FEW SPIRITS
“WE SEE OURSELVES AS ARTISTS, trying to bottle liquid art,” says Paul Hletko, founder of Few Spirits. The Chicago-based distillery has been making American single malt with a “grainto-glass” approach for a little over 12 years.
The outsider feel of ASM feels just right at Few. Employees include former and current musicians, woodworkers, ballet dancers and cooks. Hletko, a self-professed “stinky hippie, raging Deadhead and jam-band fan,” says he and his team often arrive at their spirits after an intense period of improvisation and creativity.
“The approach is being unafraid to fail,” he says. “The best jam bands put it all on the line. When it works, it’s absolute magic. When it doesn’t, it’s an absolute trainwreck. We don’t release the trainwreck stuff — but it allows us to take an approach that pushes us to the edge of our creativity.”
Hletko and Few are drawn to American single malts because “the rules are not especially restrictive. You can do an awful lot, even under the unimproved definition” of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, of which Few is a member. Case in point: the smoke in their whiskey.
“When people talk about woodsmoke in whiskey, they are usually talking about peat smoke,” he says. “Peat flavors are very strong. People describe iodine, Band-aids, saline and licking ashtrays.” None of those descriptors are true for cherrywood smoke, which is what Few uses instead. “It’s a little bit of sweetness and a tiny bit of smokiness, really dialed back,” Hletko says.
Notes of cappuccino and chocolate pair with this sweet smoke to make it a great dessert dram. A complex mash bill of malted barley makes it rich and complex enough to keep drinkers interested after a great meal.
“Really, it’s unlike anything that’s out there,” Hletko says.
“American drinkers drink whiskey to experience different flavors,” he adds. “American single malts in general expand the palate. They are the perfect opportunity to experience those new kinds of flavors.”
“IN SCOTLAND YOU BUY FROM A BIG MALT HOUSE, AND HERE WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE GROWERS.”