With 2 Chainz dropping his new album, Dope Don’t Sell Itself, today, the Atlanta rapper dropped by The Late Show for a stirring performance of “Lost Kings” featuring Lil Durk and Sleepy Rose. The song addresses America’s prevalent problem with gun violence — particularly when the victims are young Black men — while the performance was offered as a tribute to several of the rappers who were slain in the past few years, including Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, and Young Dolph, photos of whom are projected behind the performers.
Along with last night’s performance, the rollout for Dope Don’t Sell Itself included the release of videos for “Million Dollars Worth Of Game” featuring 42 Dugg, “Pop Music” with Beatking and Moneybagg Yo, and the “Laffy Taffy”-sampling “Neighbors Know My Name,” as well as an eyebrow-raising freestyle over Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By” on the LA Leakers radio show. The album itself has already received rave reviews on Twitter, and features guest appearances from Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Stove God Cooks, Symba, Swae Lee, and more. Before the album’s release, 2 Chainz claimed that it would be his last trap-focused album and if that’s true, he’s bowing out at the top of his game.
Watch 2 Chainz’s “Lost Kings” performance on The Late Show above. Some artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The world of whisk(e)y is expanding at breakneck speed. There’s a seemingly endless stream of new releases and news daily, especially when you consider all the regions around the world experiencing their own unique whiskey booms right now. It’s a lot to get your head around and whiskey podcasts can be a good way to get into the scene and make sense of it all.
I tend to listen to a lot of whiskey podcasts throughout the week. I want to be up to date on what’s going on in the world of whiskey, get tips for my own collection/investments, and learn about bottles that I might want to actually drink. While there’s no single source for all the whiskey news from every region/style, there are plenty of great whiskey-focused podcasts out there that really dive deep into their local regions (meaning that if you want to be on top of whiskey worldwide, you’ll need a few sources).
Below, I’m listing 18 whiskey podcasts that I really dig. Most of these are in my regular rotation. But let’s face it, we all only have so much time in the day — so I’ve ranked these podcasts according to how much I listen to them. Each one has its own vibe and might be a little more your jam more than others. So go through the list, see what stands out to you, and dive in.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
The Capital City Bourbon Show is more than just another “bourbon” podcast. Host Luke Grabowski covers all things whiskey-related from, yes, bourbon to cocktails to booze in general. The show is interview-based (with some huge names in the industry) but always feels like you’re sitting down at a kitchen table to taste some whiskey and chat with friends.
Lifelong friends Brad and Bob host a great mash-up podcast. Each week, they drop a new episode of Film & Whiskey wherein they review a classic movie alongside a bottle of whiskey. The whiskeys range from bourbons to scotches and everything in between and the films are always stone-cold classics. The thrust of the show really is the easy-going nature of the two hosts cutting it up about movies they love (or not) and the whiskeys that pair nicely with them (or not).
Where To Start:
‘Chef / Rebel 100‘ is an easy entry point for the show. It’s a fun listen in that the movie they’re reviewing/watching is a quick and easy watch that leaves a lot of space to talk about food, flavors, and whiskey.
Comedian Jesse Jones hosts this deep dive podcast with a lot of humor and respect for whiskey (it’s a refreshing mix). Each episode of Bourbon Showdown Podcast finds Jones interviewing a big-name whiskey distiller, producer, or aficionado. It’s always a breezy and fun chat that’s never boring and deeply rewarding to listen to.
Where To Start:
‘Ryan Perry – Heaven’s Door Whiskey‘ is where I’d jump in. It’s a great example of Jones’ style and offers a cool behind-the-scenes look at Bob Dylan’s famed whiskey brand (which we love and really isn’t a boring cash grab!).
Hosts AJ, Paul, and Connor lead easy-going discussions about all things bourbon straight from Kentucky (and beyond). While Bourbon With Friends does center on bourbon and that world (with great interviews), recently they started stretching into great travel-related episodes from Ireland and Scotland.
It’s a well-rounded show that’s growing, is what I’m getting at.
Where To Start:
‘Woodinville Whiskey Co.‘ is a classic episode. Ariel Jahn of Woodinville drops in to talk all about Washington’s premiere distillery and how they’re shaking things up out there.
Hosts Pamela Dobbin and Chelsey Belec created Dram Fine as a bridge of sorts between the world of whisky and whisky newbies. The show is very accessible, in that you don’t need any previous knowledge about whisky to enjoy the show — plus you won’t be inundated with an overwhelming amount of insider information. The show really is an easy listen for anyone looking to get into whisky more deeply or anyone looking for a fresh perspective with great interview guests, whisky reviews, and takes on the industry.
Where To Start:
‘How I learned to stop worrying and love independent bottlers‘ finds Dobbin and Belec interviewing Douglas Laing Global ambassador Stuart Baxter about what independent bottlers actually do when sourcing and creating whisky. It’s damn near essential listening, especially if you’re a little shaky on what non-distiller producers get up to.
