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Earlier this week, the NBA announced that it will hand out awards based on the eight seeding games that occurred in the Orlando Bubble. Those awards were announced on Saturday prior to the first of potentially two play-in games between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies, and to the surprise of no one, Damian Lillard’s torrid form over the last eight games led to him being named the Bubble MVP.

Lillard was given the award unanimously — every single one of the 22 voters put the Blazers star, who averaged a Bubble-high 37.6 points per game, atop their ballots. Devin Booker of the surprising Phoenix Suns came comfortably in second, while T.J. Warren narrowly edged out Luka Doncic for third. Rounding out the field were James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, both of whom will battle it out with LeBron James for the full-season MVP award.

Coach of the Bubble isn’t a surprise either. Monty Williams, who led the Phoenix Suns to a surprising 8-0 record, comfortably won the award, with 20 of the 21 ballots placing him atop their lists. The only other coach to get a first-place vote was runner-up Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers. Rounding out the top-3 was Jacque Vaughn, the interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

To wrap up the Bubble awards, the league had voters pick their All-Seeding Game first and second teams. Lillard, Booker, and Doncic were unanimous first-team selections, while Harden and Warren comfortably made it onto that squad, too. For the second-team, Antetokounmpo was joined by Kawhi Leonard, Kristaps Porzingis, Caris LeVert, and Michael Porter Jr.

Nas recently shared the first single off his upcoming album King’s Disease, namely “Ultra Black.” While the song signaled Nas’ return to the spotlight, discussions about the track weren’t so much about its quality as much as it was about his diss of Doja Cat. On the song, Nas raps, “We goin’ ultra Black, unapologetically Black / The opposite of Doja Cat, Michael Blackson Black” — a line that had fans questioning his choice to diss a black woman, especially in today’s climate. Now Doja Cat has shared her response to the diss in a video she posted to TikTok, but it turns out it didn’t seem to bother her.

“I am so offended and upset about this song,” Doja said as Nas’ “Ultra Black” played in the background. “Have you guys heard ‘Fruit Salad’ by The Wiggles?” She opted instead to put her energy elsewhere.

Nas’ diss is rooted in Doja’s Twitter scandal, which occurred back in May. Insensitive tweets from Doja’s past were uncovered by fans after she was accused of participating in alt-right and incel chat rooms on Tinychat. Soon after a 2015 song by Doja — titled “Dindu Nuffin,” in which she see seemed to mock Black peoples’ accents — was unearthed and condemned by fans as well.

As for Nas, the rapper will release King’s Disease, executive produced by Hit-Boy, on August 21.

For years and years people on the internet have been clamoring to get Idris Elba one of the most coveted jobs in the business: James Bond. It hasn’t worked, and it almost certainly will never work, despite everyone’s best efforts. But here’s some news that may make things a touch better: As per Entertainment Weekly, the acclaimed actor has signed on to produce and star in a romantic spy thriller for Apple.

The film, which has no title and no plot beyond “romantic spy thriller,” will be produced alongside Simon Kinberg, one of Hollywood’s busiest scribes, who made his directorial debut last year with the woebegone X-Men entry Dark Phoenix. But Kinberg also wrote, among others, 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, itself a “romantic spy thriller,” and a very original one. So perhaps Elba will get something that’s at least more fun and sexy than your typical 007 romp.

Apple has been edging into the film business bit by bit, funding projects like the Will Smith thriller Emancipation, the recent Tom Hanks WWII saga Greyhound, and even giving Martin Scorsese the hefty budget he needs to make his next historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon, after numerous studios didn’t want to give Martin Scorsese money to make a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. So good for them.

(Via EW)

There’s a lot of new Star Trek content coming our way, partly because its home streaming service CBS All Access needs plenty of content to fill its coffers. But arguably the most unusual is the one called Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated series from Rick and Morty writer and Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan. The show launched on August 6, with 10 episodes released at a very non-Netflix-y one week at a time. And though you do have to be a CBS All Access subscriber to see them, they did make the maiden episode available to everyone by dropping it on YouTube.

As evidenced by the Rick and Morty connection, Lower Decks isn’t a typical all-ages show. Its humor is decidedly adult, and the mayhem a lot wilder than you expect from any Trek iteration. It doesn’t even follow the usual heroes. Instead, it’s about crew members at the bottom of the food chain, hoping for promotions they’ll likely never get yet still getting involved in wild adventures. The reviews have been mixed-to-positive, but now everyone, and not just those shelling out for the umpteenth streamer, can judge the show for themselves. Alas, if you wish to watch other Trek programs, like Discovery, Picard or the forthcoming Strange New Worlds, you’re gonna have to fork over some more cash.

