A gin made on Islay by one of our very favourite distilleries, Progressive Hebridean Distillers, Bruichladdich.

Better known for their delicious, and often experimental single malt whiskies, Bruichladdich also produce a high quality gin. The production of gin like spirits is not entirely without precedent: historically, distillers would flavour their new make usquebaugh with local herbs.

This bottling uses a whopping 31 botanicals, 22 of which are foraged locally and responsibly upon the island. These are: apple mint, chamomile, creeping thistle, downy birch, elderflower, gorse, hawthorn, heather, juniper (of course), lady’s bedstraw, lemon balm, meadowsweet, mugwort, red clover, spear mint, sweet cicely, bog myrtle, tansy, water mint, white clover, wild thyme and, finally, wood sage. Cinnamon, angelica, cassia bark, coriander, orris root, extra juniper, orange and lemon peel come from further afield. Quite the shopping list!

A recipe that makes for a busy forager, but a delicious gin. The spirit is distilled in an old Lomond still (a kind of hybrid column-pot still) nicknamed “Ugly Betty”. Distillation is performed incredibly slowly, with the full run taking 17 hours. Bruichladdich use only the raw botanicals themselves, as opposed to extracts or essences.

The final result is an incredibly complex gin, which serves up flavours of big, zesty citrus, mint leaves, verdant herbs, bittersweet juniper, earthy spice and liquorice, gentle flowers and red berries.

Bottled at a warming 46% ABV (diluted with water from Dirty Dottie’s Spring on Octomore farm), this is an assertive gin that does not get lost in any cocktail.

The botanicals are embossed on the glass of the bottle. A charming gin in every respect.

• Distillery / brand
  Botanist
• Country
  Scotland
• Region
  Islay
• Bottler
  Distillery Bottling
• Non-chillfiltered
  Yes
• SKU
  039695