Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Malt Mission 2009 #353


Bunnahabhain Darach Ur
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46.3% abv

£33


Hi. Long time no see.

I know I promised a "week" of Islay whiskies and while these few past and few forthcoming posts are all Islay malts, they certainly have not been posted over a week. I want to get Dr. Whisky up to frequency he once had, I really do. Any tips? Advice? Serge, how the hell do you do it? I bow in the presence of all new whisky bloggers (Whisky for Everyone, Cask Strength, Edinburgh Whisky Blog, and many others) who in one way or the other followed in my footsteps/appeared in my wake but have proceeded leaps and bounds beyond what I am currently doing. Keep it up, lads; the world needs independent voices preaching the gospel of whisky. And your presence makes me feel less guilty for considering money-generating options to motivate increased activity on Dr. Whisky...

This duty free bottling of Bunnahabhain takes its name from the gaelic term DARACH UR, "oak new" and I couldn't find any good pics to steal online.

Duty Free-only bottlings are an increasingly popular item for distillers as they allow for a global reach of a single product without needing a huge production. I saw a few fun bottlings at the duty free when in the UK last week and I look forward to travelling to Scotland in July and rekindling my affinity for smuggling bottles overseas.

TASTING NOTES:

Heavy, damp, weighty aromas. Morning breath, browned slices of apples after too much exposure to air, prunes, honey, and dried spilled Strongbow.

Rich and sweet, woody and raisiny with a blast of toasty oak and vanilla. Nice full bodied flavour with a little lime and then maple syrup as it slowly erodes into a sweeter, gentler finish.

SUMMARY:

Organic, earthy, and slightly off-putting on the nose. Full bodied and sweet on the palate with a real emphasis on tannic influence. A wholly unique Bunnahabhain and not one to be ignored.

Malt Mission #351
Malt Mission #352
Malt Mission #354
Malt Mission #355

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