Add to Bar Cart: FEW Spirits Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon

There’s no shortage of celebrity spirits out there, and the number seems to get bigger every day. Most are not really worth mentioning. FEW Spirits, based just outside of Chicago, seems to have found a sweet spot in partnerships with musicians, however, and its latest release with Smashing Pumpkins (conveniently timed to the band’s latest album, Aghori Mhori Mei, and North American tour) is no different.

Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon was made with input from frontman Billy Corgan. As fans probably know, Corgan has been sober for decades (he told The Guardian the decision was made in an attempt to grow up for his kids rather than due to any addiction or abuse issues). Sobriety apparently has no impact on collaborating on a tasty whiskey.

It’s far from the first time FEW has tapped into musical inspiration. Other collaborations between bands and the distillery include Alice In Chains (a bourbon finished in ex tequila barrels), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (the Motor Oil release that’s a blend of mesquite smoked whiskey, bourbon aged in ex-vermouth barrels, and bourbon aged in ex-rum barrels), and Flaming Lips (a high rye whiskey using 70% of the grains from 150 miles of the Illinois distillery).

Like those other releases, FEW added a special touch distinct to Corgan to make the spirit pop.

ABV: 46.5%
Price: $55.99
Where it’s available: Through FEW’s site and Total Wine

FEW Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon uses the brand’s flagship high-corn bourbon (the mashbill is 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley) as the base. What really sets it apart is how FEW brought the proof down from cask strength to the 46.5% ABV it’s bottled at. Rather than using water, the distillery used Midnight Rose black tea from Madame Zuzu’s Emporium, the Chicago tea shop that Corgan runs with his wife, Chloé Mendel Corgan.

This, of course, isn’t the only whiskey that brings in caffeinated drinks. Coffee whiskeys abound. But it’s far from common for a whiskey to be proofed down with tea. That said, FEW has a little practice with the technique–the brand’s Immortal Rye from 2020 got an infusion of oolong tea.

The tea used for the cut in this release is a Madame Zuzu original. The proprietary blend of high-mountain black teas has a touch of rose petals for a floral note, and the shop describes it as high caffeine, natural rose scented, and naturally sweet.

If you know FEW, then you know to expect distinctive, high-quality whiskey in every bottle. Corn sweetness is heavily present, but balanced by the healthy percentage of spicy rye. The tea adds some unique flavors for a bourbon. Rather than relying primarily on the corn to add sweetness, the Midnight Rose tea adds a different type of sweet that is natural, subtle, floral, and extremely easy drinking. The high ABV is hardly noticeable under the black tea flavors.

Bourbon die-hards who like their whiskey with a hefty donkey kick of alcohol won’t find their favorite spirit in this bottle. There’s no denying the special appeal it has, though, and not just for Smashing Pumpkins fans who want to get even closer to the brand. I found it to be a perfect after-dinner drink served neat, similar to how I’d treat a nice brandy. It works well in sweeter cocktails like an old fashioned, but neat or with a single large ice cube let the flavors shine best.

I won’t try to make the case for why Smashing Pumpkins fans should have this bottle in their home bar. That much is obvious. I will say that it’s a fun, distinctive whiskey to have on hand even for those who can’t name a single Smashing Pumpkins song (though it might inspire people to change that lack of rock history knowledge). Plus, it’s one of the easiest bottles to bring out when with a group of people who think they don’t like bourbon.