Jake Paul Drops $39 Million On 5,700-Acre Georgia Ranch That’s A ‘Sport Huntsman’s Paradise’

(Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Jake Paul is apparently using some of his lucrative earnings from the boxing ring to invest in luxury real estate. The social media superstar-turned-pugilist reportedly paid $39 million for the sprawling, 5,746-acre Southlands estate just south of Bainbridge, Georgia.

Paul, during an interview on the The Iced Coffee Hour podcast in June, said he has wanted to buy a ranch for the last 15 years. “It’s kind of been my dream and why I work so hard,” said Paul. He added the enormous property was “a little bit bigger than what I wanted, but when I got there, I was like, ‘I have to buy this.’”

Paul’s Georgia compound surrounds the eastern shore of Lake Seminole, just above the Florida panhandle, and was originally listed in October 2024 for $42.5 million. It’s also a “sport huntsman’s paradise with an abundance of bobwhite wild quail, turkey and whitetail deer. It also includes a 20-acre fishing pond and a 30-acre duck pond,” reports USA Today.

Paul, 28, has been raking in cash fighting former boxing and UFC stars. He reportedly earned $40 million alone for his Netflix clash with an aging Mike Tyson, 58, who was suffering health issues ahead of their listless encounter in November 2024. He also currently stars with his brother Logan Paul, a fellow social media maven and pro wrestler, in the HBO Max reality series Paul American.

Over the weekend, Paul earned a unanimous decision victory against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. another former boxing champion whose best days are behind him. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is now riding a six-fight winning streak since losing a split decision to journeyman boxer and reality star Tommy Fury in February 2023. With his victory over Chavez, Paul could enter take a step closer to his professed goal of fighting for a world title by entering the WBC cruiserweight rankings at 200 pounds, or he could try to avenge his loss to Fury.

Jon Kohler of Jon Kohler & Associates, who co-listed the property with Walter Hatchett, compared the significance of the sale to owning a sports franchise. “Southlands is an institution; it’s like owning your own professional football team,” Kohler told Mansion Global. “You get history, culture and traditions, and you’re a land steward dictating its future.”

The ranch includes a newly renovated 4,884-square-foot main lodge with eight bedrooms, five bathrooms and one half bath. The grounds also boasts a collection of updated outbuildings, including a four-stall barn for horseback and quail hunting, a manager’s house and guesthouse, a pavilion, an equipment shed, a workshop and a cooler facility for game processing.

In a Facebook post announcing the blockbuster purchase, Kohler further described Paul’s Georgia ranch as “one of America’s most iconic sporting properties. From its roots with Herbert Stoddard, a legacy dating back to 1937, to its years as International Paper’s flagship property, Southlands has long been a crown jewel of American land stewardship—and with Jake Paul’s passion and commitment to conservation, its future has never been brighter,” the post said.

Check out photos of Paul’s impressive new abode in the Instagram gallery above.

Go to Source
Author: Maxim Staff

The Koenigsegg ‘Sadair’s Spear’ Hypercar Is A 1,600-HP Road Rocket



From the world speed record-crushing Jesko Absolut to the 2,269-horsepower Gemera Christian von Koenigsegg’s eponymous brand of hypercars are among the most extreme roadgoing vehicles ever made. So the fact that the Jesko Attack-based Sadair’s Spear was just dubbed the “most aggressive Koenigsegg” yet by Car and Driver certainly says something.

The name is certainly aggro, but it’s also personal to the Swedish founder and CEO. Before he became the proprietor of so-called “mega-cars”—but after he began designing autos at age 5—Koegnigsegg was a jockey, and his final equestrian race came in the saddle of a horse named Sadair’s Spear. It borrows the Jesko’s powertrain, 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 mated to a flywheel-less nine-speed Lightspeed transmission that revs to 8,500 rpm in 0.2 seconds. An updated calibration, new air intakes, and improved cooling for Sadair’s Spear add an additional 25 hp on top of the Jesko’s output, equating to an absurd 1,602 horsepower on E85 fuel.

