July 18, 2025 • 37 mins
During this Happy Hour, Tony and Fingers review Town Branch True Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Non-alcoholic beer is booming in 2025 — here’s why craft brewers should pay attention. First quarter cigar imports grew by 7.2 percent. Texas flooding updates: Death toll rises to 119, including Camp Mystic children, after flash floods. Fingers has a cat problem.
All that and much more on the latest Happy Hour edition of Eat Drink Smoke!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
How many bourbons can you find under fifty dollars? The
correct the correct answer is four. It's EA Drink Smoke, Oh,
Tony katz w That is fingers Maloy find everything we
do at EA Drinksmoke show dot com. I went into
the local UH liquor store and I said, what did
I say to the ShopKeep?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
ShopKeep?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I need I need some bourbons under fifty dollars. Now
there were a nice selection of bourbons under fifty dollars,
not under thirty five under fifty. This is the new
world in which we live. And this right here is
town branch. Now there was a straight bourbon, and then
there was this what they call the true cask. Straight.
(00:47):
This fingers Maloy has no aid statement, but it would
have to be at least four years. We don't know
how old this is done. Oh you're through the nose.
He's gonna tell us five years. You are just ridiculous.
But it does come in fingers molloy at one hundred
and twelve proof. Ah, he always gives a plus or
(01:08):
anything over one hundred and twelve. What took me? I
knew nothing about the group Lexington Distilling. I believe is
it Lexington Brewing and Distilling, Lexington Brewing Co. Dot Com.
I think that's a very cool bottle. It's it's like
this perfect square ooops bout. That's that's it. That is it.
(01:31):
It's it's a very it was so much different than
everything else. Proof positive that the marketing works. I said,
all right, I will give this a go, one hundred
and twelve proof. I wanted to get you something that
was a little a bit higher in the proof there.
Don't know the mash bill. That's also an unknown. One
group over there, Whiskey Wash thought it was seventy two
(01:53):
percent corn, fifteen percent multed barley, thirteen percent rye, which
would say to me, that is a pretty sweet bourbon
right there. But the people at Lexington Brewing and Distilling
say it's undisclosed. So we're not one hundred percent sure
what the mash bill is. Right, that's the mix that
you have there as you're making the juice. We only
know it has to be fifty one percent corn by law.
(02:15):
If you don't know the laws and the rules and
regulations around bourbon, get our book Let's Go Bourbon. It's
available at Amazon dot com. Let's Go Bourbon. And of
course the companion. Let's go bbq, Let's go barbecue recipes,
Tips and tails from the pit. Talk to me about
the nose on this Fingersma.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Well, first of all, you said the theory on the
mash bill was seventy two percent corn.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
And thirteen percent rye.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And because on the nose fifteen percent rye, that's what
I'm thinking.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
They say fifteen percent multi barley.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Okay, Well there there definitely is not a rise by
some on the nose, that's for sure. It's very sweet,
it's but there's an ethanol on the nose a little
bit little, a little bit, little bit, little.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I'm getting oak.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
And for some reason, I'm talking directly into the glass
instead of the It's always important to talk into your glass.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Let your bourbon know you love it.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I love I love you.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How have you?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Ben?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Dude? That is that is big.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That's amazing. I'm not getting much.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ethanol, big giant nose. It is. It is sweet, it is.
There's definitely sweetness. Definitely a brown sugar in there for sure.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, and maybe a little bit of caramel, caramel, brown sugar, oak.
And man, I'm getting my nose really in there. I'm
getting a little bit of that ethanol you're talking about,
But it's not hitting me in the face.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Is it hitting in the face?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Yeah, but you're you're right there. There is a nice
oak past the ethanol. There's a nice oak undercurrent in
this well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I am very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And by the way, it is a very very pretty color.
That is a bright copper into orange right there. So there,
there's there's a little bit. It plays thin on the glass.
It doesn't seem very viscus, but there's a there's a
very attractive depth to that color. Like I almost wish
(04:15):
it was a little more red. Right. It's a little
too golden, uh for for where my maybe my eye
appeal is. But but it's it's nice. The more I
stare at it, the more I enjoy. It's vexing, if
you will. It is vexing, indeed nice. But enough with
the nose, enough with the look, fingers Moy, are you
ready for this?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I'm ready for this all week.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
This is town branch, the true cask straight bourbon. Uh.
You want to now do what fingers moy is doing.
It's called the Kentucky chew. You can move the juice
around the palette, try and get a feel for it.
I do believe in two SIPs. The first sip to
set the taste buds, the second sip to really get
an idea of the flavors. We got this neat in
the glen Cairn glass right the foot it bows out
(04:59):
comes back. You can really concentrate your nose in there.
Really take a look at it in the light fingers
what say you? Wow?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Okay, it's it's There's a nice little bit of spice there,
some cinnamon on the finish. That caramel is still there,
the vanilla is still there. Not as much oak as
I was expecting. Uh, it does not. So here's what's interesting.
There's a nice bit of sting on the tongue. But
when it comes to any kind of warmth in center chest,
(05:30):
things like that, a gentle warmth to me, it does
not play like it's over a hundred proof.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
It's it's got quite a few notes that appeal to me.
I'll be interested to see what you think, Tony.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Well, I am going in on this one hundred and
twelve proof right here. Now? Wait is it? Let me
let me douttle check. Hold on because each each strength,
each one could be a different right here. Now, No,
I'm absolutely right. This the one I grabbed right here,
(06:08):
one hundred and fourteen point six, not one hundred and twelve.
By the way, if you can figure out the difference
in that two point six, you are very very special.
We'd like to hire you for each drink smoke right here,
because this is batch ten, and each batch, depending on
the cask, right is gonna have itself a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So I've heard Batch ten is a little bit better
than Batch nine, but not quite as good as Batch eleven.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I'm going in. I'm not even gonna, not even gonna
the town branch, true cask, Kentucky straight berman here I go.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Oh, he's going in, ladies and gentlemen. And by the way,
the warmth has built up in the chest quite a bit.
He's doing what we like to call the Saganaw swish,
and his eyes nearly popped out of his head as
he's doing the Kentucky chew, the Memphis munch, the Chattanooga chomp.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Oh you ha ha smoth wow, uh huh oh, there's
a lot happening. Oh my, oh my, go on, what's happened?
That is so much ha ha, That is so much
(07:19):
sweeter when it first goes down. And now there's the
heat all mid back, tongue starting to build center chest. Yeah,
oh my god, it's weird. I literally said the words.
It doesn't seem like there's a viscosity that is molasses,
that is syrup on the tongue. That's crazy, Like, I
(07:44):
do want a cube on this very bad. Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
What amazes me about this is, you know, the the
heat in the in the chest has built right what
I tried mine three minutes ago, and I'm getting more
of a heat in the chest now than I did
thirty seconds after after I took my first sip.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Oh, oh, this is a day of bit you know what.
I feel the extra two point six proof now you
feel every single bit of that. Oh this might be
too big for me. I need it on a cube.
I think people are gonna fall in love with it.
