The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gin

The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gin is the meeting point of Bruichladdich Distillery's whisky-making heritage and botanical expertise — the standard Botanist's 22 hand-foraged wild Islay botanicals rested a minimum of six months in Islay whisky casks for new layers of complexity while retaining the foraged botanical foundation.

The Botanist was created at Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay in 2010, using the distillery's Lomond pot still (nicknamed Ugly Betty) alongside 22 wild botanicals hand-foraged by the distillery's botanical team from the island's coastlines, hillsides, and bogs — including gorse flower, heather, bog myrtle, and creeping thistle, ingredients unique to Islay that give The Botanist a terroir found in no other gin. The Cask Rested edition rests that gin in Islay casks previously used for Bruichladdich's unpeated single malt, carrying a subtle maritime character and residual complexity. Six months of resting lets the cask influence integrate with the botanicals without overwhelming the foraged gin's freshness.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: The 22 wild Islay botanicals with new whisky-cask depth — florals and herbs alongside subtle maritime and oak notes
• Palate: More complex than standard Botanist — vanilla, soft oak, and coastal salinity over the botanical foundation
• Finish: Longer and more sustained than the standard expression, the cask extending the botanical finish

Specs

• Distillery: Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay, Scotland
• Style: Islay Dry Gin, Cask Rested
• Botanicals: 22 wild botanicals hand-foraged from Islay
• Cask Rest: Minimum 6 months in Islay whisky casks
• Size: 750ml

Browse all gin at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Cask Rested differ from standard Botanist?

The standard Botanist is unaged — pure foraged botanical character. The Cask Rested version spends a minimum of 6 months in Islay whisky casks, adding maritime character, vanilla, oak, and coastal salinity alongside the 22 wild botanicals, extending the finish without changing the botanical foundation.

What are the 22 botanicals?

They are wild botanicals hand-foraged on Islay — including gorse flower, heather, bog myrtle, and creeping thistle — unique to the island and central to The Botanist's identity.

How should I serve it?

Excellent neat or over a large cube to appreciate the cask character, or in a spirit-forward Martini or Negroni.