Hammerhead 25 Year Old 1989 Czech Whisky

The Czech whisky Hammerhead 1989 has reached 25 years of age and was bottled in a fairly pleasing bottle at 40,7%. Commercially cut in fact, as the 20 and 23 year old had the same ABV. Hammerhead, by the way, gets its name from the typical hammer mill that Pradlo uses to grind its barley. The nose is sweet on pears and Reine Claude plums, lightly perfumed and very floral. A bouquet of wild flowers. A bit of vanilla and caramel, but no other spices at this point. The longer you wait, the more green it becomes. Quite vegetal, in fact. While the arrival is quite oily, I also get a load of spices from the start. Aniseed up front, white pepper and a touch of cinnamon in the back. Vanilla, of course. The fruit evolves towards citrus. Bergamot and some blood oranges. Hint of rhubarb and plum marmelade. A touch of honey, a twig of mint and a mild bitterness. From the wood? I think so. The finish is fairly long, peppery and honeysweet. While 125 EUR is actually a fair price for a whisky that is a quarter of a century old, I would rather spend it on something else. The difference between this one and the 23 years old is too small to justify the tripled price tag.