A PROGRESSIVE EXPLORATIONOF THE BOTANICAL HERITAGE

OF OUR ISLE OF ISLAY.

HERITAGE BOOKH E R I T A G E B O O K

T h e B o t a n i s t i s a g i n o f l a y e r e d complexity. A progressive exploration o f t h e b o t a n i c a l h e r i t a g e o f o u r Is le of Is lay. 22 hand-foraged local bo tan ica l s de l i ca te ly augment n ine berries, barks, seeds and peels during a n a c h i n g l y s l o w d i s t i l l a t i o n . O u r approach to spir i ts dist i l lat ion, and the Bruichladdich story, begins back in 1881, when brothers William, John and Rober t Harvey cons tructed an avant -garde whi sky d i s t i l l e ry on a remote Scott ish is land.

_ H I S T O R Y

I S L E OF ISLAY, SOUTHERN HEBRIDES, SCOTLAND.

A STORY OF SERENDIPITY,THE MEETING OF MINDS,VISION AND ENERGY.

T h e w h i s k y i n d u s t r y h a s a l w a y s s u f f e r e d f r o m c y c l i c a l p e r i o d s of boom and bust, leading to multiple changes of ownerships and closures f o r B r u i c h l a d d i c h o v e r t h e p a s t century. In 1994 i t c losed for what could easily have been the last time. B u t t h e d i s t i l l e r y w a s a c q u i r e d by wine merchants Simon Coughlin a n d M a r k R e y n i e r, w h o b r o u g h t i t back from the br ink of c losure with their v is ion and energy.

T h e y b e l i e v e d i n t h e c o n c e p t o f terroir, for spirits as for wine. They respected the traditional equipment and methods, the heavy rel iance on skilled manpower. They were prepared to contradict the establishment, test out new ideas, judge things by their f l a v o u r, e l e v a t e t h e i n g r e d i e n t s . And together with Head Dist i l ler Jim McEwan and Distillery Manager Duncan McGil l ivray, they set out to make a gin that would be a rare expres s ion o f the hear t and sou l of our remote Scott ish Is land.

As serendipity would have it , l iving o n t h e s o u t h s i d e o f t h e i s l a n d a t t h a t t i m e w e r e t w o b o t a n i c a l experts , Dr Richard Gul l iver and M a v i s G u l l i v e r. T h e y i d e n t i f i e d 33 herbs, leaves, and edible flowers that could be susta inably foraged on the is land for their f lavour and scent. From these, Jim selected 22, proposing a balanced recipe evocative of Islay. That was 2010 and the recipe has remained unchanged ever since. Today, these wi ld ingredients are col lected by Profess ional Forager J a m e s D o n a l d s o n , a n d d i s t i l l e d by Adam Hannett , Head Dist i l ler.

“WHEN DISTILLING THE BOTANIST,WE ARE CREATINGSOMETHING MORE THAN A GIN.”

A d a m i s a n I l e a c h – a m a n b o r n a n d r a i s e d o n t h e S c o t t i s h i s l a n d of Is lay. He was a teenager in that diff icult decade of dist i l lery closures and island depopulation. After school he lef t br ief ly to study in Aberdeen, but the ca l l of h is i s land home was strong and he soon returned.

N i n e t e e n y e a r s a g o , w h e n h e w a s starting out, Adam was part of the team welcoming vis i tors to the dist i l lery. He en joyed shar ing the knowledge of the craftsmen he was working with and soon became fascinated with how t h e y c r e a t e a n d c o n t r o l t h e f i n e s t f lavours in the spir i ts .

A d a m ’s i n f e c t i o u s e n t h u s i a s m a n d s t rong work e th i c was encouraged b y J i m M c E w a n . R e c o g n i s i n g h i s r e m a r k a b l e n o s e a n d p a l a t e , J i m quickly invited Adam to work alongside him. He has been intimately involved in every dist i l lat ion of The Botanist s ince the inaugural run in 2010.

T h e i n t r i c a t e c r a f t o f c r e a t i n g The Botanist is a task that can only be under taken by the mos t sk i l l ed o f a r t i s a n d i s t i l l e r s . A d a m a n d Production Director, Allan Logan, first macerate the nine core botanicals in a combinat ion of neutral grain spir i t and Octomore spr ing wa te r. What follows is a slow simmer distillation in the uniquely modi f ied Lomond Stil l , affectionately nicknamed Ugly Betty.

Adam then adds a muslin bag of the 22 Is lay botanicals in a special chamber attached to the lyne arm of Ugly Betty, infusing the spir i t with r ich aromas as it passes through – giving The Botanist i ts complex f lavour prof i le .

A d a m s a y s : “ W h e n d i s t i l l i n g T h e Botanist , we are creat ing something more than a g in . The Botan i s t i s a representa t ion o f the p lace we are from. We use the art of distillation and a connection to the land, our home, to create a wonderful spir i t that speaks of the place i t i s from.”

_ P E O P L E

A D A M H A N N E T T , H E A D D I S T I L L E RA T B R U I C H L A D D I C H D I S T I L L E R Y .

“A NATURAL TALENTFOR FALLING IN BURNS AND GETTING COVERED IN MUD.”

