Category: Viral

Is “running away” a legally sound strategy? If so, Rudy Giuliani is killing it.

The disgraced former-New York City mayor had a 2020 to remember: he got punk’d by Borat, black goo leaked from his scalp, farted during a public hearing, and his client, Donald Trump, lost the presidential election. His 2021 isn’t going much better, however. Giuliani is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.3 billion for spreading misinformation, “and apparently they had a heck of a time serving him with papers,” as host Jimmy Kimmel said during Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! He’s referring to a New York Daily News report about how “after not responding to requests to waive service, Mr. Giuliani evaded in-person service of process for nearly a week,” an attorney for Dominion told the newspaper. “It took numerous attempts, at both his home and office, before we were able to successfully serve Mr. Giuliani” earlier this month.

“Every time the process server got close, Rudy would transform into a bat and fly away,” Kimmel cracked in his monologue. “At one point, the server jammed the lawsuit into the door of an SUV Giuliani got into, but Rudy’s doorman grabbed an umbrella and pried it out onto the ground. You know, if they really want to get those papers to Rudy, they should’ve just had Borat’s daughter stuff them in his pants.” Watch the clip above.

We’re nearing springtime and that means the awards for spirits are just starting to roll out, leading towards a fall crescendo. The first major awards for American whiskey dropped earlier this month when the World Whiskies Awards 2021 announced their favorites in that category.

The process for the judging of these whiskies is pretty straightforward. There are two rounds — in which judges from the international whiskey community narrow down their favorite drams. Finally, there’s a third and final round where all of the “best” whiskeys are judged one last time to pick the absolute best of the best.

The 14 whiskeys below are those “best of the best” American whiskeys, according to the judges of the World Whiskies Awards (you can peruse the rest of the winners here). And while some of these expressions are pretty well known on the awards and general whiskey circuit, a few are new or(relative) unknowns. That’ll mean they might be hard or straight-up impossible to find.

We’ve included links to delivery options where possible. And when needed, we’ve used the tasting notes from the distillers. Let’s get into it!

Best American Blended — Breckenridge PX Sherry Cask Finish

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This Colorado whiskey has made a triumphant (albeit limited) return to the scene. The whiskey in the bottle is their standard, three-year-old bourbon that’s filled into Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a final maturation of four to six months. Those barrels are then married and the juice is brought down to a very accessible 90 proof with Colorado Rocky Mountain water.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with notes of very zesty orange marmalade next to bourbon vanilla and a hint of sherry plumminess. The taste is subtle and touches on almost savory figs with a touch of black licorice and soft oak. The end leans into the bourbon more than sherry, with a vanilla and oak roundness.

Bottom Line:

This is solid craft whiskey that’s built to be sipped or mixed. If you can get your hands on a bottle (or you’re in Colorado), give it time as a sipper first, and then try it in your cocktails.

Best American Blended Malt — Virginia-Highland Whisky Port Cask Finished

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This American single malt from Virginia continues to wow. The expression combines 100 percent single malt distilled and aged in Virginia with single malt imported from Scotland. Once those juices are married, the whisky spends at least another year resting in port casks for final maturation.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear essence of honey with walnuts floating in the jar next to a slight savory fruit note. Apple skins arrive with a clear cinnamon-spiced caramel sauce and a little bit of oak leading towards a very subtle and sweet wisp of smoke. That spiced caramel and apple drive the long finish towards an earthy, fruity, and sweet end.

Bottom Line:

This is an old favorite. It’s pretty easily available from coast to coast. It makes a great highball candidate but also works on the rocks just as well.

Best American Corn — Ironroot Republic Hubris

ABV: 58.9%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This 100 percent corn whiskey from Texas is built to be bold. The corn distillate is aged in used European oak barrels that once held bourbon. The whiskey is then bottled straight from the barrel with no proofing or filtration.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“Nose: Smoked pear stewed in dark honey and baked into tartlets. Taste: Orange peel candied in an anise, clove, and cassia glaze dipped in dark chocolate. This is decadence.”

Bottom Line:

Ironroot is turning a lot of heads in Texas. Try to get your hands on some before it blows up any further.

Best American Grain — Bainbridge Yama Japanese Mizunara Cask Single Grain

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $590 ($450 MSRP)

The Whiskey:

This bespoke Washington distillery tends to hit every expression they release out of the park in both taste and uniqueness. The grain to glass experience starts with locally grown barley that’s left unmalted before it’s milled in-house and fermented with proprietary yeast. The distilled juice is only the prime cuts of the second distillation, which are then filled in Japanese Mizunara casks.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“Bright aromatics of mango, vanilla, toasted sandalwood, tropical flowers, marzipan, and star anise. Flavors open on nutmeg and clove, pear and toasty wood notes, settling out to honeyed vanilla and toasted marshmallow. Finish is warm and lingering with fading spice and a pleasant oak grip.”

Bottom Line:

This is one of those rare bottles very few of us whiskey lovers will ever get to sample. That’s a shame as this sounds f*cking delicious and we know the distillery is almost universally doing great work otherwise.

Best American Flavoured Whisky — Bird Dog Peanut Butter Flavored Whiskey

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

This is Bird Dog’s standard bourbon that’s been aged with all-natural “peanut butter flavors.” It might be best not to question too much about how the sausage is made.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“Nose: Warm peanuts with a hint of wood char. Body: Uniquely smooth peanut butter flavors are presented with traditional caramel and vanilla notes. Finish: A slow, warm, whiskey fades with sweet caramel.”

Bottom Line:

I’ve had peanut butter-flavored whiskey in the past (just not this one). I don’t know. This feels like the glitter in beer and cocktails craze all over again. The one good thing about this booze is that you can get it in 50ml minis for a dollar. That means you can try with no commitment to a whole bottle.

Best Kentucky Bourbon — WL Weller CYPB

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $840 ($50 MSRP)

The Whiskey:

This is a legitimately unique expression. Buffalo Trace asked the general public to “Craft Your Perfect Bourbon.” Over 100,000 responses later, a clear picture emerged of a wheated bourbon, aged around nine years on the top floors of a warehouse, and bottled between 90 and 100 proof.

So Buffalo Trace did exactly that. This is the result.

Tasting Notes:

Lemon pudding with a touch of vanilla bean and dry oak (not quite firewood) greet you on the nose. The fruit mellows into a stonefruit — almost like a bruised peach floating in honey — as the vanilla builds in creaminess and the oak remains very soft and squarely in the background. The end has a slight peppery warmth and a return of the lemon pudding but is really all about that soft oak and vanilla on a slow fade.

Bottom Line:

This is a very limited release. So it’s going to be hard to find and has gotten way overpriced. Still, it’s a nice one-off sipper that’s as much a conversation starter as its quality dram.

Best Non-Kentucky Bourbon — Hirsch The Horizon

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Hotaling & Co., started by San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing, is a hell of a blendery. This expression is a mix of two MGP of Indiana whiskeys. The lion’s share (94 percent) is a five-year-old bourbon with a fairly standard mash bill of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. That’s married to a six-year-old bourbon with a mash bill of 60 percent corn, 38 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. The whiskey is proofed down to 92 proof and bottled.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“On the nose, The Horizon offers a classic bourbon profile with sweet cornbread and vanilla. The palate is balanced with warm notes of cinnamon and oak, followed by a long finish with slight lingering sweetness.”

Bottom Line:

Hotaling & Co. know what they’re doing with their blends. This is sure to be a whiskey worth tracking down, especially given its accessible price point.

