AN INTRODUCTION TO FEW SPIRITS
Located in a leafy suburb of Chicago, tucked away in an old chop-shop down an alleyway, FEW Spirits was established in 2011 as one of the pioneering grain-to-glass distilleries in the USA.
Since its modest beginnings, FEW Spirits has evolved into a well-known name in bars around the world.
The man at the helm is Paul Hletko - founder and distiller. We've had the pleasure of knowing Paul for years, dating back to our first visit to the distillery in 2013. Avid enthusiasts of his whiskies and gins ever since, we were thrilled to collaborate with him on this Heart Cut bottling.
Paul is an extraordinary character, brimming with captivating stories…
…making him the perfect companion to have a whiskey or two at Deliliah's with, an iconic Chicago whisky bar. In addition to his extensive experience in distillation and entrepreneurship, he also harbours a deep passion for music, having managed bands and owned an all-vinyl record label in 1997 (which, he admits, was slightly mistimed!). This passion for music comes through in his various musical collaborations. That's right — he's joined forces with bands such as Alice in Chains and The Flaming Lips to produce limited-release, small-batch bottlings. He even has a full band set up in his office - pretty cool.
Evanston holds a unique historical significance as the birthplace of prohibition and the central headquarters for the temperance movement.
A prominent figure in this movement was Francis Elizabeth Willard, a renowned temperance reformer. When you consider her initials and the distillery's name, an interesting connection emerges. We’ll leave you to put two and two together here!
Prohibition came to an end on December 5th, 1933, but Evanstown remained a dry community until 1972. And it wasn't until Paul established FEW Spirits that the city finally overturned 150 years of strict liquor laws surrounding spirit distillation.
Today, Evanston is a lively neighbourhood located about an hour's subway ride from downtown Chicago, and the distillery has become an integral part of the community. The neighbourhood's spirit is intertwined with the distillery's presence, with Kombucha breweries using old FEW barrels, and local bars and restaurants proudly featuring FEW's liquors. Mention Evanston, and you can't help but think of FEW.
With the exception of a few warehouses scattered throughout the surrounding neighbourhood, every aspect of FEW’s operations takes place on-site, as you'd expect from a true grain-to-glass distillery.
This approach grants their distilling team complete control over the production process, and enables them to conduct small-scale experimental runs that often become part of their core lineup, such as their beloved Immortal Rye and Triple Smoke Single Malt.
The distillery divides its production into 60% bourbon and 40% rye, switching between the two every 2 to 3 weeks. This flexibility and dynamic approach enables them to continually explore and innovate.
When discussing American whiskey, it's impossible to ignore the significance of the mashbill—the precise grain composition at every base.
According to law, Bourbon must contain a minimum of 51% corn, while Rye must have a minimum of 51% rye. FEW’s Bourbon features a mashbill of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley, and their Rye is composed of 70% rye, 20% corn, and 10% malted barley. This distinctive blend results in a delightful spiciness from the rye, a velvety smoothness from the barley, and a creamy richness from the corn.
FEW’s dedicated team crafts whiskey seven days a week, filling barrels on a daily basis. The spirit emerges from their column still and doubler at a robust 65% alcohol content, and goes into barrel at 59%. Thanks to Chicago's extreme climate, characterized by scorching summers and frigid winters, the alcohol percentage in the casks naturally increases over time; this is then taken down to various bottling strengths for each expression!
Other FEW Spirits expressions we enjoy
We know you’re not supposed to have favourite children, but you just can’t go wrong with a well made Bourbon. And sipped neat, on ice or in a Manhattan, this FEW Bourbon performs on every level! A three-grain bourbon, with a base of corn, spicy northern rye and malted barley, we love this for its salted caramel, vanilla whipped cream, winter spice and dried orange peel notes.
Their cask strength bourbon, bought down (or ‘cut’) to bottling strength with cold brew coffee. Genius! One for both whisky and coffee drinkers, we enjoy sipping this one after dinner on ice. We taste vanilla, caramel, baking spices and just a hint of coffee on this one. Yum.
