“Announcing today a statewide plan to ban TikTok. Texans, especially our state agencies and employees, must be protected from having sensitive information shared with the Chinese Communist Party. We cannot ignore this security threat,” the governor tweeted.
Abbott’s plan would “prevent the download or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on any state-issued device identified in the statewide plan,” including “all state-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices of capable of internet connectivity. Each agency’s IT department must strictly enforce this ban.” The University of Texas at Austin has already blocked access to the app on campus wi-fi.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources developed a plan for state agencies on managing personal and state-issued devices used to conduct state business. Each agency will have until February 15, 2023 to implement its own policy to enforce this statewide plan.
Abbott’s proposal wouldn’t effect you, a private citizen with a non-government job who enjoys watching videos of cats snoring, but it could be a step towards it.
Announcing today a statewide plan to ban TikTok.
Texans, especially our state agencies and employees, must be protected from having sensitive information shared with the Chinese Communist Party.
There were the teams that fell short of landing Irving, with reports indicating the Lakers offered both of their future firsts alongside Russell Westbrook, while the Suns offered a package featuring Chris Paul. Those teams now have to reassess the market and figure out where they can make a splash elsewhere, while also dealing with possible internal damage control with the players named in their reported offers for Irving.
Then there’s the Nets themselves, who are hoping to keep Kevin Durant happy, just seven months removed from his own trade request, and are threading the needle of adding future assets while also trying to remain competitive. We’ll find out in the coming days exactly where KD stands on this entire situation, but there are plenty of teams that will be monitoring his availability — as was the case this summer. It didn’t take long for reports to emerge that the Suns were going to pursue Durant if he became available, and on Monday’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith added Boston to the list of teams that’s made calls about KD, noting Jaylen Brown is someone to watch.
“By the way, I’m hearing that he’s on the verge of potentially being moved,” Smith said. “Obviously, we’ve all been speculating about that, that he may be moved. They’re on the phone. I’m hearing Boston is making some calls. Keep your eye on that. Jaylen Brown. Keep your eye on that. Tune into Woj. He would know. Woj would know.”
I love ending it with “Woj would know,” which is an incredible hedge. As always, this comes with the caveat that while he’s plugged in, Smith isn’t a newsbreaker, but it’s not all that surprising considering there was buzz this summer that the Celtics had offered Brooklyn a Brown for Durant swap, but would not meet the Nets’ asking price for additional assets. If anything, Smith reporting this might lead to Durant staying in Brooklyn, as there are few things KD enjoys more than spiting Stephen A. at every opportunity.
Hulu just dropped its longest look yet at History of the World Part II, the long overdue sequel to the classic Mel Brooks comedy. Only this time around, the historical antics aren’t contained to just one film. History of the World Part II will be a full-fledged miniseries jam-packed with practically every single comedian you can think of. We’re talking Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Quinta Brunson, Nick Kroll, Jake Johnson, Josh Gad, and that’s barely even scratching the surface.
And yet, along with the new trailer, Hulu somehow revealed even more cast members for History of the World Part II because, again, there are a ton of funny people in this thing. Possibly even all of them:
James Adomian, Jason Alexander, Fred Armisen, Tim Bagley, Dan Bakkedahl, Travis Bennett, Sarayu Blue, Craig Cackowski, Arturo Castro, Parvesh Cheena, Margaret Cho, Andy Cohen, Andy Daly, Colton Dunn, Ayo Edebiri, Ana Fabrega, Marla Gibbs, Blake Griffin, Mitra Jouhari, Preston Lacy, Robby Hoffman, Anna Maria Horsford, Brian Huskey, Mousa Hussein Kraish, Bobby Lee, Mena Massoud, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Finesse Mitchell, Natalie Morales, Pam Oliver, Ana Ortiz, Adam Pally, Lennon Parham, Chris Pontius, Rob Riggle, Matt Rogers, Paul Rust, Paul Scheer, Andrew Secunda, Jessica St. Clair, Carl Tart, Drew Tarver, Christopher Thornton, James Urbaniak, George Wallace, Michaela Watkins, Wee Man, Kym Whitley, Casey Wilson.
Hulu’s History of the World Part II will kick off its four-night event on March 6 with the premiere of two episodes followed by daily drops until the finale on March 9.
Before we get to all of that, this whiskey comes from Indiana’s famed MGP — the distillery behind some of the biggest names in whiskey in America — by way of Music City USA. I have a long relationship with Nashville Barrel Company (NBC), so when it came to doing Uproxx’s first barrel pick, it was an easy fit for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that NBC pulls in some of the best barrels of whiskey from MGP and then ages them in Tennessee. So yes, this is MGP, but it’s also aged in Tennessee which makes it something more, something special, and something unique.
When it came to me picking the barrel, I’ve done this enough to know how to balance expectations. That comes with knowing what NBC whiskeys tend to lean into — bold single barrel bourbons and ryes that come at cask strength. Their whiskey doesn’t hide behind proofing and tends to turn flavor profiles up far beyond eleven. I wanted to capture the essence of that NBC ethos while adding my fingerprint for Uproxx to the mix. In that case, I leaned toward a classic flavor profile that went beyond the ordinary while not going crazy with the proof.
That makes this whiskey both approachable and one that’ll take you on a journey when you give it time to do so. You feel it in your bones and it’ll put a smile on your face.
