Just north of Chicago is the quiet suburb of Evanston, Illinois, where FEW Distillery makes whiskey and gin. Evanston is famously the home of the Temperance Movement that eventually led to Prohibition, but thanks to the distillery, it’s starting to get a reputation for alcohol itself. Touring FEW Distillery is an easy day trip from Chicago, and a delicious one at that.

Chicago is notorious for the men who bootlegged alcohol during Prohibition, but what’s lesser known is the women who started Prohibition just north of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. The Temperance Movement had a huge following in Evanston and eventually they pushed to pass Prohibition. Not only did they succeed, Evanston remained dry decades after Prohibition ended. In fact, the first bar didn’t open until 1972!

Touring FEW Distillery in Evanston, Illinois

The Story Behind FEW Distillery

Paul Hletko, the founder of FEW, was inspired to open a distillery to honor his grandfather, who lost his brewery to the Nazis during World War II. As the family’s only survivor of the Holocaust, he tried to get his brewery back after the war with no luck. When he died, Paul realized his legacy would be gone unless he did something about it. So the idea for a craft distillery was born.

Evanston, Illinois, wasn’t the obvious choice for a distillery, but would allow Paul to work close to his family. But that required changing his hometown’s local distilling laws. As a former attorney, Paul worked to change several of Evanston’s laws regarding craft distilling, zoning, even requiring food to serve alcohol. After a year of working on the legal system, production started at FEW in 2011. It’s now available in 30 countries across four continents.

The Story Behind the FEW Name

The name FEW is often quoted as standing for the initials of one of the Temperance Movement’s biggest advocates, Frances Elizabeth Willard. As President of the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement (among other titles), Frances influenced Prohibition, Women’s Suffrage, and a dozen other social movements. But rumor has it that’s actually a coincidence. The name comes from the fact that the distillery doesn’t make a lot of products, “only a few.”

While the inspiration for the name is up for discussion, the bottle labels are definitely inspired by Chicago. Designed to mimic woodcut prints, each label depicts a different element of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The two hybrid stills at FEW Distillery.

Grain to Glass… Or is it?

FEW distillery calls itself a Grain to Glass operation, a term used by craft distilleries to imply majority of the production is done on site. There’s no legal definition, but it usually means everything from growing the grain to bottling the alcohol happens in the same spot. But at FEW, grain is shipped in from Canada, Idaho, or Montana (depending on the type) and arrives milled.

So the grains aren’t from Illinois, but they are distilled and barreled there. Each product has a different mashbill at FEW Distillery that are then distilled in either the hybrid stills (FEW has two) or the column still that’s so tall it protrudes through the roof.

The resulting whiskey goes into 53-gallon Minnesota white oak barrels (recently upgraded from smaller barrels in 2019) and aged in 3 different warehouses in Evanston. The temperature-controlled warehouses mimic the dramatic Illinois weather, just not as drastically. (After last year’s 160-degree temperature swing in 6 months, can you blame them?!)

The column still is so high it goes out the roof!

FEW Whiskey

I always appreciate when brands offer as much information about their spirits as possible. Unfortunately, FEW’s website doesn’t provide a lot of details, but they were more upfront during the tour. FEW’s core line includes three types of whiskey (bourbon, rye, and single malt) plus a blend, called American Whiskey. All bottled at 46.5% ABV, none of the whiskeys have age statements.

Like many craft distilleries, FEW experiments with different releases, including single barrels, on a regular basis. The distillery tasting features their core line, which is widely available.

FEW Bourbon :: The high corn mashbill (70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% barley) has notes of cloves, caramel, and vanilla on the nose; with caramel and toffee notes layered with young heat on the palate.

FEW Rye :: Flipped for the rye, the mashbill is 70% rye, 20% corn, and 10% barley. There are interesting earthy, herbal notes on the nose, with malt and spice; and fruity notes on the palate, with spice and fresh orange.

FEW American Whiskey :: Few’s American Whiskey is a blend of 47% bourbon, 47% rye, and cherrywood smoked malt. The nose is very corn forward, with apples, vanilla, and brown sugar notes. There are spicy, hot notes on the palate, with caramel, more apples, black pepper, and nutmeg.

FEW Single Malt :: Made from smoked and un-smoked malted barley, FEW ages their single malt in used rye and bourbon barrels and cherrywood barrels. There’s heavy malt and nutty notes on the nose, with a tiny bit of smoke. The palate has red apple and chocolate notes, with some dusty spice.

Touring FEW Distillery ends with a whiskey and gin tasting.

FEW Gin

In addition to whiskey, FEW makes three different kinds of gin, including an aged version. They use different botanicals for each one, placing them directly in the still in what is essentially a giant tea bag. To avoid contaminating whiskey flavors, they reserve one still specifically for gin production.

Each gin varies by ABV: Breakfast gin (42% ABV), American gin (40% ABV), and Barrel Gin (46%). Aged for 8 months in used rye and bourbon barrels plus unused white oak, the Barrel Gin is darker in color, with smoky, charred wood notes.

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Several gins and whiskeys have won awards locally and internationally, and I’ve spotted their bottles as far away at Italy! So it seems they’re well on their way to change Evanston’s alcohol reputation.

How to Tour FEW Distillery

If you’re interested in touring FEW Distillery, tours are offered Thursday – Sunday for $10/person. Tours fill up, so book reservations beforehand online here. The Tasting Room is open Thursdays and Friday for cocktails, tastings, and purchasing bottles. Few Distillery is located down a small alley and is really easy to miss!

FEW Distillery is a great place to learn more about FEW spirits and their production, but it’s not the most informative or picturesque craft distillery I’ve ever visited. But if you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth stopping in. Or you can take a short detour from Chicago. (It’s easily accessible from the red/purple L lines and just a few minute walk off the station.)

After the tour, if you want more whiskey, check out Whiskey Thief Tavern. They have hundreds of whiskeys, great cocktails, and excellent food. (Get the spicy chicken served in waffle cones!)