Hammerhead 1989 23 Year

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!

Malo chuti. Jemna ale nic moc

Prazdna, ale voni jinak nez ostatni

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).

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)