Koval Single Barrel Four Grain

This is an interesting whiskey on paper. It’s a four-grain, led by oat, followed by malted barely, rye, and wheat. It’s the first I’ve had with that specific combination. It’s also my first Illinois distillery, coming out of Chicago. Let’s check it out. Barrel # 7G6X6K Nose: Heavy brown sugar. Oat and almond. An astringent sweet nail polish note. Banana-walnut muffin balances that out. Rum cake as well. Cocoa and oak. Palate: Again, very heavy on the brown sugar. Oat and almond also carry over from the nose. The almond is toasted. Walnut as well. Caramel and vanilla. Fudge and milk chocolate. Sawdust and timber. Some more of that nail polish. The rye is more prominent here—rye spice and black pepper now accompany the oak. Finish: Brown sugar. Nail polish. Cola. Banana bread. Almond, walnut, and oat. Black pepper, rye, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Medium length finish. This is a strange whiskey, but a good one. The mash bill is definitely reflected in the flavor profile. Oat is an interesting lead role, and I think this one pulls it off. At $45, I think I got my money’s worth out of this one. I will return to it. I had a bottle a couple years back that was terrible. Massive upgrade with this one. I will certainly revisit this in the future, but a 3/5 rating is where I have this for now. Solid.

Lunch pour, because: Wednesday. This holds the moniker 4 grain, which I usually don’t care for. Of course, I’ve only had a few of the cheap versions, like Lee W. Sinclair, and given that a friend of mine said this was phenomenal, fingers are crossed. Nose is grainy for sure, and bitter. There’s walnut, nail polish, sawdust, and spearmint. Body is better. Brown sugar, oat. More mint. Finish is… absent. Possibly some cinnamon. This is 100% skippable. It is better than Lee W. Sinclair, and they did a noteworthy job avoiding the water sourcing issue that plagues so many of the distilleries up this way (this is from Chicago). It’s still conspicuously young, it lacks depth, and it makes some very curious flavor profile choices. Not going to order or buy this again.

Nose: Granny Smith apple Oily, like a pot still Irish or an oily single malt Whole wheat bread Light yeast notes Little bit of caramel and vanilla Intense aroma, hard to nose Palate: Barrel sweetness rushes around the palate Leads to a long barrel tannin finish Oakiness, like furniture Spice Barrel tannins are overwhelming, which is a shame because I like the nose on this whiskey. The oiliness reminded me of the Koval millet whiskey, which I actually liked a lot. As usual with Koval products, it could use a lot longer in the barrel.

A creamy, certified as both organic & kosher, American Whiskey by Robert & Sonat Birnecker for the Koval Distillery in Chicago, Illinois made of oat, malted barley, rye & wheat. then aged in Minnesota Oak barrels. It has a rich birth with notes of banana & cream with baking spice; while a creamy life adds notes of grain, rye, oak, orange zest & vanilla; that leads to a long & complex death with notes of spice, malted barley & cherry. April 2019 / August 2022 / April 2024

Barrel# FB6W78. Leather tannins and soft spices, floral sweet grain on the nose. Smoke char and vanilla oak, sweet cereal--rolled oats--in the mouth with a creamy malted-grain mouthfeel. Sweet, floral orange, and some light spice in an average finish. Soft, round, and floral sweet with that oak char smoke backbone. The contradictions work well together

Leathery nose, slightly sweet on the palate. Initial orange mixed with a slight heat. Not overwhelming, but let’s you know it’s there. The heat seems to stick around longer than the flavor in the first few sips. Medium finish, some taste of leather here and there. Would drink again if offered, but would not buy another bottle.