You like big? This is way, this is way bigger
(08:29):
than I thought. Without being overly offensive to steal a
line from you, daddy, like this is interesting, town branch.
We'll get more into this. Keep it here. So in
a world where prices are going up, or maybe prices
have stabilized at the higher price, there are things still growing,
(08:50):
and shockingly, one of those things is cigars, tea, drink, smoke.
I'm Tony Katz. That is fingers malloy, cigar fishing, Nada.
With the story David Savona reporting first quarter imports of
cigars to the US up seven point two percent over
the first quarter of twenty twenty four. I have thoughts
(09:15):
because that number is giant, ninety three million cigars compared
to eighty seven million same period last year. That six
million cigars. So we see price increases. We're seeing signs
everywhere tariffs, this import costs, that production costs over there,
and we still have seven million more cigars. It doesn't
(09:36):
matter what the price point is, you still have people
wanting to smoke more.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I'm I would be interested to know when the
spike happened in the first quarter with some of this
uh happening as like a beat the tariff kind of thing,
where the you know, the imports really spiked before tariffs
started taking hold of the industry. But my question for
you is, I have not because my humidor right now
(10:07):
probably has I don't know, close to one hundred cigars
right I have not been lately going out and purchasing
cigars like you have. Have you noticed a difference in
pricing in the.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Last Absolutely, every price is higher, Every single price is higher.
It's not even a debate, and I think that you
are making a solid argument. People tried to pre buy
the tariffs. We saw this certainly in a whole bunch
of places where people bought more than they normally would have.
Of course we saw it, so it's certainly possible. But
(10:47):
now we have to ask ourselves, do we see a
slowdown coming? Now? Does this stabilize out? Because the product
still has the opportunity to be perishable, and you have
to make the assumption that the economy is good enough
that the buyer, the cigar smoker is still gonna come
(11:09):
into the shop or still go online and still buy
three four five sticks. You have to move the product,
so it definitely has a shelf life, Let's say, compared
to I don't know an orchid, but you I don't
know why, but you still have to be able to
move that product. So I think that this number is
a little more encouraging. And I wonder if this is
(11:33):
people saying, well, if I can't afford to go out
to dinner, well if I can't afford to do this thing.
I can still have a cigar in my home on
the back deck once a week, and that it becomes
my entertainment and that's where I'm gonna spend it. Maybe
it's that, maybe it's a mix of the thing.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
I'd be interested. I would love to talk to a
few lounge owners who allow you to bring your own
cigar into the lounge to smoke, to see if people
are doing that more. You know, I saw a discussion
on a board the other day over on Facebook of
(12:13):
cigar smokers talking about lounges charging cutting fees. If they're
seeing customer behavior changing because of the price increases, where
maybe people want to still have that sense of community
going to the lounge, but they're bringing sticks from home
more as opposed to buying cigars from the lounge.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
They still want that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
That scene of being in a cigar lounge, but maybe
are they bringing more of their own from home and
are they willing to pay the cut fee. I'd be
interested to know if things have changed a little bit
in the last week.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
We could ask some people, we do an informal survey. Certainly,
if you've got a lounge, reach out to us let
us know fingers at et Drink Smoke show dot com.
We'd love the answer the question. But also going with trends,
the non alcoholic beer trend continues to rise, continues to grow.
One in three Americans are drinking less alcohol. Twenty seven
percent of twenty one to twenty nine year olds drink
(13:15):
non alcoholic beverages weekly. This is about health. This is
about some people say affordability. I'm not one hundred percent
sure about that. I will tell you that I have
kids in that gen Z world. They are going to
the gym every day. They work jobs, part time jobs
(13:37):
right now, college and other things. They go to the
gym every day for an hour and a half a day.
They are very, very focused on the health. No one
has said to me, man, I really wish I had
a non alcoholic beer. I haven't seen that one yet.
But this trend is legit. I think we're past the
point of trend. We're into some players in this space.
(14:03):
I know Best Day is one of them. The people
are athletic. Are are another non alcoholic beer. They have
real opportunity to own a market segment, and it may
not be as big as other market segments. But it
can make you a whole bunch of loop.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Yeah, the craft beer industry really has to look at
this and figure out a way to capitalize on this
as you're seeing younger people drifting away from drinking alcohol.
I saw a piece the other day. I wish I
had it in front of me. It was a survey,
and of course, you know, you don't want to focus
on this necessarily because it's underage drinkers. But the amount
(14:41):
of kids in high school who are drinking alcohol now
compared to twenty thirty years ago, it's way down, which
kind of goes hand in hand with once they reached
the age of drinking, younger people are drinking less. So
is it the same thing as I was referring to
when it comes to the people who enjoy going to
the cigar lounge? Are you seeing young people who want
(15:05):
that sense of community and like the craft beer and
they see some of their friends maybe enjoy the the
IPAs And I didn't know where you were going with that. Okay,
I'd like to go to the brewery and hang out
with my friend, but I want to drink. Maybe you're
gonna see more craft beer people say, Okay, we're gonna
start focusing and trying to grab some of these people
(15:27):
who would be interested in coming to the brewery, but
they don't drink alcohol.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
As we have seen many, many times, if there's an
opportunity to grab audience, to build audience, these people are
nimble and they are capable. What's interesting here is that
the idea of well, it's just a trend. I think
we're past that. I think we're into locked in. What
I don't know is to what percentage. So it's much
(15:55):
easier to say I'm gonna go to the gym every
day when you have zero responsibilities, when you have you
don't have kids, you don't have a mortgage, anything else.
Mom still makes the greatest food in the world. Right
life is life is very very easy. So does the
thing that the twenty one year old do does now
and I'm you know, home for summer break or whatever
(16:17):
the case may be. I'm not saying they should be
living at home at twenty one. Does that change when
they're twenty four to twenty five, twenty six and they're like,
you know what, screw it, give me a beer and
a different mentality, et cetera. I think that's going to
that will have some rational drop off, But everything about
this and how long this has been going on, I
(16:39):
think we're past. I think we are past the point
of phase. And I'm sure there are many breweries saying, hmm,
how do we get our share of the pie?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
My question is are you seeing younger people I don't
have the stats in front of me, who are turning
to marijuana based products too and turning their backs on alcohol.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Because of it.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, there's a whole conversation that there's also not only
a move towards fitness among gen z with so many
people on the ozempics with Govi's maunjaros, that it's it's
curbing their appetite four alcohol. Yeah, and they're just not
drinking like they used to the point is that this
is a move that I'm simply just not interested in.
(17:16):
That's it just does not there's no appeal for me
yet non alcohol iPAH, gosh, eat, rink, smoke. It is
your cigar bourbon footy extravaganza. I'm Tony Katz, that is
fingers more. I find everything at EA terriningksmokeshow dot com.
