FEW Single Malt
FEW Spirits trades a lot on their location and story, but they have a right to. Housed in the home of the US temperance movement, owner Paul Hletko struggled to change the prohibition-era ordinances still on the town law books to be able to get his distillery running. Started in 2011, FEW makes their spirits grain-to-glass. The distillery has several offerings and the labels feature woodcut prints of wonders from the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago. The distillery’s name shares initials with Francis Elizabeth Willard (1839–1898), founder of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, which is based in Evanston. This single malt is not one of their current offerings but has been in the past, so can be still be found on shelves, with the idea it could be revived in the future.
Port Dundas 12 Year Single Grain
Situated just north of Glasgow, Port Dundas distillery was closed in 2010 after distilling grain whisky for almost two hundred years. By the end of the 19th century, it was one of the largest whisky makers in Scotland by volume, at over two million gallons a year. The grains used were barley, rye, and most curious of all, American corn. Unlike many distilleries that fell into closure due to poor sales or temperance movements, the decision to close Port Dundas was made due to another distillery in Diageo’s portfolio, Cameronbridge, having a higher production capacity. Even though the distillery was demolished in 2011, enough product remains for Diageo to have two offerings at least in the American, this Port Dundas 12 Year and an 18 Year grain scotch.
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
While not known for whisky on the international stage, South Africa has been the home of wine, gin, and beer for a great many years. The James Sedgwick distillery was founded in 1853 in Wellington but didn’t start to gain more attention until former English cricketer Andy Watts was made Master Distiller in 1991. Having trained at distilleries in Scotland, he saw the potential to further develop the distillery’s existing brand, Three Ships, throughout the 90s and early 2000’s. He launched Bain’s Cape Mountain in 2009, a single grain whisky made from South African maize. Named after Andrew Geddes Bain, Andy helped introduce South African whisky to the wider world. Thanks Andy!