Created at the Bruichladdich distillery, this superb Islay gin was distilled in the ‘ugly betty’ still described as “an oversized upside-down dustbin made of copper” by Tom Morton. Perhaps the best looking packaging we’ve ever seen for a gin – it’s not all style and no substance either. This is a world-class gin, at a proper ABV.

A huge 31 botanicals go into The Botanist, including some native to Islay. The full list of botanicals is as follows: angelica root, apple mint, birch leaves, bog myrtle leaves, cassia bark, chamomile, cinnamon bark, coriander seed, creeping thistle flowers, elder flowers, gorse flowers, heather flowers, hawthorn flowers, juniper berries, lady’s bedstraw flowers, lemon balm, lemon peel, liquorice root, meadow sweet, orange peel, oris root, peppermint leaves, mugwort leaves, red clover flowers, tansy, thyme leaves, water mint leaves, white clover, wood sage leaves. Phew!

A passion for discovery runs through all eight generations of the Whitley Neill family tree. So it’s perhaps fitting that while honeymooning in the beautiful Sicilian countryside, Frederick Neill and his new wife fell in love all over again, this time with the vibrant, zesty flavour of Sicilian blood oranges. Using his finely-honed distilling techniques, Freddy strove to create a vodka recipe that would evoke the memories of his Sicilian honeymoon. And it’s this recipe that led to the creation of Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin. A handcrafted Gin of exceptional quality, that’s bursting with the dynamic citrus flavour of Sicilian blood oranges in every drop, for a smooth, crisp taste of the Mediterranean sun.