Review – Bimber Distillery, Bimber Klub Release No. 2, Vino De Naranja Cask
Bimber Distillery
The Bimber Distillery are a small outfit based in West London. They laid their first casks in 2016 with their inaugural single-malt release coming out three years later. Over the course of the last five years they have developed a cult following, with new releases selling out almost immediately, with new releases often being allocated via ballot. We have previously reviewed their 2020 Oloroso Distillery Exclusive. Todays review will be looking at their latest Bimber Klub release – Vino De Naranja Cask finish.
Bimber Klub Release No. 2, Vino De Naranja Cask
You can join the Bimber Klub for a one-time fee of £40. Membership provides you with access to Klub-only bottlings, a free annual distillery visit, member-only events, a 10% discount on Bimber products, a welcome pack and much more!
Bimber Klub Release No.2 spent the initial part of its life maturing in ex-bourbon oak casks, before being transferred to Vino De Naranja Casks to be finished. It is non-chill filtered, and natural colour. Only 2,100 bottles were produced.
Release: 02/2021
Bottle Number: 1,312 of 2,100
Cask Type: Vino De Naranja
Bottling Date: 4 November 2021
ABV: 50.2%
First Impressions and Reflections
A beautiful colour, the influence of the ‘orange wine’ casks is definitely clear in the appearance of the dram. Taking on an almost caramalise honey colour. The 50.2% ABV also makes itself clear in the texture of the dram; a lovely oiliness forming around the inside of your glass.
Vino De Naranja, known as ‘orange wine’ is white wine macerated with orange peel. It is not a cask that has been used particularly frequently in whisky maturation/finishing. We are big fans of experimental cask usage in whisky; so were particularly interested to see how the orange would affect the taste.
Nose: sweet & sour, orange blossom, hints of vanilla, very refreshing, orange peel, hints of oak, caramel, very reminiscent of our trip to the Bimber distillery!
Palate: very fruity and floral, orange is less pronounced, oak spice, caramelised brown sugar, coffee beans
Finish: lovely light finish, lots of orange oil, and orange blossom, rounded off with oak wood spice, vanilla, and coffee
Leaving this dram to open up in the glass does wonders, and really draws forward the complex orange and caramel flavours. A very light, fruity, floral dram – perfect for a spring morning.
Nose: liquorice, orange oil, sweet element between vanilla and honey, spearmint, caramel, orange sponge cake with caramel sauce
Palate: light, sweet, notes of fudge, quite creamy with a silky mouth feel, lime
Finish: tangerine, woody notes, citrus oil and orange blossom comes through more on the finish.
A very fresh dram, the cask adds subtle notes of fruit and citrus with the woody notes elevating it. Certainly one for a spring/summer evening or a BBQ!
Final Thoughts
There is something unmistakably Bimber about this dram. Having previously been lucky enough to sample their new-make at their distillery, you can feel the foundations of those flavours in this dram. It is incredibly light and fresh; perfect for a spring evening, or even warm summer night.
It was definitely interesting to see how the effects of the orange wine cask, bring a freshness and lightness to the whisky. We’re going to be saving the rest of this bottle for Spring 2022 where we can hopefully take it on a couple of picnics.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, this would be a lovely dram to introduce to none-whisky drinkers. With the complex floral and fruit flavours, removing the harshness that can often be associated with whisky. We also feel like it would be incredible in an Old Fashioned cocktail – really bulking out that delicious orange flavours!
We can’t wait to see what the future of the Bimber Distillery holds – lots of exciting things to come!
The Dram Duo 