BUNNAHABHAIN DARACH UR

[Deactivated Member]

Seemingly, there is a new mystery Bunna. Bottled at 46.3% (an odd ABV), natural colour, non chill-filtered. Maturation in new oak barrels from the USA. Anyone got any further info?

[jotter]

Well it is the Gallic for oak so the name fits with the pattern of the last bottling "Toitech" which was smokey. Be very interested in finding out more.

[Deactivated Member]

Well it is the Gallic for oak so the name fits with the pattern of the last bottling "Toitech" which was smokey. Be very interested in finding out more.

Actually Gaelic for New Oak

[jotter]

...even more suitable then.

[Spirit of Islay]

Where's this available at ?

[Deactivated Member]

There's an unopened bottle in my drinks cabinet. But that's probably not desperately handy for you lol.

[Spirit of Islay]

There's an unopened bottle in my drinks cabinet. But that's probably not desperately handy for you lol.

Oh for a sense of humour !
Shame you haven't got one.......

[Deactivated Member]

Anorak chaffing a bit tonight, is it?

[Deactivated Member]

No, but seriously. We were up in Edinburgh earlier this week (seeing my father-in-law and taking in the Oddbins Wine Fair).

On the way back through Edinburgh Airport, there it was in tax free shopping. List price was £32.99 for a litre. But we bought it as part of the normal deal (buy any 2 bottles and get £10 off), so it worked out at £27.99.

[LagaDrinker]

Does this have an age statement?

[cathach]

Actually Gaelic for New Oak

Aah but if I may be a Burke it's the Gaelic for 'Oak New' which is one of the syntactical glories of Gaedhlig!!

[Deactivated Member]

Actually Gaelic for New Oak

Aah but if I may be a Burke it's the Gaelic for 'Oak New' which is one of the syntactical glories of Gaedhlig!!

Am I a-thinking that are you right.

[Deactivated Member]

Darach Ur means "new oak" in Scots Gaelic. Thats the new oak barrels used to mature this perfectly balanced mix of Bunnahabhain single malts aged up to 20 years. The guarded recipe is from our Master Distiller, Ian MacMillan. We think its a first in over a hundred and twenty five years of tradition at Bunnahabhain. The oak barrels are from a family run cooperage in Bardstown, Kentucky. And yes, this is the first time they have been used for maturing single malt Scotch whisky. This is the first, small bathch of this exclusive Bunnahabhain single malt. This particular Bunnahabhain is exclusive to Duty Free.







Katherine



Katherine Crisp

Brand Manager

Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd

[Deactivated Member]

The bottle and tube

[Yokel]

Hi, bit late coming to this thread but I was only punted a bottle of this stuff at Edinburgh airport yesterday. No there is no age on the bottle. Minimum legal maturation is suggested by the rough finish. This is definitely a tourist whisky. If it had been manufactured in Madrid, Tokyo or Shanghai I would have said good effort chaps. It could have been made in any of these places, there is no Islay character at all.

Basically it is overly sweet with a rough finish. The after taste is reminicent of my home made apple schnapps matured two years in a glass demijohn. The tube declares single malt, made from a mix of single malts! The "natural colour" and sweetness is suspiciously reminiscent of natural caramel. If you are unfortunate enough to own a bottle of this stuff and your guests like plenty of ice in their drinks give it to them they will probably enjoy it.
Maybe I am being a bit harsh but I expected an Islay malt and the price at £32 UK pounds for a litre is ludicrous.
Hope this helps

[Deactivated Member]

Well, I'll certainly hold out for a second opinion. I'd very much like to taste this, given an interest in the use of new oak in maturing Scotch whisky. I'm guessing it's just not to your liking, especially not having fit your conception of "Islay character". There's a reason (a couple of them, actually) that new oak is not generally used; it's considered overbearing. It'll be different from the usual, for sure.

FWIW, caramel doesn't add sweetness to whisky, and I'm sure "natural colour" means just that. If it seems a bit dark to you, that'll be new wood, too.

[Yokel]

Well no. New oak does not impart color, that's what port and sherry casks are for. Fair enough you can burn the wood and get a bit of color that way but I don't think so here. So far as I was aware quite a few new oak casks are used in the industry. I assumed the very specific references to the source of the new oak was just part of the misleading double-speak on the box trying to suggest it was different in some way. As for caramel, if you are making your own it can be anywhere from sweet to bitter. The color of this stuff would suggest bitter caramel so perhaps they blended that too. If you want an non-age blend stick to Black Bottle at less than half the price (a third on special), very drinkable and save your cash for a malt with an age on it. The short of it is this stuff will prevent me from trying anything else this distillery produces except of course any of their produce that finds its way into Black Bottle.

