Thresh & Winnow Bottled-in-Bond Millet Whiskey (KOVAL Distillery)

Cheers to Paula and Alex for this recommendation! KOVAL holds a special place in the lore of American Craft Whiskey, founded in 2008 by husband and wife team Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart as the first distillery to open in Chicago since the mid-1800s. They quickly established themselves as a difference-maker in the category, bringing over traditions from Robert’s family in Austria who were both distillers and organic farmers. With a focus on unique grains, their signature “heart cut” techniques, as well as both kosher AND organic certifications, their authenticity is second to none. As Robert says, “That is what we want to stand for, the highest quality whiskey out there.” Their success speaks for itself, as would-be distillers flock to the Windy City to learn from them, and they have set up hundreds of distilleries all across the world, from Japan to Uganda to Belize.

We fell in love with this 100% Millet whiskey from the first sip, and the romance kept going when we learned more about the grain (plus the dope packaging of the Thresh & Winnow line). Millet is not only delicious, but also can help you feel good about your consumption, as it is incredibly regenerative, replenishing the nutrients in the soil in which it is grown, as well as being drought resistant. And even though KOVAL has been around for a while (their Four Grain was actually Seabass’ first bottle of craft whiskey way back in 2013!), they are still innovating, this being part of their Thresh & Winnow special release line, coming with a bottle so beautiful you won’t want to throw it away. At the end of the day, as Sonat says, “Going forward we are leaning into sharing joy and celebration with everyone, and whiskey is always a part of that experience. It’s something to help mark a moment that then becomes a memory, to which you can add layers, making it something truly special.” That sounds like the perfect “Inception” to us!