The rear has also been extended to improve airflow, while cooling is improved by expanded front canards, louvers, and reengineered hood vents, along with a new Gurney flap. Through suspension upgrades that include Triplex dampers and lighter springs, along with other weight-saving measures, Sadair’s Spear is also 77 pounds lighter. C&D weren’t the only ones who were impressed, as all 30 units sold out instantly, despite a purchase price north of $5 million. Check out a first look at Koenigsegg’s latest elite hypercar in the gallery above.

Go to Source
Author: Maxim Staff

Peggy Gou’s ‘D.A.N.C.E’ Single Revs Up ‘F1: The Movie’ Soundtrack

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/amfAR/Getty Images for amfAR)

Following early critical acclaim, F1: The Movie sped into theaters on June 27, putting what producer Lewis Hamilton has described as the most authentic racing movie ever in the court of public opinion. But one verdict surrounding Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski’s revved-up drama starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris has already been delivered: The accompanying F1: The Album soundtrack slays.

Peggy Gou’s spirited EDM track “D.A.N.C.E.” is among the latest releases from the genre-crossing compilation record, which, in addition to a score from heralded movie composer Hans Zimmer, also includes original songs from Ed Sheeran, Tiesto, Chris Stapleton, Raye, and Tate McRae, whose contribution also came with a must-watch music video.

“This track to me is all about connecting with joy and feeling free. I hope it makes people want to dance all summer long,” Gou said, per Uproxx. “I hope it makes people want to dance all summer long.” The South Korean DJ continues her ascension after making waves with her appraised debut album, I Hear You, featuring the chart-topping hit “(It Goes Like) Nanana.”

Check out other tracks from F1: The Album below:

Go to Source
Author: Maxim Staff

Unearthing The Secrets Of Patrón’s Additive-Free Tequila In The Jalisco Highlands

Tequila is big business these days—it’s a global spirits market worth about $10 billion as of 2023, and growing. But not all tequila is created equal, especially as the industry looks to the best additive-free tequila in an evermore refined process. That’s why it’s refreshing to step into the agave fields and the massive operation that is Patrón Tequila, as Maxim found out during a recent visit to the Jalisco Highlands.

(Patrón)

Don’t let its size fool you—although it’s run as efficiently as a factory assembly line, there’s still plenty of soul to the operation, with flavor and the results to match. The end results run the gamut from the accessible (like the company’s entry-level Silver) to the premium (El Alto and El Cielo), along with recently launched Cristalino.

(Patrón)

Billed as the world’s “number one super-premium tequila” and made from 100 percent Weber blue agave, the Bacardi-owned producer (founded in 1989) might be massive in scale (about 20 bottles per minute are finished at its facility), but its tequila has more in common with liquid made in much smaller batches.

(Venturing into the agave fields with Patrón/Courtesy of Patrón)

“Every step of the process starts when we receive the agave from the fields,” says Patrón Tequila Master Distiller David Rodriguez of the journey from the dusty, sprawling red clay highlands into your rocks glass. It’s almost jarring at times to realize what goes into tequila that doesn’t happen to be – or even have to be – called out on a label.

(Patrón)

Ingredients like glycerin, caramel coloring, vanilla, oak extract, and jarabe or sugar-based syrup can comprise up to 1 percent legally of the finished product.  1 percent might sound small, but when you’re dealing with positively massive quantities of spirit, that figure adds up. There are more than 3,000 tequila brands on the market, with famous names and faces attached to them, but when tasted blind, the Patrón difference is quite evident. 

(Patrón)

In fact, some famous tequilas aren’t made with 100 percent agave. Rodriguez notes that some feature blends as low as 51 percent agave and 49 percent from other sources, like sugarcane. Additives, or abocantes, differentiate some brands, and not necessarily for the better. Additive-free tequila is the talk of the industry at the moment, and the producer wants to lead the way, said Brand Ambassador Roland Price, who called the process “the mission” of the company.

(Patrón)

If you know, you know: If ever you’ve come across an overly sweet, syrupy, cloying tequila — the kind that leaves you swimming in waves of regret the next day — additives very well might be the culprit. The journey from the agave field to your bar cart is about more than just harvesting the piña, or the heart of the agave plant, although even the way the company undertakes harvesting is a swerve from how other producers approach the plant. 

