Established in 2008 by husband and wife team Dr. Robert and Dr. Sonat Birnecker, Koval Distillery in Chicago, IL, is one of the largest independent and female-owned craft distilleries in the US and produces organic whiskey, liqueurs and specialty spirits. Leaving behind careers as academics, the Birneckers decided to combine Robert's skills as a 3rd generation distiller, his love for traditional craft spirits, and his reputation as one of America's top distilling experts into setting up a world-class craft distillery. As Chicago's first distillery since prohibition, Koval quickly gained attention for their diverse range of award-winning spirits and unique production approach of producing all organic and kosher spirits from scratch using only the ?heart? cut of the distillate. The name Koval is derived from the Yiddish word for 'black sheep' and is exemplified in Koval's grain-to-bottle approach which involves contracting local farmers to grow the grain, milling and mashing the grain on-site, and finally distilling, bottling, and packaging. Nose: The nose opens sweet at first with notes of buttery corn and slightly earthy grains followed by bright caramel, faint red fruit, a touch of baking spices, and a hint of vegetal charred oak. Palate: The palate is viscous and buttery opening with sweet light brown sugar before notes of fresh red fruit, earthy spices, and a vegetal funk develops with some peppery oak chips developing in the background. Finish: The finish echoes the sweetness of the palate but with a more pronounced toasted oak edge that brings a peppery spice alongside it and leads into an aftertaste dominated by tannic oak that dries the tongue and builds in spiciness with each sip.

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