Jack Daniel's Chicken?

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I am a fan of Michael Herklotz. I think that
when it comes to attitude, a belief in industry, and
a belief in self, I think Herklotz has got it together. No,
don't get me wrong, he's he's a bit of a fashionista,
and that not one hundred percent of my style. But
when it comes to cigars all day, it's eat, drink smoke,

(00:25):
I'm Tony Katz. That right there is America's favorite amateur
drink our fingers malloy. I first met Michael Herklotz when
he was working at the Gnat Sherman Townhouse in Manhattan,
first time I had ever met him. At the pleasure
to be able to hit that store a couple of times.
Then when Nat Sherman sold and he was starting Ferry Otago,
the Generoso, the Allegancia, the Suma, which most people know

(00:48):
and really really enjoy, he then took back those not
Sherman names, Metropolitan and the Timeless and started bringing those
back to the American smoker. Well, he has been very busy.
Farry Otago is now four years old and he has
with this The Timeless a TAA exclusive. So this is

(01:10):
the Tobacconist Association of America. Every now and then you'll
see cigars that's say taa, that's what it is. This
was made for them. This is the twenty twenty four Toro.
This is a six by fifty, which means it's six
inches long. Always makes fingers from oly laugh. And the
ring gauge is a fifty the diameter of the cigar
or how thick it is around again with the laughter.

(01:32):
A sixty ring gauge is a sixty four ring gauge, sorry,
is a full one inch around. This is the right
kind of size. This is made over there in the
Placentia factory where Michael Herclot's at Ferry Otago does a
bunch of work. And just this it's this is Nicaraguan
throughout right. It's is a Nicaraguan puro. That is a

(01:53):
supple supple wrapper. It's got a little bit of swede
to it. It's got a little bit of oil to it,
little bit of a glassy feeling to it all the
way around U slippery. The wrapper feels buttery and looks luxurious.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Yeah, the presentation is outstanding. The hand feel is just
all it's almost a little beefy it's a little beefy.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, right, and we like that.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Here cross a cigar that has some weight to it
as beefy. If it's too light, it's a whiffleball bat. Yes,
but we just lit this. We're just in the first
third of the first third.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
And I don't know about you, Tony, but right away
I get some some wood notes and a nice bit
of pepper, and there's a little bit of sweetness that
I can't quite put my finger on.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
There is an absolute sweetness that hits right off the
bat and then gets backfilled by a little bit of
that spice on the front of the tongue and towards
the back of the tongue. Now not tip of tongue,
front of tongue, which is most people feel it, you know,
right there?

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Eh? Right? What was that again? Right there? Okay, this
is the front of the tongue. Is where this is.
I think that this is not my first one of these. Ah.
I want to know in the entirety.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Of the Phario Tago line where this has been. This
to me is an absolute freaking winner. First of all,
that construction is fantastic. The weight of the cigar. I'm
so glad you pointed that out. It just feels so
much better. You you are, you are made aware of

(03:33):
the fact that this has got some density and some depth,
I'm telling you. And it could be that the black
and gray band is so absolutely perfect with that little
bit of gold for the Phariotago and the red riding
of the twenty twenty four. It's the taa that that
was the year. It's just everything about this presentation is

(03:56):
luscious and what you get match, which is the look
of the cigar, the band, the everything. To me, the
first thing that hit me after smoking this was this
was the most truth in advertising cigar that I've had
in a good long time.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
I'll tell you something that really struck me to when
we first lit this and as we're getting into the
first third, is that draws outstanding? Yeah? This, you know,
I don't want to jump to conclusions and I don't know,
you know, when we're talking about price point things of
that nature. We'll get to that later in the show.

(04:32):
But so far, I'm thinking to myself, Wow, if we
were ever ranking early on the Cigars of the year,
so far this this is fantastic and it would be
in the running for me.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
And now I.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Will say this. So first this plays in the medium
full full category. Secondly, this is not for everybody, and
I could see people saying, no, this is too much
of this, too much of that. It's weird that this
has more spice then maybe I normally go for in
a cigar. But there is something that it is the

(05:07):
balance rate aspect for me. There's some flavor in there
that is so moving me in such a way, with
a lusciousness, with a creaminess and it's I don't I
don't know if it's nutty, and I don't know if
it's like if I said a leather cream let sorry,
a leather custard. That more explains what I get out

(05:32):
of out of this cigar, uh than anything else.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
That's the kind of flavoring I get.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
So there's that spice there, but there's this richness there
that's just a little deeper than other things. So when
I smoke, for example, the generalso from Farry Otago and
that the spice is really high on that.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
And I can appreciate it. Not for me, right, and
it used to.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Be I was kind of more into it, and I'm
kind of morphed in that way. Uh, it's it's this
is playing more in in these in these flavors that
are really are are are are just hitting me beautifully.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
And I'm gonna say leather custard. Okay, we can go
with leather custard.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
I'm going with leather custard.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
I you know, since I've completely pulled out my jump
to conclusions Matt today when it comes to the cigar.
The other thing that I am interested in, you know,
as far as your opinion is when it comes to
this is are you worried at all that at this
point of course, the scar's most like going to change

(06:36):
as we get into the second third and the final
Oh gosh, but at this point I would all almost
be worried about what we would be pairing this with
because the stick could overpower some things.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, since it's already on the table, if you're watching
the video, you know, I got a rum for today.
I have a twelve year rum for us to engage
and joy with. And chicken is coming up?

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's we're full on today. Is
it in pot pie form?

Speaker 2 (07:06):
It is in Jack Daniel's form. Oh wow, I'm I'm
not good. And the mashed potatoes were mashed by these
two hands. If these two hands belong to my wife,
these two indeed from Farry Otago The Timeless TAA twenty
twenty four. First, grab your notebook. What did you eat today?

(07:28):
What did you drink today? All those things are going
to affect your palette. Then take the cigar, break it
up into thirds, first, third, second, third, final third. What
are the flavors you're getting from each third? When you
try the cigar a month from now, six months from now,
you go back and you do the same thing, and
you check your notes, really get your your your through
line there, what it is the flavors that you got
out of it. I'm here to tell you this. This

(07:51):
cigar for me, there is something about how the how
that spice lays, There's something about that that leather richness.
I'm calling it a hustard. It just hits me beautifully
and and it might not hit everybody this way. I've
heard people give different varying reviews of this stick. I
just think I just think it works perfectly for my palette.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (08:19):
This does really linger on the palette longer, you know,
per draw it is. It's something that I'm really going
to I'm really excited to see how this smoking experience
unfolds as we as we get into the second third, we.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
Will get into the price as well.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
But it's signed for some Jack Daniel's chicken, okay, and
I'll tell you where you can get it. So there
we were in our local supermarkets, and in many supermarkets
they may have a section of things that are discounted.

(08:58):
You've ever been into the discount section of any of
those places, of.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Course, I this is where I get about thirty percent
of my food. Right seat, drink smoke. I'm Tony Katz.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
That right there is America's favorite amateur drinker, Fingers Maloy. Well,
in the discount section there there was this Jack Daniels
pulled chicken.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Wow, ready made, just heat and serve.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
You can put it in an oven for three hundred
three hundred fifty degrees for thirty.

Speaker 1 (09:25):
Minutes, microwave three to four minutes, and then and then
serve it. And that's it.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
And you've got seasoned cooked chicken, and then a whole
bunch of stuff that I probably shouldn't.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
Read right now.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
All I know is it's two hundred fifty calories of
serving three servings per container.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
So that's basically what.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
We got out of this four grams of fat and
thirty four carbohydrates with thirty sugars outstanding. There's a lot
of sugar. Yeah, it is in this. So what we
did is we said, does this make a perfect, easy
to do, grab and fix comfort food food for the
football game.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
You just need to do something quick, simple. You don't
want to think.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
Now, we did make the mashed potatoes, yellow potatoes, butter cream,
half and half?

