A First Peek At Bimber Whisky

By Emma Briones

On May 20, 2016, Bimber distilled its first single malt. Since then, many barrels have been filled in their west London warehouse, but since British whisky must age a minimum of three years (both British law and EU regulations stipulate this), it was those casks filled in late May those barrels that would become the first expressions of Bimber whisky. The first batch is expected this summer, but (lucky me), I got to try a two-year old version.

The Bimber distillery opened its doors in 2015, identifying themselves as a craft distillery positioned against added colors, flavors and sugars. They started with vodka and gin, but in May 2016 they finally got the license to distill whisky as well.

So, they soon after started to produce Bimber whisky. Their process calls for seven days of low-temperature fermentation after the first maceration, followed by distillation along Scottish lines, with double distillation in a set of 1000-liter and 600-liter copper pot stills.

Bimber’s whisky ages in 4 different kinds of barrels: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-port and virgin American oak. According to the team at Bimber, they will only use one time each barrel to get the maximum wood contact with the spirit.

So, here are my first impressions on what will become Bimber whisky. Let’s take into account that we are talking about what-will-soon-be-whisky-but-not-yet, as it, to legally become whisky, has to be aged for at least 3 years according to the European Union.

Bimber’s New Make
A key step in evaluating any whisky to taste the new-make, in this case bottled at 63.5% ABV. This spirit highlighted the yeast and barley notes. It was quite sweet and fruity, with ripe grape and intense cereal notes, and coming across as warm and oily.

Bimber’s Future Signature
This is going to become the first whisky of the distillery, with only 1,000 bottles available. To make it, Bimber has married whiskies from its first ex-bourbon, ex-Pedro Ximénez and virgin American oak barrels. It will be bottled at 46% ABV.

As it will be their fist expression, the first batch of Bimber Signature is already available in pre-sale for £120.

Though it is a really young whisky, with no added color, it is darker than expected. There are some fruity coconut, banana and apple notes on the nose, with a grassy touch and a bit of vanilla. On the palate has some soft notes of caramelized fruit and a touch of chocolate cookies. The finish is short and soft.

Bimber Whisky Sherry Cask
Besides their signature expression, Bimber plans to launch 4 limited edition whiskies. The first is a single malt aged in Pedro Ximénez barrels. It will be a single cask with only 200 bottles available globally. It is already available on presale for £250.

Tasting it at a cask strength of 63.2% abv, there are some herbaceous aromas and a touch of dark chocolate on the nose. On the palate, it has soft notes of toasted oak and a touch of sherry, mostly raisins, coffee and dark chocolate. The finish is soft.

Bimber Whisky Port Cask
The second limited edition will be this single cask aged in Port barrels. Again, there will be only 200 bottles available, which are already on presale, for £250. 

As with the Sherry Cask, what I tried was at cask strength, 62.5% ABV. The Port expression is darker than the Pedro Ximénez single cask. There are the same herbaceous aromas from the new-make, but also a spicy touch with intense cinnamon notes. On the palate is more intense, with plum notes. The finish is curiously toasted. 

Bimber Whisky Bourbon Cask
A classic that can be missed in any new whisky is the first-filled bourbon barrel aging. It is again a single cask with only 200 bottles available. It is already on presale for £250.

Tasting it at 63.3% ABV, you can feel the bourbon from the first breath. It has intense notes of toasted oak and vanilla, with some light malt aromas. On the palate is less herbaceous, with strong vanilla and honey notes. The finish is lengthy and spicy.

Bimber Whisky Virgin American oak
The last of this limited editions has been aged in American virgin oak. It will also have only 200 bottles available, which are on presale for £250. 

Tasting it at 62.6% ABV, it has some fresh oak and vanilla notes, while keeping the herbaceous aromas of the new-make. On the palate is more straightforward than the other expressions. It has some oak and white grape notes, with no sight of spice.

The Range
It is still early to be sure, but for now you can tell they’ve done their homework with the cask selection and the nuances they give to the whisky, especially if we’re talking about Bimber Signature. That said, there is still way to go, and some expressions will need more than 3 years for proper maturity.

The expressions that caught my attention were the port and bourbon single casks, the former because it gives some intense tones to the spirit and it has a quite interesting balance for such a young whisky; the latter because here Bimber has a better control on the wood influence, producing a much more rounded whisky. 

But these are only the first impressions of a spirit range that it is still not yet actually whisky. Moreover, the barrel can influence the quality of the spirit in this last aging year. We’ll have to keep an eye on their evolution to discover how far can Bimber go.