The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L
★★★★★ 5.0 (1 review)Pour this and the first thing you notice is how soft it is, no boozy slap even at 46%. Then the layers start arriving: bright citrus, a meadow of flowers, fresh green herbs, a quiet earthy spice underneath. It's the gin you reach for when you want your G&T to actually taste of something. Late night, good company, you fancy a real one. Sorted.
On the nose it's green and lively, crisp juniper and a twist of citrus peel sitting over apple mint, thyme, chamomile and heather. The sip is where it shows off. Silky and rounded, it rolls from zesty lemon into proper floral lift, then into fresh herbs and a gentle earthy warmth from coriander and orris. The finish is long and a touch coastal, with a faint herbal salinity that keeps you coming back. There's a lot going on, but none of it shouts. That's the trick of those 22 wild botanicals doing their thing.
The details
Pairs well with
Where it's from
This comes from Bruichladdich, a whisky distillery on Islay, the wild, windswept island off Scotland's west coast. The gin is made in a battered old Lomond pot still the team nicknamed "Ugly Betty," and they run it painfully slow, around 17 hours, to coax out every layer without scorching the delicate stuff. The 22 island botanicals are foraged by hand from Islay's hills, bogs and shores. So yes, the herbs in your glass were genuinely picked off a Scottish hillside. Pretty cool.
Good to know
- What is the price of The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L?
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L is KSh 6,599 at Oaks & Corks. Order online for delivery in 30 minutes for most areas in Nairobi, or next day countrywide.
- What does The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L taste like?
Silky and layered: bright citrus and crisp juniper up front, then a wave of floral and fresh-herb notes, finishing long with a gentle earthy spice and a faint coastal salinity. Complex but never harsh.
- What is the ABV of The Botanist Islay Dry Gin?
It's bottled at 46%, a touch stronger than your average gin, which is part of why it carries all those flavours so well.
- How do I serve it?
A G&T over loads of ice with clean premium tonic and a sprig of rosemary or a twist of lemon is the classic move. It also shines in a Martini or Negroni, or neat over a big ice cube.
- What food pairs with it?
Anything fresh and herby or citrus-led. Think nyama choma with kachumbari, grilled prawns, goat cheese and olives, or a zingy ceviche.
- Where is it made?
On Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland, by the Bruichladdich distillery, using 22 botanicals hand-foraged from the island itself.
- What makes it different from other gins?
Those 22 wild Islay botanicals layered over 9 classic ones, plus a very slow distillation in the "Ugly Betty" still. That's what gives it the silky texture and all those herbal, floral layers.
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The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L price in Kenya
Buy The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 1L online in Nairobi, Kenya. Available in 2 sizes — 700 ml at KSh 5,399, 1000 ml at KSh 6,599 — with fast delivery across Nairobi, usually within 30 minutes, or next-day countrywide.
- 700 mlKSh 5,399
- 1000 mlKSh 6,599