Speaker 1 (10:09):
Or do we use milk? No?

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Use milk, inness and salt. There's nothing kosher about this
because you're mixing the milk and the meat. I just
we have a lot of rabbis who listen. I need
to let them know. But there's nothing wrong with doing
something pre made, doing something quick. If you're you're serving,
you're serving for your family, you serving me a couple
of friends. Not everything has to be a massive production.
So saw this, it was like, yeah, absolutely no. You

(10:33):
you mentioned comfort food and football. The first thing I
thought of when you brought this over is I can
imagine a Saturday afternoon lunch because this is something that
you can throw together quickly. Yeah, where you're you know,
you're looking outside, the snow's coming down. You want something
a little bit warm, that'll be it'll be food for
your soul. You know, this is this is the kind
of stuff that would really hit the spot. And you

(10:53):
mentioned shepherd's pie. As you take a bite of it
right ahead, I want to know what you think of it.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
I did.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
I was having a whole conversation on a radio show
about shepherd's pie and stew and like, I've never been
one of those guys. I've never clamored for it or
anything else. But this is I mean, this is exactly.
This is a little bit deconstructed, if you will, a
poor man shepherd pie and a bowl. But this is
it mashed potatoes and meat with some kind of worthy sauce.

Speaker 1 (11:18):
Aside from the fact that this is too much sugar
for my life, where are you with this?

Speaker 3 (11:22):
Well, first of all, you can never have too much sugar.
Having said that, what's amazing about something like this is, uh,
you know, there's not a lot here. I mean you
you've got a little bit of mashed potatoes, a little
bit of chicken. But you know, when you're done with
this bowl, you're not gonna eat anything else. This is
this is gonna be hearty.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
You you seem.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
Confused, perplexed, what's wrong? Not this is it's actually pretty good.
It's wonderful.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
It's actually pretty good. So it's it. First of all,
it's it is sweet. It is definitely sweet. You definitely
want something with this. But I could see somebody while
as I sloppy joeing this. You know, this goes on
in a king's Hawaiian bun. Yes, with a little bit
of Coleslaw and your set.

Speaker 3 (12:10):
You could do a grab a whole package of Hawaiian
rolls and you know, slice them in half. Yep, do
a whole bunch of chicken sliders. It would be great.
I'm wondering with the potatoes, if it actually needs something
else that would be maybe salty to kind of go

(12:33):
with the sweet of the sugar.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
So you don't think the potatoes themselves are salty? Now,
uh no, you're saying, my wife makes terrible mashed potatoes.
Wow wowing, just said that right there. Maybe I think
that's a personal preference, But I don't think you're wrong.
I think what could go with this, And the reason
I think Coleslaw works is a little bit of crunch
to go with that. As a texture conversation, you can

(12:57):
also go with with some what what.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
This is going to anger you? A work with me
for a second. Chrispy onions, crunched up FreeDOS.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Do you want me see if I have some? No,
I totally have some. I'll go get some right now,
don't don't you think would that work?

Speaker 4 (13:17):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (13:17):
So kind of like walking taco stuff? Yes, yeah, salt.
That's why I was saying.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
I wasn't joking about crispy onions, which we buy by
the bag and put them on salads and stuff.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
Most people do that, stuff like on green beans and
things like that. Absolutely that would work.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
This works, yes, but you're but you're right if it
had a little bit of a salt crunch kind of
component to it. By the way, this whole thing and
this was how many ounces? So this was a pound
sixteen ounces. This was on sale for five dollars and
thirty nine top.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
You five point thirty nine.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
It is a struggle to find a hamburger at that
price a pound let alone. This is already pre cooked.
I would be interested to do a scientific experiment. Yes,
you got throwing up, not that, but that would be
fun too. You know when you when you get stuff

(14:13):
like this and they give you the heating instructions of
either warming it up in the oven versus for the microwave.
I would love to do a blind taste test where
you try both of them and if you really, if
the quality of warming it in the oven is that
much better than putting it in the microwave, do we
want to place bets?

Speaker 2 (14:31):
Because if you want to place bets, the oven is
a billion percent better than the microwave every day of
the week and twice on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Absolutely, I'm not arguing that.

Speaker 3 (14:39):
But is the quality of the dining experience of putting
that in the oven versus in the microwave and the
convenience of it, is it worth the extra time to
put it in the oven?

Speaker 2 (14:52):
I would argue it depends absolutely on what you're doing.
If you were putting something together for you in a
couple of guys halftime during the game, microwaves, fine, everybody
come in, dish themselves some out and be like, oh,
this is fantastic, especially for somebody like you who sets
up the whole TV thing outside.

Speaker 1 (15:12):
Yes, which you two, I mean, I never saw that
until you did that. I did not grow up that way. Honestly,
I didn't be to it so wow, I.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
Would I didn't grow up like you Hicks. That's what
you just said to me.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
That is so okay. I now do that. Oh my god.
It's the greatest. And the kids will hang out.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
It's like, this is awesome, this is fantastic, perfect, perfect.
You don't have to think about it. The only thing
I would say is if you're already doing the meat
ready made, if you will take the time to mash
the potato. If anything, if you're doing it with family,
it allows you a family moment. Get the kids in
on that. It gets them cooking, and I think that's

(15:58):
really important. Also, you have a better chance of regulating
some some healthiness of the food. By knowing the contents
of the mashed potatoes. You can determine that saltiness and
everything else and lower that and then add it in
other places with layers and textures.

Speaker 3 (16:12):
What about introducing smoke into this, You mean, like a
liquid smoke in the mashed potato? No, no, no, no,
you warm this up on a tragger.

Speaker 1 (16:22):
Honestly, I.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
Now the answer is absolutely, you can do it. What
would it matter? You just have it out there at
a number like two fifty or two twenty five. And
grab grab it when it's done. Just transfer the pan,
because I think that came in a like a paperish pan.
You gotta put it in a metal pan or in
a pyrex to do that.

Speaker 3 (16:45):
But I'd be interested to see if if you get
real flavor out of it, If you get real flavor
out of it, if it does something with the smoke
to negate some of the sweetness, if you feel like
it's too sweet for you.

Speaker 2 (16:56):
Jack Daniels pulled chicken with their Tennessee Jack Danielson, is
he whiskey barbecue sauce. Yeah, this was on sale for
five thirty nine. It's an absolute winner.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
All it needs is a TV outside with football all
honestly perfect, beyond perfect. It you can you don't have
to make everything by scratch. You can play with it.
Add it to the smoker, add some other things to it.
Check it out, Eat drink smoke It interes cigar Bourbon,

(17:29):
foody Extravaganza. I'm Tony Katz.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
That is fingers may find everything we do at Eat
drinksmokeshow dot Com from Farry Otago. This is the timeless
TAA Tobacco Association of America. This is the twenty twenty
four Nica Roguin throughout wrapper, binder filler. I'm telling you
that leather spice, custard, and even with having just having

(17:53):
the Jack Daniels pulled chicken, which is super sweet, the
spice is absolutely cutting through. I'm a huge fan of
this cigar right here, fingers Moy, and I'm blame you.
I am too.

