(Image Source: Bimber)

What you need to know:

• Bimber's new 1st Peated comes from its earliest fully peated distillation back in May 2019.
• It uses heavily peated American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels and Aberdeenshire peat.
• The result is a whisky that is peated to an in-bottle 14.4 PPM (parts per million).
• It weighs in at 54.1% ABV will retail via ballot for RRP 130 GBP.

Bimber's been doing great work ever since, who could ever forget, their unbelievably cool (but heavy) inaugural release the 1st, that came in a full wooden box display. 

Now, they're back with a new the 1st, titled 1st Peated, which is made from a blend of four heavily peated American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels, and is especially special because it is made entirely from Bimber's earliest fully peated distillation back in May 2019!

“For too long the debate about peat levels has been a race to the top. Producers have sought to display the biggest PPM numbers possible without ever trying to contextualise to customers what these numbers mean in terms of the actual peated character of a whisky once it is inside of a bottle.

“Barley PPMs ignore the fact that at every stage of the whisky-making process there is a decrease in the volume of phenols present. They also ignore the large variations that distinct production methods across different distilleries have on this inevitable decline.

“A 50 PPM barley utilised at one distillery will not directly equate to 50 PPM barley used by another. By presenting The 1st Peated with an in-bottle PPM we’re looking to kick-start a dialogue about PPMs which hopefully leads to a more considered reflection of what’s actually inside a bottle of whisky.”

The 1st Peated uses barley sourced from Bimber's single farm (Fordham & Allen in Basingstoke, Hampshire), and is then steeped three times over 40 hours before being turned every 8 hours for five days. It was then dried using both dry and wet Aberdeenshire peat, mashed and fermented for seven days before being distilled.

The result is a whisky that is peated to an in-bottle 14.4 PPM (parts per million).

“The team and I are truly thrilled to be able to share The 1st Peated with whisky lovers. This release represents a major milestone on the continued journey of Bimber and of our single malt London whisky.

“Not only is it the culmination of several years of investigation and passion, but being entirely produced by-hand, in-house – it is also truly embodies our continued dedication to traditional production methods.”

- Dariusz Plazewski, Founder of Bimber Distillery

The new 1st Peated, weighing in at 54.1% ABV will retail via ballot for RRP 130 GBP.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team