KOVAL Four Grain Whiskey

94 Proof | Single Barrel | Organic | Kosher | Woman-Owned

KOVAL Four Grain is distilled from a mash bill of oat, malted barley, rye, and wheat -- a combination you will not find in a bourbon or standard rye. Aged in heavily charred new oak barrels from Minnesota and bottled single barrel at 94 proof, this whiskey delivers a banana nose, creamy palate, and spicy finish that earned 96/100 from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible and 92/100 from Wine Enthusiast, who named it a Top Spirit of the Year.

Wine Enthusiast described it as having "luscious butterscotch and caramel on nose and palate, plus a spicy clove-pepper finish." The Whiskey Wash called it "a true surprise from start to finish." Perfect sipped straight or with a single sphere of ice.

Tasting Profile

Nose: Banana is the dominant and nearly universal note -- appearing as fresh banana, banana bread, banana runts, and grilled plantain across reviews. Butterscotch, caramel, and confectioner's sugar, with airy biscuit and vanilla frosting. Sweet berries, molasses, and a hint of barrel char.

Palate: Creamy and mouth-coating. Pie crust and cinnamon, sticky dried fig, caramel candy. Banana bread and hazelnut chocolate. Rich and full-bodied with baking spice woven throughout.

Finish: Spicy clove-pepper that gives way to maple syrup, faint oak, and dried fruit. Notes of cacao, orange, raisin, and ginger. A fresh, minty quality rounds out the experience.

Production

KOVAL Four Grain is crafted from four organic grains -- oat, malted barley, rye, and wheat -- sourced from a Midwestern farm collective. Unlike bourbon (which requires at least 51% corn) or rye whiskey (which requires at least 51% rye), this mash bill uses no corn at all, letting the four grains define the character entirely.

Distilled using only the "heart cut" -- the purest middle portion of each distillation run -- and aged in heavily charred 30-gallon new oak barrels from Minnesota. The smaller barrel size provides more wood contact than industry-standard 53-gallon barrels. Every bottle is single barrel, meaning each comes from one individual barrel with the barrel number noted on each bottle. KOVAL Four Grain is certified organic, kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU), and produced at a woman-owned distillery using Lake Michigan water and natural charcoal purification.

What Makes It Unique

The four-grain mash bill is rare in American whiskey. Most distillers work with corn-based bourbon or rye-forward recipes, but KOVAL combines oat, malted barley, rye, and wheat into something that defies easy categorization. The oat component is largely responsible for the distinctive banana character that nearly every reviewer identifies as the signature note -- from Jim Murray to Wine Enthusiast to small independent reviewers.

Jim Murray scored it 96/100 in the Whisky Bible and named it US Micro Whiskey of the Year Finalist, calling it "one of the most intriguing whiskies on the circuit." Wine Enthusiast awarded 92/100 and named it a Top Spirit of the Year. Multiple reviewers recommend this as a dedicated sipping whiskey, best enjoyed neat or with a single sphere of ice.

"If anyone wants Pappy at the right price, switch over to this hidden gem." -- Distiller.com user review