John Hughes hosts the Embellish Podcast which, refreshingly, doesn’t have a whiskey-related name. Hughes generally hosts each episode solo with guests dropping in now and then. The thrust is a chat about the state of the industry, bottle reviews, and even whiskey travelogues.
Where To Start:
‘Travel Log: North Carolina Whisk(e)y‘ focuses on Hughes’ trip to Fainting Goat Distillery in North Carolina. The episode is actually pretty outside the box for the general feel of the series but a good listen for Hughes’ style and a good place to get unique information about a less-talked-about section of American whiskey making.
Whiskey Chats is hosted by Laurie O’Dwyer and has a pretty tight focus on all things Irish whiskey. O’Dwyer’s podcast ranges from in-depth and fun interviews with the people making Irish whiskey to the bar owners who are serving that tipple to his own musing on bottles, the industry, and whiskey in general.
Where To Start:
‘My Chat with John O’Donovan from Irish Malts‘ is a great place to start. It’s a good introduction to both the podcast and what’s happening in Irish whiskey at the moment via the retail side of the business.
Cask Chasers is one of the most comprehensive whisk(e)y podcasts there is. Co-hosts Katie, Bobby, and Aaron are the crew, and their pod dives into pretty much every aspect of the world of whisk(e)y from all over the world through interviews with the people making, selling, and drinking the stuff all around the world. It’s always a blast to listen to and you’ll always come away from each episode having learned so much.
Where To Start:
‘Cask Chasers Faves!‘ is where you want to jump in. It’s a fun listen as each co-host talks about their number one pour, amongst other things.
Host Matt Drew has a clear focus with Single Malt Matters — American single malt whisk(e)y. Drew’s focus on all things American single malt makes for a very educational podcast listen. Drew pulls in some of the biggest names in the industry who are pushing American single malt in new directions while leaning into the style’s heritage.
Co-hosted by Manuel Hund, Miriam Kasus, and Martin Kasus (prepare yourself for German accents!), this is one of the best podcasts for Scotch whisky out there, full stop. Each episode is a deep dive into a different distillery around Scotland with an interview with an expert from that distillery. All of that adds up to this being one of the best pods for Scotch whisky knowledge while also feeling transportation from time to time, scratching that travel itch for Scotland.
Not for nothing, but Inside Whisky also wins major points for the best podcast logo.
Where To Start:
‘Inside Springbank with Nicole Lindsay‘ is that deep dive whisky podcast you’re looking for. The episode finds the hosts chatting with Springbank’s Marketing Manager about what makes the Campbeltown whisky so amazing and, well… Scottish. It’s a great listen about a phenomenal distillery that’ll leave you searching for bottles of Springbank every time you’re at the liquor store.
Whiskey Neat is on the radio in Houston, but it’s really a podcast at its core. Hosted by Kristopher Hart (whiskey journalist and Managing Director at Houston Whiskey Social), the show is a great interview format podcast. Hart’s status in the industry means he gets to interview some of the biggest and coolest names both in making whiskey and people who love whiskey (especially celebrities). All of that adds up to a must-listen show if you’re even tangentially interested in the whiskey world.
Where To Start:
‘Ep 161 Nicole Austin and the mystery of the Tennessee Bourbon‘ is a great example of Hart’s insider access but also his open-minded look at the world of whiskey (the conversation dives into old coding about Tennessee whiskey not being “bourbon” in order to dispel that misconception).
The interview is also a great look into the work Nicole Austin is doing down in Tullahoma, Tennessee to push American whiskey forward.
Dads Drinking Bourbon is pretty much essential listening if you’re into anything American whiskey related. The duo, John and Zeke, is based in Nashville and provides a great insight into the scene there — they know everybody. But it’s much more than just Tennessee whiskey and bourbon chat. There are great tasting notes/reviews, interviews, and insights into the state of the industry.
This is a truly breezy and informative listen, every single time.
Where To Start:
‘Interview: All things Wild Turkey with Joann Street‘ is the perfect jump-in point. Street, one of the youngest members of the Russell clan working today, drops in for a chat. The whole episode is like sitting in on old friends as they catch up and drink some serious bourbon.
Bourbon Lens is hosted by yet another trio, Jake, Michael, and Scott. The hosts have a focus on Kentucky and bourbon but stretch their podcasting legs into all things whiskey from Ireland to Portland single malts to Texas bourbons to everything in between. The hook here is that the crew behind Bourbon Lens has excellent access to distilleries and bottlers all over the country (and especially Kentucky), which gives the listener a true insider’s view of these whiskey experiences.
Where To Start:
‘159: Is Bottled in Bond Important to the Modern Bourbon Drinker?‘ is a great place to start as it focuses on the three hosts talking about bourbon semantics like “bottled in bond” and drinking reviewing cheap bottled in bond bourbons. It’s a great way to get to know the crew.
