, spicy sensation. Bib & Tucker coats the palate with a complex, yet balanced and long-lasting chestnut finish.”

Bourbon 10-12 Years — Michter’s Single Barrel 10-Years-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 47.2%
Distillery: Michter’s Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $130

The Whiskey:

This is one of those bourbons you’re still able to find for a somewhat reasonable price. That’s about to change. This bottle keeps winning big awards, getting heavy press, and is very limited each year. So, the price of this well-aged juice is going to climb higher very soon.

Tasting Notes (from UPROXX’s Expression Session):

“That oak comes through with a fresh maple syrup sweetness. There’s a sense of bourbon vanilla but it’s dialed back as the sip edges more into the bitterness of the charred oak with a rich toffee creaminess. The maple syrup, oak, and toffee carry the sip towards a warm, yet curt end.”

Bourbon 13-15 Years — Knob Creek 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Jim Beam, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory)
Average Price: $115

The Whiskey:

Knob Creek 15 released this expression over the summer, and it’s been a hit with bourbon lovers. The juice is a 15-year-old bourbon that’s hand-selected from barrels in various parts of the rickhouse which have the exact right nuances according to the master distillers. The result is a well-aged bourbon that, while expensive, doesn’t break the bank.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“After a decade and half of maturation, Knob Creek 15- Year-Old will entice the nose with delectable caramelized oak and luscious vanilla. Our bourbon will further soothe the palate with smooth caramel and toffee perfectly paired with toasted oak and light leather. Lastly, Knob Creek 15-Year-Old will finish with a warming spice joined by a slight floral bouquet.”

Bourbon 16-year & Older — Michter’s 20-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 57.1%
Distillery: Michter’s Distillery, Louisville, KY
Average Price: $1850

The Whiskey:

This bourbon has already hit that “unattainable” level. Spending nearly $2,000 on a bottle of any booze is an investment, not a party favor. Still, this juice from Michter’s is among some of the most beloved out there (with the awards to boot).

It’s no wonder it’s reached Pappy-level prices.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“Intense notes of black cherry, rich molasses, honeysuckle, roasted pecans, charred oak.”

US Micro Whiskey of the Year Single Barrel — Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Private Select

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Woodinville Whiskey, Woodinville, WA
Average Price: $36

The Whiskey:

Woodinville Whiskey is a local, independent, grain-to-glass whiskey distillery that wins award after award for their spirits. It’s also a small-time Pacific Northwest institution that has yet to really capture the country’s attention as a great, cornerstone whiskey maker. That’ll change soon as this stuff makes its way around the country and people fall in love with the fine bourbon made in Woodinville.

Tasting Notes (from the distillery):

“This meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted spirit with aromas of crème brûlée and spice cabinet, as well as notes of rich caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean on the palate with a sweet, lingering finish.”

It’s been over 15 years since The Killers arrived on the scene with their debut album Hot Fuss, which boasted songs like “Somebody Told Me,” and, of course, the indelible track “Mr. Brightside.” It’s only on rare occasions that the band performs the latter on stage, but they decided the Raiders playing a game in their Las Vegas hometown was reason enough. So they took over a rooftop in the city and gave an explosive rendition of the song.

Before diving into the performance, vocalist Brandon Flowers welcomed the Raiders to town. “Hello. We’re The Killers and it’s our pleasure to welcome the Raiders to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I think we’ve got just the song for the occasion,” vocalist Flowers told the crowd.

Along with performing on ESPN, The Killers have already set their sights on another record. In a recent interview with NME, Flowers said they plan on sharing a follow-up to Imploding The Mirage in less than a year:

“You know when people just say that? Every time someone makes a record they say that they have 50 songs and they’re going to release another record. We really are. We’re going to release another one in about 10 months. We’ve already gone back into the studio with [producer Jonathon Rado] and [producer Shawn Everett]. We did a week in Northern California. I had a lot of time on my hands. Before, I’d normally be gearing up to tour, all of that time has gone back into writing more songs. It’s been pretty fruitful.”

Watch The Killers perform “Mr. Brightside” on ESPN above.

Imploding The Mirage is out now via Island Records. Get it here.

It’s a big day for the Las Vegas Raiders, as the organization opened Allegiant Stadium in style with a clash against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. While the early going wasn’t kind to the Raiders in falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Jon Gruden’s team showed signs of life and, with 1:44 left in the first half, Derek Carr found Zay Jones for a 15-yard touchdown to slash the deficit to 17-14.

That was a positive for the Raiders by any description but, after Jones scored, he led the team in a COVID-themed touchdown celebration by seemingly breaking out the (imaginary) hand sanitizer for himself and his teammates.

