Distillery: FEW Spirits
Proof: 93
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 70% rye, 20% corn, & 10% malted barley
BACKGROUND: Few Spirits was started 10 yrs ago in Evanston, IL. Few has had quite the history dating back to to a Czechoclovakian brewery owned by the master distiller, Paul Hletko's, grandfather back in WWII. The brewery was eventually shut down and all of the workers were executed by the Nazis except for 1, Paul's grandfather. Unfortunately he was unable to ever rebuild the brewery back to what it was. Years and years later in the town of Evanston, alcohol was strictly prohibited within 4 miles of Northwestern University, until a movement led by the university's president, Frances E. Willard. This led Hletko to open a distillery of his own inspired by his grandfather leading to the name FEW. Over the last 10 years, FEW has become the #2 grain to glass whiskey in the country, shipping to all 50 states with a new bottle inspired by the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
NOSE: A very welcoming nose that I found quite delightful, opening up with scents of a sweet wood, comparable to sawdust, mixed with scents of charcoal, light ethanol, rye spice, and grass (21/25)
PALATE: Very sweet and oily upfront as the first sip coats your mouth. Upon second sip I started pulling very earthy flavors, mixed with molasses, and an oaky sweetness (30/40)
FINISH: The finish on this rye is very strong, almost a bit overpowering at first but becomes quite enjoyable. The most dominant taste is comparable to a black licorice that fades into a sweet spiced oak (21/25)
VALUE: With a $35 SRP this is a great but. It has a unique twist in the flavor making it different from the rest (8/10)
Overall: 80/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: This is a wonderful whiskey, I am not at all surprised that they are one of the top grain to glass distilleries in the country.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Bulleit Rye
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Knob Creek Rye
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Wild Turkey Rye
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
