Bimber London Vodka 70 cl 40%

Bimber is Polish slang for moonshine. It is not a random name for a distillery on an industrial estate in north west London. The founder's family has been distilling in Poland for generations, and the name is a nod to the kitchen table where it all started.

Expert description

Bimber London Vodka is an English Vodka from Bimber Distillery in Park Royal, distilled from wheat and barley and bottled at 40%.

Bimber opened in 2015 and is known above all for its Single Malt Whisky, which went from unknown to sought after in under five years. The distillery does almost everything itself: floor malting its own barley, fermenting slowly in wooden washbacks, distilling in direct fired copper pot stills and running its own cooperage. That is a way of working most Scottish distilleries abandoned on cost grounds long ago.

The vodka is made from wheat and barley and arrived so that bars could pour a house spirit with the same origin as the whisky. It has not been pushed so hard that all the grain is gone. A light citrus edge and a soft grain sweetness remain, which makes it more useful in a Vodka Martini than a fully stripped industrial vodka.

London has no long tradition in vodka, but the city has distilled gin for centuries, and that craft lineage is what Bimber leans on. The range today covers whisky, gin, vodka and a handful of cask aged curiosities, and volumes are still small enough that every batch gets tasted through.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clean and light with clear lemon peel on top. Beneath it sits a soft grain aroma, close to freshly milled flour.

Palate

Soft and rounded with a light sweetness from the wheat. The barley adds a little structure halfway through, and the citrus freshness holds.

Finish

Short to medium and clean. The citrus stays longest, and there is no sharp alcohol edge.

Specifications

Name: Bimber London Vodka
Distillery: Bimber Distillery
Region/Country: London, England
Type: English Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Distilled from wheat and barley
EAN no.: 5060444430561
Serving suggestion: Cool and neat, or in a Vodka Martini with lemon peel. Works well in a Vodka Soda with lime too.

Flavour profile

Citrus · Soft · Grainy · Clean

Did you know?

Bimber is one of very few distilleries in the United Kingdom that floor malts its own barley. It is a slow, space hungry method where the grain is turned by shovel on a floor rather than in a machine, and British spirits production largely gave it up during the twentieth century.

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Frequently asked questions about Bimber London Vodka

What does the word bimber mean?

It is Polish slang for home distilled spirit, or moonshine. The founder comes from a Polish family with a distilling tradition, and the name was chosen as a direct reference to that inheritance. It is also one of the rare distillery names that says something about the attitude of the house rather than its address.

Is it as neutral as an ordinary vodka?

No, and that is deliberate. A light citrus edge and a soft grain sweetness remain, which you will not find in a fully stripped industrial vodka. In a drink with many ingredients that disappears, but neat or in a Martini you can taste the difference.

Why does a whisky distillery make vodka at all?

Because whisky has to sit in cask for years while a vodka can be sold immediately. Beyond the economics, the vodka was conceived as a house pour for bars already serving Bimber whisky. The range then hangs together, and the guest drinks grain from the same house all evening.

What is the best glass for it?

A small stemmed glass with a tapered rim if you are drinking it neat. The rim gathers the citrus note, which otherwise escapes in a wide glass. For a cocktail, a classic chilled Martini glass is the obvious choice.

Should it be served ice cold?

Cool rather than ice cold. At freezer temperature the citrus and grain notes shut down and you are left with texture but no aroma. Around ten degrees there is still something to smell.

Is Bimber the same as The Spirit of the Underground?

That is a series from the same distillery, named after the London underground. Bimber runs several named lines alongside the core range of whisky, gin and vodka, and they are all made on the same small plant in Park Royal.

What else do they make?

Single Malt Whisky is the main product, plus gin and a handful of cask aged experiments. The distillery has its own cooperage and builds and repairs its casks on site. To see other houses, browse our Vodka brands.