About FEW Single Malt Whisky
Hidden down a dark alley in a former chop shop, skilled men are quietly violating one of Evanston's founding principles: Prohibition. In the 19th century, Frances Elizabeth Willard was elected President of the Chicago Woman's Christian Temperance Union and embarked on a decade-long crusade to prohibit alcohol in the United States. Willard worked tirelessly; as President of the WCTU, she traveled roughly 30,000 miles per year and gave an average of 400 lectures each year for an entire decade
As a result, Evanston remained a dry town for over 100 years. It wasn't until Paul Hletko, owner and master distiller at FEW Spirits, began lobbying the town that the antiquated laws were lifted. "I'm the vice president of the PTA at my kids' school and I coach their soccer and T-ball teams," Hletko says. "People around town know me and what I'm about, which is handy when you're looking to change 100 years of laws."
Today, Hletko and his team of master distillers distill FEW Single Malt Whisky in the heart of Evanston, Illinois.
FEW Single Malt Whisky is crafted exclusively from malted barley. Unlike traditional single malts, however, the whisky is crafted using both cherry wood smoked barley (this imparts a sweet, slightly smoky flavor) and unsmoked two-row barley. After distillation, the single malt is matured in custom-made oak barrels from Minnesota. "The cooper I eventually chose to make our barrels won 24 out of 25 categories at a spirits competition I visited," Hletko says. "I'm no math major, but that's the cooper I want to make our barrels."
As a result, the single malt has an aroma of fudge, vanilla and salted caramel. Notes of turmeric, cherry, espresso beans, honey and graham crackers dominate the palate, and lead to a finish with hints of apples, oak, smoke, cinnamon and caramel.
Pick up a bottle today!
About FEW
Whiskey inspired by pre-prohibition times, the golden age of spirits. FEW Spirits is a handcrafted, small-batch American whiskey brand, born in the home of temperance right outside of Chicago, IL. Founded as a dry community, Evanston, Illinois was the birthplace of the Women's Temperance Movement and home to Frances Elizabeth Willard, an influential protagonist in the story of Prohibition. As the Temperance Movement approached a boiling point, abstinence slowly began to creep across the country and Willard and her league of temperance supporters turned Evanston into a stronghold. For over 100 years, Evanston remained a dry town. It wasn't until Paul Hletko, owner and master distiller at FEW Spirits, began lobbying the town that the antiquated laws were lifted. Today, Hletko and his team of master distillers produce FEW Bourbon Whiskey in the heart of Evanston, Illinois.
About American Whiskey
There are two main representatives of the American whiskey family, bourbon, and rye, but some other spirits don't fall into those two strictly regulated categories.
There's equally strictly regulated American single malt, made from 100% malted barley, Tennessee whiskey, essentially bourbon filtered through maple charcoal and aged in new charred oak barrels.
And then there's moonshine, a high proof (150- 170 proof) distilled spirit mainly made out of corn which gained popularity during the prohibition.
Check out our impressive selection of American single malts, or find your new favorite in our rich whisk(e)y selection, and get familiarized with what the world has to offer.
