Smokey New Whiskey Honors Chicago’s ‘Grit and Determination’ in the Aftermath of the Great Fire of 1871
FEW Spirits unveiled Chicago Smokeworks, a whiskey inspired by the resilience of Chicago after a fire in the 1800s. (Photo: FEW Spirits)
FEW Spirits announced the launch of FEW Chicago Smokeworks Whiskey on Monday, and the release honors the rebirth of the city of Chicago after a catastrophic fire broke out in 1871 and claimed nearly 300 lives. The whiskey hosts a proof of 93 and features a mashbill of cherrywood smoked barley intermingled with rye.
“Chicago’s an old city with a proud history full of deeply ingrained traditions that loves any excuse for a party,” FEW Spirits Founder Paul Hletko said in a news release. “With FEW Chicago Smokeworks, we wanted to honor the grit and determination of our city by remembering how far we’ve come.”
The Evanston-based indie spirits brand shared that to design the label, the team took samples of the whiskey and embarked upon a Chicago barbecue tasting experience. Inspiration for the iron-inspired design struck while the team enjoyed brisket and cornbread.
FEW shared the 46.5%-ABV spirit’s origin story began with a mash from cherrywood-smoked barley and rye. The brand claimed the final spirit is a “bold and soulful reimagining of a traditional malt whiskey.”
The brand claims that FEW Chicago Smokeworks possesses whiffs of honey graham cracker, campfire and vanilla on the nose. The palate is full of cereal grain, baking spice, and wafts of mellow smoke, making it the perfect spirit for autumn imbibing.
“Fall in Chicago is also a time for wall-to-wall football, and this is a particularly exciting season in our city,” Hletko said. “With that in mind, we wanted to create a liquid with rich flavors tempered by easy, round smokiness that are right at home with a great tailgate party.”
FEW Spirits is no stranger to thinking creatively for its whiskey releases. In May, the brand teamed up with The Smashing Pumpkins for a bourbon cut to proof with black tea. The tea was sourced from a tea shop founded by the band’s frontman, Billy Corgan, and his wife, Chloé Mendel Corgan.
About The Great Chicago Fire of 1871
The Great Chicago Fire ignited into a massive inferno on Oct. 8, 1871. The fire killed about 300 people and burned 3.3 miles of the city to the ground, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. One hundred thousand individuals were left homeless after the blaze which broke out partially due to hot, dry and windy conditions.
The fire destroyed 17,500 buildings and 73 miles of road.
The city embarked upon the “Great Rebuilding,” a project to revitalize the destroyed city. The city passed new laws that mandated all buildings be built to code, with fireproof materials like limestone, according to National Geographic. Terra-cotta clay was additionally used as a building material due to its fireproof nature.
Fortunately, the majority of the city’s railroad tracks were left in tact, which enabled the rest of the country to send aid shipments as the rebuilding took place.
Across the pond in England, individuals donated books which would be the first that rested on the shelves of Chicago’s inaugural public library. In 1956, National Geographic reported that the Chicago Fire Academy was constructed at the origin point of the conflagration, and school still trains firefighters so they can defend the windy city from disaster.
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