As of 11/9/2021, the tasting room hours posted online are incorrect, so call ahead to make sure they're open before going. Presumably the shop hours were accurate because they were the same online as on the door, but couldn't confirm that. read more

My husband and I love coming here. Emily is great during the tour! We plan on keeping our tradition of coming here during our anniversary- 2 yrs already. We've learned something new each visit and can't wait to keep trying new things... Btw, the cranberry gin is amazing! read more

We love Koval! My wife and I have decided to make the tour a yearly anniversary tradition. 2 years and counting and we have not been disappointed. Emily is an amazing tour guide. She actually remembered us from last year, will definitely be back soon. read more

Had an incredible experience yesterday dropping into KOVAL. We wanted to look at the varieties of spirits and ended up on a wild ride learning about their processes and their most suited cocktails. I believe it was Summer that showed us around. She was a delight. I am just passing through the area, and instead of pressuring me to pick up a bottle for my carry-on, Summer helped me find bars and stores in city that carry KOVAL. We couldn't make it back for the cocktail event they had last night, but I am willing to plan my next trip around it. And, by the way, the spirits I had a chance to sample were bomb as heck. KOVAL has my attention. read more

Emily was an amazing tour guide and I would highly recommend taking the tour and experiencing the spirits of Koval! Our group of 25 learned a great deal about the liquor making process at Koval and as they have Vodkas, Gins, and Whiskeys there was a little something for everyone! Make sure to hit the gift shop after and taste test some of the other items they don't feature in the tour - you will not be disappointed! read more

I've been on brewery and winery tours before so it was time to check out a distillery! The tour here is about an hour long and we were able to taste 9 (six whiskeys and three liquors) of their products. The pours are very small so don't worry about being drunk on a Saturday afternoon! The office manager led the tour and he was very knowledgeable about the process. I like that the group was small because it gave a more intimate feel. Overall it was an interesting tour and a fun way to spend an afternoon. I would definitely come back for one of their events. read more

KOVAL Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Nothing else like it in Chicagoland. I learned quite a bit about the process and tasted some unique samples. Advice - buy a $10 tour ticket and enjoy the tastings as well as the history of Koval (it's a memorable story). Next time friends come into town, I hope to take them and experience something fresh in our city. read more

Always heard about Koval but never had tried. Saw they had a tasting, grabbed a few friends ($10/person for tasting) and headed over, they recommend RSVP. Each tasting is limited to 25 people so its smaller crowd, the brewery is very small hence the 25 limit. Instructor talked about the history of Koval, there new distillery (down the street), the process, and the equipment used Yes, throughout the history lesson she poured a few samplers (small portions) but enough for me to pickup my own 4-Grain whiskey bottle ($40-445). The tour lasted about an hour. This review got 4 stars because the Whiskey is good. Wished we could've tried a little more of each sample though.... read more

For $10/person, we probably did not get more than two shots' worth of a very nice alcohol, but Tristan the tour guide was funny, knowledgeable, and great at imparting interesting information. This was a great opportunity to try all of KOVAL's most popular products side-by-side and get access to their liqueurs. There was a 10% discount for post-tour purchases. Definitely a good choice for the whiskey lover(s) in your life. read more

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Emily is fantastic! She runs the tours and welcomes on arrival for a fabulous tasting of all the magic that is KOVAL. We love their spirits and it's a must see neighborhood shop. We take all of our out of town friends and everyone walks away happy and with their hands full. Don't miss the cranberry gin. It's one of a kind gin and with a lime makes the perfect easy seasonal drink! read more

I went with a group of three to the Koval Distillery tour. Buying tickets online was convenient, when you show up, they take your name down and you're in. I was pretty excited for the tour. Our whiskey guide was very informative and nice. The disappointment was that it really wasn't a tour. It was more of a Koval taste. The "tour" location wasn't even at the actual area were the whiskey is distilled. We were not able to see how Whiskey is made. We were all able to sample all of what Koval has to offer. The guide used the same syringe utensil to give us our samples, basically affecting the taste of our samples. All of the whiskey samples came from the bottles, not the barrels. At the end they have a little gift shop where you can buy Koval souvenirs. read more

Definitely not worth the tour -- was just brief overview in tasting room and barely an actual shot to drink You get 10% off tho -- I'm sure binnys has it on sale tho read more