Worthy of note is that I wrote my first post almost immediately on first tasting in shear fury at being ripped off. Going back to the bottle a few days later it was still as rough but had lost quite a bit of the aroma.
Now that is strange.

[Whisky Angel]

Well a few things here:

New Oak, which will have been charred, can add lots of colour. All bourbons, for example, are aged with new oak and no colour is added to them and they are often very dark. New oak is not that widely used in the Scotch industry and it does give some very intersting flavours. (I can think of only a few expressions offhand that I have tried and have used new oak: two Balvenies, a Glengoyne, this Bunna and a Famous Grouse, which like the Glengoyne used Scottish oak and is rather wonderful.)

The only legally permissable caramel that can be added to whisky is E150, which is supposedly neutral in flavour (see Jim Murray for a full discussion of this!) However, the flavours I pick out in the Darach do not suggest caramel anyway (and the labelling suggests that this is certainly the case).

Bit confused by the comment on Black Bottle, which has Bunnahabhain in it.

Personally (and I know about one man's poison) I think the Darach Ur is a rather good whisky - it is certainly a lot of fun with an intense sweetness (I too get notes of apple but in a positive way) and I think it is pretty good value (£30/litre is pretty good for anything). It is a brilliant session dram.

[Spirit of Islay]

I'm sure the Darach Ur isn't Coloured (Doesn't say the usual Med Karamel on the back...), It goes on about the New Oak on the back of the tube but doesn't say if it's been Charred or Toasted , but whether it's plain , toasted or Charred it will add tastes and colours .
I personally love this expression , very tasty , don't find it woody like others , the higher proof and NCF make all the difference from the 12yo O.B. Hoping they will do it all to the 12 as well.....

[Deactivated Member]

Well no. New oak does not impart color, that's what port and sherry casks are for.

Well yes. I'm sorry, but you are misinformed, as Whisky Angel notes.

So far as I was aware quite a few new oak casks are used in the industry.

New wood is actually quite rare in the Scotch whisky industry.

The short of it is this stuff will prevent me from trying anything else this distillery produces except of course any of their produce that finds its way into Black Bottle.

I understand your very human reaction, but I think it's a shame. If it's not your cup of tea, there's no arguing; but it is by design an odd duck, so it seems unfair to judge the distillery's entire output by it.

[Whiskytaster]

Have a bottle in my cupboard.

No age statement on the bottle or tube.

[Green Manelishi]

My preference is for Ardbeg, but I purchased a bottle of Darach Ur specifically because it was an experiment. I'll not buy another bottle, I'll try something else, but I am not disappointed.

[Yokel]

Well glad I woke you all up.
Which of the previous posters sell this stuff I wonder?
I am a Balvenie man myself and not averse to new wood.
I also like a traditional Islay malt.
Each to his own but I really did not like the Darach Ur.
That having been said my vitriol was probably down to the way it was sold to me and the obscurantecism of the labelling. Bad combination.
I could not care less how old the distillery is, it is the stuff in the bottle that matters.
Let the producer come on here openly and tell us how old it is and what single malts it is blended from.

[Yokel]

TattieHeid: I am temped to be rude but you probably re read your post and realised your mistakes, so I shall forego the satisfaction.

[Willie JJ]

What mistakes are you claiming that Tattiehead made? I see none.

You keep referring to a lack of Islay character in the whisky. What specifically were you looking for?

[Spirit of Islay]

Darach Ur has no age statement but i know from talking to people at the distillery it's made up of whisky aged between 5 and 20yo , it wasn't fully matured in New Oak , it was Re-racked/finished/aced (*whichever one suits you....)into new oak casks for a period . It is UCF and natural coloured (from the sherry casks that Bunnahabhain use a lot of and also from the new oak as that adds colour too) .
As for Islay Characteristics , if you are looking for the Peatiness/Medicinalness/Smokiness of Islay you will find it lacking in Bunnahabhain as it's Barleys phenol levels are usually just 2-3ppm , unless you go for their peated stuff (under their name "Moine" , "Toiteach" or quite a few indys have just released it as "Heavily Peated" ).
Bunnahabhain is marketed as the "Gentle Taste of Islay" , it can be salty , coastal i think is the word , certainly not the same as the peat monsters of the rest of the Isle . If you're into the Ardbegs/Laphroaigs/Lagavulins/Bowmores/Caol Ilas , this probably won't be your thing !
I'm also interested in what errors MrTH Made ?

