Review #6 - Koval Single Barrel 100% Oat Whiskey

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Koval Single Barrel 100% Oat Whiskey






I've always asked people why oats aren't used in the mashbill of more whiskey. I figured it was because then you'd have to add rice hulls to keep the mash from being concrete, and it was cost prohibitive, but I didn't know for sure. Apparently the distillers at Koval had a similar question, and here we are!

NAS but online posts mention 18-24 months, and it's not labeled Straight Whiskey, so this may be less than 2 years old.

Nose: Smells young, because it is. Big sharp alcohol scents to begin, even after letting it air. It just smells hot when I stick my nose in the glencairn. Cinnamon and banana. Backing off a bit lets you pick up whiffs of oatmeal and cream.

Palate: Plantain, honey sweetness, butter, spicy cinnamon. Mostly green plantain, that young banana

Finish: Long. Spices and vanilla followed by dry, tannic wood, and a sudden sweetness as it fades. The tannic wood is the predominant finish note.

Verdict: If this hadn't been bottled so young I bet it would be interesting, but this needs more age. The mouthfeel is really interesting on it, silky and smooth while retaining a lot of body. I wish I had a 5 year old version of this to try. As it is, the youth really keeps this from being good. It's pretty damned not good.

Rating: ⛔

(Author's note: I ended up turning this bottle into blueberry cordial. The mouthfeel made it pretty perfect for that. Still, unless you need to spend too much money making blueberry cordial, do not buy this.)

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