Before we delve into another month or so of scotch (we went to Scotland, fight us. Good news is it will end with a distillery tour of Oban, including special versions!) we’ll first review a gin. From Scotland. What we didn’t feel like going that far.
The Botanist is a gin that we’ve had a couple times, and it’s always nice when you see a bar use it when you ask for a martini. That being said, this gin should have stayed on the shelf unknown. While it might seem a bit pretentious calling itself the Botanist, the truth is far worse.
What they Say: “A Gin of layered complexity. A progressive exploration of the botanical heritage of our isle of Islay. Nine classic Gin botanicals are augmented by 22 local herbs and flowers, foraged responsibly and by hand from the hills, shores and bogs of the fertile Herbirdean Island by our own team of botanical scientists. The result is a Gin as much for the mind as the palate; a thinking persons Gin. A rollercoaster botanical odyssey in a glass.”
Taste: 7.5 – Been a while since we had a good straight gin. It starts off almost berry like with a higher botanical taste and clean start.
Aftertaste: 6.5 – But it gets more juniper towards the end, and it lingers for a good long while.
Burn/Smooth: 5.0 – It does burn a twinge, but there’s warmth there too.
Aroma: 7.5 – This isn’t the best or anyone’s favorite smell likely. What it is the standard. Not the standard as it is now, but as it should be. This has the right amount of juniper, the right amount of complexity, and the right amount of power.
Honesty: 4.0 – You have to ask yourself. Can a gin with the right wording, good design, impeccable naming, fantastic product design be undone by a single sentence? Can a mere 7 words almost entirely destroy the good will a product has? Does a single closing tagline destroy all points that you were willing to give? This gin looks up asking ‘save me’ and we must whisper ‘no’.
Seriously a rollercoaster botanical odyssey in a glass? Fuck you (makes jerking off hand motions)
Mixability: 7.5
Martini: 8.0 – Don’t make this a dirty, but damn that’s a good fucken martini.
Gin and Tonic: 7.0 – That makes a pretty good G&T.
Value: 6.0 – Thankfully this isn’t outwardly awful, just don’t read the spunk on the back. Because of that, it’s nice taste, and it’s ability to mix well – this is actually good value for a higher tier gin. Not a great value, it’s nearly about the exact price.
Google Shop Average: $38
Website: https://www.thebotanist.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 44/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.28 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: I really wanted to give this gin a higher score, but those 7 words haunt me. If you are looking for a good gin, you will find it here, but sadly those who make it know how good their gin is, and they let marketing off the leash.
For decades, Tanqueray was my gin of choice. One day, Tanqueray suddenly seemed too sweet. Now The Botanist is my Number One!!