Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy crack open one of their first new bourbons of 2026: 15 Stars First West Toasted Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — a 98-proof blend of 5, 6, and 7-year bourbons out of Bardstown.

The nose comes in sweet and easy — caramel, vanilla, oak — with no ethanol bite. The palate? Lighter and thinner than expected. But then the finish shows up late with oak, spice, warmth, and just enough intrigue to start an argument about value.

Is this a $70 bottle?
Or is it a very solid yes at $51?

Tony and Fingers break it down neat, with water, and with a cube — debating thin palates, delayed gratification, and whether people are willing to wait for a bourbon to do its work.

Then Happy Hour does what Happy Hour always does:


Fancy cocktails allegedly explode stomachs


Liquid nitrogen becomes the enemy


“Lunch meat” vs. “cold cuts” turns into a regional civil war


Kroger’s AI-powered shopping carts summon Skynet


Indiana football glory gets its moment


The NFL tries to stretch the season (and the players)


And somehow, Defiance Beef fixes everything

Bourbon opinions, cultural irritation, and conversations that refuse to stay on topic.

That’s Happy Hour.

Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com
Pour something good and hang out.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy crack open one of their first new bourbons of 2026: 15 Stars First West Toasted Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey &mdash; a 98-proof blend of 5, 6, and 7-year bourbons out of Bardstown.
The nose comes in sweet and easy &mdash; caramel, vanilla, oak &mdash; with no ethanol bite. The palate? Lighter and thinner than expected. But then the finish shows up late with oak, spice, warmth, and just enough intrigue to start an argument about value.
Is this a $70 bottle? Or is it a very solid yes at $51?
Tony and Fingers break it down neat, with water, and with a cube &mdash; debating thin palates, delayed gratification, and whether people are willing to wait for a bourbon to do its work.
Then Happy Hour does what Happy Hour always does:
<ul data-start="1002" data-end="1339">
<li data-start="1002" data-end="1046">
Fancy cocktails allegedly explode stomachs
</li>
<li data-start="1047" data-end="1082">
Liquid nitrogen becomes the enemy
</li>
<li data-start="1083" data-end="1145">
&ldquo;Lunch meat&rdquo; vs. &ldquo;cold cuts&rdquo; turns into a regional civil war
</li>
<li data-start="1146" data-end="1196">
Kroger&rsquo;s AI-powered shopping carts summon Skynet
</li>
<li data-start="1197" data-end="1237">
Indiana football glory gets its moment
</li>
<li data-start="1238" data-end="1293">
The NFL tries to stretch the season (and the players)
</li>
<li data-start="1294" data-end="1339">
And somehow, Defiance Beef fixes everything
</li>
</ul>
Bourbon opinions, cultural irritation, and conversations that refuse to stay on topic.
That&rsquo;s Happy Hour.
Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com Pour something good and hang out.
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Eat Drink Smoke is the bourbon and cigar review show for everyone!
You'll get reviews you can use, in a way you can understand them. There's also great takes on the stories dominating the week, but without the anger of social media. Eat Drink Smoke is the podcast that fits into your life because it's just like you - interested in new things, good people and honest, funny conversation.
Eat Drink Smoke is hosted by long-time radio host and entertainer Tony Katz, with co-host Fingers Malloy.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy talk amazing spirits, brilliant cigars and great food.

Eat Drink Smoke

Happy Hour: 15 Stars First West Toasted Oak Bourbon

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/78a347aa-3282-4ac5-837c-a72300032082/clips/e94ccbc7-a0b7-4062-b529-b3e30026e2d9/transcript

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Room 101 Farce. Connecticut Super Toro (6x56) and immediately derail the show by debating pronunciation, ring gauge philosophy, and whether this thing is way bigger than anyone actually wants.

And the cigar itself refuses to behave like a traditional Connecticut.
Instead of creamy and mild, it comes out swinging with wood spice, cocoa, coffee-adjacent bitterness, and enough personality to raise questions about aging, draw issues, and whether Tony is suffering from… the yips.

Along the way:


Fingers becomes a confirmed “fitness influencer”


Notebook cigar science makes a comeback


The humidor becomes a metaphor for happiness


Goodwill donation rules spiral into a flea market fever dream


“Flea market table fruit” is born (and should probably be avoided)


A long-overdue cigar giveaway apology is issued (seriously… we’re sorry)


GameStop store closures turn into Atari nostalgia


Tariffs, car prices, gas prices, and beef all collide in one conversation


Backup cameras, emissions standards, and $1,000 car payments get dragged into the light

Plus: a reminder that cigars should never feel like work, slowing down matters, and sometimes the second third is worth fighting for… even if the first one made you question everything.

Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com
Light up, pour something good, and settle in.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Room 101 Farce. Connecticut Super Toro (6x56) and immediately derail the show by debating pronunciation, ring gauge philosophy, and whether this thing is way bigger than anyone actually wants.
And the cigar itself refuses to behave like a traditional Connecticut. Instead of creamy and mild, it comes out swinging with wood spice, cocoa, coffee-adjacent bitterness, and enough personality to raise questions about aging, draw issues, and whether Tony is suffering from&hellip; the yips.
Along the way:
<ul data-start="692" data-end="1257">
<li data-start="692" data-end="742">
Fingers becomes a confirmed &ldquo;fitness influencer&rdquo;
</li>
<li data-start="743" data-end="784">
Notebook cigar science makes a comeback
</li>
<li data-start="785" data-end="831">
The humidor becomes a metaphor for happiness
</li>
<li data-start="832" data-end="895">
Goodwill donation rules spiral into a flea market fever dream
</li>
<li data-start="896" data-end="964">
&ldquo;Flea market table fruit&rdquo; is born (and should probably be avoided)
</li>
<li data-start="965" data-end="1039">
A long-overdue cigar giveaway apology is issued (seriously&hellip; we&rsquo;re sorry)
</li>
<li data-start="1040" data-end="1091">
GameStop store closures turn into Atari nostalgia
</li>
<li data-start="1092" data-end="1167">
Tariffs, car prices, gas prices, and beef all collide in one conversation
</li>
<li data-start="1168" data-end="1257">
Backup cameras, emissions standards, and $1,000 car payments get dragged into the light
</li>
</ul>
Plus: a reminder that cigars should never feel like work, slowing down matters, and sometimes the second third is worth fighting for&hellip; even if the first one made you question everything.
Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com Light up, pour something good, and settle in.
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Happy Hour: Room 101 Farce, Connecticut With Attitude

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/78a347aa-3282-4ac5-837c-a72300032082/clips/c804b817-ebe4-44c2-be76-b3e30026c181/transcript

Tony and Fingers light up the Room 101 “Farce” (or is it Farce) Connecticut Super Toro 6x56 and immediately get derailed by the pronunciation, the bands, and the reality that this “Connecticut” is coming in way more wood-spice / cocoa / coffee than anybody expected. Tight draw. Uneven burn threats. Pinch-and-roll diplomacy. Plus: Tony’s humidor drama turns into the cigar version of the yips, and we try to talk him off the ledge with a notebook, a weather report, and basic human patience.

Then we pour something new for 2026: 15 Stars — First West Toasted Oak (98 proof), a blend of 5/6/7-year Kentucky bourbons that smells sweet, drinks a little thin… and then shows up big on the finish. At $70 it’s a debate. At $51 it’s a different conversation. Ice changes the whole mood. So does the “tum-tum.”

News of the week gets weird in a hurry:


Goodwill has to remind America: please stop donating wet, mildewed, moldy items (and apparently… food?)


A Florida flea market becomes a lifestyle brand, featuring table deodorant and the legendary phrase: “flea market table fruit.”


GameStop is closing hundreds of stores, because the future is apparently buying a download on a card


Amazon’s Andy Jassy says tariffs are creeping into prices.


Kroger is rolling out AI shopping carts, which is definitely not the first step toward wrist chips, definitely not


IU wins the national title, and the Hoosier pride gets loud


And the NFL starts sniffing around 18 games plus mandatory overseas games… because money never gets tired, only players do

Eat Drink Smoke. Cigar. Bourbon. Food. News. And one more reminder: your giveaway prizes are coming… just maybe don’t expect them with a side of fruit.

Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Tony and Fingers light up the Room 101 &ldquo;Farce&rdquo; (or is it Farce) Connecticut Super Toro 6x56 and immediately get derailed by the pronunciation, the bands, and the reality that this &ldquo;Connecticut&rdquo; is coming in way more wood-spice / cocoa / coffee than anybody expected. Tight draw. Uneven burn threats. Pinch-and-roll diplomacy. Plus: Tony&rsquo;s humidor drama turns into the cigar version of the yips, and we try to talk him off the ledge with a notebook, a weather report, and basic human patience.
Then we pour something new for 2026: 15 Stars &mdash; First West Toasted Oak (98 proof), a blend of 5/6/7-year Kentucky bourbons that smells sweet, drinks a little thin&hellip; and then shows up big on the finish. At $70 it&rsquo;s a debate. At $51 it&rsquo;s a different conversation. Ice changes the whole mood. So does the &ldquo;tum-tum.&rdquo;
News of the week gets weird in a hurry:
<ul data-start="1036" data-end="1812">
<li data-start="1036" data-end="1151">
Goodwill has to remind America: please stop donating wet, mildewed, moldy items (and apparently&hellip; food?)
</li>
<li data-start="1152" data-end="1290">
A Florida flea market becomes a lifestyle brand, featuring table deodorant and the legendary phrase: &ldquo;flea market table fruit.&rdquo;
</li>
<li data-start="1291" data-end="1399">
GameStop is closing hundreds of stores, because the future is apparently buying a download on a card
</li>
<li data-start="1400" data-end="1485">
Amazon&rsquo;s Andy Jassy says tariffs are creeping into prices.
</li>
<li data-start="1486" data-end="1612">
Kroger is rolling out AI shopping carts, which is definitely not the first step toward wrist chips, definitely not
</li>
<li data-start="1613" data-end="1679">
IU wins the national title, and the Hoosier pride gets loud
</li>
<li data-start="1680" data-end="1812">
And the NFL starts sniffing around 18 games plus mandatory overseas games&hellip; because money never gets tired, only players do
</li>
</ul>
Eat Drink Smoke. Cigar. Bourbon. Food. News. And one more reminder: your giveaway prizes are coming&hellip; just maybe don&rsquo;t expect them with a side of fruit.
Find everything at&nbsp;EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

