Koval Single Barrel Four Grain Whiskey

"Being a craft distiller allows us to be flexible and bring a new approach to the market," says Sonat Birnecker, the founder of Koval Distillery. "Craft can be different. Different in business model. Different in product. Craft is a way to be creative." Together with her husband, Robert, Birnecker founded Koval Distillery Chicagos first distillery since Prohibition in 2008.Koval Distillery, which is situated just a few feet away from Hollywood Beach in Chicagos North End, is dominated by a custom-made, 2,000 gallon, Kothe Destillationstechnik copper-pot still imported from Germany. "I come from a family thats been distilling for over a hundred years in Austria," explains Robert, who has been distilling spirits himself since he was a child. "My grandfather had a distillery in Austria and I would help him to make different eau de vies and brandies when I was growing up. He taught me the importance of having the right equipment and using fresh, organic ingredients."Koval Four Grain Whiskey is made from a mash of oats, malted barley, rye and wheat. Much like Koval Rye Whiskey, the grains are 100 percent organic and distilled through the Birneckers still, which was specifically designed to produce whiskey. Koval, which is a Yiddish term meaning blacksmith, is often used colloquially to refer to the blacksheep of the family.Koval Four Grain Whiskey has a nose of banana and dried, tropical fruits, which is followed by notes of oak, buttery bread and a spicy finish. Koval Four Grain earned the Silver Medal at the American Distilling Institute in the "Non-Traditional Whiskey" category, and the Gold Medal at the International Whisky Competition in the "American Whisky" category.Once the whiskey has matured for a minimum of 2-4 years, each bottle is filled from a single barrel, before being labeled by hand."When we got started, we noticed that there was a real vacuum regarding distilling knowledge in the United States," says Robert, "If the majority of product being put out is good, it helps the entire industry. If somebody tries a crappy product thats labeled "craft from somebody else, theyre less likely to try our product. Its important to us that the whole industry grows with us. We dont want it to be a one-hit wonder, something that everyone rushes to and then it kind of dies down again."Koval Four Grain was named runner-up for the US Micro Whisky of the Year in Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2017.Pick up this great bottle of Koval whiskey today!