There's a man who's not afraid of danger
To Getsy's awful system he's no stranger
With every snap he takes
Another record breaks
Odds are he'll be starting by tomorrow
SECRET BAAAGENT MAN!!!!
If you remove the 5(!) turnovers I think we actually played better than the Saints. Just inventing new ways to lose at this point.
What would some late round flier give you that Bagent hasn't already? Making the roster and beating out Walker and Peterman is already a great success story for an UDFA. If you want to pin your hopes on an unlikely underdog story Bagent is a better bet than most.
To start with, my buddy and I have a holiday tradition of sharing the Whisky Exchange's holiday blend. I get the feeling we will find excuses for plenty of other bottles as well though - nothing beats a dram to warm you up on a cool fall night. Let us know how the advent calendar works out for you.
Bonus question - what would it take for Fields to remain the Plan A starter for the Bears next year?
My take: good QBs have bad games and bad QBs have good games. In order to be considered a long term option, the bare minimum you want to see is twice as much good as bad. This year Fields has been the other way, with 2 good games and 4 awful ones. By this admittedly simple logic, he would need 6 consecutive good games with zero stinkers before I would consider him to have turned the quarter and re-entered the franchise QB discussion. (By this same logic, two more awful games would mathematically eliminate him from achieving the magic 2:1 ratio this year.) So yes, I think it is still possible that Fields turns it around and becomes the guy. As a Bears fan that's what we should all be rooting for. But the odds of that happening look very slim indeed right now.
After that press conference I'm excited to see how Justin comes out slinging. Might as well have some fun and who knows, maybe wet a lucky break and steal one.
Great review! Personally I found Scorch to be a disaster - a bland, uninteresting dram with less depth and complexity than Uigeadail at two or three times the price. Honestly it put me off special edition Ardbeg for the time being. It doesn't sound like Harpy's Tale would be the one to change my mind either. Perhaps it's just as well I haven't seen it available where I live.
Distiller: Art of the Spirits
Product: Easy Elegance
Bottle: -
Category: Rye
Aged: 6 years American oak
Nose: Holiday fruitcake with plums, cherries, and figs baked in honey and spices. Surprising from a straight rye.
Body: Cinnamon, white peppercorn, pears, and figs over a base of spearmint fluoride mouthwash.
Finish: Pine needles and more spearmint give a crisp clean finish. I still think of the dentist’s chair, but it’s not an unpleasant combination.
Activation: Feels a bit buttery and creamier. Nothing too dramatic.
Notes: The fifth and final entry of this series, Easy Elegance is also the only spirit that comes to us fresh from the oak with no particular finishing run. I’d forgive you for thinking that there was a port or sherry involved here however as there is a fruit character not commonly seen in rye whiskey. I’m also a sucker for mint flavors in my whiskey, so the strong spearmint tones are right down my alley. Taken together, this might be my favorite of the lot.
Distiller: Art of the Spirits
Product: The Originals
Bottle: 4 Square Rum Finish
Category: Whiskey
Aged: 6 years American oak finished in rum
Nose: Anise, creamy butterscotch, allspice.
Body: Licorice, but the fake sugary kind from a Twizzler's candy. Cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves, and other spices.
Finish: Apple cider, nutmeg, and with a bit of a harsh tobacco at the very end.
Activation: A bit sweeter, some raw cane sugar with your spice blend. Not overly noticeable.
Notes: Our next Art of the Spirits offering is the Originals, named in honor of the 10th Special Forces group from the OSS in WW2 and featuring an oil painting that wouldn't be out of place on a Call of Duty game. It's at the same time familiar (rum barrels often leave behind blends of cinnamon and spice) and quite unique - the licorice flavors are something I'm not used to. If you told me the rum was mixed with a hit of absinthe I would believe you. To be honest I don't love it, certainly not at this price point.
Distiller: Art of the Spirits
Product: Final Run
Bottle: Tawny Port Finish
Category: Whiskey
Aged: 6 years American oak finished in tawny port
Nose: Very mild. Roasted walnuts and fresh pine needles.
Body: Drier and more oak-forward than the previous expressions. Lots of nutty flavors: walnuts, pecans, pistachios. The sweetness this time comes from sort of an eggy creme brulee with caramelized sugar topping.
Finish: Finally some traditional port characteristics - cherries, cranberries, and spiced apple cider.
Activation: Ah now here it gets interesting. A splash of water cools it down, tames some of the resins and brings out a ton of autumnal flavors: cranberries, pumpkin spice, nutmeg. The first of the Final Runs that I would recommend this on.