The Yips, the Finish, and a $51 Bourbon

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/78a347aa-3282-4ac5-837c-a72300032082/clips/cb664a8e-1e58-4174-8bed-b3dd016de65a/transcript

Happy Hour continues at Big Hoffa’s Barbecue in Westfield, Indiana, and things only get louder, looser, and more opinionated.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy are still on location, still surrounded by barbecue, and still working their way through Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond, this time with a full room behind them and brisket disappearing by the pan. Joined again by Madison Tragesser from Old Forester, the conversation shifts from tasting notes to bigger questions—history, hype, and what actually matters when people buy bourbon.

They dig into:


why Old Forester is a brand everyone knows… and some people still skip


how “heritage” competes with Instagram marketing


whether high proof is overrated (and who that opinion offends immediately)


how suggestion and groupthink creep into bourbon reviews


and why some tasting notes deserve a little side-eye

From there, Happy Hour does what it does best—wanders.

The brisket conversation turns serious with Adam Hoffman, owner of Big Hoffa’s, breaking down:


what makes Midwestern barbecue different


why trimming matters more than people think


how smoke, heat, and fat actually work together


and what it takes to turn out 50–60 briskets a day without losing consistency

Then the episode swerves again—into NFL chaos, coaching patience (or lack of it), and finally a casino story that starts with a quiet 7 a.m. gambling floor, briefly becomes profitable, and ends with a sentence no human should ever overhear before breakfast.

There is bourbon.
There is brisket.
There are opinions.
And there are two hot dogs that were, allegedly, worm-free.

Happy Hour, Part 2 from Big Hoffa’s.

Eat. Drink. Smoke.
More at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Happy Hour continues at Big Hoffa&rsquo;s Barbecue in Westfield, Indiana, and things only get louder, looser, and more opinionated.
Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy are still on location, still surrounded by barbecue, and still working their way through Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond, this time with a full room behind them and brisket disappearing by the pan. Joined again by Madison Tragesser from Old Forester, the conversation shifts from tasting notes to bigger questions&mdash;history, hype, and what actually matters when people buy bourbon.
They dig into:
<ul data-start="807" data-end="1135">
<li data-start="807" data-end="881">
why Old Forester is a brand everyone knows&hellip; and some people still skip
</li>
<li data-start="882" data-end="934">
how &ldquo;heritage&rdquo; competes with Instagram marketing
</li>
<li data-start="935" data-end="1017">
whether high proof is overrated (and who that opinion offends immediately)
</li>
<li data-start="1018" data-end="1078">
how suggestion and groupthink creep into bourbon reviews
</li>
<li data-start="1079" data-end="1135">
and why some tasting notes deserve a little side-eye
</li>
</ul>
From there, Happy Hour does what it does best&mdash;wanders.
The brisket conversation turns serious with Adam Hoffman, owner of Big Hoffa&rsquo;s, breaking down:
<ul data-start="1292" data-end="1522">
<li data-start="1292" data-end="1336">
what makes Midwestern barbecue different
</li>
<li data-start="1337" data-end="1384">
why trimming matters more than people think
</li>
<li data-start="1385" data-end="1436">
how smoke, heat, and fat actually work together
</li>
<li data-start="1437" data-end="1522">
and what it takes to turn out 50&ndash;60 briskets a day without losing consistency
</li>
</ul>
Then the episode swerves again&mdash;into NFL chaos, coaching patience (or lack of it), and finally a casino story that starts with a quiet 7 a.m. gambling floor, briefly becomes profitable, and ends with a sentence no human should ever overhear before breakfast.
There is bourbon. There is brisket. There are opinions. And there are two hot dogs that were, allegedly, worm-free.
Happy Hour, Part 2 from Big Hoffa&rsquo;s.
Eat. Drink. Smoke. More at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Happy Hour — Old Forester Night at Big Hoffa’s (Part 2)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/78a347aa-3282-4ac5-837c-a72300032082/clips/dd03e246-c959-4abb-b46f-b3d6011f7a1d/transcript

Happy Hour: 15 Stars First West Toasted Oak Bourbon

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