You can watch the first episode of Lower Decks in the video above.

(Via /Film)

On August 10, The Weeknd saw his debut album Kiss Land rise back to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes R&B chart, some seven whole years after the album’s release. The rapper took to Twitter to celebrate the rare feat, writing, “xo’s legacy is full of surprises. discography turning timeless. can’t thank you guys enough. XO #kissland.” Not long after, on a recent episode of his Momento Mori radio show on Apple Music, The Weeknd then took fans back to the Kiss Land era by playing a number of unreleased tracks.

Describing it as a “special thank you episode to the fans for showing so much love to kiss land this week,” the rapper played a remix of Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence song “Money Power Glory” and a demo of his Juicy collaboration, “One Of Those Nights,” from the Memphis rapper’s deluxe Stay Trippy album, among others. Other demos tracks heard on the episode included “Angel Face,” “For Your Eyes,” “Heavenly Creatures,” and “Another One of Me.”

The episode arrived after The Weeknd made a $300,000 donation to aid relief efforts in Beirut following the port city’s terrifying explosion.

You can listen to the songs on The Weeknd’s latest Momento Mori radio show here.

After a disappointing showing in the Bubble seeding games, the New Orleans Pelicans have parted ways with head coach Alvin Gentry, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

The Pelicans went 2-6 in Orlando and in their first day home, the team has decided to do what had been rumored for some time, dismissing the head coach who has led the team since 2015. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin will — despite having a previous connection with Gentry dating back to their time together in Phoenix — now have the opportunity to hire his own coach for the first time since taking over in New Orleans.

The Pelicans confirmed the move shortly after in a release.

“I’m grateful for and appreciative of Alvin’s commitment to the organization and, most importantly, the local community,” said Griffin in a statement from the team. “The City of New Orleans is richer because of his presence here. These types of moves are often about fit and timing, and we believe now is the right time to make this change and bring in a new voice.”

Under Gentry, the Pelicans had long struggled to defend consistently, even dating back to the previous era with All-NBA big man Anthony Davis anchoring the middle, when they never ranked higher than ninth on that end. It’s a reputation and difficulty that has followed the 65-year-old Gentry throughout his career.

“I want to thank Alvin for his contributions to the Pelicans and the New Orleans community,” added Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson in the team statement. “We believe that making a head coaching change is necessary at this time. I truly appreciate Alvin’s leadership, dedication and perseverance through some challenging circumstances over the past five seasons. He will always be a part of our Pelicans family, and we wish him and his family all the best in the future. Our intention moving forward is to find the right head coach that will guide this Pelicans team to compete for championships. That is what our fans deserve.”

According to multiple reports shortly after Gentry’s reported dismissal, the Pelicans are expected to follow suit with Brooklyn and pursue both Ty Lue and Jason Kidd as replacements for Gentry.

In a story at ESPN, Wojnarowski and Lopez also noted New Orleans would be interested in Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn should Brooklyn replace him at the end of the season. Vaughn has led his team in quite the opposite manner in Orlando, pushing the depleted Nets to a 5-3 record.

With a very promising young core that includes All-Star Brandon Ingram and 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, the Pelicans will have a big opportunity to take a step forward in 2020-21 under Gentry’s replacement.

Click to download here.

Hi again, it’s that time of week again where Matt and Vince take a break from their life of isolation with their significant others and talk to each other about wet ass p*ssies in perfect Irish accents and release the conversation for public consumption. Now that I’ve explained what podcasting is to you fine people, I think it’s best that I tell you what we talked about this week. On this week’s Frotcast, we invited comedian Jason Webb to the virtual Frotquarters to talk about the upcoming Apple+ documentary Boys State which follows a group of high school teens as they take a crash course in running a political campaign. We also talk Cardi B’s hot new single WAP as well as the Ben Shapiro remix. Plus, there’s a brief update on the life of Jordan B. Peterson and much more. It’s a good pod. Please listen. Please, please listen.

Additionally, over on the premium feed this week we have an extended interview with the directors of The Swamp for HBO, a doc about our broken political system. Subscribe today and listen to it! No refunds.