Okay, that’s enough background! Let’s get into what’s actually in the bottle. And hey, if it sounds like something you’d like to try, click that price link to give it a shot!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
The barrel was chosen and bottled at the tail end of 2022 on a visit to Nashville Barrel Company. The whiskey in the bottle is a 6-year-and-two-month-old bourbon from MGP of Indiana. The high rye mash bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) aged for five years in Indiana before moving to Nashville for an additional 14 months of resting. The bourbon went in the bottle at cask strength straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with toffee, mild leather, orchard barks, blood orange, soft sweet grains, cinnamon sticks, cherry tobacco, plum, and a whisper of old pine accented by a touch of thyme.
Palate: The taste meanders through salted caramel, dates, cinnamon bark, cardamon pods, clove buds, and soft vanilla cake before leaning slowly into a spiced warmth.
Finish: The end arrives with sweet and chewy pipe tobacco, orange bitters, rock candy, and very light yet creamy cacao lushness next to hazelnut Manner Neapolitan Wafers and dry oak.
Bottom Line:
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Trust me, it is. While I’ve been sampling and tasting this neat and with a little water mostly, it also makes one hell of a Manhattan. Just add a little sweet vermouth, a dash of Angostura, and some orange oils and you’ll be in for the perfect cocktail treat this evening.
As Bad Bunny was reminding everyone why he’s the biggest artist on the planet right now, closed-captioning read, “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH].” The same thing happened when Bunny spoke in his native Spanish while accepting the award for Best Música Urbana Album (Un Verano Sin Ti).
The lack of inclusivity did not go over well.
“Seeing [SPEAKING IN NON-ENGLISH] in closed captions in 2023 is a great reminder that a lot of us can’t separate our accessibility from our culture, which is why those conversations need to be inclusive as all hell,” Adweek’s Shannon Miller tweeted.
Miller was joined by countless others in pointing out the disappointing misstep:
Many are appalled by CBS’s failure to properly caption Bad Bunny last night, but honestly this is a mood. @sanbenito opened the “Gringo Grammys” (as he calls it) by speaking non-english, wearing a non-outfit, dancing with non-celebrities and honoring what for some is non-music. pic.twitter.com/a6xVQw5t0z
As a Puerto Rican, Latina and Spanish speaker, putting “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH]” while Bad Bunny (one of the most popular artists in the world) sings in Spanish in a country with millions of Spanish speakers, is IGNORANT and INSULTING. Do better CBS. #Grammys2023pic.twitter.com/kPanAYlymt
even though bad bunny didn’t win aoty, his nomination was the first all non-english album to be nominated for aoty in grammy history. his nomination opened so many doors for artists who make music in another language. you’ll get it next time father! pic.twitter.com/PmzvF7X3k7
Bunny was also nominated for Album Of The Year, which controversially went to Harry Styles, and Best Pop Solo Performance (“Moscow Mule”). Despite losing out on those awards, it didn’t seem to dampen his mood at all based on how he posed for photos with Taylor Swift.
Harry Styles and Taylor Swift dated very briefly a decade ago. Needless to say, they’ve both moved on and are completely different people, but they poked the nostalgia bear at the 2023 Grammys last night, February 5.
What did they do? What most of us would do if trapped in a room with an ex: behave cordially.
Styles performed his chart-busting song “As It Was” — in between claiming Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Harry’s House— and Swift was spotted dancing along and giving Styles a standing ovation. Fans are really worked up over the fact that Swift and Styles struck up some small talk during the ceremony, too. (There was even a hug!)
Now this is a another historic #Grammys moment. During Steve Lacy’s performance, Taylor Swift snuck over to talk to Harry Styles. They hug + talk for a long time over his table. pic.twitter.com/MX75UmcxJM
Swift extended her career tally to 12 Grammys by collecting Best Music Video, Short Film for All Too Well: The Short Film. She was also nominated for Song Of The Year (“All Too Well [10 Minute Version]”), Best Country Song (“I Bet You Think About Me [Taylor’s Version] [From The Vault]”), and Best Song Written For Visual Media (“Carolina”).
Showtime, like AMC with The Walking Dead and Paramount Network with Yellowstone, is about to get spinoff crazy with spinoffs. Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that four Billions spinoffs are in the works, and there’s good news for followers of everyone’s favorite premium-cable-network serial killer, Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan.
As fans of the O.G. show and the limited series revival know, however, Dexter appeared to come to an end because the man had to die. In the aftermath, Showtime made it very clear that Dexter is definitely dead and will not rise, but at least the new finale left people torn rather than raging, like that lumberjack junk of yesteryear. At the time of the revival finale, Showtime did not close the door to more — a Harrison-led spinoff, perhaps? Not so fast. Now, we’re hearing what that means from the Wall Street Journal:.
The network has ordered an origin-story prequel to “Dexter,” a serial-killer drama that dates back to 2006. Showtime is also exploring separate spinoffs based on the back stories of compelling “Dexter” characters, including one known as the Trinity Killer.
This actually sounds like Harrison is out of luck, which figures, given that the kid was “born in blood.” In addition, we can’t hope too hard to see more John Lithgow if the Trinity Killer is getting a back story. Yet what is set in TV stone so far is the Dexter Morgan prequel, so let the dream casting begin. Meanwhile, Dexter himself will continue Rotting-In-Peace. No zombies in this franchise!
When you hit the $60 range in bourbon, things start to get fun. The best bourbons at this price point tend to be a little more unique, a little more thought out, and just that little more special than your average bottle. It’s also a very wide swath of bourbons — there’s a lot on the shelf at this price point.