Famed whisk(e)y writer Mark Gillespie hosts WhiskyCast. Each episode is an insider’s look into the world of whisk(e)y from various regions all over the world. Some of the biggest names in the industry drop in for interviews and chats about their respective corners of that industry, making this pretty much a must-listen pod for any whiskey lover.
Where To Start:
‘Climate Change’s Impact On Scotch Whisky‘ is a great entry point in that the episode really highlights how deep this podcast goes. Gillespie brings in a climate change researcher and distiller to speak about how that issue is going to not only impact the industry but the people who rely upon it for their livelihoods, alongside a broad news review covering everything from Diageo’s new Chinese distillery to EU trade tariffs on American whiskeys ending (for now).
Richard Goslan, the editor of Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s magazine Unfiltered, hosts this deep dive whisky podcast. Due to Goslan’s high standing in the whisky community, he has access to the highest echelons of the scene. That, in turn, makes this an essential podcast for anyone looking to get deep info on Scotch whisky across the board.
Where To Start:
‘Episode 31: Charlie MacLean MBE‘ is where to start. For one, MacLean is a legendary whisky writer, commentator, and personality who’s seen it all. He’s an amazing raconteur and that makes this episode a must, in general. Moreover, MacLean and Goslan have a really meaningful chat about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which might make you consider joining the prestigious club.
The Fred Minnick Show is the gold standard of American whiskey knowledge and reviews, especially bourbon. Minnick — a much-lauded whiskey writer, historian, and curator — hosts one of the most popular podcasts on whiskey, full-stop. Minnick’s status in the industry also allows his show to really tap into big-name whiskey lovers to talk about their love of certain bourbons and whiskeys and taste them on the show with Minnick, which is always a good time.
Where To Start:
‘Actor Jeffrey Wright | ‘Story Can Carve Through Misinformation’ | Uncle Nearest‘ is the perfect example of The Fred Minnick Show. In just under an hour, you’ll be lulled into a sense of ease as famed actor Jeffrey Wright talks with Minnick about Nearest Green, bourbon and Tennessee whiskey history, and Wright’s work with Fawn Weaver and Uncle Nearest in creating one of the hottest whiskey brands of the past couple of years.
Whiskey Lore: The Interviews is hosted by author Drew Hannush (Whiskey Lore’s Travel Guide to Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon: Learn, Plan, Taste, Tour). Hannush’s podcast takes a deep dive into all things whiskey (from all over the world) through interviews with the most interesting people behind the scenes, stills, history, and whiskey we love.
Where To Start:
‘Starward Whisky’s Founder Dave Vitale // Australian Whisky‘ is a great place to start. It’ll give you the perfect example of Hannush’s show and style while also giving you some seriously cool insight into Aussie whiskey from one of the region’s biggest names.
Bourbon Pursuit is one of the most important American whiskey podcasts right now. Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil’s brand touches on both a podcast slate of several shows and, now, their own line of great whiskeys. Focusing on the podcasts, Coleman and Cecil record Whiskey Quickies which are 60-second bottle reviews, a weekly show where they welcome a guest (which has an introduction segment from Fred Minnick), another weekly show called “This Week in Bourbon” (which is just Coleman and Cecil going over the industry news from the week), and a semi-regular roundtable discussions with retailers, distillers, reviewers, and the Bourbon Pursuit team.
This is where you go to get everything you need about bourbon (and rye) from people who care deeply about the industry that they’re in.
It’s hard to separate the character from the actor, but it can be harder when it’s someone so convincing, like the cold-hearted cat lady Angela Martin from NBC’s The Office. Played by Angela Kinsey, the actress now hosts a podcast with real life pal Jenna Fisher, aka Pam from he hit series, and the real-life Angela could not be any different from her on-screen persona.
Kinsey recently told Page Six that fans would be discouraged to meet her, since she has “resting b*tch face” that resembles her character. “In real life, I’m super chatty. I love to talk anyone up, but people would see me and not approach me.” This is the polar opposite of Angela Martin, who took pride in offending her peers.
Kinsey often travelled with real life friend and former accountant co-star Brian Baumgartner, who played the lovable goof Kevin. Fans would be excited to see Kevin, but not so much Angela. “They’re like, ‘Oh no, Angela’s here. We better behave.’”
The actress, who also starred in Mindy Kaling’s Netflix show Never Have I Ever,recalls how the fans often rooted for the main couple Jim and Pam, but detested Angela and Dwight’s love affair on the show. “Rainn [Wilson] and I used to crack up because Jenna and John as Jim and Pam would get press, it would be like, ‘Oh, Jim and Pam, this week they’re getting engaged on ‘The Office.’ And everyone would be like on the comment board, ‘Oh, I can’t wait. Jim and Pam, yay!’