In the world of pre-planned touchdown celebrations, this certainly isn’t the worst, and one wonders if this was assigned only to Jones or if the entire team was planning to use it at some point. This was the first catch of the night for Jones, who had not scored a touchdown since 2018, but he picked a good time to do it and perhaps informed others about the use of hand sanitizer. Given the state of the pandemic in the United States, it certainly isn’t a bad thing to bring awareness to while scoring an important touchdown.

Blac Chyna is an actor, makeup brand founder, and star of her very own TV show, The Real Blac Chyna, whose second season is currently in production. But that’s not all. As of 2017, Chyna is also a rapper. Having released her debut single this past summer, she shared her song “My Word” this week alongside an opulent video.

The video finds Chyna tapping Too Short, Keak Da Sneak, and makeup mogul and YouTuber Jeffree Star. Chyna flaunts her wealth, cars, and Birkin bags while delivering verses about enjoying the finer things in life. “I’m rocking sh*t you b*tchеs never evеn heard,” she raps.

Ahead of the video’s release, Chyna sat down with Uproxx to discuss her semi-recent pivot to rap. While she’s put out a handful of singles so far, an album is not yet in the works:

“No, I’m not going to do an album right now. I’m just focusing on singles because I want people to understand that I’m serious about this and I want to put out visuals with each song that I put out so they can get used to my sound and they know, ‘Okay. Chyna’s taking it serious and she’s not just doing this because she’s old Blac Chyna,’ or anything like that. I’m just taking the proper steps to let people know, ‘Hey, I’m serious about this and this is something I want to do and I’m passionate about it.’

Watch Blac Chyna’s “My Word” above.

All-star script readings have become all the rage during a time when actors can’t create new content in which they, you know, share the same space. Round up a bevy of name performers (do a reunion, if you can!), have them all read a TV episode or a movie script live, and…well, it’s not the same as a typical sitcom or movie, but it’s something. But this one is next level: As per The Hollywood Reporter, Gabrielle Union is organizing an all-black cast to read a classic episode of Friends.

The episode in question? “The One Where No One’s Ready,” one of the most theatrical of Friends episodes, set entirely in Monica and Rachel’s apartment and featuring the entire sextet together at the same time for the entire time, and mostly in real time. (And they’re not even hanging in Central Perk.) A Season 3 favorite, it finds everyone supposed to be heading to a function at Ross’ museum, only for, well, no one (but Ross) to be ready to go.

Union herself will not be playing one of the main roles, handing the role of Ross and Rachel to real-life marrieds Ryan Bathe and Sterling K. Brown. Meanwhile, Kendrick Sampson (How to Get Away with Murder) will read for Joey, Jeremy Pope (Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood) for Chandler, Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) for Phoebe, and Aisha Hinds (9-1-1) for Monica. The production team will include such luminaries as Cynthia Erivo, Tessa ThompsonKerry Washington, Rashida Jones, Issa Rae, and Ava DuVernay.

An all-black Friends is a smart move, especially as the show has been criticized, then and moreso now, for painting an unrealistically over-white depiction of New York City. Among its critics? Former Phoebe Lisa Kudrow, who said a potential reboot would be much more diverse. Meanwhile, David Schwimmer, the erstwhile Ross, has said that he pushed the production to include supporting players of color, including multiple girlfriends (who weren’t his on-and-off, Rachel, that is).

As with many cast readings, the Friends one will encourage donations to a charity, in this case Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative. A date for the live reading has yet to be announced, but perhaps it will arrive before HBO Max’s delayed official Friends reunion.

(Via THR)

Bubba Wallace has emerged as a rising star in NASCAR for what he’s done both on and off the track. The Cup Series’ lone Black driver used his voice in a sport that has long pushed back against change and led to some long overdue new policies in the sport, such as banning confederate flags from events, and getting his fellow drivers to speak up on issues of racism and racial injustice as well.

Wallace has driven for Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 43 car since arriving in the Cup Series, but announced earlier this year that he will not be renewing his contract with RPM. That led to plenty of speculation about what team he will join next, but the answer to that question is something no one saw coming.

On Monday night, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin announced that they would be starting a one-car racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Bubba Wallace being their driver.

It takes a tremendous financial commitment to compete with the biggest teams in NASCAR, but Jordan isn’t new to the motorsports scene — he previously owned a motorcycle racing team. As he noted in a statement, he sees this as an investment not only in NASCAR but in bringing more opportunities to Black people in racing at its highest level.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life,” said Jordan. “The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners. The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more. In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing.”

As for Hamlin, he will continue to run in the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, and more details are to come about the car manufacturer — Wallace currently drives a Chevy with RPM, while Hamlin drives a Toyota for JGR and the expectation is it will be a Toyota team — as well as the number and official team name. For those curious, the No. 23 is not currently running in NASCAR and it’d be fairly stunning if that wasn’t what Wallace is running as in 2021. Still, what we know for sure is that NASCAR’s lone Black driver will race for the first Black-owned racing team since Wendell Scott raced for his own team in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and that’s pretty cool.