For this list, I’m listing 20 bourbon whiskeys that all absolutely rock. Still, not all bourbons are created equal, even if they do cost around the same price. That means that I’m also ranking these bourbons according to how deep the flavor profile goes and what you should be aiming to use these bottles for.
As for the price, this is based on delivery services — Reserve Bar, Total Wine, Drizly — in Louisville, Kentucky. Local prices and availability will vary depending on wherever you are. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Back in 1910, there was a fire at Old Forester which stopped bottling. Whiskies that were ready had to be re-barreled while everything was rebuilt. This created a great bourbon that’s being replicated in the modern day. To do this, Old Forester is re-barreling bourbon for a second maturation before blending, proofing, and bottling, making this their “double oaked” bourbon.
Tasting Note:
Nose: Stone fruit really drives the nose with hints of apricot and maybe plum next to sweet and soft cedar and black tea-infused dates.
Palate: Those dates become a rich and spicy sticky toffee pudding with a thick brandy butter topping next to a hint of oatmeal raisin cookies.
Finish: The sweetness of the mid-palate gives way to a dark chocolate feel with a flake of salt, a hint of masa, and plenty of wintry spice leading back to that dark stone fruit with tobacco dryness at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start at this price point. This is one of my favorite Old Forsters from their core lineup. One reason for that is that it’s a perfectly solid sipper over a glass of ice. Another reason is that this makes a mean cocktail, especially if you’re shaking up a whiskey sour or stirring up a funky old fashioned.
This whiskey starts off as Breckenridge’s famed and award-winning bourbon. That whiskey is then re-barreled in Colorado rum barrels that held Breckinridge’s own spiced rum, which was, of course, aged in Breckenridge’s own bourbon casks with a mix of fresh fruits and dark spices right in the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a burst of dried tropical fruits next to candied nuts, wintry spices, a hint of sweet oak, and some salty caramel drizzled with dark chocolate sauce.
Palate: The palate has a banana bread vibe with walnuts baked right in next to stewed apples with plenty of cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Finish: Rich toffee drives the sweet mid-palate towards a full throttle of spices — allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise — that warm up the finish with a counterpoint from dried apple and banana chips.
Bottom Line:
Overall, this is a really solid mixing bourbon for simple, whiskey-forward cocktails. That said, if you’re a dark rum drinker who’s bourbon curious, then this will be fire over some rocks on its own.
Freddie Noe — Beam’s eighth-generation Master Distiller — created this expression by blending classic Basil Hayden with bourbon partially aged in California red wine casks. The resulting batch is then proofed down and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of orange zest on the nose with sour mulled wine spices — star anise, cardamom, cinnamon — next to Cherry Coke and vanilla cake with white frosting.
Palate: The palate is soft yet creamy with a nutty spiced cake vibe next to zucchini bread with a dollop of butter next to tart, dried berries dipped in brandy with a hint of dark cacao in the background.
Finish: The end is pretty short (low-proofed) and finishes with a sense of old oak staves soaked in sour red wine with a dash of burnt orange and dried winter spice rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Basil Hayden’s I’ve tasted in a while. It’s complex, ruddy, and kind of … fun. I like this over a few rocks or stirred into a Manhattan with a good, dark, and sweet vermouth.
Doc Swinson’s Master Blender, Jesse Parker, takes a lot of time to make this whiskey. The whiskey is a blend of MGP five-year-old bourbons. That blend is just touched with water to bring it down to 155 proof and then bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a nice balance of dried and leathery apricot next to Caro syrup and peanut brittle with a hint of charred oak in the background of the nose.
Palate: The palate leans into the nuttiness with an almost Almond Joy vibe with a dark chocolate bitterness and a touch of creamy vanilla.
Finish: The finish is part brown sugar and part crushed peanuts with a hint of spicy dark chocolate tobacco rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is a prime example of the beauty of MGP’s barrels that make it out into the world. It’s so good and well-built. This is deep bourbon that doesn’t overdo anything. It’s what I like to call a “bourbon-y bourbon,” which is nice for simple cocktails and easy on-the-rocks sipping.
Chicken Cock has some serious bourbon history going back to 1856. It was also the bourbon of the infamous Cotton Club in Harlem during Prohibition. Fun fact, the hooch was smuggled into the club in tin cans that they cracked open tableside. The whiskey in this bottle was sourced from Kentucky. Today, the whiskey is being contract distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Granny Smith apples and Red Hots jump out on the nose with a hint of black Necco Wafer, a touch of soft and wet oak, and hints of caramel.
Palate: The palate leans into the buttery ends of toffee with burnt sugars leading toward dried fruits, fatty nuts, and holiday cake spices.
Finish: The vanilla arrives late and is tied to the sweeter edges as a lightly dried tobacco leaf note leaves a little heat on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This is another solid bourbon-y bourbon with a nice sweet depth, sharp spice, and clear POV. Overall, I’d lean toward using this in cocktails, but it’s totally suitable for sipping over some ice.
15. Horse Soldier Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This craft whiskey from Ohio is made with a mash bill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley. The barrels aged a minimum of six years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Butterscotch leads the nose on this sip as ginger snaps mingle with rich and sharp toffee candies next to a touch of vanilla, pepper, and cherry lurking underneath everything.
Palate: The taste really amps up the creaminess of the vanilla and the butteriness of the toffee, as a slight marzipan flourish arrives with a thin layer of freshly cracked black pepper and salted black licorice.
Finish: That pepper marries to the ginger as the heat levels off and fades out leading towards a finish with more of the vanilla and dry wood than anything else.
