The Botanist
Last updated 16 May 2026
Made at the Bruichladdich whisky distillery on Islay, distilled with 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals on top of nine classics. Run through the same 'Ugly Betty' Lomond still that's now spent more time making gin than the whisky it was originally built for.
The Botanist is the contemporary Scottish gin against which others should be measured. The 22 Islay botanicals aren't marketing — you can taste them, especially in a martini. At 46% it has the structure to handle Campari, vermouth, and serious tonics where softer gins disappear. £32 entry price isn't cheap but the cost-per-quality ratio beats almost every Scottish premium gin.
Tasting notes
More complex and more juniper-led than Hendrick's, with a clear herbal Islay character that comes from the foraged botanicals. The 46% bottling strength means it stands up to a full G&T without disappearing — and it makes an exceptional martini. The thinking person's contemporary gin.
- Nose
- Fresh juniper, menthol, wild herbs, distant peat-free coastal note
- Palate
- Big juniper, oily mouthfeel from the high ABV, layered green herbs, gentle citrus
- Finish
- Long, dry, herbal. Lingers like a hill walk in early summer.
Flavour profile
- juniper4/5
- citrus3/5
- floral3/5
- herbal5/5
- spice2/5
- sweet1/5
Botanicals
22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals plus 9 traditional ones — every plant is picked by the distillery team within walking distance of the stills
How it’s made
- Production
- The Botanist is distilled in Lomond still 'Ugly Betty' — a squat, slow-distilling pot still salvaged from the closed Inverleven distillery. The base gin is distilled with nine traditional botanicals, then 22 Islay botanicals are added in a vapour basket and slowly extracted over a 17-hour run. The result is a more delicate extraction than a standard pot-still gin.
- Still type
- Lomond still (Ugly Betty)
- Base spirit
- Neutral grain spirit
Perfect serve
Mediterranean tonic, lemon peel, large copa with big ice cubes.
- Tonic
- Mediterranean tonic or a quality Indian tonic
- Garnish
- A fat lemon peel — twist it over the glass to release the oils
- Ratio
- 1:3 (50ml gin to 150ml tonic)
- Ice
- Big cubes — small ice melts in seconds at this strength.
At 46% you can use 35ml of gin instead of 50 and still have a full-flavoured drink. The herbal notes pair beautifully with rosemary or thyme as an additional garnish.
Cocktails to make with The Botanist
Botanist Negroni
Rocks
- 25ml The Botanist
- 25ml Campari
- 25ml sweet vermouth
- Orange peel
Stir all ingredients with ice for 30 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Express orange oil over the top and drop the peel in.
Food pairings
The herbal weight and high ABV mean The Botanist can stand up to richer dishes than most gins.
- Smoked Islay scallops
- Cured trout
- Sharp cheddar
- Roast lamb with rosemary
Where to buy
Supermarket availability
| Supermarket | Stocked | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| tesco | Yes | £38 |
| sainsburys | Yes | £36 |
| waitrose | Yes | £38 |
| morrisons | Yes | £37 |
| asda | Yes | £35 |
Visit the distillery
The Botanist is made at Bruichladdich on Islay — tour the same site as the whisky and you'll see the Lomond still that produces the gin. Combined gin & whisky tours from £25.
From £25
Book a tourFrequently asked questions
+Where is The Botanist gin made?
At the Bruichladdich whisky distillery on Islay. All 22 of the named foraged botanicals are picked within walking distance of the distillery by a small team of foragers.
+Is The Botanist worth the extra money over Hendrick’s?
If you mostly drink G&Ts, Hendrick's is fine. If you make martinis, Negronis, or want a gin that stands up to bigger flavours, The Botanist is worth the upgrade — the 46% ABV and herbal complexity earn it.
+What does The Botanist taste like?
Big juniper, layered green herbs, oily mouthfeel from the high ABV, and a long dry herbal finish. Distinctly more 'wild' tasting than Hendrick's or other contemporary gins — like a hill walk in early summer.
+Can you visit the Botanist distillery?
Yes — The Botanist is made at Bruichladdich on Islay. Bruichladdich runs tours that cover both gin and whisky. Worth doing if you’re already on Islay for the whisky distilleries.
Cocktails to make with The Botanist
Negroni
The Negroni is the bitter, complex, intensely red Italian classic — gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, equal parts. Served over a large ice cube with an orange peel. One of the few cocktails where Scotland's juniper-forward gins (The Botanist, classic London Dry-style Scottish gins) genuinely outperform the international standards. The right showcase for a serious Scottish gin.
Gin Martini
The Gin Martini is the cocktail that requires the most attention to the spirit itself. Gin, dry vermouth, ice, lemon peel or olive. No mixers, no sweeteners, nowhere to hide. The right Scottish gin in a properly-made Martini is one of the great drinking experiences. Hendrick's specifically is internationally famous for its Martinis, and several other Scottish gins — The Botanist, Caorunn — produce serious Martinis too.
French 75
The French 75 is the most reliably elegant brunch cocktail there is — gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, topped with champagne. Named after a French 75mm field gun from the First World War (the cocktail was said to hit like one). The right Scottish gin makes a French 75 that genuinely competes with anything served in a champagne flute in Paris.
Bramble
The Bramble is a modern British classic — gin, lemon, sugar, crushed ice, finished with crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur) drizzled over the top to look like a bleeding bramble bush. Invented in London in the 1980s by Dick Bradsell. The Scottish connection runs deep: 'bramble' is the Scots word for blackberry, and several Scottish gin producers make excellent companion blackberry liqueurs (Edinburgh Gin's Bramble Liqueur is the obvious pairing).
Compare with similar gins
Hendrick’s
contemporary · lowland
The gin that kicked off the contemporary-style boom in the early 2000s. Made at William Grant's Girvan distillery in Ayrshire using two different stills — a Carter-Head and a copper pot — before blending. The unusual dark apothecary bottle was designed to stand out, and twenty years later it still does.
Isle of Harris Gin
contemporary · islands
The bottle that launched a thousand Instagram posts. Isle of Harris Gin uses sugar kelp hand-harvested from sea lochs around Harris as its signature botanical. The community-owned distillery in Tarbert has done more for the island’s economy than any other single business.
Caorunn
contemporary · speyside
Made at Balmenach whisky distillery on Speyside, Caorunn (pronounced "ka-roon") uses five Celtic botanicals on top of the classic six. Vapour-infused in a unique copper berry chamber, with a clear apple note that sets it apart.
Where to stay near Bruichladdich
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of The Botanist's distillery.
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Plan your distillery visit
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