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6 / the tasting panel / march 2018 Comforting and homey yet also sophisticated, The Flatiron Room and Fine & Rare—the brainchildren of restaurateur Tommy Tardie—are two of New York City's most inviting bars. Tardie, a Maine native, spent time in advertising before following his own creative dream to open a venue marrying four of his passions—whiskey, food, music, and woodworking—into one well-presented package. While spirits and cocktails certainly play significant roles at each venue, Tardie quickly pointed out to The Tasting Panel that his establish- ments "are not really bars, per se, but spirits-forward restaurants." Each establishment also has a full stage (musicians perform live every eve- ning), a menu filled with fine cuisine options, and a comprehensive wine list. And as an accomplished woodworker, Tardie can often be found down in his basement shop at Fine & Rare, where he's crafted much of the accent work seen in the restaurants. Although The Flatiron Room and Fine & Rare—which opened in 2012 and 2017, respectively—have obvious similarities, Tardie likes to stress to potential patrons that they're not merely carbon copies of each other. "The Flatiron Room was created with whiskey in mind, and with Fine & Rare, we wanted to build on that theme but also venture outside the whiskey arena to embrace all spirits," he explains. Both restaurants are major players in that so-called area, with lists boasting more than 1,000 whiskey offerings. But because several other story by David Ransom "I'm excited by the trend toward craft-made blended malt whiskies such as the Wemyss Malts Scotch whisky line," says Tardie, who carries three Wemyss offerings on his list. Fine & Rare offers three variants from the Wemyss Malts line of artisanal blended whiskies.