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Shakmat 23 Year Old

Shakmat 23 Year Old

(0.75l, 40%)


8.5/10
OUT OF STOCK

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Shakmat — a hidden gem of flavor and tradition

Shakmat (or shakhmat) is the Armenian word for Chess. But our Shakmat is so much more than a game. It is a symbol. A symbol of life, persistence, patience, and wisdom of a people that do not fall, even when held in check.

Shakmat 23YO is a premium brandy originating from the birthplace of winemaking. It is an embodiment of Armenia’s two national treasures – Chess and Konyak. The time has come for Armenian brandy to reclaim its rightful place on the World Spirits map. 

”Every decision we made, from the selection of grape varieties, distillation techniques, distillates and the final blend, was to ensure Shakmat is a refined, extraordinary spirit which preserves the DNA of an authentic Armenian brandy. Creating Shakmat required a lot of planning, a few sacrifices and just like in a passionate chess game, some strategic moves. We made the right ones at the right time and now we’re inviting YOU to be the judge of the gameplay.” — Grisa & Jugo, Flaviar founders

To find out more visit: shakmatbrandy.com
  • Category
    Brandy
  • Style
    Armenian Brandy
  • Country
    Armenia
  • Alcohol
    40%
  • Age
    23 Year Old
  • Maturation
    Caucasian Oak

Flavor Spiral™

About The Flavor Spiral

Close
dried plums
raisin
walnuts
clove
tobacco
molasses
vanilla
oak
black pepper
What does Shakmat 23 Year Old taste like?

The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Shakmat 23 Year Old and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.

We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Dog Dogson
Dog Dogson's
Smartass
Corner
Brandies can help digestion, so they are perfect after meals, they were and are still considered as medicine.

Tasting Notes
Shakmat offers an abundance of exciting flavors including dried fruits (plums, raisins), walnuts, cloves, tobacco, molasses, vanilla, oak, and a bit of black pepper. It takes a well-known and loved flavor profile and elevates it.

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Ratings & Reviews
Member Reviews and Ratings of Shakmat 23 Year Old
Yervand
Yervand,
Smooth and rich in flavor!
 
Jeffery
Jeffery,
A delicious and well balanced brandy.
 
Benjamin
Benjamin,
Prunes. Easy drinking. Not enough strength in the nose. Doesn’t beat out a Hennessy XO for me.
 
Phil
Phil,
It was vary good but not worth the wait of 3 months to get it!!!!
 
tim
tim,
I must admit, that I do not have a ton of experience with brandy, but I found this to be smooth and approachable with nice layers of fruit that linger. A relaxing and satisfying selection.
 
mark
mark,
...it's very good. A needed change from the traditional cognac.
 
Bob
Bob,
Absolutely love this drink... my wife who really is not into the hard liquor (she is a wine nut), went out and bought a special brandy sniffer glass because of this brandy. We enjoy a glass together 1 night a week just to make it last!!
 
Duane
Duane,
What an amazing drink. This is a top of the line brandy that was phenomenal experienced neat. Beautiful amber color and long thick legs open to a rich nose, full of deep brown sugar, caramel, and hints of vanilla. I could not get enough of the smell of this dram. Light on the tongue with more brown sugar, oak, and a pleasant bite. Finish lingers log enough to leave you wanting more. Make no mistake, this is a top of the line brandy. Every day waiting for this was worth every minute.
 
Jeremy
Jeremy,
I enjoyed it a lot and featured it on my podcast Lawyers on the Rocks. I tried it in a rocks glass with a big cube first, and must admit that this drink is much better served in a snifter sans big cube which allows for its flavor to shine through. If you want to hear the rest of our review, tasting notes and some legal humor I copied the link below. https://play.google.com/music/m/Doqeefv52hhacdfrmw5lb6azpbi?t=24_Shakmat_23_year_old_Armenian_Brandy_-_Lawyers_on_the_Rocks_podcast
 
Rebecca
Rebecca,
Astonishing. Having only been lukewarm on cognac in the past, I was surprised to have this rocket to the top of my evening tipple preferences. Dried fruit notes in the nose preface a delicious sweetness with hints of vanilla, nut, fig and date. Absolutely loved this bottle.
 
