Leaving their academic careers, behind, Robert and Sonat Birnecker-Hart decided to fulfill their dream of bringing the distilling traditions of Robert’s Austrian family to America by making whisky, liqueurs, and specialty spirits.
According to the couple:
“When we were trying to think of a name for our company, we wanted to allude to my husband’s grandfather, from whom he learned the art of distilling. His family name is Schmied, which is German for ‘Smith.
We also felt that in leaving our careers to work together in Chicago, we were exemplifying the same spirit as my great-grandfather, who earned the nickname of “Koval" at the age of 17 when he surprised his family and emigrated from Vienna to Chicago in the early 1900’s to start a battery company.”
They explain that the word “Koval” means “a person who forges ahead”, “a black sheep”, or someone who does something new or out of the ordinary”. Thus, the name serves as a distinctive way to honor both of their beloved grandfathers. With the name in place, they began the journey of starting the first distillery in Chicago since the mid-1800’s. They first vowed to make sure their products were exceptional by using the very best ingredients.
“Using organic grains is in good taste, not only because the rye, corn, millet and other grains we use were grown without pesticides, but also because it affords us a way to support sustainable agriculture. In making everything from scratch, we are able to monitor the entire process from start to finish and trace every bottle back to the grain shipment, even where and when it was harvested.”
Having complete control of the entire process made it possible for Robert and Sonat to develop a new style of American whiskey, focusing on the pure “heart cut” of the distillate. American whiskey traditionally includes “tails” in addition to the “heart cut”. Their reason to use only the “heart-cut” was two-fold.
“Tails “,on their own, taste and smell like a wet dog and contain Propanol, Butanol, Amyl and fuel oils which tend to muddy the character of the hearts. and secondly, because Robert comes from three generations of brandy makers in Austria.”
Koval whiskey is created with the same clean, bright style as Robert’s family’s brandy uses for fruit distillates to grain in Austria. Being able to contribute to this longstanding tradition of manufacturing is something they are extremely proud of, and they wouldn’t have chosen to do it anywhere else but Chicago.
“When we travel the world, and see our bottles on the shelves at Sydney, Paris, or Taipei, and we see ‘Handmade in Chicago’ on the front label, we can’t help but smile.”
Now with their company in its 10th year the two have a lot to celebrate and even do so with their own products.
“We are big fans of KOVAL Gin or Barreled Gin Negronis, but with colder weather we tend to move over to Boulevardiers with our Bourbon or Rye or Four Grain, Sazeracs with our Rye, and Manhattans with our Millet. We also enjoy everything straight.” As for the future of KOVAL, the company will be launching the “Susan for President Prune Brandy which is the second taste of their new brandy series for this Fall. Both this the prune version and the Susan for President Peach Brandy come in truly distinctive bottles.
“This brandy line is an homage to my Aunt Susan, an artist, sculptor, connoisseur of finer things and true original. We have made sure that the bottles, as well as what is inside, is a fitting tribute to her artistic spirit.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jodelle Maglaya
- Image courtesy
- Koval Distillery