Smoking the fifteenth anniversary from Room one oh one Cigars
Dick Raguin throughout a six five fifty two. I'm working
(17:38):
towards the final third of this cigar. It's big, it
is absolutely big. And what's interesting is you had talked
about how that pepper has has subsided. I think some
sweetness has picked up, but I think that pepper is
still absolutely there. I'm a little surprised that I find
it just a bit more monotone then I thought it
would be. These flavors are are are stick with it
(18:01):
the whole way, but it is a big, big, big
stick in terms of full I can said there's absolutely
a full cigar, but fifteen dollars is a really good
price point for this. I think there are a couple
in my humidor not a box. There's something really nice here,
(18:23):
and I'm wondering if in this final third I'm about
to get some of that floral and citrus that I
was getting on the cold draw. I'm wondering if now
it's going to make itself available for me.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
It's a battle now between a wood note and leather,
and that's about it.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
The pepper has subsided.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
I have had a little bit of trouble keeping it lit,
but that may have a lot to do with what
happened when I first cut the cigar, and I've been
putting it down a little bit. I would definitely still
I would like to try another one and try not
to crack the wrapper this time or next time. But
I think I would like to have one or two
(19:05):
of these in my humidor Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I just don't know if I'm there on the box.
I just I don't know if I am. I was
checking out a stogypress dot com, not familiar with the guys.
They gave it a huge, huge rating and said it
was a box by Oh wow. So it's just a
difference in pallettes, right, that's all it is. I'm not
saying they're wrong. I'm not saying I'm wrong. I'm saying,
(19:28):
for my pallette, it's a couple in the humid door.
It isn't by the box. So this is what we're smoking.
What we are drinking is from a town branch coming
in one hundred and fourteen proof. This is called their cask,
True Cask, Kentucky Strait Bourbon whiskey. I have a cube
(19:50):
on mine. Fingers will added a little bit of water
in his water will bring down proof. Water makes some flavors,
more pronounced, some more muted. This had a lot, a
lot of lot of bigness. I believe the word we
were looking for was bigness. Molasses and and a heat
that was building, and definitely some oak undercurrent.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Sweet cinnamon on the finish. Yeah, I was more heat
for me. But okay, okay, but I'm with the Cube.
I'm I'm I'm hoping for a little more balance. Find
out he's going in ladies and gentlemen seeking balance. He's
doing what we like to call the saganaw swish hope.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Oh Episode three fifty Clarkson he drinks smoke.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
That's the first time I've heard him yell nope.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Oh. First of all, this is episode number three hundred
and fifty for us. It's very impressive stuff. All right,
that's pretty good. It hits so big, so so big.
But yeah, the you know what this is for somebody there, guys, uhh, this.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Is for somebody?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Oh god?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Oh too big? Oh okay.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
I feel it everywhere, I feel it everywhere. I really
thought the ice was gonna bring some things down. It
did sweeten it up a little, which is kind of fascinating.
It mellowed the sweet and enhanced the sweet, but didn't
didn't bring it fingers now, Fingers only added a little
bit of water to his.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Okay a, it brought out, Oh my god, more of
the sweet, a caramel. There's some vanilla there, a little
bit more oak than I than I remember from you know,
just having it neat Uh that that cinnamon on the
(21:58):
finish that I was talking about isn't necessarily there anymore.
There's a little bit more of a spice. And I
hesitate to say this because it is exact. It was
exactly what happened the last time, not feeling hardly any
warmth in the chest at all. Three minutes from now,
maybe a whole different story. I like it better with
a little bit of water in.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
It, Fingers Billowy. This is the town Branch, true cask
Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. There's the heat. Yeah, you know,
this is a little David Letterman. There's a little David
Letterman to that, h though there's a lot of David
Letterman into this. Well. David Letterman is what we call
(22:40):
something that makes you go, is this in your liquor cabinet?
For forty five dollars a bus you see he's correct.
It is absolutely in your liquor cabinet for forty five bucks.
There's not a debate. If you like Big, if you
(23:02):
don't like Big, oh oh, nope, no, no way. I'm
telling you that I would have this in my liquor cabinet.
For other people, there's no I'm not pulling this out.
I get it, I understand it. Nope. But am I
(23:25):
recommending it ten thousand percent? Because for forty five dollars,
that's nuts. It's not even my kind of bourbon. And
that could make that could make the end of the
year list, because there is just I can respect that.
There's a ton good happening there.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
I'm telling you that's the kind of bottle. You bring
that to a party and people are going to be
talking about that.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, I think that's the kind of bottle
that for the people in your world that are like,
they consider themselves bourbon people and they want to practice,
they want to learn, they want to understand flavors, and
go to it out outrageously impressed. Even though I will
never sip it again, I think I mean I will
(24:13):
try it another time. That's something that is something, but
it's time fingers Maloy for News of the Week.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Well, Tony, I, you know, hesitate breeding this up because
the numbers, unfortunately are only going to get worse as
we're recording this, but we we have to address it.
An update just flashed as we're recording. The death toll
from those Texas floods has risen to one hundred and
(24:40):
nineteen as we're speaking right now, and they're they're searching.
I guess another one hundred and seventy three are still missing.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
This is brutal, and people, of course did the thing
that they do, and they went political with it, and
we're not interested in any of that. We're on a
good amount of stations in Texas and we appreciate every
single one of them in Levi kN Abilene and Houston
and all around, and not every place is near Kerrville
(25:08):
and where this took place on the Guadalupe River. But
first things first, this is a horror story. This is
absolutely a horror story. The lives lost, the family's decimated.
There's just no describing and understanding it. We don't have
a word that's gonna possibly explain how sorry we are
for all these people, for these families, for those who
(25:29):
are who are impacted in every every way. We do
know that if there is anything going on in Texas
that we can help with any fundraising that we can do,
we will come down. We will do the show a
live We will pay our own way for this. We
will take we will take care of it. That you
(25:50):
just recommend to us a good barbecue place. That's all
we ask. We will We're happy to because uh, there's
there's the conversation of if you want your politics to
rule your life or if you want your humanity to
rule your life. And I'm not saying there aren't gonna
be serious questions asked. The evacuation plan was approved for
(26:10):
that camp that was right there on the banks two
days before this flood hit. You have Austin police, that
Austin Fire that did not give assistance. There's a whole
no confidence vote going on as soon, if not by
the time you already hear this with the Austin Fire chief. Like,
there's real stories here of possible mistakes, of possible what
(26:34):
in the world were you thinking? And of course just
an act of God. I mean, floods do happen.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
In this area.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
You can't mistake playing politics with asking honest questions about
leading up to this flood and then the response afterwards.
Those are questions that need to be asked, maybe a
little later, not right now.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Anything we can do at Eat Drink Smoke to help,
We're there. Just ask We're in reach out now. If
you have been following Eating Smoke at all, and you
should at eatingsmokeshow dot com and of course the podcast
wherever it is you get your podcast. You know that
Fingers Maloy has been moving its featuring smoke. I'm Tony Katz.