Denise
Denise,
Loved this one a bunch
 
Dale
Dale,
The best Brandy I have ever had!!!! Is this available to purchase again 👍👍👍👍👍?
 
Jose
Jose,
Not bad. I say that because it's a 23 year aged bottle. Other than that the Old Forester was better for the price.
 
BARRY
BARRY,
It was a BIG HIT with my Armenian friends! Big 85th Birthday Party I took it to and we all enjoyed toasting with SHAKMAT!!!
 
Grace
Grace,
While I haven’t tasted it, the individual I gifted it to said it was absolutely delicious!
 
Dr
Dr,
Excellent smooth flavorful and does not disappoint!! Definitely a Must try !!
 
Armen
Armen,
Great brandy! Very unique and strong taste.
 
Thomas
Thomas,
Amazingly Good! I was surprised! The taste, the aroma , the smoothness, I recommend Shakmat to all my friends.
 
Dean
Dean,
Better then I expected!
 
Gary
Gary,
Spicey, on the sweeter side, smooth, and hints of almond, vanilla. I think it would be excellent in a Brandy Alexander.
 
Ani
Ani,
Loved It! The taste, the aroma , even the name of it is amazing. It is the epitome of what Armenian brandy should taste! I myself being 1st generation Armenian American ( my parents are immigrants from Armenia) have to say I take great pride in what Alex Ohanian has created in this majestic drink! He has put Armenia on the map for having world class brandy ! I ordered 2 bottles and plan to order more! Ani
 
Roy
Roy,
Love it.
 
Andre
Andre,
I'll keep this short... it's great for the price, and something different compared to other Armenian brandies. I simply find Shakmat to be unique in terms of how it was made.
 
Vitaliy
Vitaliy,
Excellent brandy
 
nairi
nairi,
I like it very much however I don’t love it. I find Nairi 20 and Vaspoorakan 18 much smoother. Let me know if you can get those. There is too strong an alcohol taste on the nose and the palate for a 23 year old brandy. However, having said that, it’s still very good and priced appropriately compared to French brandy
 
henrik
henrik,
Excellent choice. Tastes as good if not better than some of the XO cognacs double the price
 
Malcolm
Malcolm,
Disappointed. Had somewhat of a prune taste. I did not pick up any subtle flavors. Short finish. Shared it with friends & no one wanted seconds.
 
Warren
Warren,
The sweet aroma of grapes pleasantly fills your nostrils whereas you can almost taste it before it hits your pallet. It's dark, crisp color I feel enhances it's flavor and smoothness. The taste...outstanding! I shared with a couple of close friends and put the remainder of this elegant cognac away for me only. I am sure to order another bottle once I've secretly finished this one. I agree with Arthur's recommendation to name it "Shakmat, Velvet Edition.
 
Raffi
Raffi,
Worth every penny. One of the best drinks to sip on after work and with good friends. Its also a party favorite. It was a hit. Perfect 10.
 
Lee
Lee,
Best kognak I’ve had and I’m Armenian!
 
Arthur
Arthur,
I am going to give Shakmat 9 stars just because it stayed true to it's roots by using all the old school/indigenous ingredients / grapes like garnan demak. For $110 you are getting far better cognac than some of these main stream brands such as: Louis XIII. My recommendation would be to make the next batch a true 23 year old and call it: Shakmat, Velvet Edition (for smoothness) and also reduce the sugar by 25%, it was a bit too sweet to be factual. Hope this helps ya'll.
 
Sarkis
Sarkis,
Very amazing stuff!!
 
Vivek
Vivek,
It’s strong and full of flavor.
 
Marcin
Marcin,
Really beautiful on the nose with raisins, caramel and chocolate. After such a good start I expected it to be rich and appealing on the palate. Unfortunately promise didn't materialize. Taste is quite disappointing and dull. Finish disappear too quickly. Hope it's just a bad day. Definitely I will give it another try as I really love the aroma.
 
