Bimber New Make Spirit (63.5%, OB, Batch 095, 2018)

• Category: New Make Spirit
• Origin: Bimber distillery
• Bottling: OB
• ABV: 63.5%
• Cost: £5 for 5cl

What they say

Our new-make spirit is available only in 5cl miniatures.  It is bottled at the cask-fill strength of 63.5%abv, so we recommend diluting with a little water to open the full range of aroma and flavour.

Working with Warminster Maltings to source the finest malted English Barley; we mash, ferment and double-distil to create a refined single malt spirit of true character.

Production Method

English barley, floor malted in the old-fashioned way, creating a unique malt of outstanding quality.

Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills for a refined & complex new-make spirit.

Official tasting notes:

• Appearance Clear yet distinctly oily and dense, its legs fall slowly and sit tight together, alluding to the strength and concentration of the spirit.
• Nose Intensely rich, sweet bready notes of fresh dough and tropical fruit lift through the heady malt aromas.  It is concentrated, and a drop of water allows layers of aroma to open and reveal delicate tones of honey and heather
• Palate Malted banana bread with custard: an almost chewy, rich and creamy texture with refined warmth.  It has a Mezcal like tones and incredible persistence.
• Finish The malty sweetness dissipates, lifted by the alcohol, to leave an ethereal impression of delicate, honeyed fruit.

What I say

Thanks to Bimber distillery for the sample

This is the new make spirit (or direct from the still distillate) that will mature in oak casks to become Bimber’s London Single Malt whisky.

I don’t normally score/review New Make as it hasn’t been cask aged, however as this sample set begins I though it would be good to set my palate to the raw spirit first to truly investigate and understand the following 2 year old cask maturations.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Gin clear (0/20), medium tears and oily, medium-fine legs.
• Nose: Very sweet, baking cakes, proving bread and yeasty dough combine with pineapple, peach and mango, a dry cereal or grist, reminds me of sawdust almost, with time and warmth a faint butyric edge develops to the sweetness.
• Taste: Medium bodied, with lighter spirity/vaporous nature to be expected at this strength, quite malty, an effervescence like icing sugar, slightly metallic but leaves a rich toffee sauce and cream.
• Finish: Medium-long, slightly caramelised malt and tinned peaches.

Overall

For a new make spirit this is remarkably non-lactic and has only a tinge of metallic influence on the palate. Remarkably drinkable at cask filling strength and reasonably robust and tasty too. A promising start!

Score n/a

Shop for Bimber New Make Spirit (opens Bimber distillery shop)

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