Born in Angus, Scotland, James developed his love of the outdoors at a young age while exploring the parks and hedgerows of his home. He says it was then that he discovered his “natural talent for falling in burns and getting covered in mud.” This talent, and his sharp mind, ultimately led to him studying botany at Edinburgh University. Following his studies James t r a v e l l e d , e v e n t u a l l y r e t u r n i n g t o Scotland to take up a job as a tour guide. He was to spend the next 15 years introducing visitors to the beauty of the Highlands and Islands and teaching them about Scot land’s r ich his tory, finally deciding to set up home on Islay in 2015. 16 months later, an advert from The Botanist calling for a ‘Professional Forager’ appeared in the local paper, and it united all his interests at last. James was to spend the first six months of his time with Bruichladdich Distillery, an entire growing season, working with botanical experts Dr Richard Gulliver

J A M E S D O N A L D S O N , P R O F E S S I O N A L F O R A G E RA T B R U I C H L A D D I C H D I S T I L L E R Y .

and Mavis Gulliver on the collection and pa instaking preparat ion of the now famous ‘22’. Since the Gullivers retired, the task of roving the bogs, hills and shores of Islay to gather the 22 falls on James’ shoulders alone. James says “Sustainability is at the heart of The Botanist Gin. We never pick more than we need, and we only take a small amount from each area. Throughout spring and summer, our Islay botanicals flourish, one by one. They are hand-picked and dried, one leaf at a time.”

In the wor ld o f w ine , t e r ro i r i s a concept reflecting the interaction o f s o i l , s u b - s o i l , e x p o s u r e , o r i en ta t i on , c l ima te and mic ro -cl imate on the growth of the vine and the harvest of the grape, leading to a wine that speaks of the place i t was made . Conv ic t ions about terroir run through everything that we make at the dist i l lery. The 22 botanicals that we select are readily available, and not ‘rare’ or difficult to find. Most are abundant on Islay, and all are common enough

to be sustainably foraged without any impact on the wild populations. But what an impact they have on our spirit. Seven months in the picking and 17 hours in d i s t i l l a t ion has created a gin that is unmistakably I s l a y. T h e B o t a n i s t i s o u r w a y of communicating our place in the world. It’s personal. It encapsulates a n a t t i t u d e o f c o n n e c t i n g t o nature, cherishing what i t offers , and f inding a way to express i ts part icularit ies , wherever you are.

_ T E R R O I R

O U R I N S P I R A T I O N C O M E S F R O M I S L A Y ,O U R H O M E I N T H E H E B R I D E A N A R C H I P E L A G OO F S C O T L A N D ’ S W E S T C O A S T .

WE USE THE ART OF DISTILLATION AND A CONNECTION TO THE LAND, OUR HOME, TO CREATE AN EXPRESSION OF ITS HEART AND SOUL.

O u r a m b i t i o n i s t o i n s p i r e people to discover the seasonal flavours in their own backyards. Creativity, discovery and nature l ie at the heart of The Botanist. As such we choose not to have a s ignature serve, but instead c h a l l e n g e p e o p l e t o d i s c o v e r local and seasonal botanicals , a n d e x p e r i m e n t w i t h t h e

_ R E C O N N E C T W I T H N A T U R E

T O C R E A T E T H E B O T A N I S T ,W E E X P L O R E D O U R O W N B A C K Y A R D ,O U R W I L D , H E B R I D E A NI S L A N D O F I S L A Y .

versatility of The Botanist. There is opportunity and inspirat ion everywhere, in every city park and a long every country lane – a d r i n k n e e d n e v e r b e t h e same again…

1 8 8 1Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by the Harvey brothers , members of a Glasgow w h i s k y d y n a s t y . R o b e r t H a r v e y a n engineer would bui ld i t , John a dist i l ler would run i t and Wil l iam would provide the business acumen.

1 9 9 4I n 1 9 9 4 B r u i c h l a d d i c h D i s t i l l e r y w a s closed by its then owner Jim Beam Brands as they deemed it “surplus to requirements”.

2 0 0 0The semi-derelict distillery was purchased on 19 th December 2000 by a group o f pr ivate investors led by Simon Coughl in a n d M a r k R e y n i e r , w i n e m e r c h a n t s from London.

2 0 1 0T h e B o t a n i s t i s d i s t i l l e d f o r t h e f i r s t t ime using nine berr ies , peels and barks, a u g m e n t e d b y t h e 2 2 f o r a g e d i s l a n d botanicals .

2 0 1 2B r u i c h l a d d i c h D i s t i l l e r y i s b o u g h t b y Remy Cointreau.

2 0 1 8T h e B o t a n i s t c o n t i n u e s t o a s s e r t i t s posi t ion as one of the top high end gins in the world.

_ K E Y F I G U R E S _ K E Y D A T E S

1 , 6M I L L I O NMore than 1.6 mi l l ion bot t les sold in 2018 .

7 0 %Listed in 70% of the World ’s TopC ockta i l Bars.

6 6 C O U N T R I E SCurrent ly expor ted from Islay to 66 countr ies across the globe.

F a s t e s tG R O W I N GRemains the fastest growingbrand withinthe high-end g incategory both in volume and value.