Established in 2008, KOVAL produces organic whiskey in Chicago's first distillery since the mid-1800s. Founders Robert and Sonat Birnecker, chose to leave their academic careers to bring the distilling traditions of Robert’s Austrian family to America. In making this decision, they vowed to make organic spirits from scratch (avoiding the common industry practice of purchasing and bottling pre-made spirits) and to change the way people understand whiskey by creating a new, signature style - using only the “heart” cut of the distillate - affording a brighter, cleaner take on whiskey. 

Embracing the grain-to-bottle mentality, each step of the spirit-making process is thoughtfully monitored: beginning with contracting local farmers to grow the grain, to on-site milling and mashing, to finally distilling, bottling, and packaging. After numerous international awards, KOVAL has grown to be one of America’s leading small batch, independent spirit manufacturers. 
 
All of KOVAL's whiskies are "single barrel" expressions and aged in 30 gallon charred barrels (113,55 Liters). This insures that the distillate, made up solely of the heart cut, is able to develop its flavor with the purest grain notes and luscious flavor. The term "single barrel" refers to the fact that the bottles come from specific barrels and are numbered accordingly. All KOVAL spirits can be traced back to their barrel, and even the specific shipments of raw materials that come from their organic farmers.

KOVAL distills with a custom-built potstill handcrafted in Germany,specifically made for the production of whiskey and brandy: it has an elongated whiskey helmet, a special distillation column and a unique bubblecap construction that provides greater surface area for the spirits to develop aroma and flavor.