THE GIN FOR THE MOMENT

The Botanist Gin, the first Islay dry gin, was created in 2011, a decade after Bruichladdich Distillery was brought back to life in 2001. Leveraging the depth of whisky-making and distillation experience at the distillery, a reclaimed and modified whisky still and the expertise of two then-retired foragers, The Botanist was born. 

Technically speaking, The Botanist is a London Dry gin. London Dry is a style of distilling enshrined in an EU legal definition. It has to be made by distilling natural botanicals using neutral alcohol of 96% ABV. Nothing can be added after distillation except water and it has to have a minimum strength of 37.5% alcohol. We named The Botanist an Islay Dry Gin because we’re proud of our heritage and terroir. 

When we set out to create The Botanist, we wanted to capture the essence of what it’s like to be on Islay. Former Master Distiller, Jim McEwan, tasked two local botanists, Dr Richard and Mrs Mavis Gulliver to scour the hills, moors and shores of Islay to find local botanicals growing in abundance. From the selection that they brought Jim, he selected 21 botanicals that would allow him to achieve the flavour profile he had in mind for The Botanist. One more botanical was added to the 21 – Islay juniper. Threatened to near extinction on Islay, Jim added a symbolic sprig to the distillation in order to draw attention to its plight. From there, Bruichladdich Distillery embarked upon a juniper re-introduction programme, searching for this elusive plant on Islay and propagating it to ensure future population health. 

Islay has an incredible amount of diversity for a small island. Hills, moorland, ancient woodland and endless shorelines mean that plant and animal life can be found in abundance. The 22 botanicals selected for inclusion in The Botanist can be found across this array of landscape. Two full-time professional foragers pick a little from a lot of areas, monitoring the health of the populations via a digital mapping system. Bruichladdich Distillery has an agreement with every estate owner on Islay, which means that we can forage across the island.

The most well-known and widely available gin in our range is The Botanist Islay Dry Gin. We also have two cask matured gins, The Botanist Rested Gin and The Botanist Aged Gin, as well as two higher-strength expressions: Distiller’s Strength and Hebridean Strength, although the latter is exclusive to travel retail.

Recently, The Botanist has released some ready-to-drink products which are currently only available in the UK. The Dry Martini and White Negroni were released in partnership with Whitebox Cocktails and this collection also includes a Bruichladdich Whisky Sour and a Port Charlotte Penicillin. There is also The Botanist Red Snapper, produced in collaboration with Bloody Drinks.

The Botanist is widely acclaimed as an excellent gin and has been featured in multiple ‘best gin’ line-ups from the likes of New York Times, Forbes, GQ and more. The brand has also picked up various accolades across the years from internationally-recognised awards ceremonies such as the International Wine and Spirits Competition, the Gin Masters, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Global Spirits Masters, to name a few.

Yes, The Botanist is gluten-free. The distillation process transforms the liquid into vapour and leaves the heavy gluten proteins behind.

The alcohol percentage in The Botanist Gin ranges from 46% ABV / 92 proof to 50% ABV / 100 proof, depending on the expression. Our classic Islay Dry Gin is 46% ABV / 92 proof.

A 25ml measure of our classic Islay Dry Gin contains 64 calories, while a 25ml measure of our higher-ABV Distiller’s Strength Gin contains 69 calories.

You can purchase The Botanist directly from our distillery website (www.bruichladdich.com) and delivery is available to most countries. Depending on where you are in the world, The Botanist should be readily available in a wide range of supermarkets, wine & spirits retailers and online retailers such as Amazon.

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin has a complex, fresh, and smooth flavour profile that balances traditional juniper with sweet citrus, delicate wild herbs, and rich floral notes thanks to our 22 wild Islay botanicals.