Speaker 3 (18:06):
That spice for me has dissipated a little bit. There's
still that wood that I was talking about earlier, that
that sweetness is still there. Although again, like you said,
the Jack Daniels chicken medley messing, yeah, is messing with
my palette a little bit. So listen, We're still in

(18:29):
the first third of the cigar, but so far it's outstanding.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, I'm a very big fan, and I've seen some
people comment on it be like it's not like a
regular Timeless.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
Correct. I couldn't see it.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
It is absolutely not like a regular Timeless, But I
dig it. The question of fingers Moy is this and
this is a limited run of a cigar. I think
there are a thousand boxes, nine hundred boxes. They come
in a box of ten. Is this in your humid
or for nineteen dollars a stick. Yes, absolutely is and
I get it. It's expensive, and I'll say it again,

(19:04):
you'd be a lot happier if this was fifteen bucks.
Of course, you'd be a fifteen dollars all day on
this stick in nineteen Mikes, you go.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
And that's where we're at now.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
Later, I'll share my conversation with Michael Hrclottz, who is
a Farry Otago. He was here in Indianapolis at one
of our favorite places, Blend Bar Cigar a Blendbarsigar dot com,
and he was doing an event there and showing off
some of the new things going on with the Generoso
in the Algancia. And so we sat down and we talked.

(19:35):
I'll share that interview with you, but man, I would
like to see some more of this coming off the
line from Farry Otago. And we have a beautiful twelve
year rum. I should I say beautiful. I'm hoping it's
a beautiful twelve year rum. It's a pair of this
with that's coming up.

Speaker 1 (19:51):
But it's time Fingers Moloy for News of the week, now, Tony.

Speaker 3 (19:54):
This week, the Federal Reserve cut key interest rate down
to or by a quarter point, So you know there's
been speculation.

Speaker 1 (20:04):
No one happy.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
There's been speculation this was coming. There were some who
thought it may be a half point cut. It was
a quarter point. But they are going to meet again
in what October, I believe, so maybe there'll be another
quarter point cut by the end of the year.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
Maybe maybe. And they have the breakdown of how this went.
And only one person pushed for the half point. Everybody
else took the quarter point. Now, there are two things
to take from this. One is political and one is economic.
On the political, President Trump, who as we're talking right now,

(20:42):
is in London with King Charles it's a state visit,
is gonna lose his mind, is gonna call Jerome Powell,
Chairman of the Federal Reserve, every name he possibly can.
It's not enough, it's too late. Why aren't you doing enough?
And there's a lot of people on wallshoot are gonna
feel this way. And the market only went up two
fifty It didn't explode up seven hundred and eighty two points.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
That's tepid.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
The two fifty up, which is nice, is tepid. It's
a response of this is is not what. This is
not where we thought you guys were gonna go. This
is not what we wanted you guys to do. Now
there's a real conversation, in a conversation about mortgage rates
and other things, whether or not the cuts are baked
into the future, as very often, you'll sometimes see markets

(21:29):
not react the way we think they're gonna react because
they did that four months ago. They were already future
seeing and said this is the way things are gonna go,
and so therefore here's how we're already gonna reprice ourselves,
rethink ourselves. So that's the political The economics here says
that the inflation is not gone, and you can't lower.

Speaker 1 (21:51):
Interest rates if the inflation isn't gone.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
Inflation is too much cash in a system and not
enough stuff to purchase.

Speaker 1 (21:59):
That's what it is.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
And we are still there from just the all the
spending during COVID, so there's still too much cash in
the system that manufacturing has been down in the past
six months. I'm not I'm not going to boo or
cheer against a cut. I see how it's helpful for
Wall Street. I see it's how it's helpful from Midwest

(22:20):
Main Street in the acquiring of capital.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
I ain't gonna lie.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
I am absolutely concerned about inflation, and I'm concerned that
we're gonna cut too deep, too quick, and the inflation
is only going to get exacerbated.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
And that's the last thing we need. Yeah, that's the
last thing we need. It just feels like these are
strange times because you keep hearing about a labor market
that continues to soften, and yet you have the inflation
numbers as well. But retail sales again have been strong
the last couple of months. They you know, there was

(22:54):
a it was a point six percent increase in retail
sales in August. They revised July's gain to a zero
point five percent according to Reuter. So there are people
out there. They're still spending money. But everyone acknowledges that
prices still feel like they're going up. You go to

(23:14):
the grocery store, you know, ground beef is still ridiculously expensive.
So number one, everything feels strange.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
Number one, everything is too expensive, and ground beef absolutely is.
Thank goodness, we've got Defiance Beef. Defiancebef dot com. Use
promo code, eat, drink, smoke and get one hundred and
fifty dollars off your cow. You want, you want a
quarter of a cow.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
I have a cow, a.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
Whole cow butcher the way you like. I'm talking about
getting some chest freezers or emptying out what you've got
and get ready for the delivery. With Defiance Beef. They
come right from Indiana to the butcher to you. That's
how it works. Cut to your specification, cut to your thickness.
You want ribbis, you want strips? Do you want tenderlines?

Speaker 1 (23:58):
Ground beef? How much they're gonna get it to you?

Speaker 2 (24:01):
All vacuum packed twenty one day, aged every bit of
that beef age for twenty one days, so you've got
a tenderness, You've got a flavor, and man, incredible, incredible
on the grill. My order is placed. Fingers molloy. I
am waiting online. I can't wait to show it off
to you. Defiance Beef. Defiancebeef dot com. Use promo code Eat, Drink,

(24:25):
smoke and get one hundred and fifty dollars off your order.
And I am telling you that you take a look
at those store prices, you take a look at what's
happening at your local supermarket. I'm surprised more people aren't
up in arms. And I'm not kidding, I mean, I'm glad.
I'm thrilled that we have Defiance Beef as a sponsor
defines beef dot Com. I am hoping that when I

(24:49):
see this order, I'm like, yup, this is how I
do it now. I don't buy beef from the store anymore.
I do it through Definance beef dot Com. I do
it from that local farm, that local rancher, and I
am set for light because the economics of buying at
the store right now, I mean, it's not just beef.

Speaker 1 (25:07):
These prices are nuts.

Speaker 3 (25:08):
Can I share with you a story? I only wish
that just kind of ties into what you're saying, and
how wonderful would be to actually have your meat delivered
to your door instead of having to go to the
grocery store. I shop at a local chain here since
I moved. I'm not going to mention the name does
sound like, no, not going to do it because all
these no, I'm about to have a big bogers, going
to have a big gripe publics. I go into this

(25:31):
store Robertson's No, No, I go into this spor Are
we done? Can I Bathmark? Can I share? And can
we grow from the sharing? Can that happen?

Speaker 1 (25:42):
Brand Union? Okay, there it.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
Is, is there available?

Speaker 1 (25:50):
Belves. I go into the store and ben Dixie.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
You know, forget it, foodline, forget it. I go to
the grocery store and always an enjoyable experience.

Speaker 1 (26:01):
Aren't you impressed? I can name that many supermarkets. That
is that is impressive. That is that is impressive. All right,
go hu, tell you tell your story fresh market. No,
we don't have time. We don't have time. Now, way
we have time. Wait? Do you want to save it?

Speaker 4 (26:18):
I want it?

Speaker 1 (26:19):
You know, I will save it because it is.

Speaker 3 (26:20):
It is a rant, and I want to see if
it's just because I have horrible people skills and I
have a personality that pushes people away instead of embracing people,
or if I'm justified, justified in my frustration about this
particular grocery store.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
I'm willing to bet any amount of money without knowing
the story.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
This is really about you. I will bet all of
the dollars in my pocket.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
Wow, that is somehow you You did this wrong, and
you owe somebody in an apology.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
No I do not they owe me an apology? Is
that right? Yes? They do? Okay, we'll see all right.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
So it's not often that fingers Maloy is complaining. I
said it because it was funny.

Speaker 1 (27:08):
It's eat, drink smoke.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
I'm Tony Katz and that is America's favorite amateur drinker.
Fingers molloy. All right, so story time. You know I
was gonna crack the rum now, but we will.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
We will wait.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
Fingers, Uh, did you have last time we talked about
a hard experience?