“And then when it would be like, ‘Dwight and Angela revealed to be having a kid,’ and everyone would be like, ‘Ew.’ So, Jim and Pam got, ‘Aw’ and Dwight and Angela got, ‘Ew.’ That just tickles me.”
In an unfortunate move for Captain Marvel fans, Brie Larson is the latest celebrity to start shilling NFTs, and the situation is already getting ugly. Despite watching Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and the cringe-inducing pairing of Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon get roasted alive on social media, Larson waded into the cryptocurrency waters by announcing she changed her Twitter profile to a recently purchased NFT.
Larson’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Not even an hour earlier, former The O.C. and Gotham star Ben McKenzie fired off a viral tweet that linked to an article warning people about the dangers of listening to Hollywood celebs:
I’m just a former teen idol standing here (alone?) asking people to consider downside risk and the possibility of fraud. I hope I’m wrong, but pretty sure we’ll find out soon enough. Good luck folks – don’t take financial advice from celebs, including me. https://t.co/d250lrJgvk
The article even included further advice from McKenzie, who has become a high-profile crypto/NFT skeptic, to the degree he regularly writes about it online:
McKenzie has since written more for Slate alongside journalist Jacob Silverman, with whom he is collaborating on a book about cryptocurrency. The thesis generally boils down to the title of that first column: “Celebrity crypto shilling is a moral disaster.” Even if crypto and blockchain technology have great potential, McKenzie states, the executives, venture capitalists and celebrities pushing them “haven’t earned your trust — or your money.”
McKenzie’s advice would soon come in handy as Larson revealed herself as the latest NFT pusher, prompting a wave of backlash on Twitter. Even people who defended Larson from the excessive online vitriol she experienced during Captain Marvel‘s 2019 release couldn’t bring themselves to back her on this one.
We’d also like to express our deepest condolences to the tweet below, which couldn’t have aged more poorly in such a short amount of time. It honestly hurt to see this.
Brie Larson does not deserve to be roasted the way she is. Like here she is just chilling, not shilling for NFTs like everyone else. This should be encouraged. https://t.co/Suh0qPMwNx
The Kanye West and Kim Kardashian drama continued after he criticized her for allowing their daughter North on TikTok and she responded by calling out his relentless attacks on social media. West doubled down after his ex-wife’s response, again accusing her of sicking security on him at their daughter’s birthday party and of making him take a drug test. He also claims she accused him of stealing from her home, which, again, is across the street from his, and questioned her assertion that she is the main care provider for the children.
“What do you mean by ‘main provider?’” he wrote in a post on Instagram with a screenshot of Kim’s earlier post. “America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago’s party cause you accused me of being on drugs Tracy Romulus stop manipulating Kim to be this way…”
Tracy Romulus is Chief Marketing Officer of KKW Brands, the corporate entity through which Kardashian manages her beauty, clothing, and fragrance lines. While Romulus obviously has Kim’s ear as her business partner, Kanye’s comments overlook a lot of facts over the last few years, mainly in the area of his own erratic behavior. While he’s pushed back on characterizations that he’s “crazy,” it doesn’t seem that anyone has ever called him that other than himself.
Kanye responds to Kim Kardashian, claims she accused him of being on drugs and stealing:
“America saw you try to kid nap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address. You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing,” pic.twitter.com/Yh4UGDG6pD
In Kim’s earlier statement, she wrote, “I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully, he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.” If anything, it seems the only thing she wants from Kanye is to behave like an adult.
There has never been a more convenient time to be a coffee drinker. In addition to the plethora of bean brands and methods at our disposal that make it easy to make a great cup at home, we also have instant coffee and coffee shops with drive-thrus. If all of that remains inconvenient to you, there are also a whole bunch of ready-to-drink coffee beverages available at almost every convenience store, gas station, and market — helping you to get your caffeine fix at any hour of the day.
Clearly, being a coffee addict is easy. What remains tricky is the ability to make a decision when you’re dealing with something you’ve never had. And with a lot of ready-to-drink coffee beverages on store shelves, it’s nice to have some help finding the best. To help narrow your search, we picked up all of the Starbucks RTD beverages that we could get our hands on, tasted them, and reviewed and ranked them in an effort to help you find the perfect blend of caffeine, complex coffee characteristics, and sweetness.
Let’s drink!
15. Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew Dark Caramel
Dane Rivera
“Oh, no!” Is an actual thing I said when I tasted this.
It’s just, hands down, one of the worst coffee drinks I’ve ever tasted. The overall flavor comes across as very sweet. It has that signature nitro cold brew softness — which really brings out the natural sweetness of the bean — but when mixed with the caramel the flavors combine to create something that comes off as really metallic.
From my notes: “I actually feel like I’m killing myself by drinking this.”
The Bottom Line:
Way too metallic. Skip it.
