The Botanist Islay Dry Gin is created at the Bruichladdich distillery. This superb Islay gin was distilled in the 'ugly betty' still described as "an oversized upside-down dustbin made of copper" by Tom Morton. It has perhaps the best looking packaging we've ever seen for a gin. It's not all style and no substance either. Botanist is a world-class gin set at a proper ABV.
A huge 31 botanicals go into The Botanist, 22 of which are foraged and native to Islay. The full list of botanicals is as follows: angelica root, apple mint, birch leaves, bog myrtle leaves, cassia bark, chamomile, cinnamon bark, coriander seed, creeping thistle flowers, elder flowers, gorse flowers, heather flowers, hawthorn flowers, juniper berries, lady's bedstraw flowers, lemon balm, lemon peel, liquorice root, meadow sweet, orange peel, oris root, peppermint leaves, mugwort leaves, red clover flowers, tansy, thyme leaves, water mint leaves, white clover, wood sage leaves. Phew!
Enough botanicals to make us wish we had five noses. Big notes of citrus, delicate menthol and flowers everywhere!
Cool at first. It quickly mellows out, warmth growing with citrus keeping it fresh throughout.
Long, with a good spice.
Islay isn't just about the whisky anymore. The Botanist Gin is top-notch.
A beautiful gin bursting with flavours and scents. Goes amazing with a splash of tonic water and a grapefruit wedge. It's my #1 Gin at the moment. Can''t find anything to beat it yet. Absolutely stunning bottle too. Have zero complaints about this gin.
I don't really like gin, I have been hit by a Bombay Sapphire a few times before, so I am weary of the stuff. The Botanist is something else, though. The subtlety of the flowers, general smoothness and balance is astonishing. Before you know it, you have more friends visiting you and sadly the bottle is more empty than full. As for the gorse flowers, we throw them into the sea to celebrate the sacrifice of the men lost at sea off the coast of Brittany. The is a gin to celebrate the life of your lost friends, unless it is the life of that beautiful young girl that you didn't dare ask out. Very pleasant, indeed and to be enjoyed thoroughly.
Haven’t drunk gin for years heard about this and decided to give it a try. Best gin ever and I love the bottle design too !
I really wanted to like this gin, the packaging is fantastic, as is the back story. Alas, I'm afraid it's altogether too delicate for my palate. If I knew it was made by a Scotch distiller, and didn't know which one, I'd have guessed Glenfiddich, not Bruichladdich. Three stars for the bottle.
I've heard a rumour that they source the grain spirit and it's not made in house. Trivial? Perhaps. But this is Bruichladdich we're talking about.
