The Isle of Islay brings you The Botanist

Move over whisky, gin is making its mark in Scotland, and leading the charge is The Botanist, which hails from Islay, the Inner Hebrides’ southernmost island. I do not say this lightly, for Islay is known for being one of five protected whisky distilling regions in Scotland, whisky is as much part of the Scottish culture as kilts, haggis, and Robert Burns. However, The Botanist has emerged smack bang in the middle of that region, distilling a wonderfully unique gin, with botanicals so deeply endemic to the region and flavour notes so deep that you can almost imagine yourself being there immersed in the culture, history, and folklore that make up the country.

The Botanist is distilled at the Bruichladdich Distillery. Built in 1881, it is one of nine distilleries on the island. Of course, it mainly produces Whisky, but since 2011, it started producing The Botanist gin. What makes The Botanist unique is its use of a whopping 22 locally foraged botanicals, which are then added to nine core gin botanicals. Each of the 22 botanicals is foraged by hand, and includes heather, tansy, apple mint, and creeping thistle to name but a few. To get the best synergy out of these delicate botanicals, The Botanist goes through a process called simmer distillation. This is a slow and delicate distillation process that takes about seventeen hours to complete. The result is a unique floral and herbal gin.

Although personally, it is a bit difficult to distinguish the different botanicals from one another (not that I know how thistle or heather tastes), all of the ingredients work well together. What I did taste was classic to gin, a slight citrus note on the nose, and floral notes in general on the palate with a smooth texture. Owing to the gins floral and herbal base, I paired my first glass of The Botanist gin with a classic Indian tonic, some mint sprigs, and some Dianthus flowers.

The botanist is sure to please every gin drinker. It is classic enough to be worthy of even the most esteemed gin experts, but also modern enough for the new breed of craft gin enthusiasts.

The Botanist currently retails for R589 on Takealot, and R599 on NGF.