a whiskey smoke show

Thom and his sister Patsy were out one night — something they do a lot, because they actually like each other, which helps — when Thom tried a cocktail that stopped him cold. The Smoke Show, dreamt up by bartender Travis, was a Johnny Walker Black cocktail that somehow made a smoky, peated Scotch taste like heaven to a guy who'd never much warmed to peated Scotch. Thom was enamored. Patsy, who can't stand whiskey in any form, decided to try it anyway.

That was a mistake.

She claimed she nearly fell out of her bar stool. She described the experience as choking on a hairball. She said she was nauseous. And then — because she is the kind of person she is — she tried it a second time.

It was worse.

Watching her face contort across the full range of human suffering, Thom had a thought: that reaction could make people laugh. And Patsy, who literally hosts a monthly radio show about gratitude on Syndicate Empire, recognized that laughter is one of the best gifts you can give someone. The two of them hatched a plan on the spot.

The Show

Every week, Thom picks a whiskey and shares its story — where it comes from, what makes it interesting, why he chose it. Then Patsy tries it. Patsy, for her part, is a genuinely good sport. She has agreed to keep doing this. We appreciate her.

After the tasting, Thom rates her reaction using the Whiskey Face Scale — a five-point system ranging from Manageable (a sulky, resigned acceptance) all the way to Not Happening (full collapse). You're invited to play along and score her yourself. We won't pretend there's a lot of optimism baked in. The very best outcome is only "Manageable" afterall. That should tell you something.

The Redemption Round

Because Thom is not a monster, each episode also includes a Redemption Round. He takes the same whiskey and does something to make it more palatable — usually a cocktail he thinks Patsy might actually enjoy. Whether it works is another matter. The Smoke Show was a cocktail, too, and we all know how that went.

The Merch

If you're the kind of person who enjoys whiskey, enjoys laughing, or just appreciates someone else's suffering on your behalf — we made some gear for you. The Whiskey Face Scale and the Glencairn glass it's built around translate beautifully onto t-shirts, hats, rocks glasses, tote bags, and stickers. The art is bold, the faces are expressive, and the character is undeniable.

Everything in the store is made to order, which is good for the planet — no warehouse, no wasted inventory, no excess. It does mean your order takes longer to arrive than you might be used to. This is not Amazon. On the Whiskey Face Scale, same-day delivery is Not Happening. Plan accordingly and know that something good is coming.