KOVAL

Koval was founded in Chicago in 2008 by Robert and Sonat Birnecker, and was among the first distilleries to operate in the city since Prohibition. It remains an independent, family-run business.

The distillery works grain to bottle with certified organic grain, much of it from farms in the Midwest. It keeps only the heart of each distillation, aiming for a clean, light spirit, and bottles many whiskeys as single barrels.

Koval's style leans on unusual grains. Its Bourbon uses millet alongside corn instead of the usual rye or wheat, the Millet whiskey is made from millet alone, and Four Grain combines oats, malted barley, rye and wheat. The Rye is made with a high share of rye.

Buyers will meet the Single Barrel Bourbon, Single Barrel Rye and Single Barrel Millet, plus Four Grain and occasional finishes such as the rye finished in an amburana wood barrel.