Bottom Line:
This is another solid, all-around good bourbon whiskey. There’s a nice balance of sweet, spice, and herbal notes that really help this shine as a great Manhattan or Sazerac cocktail bourbon. I also like shooting this one with a beer back.
14. Leopold Bros. Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This Colorado crafty whiskey gets a lot of attention from bourbon drinkers in the know. The mash is made from 64% corn, 21% malted barley, and 15% Abruzzi Heritage Rye, which Master Distiller Todd Leopold malted at his malting house at the distillery in Denver. That mash ran through a classic pot still before it was barreled and left to rest for five years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The floral and spicy nature of that Abruzzi rye really comes out on the nose with a touch of candied apples, sweet porridge, Quik chocolate milk powder, and the faintest hint of sourdough rye with a light smear of salted butter.
Palate: The taste leans into stewed pears with nutmeg and clove spices leading the way as Almond Roca and green peppercorns jostle for space on your palate.
Finish: The end mellows out as that spice fades towards an eggnog vibe with a creamy vanilla underbelly and a final touch of that floral rye and hint of pear.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and funky craft bourbon (can’t mistake those sourdough and sweet porridge notes). That makes this a good whiskey for mixing with citrus, marrying that malty base with good and smooth citrus. I also dig this as an everyday sipper on the rocks, especially when I’m looking for something different from a pour of bourbon.
13. Bardstown Bourbon Fusion Series #8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey is a masterful blend from the team out at Bardstown Bourbon Company. The whiskey in the bottle is a mix of two four-year-old bourbons (both high rye) from BBC with a sourced 12-year-old Kentucky bourbon with a lower-rye content. Once those barrels are married, the whiskey is proofed and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey really stands out on the nose next to tart apples leaning toward apple cores or seeds, supported by classic notes of vanilla pods, caramel, and light oak.
Palate: That apple becomes slightly stewed and spicy with the caramel lending sweetness as a hint of walnuts arrives with a buttery crust vibe that’s very apple pie.
Finish: The end is slightly oaky but sweet in the way that cherry-flavored pipe tobacco is.
Bottom Line:
This is just good stuff. It’s a classic bourbon with a nice orchard fruitiness. Overall, this works well in a cocktail or as a sipper. Dealer’s choice!
12. Redemption Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Cognac Casks
Master Blender Dave Carpenter built this small-batch bourbon off the back of barrels of very high-rye bourbon (60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley) from MGP of Indiana. Carpenter then moved that whiskey into Cognac barrels from Ferrand Cognac which held Cognac for 30 years. The bourbon spent 12 months finishing in those old-school barrels before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear pecan pie vibe on the nose with a buttery crust, plenty of holiday spices, a touch of apricot, and a whisper of dried hibiscus petals.
Palate: The palate takes the apricot and stews it with the spices to create a jammy compote next to an earthy and wet cellar beam dripping with cobwebs as the hibiscus brightens and leads towards a hint of raisin, prune, and white pepper.
Finish: The mid-palate leans into that sweet dried fruit/peppery edge as the pecans return in a bowl of Karo syrup and dusted with nutmeg-heavy eggnog spices and a final flourish of that wet yet fruity wood.
Bottom Line:
This is good bourbon that really melds well with the cognac finish. There’s a nice depth that makes this a solid and very easy sipper (even neat). Really though, this is beautiful as a Manhattan or old fashioned base. It just shines.
11. George Dickel Single Barrel Tennessee Whisky Aged 15 Years
This is a very old whiskey for a great price. The whiskey is from single barrels, aged 15 years or more, and the proof varies accordingly (sometimes it’s cut with water, too). The whiskey showcases Dickel’s vast warehouses and the gems they have hidden deep in those ricks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is all about the cherry pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to a slight apple-tobacco vibe.
Palate: It’s also light on the nose and on the palate with red berries leading towards a cherry-choco soda pop, more vanilla cream, and a light touch of bourbon-soaked oakiness.
Finish: That woodiness leans into a musty corner of a cellar as a spicy cherry tobacco finish leaves you with a dry, almost chalky, yet sweet mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic whisky that really feels deep and nourishing. The overall vibe is easy to sip, but adding some water or a rock will really open up a deeper creaminess with an almost Black Forest Cake lushness. It’s worth taking your time with this one is what I’m getting at.
10. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat at its price. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the whiskey is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry.
Palate: The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond.
Finish: The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
Bottom Line:
This has a lot of fans. I find it fine as a sipper when poured neat. I prefer it over some rocks with a dash of Angostura Bitters. But it really shines brightest when you make simple, whiskey-forward cocktails with it.
This year’s first Larceny Barrel Proof is made with Heaven Hill’s standard wheated bourbon mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. The batch is made from a combination of six to eight-year-old barrels from Heaven Hill’s rickhouses. The final blend is bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Chili pepper spice and almost damp masa come through on the nose with a hint of mustiness next to nut loaf cut with a twinge of apple cider juice and some orchard tree branches with a hint of apple caramel candy lurking underneath.
Palate: Sweet vanilla cake leads to a hint of cinnamon bark and creamy eggnog with plenty of nutmeg before a light ABV heat rises and leads to apple cores and soft leather.
Finish: A sharp winter spice dominates the end with a sense of old apple bushels, broken-down used bourbon barrels, and a hint of caramel vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
This is another great candidate for making whiskey-forward cocktails. The flavor profile is deep and engaging and stands up to mixing or just a little ice as a slow sipper.
