Bimber American Virgin Oak Single Cask Review
In-Depth Review
It’s hard to believe that for hundreds of years the English have seemingly been comfortable with letting their Scottish neighbors take all the glory in the whisky world. However, in the last 20 years, distilleries such as Bimber are showing the world that the Scots shouldn’t be the ones having all the fun. Located in West London, Bimber laid down its first whisky in 2016 – with its inaugural expressions debuting in 2019. Since then, Bimber has become one of the most exciting of the new crop of English distilleries and has maintained a strong presence in the craft scene – winning numerous awards and creating a small but devoted fanbase. Known for doing things the old school way, Bimber grows their own barley, uses traditional floor malting, and uses direct fire copper pot stills to make their spirit. In a world succumbing to AI and automation, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a new distillery embracing the old ways.
Today, we are going to dive into one of the original releases from Bimber – a USA exclusive single cask aged in virgin American oak. Its 253 bottles were drawn from cask #95 (perhaps only the 95th ever laid down?), and features no chill filtration, natural color, an ABV of 58.6%, and was bottled way back in October 2020. The MSRP was originally around $150, but I recently found a remaining bottle at a significant discount and decided to take the plunge. Is this London distillery one to watch? Let’s dive in and find out.
Age: Non-Age Stated
ABV: 58.6%
Cask: American Virgin Oak Cask
MSRP: $150
Distillery Name: Bimber Distillery
Review Date: 12/17/25
Color: Medium Caramel
Nose: The nose starts off with fresh oak, maple syrup, lemongrass, and green melon. There’s a zesty, refreshing quality here – with a young vibrancy that never straws into grainy. As it settles, there’s fresh baked apple pie, puff pastry, and confectioner’s sugar. A great nose with a bright and lively character.
Palate: The first sip keeps the woody, oaky vibes from the nose before giving way to honey, tamarind paste, and vanilla cream. It remains lively on the palate and gives a tart, sweet and spicy quality to the experience. That juxtaposition of sweet and spicy is only amplified by the high levels of heat which can sometimes come off as just hot. And despite its high ABV and non-chill filtration, the mouthfeel can feel a bit thin – struggling to keep up with all the heat.
Finish: The finish is long and lingering with notes of salted licorice, peppered bacon, and caramel. The finish sticks around long after the sip, leaving a slightly drying sensation on the tip of the tongue.
Final Thoughts: Bimber’s American Virgin Oak Single Cask shows that the city of London is ready to bully its way into the UK whisky conversation. For a distillery who only laid down their first casks in 2016, this 2020 bottling is a hell of an accomplishment. It’s lively and zesty, while maintaining a lovely, rich oak character throughout. At times, a soft craft “funk” can make an appearance, but its great nose and long, satisfying finish more than make up for it. It’s hard to believe that this may very well have been the 95th cask ever laid down by the distillery - and while this particular single cask can struggle against the power of its own heat, it shows the distillery has a bright future ahead of it and should be one to seek out over the next few years.