Best American Rye — Redemption Plantation Rum Cask Finish

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $45

The Whiskey:

Redemption is a Connecticut mainstay that sources its juice from MGP of Indiana. This whiskey MGP’s iconic 95 percent rye mash bill that’s then finished in rum casks (the very same that Angel’s Envy uses for their rum cask finish, most likely) for 18 months.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mix of rummy molasses that’s spiced with Christmas spices and vanilla, with a hint of tart fruit and sherried jamminess. The taste doesn’t really deviate too much from those notes and holds onto the molasses, spice, and vanilla while a touch of oak arrives late with a note of citrus. The end is short-ish and really leans into the rummy nature of the spices and sweetness.

Bottom Line:

It kind of feels like Angel’s Envy’s rum cask rye was getting all the awards love for awhile and now it’s Redemption’s turn for those same accolades.

Best American New Make & Young Spirit — 291 Colorado Whiskey Fresh

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $48

The Whiskey:

Distillery 291 has been distilling spirits since 2011 and gathering awards the whole time. Their Fresh expression (made from corn, rye, and malted barley) is their new-make or white dog (or moonshine if you will). It’s a small-batch, unaged whiskey made specifically for mixing.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“It has a distinct flavor for enhancing the traditional cocktail. Crafted to replace vodka, rum, or tequila.”

Bottom Line:

Given the quality of most of the bottles coming out of this little Colorado distillery, this is probably a pretty damn fine clear spirit for mixing.

Best Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon — Rebel Bourbon Single Barrel 10 Years Old

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

Rebel (formerly Rebel Yell until October of 2020) is a Lux Row classic at this point. This expression is their wheated bourbon that spends ten years aging in oak in the Lux Row warehouses. The barrels are hand-selected, married, and proofed down to 100 proof before bottling.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“Hints of caramel and citrus on your first sips. But continue drinking and it morphs into a velvety oak flavor with unabashed spice.”

Bottom Line:

I never really touched Rebel Yell because of the f*cking name (I’ve tasted a dram here and there at conventions). I’m not convinced the rebranding is better. But now that MGP owns Luxco (the company behind this stuff), maybe they’ll do a proper rebrand?

Best Non-Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon — Tumblin’ Dice Bourbon Single Barrel Barrel Proof

ABV: 58.9%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This sourced juice comes from a blender called Proof and Wood out in Connecticut. This juice is a four-year-old single barrel high-rye bourbon that they source from a distiller in Indiana.

Tasting Notes:

None available.

Bottom Line:

I’ve honestly never heard of this brand before. I’m guessing this is MGPs high-rye bourbon in single barrel form? Given MGP’s usually high-quality, this should be interesting.

Best American Single Cask Single Malt — Westland Distillery Single Cask #5410

ABV: 57%

Average Price: Sold Out

The Whiskey:

Westland, like most craft distillers, starts off by making a solid ale to distill into whiskey. In this case, the beer was made using five types of malt with Belgian Saison brewer’s yeast. The spirit made from that beer was then aged for around six years in a combination of Westland’s own used casks, ex-bourbon casks, and French oak that aged Syrah before marrying and bottling as is.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“Nose: Honeysuckle, light maple syrup, faint peach. Palate: Graham cracker crust, caramel sauce, maraschino cherry liqueur.”

Bottom Line:

This was only available to Washington State residents and it’s sold out. That’s a shame. It sounds pretty solid.

Best American Single Malt — Westland Distillery Garryana Edition 5

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $183

The Whiskey:

Westland’s Garryana Edition is becoming a player in peated American single malt conversations. Their version partially spends its time mellowing in hyperlocal Garryana oak, or Garry oak, imbuing the whiskey the Pacific Northwest’s terroir down to its core.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a real sense of an orchard full of trees with a green leaf earthiness at play next to a slight buttermilk biscuit body and hints of cinnamon and dark chocolate. The taste holds onto the chocolate and spice and then veers into a smoky territory but more like a smoked porter with a real sense of an old brisket smoker with years of fat, pepper, salt, and smoke baked into the walls. The end lingers fairly long, with notes of burning sweet wood wafting the aforementioned smoker smoke over a fatty piece of salted meat.

Bottom Line:

This is smoky in a way that feels more like Texas than Scotland. In fact, this is a great bottle to take over to your next smoke out.

Best American Wheat — 291 Colorado Whiskey E Colorado Whiskey Batch #7

ABV: 60.5%

Average Price: Sold Out

The Whiskey:

Distillery 291’s Experimental expressions are always tiny limited releases (only one barrel that made 160 bottles this time) just for their fans in Colorado. This batch was a wheated bourbon that was aged for in 291’s own rye barrels. They then added aspen staves into the whiskey as it matured, which is their signature move when aging their juice.

Tasting Notes (from the distiller):

“The aroma hits you with loads of butterscotch, cream soda, and honey. Floral and aromatic notes of baby’s breath, mint, and eucalyptus mingle with apricot and a crisp pilsner beer. Butterscotch first hits your palate, with the apricots and eucalyptus soon following. There is an almost effervescent quality to the mouthfeel as the whiskey seems to dance on the tongue. As the lengthy finish fades, you’re left with lingering apricot preserves on a pastry, toasted oak, and the pilsner that has reemerged. A fascinatingly sweet and light whiskey, even at its substantial 121 proof.”

Bottom Line:

This is another whiskey that’d it’d be nice to try one day. But we all know that that is never going to happen. Cheers to the lucky few Coloradans who did get to try it.

(Massive spoilers for Behind Her Eyes, including the ending, will be found below.)

Netflix made last weekend a big one for “complicated” lady characters with the return of deranged Rosamund Pike in I Care A Lot (a dark comedy that mostly hit the mark) and various characters in the Behind Her Eyes (a limited series that aimed to be genre-bending but feels like genre-trolling). The former story remained grounded in reality because, seriously, I really do not want Rosamund Pike to approach me in several decades and declare that she’s my legal guardian. We also saw a surprise ending where Rosamund’s character got exactly what she deserved (although being business partners with gangster Peter Dinklage can’t be all bad). Whereas the latter story seemed initially thrilling, but oh boy, the finale was not good. What started like a cautionary tale with delightful trashiness turned into something else, and it wasn’t a fun roller-coaster of twists that served a purpose. Instead, the finale drove like a semi-truck that veered off a highway, screeched down a cliff, and skidded into the ocean.

Behind Her Eyes transformed from a semi-enjoyable infidelity thriller into supernatural shenanigans. We were supposed to believe that the “astroplaning” of souls could explain trashing the series-long premise of an unstable, jilted, stalker-y, medicated-by-her-probably-gaslighting-husband woman, who felt destined to burn it all down at the end. She did that, only Adele wasn’t really Adele; she was Rob. And then Louise wasn’t Louise; she was Rob, too. There was some bonkers body-snatching going on all along, and David-the-abusive-husband was suddenly a victim, married to two different women who were really Rob? It’s not a good look; in fact, there are homophobic shades in crafting the story’s true villain as an inexplicably vindictive gay junkie, who made a habit of inhabiting women’s bodies to have sex with the man of his dreams.

Not only did all of that happen, but the ending aims to be a clever “gotcha” and turns into an enormous mess. This presumed (for nearly five episodes) to be the tale of a single mom’s (Louise) observations that made us alternatingly fear and sympathize with Adele, who’s the wife of David, a passive-aggressive psychiatrist. He’s a philanderer and hooked up with Louise, who was unaware of his married state until the next morning, when he turned out to be her new boss. Louise kept sleeping with him despite befriending Adele, and the entire trio was shady as hell. Adele seemed suspicious, David seemed terrorizing, and Louise was, at best, selfish with seriously bad judgment (she believed she could save Adele despite secretly betraying her supposed friend).