Speaker 1 (27:25):
You had?

Speaker 2 (27:26):
It was at a movie theater called Imagine Yes Uh,
And they then reached out to us. Turned out to
be some of the greatest, greatest people, and we are
working on an event that's gonna be so cool, a
fantastic fundraiser, and hopefully we'll have details to talk about
next week. That would be amazing. But honestly, we talked
about this one movie theater where fingersmloy had the only

(27:47):
broken seat and we literally got we're getting calls with
the chief operating officer. It was a fantastic conversation. And
now we're gonna do some cool stuff and really help
a lot of people. So is this you griping because
you really want to help others?

Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yes? Or did something terrible happen to here?

Speaker 3 (28:03):
I feel like I when I share this story and
I can mention names if you want me to mention.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
This is a public service announcement that you're doing right now.

Speaker 3 (28:10):
I feel like what I am doing is sticking up
for the American consumer who just wants to go into
a grocery store and not be hassled.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
I want you to tell.

Speaker 2 (28:20):
The story, and then after the story, we'll decide together
me and Eatering Smunk Nation, whether you should tell us
the name.

Speaker 1 (28:28):
Of the supermarket. Okay, so these are two companies that
have angered me. Two.

Speaker 3 (28:35):
So I go to this new grocery store that is,
by my story scared. It's not a new grocery store.
It's new to me, okay, but it is a at
least in the Midwest, I believe, a very recognizable name
in the grocery store business.

Speaker 1 (28:50):
Is that right?

Speaker 3 (28:51):
Yes, three times a week I go in there because
you know, I go in for the family, and then
Fingers Moly Senior has moved in, and I'm I'm running
in there to grab a couple of things, and.

Speaker 1 (29:01):
Fingers molloy seeing your shops on his own schedule. That's
true too, Yes he does.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
But sometimes I run in there on my way home
from one of the fourteen gigs that I have having
said that, So I'm in there two or three times
a week, and yeah they should by Now I go
to buy the meat section and there are two to
three people standing there.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
What are they doing trying to get me to switch
my cellular service? I'm sorry, what now you heard me?

Speaker 3 (29:35):
I'm just minding my own business, leaving the bakery section
of the grocery store, heading what I get? Oh, pumpkin roll.
It's fantastic. Although oh like it's kind of like it's like, yeah,
oh magnificent. Notice it's not pumpkin coffee, but it goes
well with coffee, the pumpkin roll.

Speaker 1 (29:57):
So you get yourself a pumpkin.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
Everything is great, every things coming up fingers right.

Speaker 3 (30:01):
And so I'm heading to the meat section and there
are three guys and they every time, it's like it
never fails. I walk there, good afternoon, sir, how you
doing today? And they at this point they have to
tell by my body language, I'm like, oh, for crying
out loud, can I just grocery shop? Do I have

(30:24):
to have an added solicitor while I am walking through
hassling me. It's not once, it's every freaking time I
walk in there, and it's always different people because that
has to be a tough gig.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
So you're in the meat section looking for steak, and
someone walks up to you and says, what.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
Sir, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (30:49):
Listen, we have a great deal in partnership with this
grocery store chain. We can give you an excellent deal
on cell service and you can get the data and
the cell and then we'll give you a phone. And
I at that point, I said, listen, I said no
the first time. This is the fiftieth time. And I

(31:10):
do my best to not get a tulippy with them
and show my real frustration because, like I said, it
is a different person every time, because I can only
imagine how difficult it is to hassle people in a
grocery store who they already have a phone in their hand.
Most people at the grocery store don't want to be
there to begin with. They want to be with whoever

(31:32):
is on the phone that they're texting or they're getting
on social media.

Speaker 1 (31:36):
They don't want to be there. And then somebody comes
up and then says, hey.

Speaker 3 (31:39):
There, Joe, how would you like a great cell phone
deal from this company? Because you're in this store, and
I'm thinking to myself, I'm not for long if I
keep getting hassled about cell service.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
I can go to many other grocery stores in the
area that don't do this. So is this the only
store of this happens to you?

Speaker 3 (31:57):
Yes, the only grocery now, But it does happen at
one of the big.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yes, the big box cost code does this. Pj's does this? Absolutely,
they do.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
And so I'm now going to tell you do you
want my thoughts on this? Like?

Speaker 1 (32:13):
Is there a question involved here? Are you wrong? Or
are they wrong? Am I wrong for saying enough?

Speaker 3 (32:19):
If you want to do it on the outside of
the building where I can completely avoid you, Okay, fine,
But when you're smack dab in the middle of the
grocery store, I think at that point the grocery store
is not being very thoughtful to their customers.

Speaker 5 (32:35):
Okay, I will tell you. I've heard you, you are seen. Yes,
I hear you. You're a real person, You exist, and
you have feelings, and I'm thrilled that you feel safe
here with Eat Trink Spoke Nation to share those feelings
with us. I would throw the general manager of the

(32:58):
store in jail.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
Thank you. Thank you. What's the name of the supermarket Kroger?

Speaker 2 (33:04):
You're out of your mind. Kroger based in Cincinnati, right
down the road. You're out of your mind. Out of
your mind. Shopping experience includes the ease of shopping and
someone trying to sell me on AT and T wireless.

Speaker 1 (33:21):
I don't know if it was AT Mobile.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
That's wrong and I'm not against T Mobile, nor am
I against Kroger. I utilize Kroger not too far from
where I live, but that is a go to jail offence.
And by the way, I'm not talking about fun jail.
I'm talking gen pop. You are wrong, You will always

(33:44):
be wrong. Make sure this gets to the head of
mister Kroger himself.

Speaker 1 (33:50):
You're wrong.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
We the people have spoken. We ad eat, drink, smoke
Nation want you to know that it is such a terrible, awful, miserable,
very bad idea that I could absolutely see. While I
am not calling for a boycott, I could absolutely see
people saying I'm going to shop somewhere else because that
is uncomfortable.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yes it is. And again, you.

Speaker 3 (34:14):
You want to voice your frustration, but you don't necessarily
want to do it at the people who are just
doing their job, because, like I said, it's not like
it's the same guy who you know sees me three
times a week and is saying, how about now.

Speaker 1 (34:29):
So if I could give you one thing that I
think you could you could do here.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
I want you to go to another supermarket, like in Albertson's,
and I want you to grab a bunch of like
their loyalty cards. And the next time you're at Kroger
and someone comes up to you and they say, hey,
how you doing today, you should say to them because
you'll know because that's the code.

Speaker 1 (34:49):
Yes, you said, oh my gosh, I'm doing great. How
are you doing? Listen?

Speaker 2 (34:52):
I think you should change your supermarkets. Check out Albertson's.
They've got all the deals at Albertson's. Oh my gosh,
have you seen their vegetable selection. It's incredible. Everybody loves it,
including that guy, that chick who was married to Dean Warmer.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
They love the vegetables over it. That's that's what I
would do.

Speaker 2 (35:09):
If you want to go create that video of us
trying to sell the T mobile people on a different supermarket,
I'm in. I'm quickly what will be thrown out of
Kroger three point two seconds, well honestly worth it.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
Kroger security. No, you don't want to mess with them
at all, but at least at at least at Costco
the area where you don't mess with Joey from the
oh No.

Speaker 3 (35:34):
But at least at Costco you have a ton of
room to completely avoid that area because they're always there.
This is a tight little area where it's like you
really can't get around. It's like they're there, they're waiting
for you.

