During the 1980s, this Czech distillery in Pradlo was still a nationalised enterprise, and a decision was made to emulate the decadent capitalists of Scotland and create a high quality malt whisky. To create the whisky, the distillery selected only Czech barley and the crisp, clean water from the Bohemia region. The whisky was aged in unique oak casks made of 100 per cent Czech oak wood, producing a single malt whisky unique to the world.
In late 1989 the Wall fell and the whisky was forgotten, left to sleep in the cellars in its unique casks for 20 years.

No website to link to.

Cost: £35+
70cl / 40.7%

Tasting Notes*

Nose: HammerHead offers an initially dry, roasted nut nose, with developing cream soda and becoming more floral and perfumed with time. There is a note of lemon furniture polish, wax, More leather with the addition of water, and a hint of warm, rubber diving suits. very stately at first: freshly baked lemon drizzle cake. Malted barley and a metallic minerality.

Palate: Very drinkable, with well-integrated spices, dried fruits and worn leather. Ultimately liquorice and oak. Tobacco notes at the last, with the addition of water.

Finish: Quite short and spicy. A little aniseed. Buttered toast. Drying citrus, lemon peel. Light clean malt. Sawdust.

*Tasting notes from Whisky Pages, Scotch & Sci-Fi

Packaging

Nothing fancy. There is a 23 year old version, but I think the black box version is 20 years old, distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2009. It’s a little vague.

There’s undoubtedly better whiskies available for £40 or less, but this curiosity isn’t at all bad for a unique whisky. The relatively low price for something this old and rare indicates that it isn’t amazing, but it is very drinkable. surprisingly smooth and pleasingly grainy – more like an old blend than a 20-year-old single malt but worth trying, definitely.