(Patrón)

Maximizing agave sugars is the goal, and only cutting the agave a certain way (specifically, to remove imperfections that show up on the plant as red spots) can achieve what Patrón ultimately wants. These cuts look effortless, like a knife through butter, but the process is ultimately taxing (if ever you get the chance to try to cut a portion of piña, as this writer did, don’t pass it up). Although it takes just minutes to get to the heart of the agave plant when done the right way, each stroke of a skilled jimadore paves the way for a different kind of tequila. 

Before it can be harvested, patience is critical: It takes years upon years to grow a plant to the proper size so it can eventually be farmed and cooked. As to the cooking process (which results in yam-like cooked agave), Patrón does this in traditional brick ovens for hours at a time, while other producers tend to use more industrial methods.

A combination of tahonas, or heavy stone wheels — pulled by farm animals years ago, now machine-operated — and roller mills then crush the agave in a further step along its journey to your rocks glass. In fact, the company says it’s the largest producer of tequila made using tahonas, blending the industrial and the old-world in a way that relies on a bit of magic, and a lot of science. 

patron hacienda
(Patrón)

A proprietary yeast strain (dubbed “crucial” by the company’s representatives), plus the use of pinewood tanks in the production process brings out the best of the best, as does Patrón’s use of copper pot stills to supercharge what eventually becomes tequila. If it sounds like the company might have more in common with a bourbon or Scotch producer, then that’s by design, as is the producer’s “traditional, time-honored distillation process.”

(Patrón)

The latest tequila to take advantage of these thoughtful processes happens to be a trendy expression in the tequila world: Patrón CRISTALINO, as the tequila style itself is growing at about 3 times the rate of the category in general.

(Patrón)

The company’s latest release (filtered to remove its naturally occurring colors, no additives needed) boasts a clear, luxurious finish and look after a year to 15 months of aging. The end result is a pleasant sipper best enjoyed on the rocks or neat (Patrón CRISTALINO starts with the producer’s excellent aged Añejo and retails for a very agreeable $70 or so at sites like ReserveBar).

In Mexico, about 70 percent of tequila consumed actually falls in the cristalino category, Rodriguez said during a tasting of the company’s portfolio. But again, not all tequila is created equal. Cristalino is part of a lineup of “artisanal tequila” that tastes remarkably different than average – indeed, a side-by-side blind tasting of tequila made with additives, compared to Patrón’s additive-free liquid, is a shock to the system. Once you’ve tasted tequila made sans additives, you might never go back. 

(Patrón)

Its distillers “cut” the tequila manually after sampling – making the call as to when to separate “the good stuff” from the heads and the tails (precisely what you don’t want in your glass). Oak barrels then impart character and flavor – although the liquid doesn’t spend nearly as much time in the barrel as bourbon or single malt, the difference is noticeable as time goes on. With no temperature control, heat delivers faster interaction between spirit and barrel – and each barrel is used about 10-12 times apiece in the process, Price says. “By doing so, we’re getting the most out of the wood it’s in,” he noted.

(Patrón)

Speaking of wood, don’t sleep on the brand’s ultra-premium Piedra expression, which is aged four years. A quick trip through the company’s closely guarded barrel room reveals a multitude of wooden barrels stamped with the names of some major global spirits producers: Check your own bar cart, because you likely have some of their juice on hand, too. 

(Patrón)

The difference really is in the details, down to the way its agave plants are harvested, and right through the journey the juice takes to the barrel – and then into an impressively elegant bottle. If so many tequila companies start with the same plant, what ultimately sets Patrón apart? “What is the difference? The method. The method to obtain the tequila,” Rodriguez says. More conscious (responsible) consumption of tequila starts at the source, and  Patrón could well be the next premium addition to your home bar.

Go to Source
Author: Beau Hayhoe

Aston Martin Debuts Apple CarPlay Ultra In DBX Luxury SUV

(Aston Martin x Apple CarPlay Ultra)

No one’s ever accused Aston Martin of cutting the bleeding edge of technology onto the automotive landscape. At least not in modern times, anyway. Quite the opposite actually—Aston’s infotainment systems have long been the punchline of auto journos everywhere for what not to do in UIX (Sorry guys, we still love you.) In fact much of the charm of the luxury British automaker sprung from its weird idiosyncrasies, technological foibles and just plain head-scratching luddite tendencies. Like remember when they hilariously put the emergency brake lever on the driver’s lefthand side? Good times, Aston! Which makes the fact that the most important tech company in the world, Apple, decided to guinea pig its hyper-anticipated CarPlay Ultra upgrade in the architecture of an Aston Martin all the more remarkable.