Then there’s all that damn astroplaning. Everyone can astroplane in this show except for David (that cad!). All of the other souls got to have fun while he was glowering in the corner. We didn’t know why he was glowering (and later, this did not make sense), but we ended up with a double-twist that hoped to be a double-gotcha but turned into a double-laugh from the rafters. It’s a body-snatching story that’s even sketcher than the way Wonder Woman 1984 brought back Steve Trevor, and Behind Her Eyes doesn’t pull off any delicious; rather it’s a confounding show that makes no sense for the following reasons:

– Rob betrayed Adele, who would have done anything for him. This was a weird one, and it reminded me of Season 3 of The Crown‘s portrayal of Michael Fagan, who snuck into Buckingham Palace and into the Queen’s bedroom. A lot of creative license went into that portrayal with Fagan re-written as a working-poor man who could barely survive under Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies. Adele’s a lot like the Queen here: wealthy and empathetic yet, suddenly, she’s murdered by Rob, who steals her life, so he doesn’t have to go back to his miserable one. (Not incidentally, both The Crown and Behind Her Eyes were produced by Left Bank Pictures, so yep, this is all pretty eerie.)

– A trio of unlikable characters all turned out to be victims, and the funny/likable dude was the villain. Nope, I’m not buying it. After several hours of watching David cheating on his wife; Adele stalking the lover; Louise f*cking both husband and wife over; we’re supposed to feel sorry for all of them. All of this happened after we saw Adele-Rob shove Rob-Adele’s body into a well; Adele-Rob scaring the hell out of a cafe owner (and spraypainting “SLUT” inside this woman’s home) because she was nice to David; and Adele-Rob passive-aggressively chopping veggies while finding amusement in surreptitiously shooting up with heroin and astroplaning all over the place for sh*ts and giggles. Adele, David, and Louise all act like terrible people, but the true evil display is Rob stealing bodies and f*cking with people, like when Rob (as Adele) purposely upset David with forest murals to remind him of the murder-well scene.

– Those final moments? Get outta here. Behind Her Eyes tried to paint itself into an ending similar to Jordan Peele’s Us, where a child recognizes that there’s clearly something amiss about his mother, that she’s inhabited by a presence other than her true self. Yet where Peele’s ending stood as commentary about how the “Other”-ness that Americans fear can essentially be found in ourselves, Behind Our Eyes contains no such profundity. Instead, it’s simply infuriating. God only knows how many more bodies Rob will inhabit over time, or whether producers will decide to extend this limited series with a second round, in which Rob finds more victims to stalk and possess while David’s unzipping his fly all over London. Enough!

– Am I taking all of this too seriously? Perhaps, but it’s not cool to claim “genre-bending” as an excuse to move into the body-snatching sub-genre essentially without warning. It’s also a little disheartening when an apparently schlocky limited series, which is supposed to be fun, carries a scandalous air for several episodes before pulling a hard-right turn into an unbelievable (and yes, problematic) ending. Maybe we should do away with body-snatching stories in 2021 altogether. No good can come of removing people’s agency and sexual consent while doing the deed. Also, here’s another real crime: Rob butchering the hair of every woman he possesses. Not fantastic, man.

‘Behind Her Eyes’ is currently streaming on Netflix.

The sports world came to a halt on Tuesday afternoon when word broke that golf legend Tiger Woods had been involved in a severe, single-car accident in Los Angeles that saw his SUV roll multiple times off of the road. Woods had to be extracted from the vehicle by the L.A. fire department and was taken to the hospital where he had surgery on what his agent described as “multiple leg injuries.”

Woods’ injuries were deemed “moderate to critical” by authorities at the scene, but not life-threatening, as Woods was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident which very well saved his life. As the day wore on, numerous athletes from golf and beyond offered their support and prayers to Tiger as he was in surgery.

On Tuesday night, Woods’ team released a statement on his Twitter account providing an update on his status, noting he is “awake, responsive, and recovering” in his hospital room at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. It also included a full detailing of the surgery from the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, as Woods sustained numerous leg injuries that required various surgical procedures that were done on his right leg on Tuesday.

Given the extent of the injuries, it will clearly be a long road to recovery from Woods. The bone and muscle damage done by the crash is significant and extensive, but it seems from this update that they were able to take care of most everything on Tuesday in what seems to have been a lengthy surgery. Woods is now resting and it’s great news to hear that he’s seemingly doing about as well as one could hope given the horrific nature of the accident.

Even though Wesley Snipes is appearing in Coming 2 America, a direct sequel to a movie from the late ’80s (and, folks, he is dynamite as General Izzi, the rival to Eddie Murphy’s Akeem), when pressed, Snipes doesn’t seem all that interested in making sequels to his own hit movies from the ’80s and ’90s. (So, maybe don’t expect Passenger 58 anytime soon, though he did say he’ll “look into it.”) Oh, and he has a lot of hit movies from that era, which, I suspect, a good number have been rewatched over the last year as we all try to seek out fun entertainment. Though, Snipes does seem to worry people have forgotten about what he does best. But to anyone who lived through the peak Snipes era, that doesn’t seem possible.

But Snipes is positive that he’s better than ever, often referring to himself as, now, a black belt – as opposed to his former white belt status. This is, as he puts it, his Blade-killer. Which is either a reference to his old Blade films or the new Blade project (which he says he has nothing to do with) – but, most likely, it’s both. Though, there do seem to be two things Snipes really wants to do. One is to re-team with Woody Harrelson for a fourth movie, which he says is going to happen. And the other is to work with Martin Scorsese again, which he hasn’t done since the video for Micheal Jackson’s “Bad.” Though, Snipes says he’ll probably have to wear a Robert De Niro mask to get Scorsese’s attention.

You have been such a huge part of my quarantine experience. I think I’m up to ten Wesley Snipes movies at this point.

Are you feeling better or feeling worse?

Oh, they make me feel better! I’ve rewatched everything from, obviously, Passenger 57, but even back to Wildcats.

Wow. Wildcats. Me and Woody met on that film.

People always forget that one when talking about the Wesley and Woody movies. That’s a good movie.

It was fun. It was my first!

A movie that is not your first, Coming 2 America, you look like you’re having the time of your life.

To get a chance to work with Eddie again, Arsenio, and to be on the set of a movie that was not only iconic, but had so much influence on my continued pursuit in the arts, was wonderful. Wonderful.

I assume you saw the first one in theaters?

I did, multiple times. I did, for different reasons, too.

What were the different reasons?

Well, some were thespian, and some were straight Homo sapien.

I see. How many times did you see it in theaters?

I can’t even count. More than three.

What were your thoughts the first time you saw it in theaters?

You know the opening scene when the dancers came in?

I do.

That, to me, was like, wow, that’s the dream. I even imagined being one of the dancers. More than being one of the actors, I wanted to be one of the dancers in that opening scene, because I had a passion for dance all my life. I kind of use martial arts in the action movies as my surrogate dance partner.

What was going on in your life when you saw it? Were you making Major League around that time?

This is over 30 some years ago. I don’t remember exactly.

I didn’t know if you had to get away from set or something…

No, man. I wasn’t no big star, man. I wasn’t no big star. Ain’t nobody knew who Wesley was, man.