[olikli]

Don't feed the trolls!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the Darach Ur is actually is the first Bunna that I really like. As already pointed out, Bunnahabhain is not your typical Islay distillery. Why do Islays always have to be peat monsters? I do like those too, but the Darach Ur is a very interesting experiment. I guess it's a "love it or hate it" thing.

Happy drammin'
Oliver

[Ganga]

I'm also interested in what errors MrTH Made ?

That would be "I understand your very human reaction". Tattie expresses a lament that someone has jumped to a conclusion about Bunnahabhain based on an experimental product. Otherwise, someone should have talked of the vitriol of the rest of the group.

[kleinnordende]

Darach Ur is good, period.

Stop quibbling about 'caramel' and 'sweetness' and concentrate on the taste.

The taste comes from the charred new oak barrels.

Note: new oak barrels are rarely (very rarely) used for aging Scottish single malts.

This may be the best new drop to appear on the whisky tasting scene since the introduction of cask-strength whisky.

Well done, Bruichladdich !!


A Whisky 'Geniesser' in Klein Nordende, Germany

[Fi-Wi]

Actually, they stopped quit some time ago but thanks for bringing this whisky under my attention nonetheless.

[Spirit of Islay]

Well done, Bruichladdich !!

Why ?
They didn't do the Darach Ur !
If you think this is good you should try the new improved Bunnahabhain 12 at 46.3%

[bredman]

I found the Darach Ur to be disappointing.

If you think this is good you should try the new improved Bunnahabhain 12 at 46.3%

The Bunna 12 46.3% is going downhill for me. The rubber notes are becoming more evident with every sitting.

[Johnnyreb]

I'm no expert in whisky/single/double or whatever, but as a human being I'm empowered to discuss `taste`.

Every Bunna I have ever tasted was at the very least `average` or `mildly-exciting` because it was a new taste.On every occasion I was dissapointed.

The darach ur was a sickening malt to me...almost as vile as most scottish/irish poteens of old. @46.3% it might as well have been `white-spirit` I was drinking.The `after-taste` lasted 36 hours , the gag reflex was the same. A poor result for a malt I threatened never to open because it was allegedly a `batch-one` speciality.It was in fact an experiment that i hope they never repeat, because it didn't work, at least for me.

I read so-called expert reports from `self-proclaimed connieuseurs` talking about it's lovely `peat` taste when the distillery diverted a burn to specifically avoid peat taste altogether.In other words..people trying to sound knowledgable when they're simply bs'ing.This was a disgusting initial AND aftertaste.I can't believe I even gave a second thought to opening this vile concoction.After 3 glasses i'm now looking to give away the remainder.

Sorry if this offends anyone..I guess i'm just used to a different taste.

[Willie JJ]

I read so-called expert reports from `self-proclaimed connieuseurs` talking about it's lovely `peat` taste when the distillery diverted a burn to specifically avoid peat taste altogether.In other words..people trying to sound knowledgable when they're simply bs'ing.

You are of course entitled to decide that you don't like this malt and you are not alone; many don't. However the above statement shows your ignorance of the process of whisky making. The overwhelming majority of the peated taste comes from peating of the malt, not from the water. Bunnahabhain have been using peated malt to make some of their whisky for over a decade now. Please don't get abusive when you don't know what you are talking about.

Welcome to the forums by the way.

[RogerB]

I read so-called expert reports from `self-proclaimed connieuseurs` talking about it's lovely `peat` taste when the distillery diverted a burn to specifically avoid peat taste altogether.In other words..people trying to sound knowledgable when they're simply bs'ing.

You are of course entitled to decide that you don't like this malt and you are not alone; many don't. However the above statement shows your ignorance of the process of whisky making. The overwhelming majority of the peated taste comes from peating of the malt, not from the water. Bunnahabhain have been using peated malt to make some of their whisky for over a decade now. Please don't get abusive when you don't know what you are talking about.

Welcome to the forums by the way.

I've never tried the Darach Ur, so I have no opinion one way or the other, but I agree with your sentiment. Not everyone is going to agree on things as subjective as taste, but certain things aren't up for debate(the hard facts of the whisky making process).