(27:16):
That is Fingers Maloy again, eatingsmokeshow dot com and get
the podcast wherever it is you get your podcasts, download, subscribe,
do all the things would you please? And it has
not been a It has not been the smoothest move. No,
he foolishly moved himself. Yes, and he is what we
call in the business a moron. Yes for doing so. Absolutely,
(27:39):
I'm sorry. I love you. It's been a lot of
years of friendship that you moved yourself as insane. Well,
when you just say yes, when you're as strong as
an ox like I am, just say you were okay,
I was wrong, but in the middle of the move,
because that's not stressful enough, that's not insane enough. This
(28:00):
would be a good point to mention that Fingers Maloy
has a cat family cat. Now I noticed, I said
has because the worst did not come. This happened. He's
started telling me the story. I said, oh no, no, no, no,
save this Retrinx smoke Nation. He says, the cat wasn't peeing,
(28:22):
and that's what I said, Shush, you just hush yourself.
You hush yourself. You bring that to the nation, and
you explain this story. You're in the middle of the movie.
You don't have all your stuff there. You still got
to get the other house and get it on the
market and everything else. And all of a sudden, the
cat turns to you and says, Dad, assuming that's the cat, said,
you're not gonna believe this exactly what happened. So we
(28:43):
adopted this cat five years ago, hard luck case, nine
year old tabby cat, whiskers prickly Pete. I'm listen, I'm
not going to use the real cat's the cat's real name,
because I'm getting into a medical history and the cat
deserves privacy. Tony, I just want you to know I've
(29:03):
no fingers, only my whole life. First time I ever
knew he had a cat. I've been to his house.
I had absolutely no idea there was a cat. I
never know I have I stepped on the thing. I
have no idea. Like, I feel awful. It was you
that was not me.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Go ahead, so, prickly pe, prickly pete. It has been
off since we moved. And it can be a traumatic
experience for a pet to be moved to a different house.
You actually have to introduce the cat to its new environment.
You leave them in a room for a day or two.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, they can get angry ornery. They may try to
mark their territory. Oh that stinks, all right.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
That's possible.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
So but he was whining a lot, and then we
noticed that he was a few nights ago in pain
and very lethargic. And I can spot something lethargic from
a mile away. That's my middle name, right. So he's
laying on his side, it's eleven o'clock at night, he's
moaning in pain, and Missus malloy notices in his litter
(30:08):
box that there's no evidence of any.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Pee.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
The cat is moaning, yes, and so.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
So Missus Molloy and my daughter take the cat to
the er, to the vet er, and they're in there,
and they're in there for several hours.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
They have to wait.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I guess they were in the other room there was
a gecko with gallstones or something, I don't know. And
they're waiting there very patiently. And I'm thinking at this point,
the cat is fourteen years old. Now I'm told Tabby's
can live to be twenty, okay, but I'm thinking, in
my mind, fourteen years old. That's a that's a heck
(30:56):
of a run right there. All right, right, I'm thinking, okay,
it's it's curtains for prickly pete.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
They examine the cat and uh they give us three options.
Uh the cat has a bladder obstruction. One of the options, tony. Uh,
there were well, there were three options. One uh put
the cat down, Oh good lord, yeah. Uh. Two was
(31:26):
they would stick a catheter in the cat, uh anesthesia
uh and uh release whatever urine is in the bladder.
The third option, which uh the the the the doctor
uh the people over in the office suggested, was to
do all that and then keep the cat for three
(31:49):
days for observation, uh, to make sure that everything was
was okay.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
And if they had to.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Evacuate the bladder again, you know, the cat would You're
right there in their little hospital room there. That option, Tony,
was six thousand dollars for a fourteen year old cat
cat six grand Tony, I just want.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
To interject right now and say, this is why I
don't have pets, and this is why I was able
to look at my children and say, oh no, you're
not getting a dog. Now, stop mentioning it, go outside
and mow my lawn. At first I thought that that
conversation happened more than one, I bet well. At first
I thought that that.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Quote was outrageous, and then I realized it's not outrageous
because there are people out there who would spend six
thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Now my question to you, Tony and each rink smoke Nation.
By the way, the cat is still alive. We chose
option two, which was okay, clean the cat out and
then we'll at home and will observe the cat ourselves,
which cost dozens of dollars as opposed to five to
(33:09):
six thousand dollars. But if it comes to the point
where it's a five or six thousand dollars hospital bill,
for a cat. And and by the way, I don't
know the condition of the gecko with the golstones. I'm
sure that he pulled through. Am I the worst person
(33:29):
in the world to think five or six thousand dollars ridiculous?
Even the cost of what we paid to do that procedure.
I'm not going to get into how much it was.
All I can tell you is, with the amount of
money I spent, I could have bought a new cat. Wow, yeah,
you are going to get so now that's getting emails.
(33:50):
Could have bought a new cat.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Listen carefully. I don't care what anybody says. Economic reality
is economic reality, and there are things you simply knot
forward to do, even if you love your pet, even
if you're good to the pet, even if you just
like the pet. Sure, there are people out there who
will spend unlimited amounts of money on their pet. And
some of it is, like one could argue, rational, they
(34:14):
have the money. Some of it is irrational because they
have an irrational connection to the pet. And some people
just really love their pets and this is what matters
to them, et cetera. It doesn't make you a bad
person if you don't spend six thousand dollars. It just doesn't.
It's it's it just doesn't. That's real money. You did
the option, that makes sense. You didn't say, well bye cat.
(34:35):
You had the you didn't, though you have thought about it.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Well, here's you know, like I said, missus Malloy's at
the hospital, I'm a bad sleep and you know, the
teenage daughter is sitting there going, we're not gonna put
down Prickly Pete, are we right?
Speaker 2 (34:53):
And then you're in a terrible situation where.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
You're like, listen, we all love Prickly Pete, but Prickly
Pete is fourteen years old, had a great run. Six
grand is ridiculous. It's it's for us, it's ridiculous. Now,
I'm not criticizing anyone who would spend that kind of
money on their pet. God bless you. But we we
chose option too, and again we for the price that
(35:16):
we could have bought a new cat, but we didn't. Yeah,
I also would have done option too.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I would. First of all, you would you at least
try you alleviate the pain, and you at least try
right that that that's I think that's the only rational
choice to make. And if there had been other issues,
then maybe option one would have been the option, because
that's also a humane thing to do in certain circumstances.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
I'm just sorry I didn't go because I would have
loved to have seen what a veterinary er looks like.
Is it like the whole Seinfeld thing with the squirrel
where they have tiny little instruments?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
I don't think. I don't know. No, no, there's so
many emails coming your way. That's Fingers at EA Drink
smokeshow dot com. But I want it known Fingers did
the right thing, and that cat is alive and well
and prickly Pete, we love you, It's true.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And he's peeing freely now oh on the new carpet.
Not yet, Day's nine O, and then option three will
be available at that point.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
The Room one oh one fifteenth anniversary cigar fifteen dollars
a stick. That's a yes from Room one oh one,
and the Town Branch the straight Aubourbon whiskey, which they
refer to as the true cask forty five dollars a bottle. Yeah,
but it's it's it's way too big for me.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
For the record, I wouldn't kill a cat over a
little bit of cat pon the carpet.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Good for you, Good for you. Find everything at Eat
Drink smokes dot com. I glad to clear that up.
