The Botanist

Islay has spent decades building a reputation around peat smoke, sea spray and whisky intense enough to start arguments. Then Bruichladdich decided to make a gin.

The Botanist comes from the same distillery responsible for some of the island’s most distinctive whisky, but the approach here heads firmly into the world of wild botanicals rather than smoke. The gin is built around 22 hand-foraged plants gathered across Islay, alongside more traditional gin ingredients. The result feels deeply connected to the island without tasting remotely like whisky.

What makes The Botanist stand out is balance. Plenty of modern gins lean so heavily into unusual botanicals that they forget juniper exists. Here the classic gin structure remains intact, supported by layers of citrus, herbs, flowers and soft spice that gradually unfold rather than arriving all at once.

There is a distinctly windswept quality to the flavour. Mint, thyme, wild herbs and floral notes all appear naturally, giving the gin a sense of place that feels genuine rather than manufactured.

For a spirit built around foraged plants, it manages to avoid becoming overly romantic about itself. Which is probably very Scottish.