Koval Single Barrel Bourbon

Organic certification in wine is welcome news but thankfully it is not uncommon. Even a cursory glance at our shelf labels turns up enough green leaves to justify raking. But the spirits wall is another matter. Koval, which means “black sheep” in Yiddish (who knew?) is an organic black sheep in a white flock of conventionally produced grain spirits. There is simply too much to admire about this trailblazing distillery (the first in Illinois since the mid 19th century, scrupulous sourcing of organic grains from small scale midwestern farms, water sourced from Lake Michigan) to comfortably fit on this tag. Corn and millet make up the mash bill and only heart cuts, the most refined of the distillate, goes into the bottle. The flavor is bright as light refracted in shattered glass, the fruit is ample and it is gorgeously smooth. Incredible.