14. Starbucks Tripleshot Energy Caffè Mocha
Amazon
Coffee is in direct competition with energy drinks and you can see this at the corner store, where the two share shelf space. In response to their competitors, Starbucks has introduced the Tripleshot line which contains 225 mg of caffeine per can. That’s a lot of caffeine and while that might lead you to believe this would have a strong coffee kick to it, you’d be wrong.
This drink is so off-puttingly sweet that you’re better off drinking a Red Bull. It tastes like someone dropped a Fudgsicle in the dirt and then picked it up, melted it down, and drank it. Weird description? You’ve obviously never dropped a Fudgsicle and then eaten it.
The Bottom Line:
Way too heavy on the chocolate notes. You can sort of taste coffee on the backend, but only slightly.
13. Starbucks Tripleshot Energy Caramel
Dane Rivera
This is pretty neck and neck with the Caffè Mocha Tripleshot, only instead of tasting like a dirty Fudgsicle it tastes like expired candy from your great grandpa’s grave. Something just tastes off here. Sure, it tastes like caramel but there is a rancid quality here that tastes like something you… really shouldn’t be consuming.
The Bottom Line:
If you like the taste of death, you still probably won’t like this.
12. Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Coffee
Dane Rivera
Was it the three shots of espresso that were making the Starbucks Tripleshot drinks so off-putting to me? I doubt it, because the Doubleshot version is no better. This is stomach-turning — aspects of it remind me of diet soda. There is a dull sweetness to this coffee that tastes entirely artificial. The over-reliance on sugar masks some of the natural and rich caramel tones of the espresso, leaving you with nothing more than a bitter ache that sits on the palate once the wave of intense sweetness has ended.
The Bottom Line:
Stomach-turning. Skip it.
11. Starbucks Iced Coffee Dark Roast
Walmart
For those who live for the natural sweetness of coffee, Starbucks has an unsweetened line of bottled iced coffees based on a few of their house roasts. If you’re a big Starbucks fan this might be difficult to hear but, Starbucks’ variety of roasts are subpar at best. They kind of need all that sugar they are famous for having. It’s bad enough drinking them in-store, but they’re even worse in bottled form with the worst of them being the Dark Roast.
It doesn’t have any of the characteristics that make dark roast worth drinking — the flavor isn’t distinct, robust, or complex, so don’t expect a journey here. What you get instead is a blunt burst of overwhelmingly stale flavors that settle into a bothersome bitterness that won’t leave your palate.
The Bottom Line:
So bad it really puts in perspective just how off-putting most Starbucks roasts are.
10. Starbucks Frappuccino Vanilla
Dane Rivera
You know that moment when you’re enjoying those last sips of a Starbucks Frappuccino and then you hit a point where it tastes more like sugary water than a blended coffee drink?
That’s what this tastes like. It doesn’t have that thick milky magic that the Frappuccino possesses, instead, you are hit with intensely sweet notes of vanilla that make it almost impossible to taste any of the coffee.
The Bottom Line:
Skip it, it doesn’t taste like anything like an actual Vanilla frappe.
9. Starbucks Frappuccino Mocha
Dane Rivera
Things only slightly improve with the bottled Mocha Frappuccino. Like the bottled vanilla, the mocha is far too watery, the sweetness is more balanced here but the end result still kind of comes across like the last sips from a melting frappe. For all the sugar in this thing, you’d think you’d get some flavor.
The Bottom Line:
A slightly less sweet-tasting version of the bottled Vanilla. We’d like to say something like “this tastes more earthy” but it just kind of tastes like dirt.
8. Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Vanilla
Dane Rivera
A significant improvement over the non-flavored (but still sweetened) Doubleshot Coffee flavor, the Doubleshot Vanilla brings you in with inviting vanilla notes that are soft and creamy on the palate and settle into a nice bitter finish. It heavily leans on the sweetness, so if you don’t like your coffee sweet you’re probably going to find this one way too overwhelming.
The Bottom Line:
A better balance of sweet and bitter flavors than most of Starbucks’ Tripleshot line, but a bit too sweet for my liking. Still, if you love sweet drinks, this is going to go down easy.
7. I Starbucks Triipleshot Energy French Vanilla
Dane Rivera
Given how much I hated the other flavors of Starbucks’ Tripleshot energy line, I gotta say, I’m finding a lot more to like about the French Vanilla version. This one has a deep malty flavor, it’s earthy and bitter but balanced with the right amount of sweetness. You can practically taste the strength of the caffeine here, but not in an off-putting way — instead, it’s comforting.
You know you can rely on this one to deliver both flavor and the energy it promises.
The Bottom Line:
The Best of Starbucks’ Tripleshot Energy line.
6. Starbucks Iced Coffee Medium Roast
Walmart
Starbucks’ Medium Roast is a slight improvement over their bottled Dark Roast. It has a softer mouthfeel with a more mellow and naturally sweet flavor. If you really try to zero in on the flavors (it took closing my eyes) you can taste the slightest hint of citrus at the backend.
