Koval Single Barrel Millet Whiskey

Light flavors - lemon, coriander, floral notes, anise. Pleasant and refreshing

Interesting flavor. Unique.

This is a very interesting bottle that I likely never would have purchased on my own. I was gifted a membership into the Craft Whisky Club. This bottle is a private cask selection from the club and is offered at 110 proof. This is a unique, 100% millet grain whisky aged in small 30L casks. My bottle has been open for a couple weeks and this sample was tasted neat after resting the pour for a few minutes. The pour is a cherrywood color with good sheeting and many small tears running into the bowl of the glass. This is nicely viscous and has a good mouthfeel. On the nose this has a bit of ethanol, barrel wood, vanilla and burnt sugar. Its a bit sharp but not overly so. There's moderate complexity, with graham cracker, cracked pepper, and a sweet nuttiness emerging after a few moments. On the palate this oily dram hits sweet with a deep flavor of seeds as in a seeded almond cracker. This is followed by a flare of black pepper, sweet caramel, burnt sugar, light bitter oak and a touch of paprika. The finish is short and the dram leaves a slightly sweet and sour note with a bit of ethanol heat on the roof of the mouth and in the back of the throat. This is a really interesting whisky. A drop of water dials back the pepper and brings forward a bit more of the sweetness, accompanied by a pleasing bitterness that contrasts with a touch of wildflower honey and that baked seed flavor. There's moderate complexity both with and without a drop of water. An ice cube dials things back even more. I like this. I don't love it, but I like it and its unique and interesting. I haven't had much like it but its not so far off the beaten path that it would be a stranger to a rye or lowland scotch whisky fan. It's not like a "traditional" American malt, whatever that may be. I didn't know what to expect and I got something that's a bit unique. I'm not sure if I'd buy another bottle, but this sure makes me want to try the other expressions Koval has created. I like this, it will take a little more time for me to love it but I'm certainly not hating on it and I'm going to enjoy every drop. I have to think this might make a killer Old Fashioned. Maybe with something like a fig or date syrup? I'll be experimenting. I rate on a scale where a competently made product should map to a bell curve. The majority of whiskies should center at 2.5, with really good expressions heading above 3.0 and exceptional expressions above 4.0. This is above average with a additional merit for uniqueness and execution.

Interesting, nose seems sweet, but taste rather bitter. 1 year later: it's like sitting next to a christmas tree. And al of a sudden apple juice. No bitterness at all anymore.