Eat Drink Smoke

On this episode of Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy pour a bold Indiana bourbon and break down what all those whiskey labels actually mean. They dive into Fenwick’s Single Barrel Bourbon 5-Year-Old Cask Strength, talk through the difference between cask strength, barrel strength, full proof, and single barrel, and then discover a bottle that changes dramatically once a little water or ice gets involved. At 118.3 proof, this one brings big caramel, vanilla, and a serious kick — but also one of the most surprising transformations they’ve had in years.

The guys also revisit the Aganorsa Leaf La Validación Habano Toro, talk about where it lands in the strength and flavor profile, and make the case for keeping notes on what you smoke, what you drink, and how a cigar changes from the first third to the final third.

Along the way, they get into the Weber grill-brush recall, the dangers of wire bristles, how to clean your grill the right way, and why people will spend serious money on a grill but cheap out on taking care of it. There’s also a detour into McDonald’s gimmicks, a bizarre CEO sandwich moment, and Tony’s behind-the-scenes story from attending the State of the Union, complete with security, checked phones, confiscated cigars, and a view of Congress that turned out to be better than the speech itself.

It’s bourbon, cigars, grills, McDonald’s, politics without the politics, and the kind of wandering conversation that makes Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour exactly what it’s supposed to be. 

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On this episode of Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy smoke the Aganorsa Leaf La Validación Habano Toro, and dig into a cigar that brings plenty of spice, wood, and pepper at a very friendly price point. Tony breaks down the Habano wrapper, the cold draw, and why this stick might deserve a spot in your humidor, while Fingers weighs in on the leather, wood, and overall value.

Along the way, the guys also try a ricotta-and-almond cake mix hack that somehow turns into a bigger conversation about soft cookies, getting kids comfortable in the kitchen, and whether parents are actually preparing their kids for life. Then it’s on to airline etiquette, as United finally cracks down on passengers blasting audio without headphones, which leads to the only reasonable conclusion: some people should be ejected directly from the cabin.

And because it’s Happy Hour, Fingers brings in a true gas-station special: Smirnoff Ice Shorties Red, White, and Berry. The results are... not encouraging. There’s blue raspberry, cough syrup, regret, and just enough alcohol to make everybody wonder how this ever made it into a bottle.

It’s cigars, cake hacks, airline rage, gas-station booze, and the kind of chaos that makes Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour exactly what it’s supposed to be.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy smoke the Aganorsa Leaf La Validación Habano Toro and find a cigar that brings plenty of spice, solid value, and a surprising amount of complexity for the price. They also pour Fenwick’s 5 Year Cask Strength Bourbon, an Indiana-made bottle that completely changes character with a little water and turns into one of the more memorable pours they’ve had in a long time.

Along the way, the guys get into box cake hacks with ricotta cheese, a brutal Gas Station Finds review of Smirnoff Ice Shorties Red, White and Berry, United Airlines cracking down on passengers who play audio out loud, recalled Weber grill brushes, and Tony’s behind-the-scenes story from attending the State of the Union.

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During this Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony and Fingers pour Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select, put it neat, on ice, and with a little water, and try to decide whether the whiskey lives up to the legend — or just the price tag.

They also revisit the Year of the Duque from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, talk through the final third, and land on the question that always matters most: is it good enough to earn a spot in the humidor?

Along the way, they get into tipping fatigue, mystery hotel fees, low- and moderate-income investing, and the kind of big-news cigar lounge conversation that starts with whiskey and somehow ends with geopolitics.

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On this episode of the Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony and Fingers light up the Year of the Duque from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and get into everything from the cigar’s rich cedar, char, cocoa, and pepper notes to the eternal question: is it really worth nearly eighteen bucks a stick?

Along the way, they talk construction, value, low-maintenance cigars, birthday freebies at chain restaurants, sleep advice from the internet, transcendental meditation, mullets, and the kind of radio detours that make Happy Hour what it is.

If you like cigars, bourbon talk, food, and two guys taking a perfectly normal conversation and driving it straight into a redemption window, this episode is for you.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Duque and immediately get stuck on the most important question of all: how exactly do you pronounce it? Along the way, they break down the cigar’s rich, low-maintenance smoking experience, talk through notes of wood, char, cocoa, and spice, and debate whether a 5x48 stick at nearly eighteen bucks earns a place in the humidor.

On the drink side, they crack open Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select and ask the big question: Is the presentation, the pedigree, and the price tag worth it? There’s plenty of talk about banana on the nose, cherry, brown sugar, oak, and whether this Tennessee whiskey is a true splurge bottle or just a handsome box with a famous name on it.

Also in the mix: birthday freebies at chain restaurants, the madness of modern tipping culture, mystery hotel fees, sleep advice from the internet, Fingers’ mullet era, and the kind of lounge conversation that somehow goes from cigars and whiskey to transcendental meditation and international politics without ever losing the thread.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Crux Marblehead Toro (6x50) and immediately run into one of the most confusing cigar caps you’ll ever see.

The Marblehead name comes from the 109-style Cuban cap, which sits somewhere between a traditional rounded cap and a belicoso tip. Translation: it looks cool… but it also raises an important question.

Where exactly are you supposed to cut the thing?

Tony and Fingers break down the cap design, the cutting strategy, and whether this cigar might actually be a V-cut kind of smoke. Along the way, they dig into the blend:

• Ecuadorian Habano wrapper

• Indonesian binder

• Nicaraguan filler

Right out of the gate, the flavor profile surprises them. Instead of a spice bomb, the cigar opens with wood notes, a touch of leather, and a balanced spice that stays controlled rather than overpowering.