S E Drink Smoke.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media on Twitter at
go Eat Drink Smoke, on Facebook, Facebook dot com slash
Eat Drink Smoke, and Instagram at Eat Drink Smoke Podcast
How many bourbons can you find under fifty dollars? The
correct the correct answer is four. It's EA Drink Smoke, Oh,
Tony katz w That is fingers Maloy find everything we
do at EA Drinksmoke show dot com. I went into
the local UH liquor store and I said, what did
I say to the ShopKeep?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
ShopKeep?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I need I need some bourbons under fifty dollars. Now
there were a nice selection of bourbons under fifty dollars,
not under thirty five under fifty. This is the new
world in which we live. And this right here is
town branch. Now there was a straight bourbon, and then
there was this what they call the true cask. Straight.
(00:47):
This fingers Maloy has no aid statement, but it would
have to be at least four years. We don't know
how old this is done. Oh you're through the nose.
He's gonna tell us five years. You are just ridiculous.
But it does come in fingers molloy at one hundred
and twelve proof. Ah, he always gives a plus or
(01:08):
anything over one hundred and twelve. What took me? I
knew nothing about the group Lexington Distilling. I believe is
it Lexington Brewing and Distilling, Lexington Brewing Co. Dot Com.
I think that's a very cool bottle. It's it's like
this perfect square ooops bout. That's that's it. That is it.
(01:31):
It's it's a very it was so much different than
everything else. Proof positive that the marketing works. I said,
all right, I will give this a go, one hundred
and twelve proof. I wanted to get you something that
was a little a bit higher in the proof there.
Don't know the mash bill. That's also an unknown. One
group over there, Whiskey Wash thought it was seventy two
(01:53):
percent corn, fifteen percent multed barley, thirteen percent rye, which
would say to me, that is a pretty sweet bourbon
right there. But the people at Lexington Brewing and Distilling
say it's undisclosed. So we're not one hundred percent sure
what the mash bill is. Right, that's the mix that
you have there as you're making the juice. We only
know it has to be fifty one percent corn by law.
(02:15):
If you don't know the laws and the rules and
regulations around bourbon, get our book Let's Go Bourbon. It's
available at Amazon dot com. Let's Go Bourbon. And of
course the companion. Let's go bbq, Let's go barbecue recipes,
Tips and tails from the pit. Talk to me about
the nose on this Fingersma.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Well, first of all, you said the theory on the
mash bill was seventy two percent corn.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
And thirteen percent rye.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And because on the nose fifteen percent rye, that's what
I'm thinking.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
They say fifteen percent multi barley.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Okay, Well there there definitely is not a rise by
some on the nose, that's for sure. It's very sweet,
it's but there's an ethanol on the nose a little
bit little, a little bit, little bit, little.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I'm getting oak.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
And for some reason, I'm talking directly into the glass
instead of the It's always important to talk into your glass.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Let your bourbon know you love it.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I love I love you.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How have you?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Ben?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Dude? That is that is big.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That's amazing. I'm not getting much.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ethanol, big giant nose. It is. It is sweet, it is.
There's definitely sweetness. Definitely a brown sugar in there for sure.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, and maybe a little bit of caramel, caramel, brown sugar, oak.
And man, I'm getting my nose really in there. I'm
getting a little bit of that ethanol you're talking about,
But it's not hitting me in the face.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Is it hitting in the face?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Yeah, but you're you're right there. There is a nice
oak past the ethanol. There's a nice oak undercurrent in
this well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I am very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And by the way, it is a very very pretty color.
That is a bright copper into orange right there. So there,
there's there's a little bit. It plays thin on the glass.
It doesn't seem very viscus, but there's a there's a
very attractive depth to that color. Like I almost wish
(04:15):
it was a little more red. Right. It's a little
too golden, uh for for where my maybe my eye
appeal is. But but it's it's nice. The more I
stare at it, the more I enjoy. It's vexing, if
you will. It is vexing, indeed nice. But enough with
the nose, enough with the look, fingers Moy, are you
ready for this?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I'm ready for this all week.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
This is town branch, the true cask straight bourbon. Uh.
You want to now do what fingers moy is doing.
It's called the Kentucky chew. You can move the juice
around the palette, try and get a feel for it.
I do believe in two SIPs. The first sip to
set the taste buds, the second sip to really get
an idea of the flavors. We got this neat in
the glen Cairn glass right the foot it bows out
(04:59):
comes back. You can really concentrate your nose in there.
Really take a look at it in the light fingers
what say you? Wow?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Okay, it's it's There's a nice little bit of spice there,
some cinnamon on the finish. That caramel is still there,
the vanilla is still there. Not as much oak as
I was expecting. Uh, it does not. So here's what's interesting.
There's a nice bit of sting on the tongue. But
when it comes to any kind of warmth in center chest,
(05:30):
things like that, a gentle warmth to me, it does
not play like it's over a hundred proof.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
It's it's got quite a few notes that appeal to me.
I'll be interested to see what you think, Tony.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Well, I am going in on this one hundred and
twelve proof right here. Now? Wait is it? Let me
let me douttle check. Hold on because each each strength,
each one could be a different right here. Now, No,
I'm absolutely right. This the one I grabbed right here,
(06:08):
one hundred and fourteen point six, not one hundred and twelve.
By the way, if you can figure out the difference
in that two point six, you are very very special.
We'd like to hire you for each drink smoke right here,
because this is batch ten, and each batch, depending on
the cask, right is gonna have itself a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So I've heard Batch ten is a little bit better
than Batch nine, but not quite as good as Batch eleven.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I'm going in. I'm not even gonna, not even gonna
the town branch, true cask, Kentucky straight berman here I go.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Oh, he's going in, ladies and gentlemen. And by the way,
the warmth has built up in the chest quite a bit.
He's doing what we like to call the Saganaw swish,
and his eyes nearly popped out of his head as
he's doing the Kentucky chew, the Memphis munch, the Chattanooga chomp.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Oh you ha ha smoth wow, uh huh oh, there's
a lot happening. Oh my, oh my, go on, what's happened?
That is so much ha ha, That is so much
(07:19):
sweeter when it first goes down. And now there's the
heat all mid back, tongue starting to build center chest. Yeah,
oh my god, it's weird. I literally said the words.
It doesn't seem like there's a viscosity that is molasses,
that is syrup on the tongue. That's crazy, Like, I
(07:44):
do want a cube on this very bad. Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
What amazes me about this is, you know, the the
heat in the in the chest has built right what
I tried mine three minutes ago, and I'm getting more
of a heat in the chest now than I did
thirty seconds after after I took my first sip.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Oh, oh, this is a day of bit you know what.
I feel the extra two point six proof now you
feel every single bit of that. Oh this might be
too big for me. I need it on a cube.
I think people are gonna fall in love with it.
You like big? This is way, this is way bigger
(08:29):
than I thought. Without being overly offensive to steal a
line from you, daddy, like this is interesting, town branch.
