Happy Hour starts the way a lot of good pairings do—by accident.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy reach for Old Soul High Rye Bourbon from Cathead Distillery without knowing what cigar it’s supposed to match, and end up finding something worth slowing down for. The nose comes in sweet—vanilla cake, bakery notes, and frosting—before the palate flips the script with rye spice, cinnamon heat, and a surprisingly layered finish that doesn’t behave the way the nose promises it will.

Neat pours, second sips, third opinions, and a full debate over sweetness versus spice follow. Fingers runs the Kentucky Chew. Tony goes back for seconds. Water changes the profile. Oak shows up for one of them and refuses to appear for the other. At just under $45, the real question becomes simple: does this belong in the liquor cabinet?

From there, Happy Hour does what it always does.

The conversation wanders into cooking at home, why easy doesn’t mean cheap, why time matters more than fancy techniques, and why a long cook, a quiet night, and a cigar by the smoker still count as therapy. Winter grilling dreams, wood choices, brisket philosophy, and the value of doing things yourself all make their way into the mix.

It’s bourbon-forward, cigar-adjacent, food-heavy, and intentionally unpolished—exactly what Happy Hour is supposed to be.

Pour something. Sit down.
This one’s about finding the surprise instead of forcing the pairing.

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