Not good by any means, but not off-putting like the dark roast.
The Bottom Line:
If you like Starbucks’ lighter roasts, you’ll probably enjoy this. It has a sort of dullness to the flavors compared to a Starbucks fresh brewed iced coffee but it mimics the experience well enough.
5. Starbucks Frappuccino Caramel
Dane Rivera
If you’re looking for a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino, this is the move. It’s the only bottle frappe that manages to capture some of the magic of the Starbucks drink its named after. It’s silky smooth, slightly earthy, and has that warm and comforting caramelized brown sugar flavor that people can’t seem to get enough of.
The sweetness, while present, doesn’t come across as overwhelming, each sip has the right balance of caramel notes and the bitter bite of coffee.
The Bottom Line:
The best bottled Frappuccino in Starbucks’ RTD collection.
4. Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew Vanilla Sweet Cream
Dane Rivera
This is the first drink in this ranking that I’d actually enjoy drinking more than once.
The Vanilla Sweet Cream nitro cold brew features malty vanilla notes with a soft mouthfeel and a pleasingly bitter aftertaste. Nitro coffee tends to be more naturally sweet so it doesn’t really need the help of vanilla or caramel to make it work. Thankfully, the vanilla here adds more of a creamy texture to the drink than a whole bunch of coffee-masking sweetness.
The Bottom Line:
Balanced but leans on the sweet side.
3. Starbucks Cold & Crafted Milk + Mocha
Target
There are a lot of similarities between Starbucks’ Cold & Crafted line and their canned nitro line. Both utilize cold brew coffee, but this drink highlights regular cold brew rather than nitro-style. That helps to push back some of the natural sweetness of the coffee bean, which Starbucks makes up for with a splash of milk and mocha.
I think this translates better in ready-to-drink form than the nitro cans, the sweetness from the mocha and milk don’t overwhelm the flavor here. Instead, a subtle sweetness is added to the bitter, earthy flavors of this coffee.
The Bottom Line:
The natural earthy flavors of coffee are the focus here, with just the right amount of mocha and milk flavoring to keep it palatable.
2. Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew Black
Dane Rivera
If you’re all about Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew, the OG black version is the way to go. If you’re unfamiliar with the difference between nitro and regular style cold brew, nitro utilizes nitrous oxide gas — which helps to smoothen the mouthfeel and bring forward the natural sweetness of the bean and offers a richer experience than a regular cold brew and certainly more than iced coffee.
When it comes to bottled and canned versions of the nitro process, those results are a lot more muted. Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew Black might not meet your standards if you’re a hardcore fan of the process, but it is one of the brand’s best ready-to-drink coffee experiences and this unsweetened version comes the closest to catching the magic of the real thing.
Deep chocolate notes dominate here, with slight toffee characteristics and an almost tobacco-leaf-like finish.
The Bottom Line:
Smooth, complex, naturally sweet, and packed with a kick of caffeine that you’ll actually feel.
1. Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Mocha
Dane Rivera
I didn’t expect something this sugary to take the top spot (29 grams of sugar per bottle!) but I love the Doubleshot Mocha. On the nose, it’s akin to a bar of high-quality milk chocolate, with a sweet flavor to match that doesn’t mask the distinct earthy flavors of the espresso.
Where most of the ready-to-drink Starbucks beverages linger on the after taste (either thanks to too much sweetness or too much bitterness), the Doubleshot Mocha finds balance — never staining your palate in an off-putting way that calls for a breath mint before you get into a conversation with someone.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re not about sweetness, be sure to pick up our number two pick. But if you’re looking for a canned Starbucks drink that delivers on the caffeine and the flavor, and won’t make you miss not making that morning Starbucks run, the Doubleshot Mocha strikes the perfect balance and the most satisfying result.
Ye (aka Kanye West) is on a lot of people’s minds right now, for reasons including Kim Kardashian drama, Julia Fox, and the upcoming Donda 2. On top of that, there’s also the upcoming Jeen-Yuhs documentary series, which is set to premiere on Netflix on February 16. Ahead of that, Netflix has shared a new trailer.
The trailer features a voiceover from co-director Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, in which he says, “When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal was to see how far his dreams would take him, but I had no idea where life would take us next. It felt like the bigger Kanye got, the farther we grew apart, but there was more to Kanye’s story that I needed to tell.”
There’s also a quote from West in which he explains what he thinks are the reasons behind his success, saying “I just think it was in God’s plan. I think He just has me here for a reason and I have something to say. There’s people that might be better programmers, better rappers. The way I think I really won is I had the heart. If I do what I’m supposed to do, people gonna look back like, ‘Man, remember dude used to just make beats for people?”
