Hammerhead 1989 23 Year

This whiskey has an interesting tale indeed. The distillery was founded in 1929 as part of Leonello Stock’s Austro-Hungarian empire, selling spirits to Central Europe and the Balkans. It specialised in making local spirits and herbal bitters, like Fernet Stock. In the 1980s under the iron curtain it expanded into whiskey in the belief there was a mkt because very few imported brands were allowed (bar Cuban rum). One Mr. Vaclav Sitner had a good crack but he relied on old books for instructions and not surprisingly ended up doing some bizarre things like a double distill, first in a column still and then in a pot still (even I could have told you that wasn't the best idea!) and buying their wash from an external source. He even managed to get in a shipment of Highland peated Barley in 1989 (I get zilch of that in this dram). It got worse for old Vaclav as weeks after he laid down the casks the Berlin wall came down and voila he was competing with the rest of the world. I can tell you know drinking this that this is not the dram to do that. It reminds me of a blandish grain distillery output. Thousands of barrels lay there until 2007 when another company bought the distillery and started exporting it (as Tullimore Dew is apparently the Czech whiskey of choice now). Flavour profile is a weak vanillish marzipan type affair with an odd aftertaste.

When I talk to people about whisky, I generally like to tell them that what adds to the experience is understanding the history that goes into each bottle. The water, the wood, the peat, the grains, all have history before they were brought together to create the beautiful liquid we all love to share. And that's not even taking into consideration the time they age together. The Hammerhead has so much history as it was not only lost for years but it was done so in an area that, technically, no longer exists. Who wouldn't want to share a glass? Czech barley, Czech water, Czech Oak. Nothing else is quite like this. Nose is citrus and, dare I say hops? Taste is spice and dark toffee. Finish is a little coffee and spice. Would love if this was bottled at a higher ABV (only 40.7 %). But the story more than makes up for that. Great bottle if you can find it (I found mine while traveling through Prague).

On the nose it was acidic and harsh: Citrus and pepper. The taste on the other hand was nothing I was expecting. While the smell was sharp, the taste was vanilla cake. That is the best I could chalk it up to the moment it touched my tongue. I even went back to smell it, and it's two different experiences. If you smell red wine you expect the taste of red wine, but if you smell Hammerhead 23 you will get a completely different flavor. Also, it's an amazing price for the age. The trouble is finding it outside of the Czech Republic. Gold Cock 92 has the exact same back story as Hammerhead, and that unicorn tastes 100X better.

A true masterpiece! This whisky has been intriguing me for over a year. How do I review something so complex, where do I start? It comes sweet, oily, spicy, but this isn't bourbon cask spice, it isn't coastal oiliness, the spice and oiliness ebb and flow, back and forth, the spice isn't peppery, more like popping chili, the oiliness recedes leaving a soft watery texture, only to return. I have to say that the spices are what make this compelling, sadly I can't put my figure on all the flavours. I warmly recommend this!

What a story! I am sipping whisky distilled in Czechoslovakia - behind the Iron Curtain. It is very malty, smooth and kind of velvet on the tongue. No special complexity in the taste, but I was surprised with how smooth and clean this one is - barley and oak. And that is pretty much it, no fireworks here. Nevertheless - this is a very nice "world" whisky - and I am adding 1 star for the story :) (32EUR)

84 N: sud, jemně vanilka, čokoláda, jemnější celkově 20 T: Dřevitá, jemně hrušky, sud, jemně vanilka a čokoláda 21 F: Trošku palivejsi dojezd, ale jinak se hezky na jazyku drží vanilka se sudem 22 B: Mohla by být lehce komplexnější na těch 23y, ale jinak slušný balanc 21