Speaker 4 (35:48):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
And the fundamental difference. Costco is the big box store.
M your local supermarket is your neighborhood place. And when
you take that away, well then what am I really
going for? You could argue, well, the prices are lower,
and I would argue that Kroger does an excellent job
at pricing. But if I'm inconvenience and I'm hassled, not

(36:10):
only are you right, I'm sorry that happened to you.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Thank you. If you disagree with me, leave a comment below.
It's a podcast at a radio show. Where are they
gonna leave the comment? We don't need to get into
all that, Kroger.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
It's time to apologize the fingers muloy. Thank you I mean,
he's right, He's right.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
That's all there is to it.

Speaker 2 (36:41):
The promise was we'll be doing things more than just bourbon.
Promises made, promises kept. It's eat, drink, smell. Ca'm Tony Katz.
That right there is America's favorite amateur drinker, Fingers Maloy.
And this is Baku rum b acoo. We think we're
pronouncing this correctly, the Baku rum.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
This is a twelve year old rum out.

Speaker 2 (37:05):
Of the Dominican coming in at forty percent alcohol by
volume or adiproof. That's yeah, that's very often what you see.
So this is sugarcane. Of course, they utilize a column
still aged for twelve years in ex bourbon barrels. So
when a bourbon barrel is done, remember it can only
be used one time. It's used in a myriad of places.

(37:27):
It's used for rum, it's used for Scotch, it's used
for Irish whisky, Japanese whiskey. It can be used in
a multiplicity of places, and that's what they use right here.

Speaker 1 (37:37):
First things first, this bottle is gorgeous.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
The label is beautiful, how it marks the twelve year
in those browns and in those gold tones. The actual
engraving of the bottle is fantastic, and the color of
the juice a little bit lighter in the glass. But
still it looks rich, it looks a little serapy. It's
not I mean, it's not the abiscus.

Speaker 1 (38:01):
Uh. Poor.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
This is not a thick rum by any stretch of
the imagination. You like rum, like you, you you find yourself.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
Good with rum in general. I'm fine with it. Yeah,
me too.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
You bring up the bottle, and if you're the type
of person that buys liquor to display it, you're absolutely
right about how beautiful this bottle is.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
Yeah, it's fantastic looking. The quirk is great. And have
you gone nose yet?

Speaker 1 (38:25):
No? I have not. Go ahead. We should do that.
We should do that. That is sweet.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
It is, it's almost but that's not it's weird. It's
more fruity sweet than it is sugary sweet.

Speaker 1 (38:39):
On the nose. It was a little it was a
little faint. I agree with you.

Speaker 3 (38:42):
There, fingers the first your nose right in there.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, we didn't do this in Glenn Cairn glasses. Uh.
We did these in rocks glasses for for the for
the rum.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
Right here, this is almost like a little bit to me,
there's uh, it's fruit and then almost a brown sugar.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
Yeah, I mean, I mean you're talking about rum, and
I don't find any part of that surprising.

Speaker 1 (39:07):
I actually am feeling that.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
And I could just be, you know, engaging in a
level bit, a little bit of suggestion.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
You can get some oke in this. Yeah, there is
some wood underneath this rum, I would hope.

Speaker 3 (39:21):
So, I mean, if it's if it's age twelve years
in chart oak barrels, you would you would hope that
you would get a little bit old.

Speaker 1 (39:27):
Right, But enough sniff and figures, Well, are you ready
for this? I've been ready for this all day.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
He is doing with someone as a Kentucky chew. That's
what we do for bourbon. Right, take two SIPs. First,
set the test, set the taste, but second SIPs really
good idea of flavors. You're moving things around the palate,
getting an idea for what it is that you're trying here.
Buck ku be a coo buck ku rum twelve years old.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
Very pretty presentation. Are you pleased? It's wonderful? Okay, that
fruit is there.

Speaker 3 (39:58):
There is a little bit of a So first of all,
there is a light sting on the tongue. Nothing more
than that, and you know, eighty proof. I don't feel
any warmth in the in the chest, but it is
that that oak is there. There's a little bit of fruitiness,
and I, you know, I always like to kind of

(40:19):
you'll see what other people say about stuff before.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
We review it.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
In one review the barrel Tap, they mentioned toffee, and
there's totally a toffee finish on it.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
I'm going in. I'm going in Baku rum twelve year old.
Here we go.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
He's going in, ladies and gentlemen, and he is doing
what we like to call the saganaw swish, the Memphis munch,
the Chattanooga chomp.

Speaker 1 (40:43):
Oh, it's wonderful. It's funny.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
When you take the first sip, you almost wonder something
bitter happening here. Then you realize that's the bitter end
of the dark chocolate, and then everything else follows. Oh, hello,
it's not you know, my point of it looks syrupy,

(41:09):
but it wasn't. I think that holds true because it's
not as as overall luscious as maybe one would think
of a rum. But oh, is that happening right there?
There's this chocolate, there's this fruity. There, there is the wood,
there is the oak.

Speaker 3 (41:31):
That.

Speaker 1 (41:32):
Oh, that's a good finish too. So what's interesting to
me is that, Oh, good lord.

Speaker 3 (41:37):
That hint of bitterness you're talking about, I'm getting that
on the finish where you're saying.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
A second step. Peer should do that, You should do
that for each drink smoke nation.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Look at him. Look what he does for you people.
And I'm telling you you you seem to be really
enjoying it.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
Oh, that's a lot of fun. That is I know,
not a rum connoisseur. I'm curious what other.

Speaker 1 (42:03):
Oh that is a good finished dang, dang.

Speaker 2 (42:07):
I don't think my palette's good enough to understand. Taffee
this toffee like butterfinger. Heath Oh, yeah, I wouldn't be
caught daddying heath bar. So I don't know that's right.
Heath bars are terrible. You want to fight me on this,
I'm all in. I don't even know who you are anymore. Yeah,
I shouldn't say a terrible it's not my not my style.

(42:28):
Tutsi rolls are terrible. This baku rum oh, this is
an absolute winner because there's just there, there's a great
bit of multi dimension happening here with the bit of
fruit and there's it's.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
It's not it's not vanilla, but it's still kind of
milk shaky. That's interesting. By the way, would really be
good in a milkshake. I'll be fantastic. Do you want
me to do that right now? Blender will travel.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
No, I don't want you to do that right now
because I'm doing my best to stay off the carbs.
Tony and I walk in here and it's it's carb
city and when I'm walking here, so no, I would
of course I would love a milkshake, but I don't
want a milkshake.

Speaker 2 (43:12):
I'm curious about what this is gonna be like on
a cube, and I will try it on a cube.
Fingers with oy Baku rum, aged twelve years. This is
different than other RUMs we've tried. This is different than
other RUMs that I've had. There's a lot of flavor
going on here for a non flavored rum. I think
that's what's most interesting. And it's really pronounced. You can

(43:34):
pick up a great number of these things. Fingers may
baku rum. Is this in your liquor cabinet for twenty
nine ninety mins?

Speaker 3 (43:45):
Oh stop it, Yes, absolutely and I gotta tell you,
I'm a little concerned about monkeying with this.

Speaker 1 (43:52):
I'm gonna do a cube.

Speaker 2 (43:53):
But I'm telling you this is again I haven't done
enough RUMs to engage any level of a right.

Speaker 1 (44:00):
I have a basic understanding here. I have a real
palette for these things. You could do this daily.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
This could be a daily drink if you have a
daily bourbon or something else and you want to mix
it up a little bit, because it actually plays a
little bit in that space, doesn't it.

Speaker 3 (44:16):
Yeah, it does to me feel like an after dinner
drink if you want.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
Some screw yeah, after work drink, mid afternoon drink with
your orange juice, whatever it is you need.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
To me, it's it's so sweet.