The Las Vegas Raiders picked up a win in their first game this season, outlasting the Carolina Panthers by a 34-30 margin in Week 1. However, there was more than a little bit of extra emphasis on the second game of the season for Jon Gruden’s team, simply because it marks the first game in the newly constructed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

In advance of Monday night’s tilt against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, the hype was significant, including a video released by the Raiders to get the blood flowing in the NFL’s maiden voyage in Vegas.

In addition, Monday Night Football has its own mystique, raising the stakes even more.

It was quite a scene even before kick-off, with fans arriving (very) early just a stone’s throw from the Las Vegas Strip.

The facility is overwhelming in its grandeur, with a billion dollar price tag to boot, and many were looking ahead to the festivities even before the public was allowed inside.

By kick-off time, there was even a flyover, even with the roof closed for the action.

It is still too early to get a full-fledged feel on how the stadium will be received in the long term but, if nothing else, the “death star” moniker to describe the venue seems to be catching on with vigor.

Not everyone is on board, though, with some semantic arguments against the nickname.

Overall, Allegiant Stadium looks brilliant and it certainly seems to embody the city where its located. Whether the Raiders can live up to the billing remains to be seen, but Las Vegas now has an NFL team to pair with a highly successful NHL franchise, and they have a venue to host the action.

Moneybagg Yo released his song “Said Sum” at the start of summer but he didn’t stop there. Last week, the rapper tapped DaBaby and the City Girls for a new remix of the track. Chicago rapper Dreezy was apparently hoping for a spot on the track as she didn’t wait long before dropping her own remix.

For her take on “Said Sum,” Dreezy stands alone. As she brings her signature flow to Moneybagg Yo’s beat, the abbreviated remix sees her flexing her fast-paced flow. Throughout the single, Dreezy matched the energy of DaBaby and City Girls’ “Said Sum” remix, leaving no space in between each prideful verse.

While Dreezy dropped the track in response to Moneybagg Yo’s high-profile remix, the rapper said she also wanted to give fans something to hold them over until her next album sees a release. Since the release of her 2019 project Big Dreez, she’s stayed relatively quiet, but it seems that is all about to change. Dreezy has yet to unveil too many details of the upcoming release, but if Big Dreez was any indication the rapper’s record will be filled with her signature quick-witted flow.

You can listen to Dreezy’s “Said Sum” remix above.

Big Dreez is out now via Interscope. Get it here.

Since Disney now owns Star Wars, we should expect to be flooded with a near-constant output of Star Wars-branded memorabilia on a yearly basis. Some of it will make sense — like being able to build and purchase your very own lightsaber at Disneyland (very cool) — while some will feel slightly more random — like an entire sneaker line designed after the characters in the franchise’s almost 50-year history.

Today brings a collab that lands right in the middle — a Mandalorian-inspired Polaroid instant camera. The instant camera arrives to honor of the season two premiere of the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian, borrowing colors and textures from the armor of the series’ main character, Din Djarin.

The Beskar steel-resembling camera sports all of the usual Polaroid functions like an autofocus lens system, a built-in self-timer, and a dynamic flash, but also features double exposure capabilities, allowing you to create some truly DIY experimental images. Releasing alongside the camera is a set of Baby Yoda inspired I-Type Film that features colored borders with insignias and imagery from the series.

While a Polaroid camera might seem like a blatant cash-grab, this analog approach to memorabilia ties in nicely with the show’s back-to-basics aesthetic. The Mandalorian-themed Polaroid Now camera is available now at the Polaroid webstore for a retail price of $119.

Bobby Shmurda was sentenced to prison back in 2014, and it looks like there’s no chance of him getting out early. While it was previously reported that the rapper may be able to get out of prison as early as this December, his parole was recently denied, meaning he’ll have to stay behind bars for the remainder of his sentence.

A recent report from TMZ broke the news, stating that the exact cause for Shmurda being denied parole is unknown. It did mention, however, that the rapper racked up eleven violations while in prison. Those violations include drug possession and getting into a fight using a makeshift knife. As a result, Shmurda is now facing his maximum sentence.

The report also states that, according to his mother, Shmurda had big plans for his life following his release from prison. He was hoping to record new music and even film a documentary about his life. But it now looks like those plans will be put on hold until he’s fully released.

Shmurda accepted a plea deal on conspiracy to commit murder and weapons possession back in 2016, a move that had extended his sentence until 2021. He now resides in Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York and will finish the remainder of his sentence in protective custody, expected to be until December 11, 2021.