The Botanist has built a nice reputation with gin connoisseurs in the last decade priced appropriately, as you will typically find it among the top shelf product in the wild. While the bursting fragrance of botanicals is a treat and the notably missing anise factor is a big bonus, one small ding on the Botanist is the lemon mint aspect which can come off as a bit of a "lemon pledge" feel. While that might scare you, take note, the advertised florals like coriander, unripe apple, meadowsweet and many more of the over 22 claimed herbs and spices are readily apparent. The nose has a certain complexity that is balanced and rich, the fact this is an Islay product certainly doesn't hurt either. Foraged highlander botanicals produced from a hybrid still known as "ugly betty", the story of this relatively recent gin is already permeated in character. This is a gin to be appreciated for the fact that it ISN'T the most sold the world over and really couldn't be unless the production values became sorely compromised. A gin maybe a little too nice for every day drinking making it the prefect shelf bottle for special occasions. Cheers!