8. Old Elk Wheated Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This craft whiskey from Colorado takes the idea of wheated bourbon to the very edge of its limits. The mash bill carries a whopping 45% wheat, pushing this very close to being a wheated whiskey. The hot juice is then aged for an undisclosed amount of years before it’s batched and cut down to proof with that soft Rocky Mountain spring water Colorado is known for.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re drawn in by a big bowl of vanilla ice cream drizzled with salted caramel sauce next to a very faint hint of dried florals.
Palate: The palate builds on that ice cream, creating a sundae with crushed almonds, creamy toffee brittle, and a hint of eggnog spice.
Finish: The end is medium-length with a touch of that buttery sweetness carrying the sip to a warm end.
Bottom Line:
This is another great candidate if you’re looking for a unique bourbon to break up the monotony of the standard stuff. The floral note works really well with the creaminess of the overall pour. This is one of those pours that you can serve however you want and it’ll be good.
The whiskey in the bottle is a cask-strength blend of whiskeys from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This whiskey is all about the blending process that Stellum (part of Barrell Spirit Company) employs to make this special and award-winning bourbon. Basically, the process is a sort of hybrid reverse solera technique where the blend gets more whiskey to keep the proof high and the blend consistent in flavor as the batch is drained off.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a holiday cake with fatty nuts next to woody spice barks — think anise, clove, and cinnamon — with a nice dose of dried red fruits and honey-dipped over-ripe Granny Smith apples.
Palate: The palate edges away from the spice towards a powdered sugar sweetness with a hint of dry vanilla. Then a counterpoint bursts onto the scene with a hit of spicy, dried chili pepper flakes next to blackberry pie with a nice dose of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: The end lingers for just the right amount of time as the spice fades back towards the honeyed sweetness and a final touch of vanilla tobacco buzz lands in the back of the throat.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best-built whiskey on the list. It’s just good bourbon. It rules over a big rock or in a cocktail. You can sip it neat. You can shoot it. You can add water and taste it like a pro. It just works.
6. Pursuit United Straight Blended Bourbon Whiskey
This bourbon is a vatted from 40 total barrels from three different states. While the team at Pursuit United doesn’t release the Tennessee distillery name, we know the whiskeys from Kentucky and New York are from Bardstown Bourbon Company and Finger Lakes Distilling, respectively.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of cedar next to Christmas spices steeped in sweet red wine.
Palate: That sweetness tends to lean into fresh honey with a touch of caramel and maybe a little dark chocolate on the end. The taste holds onto the honeyed sweetness with burnt sugars, light cedar, chocolate tobacco leaves, and a hint of orange oils.
Finish: That orange is what builds and powers the finish to its silken end, concluding with an orange-choco vibe and a very soft landing.
Bottom Line:
This is another bourbon that just works. It’s refined yet approachable. It’s a bourbon-y bourbon that you can enjoy with your crew on the weekend or as a fine cocktail base or as an everyday sipper to take the edge off.
This uncut and unfiltered version of Redwood Empire’s beloved bourbon is a four-grain whiskey built from a blend of California, Kentucky, and Indiana whiskeys. The mash ends up being 74% corn, 20% raw rye, 4.5% malt barley, and a mere 1.5% wheat. The barrels in the final blend range from four to 12 years old with the older stuff coming from the Ohio Valley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft sense of classic bourbon on the nose with a rich and dark cherry by way of a vanilla pod, light caramel sauce, and pecan waffles with a glug of pancake syrup and a dollop of cinnamon-brown sugar butter next to a whisper of old boot leather.
Palate: The palate has a soft creamed honey sweetness with a twinge of Cherry Coke next to buttery toffee dipped in crushed roasted almonds with a hint of Mounds Bar and chewy caramel.
Finish: A good dose of ABV heat kicks up on the mid-palate with a mulled wine spiciness and a touch of sour cherry. The end is nutty and full of dark cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate and dark brown spices.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best releases from Redwood to date and makes me pretty excited for what’s to come. That aside, this works really well over one large ice cube in a rocks glass. It makes a really nice Manhattan too.
4. Noah’s Mill Small Batch Genuine Bourbon Whiskey
This is the bigger and bolder sibling of Willett’s Rowan’s Creek Bourbon. It’s the same whiskey — a no-age-statement bourbon that’s made from four to 15-year-old barrels — that’s barely proofed down with local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried cherries and a hint of rose water next to old leather books and holiday spices.
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in a stewed plum depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils.
Finish: The vanilla and sweet oak kick in late with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip fade towards lush cherry tobacco, soft leather, and winter spice matrix tied to prunes and dates.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, classic bourbon. It’s accessible (you can generally find it outside of Kentucky) and it’s very drinkable. If you’re looking for a quintessential bourbon drinking experience (neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail), this is the bourbon you’re looking for.
3. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with dark stewed cherries and spiced prune compote next to cinnamon waffles with a hint of maple syrup and dark chocolate chips.
Palate: The palate is pure silk with notes of Cherry Coke next to clove-studded oranges dipped in dark chocolate with a flake of salt with whispers of apple fritters, eggnog spices, and singed cherry bark with maybe a hint of apple wood in the background.
Finish: The end has a subtle warmth thanks to wintry mulled wine spices that lead to fresh pipe tobacco kissed with dates and chocolate and packed into an old cedar box for safekeeping.
Bottom Line:
You really cannot go wrong with this essential-tasting bourbon.
2. Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The first whiskey from Frank August is a sourced bourbon. The juice is made in Kentucky, where it’s also aged. The team at Frank August then takes roughly 10 to 15 barrels per batch and builds this bourbon painstakingly to fit their desired flavor profile. The whiskey is then lightly proofed down to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is pure classic bourbon with hints of salted caramel with a twinge of soft grains next to spicy cherry syrup, a whisper of sour apple, and a touch of aged oak staves soaked in mulled wine.
Palate: The palate moves on from the soft grains towards rum-soaked raisins with a warm winter spice matrix — cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice — before a brown sugar/rock candy sweetness takes over on the mid-palate.
Finish: The finish is long and sweet with a nice dose of sharp cinnamon and soft nutmeg that leads to a supple vanilla cream with a thin line of dry cedar and tobacco spice just touched with dark cherry on the very end.
Bottom Line:
I tend to use this to make a mean Sazerac, but it’s 100% delicious on its own in a nice glass (or with a nice piece of ice).
1. Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 12 Years Old
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol.
Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The very end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Beam product, kind of by far. It has the perfect balance of taste, warmth, and depth. It’s amazingly easy-to-drink neat while also really blooming with a little water or a single rock — expect a deeper level of creaminess and dark, almost waxy chocolate with a medley of dried tart berries with a soft whisper of hickory smoke.
All of that said, make a Manhattan with this and you’ll fall in love with that cocktail all over again.
I’ve had a lifelong love affair with chile verde, which is probably the only dish in existence that could ever inspire me to write a sentence this corny. Ah, love — the corniest emotion.
As I mentioned in my article about the taco truck mecca that is my home region in the Central San Joaquin Valley, chile verde (virtually always spelled chile verde here, not chili verde, though it is sort of a chili) is one of those dishes that became almost impossible to find, at least in the form I knew it, as soon as I left home. I lived in San Diego in the early aughts for college and while it has plenty of amazing Mexican food, possibly more than any place in the country, it didn’t, as far as I could find, have anything I would recognize as chile verde
Good luck finding the definitive history of chile verde, or even a definitive spelling. Some say it originated in Northern Mexico, others mention New Mexico and Colorado. One day we’ll have to work all that out, but for now, suffice it to say, the chile verde I fell in love with came from a little Mexican joint called Juanito’s in Reedley, California, and its one-time sister restaurant, Lalo’s, in nearby Dinuba — both in the rural San Joaquin Valley. “Chile verde” can refer to this entire dish, which is basically a pork stew, or to the actual green vegetables used in it, like Anaheim, poblano, serrano, jalapeño. The version I fell for had tender pork, tomatillos, and… well shit, what else did it have?
I only knew what I could taste and infer. I’ve basically been trying to reverse-engineer this chile verde for 20 years, and I talk about it so much that it’s probably my most requested recipe. I’m putting it down here for posterity. (And I don’t want to hear anyone bitching about how we recipe writers all have to write an essay before we get to the damn recipe — indulge me! I’m rhapsodizin’ ova heah!). Now that I actually know some of the people who run those restaurants I mentioned above, I’ve asked how they make theirs, and it’s actually way different than this.
I still stick with my version. Partly because I don’t have a restaurant kitchen in my house, but mostly because I’ve made this version, I’ve tested it, I love it, and it’s always been a success. I’m choosing Super Bowl week to share it with you because I think it’s a great dish for a party. Not a finger food, admittedly (though you could make it one), but a real crowd-pleaser. You can also make it a day or two ahead of time (it’s arguably better that way), and it feeds a lot of people relatively cheaply. It’s always been a hit at my house. And who are you to dispute me?
You insult me in my own house?
Vince Mancini
The Recipe
Chile verde essentially consists of three components:
– The Broth
– The Meat
– The Vegetables
Vince Mancini
You’re largely going to prep these separately, so it’s easier to think of them as separate components that you’ll eventually put together for the stew. It makes the full list of ingredients look messy and complicated, which it really isn’t, but you’ll still need a shopping list, so here goes:
2-6 pounds pork shoulder/pork butt (boneless is slightly easier to butcher, but it doesn’t really matter)
1 head of garlic plus 4-5 cloves
5-6 tomatillos, roughly golf-ball sized.
4-5 Anaheim chiles (try to make sure they’re the mild kind)
1-2 poblano chiles
1 large onion
1 bunch cilantro
Dried oregano
The Broth
You’re going to need enough stock to cover your meat, generally 2-3 cups worth. Now listen: making your own stock is kind of a pain in the ass. It will add a day to the process, and I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not strictly necessary. If you want to use water and some chicken bullion powder, or broth from a can or a carton (chicken or beef, it honestly doesn’t matter that much) go for it. I’ve made chile verde that way many, many times and it’s still really good. By stewing the meat you’ll basically be making your own broth anyway. For a party, I do like to go all out and make my own. Because nothing makes a dish better than starting with an already-rich broth.
If you want to do that, it’s going to involve:
A few pounds chicken backs or feet, pork neck bones, or beef soup bones
1 onion, quarterd
1-2 carrots, washed and cut into 2-3 inch chunks (no need to peel)
1-2 celery ribs, washed and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
I have an Asian supermarket near my house that’s great for finding soup bones, which my usual supermarket doesn’t have. You want anything that has lots of bones and cartilage — lots of people swear by chicken feet. This time I used some big-ass beef knuckle-looking things, but pork necks also work great.
