Bimber Santa's Edition 2023

@BimberLondon have released a number of special edition bottles over the year and have rounded it off with Santa's Edition 2023

I was lucky enough to receive a 'sample', here's my thoughts!

This is one of Bimber's oldest releases to date, fully matured in an ex-Cognac cask.

Distillery notes: 

Taking time out his busy Schedule, Santa has visited Bimber to bottle all of the wonderful sensations of festive happiness into his very own London single malt whisky.

Santa’s Edition 2023 has been fully matured in an Ex-Cognac cask that was sourced from a prestigious producer. Building on top of our textural, fruit-forward house style, the Cognac cask has added layers of tender plums, fine chocolate, exquisite honeysuckle and fresh ginger. The result is an beautifully festive Bimber single malt whisky that elegantly weaves together fruits and spices.

Santa’s Edition 2023, ex-Cognac Cask matured, 570 bottles, 52.1% abv

My thoughts:

Appearance: Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line in the glass, take an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.

 

Nose: fruit forward: both orchard and tropical. Apples and apricots, mango and pineapple. There's some berry notes hinting towards Christmas, but this obviously isn't a sherry bomb! There's a little sweetness: toffee popcorn or caramel sauce, shortbread and a hint of citrus.

Palate: thick sweet arrival, chewy and slightly drying. The toffee from the nose is huge, along with the orchard fruit and some dry grape skin but the fruit has definitely turned more berry - strawberries, cranberries, raspberries and blueberries. There's a little oaky note, some forest floor pine influences and a little lime zest. A lovely spice mix left on the tongue as the liquid disappears - cinnamon and nutmeg!

Finish: lingering stewed apple, toffee sauce and berries with that lovely Christmas spice mix.

Thoughts: It might not be young typical sherry matured Christmas dram but the Cognac does a good job of  adding Christmas spices to the fruit forward Bimber spirit. I understand this is an early fill cask from Bimber - so some of their oldest spirit. It shows - it's well balanced with the Cognac adding rather than blanketing the distillery character.

Bimber has really come of age in the last couple of years, it's a lovely spirit, but when they're only filling 1 cask a day it's very difficult to get hold of. I was sent a 'sample' of this from the distillery but my thoughts are my own. It is virtually impossible to get hold of their bottles anymore - each release sells out in minutes. Let's hope this fruit forward character carries over to Dunphail with their extra capacity (4 casks a day) so that more people get to try the lovely spirit!

Huge thanks to Darius and the team at Bimber for their kind Christmas present!

Bimber also released a Christmas Whisky via The Whisky World - a single cask PX Sherry #249/2 with 285 bottles at 56.7% ABV