Koval Single Barrel Bourbon

Koval Four Grain, admittedly, was not my favorite. It was too sickly sweet and heavy on notes that can only be described as nail polish. But I’m not one to write off a distillery because of one subpar exploit. This time it’s SB bourbon—and I’m going in with an open mind. This is from Barrel # MV0J77 Nose: Heaps of brown sugar. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Molasses. Some of that nail polish aroma. Raisin. Menthol. Valentine’s raspberry’s chocolate. A fairly potent croissant note. Mango and pineapple can be found somewhere in there. Palate: Again, heavy brown sugar. Molasses as well. Raisin and dried cranberry. More of that raspberry-flavored Valentine’s Day chocolate. Vanilla and caramel. Croissant note is more subtle but still present. A trace of the menthol from the nose. Black pepper and pipe smoke. Finish: Heaps of brown sugar. Some caramel and vanilla. Toasted almond and walnut. Cinnamon red hots, crushed red pepper, and cinnamon. Sawdust, white pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Lots of spice. The pineapple and mango reappears at the end. Another pretty bizarre whiskey from Koval. Long, layered finish. Some really strange notes here, but like with the Four Grain, this gets it done for me. I’ve got this at a 3.5/5–3.75 after VFM considered. On another day, I may have gone lower, and I certainly could not see myself scoring this higher. The review I wrote before this was for the Macallan Rare Cask, which I gave a 3.0/5. Now, that is a superior whisky to this one, without a doubt. But it’s a 3.75 knocked down to a 3.0 due to VFM. Conversely, I had this scored at a 3.5, boosted to 3.75 due to VFM. The fact that I can buy roughly 9 one of these for the price of 1 Rare Cask matters, in my book at least. This is a weird one. I may drop the score in the future. But for now, 3.75 it is.

Color: orange-toned honey I poured two, and let one sit for about 15 minutes to compare the two. Fresh pour: Nose- heavy ethanol and vanilla First sip- ethanol that burns of quickly, leaving some traditional vanilla and caramel without a lot of burn (surprising, given the ethanol) and without the sweetness that usually comes with vanilla and caramel. There is a weird plastic-y taste. I’m not sure if it’s the unfamiliar grain or not. Finish- medium, a little bitter like extremely dark chocolate. Still plastic-y. With a few drops of water- It gets sweeter, and that plastic quality is mitigated a bit. My sister, a wine drinker, pulled out a “woodsy quality, like damp fallen leaves.” Sitting pour: Nose- fruit and vanilla with hints of butterscotch. Definitely improved with sitting. First sip: sweeter. There’s more of a butterscotch quality as opposed to the caramel from the first pour. There’s also more of a spicy burn to it. Few drops of water- tones down the spice, except on the finish. Makes it more buttery. After a couple of sips of water, there’s almost a hint of cheap pink bubblegum from childhood. Finish- medium, tongue-tingling cinnamon spice. Final thoughts: I think that sitting for a bit and adding water is the way I most enjoyed it. The plastic taste is a big turn-off for me. Perhaps it’s the unfamiliar grain, perhaps it’s just from a newly-opened bottle and will disappear further down. I’m willing to investigate further.

On the nose: caramel, vanilla, and very grain heavy On the palate: Corn Pops cereal (never thought I’d use that as a tasting note), molasses, definite char, some bitter oak, and a mild spiciness. Definitely unique, with a robust mouthfeel too On the finish: Goes sweeter and the spice becomes more prominent as well Overall: Unique and interesting for sure. Not terribly complex, but solid nonetheless. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path but not radically out there, this could be a winner.

I wouldn't have given this a second look at a shop. But I was out bar-hopping with a friend last Friday, and figured I'd give this a try. Nice. Surprisingly good. Spicy on the front end. Slightly sweet. Caramel (I could actually taste it). Butterscotch. I believe this is fairly young — aged less than four years. But it doesn't taste youthful. I'm not going to buy it, but I would definitely drink it again. It ain't half bad... not bad at all.

Soft nose with hints of ethanol at first but mellows out after it sits a few minutes. Floral and citrus on nose. First sip has strong oak and char with slight finish in black pepper. Good light linger and a moderate heat during finish. Add a splash of water and this really draws out the black pepper but diminished quickly. Nice offering and I would recommend to get this one.

Unique/interesting mix of a sweet smell but the flavor it having the more typically vanilla or caramel flavor. Even though on the nose you expect that, you get more fruit/herbal flavor profile without the sweetness. Not necessarily bad, but it kind of throws you off. It’s also not entirely smooth and doesn’t fully mellow out with an ice cube.