Review: The Botanist Islay Gin – Cask Rested and Cask Aged
Forever there has been only one expression of The Botanist gin. The bottle has changed, but the recipe hasn’t, and the line extensions that other brands have undertaken haven’t ever come to the Islay operation (which is part of the Bruichladdich family). Hell, Botanist doesn’t even have a navy strength version.
That changes today, as The Botanist has launched not one but two new expressions, both of which have experienced time in barrel. the Barrel Rested version spends 6 months in cask, while the Barrel Aged gin spends 3 years in wood. (The distinctions are inspired by reposado and anejo tequila aging regimens.) The underlying spirit is the same as always — and even the same abv — but once you get barrels involved, you know the Bruichladdich guys are going to get creative.
Here’s some info on the wood treatment the gin is getting:
With access to over 300 cask types across the distillery’s Hebridean warehouses, Head Distiller Adam Hannett was able to look beyond the traditional boundaries of gin with these new spirits, experimenting with wood that has previously held everything from the finest red wine and sherry to American whisky. The ability to work with so many different liquid combinations has allowed him to produce two exceptional and unique cuvées that embody the essence of Islay, the distillery’s Scottish island home, and the diligence of whisky blending and distillation it is known for.
The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gin is a cuvée of around 16 different cask types from a variety of regions and has been aged in Bruichladdich’s warehouse on Islay for a minimum of six months.
The Botanist Islay Cask Aged Gin is a cuvée of around six different cask types from a variety of regions and has been aged in Bruichladdich’s warehouse for a minimum of three years.
It’s exciting conceptually, to be sure. Let’s see how it pans out in the real world.
Both are 92 proof.
The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gin – 6 Months Old – No particular signs of age on the nose: This has all the herbal complexity for which Botanist is famous, redolent of pine, orange peel, and some ruddy forest floor notes. On the palate, things shift away from that classically green experience as notes of the barrel come into focus. Initially sweet with a stronger citrus punch, a complex cast of characters soon emerges: notes of saffron and grapefruit aren’t far afield, but the hints of gingerbread and cloves are less expected. A strong peppermint note gives the finish a Christmassy feel. All told: Not an overwhelming departure from the Botanist you know and love, but with a unique kiss that turns it on its edge just so. A- / $50
The Botanist Islay Cask Aged Gin – 3 Years Old – At 6 times the age (but a tighter selection of cask types), the gin takes on an even more interesting dimension. Those spice notes only hinted at in the Rested Gin become more prominent here, with bolder ginger, cinnamon, and some cherry notes giving the nose an even racier quality. As it develops in glass, the wine becomes extremely perfumed with floral notes, tiptoeing toward camphor. On the palate, the florals are again quite pungent — perhaps too much so, evoking orange blossoms, jasmine, and rose petals. Flavors of well-spiced nuts and mulled wine come along in short order, with a bold sherry character emerging as the finish builds. It’s a lengthy one, layered with lemon curd, almond nougat, and red pepper — but it always comes full circle back to those floral-driven notes, which are impossible to shake on the finish. As with the Rested Gin, it’s a fun and delightful diversion — but I have to confess the unadulterated Botanist remains my favorite of the trio. A- / $NA (on-premises only)
For my money, aged gins aren’t really designed for typical gin fare — tonic, martinis — but they do beautifully in a Negroni, where they can blur the line between that and a Boulevardier. I had a strong preference for the Rested expression when I mixed one up at home, but my wife found the stronger florals and chocolate notes in the Aged Botanist to be more up her alley. That said, I think we both agreed that we’d be just fine with using unaged Botanist as our base spirit of choice.
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