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving a group of friends and I went to the Koval for a tour of the distillery. What a cool experience. Seeing the custom copper vats from Germany and all the spirits aging in the barrels was awesome. And what they produce was even better. We got to taste a variety of spirits, some of which I had never had. I especially enjoyed the toasted Rye, so much so that I bought a bottle before we left. The one thing I was not a fan of was our "tour guide". She did sales for the company, which is fine if I wanted to hear about where to order a Koval cocktail. I would have preferred hearing about the distilling process from someone who actually does it. She just was not that insightful and at some point the line between tour guide and sales person was erased. But overall it was an interesting experience. I recommend peeking into the barrel they have on display. I had no idea about what goes into making to aging barrels!!! read more

Koval is the BEST! Thank you for stepping up and making hand sanitizer during the COVID 19 crisis. I love your usual products( also the BEST) and will be supporting you with future purchases!! Thanks again !! read more

It seems like everyone had a great time during their tour as I read the other reviews. Only makes me feel even more jipped by my underwhelming experience at Koval. They probably got their minds right and now have a female guide because the guy we had last summer was the absolute pits! I don't remember the name of our guide since it has been almost a year but I remember how bored, hot, and un-tipsy I was when I left. I've been to tastings all over Chicago but this had to be the worst one yet. First, we get there and we are standing around listening to our guy in a hot -a$$ room with no chairs. I began to get whoozy and needed to leave the room several times to get air and had to eventually bring in a chair. Others just began to sit on the floor b/c their legs were getting tired. We listened to him talk at least 30 min before we got to taste anything. When we did taste the product, there was so little in the mini plastic cup that it actually absorbed into my lips before it even reached my pallet. Like, this is a true story people. The liquor did not reach my tongue b/c this guy put a "droplet" of whiskey in my cup. This foolery went on for what seemed like hours. I tried to leave but my friends didn't want me to because we paid our money. Plus I didn't drive. At that point they could have kept my money because I was hot, irritated and about to faint in that chair-less inferno they call a distillery. I thanked baby Jesus and all his angels when it as over. I couln't listen to this guy laugh at his own dry jokes any longer. I actually bought a bottle of booze when we left so I could "finally" taste what they were pushing since we didn't really get a good taste while on the tour. They have a good product, but they need to reevaluate the tour. 2 thumbs down! read more

Used a Groupon for the distillery tour and found myself unexpectedly buying 3 bottles of different stuff at the end! The tour guides are very nice and knowledgeable. The family owned business itself is committed to it's values and morals which is hard to come by today. I love supporting this place and they make it very easy to do so with their great tasting liquor! read more

My husband and I caught one of their tours today. Emily was FANTASTIC. So knowledgeable and fun! I am not normally a whiskey drinker, but she made everything sound delicious. I'm still not big on whiskey, but I can say that the coffee liqueur might be the best liqueur I've ever had. My husband is a big whiskey fan and he loved this tour, especially afterward when we got to hang out in the store and sample more selections before deciding what to buy. All in all, a great way to spend an hour if you're interested. read more

This is definitely a business I hope to never deal with or purchase products from. Out in the front of their building, there is a common parking lot that the neighboring businesses adjacent to them use as well. Anyway, I have been using the services in the professional building next door for many years, and if there wasn't any parking available immediately in front, we've always been able to park in front of Koval with no problems. Until yesterday. As I left from my appointment next door, I happened upon a parking ticket on my vehicle. The police officer who had just written it was pulling away, saw me, and got back out of his car to tell me that the workers in the Koval business "have been complaining a lot" about cars that apparently are "too far onto the sidewalk" when pulling into a space. I re-examined my parking job, and decided that this was probably one of the most nit-picky, senseless reasons to ever receive a parking ticket. Every other time I have parked here, my car has been in the same exact non-pedestrian-impeding distance from the rest of the sidewalk--as has everyone else's--without any problems. The front of my car was not preventing anyone's passage as far as blocking the sidewalk goes. As I found it odd that a police officer would have the time and gumption to get out of his vehicle during a shift to examine the fronts of vehicles parked at a business and determine whether a violation occurred, I contacted the business I frequent next door to delve a little deeper. The much kinder practitioners in the adjacent building have informed me that Koval and its workers also tried to hog this public lot as their own by attempting to put up a "tow-zone" sign in order to bogart all the spots. Real, real neighborly, guys. (By the way, they couldn't legally keep that sign up it turns out). And if you come in the winter time, good luck trudging through the snow they never shovel. Because when I arrive in front of the neighboring building, the walkway has always been salted and the sidewalk is safely clear. It's like a tale of two buildings. What a petty, shameful act on the part of a business that shares a lot with many others. I will make sure to tell everyone I know what the priorities are of the people who work here, and what is most important to them--bothering the police who could be out stopping real crime. read more

