The Botanist

The Botanist is a dry gin made by the Bruichladdich Distillery in Islay. It is one of only two gins made on the Scottish island and is known for its 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals.[1] The botanicals are sustainably collected from all over Islay between March and October by a professional forager. The name was inspired by the two local botanists who helped develop the recipe for the gin alongside former Master Distiller Jim McEwan.[2]

The Botanist
TypeGin
ManufacturerBruichladdich
Country of originIslay, Scotland
Introduced2011
Alcohol by volume46%
ColourClear
Flavour31 botanicals: 22 hand-foraged botanicals from the Isle of Islay and 9 core gin botanicals
WebsiteThe Botanist Islay Dry Gin

Distillation

The Botanist gin is distilled after an overnight maceration of nine base botanicals (the seed, berry, bark, root and peel categories) in 100% wheat spirit and Islay spring water. This alcohol vapour infusion from the distillation then passes through the botanical basket containing the 22 Islay leaves and petals. This double infusion gives the Botanist gin its flavour, allowing the more delicate aromatic leaves and petals to influence the gin vapour without being destroyed.

The Botanist is slow distilled in “Ugly Betty”, one of the last Lomond Still's in existence. The distillation takes seventeen hours versus a normal 20-30 minute gin distillation process.[3] Distilling takes place at 0.2 atmospheres of pressure.[4]

Ugly Betty

Tom Morton described Ugly Betty in his book Spirit of Adventure as "An oversized, upside-down dustbin made of copper".[5][6]

Developed after World War II, the Lomond still was an experimental cross between a column and a pot still designed to meet the growing demand for single malt whiskies. It was designed as a "one-stop-shop" still by chemical engineer Alistair Cunningham and draftsman Arthur Warren in 1955 as a way to create a variety of whisky styles.[7]

Ingredients

Two types of juniper are included, including prostrate juniper (Juniperus communis subspecies) that grows in the exposed sea level habitats of the Rhinns of Islay. Only a symbolic amount of Juniperus communis is added.

The Islay spring water from which this gin is made comes from "Dirty Dottie’s spring" on Octomore farm, both for the distillation and the bottling at 46%.[8][9]

This artisanal dry gin is influenced exclusively by botanicals – no essences, oils or flavourings are added. The use of such aromatic plants for flavouring spirit is not new. Islay’s distillers have a long tradition of using whatever was at hand to improve their rustically produced usquebaugh, distilled on small, portable stills, hidden away in remote glens.[10]

Botanicals

(*)= Non Islay Botanical[11][10][12]

Reviews and reception

The Botanist has received generally positive critical acclaim for its first distillation, with features in both gin and whisky blogs and reviews.[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Awards

Diamond prize at the Monaco Concours of the Femmes et Spiriteux du Monde, 2011.[19]

References
  1. "The Botanist's 22 Island Botanicals is Islay's first and only dry gin". www.optionstheedge.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  2. "Jim McEwan joins Islay's Ardnahoe distillery | Scotch Whisky". scotchwhisky.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  3. "How to Make Gin - Distilling Homemade Moonshine". Distilling Spirits. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. The Botanist distillation Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Morton, Tom (1992). Spirit of adventure: a journey beyond the whisky trails. Edinburgh: Global Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 1851584986. LCCN 93158608.
  6. Trip Advisor, Bruichladdich; retrieved: 05-09-2018. (with a photo of Ugly Betty)
  7. "Lomond".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Islay Geology". Bruichladdich website.
  9. "Letter from Islay - Reinventing a great distillery". The New Yorker.
  10. Stambor, Zak (2012-04-22). "Botanical bounty: With 31 aromatics in its mix, The Botanist dry gin is floral and complex". Chicago Tribune.
  11. Scottish Island Explorer, July/ August 2011 read pdf article Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "The Botanist Gin". The Gin Blog. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  13. "Yet Another Gin, Feb 7, 2011". Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  14. "Islay Series #5: The Botanist Gin by Bruichladdich – Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky". www.whiskycritic.com.
  15. "The Botanist Islay Dry Gin Review and Rating - the GIN is IN". theginisin.com.
  16. "Review: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin (2012) - Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking". 12 January 2012.
  17. "Spirit Review: The Botanist Gin". Food and Drink Travel Report. January 10, 2012. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  18. Scotch and Folk review 63. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin made by Bruichladdich on YouTube
  19. Femmes et Spiriteux du Monde, 2011
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