The Botanist

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

For the 2016 film, see The Botanist (film).
The Botanist
TypeGin
ManufacturerBruichladdich
Country of origin Islay, Scotland
Introduced2011
Alcohol by volume 46%
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. The alcohol vapor infusion from the distillation then passes through a botanical basket containing the collected leaves and petals. This double infusion gives the Botanist gin its distinct flavor.

The Botanist is slow distilled in the Lomond still "Ugly Betty," one of the last in existence.[3] The distillation takes 17 hours.[4]

Ugly Betty

Developed after World War II, to meet the growing demand for single malt whiskies, the Lomond still was an experimental design that crossed a column and a pot still. It was created in 1955 by chemical engineer, Alistair Cunningham, and draftsman, Arthur Warren, to be a "one-stop-shop" with the ability to make a variety of whiskies.[5]

Tom Morton described Ugly Betty in his book Spirit of Adventure as "An over-sized, upside-down dustbin made of copper."[6][7]

Ingredients

Two types of juniper are used, including prostrate juniper (Juniperus communis subspecies) which 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. It is used for the distillation and the bottling.[8][9]

The gin is influenced exclusively by the foraged botanicals; no other essences, oils, or flavorings are added. The use of aromatic plants for flavouring spirit is not new. Islay’s distillers traditionally used whatever was at hand to improve their usquebaugh (whisky), distilled on small, portable stills that were hidden in remote glens.[10]

Botanicals

(*) = non-Islay botanical[11][10][12]

Reviews and reception

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

Awards

The Botanist was awarded the Diamond prize at the Monaco Concours of the Femmes et Spiriteux du Monde in 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. {{source needed
  4. "How to Make Gin - Distilling Homemade Moonshine". Distilling Spirits. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  5. "Lomond".
  6. Morton, Tom (1992). Spirit of adventure: a journey beyond the whisky trails. Edinburgh: Global Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 1851584986. LCCN 93158608.
  7. Trip Advisor, Bruichladdich; retrieved: 05-09-2018. (with a photo of Ugly Betty)
  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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