Bimber Single Bourbon Cask #12
70cl / 58.7%
£190.00
- Malt type: Blended Malt
- Region: England
- Chilfiltered: No
- Coloring: No
Tasting Notes
Apricot and sweet vanilla aromas
Cinnamon and peppery tones alongside fruity notes and cream
Oaky with spices and apple aftertaste
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London single malt from Bimber’s 2016 start-up year, matured in a single ex-bourbon cask, bottled 27 May 2020 at 58.7% with only 264 bottles.
At-a-Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Distillery / Bottler / Country & Region | Bimber Distillery, London, England |
| Category | Single cask, cask-strength English single malt |
| Age / Vintage / Bottled | Distilled 2016, bottled 27-05-2020 (c. 4 years) |
| ABV & Size(s) | 58.7% ABV, 70cl |
| Cask / Treatment | Single ex-bourbon cask #12, no finish |
| Natural Colour | Yes (declared by producer for single casks) |
| Non-Chill-Filtered | Yes (cask strength) |
| Cask Strength | Yes |
| Bottle count / Outturn | 264 bottles only |
| Intended channel | UK/EU specialist retailers, Bimber followers, club-level allocations |
| Packaging | Bimber’s single-cask bottle with cask number, date and bottle number on label |
| Notes on discrepancies | Must not be confused with Bimber Ex-Bourbon Batch releases at 51–52% and 1,000+ bottles; #12 is an early 2020 264-bottle cask at 58.7%. |
Historical Context
Bimber laid its first casks on 26 May 2016 and very quickly gained a reputation for thick, fruity spirit, long fermentations and active wood. After the inaugural 2019 release sold out in hours, demand for every early single cask spiked. In 2020 the distillery bottled several ex-bourbon single casks from those 2016 fills: #8, #12, #15 and a small number of others. All shared the same pattern: high 58%+ ABV, 260-ish bottles, very clear labelling, and immediate sell-out in primary channels. That first wave of single bourbon casks is now followed closely by UK auction houses, and it is also the wave that EU retailers are still listing at 200+ GBP-equivalent five years later.
Technical Specification & Variant Map
Documented variants
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Single Bourbon Cask #12, 58.7%, 70cl, 264 bottles, bottled 27-05-2020.
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Same cask re-sold at multiple UK auctions with different bottle numbers.
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No miniatures/gift editions.
Variant Matrix
| ABV | Volume | Market | Era cues | Relative desirability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58.7% | 70cl | UK/EU specialist, May 2020 | Label shows cask #12, 27-05-2020, 264 bottles | Only true variant |
| 58.7% | 70cl | UK auctions 2021–25 | Same label, varying bottle numbers | Condition-led |
| 58.7% | 70cl | EU retail overstock | High EUR ask, same label | Price-led |
Packaging & authenticity checklist
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Front must show cask #12 and 58.7%.
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Bottling date must read 27-05-2020.
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Bottle number out of 264 must be visible or described.
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Original Bimber carton adds confidence, but many auction bottles are bottle-only.
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Reject/confusion alert: if ABV is ~51–52% and bottles are 1,000+ it is a small-batch, not this single cask.
Regulatory/terminology notes
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This is a true single cask, cask-strength whisky, natural colour, non-chill-filtered.
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Age is not printed, so list as NAS with production/bottling dates.
Liquid Profile (from verifiable notes)
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Nose: Ripe apricot, vanilla pod, honey, coconut shavings, fresh oak; very clean American-oak influence.
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Palate: Full and oily for its age, orange and stone fruit, sweet cereal, vanilla fudge, firm oak spice from the high strength.
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Finish: Long, warm, with vanilla, fruit skins and bourbon-wood tannin.
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With water: Opens up the orchard-fruit side and softens the 58.7%.
Pricing & Market Dynamics (GBP)
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Original RRP (2020): not published.
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Current EU retail (2025): around 279.95 EUR, i.e. about 241 GBP at 1 EUR = 0.86 GBP on 7 Nov 2025. FX: 1 EUR = 0.86 GBP on 7 Nov 2025.
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UK auction 31 Oct 2021: 85 GBP hammer, bottle-only.
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Other Bimber 2020 ex-bourbon single casks have sold in 2023–24 between 65 GBP and 130 GBP, which sets the sensible auction working band for #12 today at 80–130 GBP.
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Stratification: EU retail (top), UK retail (if stocked) just below, UK auction working band in the middle, club/small platforms at the low end.
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Liquidity: strong among Bimber followers, but once auction prices approach 130 GBP, buyers compare to newer Bimber and the sale can slow.
Price Snapshot
| Channel | Date | Bottle spec | Price (GBP) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU specialist retail | Nov 2025 | 70cl, 58.7%, cask #12, 264 bottles | ~241 | From 279.95 EUR converted |
| UK auction | 31 Oct 2021 | 70cl, 58.7%, cask #12 | 85 | Early auction result for this cask |
| UK auction (similar 2020 casks) | 2024 | 70cl, ~58%, 260–270 bottles | 80–130 | Shows current appetite for 2020 Bimber SCs |
Distillery/Bottler Snapshot
Bimber is London’s headline malt distillery: own-malted English barley, long fermentations, direct-fired stills, active casks, and a deliberate focus on single casks to build collector interest. Single Bourbon Cask #12 hits all the buttons collectors look for: 2016 spirit (very early), 2020 bottling (early wave), high ABV (58.7%), low outturn (264 bottles), and clear provenance. That is why EU retail can sustain a 240 GBP tag while UK auctions still turn them over around 100 GBP.
Sourcing
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Target bottles with clear cask/bottle number and good fill; carton if you want to aim at EU-level pricing.
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Buy in UK auctions at 90–110 GBP if you plan to list at 200–240 GBP.
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Avoid lots where the label is scuffed or the handwritten number is unclear; that hurts collector confidence.
