Heralding from just outside of Chicago, FEW American Gin is by our estimation a curious gin.
The irony that it is made in the town of Evanson, a place that also lays claim to being the birthplace to the Women’s Temperance Movement (an influential protagonist in the story of Prohibition) is just one of the first things to grab your attention. The gin too is certainly different added to the distillery’s experiments and one off bottlings this gin has our curiosity at fever pitch…
Founded as a dry community, Evanston was once a major hotbed of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the longtime home of suffragist and prohibitionist Frances Elizabeth Willard. As the Temperance Movement approached boiling point, abstinence began to creep across the country and reputedly, Willard and her league of temperance supporters had turned Evanston into a stronghold. Missing out on much of the story (as Prohibition deserves books on the topic alone and our glancing comments wouldn’t do it justice), suffice to say they had recruited many to their cause and despite the Noble Experiment ending, the city of Evanston remained free of alcohol for much longer. By the time it was legalized in the late 1990’s, Evanston had been dry for over 100 years (an article from the Chicago Reader cites dry rulings going all the way back to 1855).
Despite the change in legality, it took the perseverance of FEW’s Master Distiller, Paul Hletko to reverse the antiquated local liquor laws and allow them to begin distilling. In spring 2011 Paul and FEW spirits truly marked the end of Evanston’s prolonged Prohibition and gave the city its very own craft distillery.
The name F.E.W is part word play around the quantity they were making (a few bottles) but also with a nod to one of the city’s most historic figures (note the full stop between the letters that make it seem like the initials of match Frances E Willard). With the label and website evoking the iconography and imagery of Chicago’s World’s Fair of 1893, FEW Spirits have combined clever wordsmithing and eye-catching design – two things we approve of strongly here at The Gin Blog HQ.
So what about the Gin itself? We’re not going to deny that when American gin producers begin a description of their gin as “a new kind of gin” with “subdued juniper”, we grimace a little at what the result might be and how far into flavoured vodka territory we’ll be tasting. Based on the American gins that we’ve tasted over the years – we would say that on the whole, those that are deemed classic by traditional London Dry standards are actually not so much so – and if you could allow us a gross generalization – they tend to be more citrus heavy. It’s obviously not true for all of the American gins at all, for example Junipero is one of the most juniper punchy gins around, but as a quick overview of many the American Gins on the market the subdued juniper, citrus forward flavour profile seems to be a (all-be-it a loose and subjective) link that connects many of them. Given the billing, it was therefore with a lot of preconceptions that we delved into the glass.
Made using a base of grain including corn, wheat, and (non-malted) barley, some of the 11 botanicals used include juniper, citrus (lemon and orange peel), Tahitian vanilla, cassia, grains-of-paradise and homegrown hops. It tastes lemony, with a creamy vanilla texture and accompanied by other flavours we would associate with Genevers and not usually gins. The hops for example, give a different feel and aroma (grainy tones) but there’s enough of a tingle of juniper that keeps it balanced. The earthy botanicals and spiced notes anchor the gin and give it a peppery bite to finish.
Paul takes a grain-to-glass approach and doesn’t buy in Neutral grain spirit; instead doing it all in-house. FEW Spirits buy all their corn from a farmers co-op in Indiana and the rest of the grains from farmers in SE Wisconsin, creating their own base for all the spirits they make. This attention to detail and their search to produce the exact flavours they are looking for is testament to the care and true craft they are seeking to achieve – we feel that this is reflected in the gin.
FYI for the fermentation geeks… They take high-enzyme malt as well as rye, corn, wheat, and mash them. They don’t sparge the mash since they want a very concentrated sugary output for when the yeast is added. Interestingly, Paul chooses yeast strains that impart flavour rather than reach exceedingly high alcohol levels.
Launched in August 2011, FEW American Gin is a worthy addition to the craft distilled gin category. As mentioned above, we tasted it with a lot of expectations and were relieved to find a balanced gin. We expected it to be well made, anyone who takes a grain-to-glass approach is always going to produce a well-rounded product – but on occasion some of these (by other craft distillers) have not been very “ginny”. FEW American Gin is definitely modern in its profile, but not so far that it is not recognizable as a gin. We enjoyed it, especially in a refreshing Summery G&T.
As well as producing Gin, Rye and Bourbon – FEW Spirits also make limited edition releases, one of which was FEW Barrel Aged Gin. Given the relative uniqueness of this day (since it doesn’t happen all the time) the distillery saw it fitting to release a limited edition, small batch product on February 29, which marked 2012 as a leap year.
Aged for four months in small 5-gallon new American oak barrels with relatively severe charring (#3 for those who wanted to know!). They used a different recipe to their American Gin for the barrel aging release, with a more traditional heavy juniper and spice botanical mix, which they felt would be more suitable for effects of interacting with wood. The exact list is undisclosed but it includes a lot of citrus with bitter orange and lemon peel, as well as cassia and angelica.
Bottled at 46.5% ABV, the wood is evident from the amber, leathery colour. Sugary liquorice on the nose; while clove, candied citrus and base tones of grain come through on the palate. The relatively high ABV isn’t apparent other than as a way of carrying layered flavours and much like NYC Distilling’s barrel aged offering, the balance between the clarity of the juniper, other botanicals and wood is well struck. Familiar gingerbread flavours come through too – perhaps a result of the grain, while the finish lingers nicely with soft caramelised sugary notes coating the palate.
We enjoyed it in a version of an Old Fashioned as well as in a variation of a Gin Buck (50ml Few Barrel Aged Gin, top with Ginger Beer and a large orange wheel as a garnish, serve in a hi-ball glass with lots of ice).
There were only 150 bottles of FEW Barrel Aged Gin released, most of which were snapped up as soon as it was announced. This is a good example of how craft distillers can make the most of their small scale to create innovative products that help keep interest in what they are doing with their core range in addition to showcasing their skills. Given the popularity of the barrel-aged gin however, it wouldn’t surprise us to see another batch sometime in the future.
Currently the distillery is producing gin, white whiskey, bourbon and rye whiskey regularly, with the occasional limited-production spirits; FEW Spirits seem to be gathering momentum and enjoying the surge in interest around craft distilling.
Spirits aside, we’ve got a lot of respect for a team that managed to change the local laws to make their dream possible, the fact that they grow some of the botanicals (the hops is grown in Paul Hletko’s yard) and for their grain-to-glass approach – all of which is mightily impressive. As with many of the better craft distillers, we hope that they can continue riding the wave of success and follow up their releases with more inventive and exciting spirits. Whilst there are already ongoing talks to make this happen at the time of writing – let’s hope that they get distribution to the UK sorted out soon!
For more information about FEW American Gin, please see their website:
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