For several years now, the Bimmerle distillery has no longer exclusively stood for high-quality fruit brandies from the Black Forest. With the Needle Black Forest Gin brand, Bimmerle is now one of the best-selling gins in Germany. Now, after 3 years of maturation, the family business is expanding its portfolio to include two new products in the whisky category. Under the EVERMANN brand, which is synonymous with a family of distillers from the Black Forest, a Black Forest Blended Whisky matured in 4 barrels and a Black Forest Single Malt Whisky matured in 7 barrels are being launched. It is now well known that Bimmerle knows how to burn. The professionals from the Black Forest are now also using this expertise in their whisky. The raw spirit, distilled twice in copper stills using the pot still process, impresses with its spicy, yet very clear grain notes.
Theo EVERMANN, the family’s blended whiskey, has a 70% barley content and was allowed to mature for 3 years in One Selected Bourbon, American Oak, German Oak and Acacia barrels. “He is a real bon vivant, his roots lie in the Black Forest. However, his character and therefore his taste are rather worldly. The majority of its body is stored in One Selected Bourbon barrels and has therefore adopted some of the characteristics of American Bourbons. Dried fruit, honey and caramel notes suggest bourbon. “Theo owes its subtle smoky note and woody spice primarily to the storage in German oak barrels with heavy toasting with toasted heads,” says Ann-Kathrin Metzner, Head of Marketing at Bimmerle KG.
The Single Malt Wilhelm, on the other hand, is, according to EVERMANN Master Blender Werner Benz, a real Black Forest, “superficially mild and fruity with a powerful, characterful finish.” The basic distillate for Wilhelm is stored in 7 different barrels, which creates its unique character. On the nose, candied fruits, fruit bread, nutty and smoky notes as well as wood spices and brioche determine the taste. On the tongue, dried fruit, honey, caramel, wood spice and nougat, paired with cold smoke, caress the palate. In addition to the 4 barrels mentioned above, the distillate is also stored in sweet wine, sherry oloroso and chestnut barrels. A single malt whiskey consists of 100% malted barley, which means that the quality of the base distillate differs from a blended whisky.
The Bimmerle Private Distillery had to wait a long time for the new treasures because – as the declaration says – a whiskey must be in the barrel for at least 3 years in order to be able to call itself such. Bimmerle started thinking about barrel management, barrel type and of course storage five years ago. “Barrel management is a bit like playing the piano. We had to get to know the full keyboard before we could play it. This is how our barrel warehouse has developed, growing in width and depth and allowing us to become its pianists,” enthuses Werner Benz about the local barrel warehouse. “The raw distillate is allowed to mature here under the best conditions: the fresh Black Forest air, perfect temperature fluctuations between the seasons and of course peace and patience – a whiskey barrel couldn’t be better.”
Bimmerle plans to introduce further family members of the EVERMANN clan in the coming years. Until then, Theo and Wilhelm will be offered in both food retail and catering at an RRP of 19.99 euros and 33.99 euros. The Bimmerle subsidiary Black Pan Drinks is responsible for catering sales. Display campaigns with on-packs and the introduction of a Ready2Drink Mix edition are already planned for autumn.