I agree with other reviews which have stated that this tour was incredibly boring. You do only get to sample a few drops of each whiskey, but thats due to some law prohibiting tours to blah blah blah. Anyway, the tour itself was painful. The guide went on for hours talking about the history of the brand, the life story of the owners, and the way they put labels on the bottles. It was like a college class with a boring professor. Most of the tour was spent standing in a circle listening to him yammer on and tell "jokes." There were probably 15 people in the tour and everyone was crabby and irritible by the time it was over. My advice would be to skip the tour and order the stuff at a local bar. That way you can try an adult size and not have to pay to be bored out of your mind. read more

We were in town from California with a friend who loves KOVAL. While at the bar the bartender told us the KOVAL Distillery was in town and my friend became excited about that. We took a trip down to the distillery on January 15,2018 and had a great time. The gentleman that was working that evening was awesome. Sample a few whiskeys and introduced us to the special edition. It was amazing. The four of us flew back with a couple bottles each. Friends back in Cali became fans of KOVAL. read more

Emily was a fantastic guide and I would highly recommend this tour! Not being a whiskey drinker I was excited to see that Koval has more than just whiskey. Their vodkas, gins and other liquores are great! read more

I tried their oat whiskey and coffee liquor during the Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl. Yum! I will definitely be back next time we need to restock our bar! read more

We visited Koval on a private group tour. Not knowing much about distilleries, and always up for a tour of anything food or drink related, I was excited to check out Chicago's locally made spirits. The tour is basically an hour and a half of standing in one of two rooms, the storage room and the stills where "the magic happens". I was a little disappointed to see that operations were closed during our tour, so it was a LOT of talking and not a lot of action. Our tour guide was the office manager, who oddly doesn't drink, so I felt like some of the passion for the process was missing. We were able to taste (tiny pours) of nine of their whiskeys and flavored liqueurs, which would make a nice gift supporting local business. read more

Emily held the best cocktail class. I was so impressed at how she personalized our bachelorette party. She made it so amazing for our bride. I can not recommend this place and Emily enough. read more

I loved the tour we took. Our guide did an amazing job of blending entertainment and information. She took us step by step through the production process and we tasted what the liquor is like at each step. I learned so much and will recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago! read more

I cannot speak highly enough of my experience with Koval and their staff. For my whiskey-loving husband's birthday a while back, I was trying to think of something/anything that a big group of people would enjoy doing. After researching breweries and distilleries around Chicago, I emailed back and forth with Koval. I am so, so glad that this is where we ended up bringing our group. We scheduled a private tour through Annie, who has got to be one of the sweetest, most cheerful people I have ever met. You can tell that she is passionate about their craft whiskeys and liquors, and she is equally enthusiastic to help you plan a damn good tour. She responded promptly to all my emails and squeezed us into a busy day. We were really pleased that she also ended up being our tour guide. Our crowd of whiskey lovers was in the perfect place. We enjoyed the samples, hearing about their story and the process, and Annie was a true gem. Most of us had never had Koval or Lion's Pride prior to this tour, and it was greatly enjoyed. In our household, they have become staples in our booze stash. Drink local, Chicago! read more

My boyfriend and I took a free tour through HowAboutWe. The tour guide seemed uncomfortable with public speaking but knew her stuff. I learned a lot about the distillery process. I dig that it is a small local business and they focus on making pure, organic, kosher products. Fun fact: they were the first distillery to open in Chicago since prohibition. Background: I enjoy whiskey but I'm far from a connoisseur. Their Single Barrel Oat Whiskey was the best because it was smooth and I liked the complex flavor. Their liqueurs were much too sweet. The samples they gave were incredibly chintzy--only about 1/6 of the shot glass, but I can't complain because it was a free experience for us. read more

Fun local distillery. Make sure to make a reservation as they fill up, especially on the weekends. They give you 10% off your purchase of merchandise if you do the tasting. They give you quite a few and you get to learn quite a bit. I like this because it is quick and to the point maybe 45 minutes. The people working there know what they are taking about and very knowledgeable. read more

A bad tasting. The host took the time to run out and tell us we were over served. I get it but this was too much for us. And things could have been explained more politely. Also, she told us she would call the police on us. You do not tell an African American couple this at this date and time. Please get better staff!! If not I will speak to your manager! read more

