At the end of 2024 London distillery Bimber launched two limited edition eight-year-old single malts. They are the first age-statement whiskies in its portfolio.
The first expression, called Bimber Harmony of Eight, is a combination of ex-bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The other one is a single bourbon cask, selected by the 2024 Bimber Klub tasting panel. Single farm barley, floor malting, slow fermentation, direct fire distillation and no colouring: this distillery is doing things well.
Bimber ‘Harmony of Eight’ 2016 (50%, OB 2024, bourbon + PX sherry casks, 1090 btl.)
Nose: just a slight whiff of nail varnish at first, quickly followed by yellow stone fruits and vanilla sweetness. Peaches and yellow plums. Lemon candy and lemon peelings, maybe some unripe pineapple. Then also hints of redcurrants and honey. A resinous hint of birch wood with freshly cut grasses underneath. Quite bourbon-forward so far.
Mouth: nice texture, with the bourbon wood creating a sweet and spicy profile. Mint and ginger, with lots of lemon and grapefruit peelings. Some honey sweetness, burnt sugar and yellow fruits make it rounder, helped by a tiny bit of chocolate and vanilla custard that come out later. Then back to white pepper, hazelnuts and hints of oak shavings.
Finish: fairly long, with more oak spice, a hint of gingerbread and zesty notes.
Highly drinkable whisky at a slightly higher age, with a big bourbonny sway and only echoes of sherry. Quite vibrant but still showing a very youngish side. Available from retailers like The Whisky Exchange or Tyndrum Whisky.
Bimber 8 yo 2016 (56,8%, OB 2024, single bourbon cask #11, 268 btl.)
Nose: a lot warmer, with heaps of vanilla and sunflower oil up front. Hints of peppercorns, crushed mint leaves, gooseberries and lemon candy. Mild hints of stone fruits and corn flakes. Then popcorn and nougat with peanuts. Simply a lot more presence than the Harmony of Eight. A subtle hint of rye bread and pine needles as well.
Mouth: oily but highly wood-influenced, in the best way possible. Bags of oranges and lemons (or rather yuzu), with spearmint, more nougat and hints of green pears. A bit of varnish, ginger and radish or turmeric from the wood. Light charred notes too. Nice freshness, but some grippy spice underneath.
Finish: long, on ginger and cinnamon, lemon peelings and highly enduring newish woody notes.
Good complexity and a very clean profile, but a little too wood-driven to score higher. The quality is high but I believe I’ve had even nicer (fruitier) Bimber before. I’m looking forward to slightly less active casks. This bottling was exclusively available to distillery members (at a fairly high price). Score: 86/100