The first and only Islay dry gin, The Botanist is conceived, distilled and handcrafted at the Bruichladdich distillery at The Rhinns in the isle of Islay, Scotland
The Botanist is a progressive exploration of the botanical heritage of the isle of Islay featuring an unprecedented total of 31 botanicals. The result is a gin as much for the mind as it is for the palate. A thinking person’s gin which brings the drinker on an exploratory journey of botanical delights all in a glass.Th
An authentic gin with flavour, texture and real character, the spirit which made its debut in Malaysia late last year is available at exclusive bars and lounges, fine dining institutions, luxury hotels and premium alcohol retailers.
The “Ugly Betty”
Satin smooth and gliding over the palate like no gin you would have tried before, the distillation of The Botanist by head distiller Jim McEwan in “Ugly Betty” or Lomond Still is an achingly slow, 17 hour long process.
The temperature of the spirit in the still is increased until it is literally hand hot – no thermometers are used. Then the core botanicals are manually loaded into the pot of the still in a particular order, and spread using rakes to form a sort of mat that sits on the surface of the liquid. The double infusion gives the spirit its distinctive flavour, allowing the more delicate aromatic leaves and petals to influence the vapour without being destroyed.
The result is a gin as much for the mind as the palate: a highly complex, distinctive, floral gin with impeccable provenance and outstanding finish. In an age of re-badged industrial gins, The Botanist stands out as a truly artisanal, genuine island gin.
The Botanicals
9 classic botanicals are augmented by 22 local flowers and herbs, foraged responsibly and by hand from the peat bogs, windswept hills and Atlantic shores of the fertile Hebridean island by botanical scientists – Dr. Richard and Mavis Gulliver in the one and only Islay gin.
The Islay spring water from which this gin is made comes from a natural spring on Octomore farm. This water is used both for the distillation and the subsequent bottling of the gin when it is let down to 46%. The spirit displays an amazing effervescence, with a drift of dryness that comes only from the influence of the botanicals – no essences, oils or flavourings are added.
The Tasting Notes
The citrus freshness excites and stimulates the taste buds allowing you to experience a starburst of flavours as they explode across the palate.
Sweet delicate menthol, apple mint, spring woodlands, juniper, coriander with aniseed undertones, lemon and orange peel, a bouquet of summer flowers on the machir, honey from thistle, coconut from gorse, wild mint and summer meadows; the aromas burst like an olfactory Aurora Borealis filling the senses with meteorites of smell sensations as they explode from the glass.
The Botanist is quicksilver in colour and can be mixed in a range of refreshing cocktails. The packaging in itself serves as an intriguing representation of the unmatched flavours in this aptly named gin. Wild. Foraged. Distilled. The Botanist is a botanical odyssey in a glass.
More information on The Botanist can be found at www.thebotanist.com.
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