Just get your stock pot nice and hot and pour a little oil in there (should be hot enough that the oil ripples). Then take your bony meat whatevers, and sear them in the hot stock pot. If it gets a little crusty and sticky on the bottom, that’s good. Once the meat/bones have a little brown to them, fill the pot up with water, stick it back on the stove, and add your vegetables, plus a healthy amount of salt and pepper (probably a palm’s worth of salt and a teaspoon-ish of pepper, but you can adjust at the end). Boil that for at least two hours, skimming the scummy stuff off the top as much as you want along the way.
Once it’s done boiling, strain all the solids out. If you’re steady with a ladle, you can try to scoop all the fat off the top. Hopefully, you have some time to refrigerate though, that way you can just break the congealed fat off the top after it’s cooled. That’s way easier.
The Vegetables
Here’s where things get controversial. As you would expect, a dish called “chile verde” obviously has some “verde” “chiles” in it. Beyond that, there’s quite a bit of variation. Not to mention a plethora of green chiles, specifically. I grew up on tomatillo-heavy chile verde, so I still make it with tomatillos — which are tart and tangy, enough that I don’t think it needs lime. I also don’t use anything really spicy in mine, like serranos or jalapeños, though I’m not against it. I just keep mine fairly mild so the kids can eat it and then pair it with a spicy pico de gallo so people can get as xXxtreme as they like in a Choose Your Own Spice Level-type situaish.
Personal preffy, ya know?
5-6 tomatillos, approximately golf ball-sized (take off the crinkly outer shell and wash the berry part)
4-5 Anaheim chiles
1-2 poblano peppers
1 head of garlic
Half cup-ish of cilantro
Dash of salt
Vince Mancini
The easiest way:
Just throw your tomatillos, chiles, and garlic (keep the whole head intact with all the skin on for cooking) in a baking dish at about 450 and bake until the chiles char and the tomatillos split. Then let them cool, remove the skins and seeds from the chiles (should be easy with enough char), pop out the garlic cloves (again, should be easy, they sort of steam in there and get greenish and nutty), and toss everything in a blender with a little cilantro and a dash of salt and then puree. Use a rubber spatula to get all that awesome, partly charred tomatillo juice off the baking or casserole dish.
Vince Mancini
The way I did it:
I have a little grill basket I just bought and I wanted to use it. Figured a little open flame couldn’t hurt. Of course, I didn’t want to lose any of that sweet tomatillo juice down the grill grates so I put the chiles in the basket and charred them outside and popped the tomatillos and garlic in a casserole dish in the oven.
Vince ManciniVince Mancini
The Meat
Vince Mancini
You can use a cheaper cut of pork for this, like country-style pork ribs maybe, or pre-cut “stew meat,” but in my experience, there’s a huge drop off in quality and the meat isn’t that much cheaper or easier.
3-6 pound pork butt/shoulder, trimmed and cut into small cubes (bigger than playing dice, but smaller than ice cubes?)
Salt and pepper and/or your favorite seasoning blend
First, get your pot heating on the stove at medium-low. Then start trimming your meat. This one was pretty well trimmed to begin with but most won’t be, and even this had some chunks of pure fat that aren’t going to add much to the stew. As you cut those little pieces of fat off, toss them in the pot.
Vince Mancini
Those little fat chunks are going to render down while you butcher the rest of the meat. When they’re done you can just remove them to a paper towel to drain.
Vince Mancini
You can either save these to make a little crumble to add a little texture to the finished product, or do what I do, which is sprinkle a little salt on them and have yourself a healthy snack while you finish cooking.
Vince Mancini
MEAT CHUNKS. I’m told that was actually my mother’s nickname in high school.
Now that you’ve got your pork cubed out and ready to rock, get it nice and coated with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning. I used Alpine Touch all-purpose here, because I always have it around the house, it’s pretty neutral, and goes great on basically everything (I even did a prime rib with nothing but Alpine Touch, olive oil, and garlic once and it came out great). It’s just salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and MSG. If you’ve got that or a simple similar spice blend, use that. Some people use cumin. I don’t think it’s necessary or adds anything but it won’t ruin it either.
As with basically all meat, the longer you can let it sit there with the seasoning soaking into the meat, the better. But you’re going to braise all that in a seasoned broth in a minute so it’s not a huge deal if you don’t leave it sitting for very long here.
Let’s Make A Stew, Baby (A Stew Baby?)
Vince Mancini
Time to put it all together. You’ll need:
1 large onion, diced.
4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
The charred chile/tomatillo puree you made
About 2 cups of the broth you made (or bought)
The pork you cubed and seasoned
About 1.5 tablespoons of flour (to thicken)
Pinch of oregano
Hopefully, now you should have a pot of rendered fat (with chunks strained out). Crank the stove up to medium-high and start browning your meat in batches. You’ll want to grab a couple of handfuls of meat at a time (don’t overcrowd the pot or it won’t brown right) and get them into that hot oil. You just want to add some char and get the extra fat browned. When the meat has a little color on the outside, remove it to a plate or a bowl with a slotted spoon and get the next batch in there.
When you’re done browning the meat, turn the heat down to medium-low. At this point, if you have more than three or so tablespoons of fat in the pot, you’ll want to pour some of that off (save it or toss it, doesn’t matter for our purposes). If there’s stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, don’t worry; that’s actually good. That’s just flavortown in there.
Get your garlic in the pot first, and cook it until it just starts turning golden (don’t burn it! dark brown is burnt!), maybe two minutes. Then drop in your onions. Cook those until they’re fully translucent and softened.
Vince Mancini
When they’re done, toss a little bit of oregano in there and your 1.5 tablespoons of flour in there and stir it up. The flour should soak up the oil and turn into a sort of paste.
