Over the past two months, much of the world has shut down in an effort to stave off the COVID-19 pandemic. The hope — however distant — is that someday (relatively) soon we can all return to some semblance of our former lives. In the meantime, we’re stuck fantasizing about how we’ll spend time once restrictions are lifted. And also drinking a fair bit of booze. Specifically, whiskey.
To combine the daydreaming and the day drinking, let’s turn our minds to all the rare whiskeys we wish we could try if price were no object. Jonah Dill-D’Ascoli, bartender at The Aviary in New York City, is down for giving that hypothetical a go — though it’s a toughie.
“That’s like asking which color I prefer when I look at a rainbow!” he says. “But I’m always a huge W.L. Weller fan and I would love to get my hands on some of this year’s Antique Collection. I’ve heard amazing things about it.”
Since picking dream bottles is a difficult-yet-fun task, we decided to head to check in with more experts. We asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us the one rare whiskey they’d love to sip if money didn’t matter.
Yamazaki 50
Jason Strich, bar director of Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California
If I’m going to try a rare whisky without having to pay a cent, I’m going for 50-year Yamazaki. I’m a huge fan of Japanese whiskey and would like to see what it is like with over 30 years on it.
Middleton Very Rare
Danielle Becker, bartender at the Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Colorado
Middleton Very Rare Vintage Release. I’m most partial to Irish Whiskey. Personally, I think really good Irish whiskey doesn’t get the opportunity to stand up very often. Middleton, Redbreast, Powers, and others. They’re all just absolutely divine. This Middleton is a tribute to Barry Crocket and was hand-selected by Brian Nation, two names that are synonymous with art and craft and skill in Irish Whiskey.
The Macallan 1950
Jonah Dill-D’Ascoli, bartender at The Aviary in New York City
I’m huge fan of antique booze, particularly whiskey, and have been lucky enough to taste some really cool antique American bottles but have always struggled to get my hands on antique whiskies from Scotland and have heard tell of a 1938 Macallan Bottling that was bottled in the mid-80s. Being able to taste that piece of history and how things have changed since then would be incredible. If that was unavailable, I would happily settle for their 48-year 1969 bottle or 51-year to start to taste a piece of Mad Men-era history.
I guess I could slum it a bit and go for The Macallan 1950 if that was all that was all that was available.
The Macallan Fine & Rare
Juyoung Kang, lead bartender at The Dorsey at The Venetian in Las Vegas
If I’m going to sample a rare whisky, I’m going to try The Macallan Fine & Rare Series, or any whiskey that was made or bottled the year I was born. I was born in 1979 so that’s pretty rare now.
Yamazaki 25
Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami
I’ve always wanted to try Yamazaki 25 Year. Having sampled up to the 18-year age statement from Yamazaki, the 25 is high on my list. Their whiskeys are so interesting that I can only speculate how the additional age has matured this spirit.
Double Eagle Very Rare
Matt Shields, bartender at The Bay Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Double Eagle Very Rare seems to be self-explanatory. I’m a big fan of Eagle Rare and their 17 Year. I would love to sit down and try this whiskey. Preferably with a distiller from which it came.
George T. Stagg Hazmat IV Edition
Blake Jones, bartender and director of beverage at The Kennedy in Pensacola, Florida
I’d say the George T. Stagg Hazmat IV Edition from the Buffalo Trace antique collection. I’ve always wanted to try that bottle. I think it clocked in at 145 proof.
Karuizawa 1971 Sherry #7267 Geisha in Green
Freddy Concepcion Ucan Tuz, bartender at JW Marriott in Cancun, Mexico
I would love to try the Japanese whisky Karuizawa 1971 Sherry #7267 Geisha in Green because of its history and uniqueness. This whiskey was produced until 2012, unfortunately, there is no more production available — the site closed down. I have heard, that this whisky must be delicious but I worry it will always remain a dream for me.
Yamazaki Mizunara 18
Wesley MacDonald, owner of Caña Bar and Kitchen in Curaçao
I would love to try Japanese whisky aged on mizunara oak or Japanese oak. This oak is much more difficult to work with, Due to its imperfections, whisky aged in these $6000 barrels needs more time to mature to fully take the desired flavors of the oak. Most mizunara whiskies are therefore aged for at least 15-20 years, raising the price tremendously and make tasting any expression quite rare. Specifically, I would love to try Yamazaki Mizunara 18 Year.
Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Raw results for May 11, 2020. This week’s episode featured a surprising announcement from Becky Lynch, the return of an iconic tag team, and more. Make sure you’re here tomorrow for the complete Best and Worst of Raw column.
WWE Raw Results:
– Raw opened with Becky Lynch announcing that she’s pregnant, meaning she’s giving up the Raw Women’s Championship to the winner of last night’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Asuka. You can watch highlights from that here.
1. Bobby Lashley defeated Humberto Carrillo by submission with a full nelson. Later in the episode, MVP confronted Lashley and asked him when he was going to “let Lashley out.” He called Lana a cage that Lashley is trapped in. Lana screamed about it.
2. Angel Garza defeated Akira Tozawa with the Wing Clipper. After the match, Drew McIntyre came to the ring and knocked out Garza and Austin Theory with Claymore Kicks. That led directly into the next match.
3. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated Andrade with a Claymore Kick. After the match, McIntyre talked about the upcoming crossover between Raw and Smackdown and revealed that he’ll be fighting King Corbin on next week’s show.
– Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross hosted A Moment Of Bliss, featuring the returning IIconics. They exchanged words and agreed to have a non-title match.
4. The IIconics defeated Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. The IIconics won with their new finisher, an inverted Magic Killer. The IIconics have pinned the Women’s Tag Team Champions!
We are NOT joking you…#TheIIconics @BillieKayWWE & @PeytonRoyceWWE are BACK on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/FTHaRdJbA1
— WWE (@WWE) May 12, 2020
– Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black didn’t die at Money in the Bank, they fell onto a “secondary roof” and will team up tonight against Seth Rollins and Murphy. Seth Rollins interrupted an interview with Rey and Rey tried to congratulate him for Becky Lynch’s pregnancy, but Rollins refused to shake his hand.
5. R-Truth, Cedric Alexander, and Ricochet defeated MVP, Brendan Vink, and Shane Thorne. Truth also wrestled in his “Pretty Ricky” persona, which is just Truth crossing his eyes and wearing fake teeth. Truth made the referee hold his teeth, which caused a distraction and allowed him to pin MVP after a Lie Detector. After the match, Lashley speared Truth and told MVP they need to talk.
– Jinder Mahal was interviewed and said he wanted his next journey to the top of WWE will be a hero’s journey.
– Shayna Baszler said that Becky Lynch is throwing away her career to raise a “parasite” who will suck because its dad. Later, Natalya decided to defend motherhood by having a match with Shayna.
– AJ Styles got upset about a commercial for Undertaker: The Last Ride.
6. Aleister Black and Rey Mysterio defeated Seth Rollins and Murphy by disqualification. Rollins stood on the apron in a catatonic state and refused to get involved in the match until Mysterio knocked him down. Rollins interrupted a 619 by throwing Mysterio to the floor, which caused a disqualification for some reason. After the match, a furious Rollins shoved Mysterio’s face into the corner of the ring steps so it gouged out his eye.
– After a commercial break, Rollins tried to apologize to Rey. Aleister Black beat up Murphy.
That was a lot.#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/nZt2RLSceg
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 12, 2020
– The Street Profits played basketball with the Viking Raiders. The Vikings played like they’d never seen a basketball in their lives. The Profits won 74-2. It’s a swerve, however, as it turns out the Raiders are actually good at basketball and let the Profits win. Ivar triumphantly dunked.
We feel you, @AngeloDawkins & @MontezFordWWE.#WWERaw @Erik_WWE @Ivar_WWE pic.twitter.com/xE8CJK52dG
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 12, 2020
7. Shayna Baszler defeated Natalya with a knee strike. After the match, Natalya had a tantrum in the ring.
– King Corbin was interviewed and said that next week, he’ll prove why they call him king. Next week’s show has Drew McIntyre vs. King Corbin and a Women’s Tag Team Championship match with the IIconics challenging Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
– Edge came to the ring to talk. Randy Orton interrupted, congratulated Edge on defeating him at WrestleMania, and began to walk out. He then revealed that he “couldn’t do it,” returned to the ring, and said he’s the better wrestler because it didn’t take him nine years to heal from his WrestleMania injuries. He challenged Edge to a normal match at Backlash. Charly Caruso said it could be the “greatest wrestling match ever.”
“If you’ve got the guts, it’ll be @EdgeRatedR vs. @RandyOrton in a straight-up wrestling match.”#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/7dEE5fumEN
— WWE (@WWE) May 12, 2020
Remember Quibi? Launched just over a month ago, it was supposed to revolutionize streaming by offering “quick bite” content for those on the go, with only tiny increments of time to kill. Trouble is, no one right now is on the go, and everyone has too much time to kill. And despite having what its execs claimed was a promising start, a few weeks later they’re singing a much different tune. In short, Quibi has had a rough first month, and its founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, blames one target: the pandemic.
“I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus,” Mr. Katzenberg told The New York Times in a new interview. “Everything. But we own it.”
The NYT paints a grim portrait of Quibi’s first month. After only a week Quibi — whose 10-minute shows (or whatever you want to call them) can only be viewed on a phone, and whose images cannot be screengrabbed — fell out of the Top 50 most downloaded apps. As of this writing, it ranks 125th. Despite offering a 90-day free trial, Sensor Tower says it’s only been downloaded 2.9 million times, though Quibi itself says it’s more like 3.5 million. And, as per NYT, of those who have downloaded it, a mere 1.3 million are active users.
Katzenberg says that’s “not close to what we wanted,” and he admits the timing wound up being rather a bit off. “My hope, my belief was that there would still be many in-between moments while sheltering in place,” Mr. Katzenberg said. “There are still those moments, but it’s not the same. It’s out of sync.”
That’s prompted some changes, chief among them addressing some users’ complaints that they can’t watch Quibi on TVs. Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman are now partially back-pedaling on that, allowing Quibi movies like Most Dangerous Game and Chrissy’s Court to be available that way. On top of that, it will be easier to share content on social media, presumably meaning screengrabs will soon be possible.
Some more promising news: Eighty percent of viewers complete the episode they’re watching, though there’s no word if they finish the complete show/season/movie. Katzenberg also feels optimistic that people will start using once life returns to normal. Whenever that is.
(Via The New York Times)
