28/04/2021 Bimber for Poland

Bimber 3yo 2016/2020 Oloroso Cask (51.4%, OB Small Batch for Poland, Oloroso Casks, B#01/2020, 950b): leftover from the Christmas bash. Nose: confectionary is what jumps at me immediately; toffee, caramel, candy apple. Shortly thereafter, it becomes syrupy and wine-y, hinting at Sauternes, Fino, or white Port. There is a pinch of delicate spices, far in the back, more cinnamon than ginger. I do get the impression I am nosing a fruit eau-de-vie, from time to time -- maybe Kirsch? Berry-flavoured cake icing, half a teaspoon of cocoa powder, dried-raspberry shavings and ananas flambé (torched pineapple, I guess). It is all pleasant, even if it hints at an exaggerated sweetness to come... Mouth: ...and overly sweet it sort of is, too. Cherry liqueur, poured on soft marzipan, syrupy wine (white Port more than Sauternes, here), candy apple is back too, and shovelfuls of cinnamon powder that almost hide a lovely peach-flesh undertone. The attack seemed spicier, yet that quickly fades out and leaves a fruity-yoghurt texture, though a yoghurt that would be mixed with a splash of fortified wine. The back of the throat picks up woodier notes, with middle-aged bookshelves and resinous oils, Maitrank and mirabelle-plum liqueur. Finish: cinnamon is quite potent, once more, leading to a sponge-cake impression -- a sponge cake with cherry, chocolate and a hefty dose of syrupy wine. I was about to write "liqueur," but it is neither that thick, nor that strong. Maitrank might be close enough, yet it would have to have had the chocolate treatment, then. That is right: there is some milk chocolate in the aftertaste, alongside mirabelle plums. Goe bezig, Bimber! 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, BA)