Nose: Very sweet and rich, with lots of apple tarts and caramelized apples in syrup up front, all engulfed in rich sweet and buttery dough, pastries, and a hint of dried fruit as well (sultana , apricot). There’s a mushroom-y note as well , think of it as old dunnage warehouses or wet old casks if you will, some leather and more red fruit. This does not feel like a young 3 year old whisky on the nose.

Palate: Very clean and lovely – more of the sweet dried fruit, orange marmalade, sultana and chocolate, with the old sherry wood notes here as well adding to the complexity. Leather, wood spices (clove, cinnamon ,allspice) and the deep musty note is also present here. This my friends, certainly does not feel young. Very good indeed.

Finish : Wood spices, candied orange, lingering chocolate.

Conclusion : This is an impressive first edition! What a great young whisky. This does not feel young at all, the distillate is clean and lovely, and does not display any of the ‘funk’ that some EU whiskies end up showing sometimes . Certinaly Bimber are doing it right. It’s quite a small batch , and the old PX casks did very well. I wonder how the next editions will stack up? At any rate, if you can get your hands on a bottle (originally sold for £120, and now sold out obvoiusly) – do not hesitate.

I will be keeping an eye on this wee exciting distillery, I suggest you do the same.

Whiskynotes
Bimber – The First Release 2016 (54,2%, OB 2019, Pedro Ximénez casks #6, 19, 31, 37, 38, 1000 btl.)
Nose: rich aromas of baked apples, dried apricots, blackcurrants and a slightly leathery quality. Hints of marmalade and berries. Hints of cocoa and coffee grit. Some buttery pastry notes as well. Some vegetal notes and mouldy mushrooms in the background, that must be the old solera wood. Mouth: brown bread, brown sugar, a herbal bitterness, plums and leathery notes again. Darker flavours of toffee and plenty of milk chocolate, but overall rather dry, no sticky PX. Oranges with clove. There’s something ‘old bottle’ about it as well (mushrooms again), hard to explain. Finish: quite long, with spices, tobacco and leathery notes.
Well, this must be one of my favourite 3 year-olds, hands down. The spirit seems to be of high quality, the cask choice was good and uncommon. A very interesting inaugural release. You should have bought it at £ 120, now it’s sold out.
Score: 87/100

Fake ratings from green, blue and yellow shirts.

A marriage of whiskies that had previously been matured in first fill Pedro Ximenez sherry casks from 2016. The casks used were numbers #6, #19, #31, #37 and #38.

Good material that reminds me in some moments of high-proof barrel-stored plum brandy from southern Austria: fruity, great mouthfeel, integrated alcohol - but here with more wood. The youthful touch suits him well and is not unpleasant.

Vegetal, evoking tea and anise. On the palate a sherry fruity version. Spicy and floral on the finish.

Enthusiasm 3/5

Whisky # 2143

Odor:

Fruity berry, slightly after roasted coffee and spicy with a slight leathery note, but also a slight classic malt note. With more air, it develops extremely well to outstanding. Very sweet, caramel-like and a lot of dried fruit. Apricot, raisins and some honey.

Palate: light leathery, musty but not unpleasant note. Full of chocolate-red fruits slap in the face. Warm, lots of dried fruit. You can taste the raisins clearly. Many fruits affect you. There is also something slightly rough in the background but not sprittig.

Damn complex, how old is he, please? But not just 3 years. Insanely delicious.

finish:

Very pleasantly familiar, not spicy but warming and long again. I still have that chocolate-red fruit note in my throat.

Madness!

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/01/25/twe-show-2019-international-part-1-2/

N: This young ‘un, unapologetically displays its clean new make-like base, yet with its youthful and firm/full sherried presence, there’s also an underlying illusionary Dalmore/Macallan-like umami-depth that belies its years.

T: Big sherry action with many of the notes you’d associate with a number of decent sherry cask-driven malts. In this case, ex-solera PX sherry casks. It’s all very candid, no doubt due to Bimber’s ultra-neutral spirit.

F: Shiny new raisins, more from cask than distillate I’m betting, but from uber-pleasing solera butts.

C: It’s still early days, but Bimber has produced a young, clean, vibrant and well-considered [Dalmore/Macallan-esque] malt from the big smoke in no time at all.