Has anyone tried Few Spirits Bourbon Whiskey (Evanston, IL)?

[Jono]

http://therewillbebourbon.net/post/21723278086/few-spirits-bourbon-whiskey

A nice review.

Binny's shows it online for about $50....but is not carried in all of their stores but is available as a special order.

http://fewspirits.com/

They also produce a Rye.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Jono

[fishnbowljoe]

I've seen the FEW bourbon, rye, and white whiskey on the shelf. Couldn't bring myself to purchase any of them though. Joe

[luther.r]

I toured the distillery a couple weeks ago. Very nice people, but the whiskey was just ok. The bourbon is currently about 8 months old in 15-gallon barrels IIRC.

Their batches are very small. I was told they have bourbon aging in one 53-gallon barrel at the moment in addition to the small barrels.

Their labels look about 1000 times better than Koval's.

Edited September 4, 2012 by luther.r

[White Dog]

I was surprised how much I liked the Bourbon and Rye given the young age. Pricey, but solid compared to other micros. Interestingly enough, the Bourbon is rye-recipe, but the white dog is a wheater.

And not only are the labels 1000 times better than Koval, I think the aged whiskey is better too.

[ILLfarmboy]

yeah, I love their label. It looks like something my Grandad would have drank back in the early 40's.

I'd love to try it but I haven't seen it around here.

[Chuckles]

I've been like fishnbowljoe--seen FEW around but never seriously considered it at the price. Now that I learned it's from Evanston, I decided to take a lunchtime stroll over to Evanston 1st Liquors (a block from my office) and maybe treat myself to a BD present. (Local sourcing is all the rage today, right?) They had FEW bourbon @$45/750ml (also its white dog @$45 and its rye @$55). Remembered at checkout why I travel to Binny's in Highland Park (Lake County)--state, county, and city taxes tack on 16.35% here in the long-dry home of the WCTU. Are there any higher liquor taxes in the country?

Cute bottle and label, less that 4-y-o and 93 proof. The one I choose--bottle no. 10, batch no. 11-0082, from a barrel apparently named Matt Eubank--says it was distilled by Tom Reedy. It has a nice color, what I'd call dark amber. Some bottles on the shelf have a few little "things" floating around in them; the one I chose does not.

Boss just left so I'll give it a taste. Not much nose--very subtle, slightly sweet, vaguely medicinal. Not much in the way of legs either, or mouth feel--kinda thin overall. Taste reminds me of another common pour but I can't quite put my finger on which one. Like the nose, the taste is slightly sweet (in the honey family), vaguely medicinal (in the Listerine family--but I'm overdoing this comparison, it's just a hint). It shows its youth, but has a nice little burn and a pleasant enough aftertaste that lingers awhile.

I'm not great on tasting notes. It's okay, nothing objectionable, but nothing special. A simple pour, but I like my expensive bourbon to be complex. Happy birthday to me.

If you're on the hunt for FEW, I know I've seen it elsewhere in the area. Besides Binny's, I also shop at Toni's in Skokie and the Liquor Barn in Niles, so you might find it at one of those without Evanston's taxes.

Cheers,

Chuckles

[mrviognier]

A bit of a thread drift, but if you have the chance, check out FEW's barrel-aged Gin. Mighty tasty. Paul & the folks at FEW are good people. Definitely a producer to watch.

[BillP]

My local store just acquired a few bottles of this bourbon. Has anyone else tried it? At around $50 for a 750ml I'd like to hear your opinion before buying one.

BY THE WAY - the staff really liked their gin also.

[smknjoe]

My local store just acquired a few bottles of this bourbon. Has anyone else tried it? At around $50 for a 750ml I'd like to hear your opinion before buying one.

BY THE WAY - the staff really liked their gin also.

Jason Pyle reviewed it on his blog. sourmashmanifesto.com

[dementedavenger]

I've had the bourbon and own a bottle of the rye. Young stuff, which is obvious from the moment you open the bottle. I find it okay for cocktails. With some age it could very well turn out interesting but drinking it neat now isn't a very pleasant experience. I do, however, give them serious props for their packaging. Great bottle and label design. They've got the branding down perfectly now they just need deliver on the product. It's obviously very difficult to put out a young bourbon that can stand on its own.