Staff Picks: All the Things Our Editors Fell in Love With This Week

Viking whisky. National park gear. Ironman watches. Let’s go.

Please note: If you buy through the links in this article, we may earn a small share of the profits.

Welcome to InsideHook’s Staff Picks, a compendium of what our editors are digging recently.

IRONMAN Sleek 30 Full-Size Resin Strap Watch
For about four years, I ran up to ten miles a day. I was a cross country/track youngling, somehow gutting out tempo runs, fartleks and track workouts post-Physics and pre-Calculus homework. In retrospect, it was pretty gross. Some mornings I’d hobble down the stairs like Mr. Fredricksen in the first half hour of Up. So I quit long-distance running cold turkey, and started throwing some weights around in the gym. But now, hibernation’s over. I have some serious endurance training coming up, along with some articles due (that’s a little tease for you InsideHook faithful), and it’s time to hit the sidewalks again. As my old watches at this point are long gone, I need a new one. The Timex IRONMAN is as reliable as it gets; watches that offer too much info on the distance front can play mind games during a run, or cause pacing spats with running partners. This watch covers the basics, it’s featherlight and it’s going for a good $20 off because people apparently don’t like gunmetal blue. Tanner Garrity, Associate Editor

BUY IT HERE: $42

Frey Clothing Care Kit
One reviewer likened the scent of this new-ish concentrated laundry helper to a “nomad wizard lumberjack” … but actually, it’s more a clean forest-y whiff of cedarwood, oakmoss and amber. Very masculine without being aggressive (hmmm, paging Gillette). Add in natural ingredients and a socially and environmentally friendly mission statement (Frey is a Certified B Corporation), and you’ve got yet another direct-to-consumer brand that’s, ahem, cleaning up on its competitors. Side note: I’ve also been using their air freshener in lieu of Febreze. — Kirk Miller, Nation Editor/Managing Editor

BUY IT HERE: $45

Bellroy Bifold Wallet + Key Cover
In this day and age if you’re rocking with a trifold wallet, you’re a damn fool. The bulk is an extravagance few of us can afford in our butt pocket, as pants grow tighter and we spend increasing amounts of time wallowing the day away on our hindquarters. “You’ll give yourself sciatica,” a friend of mine screams every time someone pulls out a bulky wallet. And he’s not wrong! This slim bifold from the folks at Bellroy will solve your issues. It’s made from full-grain leather and features an RFID blocker to keep the myriad credit card marauders at bay. And when you buy now, you’ll also get a full grain leather key cover that can house up to eight keys, which is more than enough … presuming you’re not spending your nights solving complex mathematical equations at a local university. — Eli London, Director of Partnerships and User Acquisition

BUY IT HERE: $109

The Dark, Highland Park 17-Year Single Malt Scotch
We can understand the appeal of that Game of Thrones-themed Scotch. But with stock selling out faster than you can say Hodor, chances are you didn’t score a bottle. Fear not, romantic imbibers, there’s a spirit that matches it sword-for-sword in lore but bests them all in quality: The Dark, Highland Park’s new limited-edition 17-year. It draws on the distillery’s Viking heritage in design (see: the serpent dragon bottle) and first-fill European oak sherry seasoned casks for its winter-conquering warmth. And lucky for you, Reserve Bar offers delivery to 22 states. — Alex Lauer, Senior Editor

BUY IT HERE: $300

Parks Project
As someone who grew up in a family that went on vacations where we hiked, ziplined, camped, white-water rafted and partook in any activity that negated actual relaxation (could we go to an island just once?), National Parks became like a second home to me. With the government shutdown in its fourth week, they’re all still closed, and there have been reports of, among other things, overflowing bathrooms. The Parks Project has a catalog of sweatshirts, t-shirts, socks, and mugs that fund a project in the parks with each purchase. The retro designs and illustrations are as unique as the parks they represent. Plus, caring about the environment only adds to your attractiveness, I mean look at Leonardo DiCaprio. — Logan Mahan, Editorial Intern

BUY IT HERE: $70

Nike Air VaporMax 2019
I will preface this by saying that I am in no way sure I can even pull these things off. They’re a bit on the wild side, what with the giant air unit that extends the entire length of the sole, and all that prominently featured metallic gold. But I’m thinking, now that I’ve grown comfortable with the Air Max 270’s oversized air unit, these will be less of a jump in terms of what will and will not make me feel like an idiot. The VaporMax silhouette is a classic at this point, despite how objectively strange it is, and it’s been updated with Nike’s brand new and very much in vogue semi-translucent TPE material. I don’t know. Worn sockless with a nice, slim-fitting pair of khakis once the weather heats up? I think it could work. — Mike Conklin, Executive Editor

BUY IT HERE: $190

THE BEST THING WE DRANK THIS WEEK

They offer a namesake Robert Burns Single Malt, but the best thing you can drink for Burns Night — a usually drunken celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns — might be the just-released 21 Year from Arran Whisky. Hailing from the only working distillery on the Isle of Arran, 21 is the Scotch brand’s oldest expression. The single malt is at once sweet, spicy and citrus-y, with bitter orange and dark chocolate notes; potent, but not peaty.

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