This pairing of Apple’s cutting-edge software with one of the world’s most refined performance SUVs is more than a simple tech upgrade: It’s a statement about where the future of digital driving is headed. Sleek, immersive, and deeply integrated, CarPlay Ultra is Apple’s biggest leap yet toward converting cars into rolling digital ecosystems that mirror its own.

(Aston Martin x Apple CarPlay Ultra)

A Bold Evolution In CarPlay Tech

CarPlay Ultra isn’t just a facelift—it’s a fundamental redesign that pushes beyond the basic mirroring of iPhone features onto a car’s display. Instead of simply projecting music apps or nav on a single screen, the new Ultra platform spans across all of a vehicle’s displays—think the instrument cluster, center infotainment screen, and even passenger-side interfaces. This means Apple’s software can now provide a unified visual and functional experience throughout the entire cockpit, built around the DBX’s central 10.25-inch Pure Black touchscreen.

One of the standout upgrades is the fully reconfigurable instrument cluster, which replaces traditional dials with Apple-designed digital gauges. You can choose from several layouts—minimalist, sporty, or data-rich—all depending on preference. Tailor colors and wallpapers, or select between Apple- or Aston Martin-branded themes. Via steering wheel controls, you can easily display Apple Maps across the dash or central display in full-screen glory—replacing physical navigation systems with a live, interactive rendering that looks downright modern. 

(Aston Martin x Apple CarPlay Ultra)

These aren’t just skins, either—they’re finally tied into the car’s internal systems so you don’t have to exit CarPlay to access deeper functions. Speed, RPMs, climate controls, fuel levels, battery life and even nuances like controlling the ambient lighting hues and brightness, and setting parking warning alarms are all now directly accessible through the Apple interface. CarPlay Ultra seamlessly blends hardware and software.

Visually, CarPlay Ultra also marks a generational leap. Animations are smoother, transitions are more fluid, and color gradients offer a level of polish reminiscent of Apple’s most recent macOS and iPadOS designs (Note: Your phone needs to be an iPhone 12 or younger and running iOS 18.5 or later.) Icons are sharper, fonts cleaner, and the whole interface feels purpose-built for the road without sacrificing Apple’s signature aesthetics. For a brand whose infotainment systems have always been an entire cycle behind other OEMs, seeing Aston blaze the tech trail is a happily surprising discovery. 

(Aston Martin DBX)

Why Apple Joined Forces With Aston Martin

According to the Aston execs who walked us through the briefing before our drive, Apple’s hand-picking of Aston Martin to debut CarPlay Ultra wasn’t simply a strategic alliance—it was a deliberate decision underscoring Apple’s ambition to redefine high-end digital driving. Aston Martin’s sublime hand-built vehicles, particularly the DBX, are known for their heart-swooning elegance, high-performance pedigree, and a cabin atmosphere that marries classic British GT craftsmanship with the highest tier of luxury.

“iPhone users love CarPlay and it has changed the way people interact with their vehicles. With CarPlay Ultra, together with automakers we are reimagining the in-car experience and making it even more unified and consistent,” Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of global marketing, explains. “The next generation of CarPlay gives drivers a smarter, safer way to use their iPhone in the car, deeply integrating with the vehicle while maintaining the very best of the automaker. We are thrilled to begin rolling out CarPlay Ultra with Aston Martin, with more manufacturers to come.”

Until recently, Aston Martin’s in-car tech was widely seen as a weak point. Outdated infotainment systems borrowed from older Mercedes platforms didn’t match the rest of the car’s polish. By adopting CarPlay Ultra all that has changed: Aston Martin quantum jumps forward in digital experience, instantly leapfrogging other luxury competitors—at least till they catch up. This is new territory for Aston. And its not just the DBX— CarPlay Ultra is now available on the DB12, Vantage and Vanquish, and can be added to any Aston with its 2023 refresh. As for Apple, they score the ideal proving ground for their latest gleaming tech: a beautiful, high-performance 700-horsepower canvas on which to paint the future of CarPlay.

Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.

Go to Source
Author: Nicolas Stecher