Um, how is it February already? Despite January feeling like it had 172 days, February feels like it arrived all of a sudden. Pandemic time is so trippy. (Is the pandemic still happening? The data certainly says so, but a whole lot of people have decided “no,” which is probably why we’ve all become obsessed with a simple word game. Weeeee!)
It’s also Friday, which means it’s time for another roundup of delights from around ye ol’ interwebs. Woohoo! Each week, we pull together a list of things that we all can enjoy no matter who we are, where we live, what we ate for breakfast or how we feel about people sharing their Wordle results. Just tiny packages of pure, happy things to boost our endorphins.
This week we have epic dance moves, hilarious kids, heartwarming reunions and awesome animals to lift our spirits. Isn’t it funny how reliable arts and kids and animals are for bringing us joy?
So if you’ve got the winter doldrums, are stuck in COVID quarantine or could just use a little pick-me-up, we’ve got you covered. Buckle up and enjoy!
Watch this dance troupe gets funky to James Brown on Lunar New Year.
We kicked off the week celebrating Lunar New Year with this awesome video. The formation, the outfits, the moves—it’s all here. Year of the tiger, bring it on.
Speaking of dance moves, this little girl has ’em—and the spunk to match.
Oh my goodness, that face and those moves. This little girl at a Chinese dance competition seems to have the spirit of Latin dance flowing right through her veins. She’s feeling it and it shows.
Speaking of feeling it in competition, this doggo was just supposed to come over and sit.
Puppers had one job, but decided that job needed some flair. Give this doggo all the prizes, please.
A dad filmed his daughter every week for two decades to create a 5-minute time lapse.
This sounds like such a simple idea on paper, but to actually carry it out is an incredible feat. It’s also incredibly moving to watch for any parent. A wonderful gift from Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester to his daughter, Lotte. Read the full story here.
An 8-year-old snuck his handmade book onto the library shelf and now it has a huge waiting list.
Dillon Helbig had wanted to have a book in the library since he was 5, so he left his homemade graphic novel on the shelf. The librarians found it and put it into circulation, and now it has a years-long waiting list. Such a great example of adults supporting kids in their creativity. Read the full story here.
Mom films daughter asking if she lived in colonial times, and every parent has been there.
Kids don’t have a good grasp of time when they’re young, which can make for some hilarious inquiries and assumptions. The innocence of this kid’s questions is just classic.
Jimmy Kimmel made Quinta Brunson cry by surprising her with her beloved sixth-grade teacher.
Jimmy surprises @QuintaBrunson with the 6th grade teacher she named #AbbottElementary after! pic.twitter.com/Z7vZXanZqL
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@Jimmy Kimmel Live) 1643780760
The teachers who make an impact in our lives are never forgotten. This exchange between “Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson and the teacher she named the show after is just pure love. Read the full story here.
Speaking of love, these guys offered people $5 to call someone and tell them they love them.
Hector the hummingbird. That’s just too much. There’s something so magical about hummingbirds, and we don’t often get to see them this close to a human. (Side note: Have you ever had a hummingbird fly right by your ear? It’s so loud. That wing flapping is no joke.)
Penguin groups meet up and one of them gets confused. But don’t worry—his friend’s got his back.
What a muppet, indeed. You can practically narrate this entire video in your head as you’re watching it, can’t you? “Um, Chuck? We’re going this way, pal.” So hilarious.
Hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup of happy things! Come back next week to share more snippets of goodness and joy. 🙂
From her near-naked album cover to the “La Flama” collaboration with The Weeknd, Rosalía is turning up some serious heat in the lead-up to her new album Motomami. Today, she just announced the album’s official release date of March 18th, and dropped a full-on reggaeton banger in “Saoko.”
The track title is a reference to Daddy Yankee and Wisin’s 2004 cut “Saoco,” an early reggaeton jam from two trailblazers in the genre. Rosalia samples their track in “Saoko” and presents it alongside a new music video set to a provocative biker gang of ladies.
“Naming my next track “SAOKO” and sampling Yankee and Wisin for me is the most direct homage I can make to classic reggaeton, a genre that I love and that has been a constant and great inspiration throughout the MOTOMAMI project,” Rosalía said in a translated statement.
The song has a break with a melodic piano giving space before Rosalia’s vocal assault continues. She said she wanted to add jazz touches to a reggaeton track and that the lyrics “revolve around the same concept: transformation. Each and every phrase is an image of transformation. Celebrating transformation, celebrating change. Celebrating that you are always yourself even though you are in constant transformation or even that you are you more than ever at the very moment you are changing.”
Watch the video for “Saoko” above.
Motomami is out 3/18 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.
New Glarus/Almanac/Short’s/Beachwood/istock/Uproxx
There are almost 9,000 breweries in the U.S. alone. That means that there are endless IPAs, stouts, porters, pale ales, lagers, pilsners, and any number of fruit-based beers. Today, we’re talking the latter — fruited IPAs, fruited sours, and maybe a fruit-based pale ale or pilsner thrown in there here and there as well.
