The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

The Botanist is made at Bruichladdich on Islay, a distillery built for single malt that decided to read its own landscape instead. Twenty-two botanicals are hand-gathered from the island's hills, bogs and shores, then married to nine classic gin botanicals and coaxed out in an exceptionally slow distillation. It was the first gin made on Islay, and it still tastes like an honest survey of the place rather than a marketing idea of it.

The nose is fresh, herbal and floral, juniper and citrus lifted by a hint of mint. The palate is complex and elegant, fine herbs and citrus laid over an earthy depth, closing long, soft and clear with juniper holding the structure. Try it in a G&T dressed with fresh garden herbs, or stirred cold into a dry Martini.