The Botanist debuts Distiller’s Strength gin
The higher-ABV release from The Botanist Islay Dry Gin was created with bartenders and cocktails in mind.
Created at Rémy Cointreau-owned Bruichladdich Distillery, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin has announced a new high-ABV expression dubbed Distiller’s Strength. The new gin is bottled at 50% ABV as opposed to the standard 46%. The release is crafted from The Botanist’s 22 hand-foraged, wild Islay botanicals, but at an elevated proof, delivers greater viscosity and bolder flavour, making it particularly well suited for cocktail creation. “For this release, I was inspired by Bruichladdich Distillery’s long-practised art of bottling whisky at 50% ABV,” Adam Hannett, head distiller at Bruichladdich, said. “At this strength, flavourful oils from distillation are enhanced, the viscosity is richer and it’s this richness that carries the flavours of the spirit.” Distiller’s Strength is priced at US$45 and will be available exclusively in the US. “We are proud to introduce Distiller’s Strength in the US,” Nicolas Beckers, CEO and president of Rémy Cointreau Americas, added. “Distiller’s Strength is designed both for mixologists who want to explore distinctive cocktail creation with bold spirits as well as at-home consumption with more intense flavours in a classic gin and tonic or Negroni." To celebrate the release of Distiller’s Strength, The Botanist is partnering with 50 bartenders in six key markets this month, during which Negroni Week lasts from 11-22 September. Each bartender was given the gin ahead of its release and asked to create a unique Negroni inspired by the terroir of their region. In February, The Botanist released two cask-matured gins in the US with Cask Rested and Cask Aged. Founded in 2010, The Botanist is the number two ultra-premium gin brand in the US and the number four ultra-premium gin in the world, according to data from Nielsen and IWSR. Earlier this week, meanwhile, the brand was named a finalist for The Spirits Business Awards 2024, which take place at the Underglobe Theatre in London on 14 November.
