Koval Single Barrel Rye Whiskey

It’s just magic.

Koval is the first small batch distillery in Chicago since the dark days of the Prohibition era, and one of the leading craft distilleries in the US. It was founded in 2008 by Robert and Sonat Birnecker who abandoned their academic careers to follow their hearts. Growing up, Robert lived near Salzburg, Austria, and was immersed in a culture of small batch distilling, so perhaps this is destiny. For those of us who love great Spirits, it is just good luck for us!

The distillery supports sustainable agriculture and is certified as both organic and kosher — there’ll be no outsourcing for these kids. In eight short years they have expanded their miracle-working to… geez, just about everything from Gin, to Whiskey, to Liqueurs, and a bunch of other fiddly things, all of them professionally crafted and tasty-good. In fact, they are rated as one of the top ten small-batch distilleries in the US.

Rye Whiskey Business 101: rule number one — rye is the majority shareholder. In order to be called a Rye Whiskey, at least 51% of the mash bill must be rye grain. The folks at Koval take Whiskey-nomics to an entirely new level… try 100% Rye.

You read correctly. This Whiskey is produced from 100% organic rye sourced from a local organic farmer collective in the Midwest. Aged from 18-24 months in 30-gallon, new charred oak barrels, this Single Grain Whiskey is not only pure Rye, it's surprisingly light and fresh on the tongue. Rather than a kick, there's just a kiss of spice on the finish. How the hell do they do it? Pure magic.