GSN Review: The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey

img_7175FEW Spirits recently announced 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.

Brainville Rye features an appropriately psychedelic LIPS-ian label designed by Justin Helton of Status Serigraph, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based studio. Helton has designed materials for some of today’s biggest musical acts, festivals and entertainment brands. Working with bands like Phish, The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Ween, The Black Keys; breweries including Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Great Raft Brewing; and festivals like Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Austin City Limits and Outside Lands, he’s created an array of designs for the music industry. The whiskey will be available as a limited edition of only 5,000. 

“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 ???  says Flaming Lips lead singer, Wayne Coyne, in typical cryptic fashion.

The Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey (80 proof)
Visual: Royal gold.
Nose: Cinnamon, peppered toffee, gingerbread, maple cream, dark rye bread dough.
Taste: Very smooth with a laid back spice entry.  After a few seconds some elements of spearmint and rye toast wake up the palate.  What strikes me is the subtle port wine undercarriage which entwines its way throughout the journey.  Quite unusual and unlike any rye I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Finish: Medium long with notes of loaf sugar, hard caramel, maple sugar, and a light rye toast sprinkled with fine cinnamon sugar dust.
Overall: A very easy to drink and unusual rye.  This works well and makes for a refined and subtle rye whiskey that sadly will be never seen again after the limited edition sells out.
GSN Rating: A-

For more information go to: Few Spirits

GSN Backbar Review: July 4-8, 2016

B36897Brazil’s Yaguara Cachaça is debuting two new offerings in the U.S. market, Yaguara Branca, a white cachaça (40.5% abv), and Yaguara Ouro (42% abv), a barrel-aged expression. Yaguara Branca ($30 a 750-ml.) and Ouro ($44) join the existing Yaguara Organic Blended Cachaça ($32) in the portfolio, which is distributed by Union Beer/Blueprint Spirits in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Florida.

paul-john-edited-single-malt-whisky-goa-india-10711835Domaine Select Wine & Spirits is launching Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky in the U.S. Distilled in Goa, India, by John Distilleries Ltd., the Paul John brand is made from six-row barley grown in the Himalayan foothills. The Paul John whisky range includes Paul John Brilliance (retailing at $60 a 750-ml.), Edited ($65), Select Cask Classic ($95) and Select Cask Peated ($100).

ct-flaming-lips-few-spirits-whiskey-20160706Illinois-based FEW Spirits is introducing Brainville Rye Whiskey this October in collaboration with rock band The Flaming Lips. Brainville Rye 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. Featuring a psychedelic label created by designer Justin Helton, Brainville is 80-proof and will retail at $125 a 750-ml. bottle. It will debut across key FEW markets this fall in a limited edition of 5,000 bottles.

whiskey_del_bacArizona-based Hamilton Distillers is launching single malt whiskey range Whiskey Del Bac across a number of markets, partnering with Atlanta sales and consulting group Crafted Brands on the rollout. Produced from 100% two-row barley sourced primarily from Arizona’s BKW Farms and southwestern Colorado, Whiskey Del Bac is set to debut in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Texas and Florida.

our-los-angeles-vodkaPernod Ricard has opened the latest distillery in its Our/Vodka program with its launch of Our/Los Angeles. Established in collaboration with creative agency founders Steven Ocheltree and Tyler Simmons, the Our/Los Angeles micro-distillery is based in downtown L.A.’s Arts District and will produce a vodka made with locally-sourced ingredients, retailing at $20 a 375-ml. The distillery marks the sixth outpost in Pernod’s Our/Vodka program, through which the company partners with entrepreneurs in different cities around the world to produce locally-inspired vodkas.

All information courtesy of Shanken News Daily