Speaker 3 (44:30):
It's like one of those things where if you're saying
to yourself, I want dessert, but I don't want to
have dessert. This is a nice sweet drink that would
go great after.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
But but it's it's it's not just sugar. It's it's
it's very multi dimensional. There's a lot going on. There's
a there's a fruit aspect, there's another aspect, there's a
chocolate aspect, there's a there's a an absolute oak There's
there's more oak on this than I have gotten from bourbons.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
We tried. This is fun baku Rum twelve years. Broviously,
I'm well played.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
This.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
This might make a list. Oh, this is a really
interesting drink and one heck of a pairing. Yeah. I
will get to that cigar in just a moment.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
Now, changing things up a little bit, I'm gonna share
Fingers and I are gonna share the interview I did
with Michael Herklott's of Farry Otago as we are smoking
this timeless from the TA, the twenty twenty four TA exclusive.
That's the Tobacco Association of America. By the way, I
got that right, didn't I Tobacco Association of America. Yeah,

(45:42):
just making sure tea drink smoke. I'm Tony Katz. That
is America's favorite amateur drinker. Fingers molloy, and we're drinking
this baku rum twelve year, very very impressed at twenty
nine ninety nine a bottle, and I did add a
cube to it. Right now because we're gonna get to
this interview. It's two You're not gonna want to miss it.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (46:01):
He goes deep into the conversation regarding the cigar business,
what it takes to build a brand. What's been happening
with cigars right now, this moment in time versus history.
It's it's fantastic. But I threw the cube in there,
and I want to see what this rum was going
to do this twelve year that dark chocolate notes Vanillan notes,

(46:24):
you can really get the oak out of this something else.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
It's an ex bourbon barrel. I'm going in. He's going in,
ladies and gentlemen.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
And by the way, before somebody carracsus, it's actually the
Topagonist's Association of America.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
I said, Tobacco Association, my fault. Better so much, so
much better, so much better. What makes it better? It
became more luscious, it became more rich. That's excuse me. Oh,
he's going in again. See I was worried that.

Speaker 3 (46:55):
I oh wow, for me putting water and it's eighty proof,
I'm worried that it's it's going to really Uh if
it takes away some of the sweet, I guess that's okay,
but not for me.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
It's great, Okay. It didn't actually take away the sweet.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
The sweet's still there. It just made it more luscious.
The the oak finish is still there. It actually brought
a little bit of heat to the throat really and
and the very top of the chest is what it
did it.

Speaker 1 (47:26):
I'm I yeah, this is in the liquor cabinet. This
is on the table. I can appreciate if you like
it more neat. But man, oh yay, he's done, he's out.
I'm a bourbon guy. Yeah you know this. Yes, you're

(47:46):
you're you like bourbon. I'm a more of a ray,
you're more of a rye guy.

Speaker 2 (47:50):
This could be an everyday drink for me on thousand,
one thousand percent. And the I think the key here
is you're getting flavor. You're not getting overwhelmed with alcohol.
There's not an ethanol thing, there's not anything else going on.
You're getting flavor all the way around. What is going
on because the sting has been enhanced based on and

(48:12):
that's not what I was expecting at all. This is
this is why this is different and it's wonderful. And
at that price point twenty nine dollars did you say.

Speaker 1 (48:21):
Twenty dollars and ninety nine cents? Oh my goodness, Yeah,
it has to be in your liquor cabinet. Yeah, I
am duly impressed. But ku be a coobcourum dot com.
I think you might see that again at the end
of the year. I truly do fingers more. I found
a list, and you know we are suckers for lists.

Speaker 2 (48:40):
Here at Eat, Drink Smoke, this is the eight restaurant
chains that serve the.

Speaker 1 (48:47):
Biggest steaks in America.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
Oh okay, yeah, Now I get all of my steaks
from Defiance Beef right here in Indiana, delivered to my door,
all of it, vacuum packed, frozen, ready to go. But
cut to my specifications, because that's what you get from
Defiance Beef. Use promo code, Eat Drink Smoke. Get one
hundred and fifty dollars off your order. A quarter cow,

(49:10):
have cow, the whole cow you want to fill multiple praezers.
Oh it got you covered. Defiancebeef dot Com. Use promo code,
Eat Drink Smoke. Get one hundred and fifty dollars off
your order age twenty one days, so incredibly succulent, so tender,
and cut to your thickness, cut your specification. The rabbis,
the strips, the tenderloins, the brisket. You got ground beef

(49:32):
of plenty man you are going to love the pricing.
You are going to love the result, definespeef dot com.
Are you ready for this list? Fingers more, I'm ready
for this list? Tone he places the eighth restaurant chains
that serve the biggest steaks in America.

Speaker 3 (49:47):
Number one is the Texas Roadhouse. Now I'm starting to
question this list. It said the biggest steak. Yes, it
didn't say the best steak you'll ever have in your life.
Just talking size baby. Texas Roadhouse is fine. You have
a hankering, you don't want to go insane pricing. Texas
Roadhouse is just fine.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
What's there? Do they have onion pedals?

Speaker 3 (50:12):
I can't remember that because they all they all have
some sort of onion yeah boom yeah, So you know,
if you have enough room for the onion, kaboom and
they can get yourself a twenty ounce, twenty ounce.

Speaker 1 (50:24):
Bone in ribbi. Yeah yeah, that's that stuff, and that's
under thirty dollars. Okay, the way.

Speaker 2 (50:30):
Longhorn Steakhouse has the Longhorn Porterhouse at thirty four ninety nine.
It's a twenty two ounce porterhouse, and a porterhouse is
a strip and a filet, right, and it has to
be of a certain size, of a certain thickness, and.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
It doesn't match that. I think this, then it's a
t bone.

Speaker 2 (50:49):
T bone is just a it's a smaller part cut
of the meat on each side of the bone. That's
the difference between a porterhouse and a t bow. Now
the Longhorn Steakhouse, they're onion. I belie it was the
onion branch. I'm maybe making that out up. Yea outback
has the twenty two ounce porterhouse or said the porthouse

(51:10):
is a twenty two ounce flavorful strip and tenderloin together.

Speaker 1 (51:13):
As I said, that's what a porterhouse is. Salt grass?
Have you ever seen a salt grass steakhouse?

Speaker 3 (51:18):
I saw salt Grass open up through Dixie Chicks in
ninety eight. It was a fantastic show. Nicely, but no,
I've never heard of salt grass before on a dish.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
Then also them Porterhouse Flemings.

Speaker 2 (51:32):
Has the USDA Prime Tomahawk thirty five ounces, one hundred.

Speaker 3 (51:38):
And eighteen dollars. Okay, what's the most you've spent on
a steak that you remember? You and I in Iowa
we were covering the Iowa Caucuses. Yeah, and we drove
out there for three days and.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
We went to what I consider to be the best
steakhouse in America, which is eight O one Chop eight
O one Chop House, and I figure each of our
steaks were some at the time, somewhere around seventy five
eighty dollars.

Speaker 1 (52:13):
This was twenty sixteen. Yeah, yeah, but I have a
picture of you, Steriga. That's sake, Like, my god, how
am I gonna eat this?

Speaker 3 (52:22):
I Tony talked me into it because I didn't want it,
because I knew I wasn't going to finish it. I
think it was a thirty two ounce prime rib. It
was crazy. It was as big as my head with
some of my neck to spare.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
I mean, you could talk about Hugo Seller, you can
talk about here Indianapolis saying Almos. These are fine places
with great experiences, but in terms of the actual steak,
eight on one chop is still the best steak I've
ever had in my life.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
That was nine years ago and we're still talking about Yeah, yeah, oh.
If I was back in De Moin, it's not even
a question right there on it.