Notes: Being a whiskey nerd and not a wine nerd, I was dubious that there would be much of a difference between a ruby port and a tawny port finish. At the end of the day it’s all the same grape right? Apparently the difference comes from the aging process, with tawny ports aging in smaller casks that extract more oak flavor and turn the wine brown (hence the name). When applied to a spirit the difference is dramatic. This is a much more savory whiskey, with all kinds of nuts and spices that can’t help but conjure images of Thanksgiving dinner, mulled wine, and spiced desserts on a cool night. If I had to choose I would probably give the edge to the ruby, but as with anything it’s a matter of preference and circumstance.
Distiller: Art of the Spirits
Product: Final Run
Bottle: Madeira Cask Finish
Category: Whiskey
Aged: 6 years American oak finished in madeira sherry
Nose: That distinctive tangerine body, this time laden with a rich floral honey mixed with dulce de leche.
Body: The rich caramel continues over a sweet cookie base. I’m reminded quite strongly of traditional alfajores. There’s something else as well, a barnyard hay or alfalfa quality with just enough of a sour grape note to remind you of the wine finishing.
Finish: Faint honey drizzled pastries fade altogether too quickly.
Activation: Becomes a bit more traditional, bringing out the green grape and apple flavors I would have initially expected. It’s not bad, but I prefer the uniqueness of the original.
Notes: Near as I can tell, this is the exact same base spirit as the port finished Final Run, just finished in madeira sherry instead. Generally on such things I prefer the richer, deeper flavors from a port cask but don’t count this one out yet. The sweet dulce de leche is so evocative and so unique that I struggle to think of anything else while I taste this. From originality alone, this one wins a place of honor on my shelf. For those counting, that is 2 for 2 for the upstart little distillery from Colorado Springs.
Distiller: Art of the Spirits
Product: Final Run
Bottle: Ruby Port Finish
Category: Whiskey
Aged: 6 years American oak finished in ruby port
Nose: Vanilla and tangerines with a hint of fresh spearmint.
Body: A sweet corn base is layered with rich wine tannins. Ripe plums and virgin olive oil over a chewy leather foundation.
Finish: Fresh oak, a dry Mexican style vanilla and a faint mint leaf conclusion leave you wanting more.
Activation: Accentuates some of the fruit flavors: more plums, cherries, and even some dark grapes. Personally this makes things a bit too sweet for my taste and I prefer the neat expression.
Notes: And so the Art of the Spirits rundown begins with a bang, Bonnie and Clyde style. The ruby port variant of the Final Run is rich, decadent, and expressive. At a shade over 107 proof, this whiskey is bold and unapologetic but not coarse or harsh. Sweet fruits lend a dessert-like quality while adroitly avoiding the syrupy or medicinal connotations all too common in wine-finished whiskey. The price point is aggressive, but remember that this is a limited edition cask strength bottling and therefore was never in the running to be the next daily sipper. All in all, a strong opening salvo from Art of the Spirits and I’m excited to try the rest of the range.
Art of the Spirits 5-in-1 Mega Review
While perusing my local liquor store over Labor Day weekend, I found something I simply couldn't resist. Art of the Spirits is a small distillery out of Colorado Springs with a few interesting selling points. Most obviously, the artwork - each bottle has a label based on an oil painting by Danial James or David Uhl, two Colorado artists made famous by their work for Harley Davidson motorcycles. I'm a big believer that a handcrafted whiskey is a work of art in its own right so I love the pairing here. Less obvious is that this distiller has specifically targeted the barrel pick market. Each of the five whiskies shown here is a cask strength single barrel selected by Goody Goody. The three Bonnie-and-Clyde themed "Final Run" bottles are actually the same spirit, just finished in different ways to bring out different flavors, whereas we also have as "Easy Elegance" and "The Originals" are a bit different. All five bottles were in the $80-$100 range each at my store.
I will put my individual reviews below, but overall I am impressed by Art of the Spirits. This is a very competitive price point, and none of these are likely to become an everyday favorite. Keeping in mind that these are cask strength limited editions I always felt like I was getting my money's worth though. Which is best? That's hard to say. "The Originals" was my least favorite and the one of the five I wouldn't recommend. The flavor profile was certainly unique but not something that really clicked with me. I can also say that I preferred the Ruby Port "Final Run" over the "Tawny Port" as those are similar enough that a head-to-head comparison feels fair. Between the Ruby, the Madiera, and they surprisingly complex Rye "Easy Elegance" I find it impossible to crown a victor however. All three are excellent and which I prefer depends entirely on my mood at the moment.