As a lover of all things whiskey, I was excited to hear that Koval distillery was right in my neighborhood. I took the distillery tour, where you hear about the history of Koval, the distilling process, and get to try several types of whiskey and liqueurs. I thought $10 was very reasonable. The distillery is small, and there isn't much to see as far as the process, but getting to taste whiskeys made from different grains and processes was interesting. Besides the on-site offerings, Koval does a lot of promotional events at local venues and is now selling mini bottles of some of their items at the Logan Square farmers market. read more

Great tour, we got a groupon for $15 for two people. The tour guide had a really great personality and truly loved his job, which made it a very enjoyable experience. The whiskey and gin samples are all amazing - each one tasted better than the previous one. Anything you purchase in the store the day of your tour is 10% off, which basically covers any taxes. read more

I love supporting local businesses so when it came time for my whiskey loving boyfriend's birthday I thought a distillery tour at Koval would be chill and perfect. I'm going to make this short and sweet with bullet points: - $10 a person - Our tour guide (sorry I forgot his name) was a great guide. Not only did he explain the distillery process of the liquor in a way that someone like myself who knows nothing about distilleries could understand, but he made it very light-hearted/entertaining. - Tour went a little longer than 45 min (no complaints here) and I learned a lot again thanks to the tour guide mentioned above. - My boyfriend and I felt that the amount of tastings/portion sizes were MORE than enough. I honestly don't understand the complaints in previous reviews; why would you want full shot sized tastings when you're trying out so many liquors? You're not there to get hammered; you're there to learn and to taste the different products they have to offer. - 10% any product you purchase after the tour. You can also taste any other products they have on shelf that you didn't get to taste during the tour. We left Koval very happy with the experience and I also left with a really cool tshirt that I purchased. Highly recommend visiting Koval! read more

5 Stars says it all. Some of the best spirits you will find, and they are made in our back yard. One of the many things that makes Chicago the best city in the world. read more

The tour was both interesting and informative. The ambassador is knowledgeable and very laid back. I enjoyed her coolness esp bc I somewhat expected the tour to be stuffy or 'stuck-up'. The tastings are generous, but I still prefer other whiskeys, vodkas and spirits over these. read more

I went on the tour today and it was amazing. The alcohol was delicious and our tour guide was knowledgeable. This was an awesome place.

Not a spirits drinker, but the tour was awesome! Tristian was fun, informative and made it a great time! Well worth the $10!

Big fan. Went with a group of friends to the tour today and had a better time than I expected. First of all it's a pretty girl telling you about whiskey...enough said. Was shocked at the knowledge of the tour guide and I loved everything we tried. looks like my jack daniels days are over read more

Really enjoyed the Koval distillery tour. Learned how whiskey was made for the first time. Koval is an all organic whiskey so their process differs from most whiskey distilleries. We got to sample 4 types of whiskey, 2 liquors, and got a tour of their old distillery for just $10. I would recommend this tour to others. read more

Very friendly tour guide and even better whiskey. It's great to know your supporting a local business with world class status. Great products! read more

The whiskey is great, that cannot be argued. But, I have to give this place a poor review after the experience, or lack thereof, I had yesterday. My friend Pat loves whiskey. He is getting married next week. Let's go to Kovals for a private tour--Sounds fun, right? Wrong. They told us (and confirmed via email on Wednesday) that our tour would begin at 11AM. The entire bachelor party shows up at 10:45AM, no one is there. We are early, no problem. We wait, and wait, and wait. 11:30AM rolls around and no one is there. We end up going to a bar down the street (Gio's, read my review, the place is great). Then we stroll back to Koval's around 1PM and the place is open. The workers have no idea they missed our tour and could not give us a tour at that time. Please tell me what good a voicemail is if the people don't even check them?! What good is a confirmation email when they don't even honor the deal? They charged our credit card before the tour so we still have paid these hoodrats with no refund. This started the bachelor party on a sour note and it was supposed to be the highlight of the entire day. What really grinds my gears is that it is 9AM on Sunday and we still have not heard anything back from the company regarding a refund (maybe an apology, too?). The only reason this review is getting 2 stars and not negative infinity is that the worker, Haley, was an angel. She had an angry bachelor party that her company completely screwed over and she turned our visit into a pleasurable time. She was very knowledgable on the whiskey and very sincere in her apology about the morons that run the business. She could not give us a tour at that time as there was a public one but she agreed to give us a tasting. For that, I thank you Haley. Your moron bosses should give you a raise and also call John back and offer him a refund on the tour that NEVER happened. I also can be bribed with whiskey to turn this into a 5-star review (but guessing on the lack of response on a refund or apology I doubt they will get to me). read more