Robert and Sonat Birnecker
“Crafting a Legacy”
Dr. Robert Birnecker’s story began in Austria, where he was fully immersed in distilling. His grandparents operated an award-winning winery and distillery, and it was there that he spent childhood summers helping with harvests and fermentation. This early exposure sparked his fascination with spirits and craftsmanship. Eventually, he trained formally at Austria’s Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein‑und Obstbau Klosterneuburg and worked under renowned distilling experts like Dr. Klaus Hagmann. He also once served as Deputy Press Secretary at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC, a role that honed his diplomatic and communication skills.
Dr. Sonat Birnecker’s path was solely in academia, and she had little exposure to distilling. A professor in both Germany and the U.S., she achieved tenure before deciding to step away in 2008. Pregnant with the couple’s first child and seeking a better-balanced life, Sonat and Robert chose to return to Chicago, a city she loved. She left the tenured life behind to trade it for days spent growing a family business and nurturing her own family along with it.
When the Birneckers decided to build KOVAL Distillery in 2008, they weren’t just creating a brand; they were igniting a movement. Their timing was impeccable, as Chicago had not seen a legal craft distillery since before the 19th century, because city and state laws regarding distilling were grossly outdated and both needed a complete overhaul. Sonat set about lobbying actively at the State Capitol in Springfield and worked with Chicago aldermen to pass new legislation allowing on-site tastings, tours, and retail sales, critical retail components for a modern craft distillery.
In building KOVAL, the Birneckers financed their venture in an unconventional and, some would say, perilous manner: during the financial squeeze and amid a severe housing crisis in 2008, they moved balances repeatedly and often, relying principally on a series of zero‑percent credit‑card transfer offers. While risky, their calculated gamble paid off, and the road to KOVAL’s opening in Ravenswood was paved, at least initially, with borrowed money at 0% interest!
From day one, KOVAL has embraced a “grain‑to‑bottle” philosophy. The Birnecker’s selected organic grains, and they do all their own milling, mashing, distilling, aging, and bottling on site. Their approach combined Robert’s European tradition with modern methodologies like “heart‑cut” distillation. KOVAL’s spirit lineup includes rye whiskey made from 100% organic rye, not merely the legal 51%. The distillery also features a millet‑corn mashbill bourbon, gins, vodkas, brandies, and innovative beer‑based spirits.
Personally, for the Birneckers, their distillery became not just a workspace; it also became their home away from home. For the first few years, Sonat raised a newborn, then a baby, then a toddler while working in the same small area. Instead of retreating from the idea, Robert and Sonat embraced this concept, saying they’d rather work with their child than be separated from her all day. By 2024, the couple had two children and cared for both of them at the distillery. Their goal was clear: parent, partner, and distill as a team.
In the end, KOVAL has garnered more than 100 international awards for its products and brand design. Their gin earned a prestigious Double‑Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and their organic whiskies attracted accolades from Whisky Advocate and beyond. At the same time, distribution has expanded globally, with KOVAL spirits being sold today in over 55 countries.
Robert and Sonat Birnecker’s KOVAL story is more than one of spirits, it’s a fusion of heritage, ambition, and family. The couple brought centuries-old European distilling tradition to modern America, disrupted municipal and state regulations to build something new, and merged business with family so completely that their children grew up amid the smells of grain, oak, and yeast. Their journey reminds us that sometimes forging ahead means forging a path together: couples working as partners, parents raising children at the workplace, and innovators connecting craft with community on a global stage.
References
KOVAL Distillery Official website, kovaldistillery.com
howdidshegetthere.com, Dr. Sonat Birnecker interview, June 2015
Bevvy. “From Doctorates to Double Gold: The Story of Koval Distillery”, Aubrey Schuster, September 2015
National Center for the Middle Market, KOVAL Distillery, May 202
Specialty Retailer, KOVAL - First Chicago Distillery, Krystina Skibo, March 15, 2024
Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee
