OB Darrach Ur 46.3% - Bunnahabhain

[Willie JJ]

Darrach Ur 46.3% - Bunnahabhain

Colour Burnt Umber
Nose Peat! Gentle smoked fish and strong tannins with the gristy malt.
Palate Juicy oranges and strong tea. The fruit and tannins develop a wonderful interplay in a mildly fizzy way.
Finish Lovely, long, mouth-watering finish. The clear malt and the oranges are chased around the palate by the tannins.

Excellent dram and such good value. Such a shame it is travel retail only.

[Willie JJ]

Darrach Ur batch 1, 46.3% - Bunnahabhain


Tasted again: 18/04/2009
Colour Burnt Umber
Nose Just get that most un-Bunnie like peat hit first of all. Then the sherry creeps through with the oranges and grapefruit and I can see where Gordon is coming from with the Edinburgh Rock thing. And some cinnamon that I never noticed before.
Palate Fabulous citrus. Really mouthwatering and juicy. Then those sizzling spices as it develops.
Finish Not getting the tannins so strongly tonight, more like a big spice hit. Lovely long finish though.
Comment: I've heard some folk say they don't like this one. I can't understand it. I think this is magic stuff and I totally believe that the step up to 46(.3)% bottling strength and the lack of chill-filtration makes a huge difference to bottlings from Bunnahabhain.

[TheTross]

Nose: Slightly rubbery at first, but that almost completely disappears within a matter of minutes. Vanilla and dark toffee. A faint trace of wood (sawdust). Possibly some plummy new-make notes in the background.

Palate: Slightly fizzy. Some oak and oaky spiciness. Quite creamy, with possibly a little chocolate developing.

Finish: Quite honeyed and slightly mentholated. An oaky dryness.


I'm not sure what to make of this really. The nose is pretty good, but I struggled with both the palate and finish; they seemed a little wishy-washy to me and lacking any real character.