“This can’t be right,” said my wife, eyeing a narrow path squeezed between a cemetery and a railway line. It was five in the afternoon, and we had just stepped out of the North Acton tube station, in London’s Zone 3. Our goal was to reach Bimber, a British whisky distillery located nearby. “Look, the map says this is the way. We’re fine,” I replied. “Does the map also say there’s a goth-apocalyptic vibe on the way there?”

You can take the Brazilian out of Brazil, but you can’t take Brazil out of the Brazilian, I thought. We carried on, watching the beautiful—if slightly morbid—shadows cast by Acton Cemetery’s tombstones across the path. If this were a post-apocalyptic series, this would be the spot where we’d get cornered by some new and improved breed of zombie. But just a few minutes later, we stumbled upon an area filled with warehouses. Bimber was in one of them.

Upon arriving at the distillery, any trace of tension evaporated. Luke, Bimber’s brand ambassador, greeted us at the door with a gin and tonic for each of us. A solid start. He explained that the distillery was founded in 2015 by Darius Plazewski. Darius is Polish, and Bimber literally means “booze.” He went on to say that, besides whisky, Bimber also produces other spirits. Finally, he pointed out that the drink was refillable, and I could carry it with me during the tour so I wouldn’t get too thirsty. Irreverent, foul-mouthed (though not more than me), and highly knowledgeable, Luke shared details and fun facts about Bimber.

Most of Bimber’s bottlings are limited editions. The most famous was created in partnership with the London Underground, called Spirit of the Underground. The series began in 2021 and aims to release 44 whiskies, each honoring one of the 44 busiest stations in the city. The first edition featured Waterloo, Baker Street, Oxford Circus, and King’s Cross. Some of these bottles are currently selling for over a thousand pounds on the secondary market.

Geeking

The distillery produces around 50,000 liters per year. It’s tiny, especially by UK standards. A mid-sized Scottish distillery produces about two million liters. The Macallan—a true giant—produces over twenty million. But that doesn’t mean Bimber has idle time. Until May 2025, two Portuguese pot stills, similar to those used for eau-de-vie, handled all production. The week I visited, a brand-new 2,000-liter wash still had just arrived but was not yet operational.

The malt used by Bimber comes from Warminster Maltings. Seventy-five percent is traditional malt, with the remainder being peated. Their stainless steel mash tun has a capacity of just 2,000 liters of wort. The water used—both for this hot stage and during fermentation—comes from the River Thames, but it’s softened through a demineralization process using reverse osmosis. This is quite common in the beer and whisky industries.

What’s highly unusual, however, is the fermentation time: 168 hours in open-top tanks. That’s the exact same duration as Tomatin, a Scottish distillery known for having one of the longest fermentation processes in the country. Because of this extended fermentative period, Bimber has seven washbacks—one for each day of the week. They’re made of American oak, which is also rare, as washbacks are usually made of pine or stainless steel.

Here comes some whisky-geeking. Or maybe a lot. The meticulous fermentation process aims to create a wash that’s low in acidity but highly complex. The long duration and open tops allow for malolactic fermentation, which reduces the wash’s acidity. The goal is a less aggressive whisky, without sharp edges—a brilliant idea, especially for small pot stills.

Distillation is where things get even more interesting. The old pot stills—each with a given name—were custom-made for Bimber. The wash still holds 1,000 liters, and the spirit still 600. They are—or rather, were—direct-fired but lack the traditional rummagers to prevent caramelization at the bottom. This suggests a heavier spirit. However, the way the stills are run offsets this, with a distillation process lasting over two days, aiming for softness.

The foreshots are collected between 80% and 72% ABV, where Bimber begins taking the heart. The cut goes down to 65%, at which point the faints are finally removed. Cuts are done manually, with no spirit safe. These details will likely change once the new still is active—adjustments will be needed to maintain the sensory profile while adapting to the new equipment.

The filling strength for the casks is the magical 63.5%—the industry standard for most distilleries. Over 80% of the casks are American oak, sourced from Woodford Reserve. Among the remaining 20%, there are sherry and port casks—Luke’s favorite finish. There’s also a single mizunara cask, quietly resting in a corner of the warehouse.

At the end of the tour, we tasted several Bimber bottlings, including Harmony of Eight, one of Bimber’s oldest releases to date. It’s a combination of toasted American oak casks and European oak casks that previously held PX sherry. But one of the most fascinating experiences was tasting the new make spirit, fresh off the still. The alcohol is remarkably well-integrated, with a sweet, fruity note—a direct result of the long fermentation and distillation.

In the end, we weren’t attacked by zombies, didn’t trip over any tombstones, and didn’t leave carrying some restless spirit—just a few good pours of the Spirit of the Underground. Let’s face it: if every goth-apocalyptic detour ended with gin and tonic, whisky, and a Luke, the world would go out in far better style. Or maybe not.