The Botanist Islay Dry Gin has been declared Gin of the Year, 2012 by Vine & Table

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin from Bruichladdich is probably the most anticipated and exciting spirit to arrive to us in months.

I know I hear you. What is a Scotch distillery doing making a gin. Well they are not just making a gin; they are making one of the finest gins that have ever graced our shelves. So good that when Scotch drinkers tasted this for the first time last October at our Annual Whisky & Fine Spirits Expo, many were converted! Well I don’t think that they switched sides and became instant gin drinkers, but I do think many people tasted it and added gin to their repertoire.

So what makes this gin so special?
Well for starters The Botanist is distilled on a windswept island off to the west of Scotland, which is well known by Scotch whisky enthusiasts far and wide but is particularly known for producing some of Scotland’s most recognizable malts, Laphroaig, Lagavullin, Ardbeg and Bruichladdich. These are distilleries which produce whiskies that have deep pungent flavors, of seaweed, brine, ash, tar and peat smoke. Not exactly elements to be associated with gin.

Bruichladdich (Brook - Laddy) is a distillery that is pushing the boundaries when it comes to spirits production. The distillery closed in 1994 much to the disappointment of many Ileachs (that’s what the islanders are called) but thankfully was bought in the year 2000 by a group of investors and locals. They refurbished the stills and distillery and then set about producing malts with distinctive flavor profiles. Contrary to what most people think about Islay malts being smoky and peaty, Bruichladdich produces plenty of malts that have either used a tiny amount of smoked barley or none at all. To tell you how good their whisky is, Whisky Advocate awarded Bruichladdich 10 year old ‘Islay Whisky of the Year 2012’.

So after many years at making whisky, legendary Master Distiller Jim McEwan and his team set about to produce a spirit of a different kind. And for this they turned to a group of local foragers who source and hand pick the required botanicals from the island. What amazes me is that they found 22 botanicals that grow on the island. I thought that nothing would grow on such a wind and rain lashed island!

But they do, there is chamomile, elderberry, gorse, foxtail mint, thyme, sage and bog myrtle among the list along with wild juniper berry. What is unique is that with so many botanicals used (31 to be precise) you might think that there would be a jumble of flavors vying for your attention. However this is not the case. It is perfectly balanced.

So who is Ugly Betty anyway?
Betty is the only surviving Lomond still, still in use in Scotland having being rescued from the now defunct Inverleven Distillery in Glasgow. She inherits her name from her rather unusual fat neck! The shape of which is quite unlike the features of a more common curvy copper pot still. But for such an ugly work horse she produces a lovely rich spirit.

And how does it taste?
In a word, sublime! The nose is mesmerizing with rosemary, white pepper, juniper, rose petals and lavender. Upon tasting, it is soft and velvety, fresh with orange and citrus where it lingers. It is clearly a gin of superior quality.

Serve with a splash of Q Tonic for the best G&T ever.

Slainte,
Denis