Koval

Robert and Sonat Birnecker left academic careers in Washington, D.C. to open a distillery in Chicago, Illinois, in 2008. It became the first distillery within the city limits since Prohibition, reviving a craft that had been dormant for decades. Koval's whisky departs from convention in more than one way. The couple use a 'heart cut' method borrowed from European fruit brandy making, capturing only the purest part of each distillation run. They also work with unusual grains, including millet, alongside the organic corn, rye, and wheat sourced from Midwestern farms. That commitment to grain has helped Koval collect more than 100 international awards. Every bottle is single barrel, and the distillery still mills and ferments its own grain on site in Ravenswood.