KOVAL Distillery's Rye Whiskey Wins 'Best International Whiskey'

Chicago's KOVAL Distillery beat out hundreds of world-renowned whiskey brands at Europe's largest whiskey fair, InterWhisky, Nov. 22-24. KOVAL was honored the coveted first place title: Best International Whiskey for its Rye Whiskey by both Der Whisky Botschafter, Germany's unrivaled whiskey magazine, and "Whisky Guide Deutschland" (Germany), the preeminent authority on whiskey in the German-speaking world.

More than 250 guests involved in the German and international whiskey industry gathered at the awards ceremony associated with InterWhisky, as the new "Whisky Guide Deutschland" was presented, and KOVAL was awarded Best International Whiskey.

InterWhisky, held at the Thurn-und-Taxis Palais (Frankfurt), attracts members of the trade and public alike. In its 15 th year, InterWhisky hosted 8,500 visitors; 1,700 of whom were members of the German national and international whiskey trade.

About KOVAL Distillery

Established in 2008, KOVAL is Chicago's first distillery since the mid-1800s, producing luxury organic whiskeys, liqueurs and specialty spirits. KOVAL's founders, Robert and Sonat Birnecker, chose to leave careers in academia to bring the distilling traditions of Robert's Austrian family to America. In making this decision, the Birneckers vowed to produce their organic spirits from scratch and change the way people understood whiskey by creating brighter, cleaner spirits. [Sonat speaks about their clean style on Windy City Live]

Embracing a grain-to-bottle mentality KOVAL thoughtfully monitors the spirit-making process. From contracting local farmers for organic grain, to milling and mashing on-site; to distilling, bottling and packaging, KOVAL is involved each step of the way. KOVAL believes the best spirits must come from the best ingredients. It sources all of its grains from organic Midwest farms and its water from Lake Michigan, supporting the local economy and sustainable agriculture.

With Robert at the helm of consulting for the burgeoning craft industry, KOVAL has won numerous international awards, and has grown to be one of America's leading small-batch, independent spirit manufacturers. KOVAL was recently named one of the top 10 most influential craft distilleries in the U.S. by Whiskey Advocate.

[Click here to read the latest about how Robert and Sonat are changing the way America distills]

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