Joe Connolly, director of Springdale Beer Co. in Framingham, Massachusetts has a particular style in mind when he thinks of fruited beer. “It’s got to be a fruit lambic from Belgium,” Connolly tells us. He continues, “two memories from a single trip stand out specifically. A thirty-plus-year-old bottle of cherry-fruited lambic from the Boon Blendery. Incredibly, it was still effervescent with incredible depth of cherry pit flavor. But on the same trip, we sampled fresh fruit lambic from Cantillon and a few other breweries, illustrating the fact that fruit beers are often at their peak at their freshest.”
But there’s more to fruited beers than Belgium’s amazing offerings, and many memorable fruited beers come from right here in the U.S. That’s why we asked a handful of our favorite brewers, brewing professionals, and craft beer experts to tell us their favorite crafty fruit beers of all time.
I enjoy a good, fruited sour and this one has a great balance of sweetness from the fruit and acidity from the culture. Plus, there’s a touch of complexity from the barrel, which I find intriguing given they added an additional element of lactose.
Sierra Nevada Wild Little Thing
Sierra Nevada
Cooper Asay, head of quality at BrewDog USA in Columbus, Ohio
The original Otra Vez from Sierra Nevada was amazing. Sadly, they don’t make it anymore. It was a fruited gose with grapefruit and cactus. If I was to pick a beer that it is in production from Sierra Neva, I’d pick Wild Little Thing, a sour ale brewed with guava, hibiscus, and strawberry.
New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb is probably my favorite. It’s a perfect balance between the tartness of the Wild Ale and the sweetness of the fruit. It’s not too sweet, not too tart, but it’s beautiful. I enjoy the wild fermentation and character that comes with it along with the effervescence. It’s a special one.
One of my favorite fruit beers is Short’s Soft Parade. No matter the time of year, the fresh berry aroma radiates summertime. Their use of real fruit shines through authentically and the fact that it’s so heavily fruited but not crazy sweet is a plus in my book. At the end of the day, my friends and I joke that if we aren’t as relaxed as the lady on the Soft Parade can, we’re doing it wrong.
Destination Unknown Orange You Glad We Brewed An IPA
Destination Unknown Orange You Glad We Brewed An IPA
Dave Lopez, co-managing partner at Gun Hill Brewing in Bronx, New York
ABV: 8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
I’m not sure if this is the best fruit-based beer I’ve ever had, but it’s probably the one that I’ve enjoyed most often. It’s an IPA made by Destination Unknown and Big Alice Brewing called Orange You Glad We brewed an IPA, a double IPA with blood orange and grapefruit. What I enjoy about this beer is that the blood orange and grapefruit really just compliment and then accentuate the hop character of the beer. As a result, the beer does not truly taste like you’re drinking a ‘fruit-based beer,’ which is generally the way I’d prefer it.
Beachwood Blendery Come in Grape, Your Time is Up (Grenache)
I don’t think most people know that Beachwood Brewing’s funky side makes some of the best mixed-fermentation beers around. Beachwood Blendery’s Come in Grape, Your Time is Up is made with an insane amount of Grenache grapes and truly pushes the amount of fruit character you can get in a beer. It’s like a fruit-forward Lambrusco with some amazing mixed-fermentation funk.
Raspberry Tart by New Glarus Brewing Co. is a spontaneously fermented framboise that is out of this world good. There is so much raspberry flavor and aroma to the beer, yet it is balanced and not overly tart. It’s also a gorgeous ruby red color that almost forces you to drink it when it’s poured.
Westbound & Down Metaberry
Westbound & Down
Lauren McCaffrey, packaging technician at WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, Colorado
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
The best fruit-based beer I’ve tried was Metaberry from Westbound & Down. It’s a tart barrel-aged golden sour with blackberries. I love the tart beers, and this one had a rich berry flavor with some fun barrel characteristics.
Hoosier Chubby Bunny Hot Mango
Hoosier
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
Hoosier Brewing Co. brewed a Chubby Bunny sour. Their best version to date is the mango, habanero, chocolate, and marshmallow version. It’s loaded with mango puree to give it a heavier body and tropical sweetness on the front end and then they add a light touch of chocolate, the bitterness of which balances out the sweetness of the fruit. It’s finished with habanero peppers and marshmallows, again, at such a perfectly balanced amount that you get citrus harmony from the habaneros with the sweetness of marshmallows, and it’s finished with a very subtle taste of sweetened habanero smoke. That might come off as a tropical S’more description that might not sound amazing, but boy is it.
I have to go with Fruit Bat Disco from Fonta Flora in Morganton, North Carolina. This is a clean fermented saison with locally-harvested strawberries. This is one of those rare fruit beers that is released when the fruit is actually in season. While strawberries are notoriously challenging to work with, this beer delivers that perfect taste of summer sweetness right out of the field.
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