This FEW Rye Single Barrel was bottled for the Mixing Glass in Costa Mesa, CA and is one of only a handful of single barrels FEW has ever done. I believe it’s only the second one FEW has done with their Rye. As with all single barrels the exact experience of this whiskey is unique to the barrel that was emptied to fill these bottles, but if you come across another store that has been able to finagle a barrel I’d love to read your own tasting notes and impressions, along with where it came from, in the comments below.
FEW Rye Single Barrel Info
Region: Illinois, USA
Distiller: FEW
Mashbill: 70% Rye, 20% Corn & 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: At least 3 years
ABV: 58.6%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $80
FEW Rye Single Barrel Review
EYE
Ruddy tea
NOSE
There’s complex and then there’s this. Rich rye heavy herbal spice containing layers of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, juniper and anise gets backed by notes of Earl Grey tea, citrus peels, pine and a mild toffee heavy dark sweetness. Water doesn’t increase the complexity but it does help the layers of spice unfold.
PALATE
Dense, rich and powerful it’s basically a carbon copy of the nose with added woody notes and stronger notes of citrus and pine. It’s every bit as fantastic as the nose with an added woody dimension that compliments the herbal spice nicely.
FINISH
Long fade of herbal spice, wood, pine and dark sweets.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Fantastically well balanced, rich full body and a heavy oily feel.
OVERALL
The Mixing Glass’ FEW Rye Single Barrel is astounding. It’s bold and complex and the addition of water expands and unfurls its spicy herbal tendrils even further and I absolutely love every second of it. That said, if you’re not a fan of the regular FEW Rye then it’s not likely you’re going to enjoy this because it’s all of the herbal spicy goodness of the regular release amped up in all the right ways – so if you like the original you’ll LOVE this barrel. Last I checked there was 5 bottles left…
I don’t know if it’s the barrels, distillation method, strain of rye, their yeast (my guess) or their aging process that causes this intense herbal spice to appear in FEW rye, and their bourbon to a lesser extent, but I really enjoy it. Though weirdly enough I’m not wild about their barrel aged gin despite the similarities that exist between the aroma and flavor of the two. However, I’m not reviewing that I’m reviewing this FEW Rye Single Barrel and it is decidedly awesome. Nice pick Mixing Glass… nice pick indeed.
SCORE: 94/100