Here’s that thread on Jordan B. Peterson:

And the Ben Shapiro remix:

EMAIL us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030.

SUBSCRIBE to the Frotcast on iTunes.

SUPPORT at Patreon.com/Frotcast. You can add the bonus feed to regular podcast app!

In October 2019, Lizzo was accused of plagiarism over her hit song, “Truth Hurts.” In response to the accusations, which were made by Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen, and Justin “Yves” Rothman, Lizzo filed a lawsuit in a California federal court for “a judicial declaration” against her three accusers, claiming they “did not co-author ‘Truth Hurts,’ and have no right to co-own that work or to share in its profits.” Nearly a year after that lawsuit was filed, a judge has sided with Lizzo and her claim, as per Pitchfork.

The decision, which was made by U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee, comes after the trio of accusers countersued Lizzo in February claiming that Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” came from a single they worked on together titled “Healthy.” Judge Gee agreed with Lizzo’s claim that “a joint author of one copyrightable work does not automatically gain ownership of a derivative work in which the joint author had no hand in creating.” Judge Gee also pointed out that “Healthy” was a completed “standalone” track and not a demo version of “Truth Hurts.”

Despite granting Lizzo’s motion to dismiss the Raisens and Rothman’s initial counterclaim, Judge Gee is allowing the trio to amend their suit with new and different evidence. The trio has until September 4 to amend their suit or notify Lizzo and her team of their decision to withdrawal the amendment.

The court win comes a week after she inked a deal with Amazon to begin work on an upcoming TV series.

(via Pitchfork)

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.

Through a nine-year run on SNL, getting married, having a kid, and navigating life as an actor, Bobby Moynihan kept his little weed dealing manatee dream alive. And now, Loafy has been realized, first as a series of digital shorts for Comedy Central (with new eps dropping Saturdays at noon), but maybe someday something more. Plush ganja slinging sea cows? A Funko Pop? Anything is possible. But it all started with an idea.

We spoke with Moynihan about the origins of this story, how he’s lost touch with his sea mammal muse, used Comedy Central’s money to set up improv play dates that drive the bonkers comedy at the heart of Loafy, paying a right and full tribute to Mindy Cohn, and getting past the angst of leaving SNL to find peace during a pandemic.

How far back does this idea go?

I don’t know, a bunch of years. I’ve always loved manatees because my wife adopted a manatee for me for Christmas. And it’s been an ongoing joke since then. And I did UnMade for IMDB, I think. And they asked if we had any projects that we had been thinking about. And I pitched them that idea and made a video and then people found it there and here we are.

Are you still doing the manatee adoption thing?

Unfortunately, I don’t know if we resubscribed. My manatee’s name was Chessie. He was named Chessie because he was the first manatee found in the Chesapeake Bay. And you could go online and follow his whereabouts. He didn’t move a lot. But yeah, I think I have lost touch with my son Chessie.

That’s terrible. It’s sad… which is why we brought him out here today to talk to you! A nice Maury moment. [Ed. note: Chessie lived a hell of a life.]

[Laughs] Yeah, right.

I did one of those for my wife for Christmas a couple of years ago. The initial thing is like, “Oh, cool.” But they never call, they never write.

You could never tell if it was the same manatee in any of them. They all look different. But I will protect all the manatees.

I appreciate your heart.

Thank you.

So, the idea of putting him in a zoo, where does that come from?

I just thought it would be funny if he was a weed dealer and then it just started making me laugh. That he couldn’t leave his tank — he would be a terrible weed dealer. But then it was just like, his weed was so good and weed is still illegal in New York, so he can still work in New York. And I just love the idea of people breaking into a really shitty zoo that’s next to the Central Park Zoo that no one knows about. And they go there to get their weed from this manatee. And it’s funny and I was definitely stoned when I thought of it.

How do you sell the show to non-stoners?

In reality, the true reason why I did this show was because I missed improvising with my friends and I love animation, and I wanted to mix the two. So I thought it would be a fun idea because it’s very hard to do improv in animation. It costs so much. But going in from the start, we knew that we were like, “This episode is about Loafy trying to get a musical instrument for his son.” You don’t know what it will be. We just knew that going in and started improvising and kind of made the episodes from there.

So for someone who doesn’t smoke weed, if you just like comedy and improv and lots of fun comedians and amazingly talented people, that’s one reason to get into it. The animation style alone, I really enjoy. It’s a little offbeat and silly and weird on purpose. If you don’t smoke weed, it’ll be fine. And if you do, I think it’ll help tremendously.