Well, Coming to America came out in ’88 and Major League came out in ’89. So I assumed you might’ve been filming that, and you’re a big part of that movie so you might’ve had responsibilities.

I think that’s around the “Bad” video. That’s when I was working with Mike. Isn’t that around when I was working with Michael Jackson and Martin Scorsese?

I don’t know. It’s ballpark in that era.

Somewhere around then. Amazing.

Here’s my assumption. I assume on Dolemite is My Name, Craig Brewer and Eddie Murphy were like, “Hey, you should do this one.” Was it that easy, or is there a lot more to it?

I wish he came that quick. Didn’t come that quick.

What happened?

Yeah, it was after Dolemite. They pulled my coat saying, “Hey, man, we want you to do something.” Craig says, “We want you to do something in Coming to America 2.” Because, actually, I’d heard through the grapevine that they were doing it. It was kind of like feeling, once again, I was the bridesmaid and never the bride because no one was talking to me. And it had gotten down to a screening of a Dolemite, almost a month into all these rumors, that they finally came to me and asked me to join up.

Because you killed it in Dolemite. I didn’t know you had to keep pestering them.

Hey, man, some people are unsure.

So, take me through that.

Some people went, “Oh, well, maybe. He could be a fluke.”

So you were at the screening for Dolemite and you’re still talking to them going, hey, I’m hearing rumors of this?

And I think, if I’m not mistaken, Mike Epps was at that screening as well. And I remember Craig pulling Mike Epps off to the side and walking up the steps and saying, “Hey, man.” Mike is like, “Yeah, man.” I mean, I was like, look at this shit here. I’ll be damned. I’m going to stand over here by the door, like I’m the popcorn man, and wait till everybody leave. I ain’t leaving until somebody says something.

Did you confront them?

I would like to say yes, that I used my extrasensory perception, you know what I’m saying? To create the opportunity for Craig to come down those stairs and see me standing by the door and go, “Oh, yeah, Wes. Hey, man, I want you to be in the movie.” I would like to think that I was a motivation behind that.

So the way you describe it, it sounds like the plan was to put yourself in the right people’s eyesight the whole night.

Just like the last chick at the bar.

See, I don’t believe that.

The last chick at the bar. I’m telling you, man. Sometimes they forget what Wes do. They forget who I am and what I do. They forget, man. Sometimes I just have to remind them. And it’s okay. I don’t mind. I’ve worn pumps in the past before. I don’t mind.

I don’t believe anyone forgets what you do. I think that’s impossible.

Well, I don’t know. I mean, it seems to me, but you could be right.

I don’t personally know anyone who could ever forget what you do.

Give thanks and praise. Give thanks and praise. That’s wonderful. Well, we’re going to keep trying. We’re going to try to be indelible. We’re going to keep pushing and trying till we get in their memory. Scorsese still hasn’t called me to do another film since we did “Bad.”

Really?

I’ve said the same thing.

Well, it’s kind of hard right now with the pandemic. But once that’s over, you just go where he is and just wait around…

Yeah. Oh, right. And if I put my Robert De Niro mask on, then he’s going to pay attention. Like, “Hey, Robert. Hey.”

I would pay money to see you wearing a Robert De Niro mask. I feel that would be an interesting thing to watch.

I’ll do it. I’ve done it. I love the guy. I love the guy. You know?

When did you and Eddie first meet?

Aw, man, that’s back when Russell Simmons and them, and they had Def Jam had Def Lounge back in New York. Man, that’s got to be ’89 ’90, somewhere in that ballpark?

When was the first time you two ever discussed doing something together?

When I came to California in ’91, Eddie and Stevie Wonder and a couple of other people were the first ones to invite me, embrace me, bring me tea and stuff. Like good neighbors. And he invited me to dinner with he and his crew and the family, and had a wonderful evening with him. And that was the first time I mentioned, “Hey, man.” But I went off and started doing a lot of drama and then got in the action thing. And most of the action doesn’t really cross over with the artists who populate comedy in films, comedy work.

I’m curious, so you’re doing Coming 2 America, a sequel to a movie that came out in 1988. Does this make you think, “I have a lot of movies in that era that are hits, maybe people would enjoy Passenger 58?”

No, because, yeah, I’m on the film as a fan, right? I’m living out my fan fantasy, even though I’m part of the cast. That’s all I’m thinking about. And the opportunity to have so much fun with this ensemble of artists in this venue. Oh, yeah, that’s a good one.

But you know what I’m saying though? It feels like the opportunity is there to rekindle some of your old franchises, if you wanted to.

I’ll look at that. And we’ve got some new stuff that fits into that Blade world. That hybrid action genre and the martial arts, comedy martial arts action. So, by the grace of God, we’ll be able to bring a lot of that great quality stuff to the market soon.

Speaking of Blade. Mahershala Ali is taking over a role you made pretty famous. Do you have any involvement at all? What do you think of Blade coming back?

I don’t have any involvement, but I support the young artists and I support Marvel in their business decisions. It’s a beautiful thing. I think he’s a heck of a job. He’s got a heck of a job on his hands.

People love your Blade movies.

Yeah, but we were white belts then. Wait until you see now what we do as black belts.

Wait, what’s that mean?

We think it’s going to smoke all of the Blade stuff.

How so? What you’re doing next?

We have two things. We have one which is a female action franchise. And also what we call our Blade-killer, our Blade on steroids. And we set our character in the world of shape-shifters and a little bit of time travel. But the action is going to be … Well, we did white belt action in Blade. Now we’re going to do black belt action.

I like that you referred to it as the Blade-killer.

It’s wonderful what we did, but, brother, we’re so much better than we were then. So much better now than we were then. Yes, indeed. And we’ve got more tools. Some of the things that were innovated in the Blade franchise in the first film are now standard in the Marvel universe and all of these other action movies. And the technology allows them to do a lot of things we couldn’t do then. Now give us the technology, and we’ve already got the skills and the flavor. It’s popping, baby!

That sounds pretty amazing.

You won’t be disappointed, mark my word. You’ll me call me back and you’ll be like, “Yo, doc, you said this.” Yeah, man. If we’re not better, shame on us.

You have never disappointed me in a movie. So I’m going to take your word for it on that one.

Thanks. Give it time though. I’ll be around a while, so give it time.

Do you still talk to Woody? Is there any chance that you two would re-team for a fourth movie?

The first chance we get! We’ve been trying to figure out the project, but we are both open for that and hungry for that reunion. Yeah, there’s a couple of people who … yeah, well, it’s going to happen. Just like this opportunity with Coming to America 2.

If you re-teamed with Woody, people would be very excited.

Oh yeah. I think we’re better actors now, too. So it could be quite fun what we could do, quite interesting. Quite interesting.

Well, I’m out of time…

Hey, thank you for the appreciation, man. And thank you for riding with me for the journey, as I continue to do good work.

I will keep riding. I am on the ride.

Right on.

‘Coming 2 America’ begins streaming via Amazon Prime on March 5th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

There are few things better than a fried fish sandwich. Luckily, we’re in that time of year when fast-food chains across the nation roll out their fish sandwiches to lure in those looking to go easy on meat for Lent. Seriously, everyone is getting in on the action — then Easter will pass and most of those chains will shelve their fish for another year.

It’s kind of bullshit if you ask us. We like fast food fish. So we’re going to focus on the chains (regional and national) that keep the fish on the menu year-round.