And here’s the real surprise.

At around $8 per stick, the Crux Marblehead might be one of the better value cigars they’ve smoked recently. The guys even float the idea that it could land on a future value list if the profile holds steady through the rest of the smoke.

Also in this episode:

• A frozen food recall involving possible glass contamination in chicken fried rice
• The ongoing debate over prime rib in a smoker vs the oven
• Whether reverse-searing a steak actually improves it
• The surprising return of an old-school steakhouse memory from a trip to 801 Chop House

It’s cigars, food, and the kind of debates that only happen when two guys sit down with a good smoke and start arguing about meat.

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This week on Eat, Drink, Smoke, Tony Katz and America’s favorite amateur drinker, Fingers Malloy, light up the Crux Marblehead Toro (6x50)—and immediately get distracted by the cigar’s weirdly fascinating 109-style “Marblehead” cap. Where do you cut it? How do you cut it? Do you need a V-cutter… or a prayer? Along the way, they break down the flavor profile (wood, spice, a little leather… maybe saddle… definitely not a handbag).

On the bourbon side, it’s Hirsch The Horizon Straight Bourbon (92 proof), a surprisingly easy pour with vanilla, oak, cinnamon, and just enough rye kick to keep it interesting. At the right price, it’s “buy-two-bottles” territory—and a potential milkshake/eggnog bourbon for the right kind of night.

Plus, News of the Week hits hard:

• A massive frozen food recall due to potential glass contamination (yes, glass).

• Sears is down to five remaining locations, which sparks a road trip idea that is absolutely the dumbest thing… and therefore must happen.

• Relationship “experts” share what happy couples do on weeknights, and Tony and Fingers (obviously certified romance gurus) take the list apart with love, sarcasm, and a little righteous rage.

• Breakfast cereals that “don’t taste the same anymore,” including a serious debate over Honey Nut Cheerios, cereal “wine,” and the slow death of childhood.

All that—and two guys trying to keep America safe from inferior peanut butter cups.

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This Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour starts exactly where it should: right here in Indiana, with a limited-release bourbon that hits like a freight train and a cigar that absolutely earns its keep.

Tony Katz and America’s favorite amateur drinker, Fingers Malloy, pour up the Starlight Distillery Honey Reserve Bourbon — a 106-proof, honey-barrel-finished beast coming in hot at $60 a bottle. Aged five years, blended from two mash bills, and delivering caramel apple, honey, rye spice, and a boy-howdy level of chest warmth that may or may not clear sinuses on contact.

Neat? Big heat.
On a cube? Still aggressive, but smoother.
With water? Opens up… and still punches you in the belly.

Fingers puts it through the full Kentucky Chew, Saginaw Swish, Memphis Munch, and Chattanooga Chomp (all medically recognized techniques), while Tony confirms this thing drinks bigger than 106 proof and finishes all the way down to the coccyx.

Paired up with the bourbon is the Southern Draw Cigars Lady Killer, created with Privada Cigar Club back in 2021. A 6½ x 46 Lonsdale featuring an Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper and a Corojo/Criollo blend from Nicaragua. Construction? Excellent. Flavor? Rich, spicy, cedar-forward. Band glue? Aggressively committed. Five demerits (new system, just invented).

Also on the menu:

• Whether boneless wings are wings (and why lawsuits are not the answer)

• Why blue cheese is the only correct wing dressing

• Kitchen gadgets you should absolutely throw away

• Why dull knives ruin lives

• Social media bots, crypto weirdos, and bikini economics

• The surprising marriage secret of… going to bed at the same time

• And how Eat Drink Smoke is personally responsible for Valentine’s Day population growth

Final verdict:
✔️ The Lady Killer is humidor-worthy at $12
✔️ The Starlight Honey Reserve is a yes at $60
✔️ The heat is real
✔️ The opinions are louder

Cigars. Bourbon. Food. Culture. Arguments that go places they were never meant to go.

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This is Eat, Drink, Smoke – Happy Hour

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This week on Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy crack open the humidor and pull out something special — the Southern Draw Cigars Lady Killer, a 6½ x 46 Lonsdale created in collaboration with Privada Cigar Club back in 2021.

Don’t ask how it survived that long. Just be grateful it did.

Wrapped in Ecuadorian Habano Maduro, packed with Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo tobaccos from Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega, this cigar delivers spice, cedar, a little cocoa, and just enough richness to make you forget your allergies… unless you’re Tony. In that case, your sinuses are staging a full rebellion.

Along the way:

• Tony debates whether his head is going to explode from seasonal allergies

• Fingers prescribes a ragweed “toughen up” therapy straight from Grandpa Malloy

• The guys break down why Lonsdale (46 ring gauge) might be the perfect cigar ratio

• A spirited argument about tipping culture — from sandwich shops to Texas Roadhouse

• And a deep dive into civil asset forfeiture and TSA cash seizures (because nothing pairs with Maduro like constitutional outrage)

Construction? Impressive.
Draw? Easy.
Burn? Low maintenance — just the way we like it.
MSRP? Around $12 — and yes, it earns its place in the humidor.

Plus, news of the week covers Social Security insolvency, government overreach, and why you should always check your bill before calculating the tip.

It’s cigars, bourbon, food, culture, and a little righteous indignation — the way Happy Hour was meant to be.

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Light one up. Pour something strong.
And let’s get into it.

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