Spirits · Evanston, Illinois
F.E.W. Spirits
Midwestern whiskey and gin from the former home of the temperance movement.
- Founded
- 2011
- Founded by
- Paul Hletko
- Based in
- Evanston, Illinois
Making it since
2011
Their story
FEW Spirits was founded by Paul Hletko, who grew up in Evanston, Illinois. A homebrewer who had worked as a patent attorney and in the music business, he was also inspired by his grandfather, a brewer in what is now the Czech Republic who lost his business during World War II.
After about five years of planning and construction, FEW opened in 2011 as the first distillery in Evanston's history. The town was long dry and served as headquarters of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and the name FEW comes from the initials of its famous president, Frances Elizabeth Willard.
How it's made
Hletko sources grain as close to home as possible, drawing on the Midwest's farmland. FEW makes bourbon, rye and gins in house, along with playful releases like a Breakfast Gin made with Earl Grey tea and lemon peel.
The spirits industry is a business that thrives on passion, but it is a business
Why we carry them
We love the irony of great whiskey from a town that banned alcohol for a century. FEW's rye makes a terrific Manhattan.
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