KovalSingleBarrelBourbonWhiskey(500mL)

<p>Think you know Bourbon? Koval Single Barrel is likely to be the most unique Bourbon you have ever tasted. </p><p><em>Koval </em>is the first small batch distillery in <em>Chicago </em>since the dark days of the Prohibition era, and one of the leading craft distilleries in the <em>US. </em>It was founded in <em>2008 </em>by <em>Robert </em>and <em>Sonat Birnecker </em>who abandoned their academic careers to follow their hearts. Growing up, Robert lived near <em>Salzburg, Austria, </em>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!</p><p>The distillery supports sustainable agriculture and is certified as both <em>organic and kosher </em>— there’ll be no outsourcing for these kids. In <em>eight short years, </em>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. </p><p>We just LOVE the smell of <em>innovation </em>in the morning! </p><p>If you call yourself a Bourbon fan, you probably know that you can’t call it Bourbon unless you follow a bunch of rules. Fair enough. One of those rules is that Bourbon is at least 51% Corn. The rest is usually a chefs-choice of rye, barley, and wheat. But… the good folks at Koval had their legal team pour over the fine print, and — <em>sure enough </em>— it doesn’t HAVE to be rye, barley, and wheat. As long as you have the corn part right, the rest can be any other grain. </p><p>Anyway… <em>Koval </em>starts with corn and then finishes off the mash bill with millet and the result is unlike any other Bourbon we’ve tasted so far with a fruit-forward character that compliments the sweetness of the corn. Everything else is just how you want it… new oak casks, proper aging, etc. Some folks talk about a good innovation game, but Koval brings the small-batch and single-barrel goods. If you are not intrigued yet, then someone broke your sense of wonder and we feel sorry for you. </p><p><u>Smartass Corner:</u><em>Millet has been used to make distilled Spirits in Nepal for more than a century. Traditional Nepalese “Whiskies” made with millet include Tongba (a steeped Whiskey-like drink filtered through a special bamboo straw), Raksi (similar to a cross between Gin and Japanese Saki), and Chhaang (similar to Beer and made with millet, rice, and/or barley).</em></p>