Bimber is a highly acclaimed London-based distillery that has amassed a cult-like following for its single malt whiskies since its foundation in 2015.
Dariusz Plazewski and Ewelina Chruszczyk decided to start Bimber after emigrating from Poland in 2003. The couple had noticed a gap in the market for English whiskies during the craft distilling boom and seized the opportunity to put Plazewski’s family distilling know-how into practice. Plazewski’s father and grandfather had both been moonshiners in his homeland and the West London-based distillery is a nod to them – Bimber translates as “moonshine” in Polish.
Bimber is a small-scale, traditional whisky-making operation. Two-row spring barley varieties Concerto and Laureate (favoured by distillers for its yield and higher protein content), grown on a single farm in Hampshire, are used to produce Bimber’s single malt. The barley is floor-malted at Britain’s oldest maltster, Warminster Maltings, and hand-mashed. The distillery boasts two copper pot stills (named Doris and Astraeus) that are direct-fired to produce a more full-bodied spirit. Fermentation times in the open-top American oak washbacks are twice the industry average at seven days. In his role as Master Distiller, Plazewski makes an early cut of the spirit to ensure the whisky is light, fruity and fragrant. The distillery predominantly uses ex-Bourbon casks and some ex-Port, ex-Pedro Ximénez and Virgin American Oak casks.
The first casks of Bimber single malt were laid down on 26th May 2016. While the distillery’s whisky was maturing, Bimber released a series of successful London Dry Gins and fruit-infused vodkas.
Bimber’s inaugural bottling, The First, was released three years later in September 2019.All 1,000 bottles of the whisky, matured in a combination of ex-solera Pedro Ximénezcasks, sold out in three hours.
Since then, distillery bottlings have grown in popularity and scarcity. In 2021, Plazewski announced his intention to expand Bimber and build a traditional whisky distillery in Speyside, Scotland, named Dunphail.
