Gin

Hendrick's vs The Botanist: Which Scottish Gin Should You Buy?

Two of Scotland's most famous gins, both around £30–40, both widely available. They taste very different. Here's which one to buy and when.

By Gary·8 May 2026·6 min read

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Both are Scottish. Both are in every supermarket and off-licence. Both sit in the £30–38 price bracket. Both get recommended to people who ask "which Scottish gin should I try?"

They are not the same gin. Hendrick's is a floral, cucumber-forward contemporary gin designed for wide appeal. The Botanist is a complex, herbal, foraged gin with 22 botanicals and a distinctly Islay character. The fact that they share a price point and a country of origin is where the similarity ends.

Here's which one to buy.

The quick answer

Buy Hendrick's if: You want something reliable, immediately likeable, and excellent in a G&T for anyone — a safe gift, a crowd-pleaser, a consistent quality buy.

Buy The Botanist if: You're seriously interested in gin, want the most complex botanical profile in the approachable price bracket, and are willing to take more time finding the right tonic and serve.

Neither if: You haven't tried Isle of Harris Gin (£38–45) — it beats both for sheer quality and uniqueness, though it's harder to find in the south of England.

Side by side

| | Hendrick's | The Botanist | |---|---|---| | Price | £28–35 | £32–40 | | ABV | 41.4% | 46% | | Style | Contemporary / floral | Contemporary / herbal | | Botanicals | 11 (including cucumber + rose) | 31 (9 classic + 22 hand-foraged Islay) | | Distillery | Girvan, Lowlands | Bruichladdich, Islay | | Still type | Carter-Head + bennet pot | Lomond pot still | | Best serve | Fever-Tree tonic + cucumber | Mediterranean tonic + lemon | | Nose | Cucumber, rose, restrained juniper | Herbal, green, floral complexity | | Palate | Soft, floral, smooth | Dry, botanical, building spice | | Finish | Short, clean | Medium-long, herbal | | TasteSCOT rating | 4.0/5 | 4.4/5 |

Hendrick's: what it actually tastes like

Hendrick's is the gin that changed contemporary Scottish gin's global image. Launched in 1999, it introduced the "unusual gin" concept — marketing itself on its distinctive cucumber and rose petal additions and the slightly eccentric Victorian apothecary branding.

The flavour is genuinely distinct. The cucumber note is the most identifiable thing in any standard supermarket gin, and the rose petal adds a floral quality that softens the juniper considerably. Hendrick's is not a classic London Dry style — juniper is present but not dominant. It's light, soft, and immediately approachable.

The perfect serve (Fever-Tree Indian tonic, ribbon of cucumber, tall glass, plenty of ice) is excellent and has influenced a generation of gin serves. In cocktails, it works well in anything that benefits from a floral character — Martini, Negroni (with a light vermouth), Aviation, Gimlet.

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The main criticism is that it's become predictable. Every bar in the UK stocks it. The flavour, while pleasant, doesn't surprise anymore. If you've had it ten times, you know what you're getting.

The Botanist: what it actually tastes like

The Botanist is made at Bruichladdich distillery on Islay — the same site that makes heavily peated whiskies like Octomore and Port Charlotte. There's no peat in the gin (it's made from grain spirit rather than whisky), but the connection to Islay is genuine: the 22 hand-foraged botanicals are all collected on the island, including bog myrtle, heather, meadowsweet, and gorse.

The result is the most complex widely-available Scottish gin. The 31-botanical count (9 classic, 22 Islay) builds a layered, herbal character that evolves in the glass. You get green herbs, floral notes, a juniper backbone that's stronger than Hendrick's, and a dry, spiced finish. It's a gin for gin people rather than a gateway gin.

The higher ABV (46% vs Hendrick's 41.4%) means it holds up better in strong-flavoured cocktails and carries more weight in a tonic. It's not harder to drink — 5% ABV doesn't make a significant difference to palatability — but it means you get more gin character in the glass.

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The perfect serve: Mediterranean tonic (Fever-Tree or 1724) rather than Indian, a strip of lemon peel rather than cucumber, and slightly less tonic than you'd use with Hendrick's — the botanical complexity earns space to breathe.

Complexity comparison

The Botanist wins this clearly. Hendrick's has a distinctive but essentially two-note character (cucumber, rose). The Botanist's 31 botanicals create layers that change as you work through the glass. For a serious gin drinker who wants to pay attention, The Botanist is more interesting.

For a casual Friday night G&T while making dinner, Hendrick's is more immediately satisfying. It's the kind of gin you don't have to think about, and sometimes that's exactly right.

Value comparison

Hendrick's at £28–32 and The Botanist at £32–38 are close enough that value shouldn't drive the decision. If The Botanist is £5 more, the botanical complexity justifies it. If they're the same price, buy The Botanist.

Both are worth running through the Whisky Flavour Finder's sister logic: if you prefer lighter, more delicate drinks, Hendrick's. If you prefer complex, layered, dry drinks with something to discover, The Botanist.

Best uses for each

Hendrick's is better for:

Guests who aren't gin drinkers and want something approachable
Classic Martini serves where the floral character enhances rather than complicates
Cucumber-themed summer garden party serves
Gifting to people whose gin preferences you don't know

The Botanist is better for:

G&Ts where you want to taste the gin properly
Negronis and spirit-forward cocktails
Pairing with food (the herbal character works with smoked salmon, fresh crab, soft cheese)
Gin drinkers who want more than Hendrick's has been delivering

What to try next from each style

If you liked Hendrick's: Try Caorunn (£30, also uses unusual botanicals including wild Scottish heather and rowan berry, slightly drier) or Pickering's 1947 (Edinburgh gin, botanical and spiced).

If you liked The Botanist: Try Rock Rose (Caithness, sea buckthorn and rhodiola, similarly complex) or Isle of Harris (the most distinctive bottle in Scottish gin, uses hand-harvested sugar kelp from the Outer Hebrides).

My verdict

The Botanist by a meaningful margin. Hendrick's is a very good gin, but it peaked in cultural relevance around 2012 and the flavour — while distinctive — is now so familiar that it no longer surprises. The Botanist is more complex, more Scottish in character, and made by a distillery with a serious commitment to quality that shows in the finished product.

If you're buying one bottle for a gin-interested friend: The Botanist. If you're stocking a bar for a party and need crowd assurance: Hendrick's.

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TasteSCOT is an independent editorial site. We are not affiliated with any distillery, brewery, producer, or tourism body. All opinions are our own. Prices, availability, and opening hours are checked at the time of writing but may change — always verify with the retailer or venue before visiting or purchasing. If you drink, please drink responsibly.