We'll get more into this. Keep it here. So in
a world where prices are going up, or maybe prices
have stabilized at the higher price, there are things still growing,
(08:50):
and shockingly, one of those things is cigars, tea, drink, smoke.
I'm Tony Katz. That is fingers malloy, cigar fishing, Nada.
With the story David Savona reporting first quarter imports of
cigars to the US up seven point two percent over
the first quarter of twenty twenty four. I have thoughts
(09:15):
because that number is giant, ninety three million cigars compared
to eighty seven million same period last year. That six
million cigars. So we see price increases. We're seeing signs
everywhere tariffs, this import costs, that production costs over there,
and we still have seven million more cigars. It doesn't
(09:36):
matter what the price point is, you still have people
wanting to smoke more.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I'm I would be interested to know when the
spike happened in the first quarter with some of this
uh happening as like a beat the tariff kind of thing,
where the you know, the imports really spiked before tariffs
started taking hold of the industry. But my question for
you is, I have not because my humidor right now
(10:07):
probably has I don't know, close to one hundred cigars
right I have not been lately going out and purchasing
cigars like you have. Have you noticed a difference in
pricing in the.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Last Absolutely, every price is higher, Every single price is higher.
It's not even a debate, and I think that you
are making a solid argument. People tried to pre buy
the tariffs. We saw this certainly in a whole bunch
of places where people bought more than they normally would have.
Of course we saw it, so it's certainly possible. But
(10:47):
now we have to ask ourselves, do we see a
slowdown coming? Now? Does this stabilize out? Because the product
still has the opportunity to be perishable, and you have
to make the assumption that the economy is good enough
that the buyer, the cigar smoker is still gonna come
(11:09):
into the shop or still go online and still buy
three four five sticks. You have to move the product,
so it definitely has a shelf life, Let's say, compared
to I don't know an orchid, but you I don't
know why, but you still have to be able to
move that product. So I think that this number is
a little more encouraging. And I wonder if this is
(11:33):
people saying, well, if I can't afford to go out
to dinner, well if I can't afford to do this thing.
I can still have a cigar in my home on
the back deck once a week, and that it becomes
my entertainment and that's where I'm gonna spend it. Maybe
it's that, maybe it's a mix of the thing.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
I'd be interested. I would love to talk to a
few lounge owners who allow you to bring your own
cigar into the lounge to smoke, to see if people
are doing that more. You know, I saw a discussion
on a board the other day over on Facebook of
(12:13):
cigar smokers talking about lounges charging cutting fees. If they're
seeing customer behavior changing because of the price increases, where
maybe people want to still have that sense of community
going to the lounge, but they're bringing sticks from home
more as opposed to buying cigars from the lounge.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
They still want that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
That scene of being in a cigar lounge, but maybe
are they bringing more of their own from home and
are they willing to pay the cut fee. I'd be
interested to know if things have changed a little bit
in the last week.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
We could ask some people, we do an informal survey. Certainly,
if you've got a lounge, reach out to us let
us know fingers at et Drink Smoke show dot com.
We'd love the answer the question. But also going with trends,
the non alcoholic beer trend continues to rise, continues to grow.
One in three Americans are drinking less alcohol. Twenty seven
percent of twenty one to twenty nine year olds drink
(13:15):
non alcoholic beverages weekly. This is about health. This is
about some people say affordability. I'm not one hundred percent
sure about that. I will tell you that I have
kids in that gen Z world. They are going to
the gym every day. They work jobs, part time jobs
(13:37):
right now, college and other things. They go to the
gym every day for an hour and a half a day.
They are very, very focused on the health. No one
has said to me, man, I really wish I had
a non alcoholic beer. I haven't seen that one yet.
But this trend is legit. I think we're past the
point of trend. We're into some players in this space.
(14:03):
I know Best Day is one of them. The people
are athletic. Are are another non alcoholic beer. They have
real opportunity to own a market segment, and it may
not be as big as other market segments. But it
can make you a whole bunch of loop.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Yeah, the craft beer industry really has to look at
this and figure out a way to capitalize on this
as you're seeing younger people drifting away from drinking alcohol.
I saw a piece the other day. I wish I
had it in front of me. It was a survey,
and of course, you know, you don't want to focus
on this necessarily because it's underage drinkers. But the amount
(14:41):
of kids in high school who are drinking alcohol now
compared to twenty thirty years ago, it's way down, which
kind of goes hand in hand with once they reached
the age of drinking, younger people are drinking less. So
is it the same thing as I was referring to
when it comes to the people who enjoy going to
the cigar lounge? Are you seeing young people who want
(15:05):
that sense of community and like the craft beer and
they see some of their friends maybe enjoy the the
IPAs And I didn't know where you were going with that. Okay,
I'd like to go to the brewery and hang out
with my friend, but I want to drink. Maybe you're
gonna see more craft beer people say, Okay, we're gonna
start focusing and trying to grab some of these people
(15:27):
who would be interested in coming to the brewery, but
they don't drink alcohol.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
As we have seen many, many times, if there's an
opportunity to grab audience, to build audience, these people are
nimble and they are capable. What's interesting here is that
the idea of well, it's just a trend. I think
we're past that. I think we're into locked in. What
I don't know is to what percentage. So it's much
(15:55):
easier to say I'm gonna go to the gym every
day when you have zero responsibilities, when you have you
don't have kids, you don't have a mortgage, anything else.
Mom still makes the greatest food in the world. Right
life is life is very very easy. So does the
thing that the twenty one year old do does now
and I'm you know, home for summer break or whatever
(16:17):
the case may be. I'm not saying they should be
living at home at twenty one. Does that change when
they're twenty four to twenty five, twenty six and they're like,
you know what, screw it, give me a beer and
a different mentality, et cetera. I think that's going to
that will have some rational drop off, But everything about
this and how long this has been going on, I
(16:39):
think we're past. I think we are past the point
of phase. And I'm sure there are many breweries saying, hmm,
how do we get our share of the pie?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
My question is are you seeing younger people I don't
have the stats in front of me, who are turning
to marijuana based products too and turning their backs on alcohol.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Because of it.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, there's a whole conversation that there's also not only
a move towards fitness among gen z with so many
people on the ozempics with Govi's maunjaros, that it's it's
curbing their appetite four alcohol. Yeah, and they're just not
drinking like they used to the point is that this
is a move that I'm simply just not interested in.
(17:16):
That's it just does not there's no appeal for me
yet non alcohol iPAH, gosh, eat, rink, smoke. It is
your cigar bourbon footy extravaganza. I'm Tony Katz, that is
fingers more. I find everything at EA terriningksmokeshow dot com.
