In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy… I love Scotch! And, because I am a person who believes in equality and fairness, I also find myself loving other spirits too… like Gin.

Imagine how happy I was to find that one of my favorite Scotch whisky distillers now produces a Gin called The Botanist! Yep… you heard me correctly. Bruichladdich, the “Progressive Hebridean Distiller” has crafted a spectacular Gin.

You can learn a lot about why Bruichladdich is one of my favorite whisky distillers at their web site: http://www.bruichladdich.com/

Briefly, Bruichladdich is on the isle of Islay, which produces some of the most unique whisky in the world. I find that you either love the distinguishing peat flavor and briny iodine found in most Islay malt, or you simply don’t. Bruichladdich whisky has the definite soul of an Islay malt, but there is a purity and concentration that I find in no other whisky from the island.

According to the marketing materials, The Botanist is a small-batch, artisanal Islay Gin, crafted from nine classic gin aromatics, and then augmented by the addition of twenty-two native Islay botanicals. The aroma and flavor profile are wildly complex, but not over-the-top – truly a very pretty Gin. The materials also speak to the distillation process – apparently an agonizing seventeen hour affair in a still that their head distiller Jim McEwan affectionately calls “Ugly Betty.” Betty prefers long, low pressure runs, which allows for a very long steeping with the botanicals that clearly accounts for the depth of complexity. It also must have a lot to do with the smoothness of the spirit. On the palate the Gin is remarkably rich and mellow with almost no bite or excessive heat. This is truly a sipping Gin that I found needed nothing, not even ice as an accompaniment. A light splash of spring water did loosen the nose a bit, but the palate is fine without it.

I can only hope that Bruichladdich continues with their Islay Gin, it will make me a very happy man!

Cheers!

I have long been a fan of Anchor Steam Beer… I think for a few decades I actually could boast having annually collected a bottle of their Christmas Ale – Always delicious with all the correct reminders of Christmas. Like most breweries, Anchor has a distilling operation, oddly enough called Anchor Distilling. I have long enjoyed their Junipero Gin and recently came across their Old Potrero Whiskey, specifically the 18^th Century Style Whiskey. I must say that I am very impressed.

Anchor makes three versions of their Whiskey: Old Potrero Straight Rye, Old Potrero Hotaling’s Single Malt Whiskey and the 18^th Century Style.

According to the sales literature, the 18^th Century Style Whiskey is Anchor’s attempt at recreating “the original whiskey of America.” The spirit was distilled in a small copper pot still at Anchor’s distillery on Potrero Hill (hence the name) from a 100% rye malt mash. The spirit is then gently aged in a mix of old and new oak barrels that have been lightly toasted over oak chip fires as opposed to heavily charred barrels a la Bourbon. The result is a lightly-colored, delicately sweet whiskey that retains much of the malt-quality of the mash. I found this an ideal sipping whiskey that opened nicely with the addition of a splash of spring water.

Anchor’s promotional materials speak to the “authenticity” of this colonial whiskey. The use of 100% malted rye, a small copper pot still and lightly toasted oak aging all add up to a very authentic experience. I actually think the whiskey is probably smoother than what our ancestors were drinking, but that’s just a hunch…

Based on the quality of the 18^th Century Style, I will be searching out the other varieties. I sense, though that the limited, small batch production may make them hard to find in the main stream.

Cheers!