Bimber Virgin Oak – Distillery Exclusive

Bimber

The upsurge in whisky being produced in the Uk is certainly gathering pace and one of those distilleries that is creating a buzz is the Bimber Distillery, located in the London, England this small distillery is delivering BIG things..

Established in 2015 the Bimber Distillery laid down the first casks in May 2016.. Designed to sit in the “Craft” distillery category the distillery encorporates a practice of taking  Barley from one single farm and malting it in the traditional way – on the floor, hand mashed and slowly fermented for up to 168 hours ( 7 days ) in wooden washbacks that were made by hand in their very own Cooperage.

Darius, the founder emigrated to the Uk in 2003 and created a business in the West of London before realising his dream to open his own distillery and finally walk in his grandfathers footsteps who had often told Darius of his times distilling Moonshine..

Virgin Oak – Bimber Distillery Exclusive

Some spirit just cant handle virgin oak maturation and those that can are often left in for too long, they can soon become very woody, just too oak dominated on the palate, and that is what puts some people off tasting it.. That said I am a little opposite, the more oak dominant the better I say, but I can still see the benefits of getting the liquid into bottle before its too late.

I previously waxed lyrical about the first try of Bimber Virgin oak, and actually everything I have tried from this young distillery!! They seem to be more than happy to release young whisky, after all that’s all they have but it can be risky. The whisky they have released has been of a very high quality and has really set the bar high for their future releases and to be honest from what I have tasted you do kind of wonder if they actually need to age the whisky for any longer..

This review is however for a very new release that sold out even before i could get off my arse and book a train ticket to visit the distillery, 3 expressions were released as distillery exclusives, sold only at the distillery, not posted out and to top it off all 3 were single casks, cask strength and sold quicker than shit flies off a shovel.. That shows just  how much Bimber is highly regarded……

Distillery.. Bimber

Region.. London, England

Age.. 3 years

Distilled.. 2016

Abv.. 53.1%

Cask.. Virgin Oak #28

Nose.. Big Bourbon style, lots of vanilla, toffee and caramel that flows nicely into cinnamon, ginger and a hint of nutmeg, add a little dark chocolate, stewed apples and cinnamon buns and this certainly draws you in for more..

Palate.. The spices explode instantly and with an intensity that just makes you smile and want more. Once the spices subdue a little there is plenty to explore, toffee apples, chocolate coated peanuts and digestive biscuits all offer themselves.

Finish.. Lingering spices and a sweetness that just makes you smile

Thoughts.. Are you sitting down.. I had to add a little water to this, and its not often i do that !!

Let me explain, this whisky is not overpowering at full strength in any way but when you dive in, its so intense that you instantly feel it wants a little water to just calm it down so you can understand its roots..

At full strength this single malt is awesome but with just a few drops of water it become immense ! The flavours just blend perfectly into each other and even if Virgin oak is not your thing i cant help but think you will actually love this, in fact i’d be surprised if anyone ( well not everyone, obviously someone would ) can find too many faults in this !!

Bravo Bimber.. Keep up the awesome work..

This review was from a sample received from Bimber. It is in now way affected by that fact, there is no financial gain or reward from any aspect of this review. Pictures also courtesy of Bimber..