Review #843 - Bimber Ex-Bourbon Small Batch
Bimber is a relatively new whisky distillery based in London, England; it was established in 2016, so they'll be celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. They have a variety of releases in many different cask types (Oloroso sherry, re-charred casks, peated, virgin oak, and more); here we have a stripped back ex-bourbon release, which should give us a better insight into how the distillate from the young distillery actually tastes.
This is actually the third edition of their ex-bourbon small batch release; it was released in 2021, and while there's no age statement, we know that it can't be more than 5 years old based on the founding year of the distillery. The bottling strength is 51.6% ABV, and like all whiskies we've seen from Bimber, there's no chill filtration or added caramel coloring used in the bottling process.
Bimber Ex-Bourbon Small Batch
England - Single Malt
Price: USD 104 (2026)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 51.6% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; batch no. 3, bottled June 2021; 5,000 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 70% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Vanilla extract and refined sugar, a bit syrupy at times, with some green apple adding a fruit side. Malty notes, some barley sugar, and a bit of pine come next; more sharpness is added by white pepper.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. It's nicely warming and cozy, with flavors of pear, cinnamon, and freshly baked bread. Time brings stronger warming oak.
Finish: Cinnamon and clove, soft peppery oak - driven by baking spices. We get vanilla as well, and the warmth continues from the palate; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is a solid ex-bourbon single malt; a little bit of youth does show in the heat on the palate and into the finish, but there's also a nice development in the baking spice flavor profile. We enjoyed those soft orchard fruit notes in the nose and palate as well; overall, decent stuff.
Value is a little below average for us, but we think there's potential with this distillate and distillery - we'll be watching out for future releases from Bimber, especially if they start releasing whiskies with higher age statements.
Our Rating: 6.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.74
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other English whisky reviews:
Review #519 - Filey Bay 4 Year Oloroso Single Cask