So do you think it would be a gateway drug? Will Loafy turn me to the dark side of drugs and alcohol and womanizing and manatees?

I certainly hope not. And if it does, I’m going to go ahead and say that’s not true. Loafy shouldn’t be taken that seriously [Laughs].

You don’t want the controversy? You don’t want to see Ted Cruz tweeting about Loafy?

I don’t want Ted Cruz anywhere near Loafy.

Good answer. So this cast: how do you get Tom Green involved?

A lot of these guys are very, very close friends of mine that I just wanted to improvise with and wanted to play with. And then Gina Gershon and Tom Green are just people I kind of have met along the way. And went, “You know what?” Why don’t I call them? That would be interesting. I met Tom Green at a party and we just started talking and I remember thinking I want to see him do funny stuff again and thought, “Why don’t I give him a call and ask him if he’ll do this”? And he said, “Yes”. It was random. He was absolutely hilarious. One of the things he improvised, it ended up becoming like the end of the episode. It’s the Dungeons and Dragons episode coming out. And he’s the end of that. He was just fantastic. He knocked it out of the park.

I was thinking about one of the weed strain names. Mindy Cohn’s attorney. I’m curious what it takes to kind of find the exact right strain name because that’s so perfect.

I’ve always found it extremely fun just to make up dumb weed names. It’s just fun. And it’s especially fun to do on the spot. And I love a Mindy Cohn reference and she’s absolutely wonderful.

How many episodes do you guys have in the can? What are the plans for the future?

We’re writing a pilot for Comedy Central and we have eight episodes for Comedy Central Digital. With Loafy, it was something that I got to create and direct them and have my friends come do. On that level, I was looking to learn. I wanted to learn. So to get to do it on any level, I was almost happy to do it on a smaller level and only have shorts to worry about. And now we’ve kind of figured it out, figured out the world and what we wanted to do with it. And it definitely gets weirder as the eight go along and it evolves into something that I’m really happy with.

How is your relationship to expectations… from when you first left SNL to where you are right now and what you think you should be doing. How much is that a part of your thought process when you’re looking for your next project?

I mean, I think it’s different for everyone at SNL. I think SNL is a very specific journey for each person who goes through that place and comes out on the other end. I got married, had a baby. I had a lot of stuff in my life happen right afterward and was lucky enough to get work. And then the pandemic happened and now we’re waiting. So everything’s cool. [Laughs] I think I was a lot more nervous when SNL was ending. I was like, “Oh my God, Oh my God. SNL‘s ending. What’s going to happen? What’s going to happen?” And now I’m like, “Well, I’ve got a three year old. SNL was fun. I’m glad I’m alive and healthy. And I’m going to use this time to spend with my family because I’m not up until seven in the morning writing skits.

I can’t even imagine how one would be able to do that with a kid and a relationship. From everything I’ve ever read and anyone I’ve ever talked to, it is your kid. It is your relationship.

Yeah. I met my wife a week before I got SNL.

Oh, wow.

And we got married right as I was finishing because we couldn’t. It was like, I was married to SNL. And then she was on Broadway. It was like, my day off was Sunday. Hers was Monday for nine years. Then the second we were done, we were like, “Let’s get married.”

Pre-SNL, were you involved in the whole Human Giant MTV 24-hour takeover thing that they did back in 2007?

I was not. I just watched it all unfold. I knew those guys from UCB and from the UCB touring company. Me and my friend/writing partner at the time, Charlie Sanders, we tried to write some sketches with them for one episode or something. We just went in for punch ups. It wasn’t like a thing or anything. I knew them very little.

What was the feeling at the early point in your career… You did some of the Late Night with Conan stuff, which I imagine is more like a day player kind of gig. It’s not like you’re in the writer’s room with those, right? It’s just like an acting assignment.

Yes. It was very much like, “You’ll take a hundred bucks to dance around in your underwear?” Please. It was very much of that. [Laughs]

So there are no deeply rewarding mentor relationships that are being formed with that, it’s just, “Here’s a job. Go get it.”

Yeah. I would’ve paid them to do it.

Can you talk a little bit about the community in that era? Pre-SNL in terms of just support and leaning on people.

It was beautiful! I mean it was the place where I met my wife and all my friends and we stayed there every night till the morning because we loved it and because we loved comedy and we all met people that we liked. And that was when it was wonderful.

