FEW Straight Bourbon Whiskey – SFWBSS Pick

Barrel # – 18-W11

A very solid offering with some rarer flavors in bourbon to explore

DISTILLERY	FEW Spirits
REGION	Evanston, IL
AGE	4 Years
STRENGTH	50% ABV (100 Proof)
MASHBILL	70% Corn, 20% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
MSRP	$55

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GLANCE

Clear with a medium gold hue

NOSE

Clean with a medium to pronounced intensity. Notes of chocolate milk, oak, cherry cola, vanilla with some cinnamon and custard apple

PALATE

Pronounced intensity and mouth-filling. Creamy texture in the middle of the palate. I got notes of cherries, cherry cola and lot of oak. Gets more oak forward with some spice towards the end of the palate. Towards the front and middle I got notes of vanilla float, ginger bread, pepper and nutmeg with some apple notes.

FINISH

Long with some complexity. Vanilla, cherry, oak and note of star anise

CLOSING REMARKS

This is my first time trying a product from FEW spirits. Being it is from Illinois and specifically Chicago were I have spent a considerable of my youth in, I was already intrigued. My club doing a pick from them, easily pushed me over the fence.

From the FEW Spirit’s Website

“PAUL HLETKO, FOUNDER & DISTILLER, SAW THE POWER OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS. he TURNED HIS SIGHTS TO MAKING SPIRITS. HE RELENTLESSLY PURSUED A NEW STYLE OF URBAN WHISKEY THAT WOULD BE THE EQUAL TO THAT OF HIS FRIENDS IN KENTUCKY. BUT CREATING WHISKEY IN THE SEAT OF PROHIBITION? SEEMED LIKE A GOOD PLACE TO START A BOLD, PARADIGM BREAKING WHISKEY BRAND.”PAUL HLETKO, FOUNDER & DISTILLER, SAW THE POWER OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS. he TURNED HIS SIGHTS TO MAKING SPIRITS. HE RELENTLESSLY PURSUED A NEW STYLE OF URBAN WHISKEY THAT WOULD BE THE EQUAL TO THAT OF HIS FRIENDS IN KENTUCKY. BUT CREATING WHISKEY IN THE SEAT OF PROHIBITION? SEEMED LIKE A GOOD PLACE TO START A BOLD, PARADIGM BREAKING WHISKEY BRAND.

DOWN A DARK BACK ALLEY IN EVANSTON, YOU WILL FIND AN OLD CHOP-SHOP MAKING FLAVORFUL BOURBON & RYE FROM GRAIN-TO-GLASS WITH A BOLD CHICAGO-STYLE TWIST. Innovative products continue to flow from the team at FEW. PROOF, AS EVER, THAT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE.”

I really didn’t know what to expect before diving in. Craft distilleries can be quite the hit or miss. This one for me isn’t necessarily a hit but its definitely not a miss. There is a good amount of complexity to be found here, which makes it an enjoyable pour and prompts you to dive back in for more sips. I enjoyed the cherry, light fruit and spice profile with some classic bourbon notes. The palate was creamy overall and intense for the proof point. Only dig I have is that the oak is overwhelming towards the end of the palate and interjects itself heavily on the finish as well. This also overall made the delivery of the flavors at times bumpy. A lot to like here and especially for the price point this is a buy! Cheers.

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