Our Story

IN THE BEGINNING

Founded in 2008 Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart, KOVAL began as the first distillery to open in Chicago since the mid-1800s. KOVAL combines distilling heritage with state-of-the-art modern technologies - all with the aim of bringing heightened levels of consistency and creativity to the world of spirits.

GRAIN-TO-BOTTLE

KOVAL believes that the best spirits must come from the best ingredients, and crafts its entire line from scratch using a grain-to-bottle approach. Every step of the process is closely monitored and managed by KOVAL — from sourcing grains harvested by trusted farmers to milling, mashing, distilling, aging, and bottling on-site.

FORGING AHEAD

KOVAL means 'smith' or 'blacksmith' in many Eastern European languages, however in Yiddish, it has the added meaning of someone who 'forges ahead.' KOVAL is an homage to Sonat's great grandfather who earned it as a nickname when he dared to move from turn-of-the-century Vienna to the US to start a new life from scratch, while it also honors Robert's grandfather, from whom he learned to distill, as his family name is Schmid, the German equivalent of Koval.

Making Bourbon

What could be more exemplary of living the American dream than making bourbon. Robert set out to create a unique mashbill and came up with the mixture of corn and Millet that makes Koval Bourbon one of the most unique bourbons on the market.