The Botanist

The Botanist
Type Gin
Manufacturer Bruichladdich
Country of origin Islay, Scotland
Introduced 2011
Alcohol by volume 46%
Colour Clear
Flavour 31 botanicals: 22 hand-foraged botanicals from the Isle of Islay and 9 core gin botanicals
Website The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

The Botanist is an artisanal Islay gin made by Bruichladdich Distillery. It is one of two gins made on Islay, and is distinctive for its addition to the nine customary gin aromatics of a further 22 locally picked wild Islay botanicals. It is these botanicals – and the two local botanists who collect them – that give the product its name.

Distillation

The gin is distilled after an overnight maceration of the nine base botanicals – the seed, berry, bark, root and peel categories – in spirit and Islay spring water. This alcohol vapour infusion from the distillation then passes through the botanical basket containing the 22 more delicate Islay aromatic leaves and petals. This double infusion gives the Botanist gin its distinctive 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”, a Lomond Still, one of the last in existence. The distillation takes seventeen hours, four times longer than an average whisky distillation. Distilling takes place at 0.2 atmospheres of pressure.[1]

Ugly Betty

Tom Morton described Ugly Betty in his book Spirit of Adventure as "An oversized, upside-down dustbin made of copper".[2][3]

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.

Ugly Betty is now one of the only authentic Lomond stills in the world.[4]

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%.

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.[5]

Botanicals

(*)= Non Islay Botanical[6][5][7]

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.[8][9] [10] [11] [12] [13][14] [15]


Awards

Diamond prize at the Monaco Concours of the Femmes et Spiriteux du Monde, 2011.[16]

References

  1. ↑ The Botanist distillation Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Morton, Tom (1992). Spirit of adventure: a journey beyond the whisky trails. Edinburgh: Global Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 1851584986. LCCN 93158608.
  3. ↑ Trip Advisor, Bruichladdich; retrieved: 05-09-2018. (with a photo of Ugly Betty)
  4. ↑ Lomond (Inverleven) - The Lomond Still, Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
  5. 1 2 Stambor, Zak (2012-04-22). "Botanical bounty: With 31 aromatics in its mix, The Botanist dry gin is floral and complex". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ↑ Scottish Island Explorer, July/ August 2011 read pdf article Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "The Botanist Gin". The Gin Blog. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  8. ↑ "Yet Another Gin, Feb 7, 2011". Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Islay Series #5: The Botanist Gin by Bruichladdich – Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky". www.whiskycritic.com.
  10. ↑ "The Botanist Islay Dry Gin Review and Rating - the GIN is IN". theginisin.com.
  11. ↑ "Review: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin (2012) - Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking". 12 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ "thehoochlife.com". thehoochlife.com.
  14. ↑ scotchandfolk (5 May 2011). "Scotch and Folk review 63. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin made by Bruichladdich.mpg" – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ McLennan, Neal (December 21, 2016). "This Scottish Whisky Maker Decided to Try Their Hand at Gin". Vancouver Magazine.
  16. ↑ Femmes et Spiriteux du Monde, 2011
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