The beauty of a good fried fish sandwich is its seemingly simple construction. Fried whitefish filet (usually pollock but preferably cod) in either a breadcrumb crust or beer batter, a tangy tartar sauce, and a couple of other additions are all you really need. Still, the quality of everything from the fish to the bun to the tang of that tartar can vary wildly.

To help you pick the best fried fish sandwich available year-round (sorry Wendy’s and Arby’s fans and anyone who’s tried the new limited release Popeyes flounder fishwich), we’re looking squarely at the taste. This ranking doesn’t worry about price or even calories, though we’ve called those out to help you be more informed. The question is simple, which fast food fish sandwich wins in the flavor department?

Ready to find out?

10. Jack In The Box Fish Sandwich

Calories: 414

Price: $3

The Sandwich:

The fish here is touted as “100% Wild-Caught Alaska Pollock.” The fish is then panko encrusted and fried to a nice crispiness. The bun is a standard warmed bun. A little bit of lettuce goes on the hot filet and the tartar is squeezed on top of that lettuce.

Bottom Line:

The pollack is fried well — you actually know you’re eating fish here. The bun is a standard Jack in the Box offering, which isn’t bad but it’s not great either. The tartar is more mayo-forward than tangy. The lettuce tends to be very wilted, especially if it’s past midnight and the line cooks have stopped giving a shit behind the scenes.

9. Burger King Big Fish

Calories: 513

Price: $3.99

The Sandwich:

The fish is 100 percent White Alaskan pollock that’s coated in panko bread crumbs. The bun is a butter-toasted brioche. The tartar sauce is applied to the bottom and top bun with a layer of lettuce and pickle on top of the hot fish filet.

Bottom Line:

There’s nothing wrong with BK’s Big Fish, per se. It has the basic elements in place: crunchy fried white fish, tartar, lettuce, toasted bun. The thing is, it’s just okay. The fish is a bit listless and bland. The crunch of the coating wanes under the almost tasteless bun. The tartar is definitely more mayo than anything else. The lettuce might as well not be there.

All of that being said, the pickles do add a nice touch. Burger King has pretty solid pickles at the end of the day.

8. White Castle Fish Slider

Calories: 320

Price: $1.59

The Sandwich:

These mini fish sandos are simplicity done pretty damn well. The mini filet is Alaskan pollock with a panko breading. The rest is just the iconic White Castle slider bun and a small slice of American cheese. That’s it.

Bottom Line:

These are decent. The slider eschews the lettuce and tartar for a slice of American cheese, which works. The only reason these aren’t ranked higher is that you’re really not getting a whole lot with this mini sandwich. You’re going to need two to four (which we know is the point of White Castle) and that really starts to heighten the ol’ calorie count.

7. McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish

Calories: 390

Price: $3.79

The Sandwich:

The Filet-O-Fish is a classic example of a fast food fish sandwich. The combination of the steamed bun, tangy tartar, fried fish filet (yes, it’s Alaskan pollock), and a slice of American cheese just works.

Bottom Line:

There’s a softness to the bun that counters to the crunch of the fish coating nicely. The tartar doesn’t overwhelm but is there and is actually tangy. The cheese is the x-factor that adds a nice, gooey touch of savoriness.

We’re adding bonus points for leaving off the wilted lettuce, too.

6. Whataburger Whatacatch Sandwich

Calories: 520

Price: $3.59

The Sandwich:

Yes, we’re including regional shops in this ranking. Starting… now!

The Texan fish sammie has a nice, crispy fish filet (can you guess which kind? It’s Alaskan pollock!). The top bun is covered in mild tartar with lettuce and tomato. The latter adds a nice layer of brightness to the whole fish sandwich concept and helps protect the lettuce from the heat of the filet.

Bottom Line:

More fish sandwiches should have tomato. Still, this is pretty lightweight with a decent tang to the tartar. The best aspect is the larger format fried fish filet that gives you more fish than bread. Well done, Whataburger.

5. Long John Silver Pacific Cod

Calories: 400

Price: $3.69

The Sandwich:

Gasp! This is made from North Pacific Cod! We’re also getting close to sub territory with a long-format bun sandwiching beer-battered fish, pickle, and tartar.

Bottom Line:

It was hard not ranking this sandwich higher. The beer-battered fish filet really works in this sandwich. The addition of crunchy pickles adds that extra oomph that elevates the whole dish. LJS’s tartar has a great tang that feels like rich mayo by way of a ripe lemon.

Overall, this one is a winner. In fact, if this had a slice of American cheese, it might have been number one.

4. Captain D’s Giant Fish Sandwich

Calories: 1010

Price: $3.99

The Sandwich:

Okay, we’re hitting the big ones now. Tennessee’s Captain D’s makes a hell of a fish sammie. This is two whole pieces of their beer-battered dipped fried cod on a nice toasted bun with a little lettuce on top and plenty of rich tartar sauce on the top and bottom bun.

Bottom Line:

Let’s face it, we’re always looking for that extra dipping cup of tartar and Captain D’s delivers with sauce all around the fish. Plus, this fish is truly lush and fresh with a great crunch factor. The lettuce is applied late and with a light hand, so it doesn’t really have a chance to wilt and turn to mush.

3. Culver’s North Atlantic Cod Sandwich

Calories: 600

Price: $4.89

The Sandwich:

Midwest mainstay, Culver’s, really kills the fish sandwich game. The bun is a hoagie roll which has a nice heft to it. The North Atlantic cod is beer-battered and fried well. Then there’s shredded American cheese (nice!), a touch of lettuce, and plenty of tartar on the bottom bun.

Bottom Line:

Their beer-battered cod is just well done all around with crunch and seasoning. That shredded American cheese under the fish filet gets a little melty and adds a nice x-factor to the whole sandwich. The lettuce is on the bottom but is protected (generally) by the layer of melting cheese. The tartar has a nice tang of lemon, pickle, and rich mayo.

If you’re near a Culver’s, don’t sleep on this sandwich.

2. Popeyes Shrimp Po’ Boy

Calories: 660

Price: $5.49

The Sandwich:

Seasonal Popeyes Sandwiches: Out.

Shellfish Popeyes Sandwhiches: In!

The crunchy and slightly spicy morsels of shrimp are little umami bombs of goodness next to funky pickles and tangy sauce. Those shrimp are jammed into a long hoagie sub with a healthy application of remoulade, pickles, and lettuce.

Bottom Line:

The last two picks are really splitting hairs. Popeyes’ Shrimp Po’ Boy is one of the best overall sandwiches on the fast-food market (their catfish rocks too, if you can find a shop that offers it). The long hoagie helps in making this one feel more like a full meal rather than a quick snack. But it’s really the Cajun spice and the overall quality of the construction that makes this a winner.

1. Ivar’s Fish Sandwich

Calories: 560 calories

Price: $6.55 (with fries)

The Sandwich:

The wild-caught Pacific True Cod is the centerpiece of this sandwich. It’s panko-crusted and sandwiched in a hefty brioche bun. The filet rests on tomato slices which protect the lettuce underneath. Ivar’s signature tartar sauce is slathered on the bottom bun.

Bottom Line:

Seattle’s Ivar’s has a fish sandwich that is leaps and bounds above all others. First, there’s the bread. It has a hefty while actually tasting like bread and not just something out of an industrial plastic bag.

The overall sandwich combines everything we like in a fried fish sandwich: Cod instead of pollock, a filet that’s bigger than the bun, really good tartar, and tomato to brighten the whole experience. It doesn’t have the American cheese but doesn’t need it to take home the win!