Speaker 2 (53:07):
Then Ruth Chris has a twenty six ounce cowboy Rabbi
that you can get Morton's, which does a solid job.
Twenty eight ounce Empire cut Bone in New York, Strip Strip,
Ribbi Tenderloin.

Speaker 1 (53:22):
Where are you? I used to be Strip. I'm leaning
more towards Ribbi now I'm totally rebell guy Strip Medium, Rare,
Ribbui Medium.

Speaker 3 (53:31):
The wife and I stumbled into a Morton's fifteen years ago,
not knowing what it was. We know, I mean, we
wanted a steak and then we walked in and we
were like, well, we weren't expecting to spend this kind
of money. But Yolo and so enjoyed the whole experience.

Speaker 1 (53:45):
Did he just finished banging it off? Yes, it was
totally worth the twelve years of payments for that stake.
Defiancebeef dot Com. That's right, I'm pushing a sponsor. Keep
it here.

Speaker 2 (53:59):
Our interview with Michael Herclots Eat drink smoke, Eat drink smoke.
It is your cigar Bourbon FOODI Extravaganza. I'm Tony Katz.
That is Fingers Bloy and Michael Hrklotz. A fharryo Otago
was in town. Incredible cigars, the Suma, the Generoso, the
Alegancia caught up to him. At Blend Barr's Cigars. He

(54:21):
was doing a live event. We talked about the business
of cigars, Michael Herklotz Or of Phario Otago before we
get into the cigar and what you've been doing lately
in this I'm gonna call it a rebrand. I don't
know if you would, but see things seem different. Uh,
talk to me about the cigar world, and we have
tariffs galore. We have a very different economy than we

(54:43):
had just a couple of years ago during the boom
of COVID. What are we because cigars weren't boom because
people had free time and free cash.

Speaker 4 (54:50):
Yes, what's going on? I've been in the industry twenty
six years and I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded
by UH peer who are a generation ahead of me
because I got in so young. And so let's say
my perspective is a forty to fifty year understanding of

(55:12):
the industry. I can tell you where one hundred percent certainty,
there was never a year where anyone said, well, this
one was easier, Right, it doesn't exist. So how far
back do we want to go to look at the
challenges that our industry faces from we were never gonna
get through a smoking You can't smoke in a restaurant,

(55:35):
you can't smoke on an airplane. What are we gonna do?
You can't smoke in a restaurant. What are we gonna do? FDA?
What are we gonna do? You know what we're gonna do.
We are gonna keep making the best cigars we can make,
and we're gonna keep delivering them the best prices that
we can and we're gonna do stuff like this, and
we're gonna find a way to continue to grow and

(55:58):
to wing. And that's what our industry does. We are
the most resilient, we're the most misunderstood, we are the
most confusing, but we're the most beloved by the people
who enjoy handmade, premium cigars. And so we will continue
to be resilient. And if it's taxes this year and

(56:19):
taris the next year, and a smoking ban here and
a thing there, we're going to fight. We're going to
try and educate, we're going to advocate, but we are
going to continue to persevere.

Speaker 2 (56:28):
I'm not discussing that the industry isn't resilient, that people
aren't resilient, but this this challenge is certainly a unique one,
because this isn't so much a question of how you
find the smoker. It's a question of whether or not
the smoker can afford the thing. The prices have gone up,
I mean, that's not really a deniable.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
Some prices have gone up, But when you look at
the full landscape of handmade premium cigars, you can still
buy a handmade long filler cigar with good flavor and
good burn for five dollars. You can buy lots of
cigars for more than that. Even if you look at

(57:13):
our portfolio, we are four years old next month in
market understanding how Faryotago is ferry Otago. We have brands
that are ten years old. We have brands that are
almost thirty years old. But when you look at the
entirety of our portfolio, you can get into Farryotago at
seven dollars and you exit at twenty four. And so

(57:37):
even though it's so easy to be consumed by the
headlines of one hundred dollars this and five hundred debt
and everything is fifty dollars up, it's none. And there
are such incredible cigars on the market today for seven
dollars and twelve dollars and fifteen dollars and eight dollars.
You need to find them, and they're out there.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
I call Herklot's Pharry Otago Cigars, those brands that you
guys have coming over from that sherman as you were there,
spent a number of years there. The first time I
ever met you was at the at the townhouse. And
now introducing you talk about four years. That's nascentce that
is that is still fetus level. It's zero years in

(58:22):
the world of cigars, the whole Faraoh Tago, the Algancia,
the Generoso, the Suma, which I think was well, I'm
smoking right now and most people are aware of even
for you and the history you have and the history
that you then acquired and taking back some of those
brands from that sherman. It's the cigarettes sold to other groups.

(58:42):
How hard is it to build.

Speaker 4 (58:44):
A brand And is it harder now, Yes, it's the hardest.
It's if you think of any any industry that only
gets more mature, it doesn't start over. So you are
always your point of entry is always your point of entry,
and that's day zero for you. And even regardless of

(59:06):
time served, Ferry Otago is four years which is exactly
zero years and brand years. We just had a little
VIP gathering with folks and I said, think of all
the things you love and consume, the cars you drive,
the shoes you wear, the clothing you buy, the beverages
you drink. How many of those are a brand that's

(59:27):
less than five years zero? How do you become relevant
to people who are already in love with the brands
and blends and that they love. It is a herculean
feed And you would think it would be the easiest

(59:47):
today because it's the easiest time that we've ever had
to speak directly to consumers through social media, through all
these other platforms, except those very platforms are against us.
Are beautiful little craft thing there against us, right, So
I would say it is it is the hardest time

(01:00:08):
ever to create and build a brand in the history
of our industry, because our industry is more mature today
than it was yesterday. Now, that said, we are very
fortunate to have time and market that I've had as
a as a person, having the four years we've had

(01:00:29):
in market as a brand, having a great distribution partner
like davidov USA representing US throughout the United States, having
incredible manufacturing partners like Placentia Casada and Agro Industrious and Unduras.
There's also not a lot of new brands that have
that kind of foundation. And so that's not to say

(01:00:54):
that it's easier, because with all of that comes higher expectations, right,
So I would say that for every action, there's an
equal and opposite reaction, and from a branding perspective, having
a start like that comes with expectations that are very
difficult to meet, which is why we're doing what we're doing.

(01:01:17):
You know, my background is music. You don't just sit
in the studio and record. You have to get out
and play, and you have to be live, and you
play small rooms and you play big rooms, and you
play festivals and you play charity events, and you do
whatever it takes for people to hear your music and

(01:01:37):
love your work.

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
That's what we do to that ends.

Speaker 2 (01:01:41):
Here you are in Indianapolis where I live, and thrilled
to see you here at blen Bar Cigar in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Were I forget where you were yesterday.

Speaker 4 (01:01:48):
I know you're gonna be somewhere else.

Speaker 2 (01:01:50):
I forget Tomorrow's at Columbus at Combs, Ohio and you're
gonna be somewhere else tomorrow. You are on the road,
you are out there meeting the people. Are are other
building brands doing that or are they just relying on it?
Hopefully they'll have some good posts on name the social
media platform that I'll still allow them to post and

(01:02:11):
they might get a hit.

Speaker 4 (01:02:13):
I don't know there was a time when I paid
a lot of attention to what other brands are doing.
I'm in a moment now creatively, and this is particularly
inspired as a musician. I never as a drummer. I
never wanted to sound like the other drummers. I listen

(01:02:35):
to you that you take inspiration from what they do
to develop your own sound. We have our own sound
in the blends that we have in market, and so
whatever everyone else is doing, I wish them all the
greatest success in the world. But I don't know how
to do what we're doing differently than how we're doing it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
And I believe in.