Smoking the fifteenth anniversary from Room one oh one Cigars
Dick Raguin throughout a six five fifty two. I'm working
(17:38):
towards the final third of this cigar. It's big, it
is absolutely big. And what's interesting is you had talked
about how that pepper has has subsided. I think some
sweetness has picked up, but I think that pepper is
still absolutely there. I'm a little surprised that I find
it just a bit more monotone then I thought it
would be. These flavors are are are stick with it
(18:01):
the whole way, but it is a big, big, big
stick in terms of full I can said there's absolutely
a full cigar, but fifteen dollars is a really good
price point for this. I think there are a couple
in my humidor not a box. There's something really nice here,
(18:23):
and I'm wondering if in this final third I'm about
to get some of that floral and citrus that I
was getting on the cold draw. I'm wondering if now
it's going to make itself available for me.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
It's a battle now between a wood note and leather,
and that's about it.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
The pepper has subsided.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
I have had a little bit of trouble keeping it lit,
but that may have a lot to do with what
happened when I first cut the cigar, and I've been
putting it down a little bit. I would definitely still
I would like to try another one and try not
to crack the wrapper this time or next time. But
I think I would like to have one or two
(19:05):
of these in my humidor Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I just don't know if I'm there on the box.
I just I don't know if I am. I was
checking out a stogypress dot com, not familiar with the guys.
They gave it a huge, huge rating and said it
was a box by Oh wow. So it's just a
difference in pallettes, right, that's all it is. I'm not
saying they're wrong. I'm not saying I'm wrong. I'm saying,
(19:28):
for my pallette, it's a couple in the humid door.
It isn't by the box. So this is what we're smoking.
What we are drinking is from a town branch coming
in one hundred and fourteen proof. This is called their cask,
True Cask, Kentucky Strait Bourbon whiskey. I have a cube
(19:50):
on mine. Fingers will added a little bit of water
in his water will bring down proof. Water makes some flavors,
more pronounced, some more muted. This had a lot, a
lot of lot of bigness. I believe the word we
were looking for was bigness. Molasses and and a heat
that was building, and definitely some oak undercurrent.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Sweet cinnamon on the finish. Yeah, I was more heat
for me. But okay, okay, but I'm with the Cube.
I'm I'm I'm hoping for a little more balance. Find
out he's going in ladies and gentlemen seeking balance. He's
doing what we like to call the saganaw swish hope.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Oh Episode three fifty Clarkson he drinks smoke.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
That's the first time I've heard him yell nope.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Oh. First of all, this is episode number three hundred
and fifty for us. It's very impressive stuff. All right,
that's pretty good. It hits so big, so so big.
But yeah, the you know what this is for somebody there, guys, uhh, this.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Is for somebody?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Oh god?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Oh too big? Oh okay.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
I feel it everywhere, I feel it everywhere. I really
thought the ice was gonna bring some things down. It
did sweeten it up a little, which is kind of fascinating.
It mellowed the sweet and enhanced the sweet, but didn't
didn't bring it fingers now, Fingers only added a little
bit of water to his.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Okay a, it brought out, Oh my god, more of
the sweet, a caramel. There's some vanilla there, a little
bit more oak than I than I remember from you know,
just having it neat Uh that that cinnamon on the
(21:58):
finish that I was talking about isn't necessarily there anymore.
There's a little bit more of a spice. And I
hesitate to say this because it is exact. It was
exactly what happened the last time, not feeling hardly any
warmth in the chest at all. Three minutes from now,
maybe a whole different story. I like it better with
a little bit of water in.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
It, Fingers Billowy. This is the town Branch, true cask
Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. There's the heat. Yeah, you know,
this is a little David Letterman. There's a little David
Letterman to that, h though there's a lot of David
Letterman into this. Well. David Letterman is what we call
(22:40):
something that makes you go, is this in your liquor cabinet?
For forty five dollars a bus you see he's correct.
It is absolutely in your liquor cabinet for forty five bucks.
There's not a debate. If you like Big, if you
(23:02):
don't like Big, oh oh, nope, no, no way. I'm
telling you that I would have this in my liquor cabinet.
For other people, there's no I'm not pulling this out.
I get it, I understand it. Nope. But am I
(23:25):
recommending it ten thousand percent? Because for forty five dollars,
that's nuts. It's not even my kind of bourbon. And
that could make that could make the end of the
year list, because there is just I can respect that.
There's a ton good happening there.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
I'm telling you that's the kind of bottle. You bring
that to a party and people are going to be
talking about that.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, I think that's the kind of bottle
that for the people in your world that are like,
they consider themselves bourbon people and they want to practice,
they want to learn, they want to understand flavors, and
go to it out outrageously impressed. Even though I will
never sip it again, I think I mean I will
(24:13):
try it another time. That's something that is something, but
it's time fingers Maloy for News of the Week.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Well, Tony, I, you know, hesitate breeding this up because
the numbers, unfortunately are only going to get worse as
we're recording this, but we we have to address it.
An update just flashed as we're recording. The death toll
from those Texas floods has risen to one hundred and
(24:40):
nineteen as we're speaking right now, and they're they're searching.
I guess another one hundred and seventy three are still missing.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
This is brutal, and people, of course did the thing
that they do, and they went political with it, and
we're not interested in any of that. We're on a
good amount of stations in Texas and we appreciate every
single one of them in Levi kN Abilene and Houston
and all around, and not every place is near Kerrville
(25:08):
and where this took place on the Guadalupe River. But
first things first, this is a horror story. This is
absolutely a horror story. The lives lost, the family's decimated.
There's just no describing and understanding it. We don't have
a word that's gonna possibly explain how sorry we are
for all these people, for these families, for those who
(25:29):
are who are impacted in every every way. We do
know that if there is anything going on in Texas
that we can help with any fundraising that we can do,
we will come down. We will do the show a
live We will pay our own way for this. We
will take we will take care of it. That you
(25:50):
just recommend to us a good barbecue place. That's all
we ask. We will We're happy to because uh, there's
there's the conversation of if you want your politics to
rule your life or if you want your humanity to
rule your life. And I'm not saying there aren't gonna
be serious questions asked. The evacuation plan was approved for
(26:10):
that camp that was right there on the banks two
days before this flood hit. You have Austin police, that
Austin Fire that did not give assistance. There's a whole
no confidence vote going on as soon, if not by
the time you already hear this with the Austin Fire chief. Like,
there's real stories here of possible mistakes, of possible what
(26:34):
in the world were you thinking? And of course just
an act of God. I mean, floods do happen.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
In this area.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
You can't mistake playing politics with asking honest questions about
leading up to this flood and then the response afterwards.
Those are questions that need to be asked, maybe a
little later, not right now.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Anything we can do at Eat Drink Smoke to help,
We're there. Just ask We're in reach out now. If
you have been following Eating Smoke at all, and you
should at eatingsmokeshow dot com and of course the podcast
wherever it is you get your podcast. You know that
Fingers Maloy has been moving its featuring smoke. I'm Tony Katz.
(27:16):
That is Fingers Maloy again, eatingsmokeshow dot com and get
the podcast wherever it is you get your podcasts, download, subscribe,
do all the things would you please? And it has
not been a It has not been the smoothest move. No,
he foolishly moved himself. Yes, and he is what we
call in the business a moron. Yes for doing so. Absolutely,
(27:39):
I'm sorry. I love you. It's been a lot of
years of friendship that you moved yourself as insane. Well,
when you just say yes, when you're as strong as
an ox like I am, just say you were okay,
I was wrong, but in the middle of the move,
because that's not stressful enough, that's not insane enough. This
(28:00):
would be a good point to mention that Fingers Maloy
has a cat family cat. Now I noticed, I said
has because the worst did not come. This happened. He's
started telling me the story. I said, oh no, no, no, no,
save this Retrinx smoke Nation. He says, the cat wasn't peeing,
(28:22):
and that's what I said, Shush, you just hush yourself.
