CZECH REPUBLIC: A small distillery at the heart of Czech beer-making region produces single malt whisky praised by experts and customers

Record ID: 841347

  • Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: A small distillery at the heart of Czech beer-making region produces single malt whisky praised by experts and customers
  • Date: 3rd June 2013
  • Summary: PRADLO, CZECH REPUBLIC (MAY 28, 2013) (REUTERS) OAK BARRELS ON WHEELS AT ENTRANCE TO STOCK DISTILLERY VARIOUS OF WOMAN STICKING LABELS TO BOTTLES OF HAMMER HEAD CZECH SINGLE MALT WHISKY OAK BARRELS WITH WHISKY IN CELLARS VARIOUS PRADLO DISTILLERY DIRECTOR VACLAV SITNER TAKING HAMMER HEAD WHISKY OUT OF BARREL FOR SAMPLING HAMMER HEAD WHISKY IN GLASS (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) PR
  • Embargoed: 18th June 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Czech Republic
  • City:
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA21LY41IF9T6DMCIE23RY1BDA5
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  • Story Text: Pilsen - a town in the Czech Bohemia region - is famous for its beer, but very few know that a small distillery on its outskirts makes the only single malt whisky in the country.
    It is located in Pradlo village and belongs to the "Stock" company which specialises in producing various types of spirits and liquors like rum, vodka, fernet, etc.
    The production of the first Czech whiskey started in 1989 in then Czechoslovakia and was initiated by the countries communist leaders. The reason was simple - to get whisky from the West was difficult and too expensive.
    To start the production of the first local single malt was not easy. The know-how was missing as well as all the ingredients. It took several years to find needed components and carry out tests. The "Hammer head" whisky was made using an old cast iron hammer mill from Bohemia, similar to the ones used at traditional Scottish distilleries, Czech barley and local Bohemian water. Even casks were made from the Czech oak-trees. Only the peat was brought from Scotland. Soon after the production start Czechoslovakia fell apart and the whisky, laying maturing in the cellars in Pradlo, had been forgotten.
    The casks have been rediscovered in 2007 after the U.S. hedge fund Oaktree Capital Management bought the company. Experts were surprised with the high quality of the Czech whiskey and have decided to introduce it to the international market.

    "Our production technology is similar to the one used to produce whisky in Scotland. We are specially peat-smoking the malt and importing the peat from Scotland for this purpose," said Pradlo distillery director Vaclav Sitner, adding: "This whisky has a unique character which you cannot mistake for something else. The most important is that this whisky is able to compete with any 23-25-year-old single malt whisky. When there are exhibitions and competitions, our "Hammer Head" whisky gets good points and it comes as is a big surprise for experts that our whisky can compete with various types of famous Scotch whisky."
    Hammer Head whisky - the name comes from the iron cast hammer mill used to grind the malt - today is a well-established brand, sought after by the admirers of the drink.

    "We don't sell this whisky in Bohemia, this was not our goal. We were interested in selling this whisky at duty free shops and on the international market in order to show that "Stock" company is able to produce such good whisky," said Sitner.

    "Hammer Head", sold at the price of about 45 euros per bottle, won a prestigious The Whiskeys of the World Masters award in 2011.

    "The whole production of the Hammer Head whisky here at the Pradlo distillery is done by hand. The labelling and sealing is done by hand and then it is exported," said Pradlo distillery production manager Kristina Demelova.
    The only Czech single malt whisky is listed in the world's leading whisky guide - "Jim Murray's Whisky Bible".
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