The Botanist

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 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals that are added to nine core gin aromatics. 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.

The gin is distilled after an overnight maceration of the 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 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.