The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey is a “collaboration” between the band and FEW out of Evanston, Il. Though I’m not really sure what exactly the collaboration is. From the press release, a portion of which is below, it seems like this is just some FEW rye whiskey that has a Flaming Lips label on it.
It’s a really cool label, that’s undeniable, but if it’s going to be a true collaboration it needs something else. Finished in barrels of the band’s favorite wine or beer, proceeds going to their favorite charity or individually signed bottles; something other than just putting their name on 5,000 bottles.
In FEW’s Words: The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey
“…a truly unique collaboration with legendary Grammy-winning band THE FLAMING LIPS: Brainville Rye Whiskey. The whiskey is made from a combination of rye, corn and malted barley grown within 150 miles of the FEW distillery, and aged in new, charred American oak barrels custom-made in Minnesota. Like FEW’s award-winning regular rye whiskey, the mash is fermented using a French wine yeast, giving the whiskey stone-fruit, apple and pear notes over a background of sharp spice.
“Whiskey… it’s such a volatile drink. Upon pouring a drink It’s like accepting that you may become a werewolf … And really… Who doesn’t want to become a werewolf ??? Ha…” says Flaming Lips lead singer, Wayne Coyne, in typical cryptic fashion.”
Like the press release says, this is the same rye whiskey they usually release, so let’s hop on down to the The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey review below to see if it’s worth the nearly 2x price of the regular FEW Rye Whiskey.
The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey Info
Region: Illinois, USA
Distiller: FEW http://www.fewspirits.com/
Mashbill: 70% Rye, 20% Corn & 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $125*
The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Pine heavy spice, caramel, banana nut muffins, vanilla and waxy lemony citrus twist together with whiffs of butterscotch, young oak and an overall spicy nature to create something that’s quite pleasant.
PALATE
Pine and anise based spice, caramel, banana bread, vanilla and bits of young oak, coffee cake, fruit and a wee bit of chalk blend together to create another pleasant, but not amazing, experience.
FINISH
Medium fade of spice, nuts, caramel and coffee cake.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a soft velvety feel.
OVERALL
The aroma of the The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey is heavy and dense. The palate is a bit weak and watery, but the finish kicks up a bit before fading out. The palate is a bit weak, but it’s an enjoyable whiskey. Though to be honest I like both the regular FEW Rye and the FEW Rye Single Barrel much more. They both have more to offer and I think a bit of that has to do with the water.
The regular FEW Rye is 46.5%, the SiB I had was cask strength 58.6%, but this is only 40% and almost twice the price of their flagship rye. Coming in at just $5 shy of a full 2x mark-up the least they could have done was bottle it at full cask strength. It’s a decent whiskey, I don’t want to fully take away from that, but it frustrates me to no end when I see brands charging more for products that aren’t as good as their flagships just because it has a different label.
SCORE: 86/100 (B)
*Disclosure: This sample of The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