You hush yourself. You bring that to the nation, and
you explain this story. You're in the middle of the movie.
You don't have all your stuff there. You still got
to get the other house and get it on the
market and everything else. And all of a sudden, the
cat turns to you and says, Dad, assuming that's the cat, said,
you're not gonna believe this exactly what happened. So we
(28:43):
adopted this cat five years ago, hard luck case, nine
year old tabby cat, whiskers prickly Pete. I'm listen, I'm
not going to use the real cat's the cat's real name,
because I'm getting into a medical history and the cat
deserves privacy. Tony, I just want you to know I've
(29:03):
no fingers, only my whole life. First time I ever
knew he had a cat. I've been to his house.
I had absolutely no idea there was a cat. I
never know I have I stepped on the thing. I
have no idea. Like, I feel awful. It was you
that was not me.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Go ahead, so, prickly pe, prickly pete. It has been
off since we moved. And it can be a traumatic
experience for a pet to be moved to a different house.
You actually have to introduce the cat to its new environment.
You leave them in a room for a day or two.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, they can get angry ornery. They may try to
mark their territory. Oh that stinks, all right.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
That's possible.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
So but he was whining a lot, and then we
noticed that he was a few nights ago in pain
and very lethargic. And I can spot something lethargic from
a mile away. That's my middle name, right. So he's
laying on his side, it's eleven o'clock at night, he's
moaning in pain, and Missus malloy notices in his litter
(30:08):
box that there's no evidence of any.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Pee.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
The cat is moaning, yes, and so.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
So Missus Molloy and my daughter take the cat to
the er, to the vet er, and they're in there,
and they're in there for several hours.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
They have to wait.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I guess they were in the other room there was
a gecko with gallstones or something, I don't know. And
they're waiting there very patiently. And I'm thinking at this point,
the cat is fourteen years old. Now I'm told Tabby's
can live to be twenty, okay, but I'm thinking, in
my mind, fourteen years old. That's a that's a heck
(30:56):
of a run right there. All right, right, I'm thinking, okay,
it's it's curtains for prickly pete.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
They examine the cat and uh they give us three options.
Uh the cat has a bladder obstruction. One of the options, tony. Uh,
there were well, there were three options. One uh put
the cat down, Oh good lord, yeah. Uh. Two was
(31:26):
they would stick a catheter in the cat, uh anesthesia
uh and uh release whatever urine is in the bladder.
The third option, which uh the the the the doctor
uh the people over in the office suggested, was to
do all that and then keep the cat for three
(31:49):
days for observation, uh, to make sure that everything was
was okay.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
And if they had to.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Evacuate the bladder again, you know, the cat would You're
right there in their little hospital room there. That option, Tony,
was six thousand dollars for a fourteen year old cat
cat six grand Tony, I just want.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
To interject right now and say, this is why I
don't have pets, and this is why I was able
to look at my children and say, oh no, you're
not getting a dog. Now, stop mentioning it, go outside
and mow my lawn. At first I thought that that
conversation happened more than one, I bet well. At first
I thought that that.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Quote was outrageous, and then I realized it's not outrageous
because there are people out there who would spend six
thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Now my question to you, Tony and each rink smoke Nation.
By the way, the cat is still alive. We chose
option two, which was okay, clean the cat out and
then we'll at home and will observe the cat ourselves,
which cost dozens of dollars as opposed to five to
(33:09):
six thousand dollars. But if it comes to the point
where it's a five or six thousand dollars hospital bill,
for a cat. And and by the way, I don't
know the condition of the gecko with the golstones. I'm
sure that he pulled through. Am I the worst person
(33:29):
in the world to think five or six thousand dollars ridiculous?
Even the cost of what we paid to do that procedure.
I'm not going to get into how much it was.
All I can tell you is, with the amount of
money I spent, I could have bought a new cat. Wow, yeah,
you are going to get so now that's getting emails.
(33:50):
Could have bought a new cat.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Listen carefully. I don't care what anybody says. Economic reality
is economic reality, and there are things you simply knot
forward to do, even if you love your pet, even
if you're good to the pet, even if you just
like the pet. Sure, there are people out there who
will spend unlimited amounts of money on their pet. And
some of it is, like one could argue, rational, they
(34:14):
have the money. Some of it is irrational because they
have an irrational connection to the pet. And some people
just really love their pets and this is what matters
to them, et cetera. It doesn't make you a bad
person if you don't spend six thousand dollars. It just doesn't.
It's it's it just doesn't. That's real money. You did
the option, that makes sense. You didn't say, well bye cat.
(34:35):
You had the you didn't, though you have thought about it.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Well, here's you know, like I said, missus Malloy's at
the hospital, I'm a bad sleep and you know, the
teenage daughter is sitting there going, we're not gonna put
down Prickly Pete, are we right?
Speaker 2 (34:53):
And then you're in a terrible situation where.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
You're like, listen, we all love Prickly Pete, but Prickly
Pete is fourteen years old, had a great run. Six
grand is ridiculous. It's it's for us, it's ridiculous. Now,
I'm not criticizing anyone who would spend that kind of
money on their pet. God bless you. But we we
chose option too, and again we for the price that
(35:16):
we could have bought a new cat, but we didn't. Yeah,
I also would have done option too.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I would. First of all, you would you at least
try you alleviate the pain, and you at least try
right that that that's I think that's the only rational
choice to make. And if there had been other issues,
then maybe option one would have been the option, because
that's also a humane thing to do in certain circumstances.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
I'm just sorry I didn't go because I would have
loved to have seen what a veterinary er looks like.
Is it like the whole Seinfeld thing with the squirrel
where they have tiny little instruments?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
I don't think. I don't know. No, no, there's so
many emails coming your way. That's Fingers at EA Drink
smokeshow dot com. But I want it known Fingers did
the right thing, and that cat is alive and well
and prickly Pete, we love you, It's true.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And he's peeing freely now oh on the new carpet.
Not yet, Day's nine O, and then option three will
be available at that point.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
The Room one oh one fifteenth anniversary cigar fifteen dollars
a stick. That's a yes from Room one oh one,
and the Town Branch the straight Aubourbon whiskey, which they
refer to as the true cask forty five dollars a bottle. Yeah,
but it's it's it's way too big for me.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
For the record, I wouldn't kill a cat over a
little bit of cat pon the carpet.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Good for you, Good for you. Find everything at Eat
Drink smokes dot com. I glad to clear that up.
S E Drink Smoke.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media on Twitter at
go Eat Drink Smoke, on Facebook, Facebook dot com slash
Eat Drink Smoke, and Instagram at Eat Drink Smoke Podcast
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