Armenian Brandy Shakmat 23 years old 750 ml

Shakmat 23 Year Old takes its name from the Armenian word for chess, and this Armenian brandy plays the long game — twenty-three years in Caucasian oak before bottling at 80 proof. Four indigenous grapes go into the still: Kangun, Kakhet, Garan Dmak, and Rkatsiteli, a recipe rooted in the konyak tradition that once had Winston Churchill requesting regular shipments after Yalta. The years read clearly in the glass — dried plums and raisins, walnut, clove, tobacco, and molasses, with vanilla and black pepper on the fade. Batches run about 3,500 bottles, and a portion of proceeds funds reforestation through the Armenia Tree Project. Reach for it where you would pour an aged Cognac: after dinner, neat.

Brandy/Cognac80 proof · Caucasian oak · Armenia