Special Edition! National Gin Day with The Botanist

Rebecca here! Nowadays, it seems like there is a celebratory day for everything, and liquors are not in the exception. June 9 is National Gin Day! Since this is a Scotch blog, we decided to celebrate with a Scottish gin. The Botanist is produced on Islay by the Bruichladdich distillery. It's exemplary of "field to glass" or perhaps "forest to glass" as a take on the farm to table movement - the botanicals are all foraged on the island of Islay, where the gin is distilled.

This gin is the first I had that was actually good! In my (not so) humble opinon, many gins are so dry and taste only of juniper, lemon, or next to nothing, and are just not worth it. When I had The Botanist, I realized that there is a whole other genre of gins that really play up the herbal and botanical aspects of the liquor. Those are the gins worth drinking. If you've never had a gin that you enjoy, recycle that bottle of Beafeater and get yourself a bottle of The Botanist (also enjoyable are Hendrick's [also Scottish] and St. George [California]). I certainly don't know everything about gins, but but I do know this one will not disappoint!

Here's the rundown:

Region: Islay
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Style: Gin
ABV: 46%

Rebecca's notes:

Nose:

Juniper, a bit of citrus

Taste:
Very smooth, slightly sweet, slight menthol flavor
Finish:
Smooth, cool, slightly spicy
Verdict:
Part of what I love about herbal gins as opposed to London dry gins is that they can really transport you to a time and place based on what time of year and where those botanical were harvested. This one makes me think of summer, but like the end of the day when it's starting to cool off - when everything still smells good around you, but the day feels balanced, no longer overwhelmed by the heat and work of the day. This is a balanced gin, enjoyable in part because it's so smooth, and in part because of the large number of flavors that meld into one. It makes me feel happy, and transports me somewhere far away - to the island of Islay (or so I imagine, having never been there).
Bottle design:
9.5/10 - The bottle design on this one is quite sleek and understated. Around the bottom 3/4 of the bottle are printed the Latin names of the foraged botanicals used in the gin. I'm an ecologist, so I find that to be a nice touch.

Steven's thoughts:

I enjoy gin, but I haven't developed a taste for gin enough to distinguish the 22 different ingredients in The Botanist. What I can tell you is that it's complex, and it's really delicious! I would drink it neat. It's just a little bit sweet but in a good way that gives it a smooth character despite the 46% ABV. ~$40 is not cheap for gin, but this one is well worth it.