Few Distillery was founded in 2011, in Evanston, Illinois. Evanston was historically a dry town that was established by methodist ministers. When it was built, FEW became the first distillery to be established in the town in over a hundred years and even this took some clever thinking from the founder to get around historical laws on taxation and spirits production. They share their moniker with an important historical figure from the town, Francis Elizabeth Willard (1839–1898), she was the head of Evanston’s Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
They aim to make grain spirits, which reflect the character of the surrounding farming land of Mid-Western America. This Rye whiskey has a mash bill of 70% rye, 20% corn & 10% malted barley, the rye being spicy and the corn sweeter and creamier.
Price: £50-70
ABV: 46.5%
Appearance: Rich, deep brown.
Aroma: Minty toothpaste, cornbread, baked apple and pears, buttery pastry and toffee popcorn… or am i just hungry?
Taste: At first there is a floral honey sweetness, which hits the front of the tongue and spreads across the palate.
As it passes over the tongue, it opens out into a fruity melange of stewed pears, apples and raisins. In this middle part there are also minty milk chocolate notes and maybe even kola cubes.
Finally the dram finish with a warming cinnamon and ginger spice, which breaks slowly, revealing a vanilla custard note.
Mouthfeel: Spicy, Warming and Sweet.
Overall: Dynamic, layered and complicated. This rye offers different taste sensations on different sips. With water the wood comes out to play more vibrantly and the spice is calmed. It is a rich, flavourful experience and we really recommend it as a great example of rye whiskey. The only current issue is that combine the high price that you have to pay for American Whiskey with the boutique nature of this distillery and a bottle is going to set you back nearly £70. This price point might be enough to put some off, but if you are happy to pay the extra money, then you will be rewarded with a great dram.
Real Dram Factor: 7.8
Source: Tweet Tasting Sample from Maverick Drinks
More Information: http://www.fewspirits.com/spirits/ryewhiskey/
Buy Online: Master of Malt – 70cl: £66.95