Do you have hope that it’s still going to be able to be that for people going forward post-COVID?

Yeah. I mean, I think comedy communities will always pop up. There’s always going to be comedy nerds. They’re always going to find each other.

‘Loafy’ is streaming on Comedy Central’s YouTube channel with new episodes dropping Saturdays at noon ET.

If you’re shopping for a bottle of tequila, you could approach it one of two ways: 1) you buy a bottle blindly, maybe the label draws you in or the hue of the spirit itself, or 2) you take a targeted approach and zero in on the exact type of tequila you want/ need. We highly recommend the latter, because if you’re drawn to the bright and natural sweetness of blue agave, and you’re looking for an expression that’s going to make a great base for your cocktail, for the love of all that is holy reach for the top-shelf plata or reposado and not the extra añejo, despite the beauty of its deep amber hue. On the flip side, if sipping tequila is your jam, you reach for that Añejo bottle of Corazon De Agave over the bottle of joven more often than not.

Knowing the exact type of tequila you need will make your cocktails better and keep your wallet fatter, so we’ve pulled each of the top-rated tequilas in every category from this year’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC) is one of the most well-respected spirit tasting organizations on the planet right now. For 10 years, their judges have been convening in a state of the art tasting facility in Hawthrone, New York, and ranking the best of the best spirits in every category they can dream up. From whiskey to rum and vodka to tequila — if it gets you drunk, the USC tests it.

So let’s dive into the top-rated tequilas in every category from this year’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge — with tasting notes from the judges. This way, you’ll know what you’re looking for and be sure to find the best of the best next time you’re thirsty.

Best Blanco/Plata Tequila: Tequila Ocho Plata (96 Points)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: La Alteña
Average Price: $49.99

The Tequila:

Winner of the USC’s highest honor, the Chairman’s Trophy, Ocho Plata is known for its vibrantly intense and clean flavor — a testament to Tequila Ocho’s slow and methodical tequila making process. Tequila Ocho harvests their blue Weber agave at peak maturity, between 7 to 10 years, before slowly cooking the piñas in brick ovens for a full 48 hours, letting them cool for 24, and fermenting the juice in pine barrels before double distilling it in stainless steel and cooper pots. This bottle of Plata is the purest representation of that process, completely unaged, resulting in a hue that almost sparkles.

Tasting Notes: (From The USC)

Refreshing aromas of grass, granite, limes, and white pepper are classic and clean. A gentle sweetness opens up the flavors, followed by layers of spice and earthy pineapple core. The minerally backbone stays strong throughout each crisp and bright sip.

Bottom Line:

Reach for this bottle when you want to bring that bright natural taste of agave to the forefront of a cocktail.

Best Cristalino Tequila: Herradura Ultra Añejo (82 Points)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Herradura Distillery
Average Price: $59.99

The Tequila:

Cristalino is a bit like the goldilocks of Tequila. It’s aged like a good Ańejo, but then purified — usually through charcoal — to bring forward the fruity and floral notes of agave. Before Herradura filter’s their añejo, pure agave nectar is added into the mix, which brings forward flavors of vanilla, caramel, honey, and toasted almonds for an expression best enjoyed neat in a rocks glass.

Tasting Notes: (From Drizly)

Full-bodied yet with subtle hints of agave nectar, caramel, vanilla, wood, and dried fruit, it has a distinct flavor that’s sure to elevate any high-energy occasion.

Bottom Line:

If you love the rich flavors of aged tequila and the fruity and bright characteristics of a top-shelf plata, then Herradura Ultra Añejo is for you.

Best Etra Añejo Tequila: Avion Reserva 44 Extra Añejo (95 Points)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Avion Distillery
Average Price: $119

The Tequila:

Avion’s Reserva 44 is aged for 43 months in oak barrels before spending 1 month in petite barrels, which are then rotated daily, resulting in a rich, scotch-colored expression that pulls together flavors of luscious fruit and American oak. This Extra Añejo was the winner of the USC top honor, the Chairman’s Trophy and comes in a sleek bottle that really shows off its rich amber hue.

Tasting Notes: (From The USC)

Pungent aromas of sandalwood, cantaloupe, mesquite-smoked meats, and sage are softened by sweet notes of vanilla and coconut. Robust flavors of sweetgrass and milk chocolate dominate the palate before green vegetables, reminiscent of asparagus, and pepper take over the finish.

