pkingmartin
Bimber Ex-Bourbon Batch No. 1
Single Malt — London, England
Reviewed
February 17, 2023 (edited August 31, 2023)
Ever since I tried Cotswolds, I’ve been excited to try more English whisky and picked up a sample of Bimber’s ex-bourbon batch 1 that aged for around 3 years and was bottled at 51.8% ABV.
The nose starts with a mild astringent and earthy mix of lemon juice, charred pineapple and wood chips then cocoa powder covered gooseberries and light florals followed by nectarines and tangerine orange that transitions to light baking spices and polyester with medium ethanol burn.
The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting with light creamy orchard fruits before quickly veering into a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to lemon pith, charred pineapple and sawdust then cocoa powder covered golden raisins and light honeysuckle followed by white grapes, grapefruit and tangerine orange zest that transitions to light baking spices and polyester with medium ethanol burn.
The finish is medium length starting with sour citrus and light florals that slowly fades to an earthy and mildly bitter profile.
This is just far too sour and astringent for my palate that likely needs more time aging in the barrels to polish out those youthful notes. I’m more averse to sour flavors than others, so this would likely be more enjoyable for other palates than mine, but at a price of $150 near me, I’d much rather buy Cotswolds at almost half the cost that is a better fit for my palate.
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@DrRHCMadden Yeah, this was just too sour and now that you mention that rancid/vomit note, it's certainly there and I was thinking lemon scented floor cleaner. Hopefully they just need some time to polish out those flavors, but that problem doesn't seem to be an issue for Cotswolds whose white dog is far tastier than a 3 year old Bimber in ex-bourbon casks IMHO. I'll have to look for some samples to be able to explore the Lakes distillery based off your recommendation.
@PBMichiganWolverine correct. They finish the one in their barrels. It was the stop gap to keep their accountants happy. I did a run of six Lakes back in November I think it was.
@DrRHCMadden I think the One series is sourced, while Whisky Makers is made in-house.
Also, if you can get your hands on the Lakes distillery, the whisky makers reserves and special editions are good fun. I wouldn’t recommend “the one” series though, a little lacklustre.
Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who didn’t think Bimber lived up to the hype of some bugger reviews. The sour note, for me, was rancid/vomit and just spoke of trying to get product out the door too quickly. I can understand that though, as returns/lending must be a huge weight to bare.
@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah, that’s disappointing and would have been a unique one to bring back. I’m sure Bimber will greatly improve as their stock gets older but can’t fathom buying a bottle at retail prices right now unless it was something I could try first. Cotswolds on the other hand has earned my trust and I’d happily buy a bottle from them before trying it.
@pkingmartin I’ve not been as impressed with Bimber as the general market. I think they’re young and overpriced. If I’m going with English, Cotswolds is my top pick. Besides…I’m a little miffed that they don’t have a distillery only bottle. I’m in London next week, and email them if they had a distillery only for visitors. Nothing.