Kanye West may get all the credit for keeping Adidas on a competitive level with Nike, but over the past year, the three stripes brand has been working hard to prop up another huge name in cross-brand collaboration, a name that actually manages to best Ye from a pure fame standpoint. Watch out Ye, because Bey is coming up fast.

Beyonce’s gender-neutral athleisure label, IVY PARK, is a little over a year old now, but in that short time Bey and Adidas have built up quite the catalog of unique sneaker colorways, utilizing some of the Three Stripe’s most interesting silhouettes. Design-wise, Ivy Park has been taking a different approach than what Kanye is doing with Yeezy — rather than create entirely new sneaker silhouettes, the brand focuses on offering remixes of Adidas’ classic styles, offering sleek cuts, exciting material choices, and vibrant color palettes fit for an internet-breaking Beyonce video. A simple celebrity cash grab this is not!

Kanye may be the most successful music- turned designer for now, but with heat like this from Beyonce plus Rihanna killing it with Savage x Fenty, he needs to watch that throne. Let’s dive into every Ivy Park Adidas sneaker, including the latest winter-ready Icy Park collection, ranked from worst to best.

18. Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform

The Superstar is hands-down one of Adidas’ greatest silhouettes, but it’s at the bottom of this list. Not because it’s a platform (no, that’s not a screen glitch, the shoe actually looks like that), though that doesn’t help. Because it’s… ugly. And not in that trendy so-ugly-it’s-fashion way.

It’s just straight-up hard to look at.

That’s probably why it wasn’t included in either of the first, second or even third Ivy Park drops. Instead, it landed last year as part of a collection that also featured other Superstar reimaginings by Jonah Hill and Sean Wotherspoon. It’s ultimately forgettable and remains a stain on a near-perfect record.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform at GOAT.

17. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA Black

I know I was just trashing on the abomination that is the Superstar Platform, but this triple black iteration of the Adidas Ultra Boost comes dangerously close to being just as bad. Released as part of an extension to Ivy Park drop 2, this sneaker has few redeemable qualities. A prime knit upper in core black atop a matching BOOST midsole, and a puzzling radioactive volt outsole, you can get all of this with a stock Adidas drop, so you’re getting little more than a name here, and paying the price for it.

Get the Ivy park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA at StockX.

16. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 White Black

Released last year as part of the second Ivy Park collection, the Super Sleek 72 White/Black suffers solely because it isn’t quite as good as drop 1’s Super Sleek, and nowhere near drop 3’s. The colorways are solid, but ultimately it’s going to be impossible to rock a pair of these without being reminded that they aren’t one of the three better colorways.

We’ll get more into the details behind this special silhouette when we talk about the original release. One annoying thing about this shoe is, it was originally called the Sleek Super, and everyone kept calling it the Super Sleek, and Adidas just quietly changed it!

Or did they? It’s a real Bernstein Bears situation with this sneaker.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 at GOAT.

15. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Lo Core White

The Forum Lo debuted in drop 2 of Ivy Park and since then the brand has shifted focus to the Forum Mid, which we admit is much better. . The Forum Lo features a leather and suede upper with a translucent bottom sole and a fastening strap. It’s easily the least flashy sneaker in the entire IVY PARK collection.

Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But if you can’t get behind a fastening strap, you’re not going to find a lot to love here.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Forum Lo at GOAT.

14. Ivy Park Adudas Nite Jogger Maroon/Solar Orange

When Ivy Park initially dropped in January 2020, this sneaker was criticized endlessly, and for good reason. It looks like a goddamn traffic cone thanks to its Solar Orange half and half colorway — with a toe box dipped in deep maroon.

This shoe is out there, but we respect Beyonce’s bold design here. They’re impossible to look away from. For better or worse.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Maroon at GOAT.

13. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black

Released as a short update to Ivy Park drop 2 in November of last year, this triple-black version of the Ivy Park Super Sleek is pretty clean but had Ivy Park opted for an all-black sole over the gum, we’d have bumped it up considerably on this list. The gum sole is nice, but it keeps this design from being the dominatrix (or Darth Vader, if you’re nerdy) sneaker it so desperately wants to be.

The wrinkled core black leather upper is accented nicely by some core black suede accents. Not the worst Super Sleek, but a bit far from the best.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black at GOAT.

12. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Green Frozen Yellow

This Dark Green Frozen Yellow Nite Jogger suffers from the same problem as the Maroon iteration, only this one isn’t quite as ugly. Instead of a traffic cone, it resembles a Mountain Dew bottle — which is better, if only a little.

All jokes aside, this iteration sold out almost instantly when it launched as part of drop 2. Aftermarket prices have settled around $150 for this pair in 2021. Not a bad pickup if you want to Do the Dew.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Frozen at GOAT.

11. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maroon

When the first Ivy Park collection dropped, this felt like the signature piece. While it’s not our favorite, it’s still pretty beloved. Featuring a double Maroon colorway atop a Solar Orange outsole, this design nails the futuristic fitness vibe that the Maroon Nite Jogger couldn’t quite master.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maron at GOAT.

10. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Off-White

So far the IVY PARK Nite Jogger’s have suffered from a half-and-half presentation that just doesn’t work, but this mix of Off-White (not that Off-White, but wouldn’t that be something?), Ecru Tint and Dark Green just works.

It also brings something new to Adidas’ usual Nite Jogger offerings with a brighter presentation and an alternate lacing system that really shows off the silhouette’s cool geometry.

Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger at GOAT.

9. Adidas IVY PARK Ultra BOOST Hi Res Yellow

While the second IVY PARK drop brought a lot new to the looks coming out of the label, it also acted as an opportunity to refresh the first drop’s best designs. This didn’t work for the Sleek Super 72, but this Hi-Res Yellow version of the Adidas Ultra BOOST knocks the original Maroon dip out of the park.

It’s every bit as extreme as the original, but the Hi-Res has some balance as well — with a gum outsole that matches up nicely with the blinding colorway.

8. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost Icy Park White

Released as part of Ivy Park’s winter-focused Icy Park drop, this triple white iteration of the Ultra BOOST is an improvement over last year’s all-black version. The Ultra BOOST isn’t quite as hot as it was six years ago, but this Ivy Park iteration is great, offering a prime knit upper with TPU overlays, a BOOST midsole, a rubber gum outsole, and Ivy Park’s comfort-focused draw-string lacing system.

Swapping out that hideous volt outsole for the traditional gum was the right call!

Get the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Icy Park at Adidas.

7. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Silver

We’re happy to see Beyonce showing more love to the Forum Mid, which first debuted as part of Ivy Park drop 2. This shimmery metallic version was released as part of the Icy Park drop and features ankle straps, a multi-layered leather upper, and a luxurious silver metallic colorway.

As cool as it is, it’s our least favorite Forum Mid colorway out of the Ivy Park lineage.

Get the Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Siler at Adidas.

6. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Cream

Everything we love about the Forum Mid Metallic Silver in a more functional and stylistically conservative cream colorway. But as a person who has owned their fair share of metallic sneakers, I’m here to tell you that these, while tamer, will age so much better.

Metallic colorways go in and out of style, but cream is much more timeless.

Get the Ivy Park Forum Cream Mid at Adidas.

5. Adidas IVY PARK Sleek Super 72 Maroon

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This was our original number one pick, but as the years have gone on our perspective has shifted. That’s not a bad thing, it means Ivy Park continues to evolve, as this was the centerpiece of the original drop. The shape is IVY PARK’s most original, as it was adapted from Adidas’ Samba Silhouette to Bey’s personal specifications, and that mix of White premium leather and Dash Grey suede with subtle Maroon and Solar Orange accents works incredibly harmoniously.

