KOVAL Store — Attraction in Lake View Township

It's cool that there's a distillery in Chicago again after many decades--at the tour they said they had to get some laws changed that had been in place since prohibition. They stick to local Midwestern ingredients as much as possible, although of course some things, like coffee, just don't grow in the Midwest. Their stuff isn't cheap, but it's not ridiculous for nice smallbatch alcohol. Their tours, when you can get one, are really good. It's not fluff information, and we learned about the machines and the process and what double-distilled, etc., means. We smelled heads vs. hearts vs. tails. They make drinks from a few different types of grains, including spelt (I think they're the only or at least the first ones using spelt). Their liqueurs are very tasty, especially the coffee. The building where they do sales and tours is very small, with some storage, but they do most of the work in a building down the street. Oh, and everything they make is kosher, so that's kind of neat. It's nice to support a real local business, which this is. They have a little parking area, and there's plenty of free street parking around. Some local liquor stores sell their wares, and they also have a spot at the Glenwood...

We came here just to shop and have a look around the place. The guy at the counter who gave us samples knew his spirits, especially the whiskies. He would tell us tasting notes, specifics about the mash bill, and where the grains come from. You could tell this guy likes his job and he made us love Koval even more. We have had their Four Grain Whiskey, and it was, without a doubt, my favorite of the last two years. Today we tried the bourbon, which has a mash bill of 51% corn (making this a true bourbon whiskey) and 49% millet (making this a very bizarre mash bill). I'm glad they go with the bizarre sounding mash bill, because that bourbon was the most unique I've ever had. My wife wholeheartedly agrees as well. By way of recap, what excellent service and knowledge the guy working there had! But in addition to that, what incredible whiskies! We will definitely return for a tour soon. Thanks so much for making incredible spirits, Koval...and for having such an awesome employee. Oh and by the way, it was whoever was handling the store around 3:00 pm on March 6, 2018...that guy...

I visited Koval Distillery over the weekend because I was gifted a "tour" package for Christmas. What an awesome gift and experience. Let me start by saying that this "tour" felt more of a "presentation" because the space was small with the actual production moved to a larger facility a few blocks down the street. The original space felt like a display, but it was still interesting because it kept a lot the original stills and ageing barrels. On top of that, our host was very personable because of his knowledge and passion for the products and the company. We learned a lot about the distilling process as well as the different types of alcohol being made. We got a generous tasting of gins, whiskies and liqueurs that was included in the package. I ended up buying a tasty bottle of cranberry gin on the way out. Overall it was a great way to spend an hour and I do hope they begin tours of their new facility in the near future. Always...