London’s Bimber Distillery today announced the launch of the fifth release of its celebrated The Spirit of the Underground Collection, produced in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL).
Release No.5 showcases four new stations: Bond Street, Hammersmith, Regent’s Park and Tottenham Court Road – each adorned with striking labels and packaging designs that explore the pasts and presents of each of the four famous London locations.
This release contrasts Bimber’s signature house-style ex-bourbon maturation with the intensity and spice of ex-rye casks. Drawn from the distillery’s finest casks – all from spirit that was distilled within the same production month – the four new releases proudly display the increasing levels of maturity and complexity that the London distillery is now seeing across its growing inventory of casks. Each is bottled at natural cask strength and without filtration:
- Bond Street – fully matured in an ex-bourbon cask, 56.3% abv, 278 bottles
- Hammersmith – fully matured in ex-rye cask, 56.9% abv, 280 bottles
- Regent’s Park – fully matured in an ex-bourbon cask, 56.8% abv, 284 bottles
- Tottenham Court Road – fully matured in an ex-rye cask, 57.1% abv, 274 bottles
The Collection, which will total 44 individual releases, features a selection of iconic single malt whiskies that celebrate the heritage and diversity of the distillery’s home city. With eye-catchingly unique designs, each bottle presents a different Tube station on the London Underground network – the oldest underground passenger railway service in the world.
Release No.5 of The Spirit of the Underground Collection will be available directly from Bimber’s Spirit of the Underground website from Tuesday 31st October till Friday 3rd November via a ballot, and with an RRP of £125 per bottle.
Speaking of the launch of the fifth release of the Collection, Matt McKay Bimber’s Director of Marketing and Communications said: “The latest release not only presents a glimpse into some of London’s most famous locations, but it also offers a fascinating insight into Bimber’s maturation regime. All four casks from this release were filled within the same month of production – with Regent’s Park and Tottenham Court Road being sequential casks which were filled from the same spirit run, but into different cask types. As such, these four new Spirit of the Underground releases offer a particularly nuanced exploration of the developing character of our London single malt whisky.”
Ellen Sankey, brand licensing manager at TfL, said: “The continuation of our partnership with Bimber Distillery sees the release of four new bottles, named after some of our most recognisable Tube stations, which is particularly significant as this year is the 160th anniversary of London Underground. We are proud to be collaborating with a London-based independent brand, highlighting again that the city houses products of great quality. The creative and original use of our branding to help portray unique elements of our city’s history shows the benefit that an innovative, long-term collaboration like this can have.”
This collection is the latest addition to a robust licensing programme, developed by TfL and its international licensing representative IMG, that brings the London Underground’s rich legacy and iconic brand identity to global audiences in unique and authentic ways.
All the expressions in The Spirit of the Underground Collection were crafted to Bimber’s exacting standards. The spirit was produced from the distillery’s single farm barley and malted on a dedicated floor at Warminster Maltings before being fermented for seven days in bespoke, on-site constructed American oak washbacks. Distillation took place in Bimber’s customised stills which possess an increased copper surface area, which results in a rich fruit-forward, layered spirit.