The entire first IVY PARK collection might revolve around this same color scheme, but it never works quite so perfectly as it does here. We’re hoping the Sleek Super’s success inspires IVY PARK to dabble in more original shapes.

4. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek Boot

We’re glad to see Ivy Park show a lot of love to the Super Sleek silhouette, it’s the brand’s most original design and to see it here in boot form as the centerpiece of drop 3 shows a commitment to giving us something new out of Ivy Park, rather than relying solely on Adidas’ stock designs.

With a cloud white, off-white, and core white colorway, this leather and suede boot sits atop a chunky gum sole, with braided bungee detailing around the heel.

Get the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 at Adidas.

3. Adidas IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint

The IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint was Ivy Park’s first go at Adidas’ Forum Mid silhouette and it’s still the best! In fact, it’s one of the best colorways to come out of the Ivy Park brand.

The shoe still has that leather and suede construction of the low top, but the fastening strap looks less out of place here and that Green Tint colorway is just too damn fresh.

2. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Ecru Tint

The Ecru Tint Nite Jogger isn’t only the best IVY PARK Nite Jogger, it’s the best Nite Jogger colorway Adidas has ever dropped. That’s high praise and, honestly, if this sneaker said “Off-White” instead of “IVY PARK” it’d be going for thousands on the aftermarket.

Be thankful it isn’t!

It looks like something that would come from the mind of Virgil Abloh, only without the gimmicky tags or production numbers. Clean, classic, bold, and damn near perfect.

1. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72

A future classic in the making. This Cloud white, off-white, core white makeup of the Super Sleek 72 is now Bey’s greatest contribution to the footwear game. It took a few attempts, but Bey finally found a way to build on what she did with drop 1’s Super Sleek (Our original number 1) with this all-white iteration out of the Icy Park drop. The way it swaps the originals laces with thicker braided laces, the mix of luxe leather and premium suede — it’s just so damn clean!

Get the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 at Adidas.

For almost four decades, MTV has delivered intimate performances from some of the most popular acts in the world through their series Unplugged. While it’s been years since platform hasn’t attracted the attention it once did, it found some success in 2020, when the channel brought it back for at-home performances from the likes of Finneas, Kiana Lede, JoJo, and more. On Tuesday, BTS became the latest to appear on the show.

Seated in a room filled with arcade games, BTS kicked off the night by singing “Telepathy,” making it the group’s first live performance of the song. They also covered Coldplay’s “Fix You,” which is known to be one of their favorite songs and one that singer and dancer Jimin says gave them comfort during the pandemic. They also performed “Blue & Grey,” “Dynamite,” and “Life Goes On,” the last two being BTS’ most recent chart-topping singles.

“It’s really an honor to be part of the MTV Unplugged legacy where so many legends have performed,” the band’s leader RM said during their set. “We’re deeply thankful.” Singer Junghook added, “All the songs on our album are special to us. We don’t get many chances to perform our b-side tracks besides at our concert so we’re thrilled to perform them on MTV Unplugged.”

Once their MTV Unplugged set came to an end, BTS showed love to their fans with a warm message. “We were supposed to show you these stages at a live concert, so we’re sorry we had to do it remotely, but hope many of you still enjoyed it,” rapper Suga said. J-Hope, another rapper in the group, added, “We wait for the day when we can sing for you in person. We will do our best until then. We love you.”

You can watch the performances above.

There are not many people in sports quite like Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks’ maestro mixes the ability to do the incredible with the sense of bravado to add an extra bit of flair to whatever he’s able to pull off. On Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics learned this lesson the hard way.

The Mavs and the Celtics played a thrilling, tight game on TNT that demanded Doncic went deep into his bag of tricks to pull out a win. He managed to do that and then some, scoring 31 points in a 110-107 victory that was capped off by a pair of monstrous triples, the second of which occurred with a fraction of a second remaining on the game clock.

The first came with Dallas trailing by one. Doncic brought the ball up the floor, getting hounded by Jaylen Brown and eventually getting the switch he wanted onto Daniel Theis. Then, in that way in which he does something so smoothly that it looks effortless, he busted out a step-back triple that got nothing but net. From the moment it left his fingertips, it was evident that he knew the shot was going in.

And then, Luka magic happened. Doncic brought the ball up the floor following a made layup by Brown that tied things up, only he had zero plans for overtime. Doncic hoisted one up from deep while getting double-teamed, but the best efforts of the Celtics were for naught.

Sometimes there’s not much to do other than tip your cap and acknowledge that you got beat. Boston had to do this on Tuesday, all because Doncic decided the Mavericks were going to win, and he’s one of the few players on earth with the ability to make that sort of decision become an inevitability.

This week, we’re heading deep into really good bourbon whiskey territory — the truly special (and sometimes rare) bottles. Not every bourbon listed below is going to be a one-off limited edition or single barrel. Some are just high-quality cask strength editions.

Still, these bourbons are all pretty fantastic. And definitely unique. Look for the phrase “classic bourbon flavors” to pop up less and less in the tasting noes from here on out.

A little warning: these bourbons are going to vary in price wildly. Since many of these bourbons aren’t nationwide releases, it will all come down to availability in your region. Moreover, liquor store and delivery service prices will vary depending on demand. Good luck out there.

The ten bottles below are chosen according to taste and listed according to price. There’s no ranking here. It’s just ten tasty-as-all-hell bourbon expressions worth checking out if you’re ready to take your whiskey drinking up a notch.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Bourbon Whisky

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $70

The Whisky:

This wheated bourbon is a small-batch masterpiece. The juice is a blend of up to 19 barrels from the Maker’s warehouses. The whiskies are hand-selected according to distinct flavor characteristics to build a masterful end product. Once the whisky is married, it goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfiltered, and ready to drink.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of bourbon vanilla on the nose with touches of burnt caramel, charred oak, and a hint of dry bales of straw. The taste brings about a spicy tobacco chewiness that’s cut with more vanilla and hints of dried apricot. The end is slow, leaves your tongue buzzing with tobacco and spice, and has a mellow vanilla roundness.

Bottom Line:

This is a great bourbon for the vanilla-heads out there who want a bold-yet-classic bourbon. Once you crack the seal, the expression really benefits from a touch of water or a single rock to help it bloom in the glass.

Woodinville Bourbon Cask Strength

ABV: 59.72%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This is Woodinville’s award-winning bourbon with no proofing at all. The juice is a grain-to-glass experience with locally grown Washington grains (corn, rye, and barley), matured in Washington state for around five years. After those five years, barrels are hand-selected for their precise flavor and are small-batched and bottled as is.

Tasting Notes:

Dried cherries and plums mingle with a hint of tobacco spice, soft cedar, vanilla husks, and cornmeal on the nose. The body of the sip leans into almost burnt toffee sweetness and bitterness that leads towards dark chocolate-covered almonds with a touch of salt with more of that spicy tobacco and a hint more of fruit. The end is long and touches on the soft wood, tobacco, nuttiness, bitter chocolate, and a hint of sweet/savory fruit (kind of like honey-roasted pumpkin).

Bottom Line:

This is one of those bottles that is going to be hard to find outside of Washington state (especially at this price). Still, if you do get your hands on a bottle, give it time to bloom with a little water. And then take your time with it and let those notes build across your senses.

