Bimber ex Bourbon Batch 4

Bimber ex Bourbon Batch 4

Official bottling
Single malt - London
Golden
51.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, honey, peaches, malted grains, sandalwood, rhubarb and custard sweets, hints of white pepper. With water, pear drops, malted grains, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting: Sour sweet. Lemon zest, green tea, photocopy paper, rhubarb and custard sweets, honey, malted grains, hints of gooseberries. With water, pear drops, malted grains, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, green tea, sandalwood, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Fruity and rich, but not so sweet. There’s some nice, slightly herbal tannic notes mixed in too. Quite a good Bimber, not as intense as some of their previous releases. I like this stripped back version.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber 3yo 2020/2024

Bimber 3yo 2020/2024

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber
59.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oregano, honey, sage, butter, cinnamon, roast chicken, malted grains, hints of vanilla. With water, orange peel, lemon sweets, cinnamon, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, lemon juice, vanilla, roast chicken, rosemary, butter, sage, honey. With water, honey, rosemary, orange peel, cinnamon, sandalwood. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, roast chicken, malted grains, sage, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 202020. Meaty and substantial, lots of cinnamon and sandalwood too. It’s got the characteristic intense Bimber flavour, despite its very young age. Good dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Bimber Virgin Cask No 91

Bimber Virgin Cask No 91

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, red grapes, camphor, black pepper, apricot jam, cloves, hints of applesauce. With water, malted grains, cola nuts, oatcakes, red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, expands, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, oatcakes, camphor, wheat beer, apricot jam, cloves, chocolate. With water, apricot jam, malted grains, cola nuts, red grapes. 
Finish: Medium. Wheat beer, cloves, applesauce, molasses. 

Comments: 

Fruity and malty, lots of spicy notes. There’s more than a whiff of Coca Cola. Water expands the range of flavours, strengthening that Coca Cola note. Rather good, but not as good as Bimber can be.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber Port Cask (bottled for Nickolls & Perks)

Bimber Port Cask (bottled for Nickolls & Perks)

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber red
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut cream, red grapes, raisins, chocolate, vanilla custard, buttered toast, hints of peanuts. With water, coconut cream, raisins, buttered toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, strawberries, vanilla, orange peel, buttered toast, malted grains, milk powder, hints of cloves. With water, black tea, buttered toast, strawberries, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, orange peel, buttered toast, cinnamon, cloves. 

Comments: 

Cask 40. Biscuity and buttery, lots of delicious winey flavours. The ABV is a little bit in your face for such a young whisky. Lots of nutty notes on the nose that fade on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Bimber 3yo 2017/2021

Bimber 3yo 2017/2021

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - London 
Amber
57.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, honey, raisins, brown paper, sandalwood, damson jam, oats, hints of cinnamon. With water, oats, raisins, barley sugar, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, airy, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Mangoes, raisins, brown paper, black tea, barley sugar, hints of cinnamon. With water, barley sugar, raisins, mangoes, damson jam. 
Finish: Short. Oats, black tea, mangoes, damson jam. 

Comments: 

Cask 171. Very fruity and sweet, lots of jammy notes that I now associate with Bimber. With water, the cereally character emerges, making it quite complex and alluring for the young age. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber Distillery Exclusive Oloroso Cask #106/5/2020

Bimber Distillery Exclusive Oloroso Cask #106/5/2020

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber rose
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, blueberry jam, chocolate, vanilla, clay dust, hints of roses. With water, damson jam, honey, roses. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Blueberry jam, lime zest, vanilla, fresh baked bread, oats, honey, hints of roses. With water, oats, clay dust, damson jam, raisins, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Oats, honey, black tea, lime zest, blueberry jam. 

Comments: 

Bimber certainly takes first fill sherry very well. Lots of typical jammy notes, but also quite spirity, sharp cereal notes that cut through the sweetness quite nicely. There’s a bit of bitter citrus as well that acts as a good counterpoint.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber Selfridges Exclusive (Oloroso Sherry Cask)

Bimber Selfridges Exclusive (Oloroso Sherry Cask)

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber, hints of pink 
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, black tea, grass, honey, white pepper, hints of peaches. With water, honey, raisins, barley sugar, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, raisins, peaches, white pepper, vanilla, fresh baked bread. With water, black tea, brown paper, raisins, barley sugar, hints of toast. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, white pepper, vanilla, barley sugar. 

Comments: 

Cask 544/7/67. Characteristically fruity, with the sherry cask enhancing the flavours with a chocolate note. Lots of grain ass well, particularly with water. Excellent and well defined. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber Ex Bourbon Casks Batch 2

Bimber Ex Bourbon Casks Batch 2

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Golden
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, honey, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, sandalwood, kiwifruit. With water, white pepper, oats, sandalwood, kiwifruit, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, slightly warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Honey, fresh baked bread, papayas, raisins, sandalwood, tobacco leaf, hints of green tea, hints of sage. With water, white pepper, kiwifruit, oats, sandalwood. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, sage, fresh cut grass, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

Fragrant and fresh, lots of tropical fruit, but with a herbal edge. I’d like to taste some older Bimber, and some cheaper Bimber, but the distillery undeniably produces some excellent stuff. Despite its young age this one is bright and well flavoured. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bimber Single Cask #144 Recharred Oak Cask

Bimber Single Cask #144 Recharred Oak Cask 

Official bottling 
Single malt - London
Amber pink
57.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, honey, raisins, sandalwood, damson jam, cloves, nutmeg, hints of chocolate. With water, overripe plums, cooked rice, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Rolled oats, cooked rice, cocoa powder, overripe plums, raisins, damson jam, honey, nutmeg. With water, rolled oats, cooked rice, chocolate, hints of blackcurrant cordial. 
Finish: Short. Chillies, damson jam, cooked rice, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

High strength Bimber, it’s meant to be a treat, so let’s see. It doesn’t disappoint, quite cereally, and the wood manifests as chocolate, stone fruit and spice. The high strength is just right, I almost didn’t want to add water, and when I did, I didn’t feel that it improved that much.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Bimber Small Batch Recharred American Oak

Bimber Small Batch Recharred American Oak

Official bottling
Single malt - London
Bright gold
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, cucumber, honey, raisins, milk chocolate, hints of cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cucumber, orange peel, leather, honey, red grapes, prunes, cloves, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Red grapes, black tea, raisins, cucumber, hints of winter melon. 

Comments: 

What is it about Bimber that makes their 3 year old whisky taste so old? There's a passable imitation of bottle aging, with that leathery note, but there's also cloves and milk chocolate, something which I tend to associate more with 10 year old whisky...

Verdict:

I like this.

Bimber 1st Release

Bimber 1st Release

Official bottling
Single malt - London
Dark gold
54.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honeydew, leather, peat, white grapes, wet dog, plums, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea, honey, raisins, celery, lohan fruit, red grapes, hints of walnuts. 
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, coffee, red grapes, honey. 

Comments: 

There's much to like about this whisky, some leather and wet dog on the nose, but deep jammy sweetness on the tongue. There's a very Asian note too, like lohan fruit, and combined with the celery, makes this taste like Chinese herbal soup. Fades to a bitter finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.