Bottom Line:

At $119 a bottle, the Extra Añejo is a bottle you keep for special occasions, enjoying just a glass at a time with someone who truly enjoys the complexities of an aged tequila.

Best Flavored Tequila: 21 Seeds Valencia Orange Infused (87 Points)

ABV: 35%
Distillery: Undisclosed distillery in Mexico
Average Price: $39.99

The Tequila:

When the founders at 21 Seeds were discussing how they wanted to approach tequila, their mission was to create something that was smooth, simple, and casual, to reposition tequila as an option right alongside a glass of wine or a nice cold beer on a spring afternoon. The result was their fruit-infused line of tequilas, and their best bottle seems to be the Valencia Orange, a mix of Blanco tequila infused with real Valencia oranges. What sets 21 seeds above other flavored tequilas, is their dedication to using natural ingredients, infusing each of their tequilas with real fruit and botanicals.

Tasting Notes: (From Drizly)

The juicy, delicious essence of hand-sourced Valencia oranges lends itself beautifully to the natural smoothness of the blanco tequila.

Bottom Line:

There is flavored tequila, and then there is fruit-infused tequila. Reach for the infusion every time, with a more natural process you’ll find that it still feels like you’re actually drinking tequila.

Best Joven Tequila: Viva XXXII (84 Points)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Undisclosed distiller in Jalisco, Mexico
Average Price: $30.99

The Tequila:

Remember when we said if you want to sip tequila, don’t opt for the joven? Okay, well that’s usually the case, but Viva XXIII’s Joven is the exception. Designed to be sipped, Viva XXXII’s Joven takes Blanco tequila and blends it with 3-year old extra Añejo and goes through a 4-stage filtration process that results in a crystal clear liquid. At just $30 a bottle, this is likely the best Joven/Gold tequila you’ll find at a decent price point.

Tasting Notes: (From Drizly)

With an agave forward aroma, the flavor features notes of vanilla, lemon peel, and white pepper. The taste is crisp and clean with an exceptionally smooth finish.

Bottom Line:

Get this bottle to prove to your snobby tequila or whiskey sipping friends that joven can hold its own in the dram department.

Best Reposado Tequila: Storywood Speyside 7 CS Reposado (95 Points)

ABV: 53%
Distillery: La Cofradia
Average Price: £33

The Tequila:

Storywood Tequila has an interesting… er… story. Made from agave harvested in the lowlands of Jalisco, this tequila is then locked away in Scotch oak casks from Scotland in an effort to make the finest sipping tequila in the world, able to hold its own alongside the greatest Scotch Whiskeys. For the bottle of Speyside 7 CS Reposado, Storywood aged the tequila for 7 months in Scotch Speyside barrels, which help to bring out caramel flavors and hints of oak, vanilla, and honey against an agave base. Unfortunately, this is yet another bottle not available in the states.

Tasting Notes: (From The USC)

A golden yellow in the glass, the aromas of this aged agave spirit stay true to the category with plenty of grassy and roasted pineapple notes. Gently sweet on the palate, spice and woodsy flavors are bold, yet continue to let agave shine through.

Bottom Line:

If you happen to be quarantined in Europe (where things are way more open than here), definitely grab a bottle of this fine Reposado — whether you’re into sipping or mixing it up in a cocktail.

Best Añejo Tequila: 818 Añejo (96 Points)

ABV: 40%
Distillery: Undisclosed distiller in Mexico
Average Price: $59.99

The Tequila:

Ahh, the ever-elusive 818 Ańejo. Best in its class, winner of the Chairman’s trophy, receiving a near-perfect score of 96 points in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, sharing a spot with Tequila Ocho as the greatest tasting tequila of 2020 and yet we don’t know what it looks like, who makes it, or how to get our hands on a bottle. It’s not even listed on Tequila Matchmaker, which is a sort of Wikipedia for tequila. We hope a bottle of this stuff will make its way stateside soon, but for now, we’ll have to defer to the other highest-scoring añejo tequilas if we want the best of the aged expressions.

Tasting Notes: (From The USC)

Earthy aromas of pine and yellow fruits mix with vanilla. Sweet on the palate with brown sugar, vanilla syrup, and spicy cinnamon, the rick texture coats the palate. Hints of roasted agave come through on the long spicy-sweet finish.

Bottom Line:

By all means, if you can get your hands on a bottle, definitely do. Then slide a glass our way.