Solid, chunky bottle with idiosyncratic whiskey inside. Straightforward rye crisps out of the glass in no-nonsense style; dry grain, sweet grass, and light but insistent anise almost wholly drown out the barrel character. The mouth is as dry and spicy-medicinal as the nose hints at, laying down character like a winning hand: rye SNAP! heat SNAP! light tarragon SNAP! oak SNAP! and a warm wrap-up finish SNAP! Full house, flavors over sensations. Clean and interesting. Nicely played.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2013)

There is a freshness to the wood on the nose, laced with caramel and delicate minty notes. The palate pours pleasantly chewy with molten butterscotch and offers a pleasant jolt of cinnamon and clove that suggests rye at work, before settling on bitter orange peel, salted caramel, and cocoa, leading to a drying leathery and warm spice finish. Nicely done.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Winter 2017)

FEW proofed its straight rye with oolong tea for this unusual whiskey specialty, and while the effect is subtle, it’s unmistakable. Dusty cloves and old cigar box, oolong tea leaves, bundled herbs, polished furniture, and a hint of blueberries and Concord grapes on the nose. The palate is dry and nutty, austere and spare: cocoa powder, herbal oak, licorice tea, mint, raw walnuts, and pecans. More walnuts, mint, licorice, dry oak, and black pepper on the finish.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2020)

Lovely aromas of charred toast, nut bread, biscuits, fresh grain, rye spice, and some grassiness give way to a palate-coating sweetness, including malted milk balls, cocoa, and dark baking chocolate. The finish offers fine balance, with cherry fruit nicely matched with drying oak tannins and laced with sandalwood and spices. Vatted from 23 barrels, primarily bourbon and rye, though the malt component offers great backbone.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Summer 2017)

A fragrant, mellow nose of vanilla cream and root beer, with hints of lime, wood char, and oak. The palate offers racy red fruit, berry skins, desert herbs, chocolate, licorice, and oak tannins, with a minty, peppery note. The finish presents a new round of dry oak, peanuts, rich chocolate, cracked pepper, cedar, and red fruit. The tequila-barrel finishing creates an almost rye-like spiciness in this unusual, creative offering. (900 bottles)

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2020)

Not a whiskey: FEW Spirits cut its bourbon with cold-brew coffee instead of water, but the effect is subtle and surprising. There’s sweet green tea, spearmint gum, marzipan, coconut, caraway, and toasted oak on the nose. Mint-chocolate candy, licorice, blueberry, and black pepper vie with oak on the palate; adding water, a juicy, fruity strain of raspberry and pomegranate emerges. The finish is dry, peppery, and herbal; water brings out fruit to balance.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2020)

Laden with herbs and spices—mint, caraway, earthy ginger—on the nose, along with furniture polish and lemon. The palate is oak-driven and rich, full of dark chocolate, zippy caraway, roasted lemon, and ginger. There’s a pleasant fruitiness as well, but the finish is dry, all gentle spice and chocolate. Takes water well—in fact, a few drops helps to tame some of the punchy heat. A blend of bourbon, rye, and malt whiskeys.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2018)

This is a bold style of bourbon, finished in American brandy barrels and brandishing fiery spirit and sweet corn. Yet the beautiful sweetness, layered with butter and spearmint underscored by cedary oak, offers a lot to like, especially on the nutty-sweet finish, with its peanut and charred wood flavors.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2018)

Super floral with bright lemon and yuzu, this beams with originality, as violet candies, rose petal, and pine forest join the fray. The mouthfeel has a satisfying oily texture and a slightly tart, bright citrus lift before the creamy sweetness settles in, nicely balanced with drying oak tannins.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2018)

Fresh and distinctly grain driven, like slurping warm breakfast cereal, but that malt purity also comes at the expense of complexity and development, with lots of grassy meadow, cut hay notes, that lead to a palate of husky grain and honeyed malt, before a finish sweet, young grass notes.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)