Charles
Charles,
Loved it. Don't know much about Brandy, but the taste and aromas are amazing. Will definitely repeat.
 
Brian
Brian,
Not as smooth as others, but interesting flavors
 
Cole
Cole,
Tasty
 
Pete
Pete,
I really wanted to give this a higher rating. After the long wait, then trying this in 3 different sittings, it is just good. Not great, but quite good. The nose is a mix of caramel, toasted walnuts, heavy syrup, and alcohol! Too much alcohol, in fact, for an 80 proof brandy. I can't figure out why a 40% spirit has so much alcohol burn. On the palate I picked up strong and exceedingly pleasant flavors of walnut, dried figs, dates, dark brown sugar, and more alcohol! The finish is short to medium, but the mouth feel while sipping it is velvety and luxurious. I just wish something could be done about the bitterness of the alcohol. It really takes away from what might otherwise be a really pleasant drinking experience.
 
Christopher
Christopher,
This is incredible. Take most of the things I love about an aged, sipping rum, marry it with the few things I like about cognac (haven't yet found one that I like enough to buy, but I recognize characteristics I like), and then top it off with what I love about grappa, and you have Shakmat. I will keep this among my top 5 *must* have staples on my bar (the ones I go to for solace when life is kicking me in the kidneys). Pusser's Nelson's Blood, Casamigos Black, Whistlepig Rye, and Laphroaig Quarter Cask are the select few it will join. (P.S. Shant's review nailed it with the plum and prunes...well done, as I couldn't identify what, exactly, Shakmat was triggering for me!)
 
Shant
Shant,
As an Armenian, I can say with full confidence that this is the best Brandy (cognac) since Moesha. Initially smooth and finishes with a warm, lingering, and tantalizing kick. Exquisite, prominent plum profile throughout the drinking experience with a pleasant nutty aroma. Damn, didn't think I would like prunes. Check and mate. (Batch no. 1:2400)
 
David
David,
The flavor wheel is really accurate for this one. Rich and complex with dominant notes of raisin, earth, cloves, and black pepper. This is definitely not subtle and not your typical warm, liquid carmel, french cognac but intriguing and very drinkable nonetheless. You can tell that lots of care, thought, and expertise went into it. Definitely worth the wait.
 
R
R,
complex , lively , a touch of sweetness , spice.
 
Andrej
Andrej,
Well. A bit overpriced for the result. Not bad at all.
 
David
David,
While I understand the concept of "crafted" liquor, the guy in this story would have been a very young man if he started making this 23 years ago... where are the notes on the base spirit? What exactly was aged for 23 years, and how much of what has been done since then is new? Where - in other words - did the sourced 23 year old brandy come from?
Flaviar
Flaviar,
Shakmat is a blend of different brandies that were sourced from multiple Armenian distilleries and cellars, but we cannot disclose the sources due to contractual obligations. The brandies used in the blend were 20-25 year old with an average of 23 years and not a single drop of a young or unaged brandy was used in the blend. It took us more than a year of developing, blending and tasting until Shakmat was ready. You can read more about the process here: shakmatbrandy.com
Nicholas
Nicholas,
I would love to try it. Before I buy it. The concept, the story, the flavor profile are all very interesting but to buy a whole bottle before trying it is a preposterous concept. I, and I believe many more Flaviar community members, would be willing to buy more of the special, unique alcohols developed by Flaviar if we could first try, or even pay to purchase small samples of the various exclusive spirits that Flaviar offers.
Andrew
Andrew,
That’s exactly why I joined this club! To have the opportunity to try before I buy...
Steve
Steve,
Agree👍
Josh
Josh,
I agree also!!
Geoffrey
Geoffrey,
Requesting this made available as a membership sampling. Thank you!
guest
guest,
so smooth
David
David,
If it doesn't ship until late December, how would you know that?
guest
guest,
👍🏻
 
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