Bimber whisky tends to work well with regular ex-bourbon casks, resulting in a kind of gourmand style. It’s nice to see one of their first large-scale releases is this Bimber Ex-Bourbon Batch #1.
A vatting of carefully selected Ex-Bourbon casks, married together in a hand-made oak vat before being bottled a couple of months ago.
Bimber ‘Ex-Bourbon Oak Casks’ 2016 (51,8%, OB 2020, Batch 01/2020, 1948 btl.)
Nose: like most of the Bimber releases, this is quite rich, rounded and slightly sweet. Oranges and yellow apples, with a little honey or maple syrup. A lot of vanilla beans (with a buttery / white chocolate edge) and shaved coconut. Behind this fruity sweetness there is a (slightly harsh) woodiness of pencil shavings and cinnamon powder that you also find in actual bourbon whiskey. Mint as well.
Mouth: creamy and sweet, with the same kind of plain woody side, alongside big amounts of barley. Kind of a mix of Scotch and bourbon. Nectarine. Maple syrup again, caramel, hints of toast and white pepper. Plenty of freshly shaved oak really. A hint of nutmeg too.
Finish: medium length and drying. Still some vanilla and spice with a bit of oak char in the very end.
Like other Bimber releases, this has a great texture and sweet roundness, making it seem a little older than it actually is. That said, there is a slightly rough woody side to this which I find less convincing. It needs a few more years and slightly less active wood, but I’m sure it can shine in the future. Originally around € 80 but I believe it’s sold out in most places.