Company:
Koval Distillery
Job:
Master Distiller and CEO
Website:
kovaldistillery.com
have you been working in the whisky industry?
working on my grandfather’s distillery and winery in Austria, it’s hard to
stamp an exact date on when I began to work in the industry. That being said,
my wife Sonat and I moved to Chicago and started distilling at Koval in 2008.
What has
been your biggest career highlight to date?
Watching
Koval grow into a global brand has definitely been the biggest career highlight
for me. Seven years ago Sonat and I were bottling by hand at our first distillery
as our oldest son sat in a pack-n-play and now we travel across the world to
represent Koval and help set up distilleries through our consulting business,
Kothe Distilling Technologies.
Can you
remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
I can’t
remember my first dram but I do remember my first spirit experience with a rum
and coke.
What does
whisky mean to you?
To me,
whisky is a mix of tradition with modern elements. Since I grew up learning
traditional European distilling techniques, many of those elements are
reflected in the whisky and spirits we make at Koval, but with other new
methods as well, like only using the “heart cut” of the distillate and sourcing
from regional organic grains. Whisky is the past and the future!
Where would
you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
I’d like to
see myself still at Koval Distillery in Chicago, but with a larger impact on
more markets, and a few new products in our line as well.
What was
your last dram?
The last
spirit I had was my grandfather’s pear brandy.
Do you have
a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
A favourite
of mine and a combination that works particularly well is bourbon and dark
chocolate.
What’s your
favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
Usually
while relaxing late in the evening, after a long day of work and once the kids
are in bed.
What do you
think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
We have a
few new distillates resting in barrels, so only time will tell (at least for
the next big thing for Koval).
What’s the
one dram you couldn’t live without?
There isn’t
one dram I couldn’t live without, but I’d be very disappointed if the range of
whiskies around the world became more limited. It’s great to see such a wide
variety in the market.
Many
thanks to Dr Robert Birnecker. Who will be the next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to
find out!
The Whisky Wire 
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