Noah’s Mill

ABV: 57.15%

Average Price: $73

The Whiskey:

This small-batch bourbon from Willett Distillery hits a lot of high marks. The brand keeps their cards pretty close to their chest when it comes to mash bills (they use four for their bourbons), barrel ages, and so forth. This whiskey used to carry an age statement of 15 years but that was dropped due to demand.

What we do know is that after aging the small-batched bourbon goes into the bottle unfussed with and at close to barrel proof.

Tasting Notes:

Maply syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried fruit and a hint of rose water. The taste holds onto those notes while adding in an almost sherried plummy depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils. The vanilla and oak kick in with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip as it fades slowly away.

Bottom Line:

This really is an easy-drinking whiskey that deserves a little time and water to really enjoy. That water will reveal a little bit of dark chocolate walnut bar depth, giving it more complexity with a bitter-sweet end.

Booker’s Bourbon

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $74

The Whiskey:

Jim Beam’s very high-end Booker’s Bourbon is a rolling small-batch release. Each batch is a combination of hand-selected barrels that dial into a specific flavor profile. The overall end result is a bourbon that’s built to be sippable above all else.

Tasting Notes:

Batches will vary. But one thing you can expect is boldness tied to vanilla, oak, worn leather, spicy tobacco chew, crunchy apples, and plenty of ripe cherries (it is Beam after all). The body of these expressions tends to lean rich and full-bodied — almost oily — while being soft on the tongue. The finishes are designed to be long and highlight the flavor profiles that were built into the dram.

Bottom Line:

This is a great gift bourbon. Prices are going to vary along with which batches you’ll come across. But the point is that they’re usually pretty special and worthy of expanding any bourbon drinker’s palate/knowledge.

Widow Jane Aged 10 Years

ABV: 45.5%

Average Price: $74

The Whiskey:

This is sourced Kentucky bourbon by way of Upstate New York. The hand-selected barrels are sent to New York where they’re blended in small batches (no more than five barrels), proofed with New York spring water, and bottled. What you’re paying for here is the exactness of a whiskey blender finding great barrels and knowing how to marry them to make something bigger and better.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a creamy vanilla pudding up top with a slight woody edge (as if the whole vanilla pod was dropped in the bottle) next to Christmas spices and a hint of orange zest. That orange carries onto the taste as notes of marzipan, dark chocolate-covered cherries, and maple syrup mingle with more vanilla creaminess and mild spice. The end amps up those spices as the oak becomes charred with a bitter dark chocolate edge.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of the power of sourcing whiskey. The blend is impeccable and will shut up anyone who dares besmirch sourced whiskey.

Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Cask Strength

ABV: 59.8%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

Jefferson’s Ocean is an experiment in finishing that’s pretty unique. The blenders pull in six to eight-year-old whiskeys sourced from four Kentucky distilleries. They marry those barrels and then re-barrel the whiskey, load them onto a ship, and sail those barrels around the world for almost a year. The best of those barrels are married and bottled at cask strength with no additional fussing.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear crème brûlée vibe on the nose with touches of orange zest, cinnamon toast, slightly singed marshmallow. The taste dives into salted caramel notes with hints of Almond Joys covered in dark chocolate next to a savory fruit edge. That fruit turns figgy as the end fades slowly, hitting on spicy tobacco warmth and a final touch of fresh mint.

Bottom Line:

While this one will be a little harder to find, it’s worth checking out. If you do find it, take your time, open it up with water or a rock, and dig in to find those velvety flavor notes.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is all about finding the best barrels in the Heaven Hill warehouses and letting that whiskey shine on its own. These are released three times a year (we’re tasting the January 2021 release below) and have been winning award after award. The whiskey in the bottle is generally at least 12 years old and bottled with no cutting down to proof or filtration whatsoever.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a real throughline of sunny berry brambles (blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry) next to orange oils and a touch of oakiness on the nose. That fruit and oak will carry through on the palate as hints of buttery toffee, rich vanilla, and peppery spice mingle on the tongue and set your lips abuzz.The end tends to be slow and velvety with the spice, fruit, oak, and vanilla all blending nicely until the last drop.

Bottom Line:

This is a fine f*cking dram of whiskey. It’s bold, drinkable neat (though it is warm without water or a rock), and will expand your palate. Those berry notes really do shine with a bridge between the stems/leaves and the actual ripe berries on their vines.

It’s lovely.

Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $76

The Whiskey:

This craft expression from Colorado is a high-altitude grain-to-glass experience. The whiskey is made from locally grown corn, wheat, rye, and barley. That distillate is then rested for over three years in oak at those aforementioned high Colorado altitudes. The barrels are then small-batched and the juice is proofed down with Rocky Mountain water.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a very clear sense of orange oils supported by hints of white pepper, mild oak, a touch of honey, and slightly bitter tea. The palate amps up that black tea as the body of the sip becomes rounded like a vanilla pudding spiked with those orange oils and a few cinnamon sticks. The end is slow but subtle as the vanilla, orange, spice, and white pepper fade away, leaving you with a slight tobacco buzziness.

Bottom Line:

This is a great entry point into the deeper world of Law’s line of whiskey. It’s also one of the best cocktail candidates on the list, especially if you’re going with a Manhattan or Sazerac.

Four Roses OBSK Cask Strength Single Barrel

ABV: 60%

Average Price: $78

The Whiskey:

Every year, Four Roses releases very limited special single barrel drops. In short, the distillery makes ten different bourbons to mix into their expressions. For this expression, they go through their warehouses to find the “honey barrels” that hit just the right notes after eight to 12 years of aging and bottle those barrels untouched by water or filtering.

In this case, the “OBSK” stands for their “number two” mash bill with a very high rye component (60 percent corn, 35 percent rye, and five percent malted barley) that’s fermented with their own “Yeast K” which highlights slight spice.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of dark chocolate cut with spicy cinnamon Red Hots, a touch of vanilla cream, rich toffee, and a whisper of old oak. A cherry flourish arrives but it’s more like a chocolate-covered cherry with a brandy center next to more cinnamon, light dustings of black pepper, and sweet woodiness. The end builds to a spicy tobacco chew and buzz and the cherry becomes brighter, the cinnamon gets woody, and the toffee and chocolate meld into a well-rounded silky sweetness.

Bottom Line:

If you can snag one of these for this price, you’re doing well. Older versions will cost far more. Still, this is a very velvety whiskey that’s dialed into each flavor note. It really blooms with the addition of some water or a rock.

Take your time enjoying this one.

Rabbit Hole Heigold

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

Rabbit Hole started out by contracting out its whiskey production (they controlled the mash bills and maturation as opposed to buying ready-to-use barrels). Once Pernod Ricard came along, Rabbit Hole was able to start distilling and aging its own juice. So depending on which bottle you come across, you might still be getting their contract distilled whiskey or their own-make, both of which are a fairly high-rye bourbon with 70 percent corn, 25 percent rye, and five percent barley that’s aged for at least three years.

Tasting Notes:

The whiskey opens with a slight black licorice edge that leads towards clove-studded oranges next to a hint of cherry cola. The taste builds on those notes and adds in spicy tobacco, a touch of marzipan covered in dark chocolate, and light cedar. That cedar lasts through the slow finish as hints of spice, marzipan, and cherry cola pop back in.

Bottom Line:

This is an interesting dram that works really well as a cocktail base. It’s also a fine sipper, especially with a little water or a rock to really let nuttier and more savory notes shine through.