Two failed sneaks in a row the opening drive gave me a sinking feeling... coaches had no confidence in the team to execute from the first drive and it showed. One of the worst games I've had the displeasure of watching.
Meanwhile Watson is out and Doubs is questionable for the Packers.
Get the latest Chicago Bears injury information leading up to each week's game.
Brisker, Jackson, and Walker all full participation. Let's go!
Bagent outplayed Walker handily in everything I saw in the preseason and heard from training camp. I'm glad this regime is willing to pivot instead of getting caught in sunk-cost fallacy, definitely feels like the Pace/Nagy era would try far too long to hold onto their plan with "their guys".
Seriously, what a ridiculous tagline to mask actually useful information.
No surprise there - the main questions I have are "how long" and how many guys are held out for injury reasons. I think I counted 21 players on the injured list a couple of days ago.
If you don't regularly listen to the Hoge and Jahns show, I can't recommend it enough. Routinely some of the highest quality Chicago Bears content from guys who have been present in the press room for a long time.
Some key insights from Josh Lucas from the Ryan Pace regime:
- The Bears shouldn't let Bagent walk because a QB is with potential is worth so much more than your 5th safety or 7th wide reciever. That said,
- Most teams probably have not seen enough from Bagent to put in a waiver claim. Still, all it takes is one.
- Praised Eberflus for being willing to change his system, said not all coaches are willing to do that (shots fired at Nagy)
- Praised Fields for having mental toughness to handle Chicago media circus, says he's seen it break some people (shots fired at Trubisky)
- If he were still running the show, Mooney would already be extended but he is concerned about Jaylon Johnson's durability (not a take I've heard before but maybe there's a reason we haven't heard extension rumors yet?)
Bears and TE Cole Kmet reached agreement on a four-year, $50 million extension, including $32.8 million guaranteed and $20 million in new first-year cash.
Seems like a fair deal to me, and being frontloaded means it will age well.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023 - White Port and Madeira
Distiller: Laphroaig
Product: Cairdeas
Bottle: 2023 - White Port and Madeira
Category: Islay
Aged: Three quarters finished in second fillMadeira, one quarter finished in first fill white port
Nose: Green apples and peach cobbler over the distinctive Laphroaig peat smoke
Body: Harsh peat smoke is quickly tempered with candied oranges, honey, vanilla, and buttery dinner rolls.
Finish: Miles of lingering campfire smoke with a bit of salted caramel underneath.
Activation: Helps to marry the sweet fruits with the oily iodine peat, creating a single coherent flavor where once there were distinct layers. Recommended.
Notes: Laphroaig Cairdeas is one of the longest running special editions in the industry, although apparently this is the very first offering by new master distiller Barry MacAffer. Certainly more distinctive than last year's unimaginative “Warehouse 1” release, this bottle grows on you with time. It doesn’t break much new ground - aging harsh peats in wine casks is a time honored tradition by this point - but it is remarkably well balanced, with none of the chemical or medicinal harshness that you might expect. Things might be looking up at Laphroaig.
Awful lag only in LAN party
My wife and I each have our own gaming rig and we have played a ton of games without issue. However, trying to party up in D4 isn't just laggy, it's unplayable. I'm talking jogging in place for minutes at a time, can't interact with doors or equip armors, completely busted. Solo play has what I'd call "normal" lag but nothing like being in a party.
Cross play and Cross platform chat are off. BNET launcher is closed. Updated drivers, etc. No torrents or VPN or anything like that running. It's got to be server side right? But if everyone's experience was as awful as ours I'd expect to here much more complaining. Anyone got any other suggestions?
Compass Box Canvas
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/467414
> Distillery: Compass Box > > Product Line: - > > Product: Canvas > > Aged: Vino naranja and American oak > > Category: Blended > > Nose: Delicate custards and marmalade. A citrus of bitter sort, with under-ripe figs. > > Body: Rich honey over apricots and oranges. A light, English muffin sort of biscuit. As it goes on, a rich dark chocolate encroaches. > > Finish: A bold, malty surprise. Loses nearly all the delicate fruit notes in favor of wheats and grains and fresh baked bread. > > Activation: Really opens up some of the rich juicy fruits. Oranges, grapes, pears. Recommended. > > Notes: I've always been fond of Compass Box, but they went through a phase for a while where seemingly every new limited release was (over) aged in a sherry cask. I'm glad to announce that Canvas breaks this pattern- in fact, there’s no sherry here at all! Just some Spanish orange wine, a beverage I didn’t even know existed until I picked up this bottle. It’s sweet and rich and creamy and endlessly drinkable, without that bitter or medicinal quality that can frequently come through with sherried casks. After such a fruit forward body, the malted finish is a welcome surprise as well. One of the best blended malts I’ve had in a while, though it is on the pricier side at ~$135.
