FEW 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
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