Speaker 4 (01:03:00):
Lives as a way to grow, especially when our the
experience of our blends are so unique that it requires
a connection between the audience and the artists. We're not
playing pop. This is different, and so I'm not sure

(01:03:22):
what other brands are doing. I think we are definitely
spending more time in market, talking to retailers and spending
time with consumers. We are spending more time doing that
than most brands I know, whether they're new or whether
their legacy more.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
With Michael Hurtclotz, A pharryo Otago coming up, Tony Katz
fingers for LOOI he drinks Miuth Tony Katz fingers Ali
talking with Michael Hurtklotz, A phariyo Otega caught up with
him a blend bar cigar in Indianapolis, Indiana. Now talk
to me about what we've been seeing with the cigar.

(01:04:00):
I am smoking the Suma right here at the Torpedo.
I had a Generosso before this, which hit me as
a lot spicier, a lot more white pepper punch yep
than I remember.

Speaker 4 (01:04:11):
Did Barry Otago go through a reblend so? Elegancia and
Generoso we reapproach annually. They are not core. So we
started with the twenty twenty one, then we released Aleganzia,
Generoso twenty two, twenty three, and this year twenty twenty four.
Each approach to those experiences are like a winemaker approaches

(01:04:31):
Charnay and Cabernet, not to replicate the previous vintage, but
to make it again the best they can. That is
specifically the approach with Alagansi and Generoso, and that gives
us some creative flexibility with those two blends. With Ferry
Otago Suma and all of Timeless and all of Metropolitan,
those are core and so those are designed to be

(01:04:54):
replicated this production to the last last production. So even
though it tobacco, my change, we are adjusting the blend,
so every time you like those cigars, they are replicative
of the last time you had it. Elegancy and Generoso
we take a more vintage approach, a winemaker's approach to
letting each year have a little bit of uniqueness to it.

Speaker 2 (01:05:18):
Talk to me about what we're seeing out of Nicaragua,
out of the Dominican, out of Honduras.

Speaker 1 (01:05:25):
How is that growing going?

Speaker 2 (01:05:26):
You know, if we're talking about having a little bit
of change to things, the tehoah changes the soil, the experience,
how things are aging, what's available, what isn't, Especially when
you're talking about working with some of the biggest tobacco
farmers and producers that you deal with. Has it been
a challenge considering the amount of people who tried to

(01:05:47):
get in cigars during COVID thinking that this was gonna
last forever, which nothing lasts forever.

Speaker 4 (01:05:52):
Yes, it's similar to answer to how we started. It
never gets easier. But while it doesn't get easier, particularly
when you're talking about an annual agricultural crop, you are
at the mercy of God every crop. That's an evergreen statement,
by the way, but you are also the beneficiary of

(01:06:14):
evolving technology from irrigation to fertilization, to technologies and curing infermentation,
and so as we learn more, which is also an
evergreen process, you can apply that knowledge to each crop

(01:06:35):
to yield better and yield more, to be more resistant
to diseases and molds and pests that are attacking those crops.
And so it's not easier, but every year gets better
from a process standpoint, which is better for everybody. Now,

(01:06:56):
of course, you're facing different tariffs, your face different governmental issues,
you're facing different social issues. All of the countries, particularly
in Central America, Nicaragua and Honduras, we're facing mass migration
issues of people coming to the United States. Every action
has an equal and opposite reaction. It forced factories to

(01:07:16):
spend more time doing social responsibility making life better for
their employees. Dominican Republic just did a major wage increase
government mandata across all industries. Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction. Prices are going to reflect some of
those investments. But one can't look at all of that

(01:07:37):
in its entirety and not see the benefit long term
to the sustainability of our industry. If people are yielding
better tobaccos, have better hiring practices, have better social responsibility practices, Ultimately,
that is sustainable for better more consistency over the long term.

(01:08:01):
And if that means it costs a little more, isn't
it worth it? Because the alternative is unsustainability. It's no employees,
it's dying cross, it's no consistency in production. And then
where do we end up.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
The counter to that conversation, and it is an interesting
all encompassing take, is that there comes a moment where
we'll talk about the American consumer part of it than
let's say the European consumer, where they meet up against
a price point and say I can't do that anymore. So, yes,
as that price goes up, is it worth it, Well,
there's a real question. Let's ask once answer that here.

(01:08:43):
It are about what worth it means.

Speaker 4 (01:08:45):
No question, but we can apply that to anything true jeans, sneakers, beer, eyeglasses.
There will always be something someone can afford, but there
is also a price and value continuum that continue to have.
There are very few things in our lifetime that have
ever gone down or frankly fluctuated, except for maybe gas oil,

(01:09:07):
golden right. Everything else has always gradually crept up. I've
never paid less for the same pair of Levi's the
following year. Maybe that's why they call them commodities for
a reason. But you counter that with the European or
global market. From a price increase standpoint, the global market
has experienced price increases on their number one cigar origin,

(01:09:33):
which is Cuba. That is ten x what the American
market has experienced with no baseline to support what a
previous consumer may have considered affordable. Where that presents opportunity
is for the free world companies in Nicaragua, Dominic and
Honduras Costa Rica to fill that void with our work,

(01:09:58):
which for decad AIDS has been poop pooed as it's
not Cuban. I'm not smoking it, but guess what now
you are? And now you are forced to realize that
the available pantry of tobaccos equals the available diversity of flavor,
which now that the global market is consuming it. The

(01:10:22):
fastest growing markets are now global markets, international markets versus
the US.

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):
So you had Cuba having its own issues with growing,
You had this cost thing, and so what you saw
was an opportunity for other types of cigars to get
into those European markets, and they seem to be holding
like they're holding sir.

Speaker 4 (01:10:43):
Of course, that people want to enjoy cigars. It's become
a part of their lives. People got into the hobby,
let's say, in the last five years when where was
free money and free time. There's not anymore. So there
was a drop off, no different than there was in
the nineties. But we have plateaued above where we begin,

(01:11:03):
and every time there are more people who have discovered
the hobby and love it as much as we do
and continue to want to discover it. Every wallet, every
budget is different, every brand is responding to those things.
But if we go back to pop there were a
lot of headlines that led with price I think that's
serving the wrong master. I've never had a headline with price.

(01:11:25):
We have a headline with product and experience. What you
see today are new headlines with price in the other direction.
And for larger companies that have the ability to scale,
to be agile, to be mobile, you see new brands
launching every week on the market today with headlines with

(01:11:48):
more affordable pricing. We are a responsive industry, more responsive
than most, I would say, And so to put a
button on this idea of affordability, I think it's fair
to say that there will always be cigars to satisfy
every budget that are acceptable and enjoyable to the consumer.

(01:12:14):
Where we put our focus is to make sure that
no matter what we are bringing to market, and no
matter the price, that the consumer is always getting the
best end of that deal. So when you look at
our portfolio today, you mentioned the general so you smoked
earlier that MSRP price before any local taxes is twenty

(01:12:37):
four dollars. Twenty four dollars is not an expension for
a cigar now, But if we look at it in
the landscape of premium cigar pricing today on the American market,
and you look at how many cigars have launched at
twice that price in the last five years, sometimes four
or five times that price. I feel so confident that

(01:12:59):
what you get from Farry Otago at twenty dollars for
that sumer twenty four dollars of his Generoso is so
much more than what other brands offer for that money
that we win. Michael Hurcott's appreciate it. I appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:16):
Find this interview in the videos over there at Eat
drinksmokeshow dot com and on the YouTube channel.

Speaker 1 (01:13:22):
Just look for Eat Drink Smoke and try yourself a
Ferry Otago cigar. Today it's E Drink Smoke

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