Finally Im getting to releasing this great episode. Not from not wanting to but MAN its been busy. Today we are talking to the Doll Of Distilling herself Erin Lee. I am so excited for this chat, we talked all about Step up program. We dove deep into Tea. You Just have to check it out.
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ADI’s International Spirits Competition Rising Star in Distilling Shortlist Nominee: Erin Lee
Erin Lee, a graduate of the StepUp Internship program, has transitioned from fashion designer and tea sommelier to distiller in a remarkable journey. Her passion for tea, sparked by a trip to Asia, led her to become a Certified TAC Tea Sommelier in 2021. This newfound appreciation for intricate flavors directed her towards whiskey, culminating in her selection for the inaugural STEP UP Intern class by the American Craft Spirits Association. Erin has trained at renowned distilleries across the U.S. and joined Few Spirits as Head Distiller in 2023. Currently, with support from the Michael James Jackson Foundation, she is pursuing her General Certificate in Distillation from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. And for these reasons the American Distilling Institute’s International Spirits Competition selected Lee as a shortlist nominee for our 2024 Rising Star in Distilling Award.
A grain-to-glass distillery since 2011, FEW Spirits produces award–winning craft whiskey and gin in a tucked away alley located in the growing Chicago suburb of Evanston, IL..
ALSO KNOWN AS THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, THE 1893 WORLD’S FAIR TOOK PLACE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. IT REPRESENTED THE DAWN OF MODERNISM & INTRODUCED OUR NATION TO phosphorescent LIGHTS, MOVING WALKWAYS, an electricity powered water fountain and the invention of THE FERRIS WHEEL. It WAS even THE LAUNCHING GROUND OF A NOTABLE BRAND OF JUICY CHEWING GUM AND A BRAND OF BEER THAT WAS AWARDED A FIRST PLACE BLUE RIBBON. BOTH ARE STILL AROUND TODAY.
however, IT WAS ALSO THE GOLDEN AGE OF PRE-PROHIBITION WHISKY.
SEVERAL DECADES LATER, EVANSTON, A SUBURB JUST NORTH OF CHICAGO, WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS THE SEAT OF PROHIBITION AND THE established HEADQUARTERS FOR THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT – SPEARHEADED BY A WELL KNOWN FEMALE FIGURE, WHO ALSO ADVOCATED HEAVILY FOR WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE. prohibition was repealed in 1933, but EVANSTON WAS A DRY COMMUNITY THAT CLUNG DEAR TO concept of the NOBLE EXPERIMENT decades AFTER repeal.
THESE TWO ICONIC MOMENTS IN TIME AND PLACE, BECAME the INSPIRATION behind few spirits.
PAUL HLETKO, FOUNDER & DISTILLER, SAW THE POWER OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS. he TURNED HIS SIGHTS TO MAKING SPIRITS. HE RELENTLESSLY PURSUED A NEW STYLE OF URBAN WHISKEY THAT WOULD BE THE EQUAL TO THAT OF HIS FRIENDS IN KENTUCKY. BUT CREATING WHISKEY IN THE SEAT OF PROHIBITION? SEEMED LIKE A GOOD PLACE TO START A BOLD, PARADIGM BREAKING WHISKEY BRAND.
DOWN A DARK BACK ALLEY IN EVANSTON, YOU WILL FIND AN OLD CHOP-SHOP MAKING FLAVORFUL BOURBON & RYE FROM GRAIN-TO-GLASS WITH A BOLD CHICAGO-STYLE TWIST. Innovative products continue to flow from the team at FEW. PROOF, AS EVER, THAT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE.
Smashing Pumpkins
In an innovative collaboration, FEW Spirits and The Smashing Pumpkins have unveiled a distinctive bourbon, meticulously crafted and brought to bottle strength using Billy Corgan’s own Midnight Rose Tea from his tea shop in Chicago, Madame Zuzu’s. This unique partnership – unlike any in the rock-whiskey world before – blends the bold flavors of our exceptional FEW bourbon with the avant-garde musical spirit of The Smashing Pumpkins, known for their influential alternative rock sound showcased in iconic albums like ‘Siamese Dream’ and ‘Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.