Vince Mancini
If you’ve ever seen or heard someone talk about making a roux, that’s basically what we’re doing here. Only here it’s not a huge flavor element, just a thickener, so you don’t have to keep stirring it for a long time or let it turn dark brown and all that. Just get it nice and mixed in there and cook it for a minute or so.
Now add your browned meat and enough stock to just barely cover it all. Stir it up, and all that browned flavortown on the bottom of the pot should come off and add to the broth.
Vince Mancini
Get that up to a boil and bring it back to a simmer, and simmer it for about an hour. Now, could you just add the vegetable base puree and the stock all at once at the beginning and simmer it all for two hours? Probably! I don’t actually know if it makes a difference, but I’ve always done an hour without the green base and an hour with (two hours of simmering in total) and it always comes out great so I just keep doing that.
So, after an hour, add your chile/tomatillo puree and simmer for another hour.
Vince Mancini
Simmer until the meat is tender enough to almost fall apart, but not so long that it gets dry (about two hours, in my experience).
Skim as much fat off the top of the pot as you can, and you’re done! (With making the stew, anyway). Again, if you’re doing this ahead of time, you can refrigerate and just pick some of that congealed fat off the top after it cools if you want. Not strictly necessary.
Serving Suggestions
I’ve had chile verde many ways over the years — in a dry burrito, in a wet burrito, as a kind of stew/soup that you dunk your tortillas into, in an upturned bowler hat (just checking to see if you were paying attention) — but over the years I’ve discovered that my ideal chile verde vessel is actually a quesadilla. A nice flour tortilla soaks up that broth like biscuits and gravy the cheese is a nice addition without interfering with the flavor, and it’s also easy to eat with a knife and fork and you can make a bunch of them at one time for a party.
If you want to be “extra” you can make your own tortillas like I did for my last party, but generally speaking the store-bought ones work just fine. I use the pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend in a bag and cook them six at a time under the broiler in my oven.
Vince Mancini
I recommend not being an idiot like me, and buying tortillas smaller than soft taco size so they actually fit on your sheet pan, but this works okay too. You can melt that cheese under the broiler than put them all in basket with a towel or whatever will keep them warm.
Vince Mancini
Between this and the pot, now you’ve got yourself a self-serve chile verde quesadilla bar. If your friends don’t appreciate that, find some new friends.
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I admit it, I’m not the most beautiful plater. And I added that sprig of cilantro specifically for Steve Bramucci, Uproxx’s chief Unnecessary Herb Garnish Appreciator. But the flavors are perfect and seriously, is there anything more body-warming than a nice stew?
This one really has everything, from beautifully tender, moist, and flavorful meat, to a rich, slightly tart, and tangy sauce that actually doesn’t feel that heavy, especially compared to your usual red and brown stews. Some people even put potatoes in it, which makes sense insofar as you’re going to want to sop up this sauce with anything you can. I don’t use them but I’m not against it.
Anyway, this recipe has always been a crowd-pleaser for me, even though I love it so much that I’d probably still make it even if “the crowd” hated it. I hope it can be the same for you.
Having a baby is an intimate, vulnerable experience, so people get pretty attached to their healthcare providers. I’ve met women who have planned an induction to have their baby with their preferred doctor and not whoever would be on call if they went into labor naturally. So it may not be a surprise to birthing people that Kylie McDevitt, Philadelphia Eagles player, Jason Kelce’s wife, isn’t taking any chances when she travels to Arizona for the Super Bowl.
Kelce made headlines with his brother Travis recently when it was revealed that the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs would be facing off for the Super Bowl, making the pair the first brothers to compete against each other for a ring. It seems that McDevitt didn’t want to miss the history-making moment, even though she’ll be two weeks shy of the standard 40 weeks of pregnancy.
It’s a risky decision to travel to the other side of the country that close to giving birth but McDevitt made provisions—she’s packing up her OBGYN. Mama’s got a plan, and her doctor’s on board, literally and figuratively.
The Eagles player revealed the news on the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” saying, “Kylie’s bringing her OB because she’s going to be 38 weeks pregnant at the game.” Kelce joked, “That could be a super Kelce bowl. If she has a baby in the stadium, it’s officially scripted.” How did he respond to such a random revelation? “We’re in the Matrix,” Travis replied.
Kelce and McDevitt have two children together and if you’ve heard anything about birthing babies, then you probably know that each subsequent child comes a bit faster. Of course, this isn’t true for everyone but barring any complications, it’s fairly accurate.
In an article for VeryWell Family, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss, a childbirth and postpartum educator, explained that subsequent births are quicker on average and that its thought that the body remains looser after childbirth. I mean, it certainly would make sense being that when pregnant, your body releases a chemical called relaxin. This specific chemical is designed to loosen the ligaments and muscles in the pelvis to prepare for birth according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Personally, I’m hoping that baby Kelce holds off until after the Super Bowl. I couldn’t imagine giving birth on a dirty floor with most of America watching—it’s probably safe to assume McDevitt is hoping for the same.
Whether baby Kelce comes while the family is in Arizona or not, this is going to be a family celebration and a history-making moment. Fans are even petitioning for the Kelce brothers’ mom, Donna Kelce to do the coin toss. What a predicament to be in for a mother. No matter who wins, one of her sons loses. But from the looks of it, the family is close-knit so either way, it will likely be a joyous occasion.
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| Taylor Swift and Harry Styles at the 2023 
THEY NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE. 
