A Fat Lip and a Fantastic Rye

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Murcielago from Espinosa Cigars, a 6x52 box-pressed Toro with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler, and debate whether this bold stick is really a medium or if it lands much closer to full-bodied. The guys break down the cigar’s spice, oak, richness, and strength, while Fingers tries to smoke through a self-inflicted lunch injury that left him with what can only be described as a medically significant fat lip.

Then they pour Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey Cask Strength, coming in at 115.4 proof, and it immediately becomes one of those bottles that stops the conversation in its tracks. Tony and Fingers talk through the nose, the lack of ethanol heat, the rye spice, oak, citrus, cinnamon-roll sweetness, and whether this cask-strength rye is not only liquor-cabinet worthy, but one of the best pours they’ve had on the show in a long time.

Also in this episode: a major Costco cookware recall, Fingers’ continuing cast iron skillet education, a conversation about what to do when a cigar hits a little too hard, and a look at rising prices everywhere from cigars to used cars. The guys also dig into several stories in News of the Week, including Byron Allen buying late-night TV time from CBS, more layoffs at ESPN, gas-powered leaf blower bans, a self-driving car that killed a duck near a park, and Lowe’s investing heavily in training tradespeople for the future.

And because it wouldn’t be Eat, Drink, Smoke without it, there’s also talk of Defiance Beef, chest freezers full of meat, YouTube studio upgrades, cigar notebooks, and the kind of wandering conversation that only happens when bourbon, cigars, and a couple of microphones are involved.

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