KO Distilling

Bill Karlson and John O'Mara met at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, left careers in shipping and defense contracting, and began distilling in Manassas, Virginia in 2015, two years after founding KO.

KO buys about 300 tons of corn, wheat and rye a year from Bays Best Feed Farm on Virginia's Northern Neck, 90 miles from the still. One supplier in one state keeps the Bare Knuckle whiskeys tasting the same batch to batch. The Signature Series 10 Year HAZMAT is the rarity. KO filled 80 Kelvin Cooperage char 3 barrels with Indiana new make in 2015. Nine were worth bottling ten years on: 430 bottles at 142.4 proof.