Month: May 2020

An early spring and already-scorching temps out West means one thing: river season is officially upon us. And just in time, considering we’re all seriously itching to let loose after two-plus months of lockdown. Whether you’re rafting, kayaking, SUPing, or even just fishing, an easy afternoon on the water socially distanced from your nearest and dearest is cause for celebration. Besides your boat and cooler, you should invest in lightweight shirts.

Sure, there are a lot of tops that can keep the sun off your skin while you paddle or fish. But we suggest breathable, quick-dry, wildly patterned shirts to stay cool and dry. They’ll bring a smile to passersby’s faces and reflect the pure stoke that fills your heart as you’re carried by the current on a sunny afternoon.

Admit it: Plaid just doesn’t have that power.

So go on, ditch your basic sunshirt and flex a little river steeze. Here are seven options to get you started.

7 Lightweight Shirts to Keep You Cool and Dry on the Water

1. Helms x Howler H Bar B Snapshirt (above)

Austin-based Howler Brothers are perfectly cross-breeding the classic Western snapshirt with quality riverwear. This pearl-snap button-up has a classy, masculine fit but is made from a quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant cotton blend. We love their thoughtful details, like the lazy day illustrations and microfiber at the hem for an easy sunglass clean.

[$69; howlerbros.com]

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Although the pandemic has put nearly everything (including racing in Europe) on hold, the Trails Crew locked in Hellsend compound in Stellenbosch, South Africa have still been able to do what they love. Namely, throwing around dirt and wheeled vehicles.

Filmed and edited by Thomas Sandell

Additional filming: Justin Novella, Duran Van Eeden, Ryan Franklin, Theo Erlangsen.

Logo designed by: Justin Novella

Title Animation: Duran Van Eeden

This article originally appeared on Bikemag.com and was republished with permission.

Wild Turkey is once again reaching into the archives to create something new with this year’s 17-year-old, bottled-in-bond release of Master’s Keep. This is not the first time Wild Turkey has hit the archives for inspiration. Master’s Keep (which started in 2015) has been a showcase for innovation, with a hint of nostalgia. This year’s Master’s Keep “Bottled in Bond” is a new take on a bottle released in 2007: Wild Turkey American Spirit.

American Spirit was a 15-year-old Bottled-in-Bond bourbon, released at a time when a 15-year-old Bottled-in-Bond bourbon was only getting a fraction of the attention it deserved—before the bourbon boom changed the bourbon world entirely.

Master’s Keep has been the host for pet projects from master distiller Eddie Russell—for instance, the sherry-finished Master’s Keep Revival, which was formulated in honor of a now-discontinued sherry bourbon his father Jimmy Russell oversaw the release of.

Other entries in the Master’s Keep series have included Decades (a blend of whiskeys from 10-20 years of age) and Cornerstone Rye, which is the line’s only rye release to date.

This year’s bottling is special for both its age and its labeling. The term “Bottled in Bond” (colloquially, BIB for short) is a labeling designation with a lot of requirements—sort of like “champagne,” or “extra-virgin.” Any bottle displaying the BIB designation must be composed entirely of liquid distilled in one “distillation season” (there are two distillation seasons, January–June and July–December). That means everything in the bottle went into a barrel within six months. The liquid in that bottle must also be a minimum of four years old, and have aged entirely in a federally bonded warehouse.

Samples of the new batch haven’t been shared with the public yet, but official tasting notes from Wild Turkey say the bourbon has “an enticing taste and aroma of toasted oak, apple and dark cherry highlighted by the sweet confectionary flavors of vanilla, brown sugar and toffee. The enjoyable, lingering finish is complete with dark notes of mocha, smoke and spice.”

Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond will include only about 14,400 bottles of total production, and should retail for around $175 when it goes on sale in June. Track it (and the other bottles in the Master’s Keep line) down here.

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