Compass Box Canvas
Distillery: Compass Box
Product Line: -
Product: Canvas
Aged: Vino naranja and American oak
Category: Blended
Nose: Delicate custards and marmalade. A citrus of bitter sort, with under-ripe figs.
Body: Rich honey over apricots and oranges. A light, English muffin sort of biscuit. As it goes on, a rich dark chocolate encroaches.
Finish: A bold, malty surprise. Loses nearly all the delicate fruit notes in favor of wheats and grains and fresh baked bread.
Activation: Really opens up some of the rich juicy fruits. Oranges, grapes, pears. Recommended.
Notes: I've always been fond of Compass Box, but they went through a phase for a while where seemingly every new limited release was (over) aged in a sherry cask. I'm glad to announce that Canvas breaks this pattern- in fact, there’s no sherry here at all! Just some Spanish orange wine, a beverage I didn’t even know existed until I picked up this bottle. It’s sweet and rich and creamy and endlessly drinkable, without that bitter or medicinal quality that can frequently come through with sherried casks. After such a fruit forward body, the malted finish is a welcome surprise as well. One of the best blended malts I’ve had in a while, though it is on the pricier side at ~$135.
Raise a glass to beautiful drams in beautiful places!
Any hikers, climbers, or wanderers here? Where's the most exotic place you've had a glass of whiskey?
Whisk(e)y: Discuss bourbon, scotch, and whiskies from around the world
Uisge Beath All hail the cask The Whisky Exchange [https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/]: The classic shop, shipping to the US is difficult. Whisky Shop USA [https://www.whiskyshopusa.com/]: Based in California, website is rough but has some hard to find stuff Wine Searcher [https://www.wine-searcher....
Reviews, recommendations, tasting notes, gift ideas and more. Pour a dram and have a civil conversation.
https://lemmy.world/c/whiskey [email protected]
Given a second chance at the 2021 NFL Draft, which teams would use a mulligan in Round 1?
2021 NFL redraft: Zach Wilson falls out of Round 1, Micah Parsons rises
Given a second chance at the 2021 NFL Draft, which teams would use a mulligan in Round 1?
In this mock, Fields is QB2 (as he always should have been) to San Francisco after the Jets take Micah Parsons @2. I'll never understand how Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were taken over Fields, but I'm glad they were!
Bear Face Elementally Aged Triple Oak
Distiller: Bear Face Product: Elementally Aged Bottle: Triple Oak Category: Canadian Aged: 7 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, then finished in French oak red wine casks and air-dried virgin Hungarian oak. Nose: Thick with caramel, butterscotch, and call me crazy but is that maple syrup? Bod...
![[Review] Bear Face Elementally Aged Triple Oak - sh.itjust.works](https://sopuli.xyz/pictrs/image/65686807-5870-45bb-8f05-6b658f8db878.webp?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Bear Face Elementally Aged Triple Oak
Distiller: Bear Face
Product: Elementally Aged
Bottle: Triple Oak
Category: Canadian
Aged: 7 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, then finished in French oak red wine casks and air-dried virgin Hungarian oak.
Nose: Thick with caramel, butterscotch, and call me crazy but is that maple syrup?
Body: Buttery creme brulee with candied walnuts and pecans. Traces of campfire smoke and rum-like molasses.
Finish: Faint pine nuts and a mild biscuit.
Activation: Unnecessary.
Notes: For a long time I’ve considered the cheap Canadian whisky market to be good for fighting off the bitterly cold north winds and not a whole lot more. Couple that with a scammy sounding “Elementally Aged!” proclamation and suffice it to say that my expectations weren’t high for Bear Face Triple Oak. But let me immediately say this is a damn good whisky. It’s rich, full bodied, and complex. Seven years is a fair amount of time, and their silly name just means that it has been living in a metal shipping container in Canada and therefore exposed to extreme temperature swings, which serve to speed up the aging process. Factor in the low price and this is a fantastic hidden gem.
Tev with praise of #1
I also recommend reading Fishbain's OTA updates on the Athletic. It isn't free, but the Athletic is well worth the subscription costs.
Elden Ring Soft Cap Cheat Sheet
I am coming from Reddit and while currently dead, this seemed to be the largest Elden Ring community. So to kick-start the resurrection, here's what even Reddit called my most-returned-to-post. This thing has been open as a tab in my browser for a year now.