Most of us know that no two varieties of wine are the same and that there can be huge differences between different brands of whiskey. Fewer people can speak with any kind of authority on the diverse tasting notes among different varieties of gin. But just like your Scotches or bourbons, each brand of gin has its own character (Tanqueray, for example, has a strong juniper flavour, whereas Bombay Sapphire is a more citrus-forward gin).

If you’re looking for something different, and closer to the Hendricks end of the gin spectrum (i.e. higher end and more complex in flavour), you may want to try The Botanist, produced by Bruichladdich, a distillery best known for it’s single malt Scotch. Bruichladdich started producing the gin in an attempt to inject some recession-era revenue into the company, and while the gin has been available in Canada for three or four years, Bruichladdich has just relaunched The Botanist in a new bottle designed to appeal to North American consumers and bartenders.

Produced on the Scottish island of Islay (which by all accounts if a fairly desolate place, but provides an amazing environment to make whiskey and, apparently, gin), The Botanist’s main selling point is that in addition to the nine botanicals that are found in standard gins, 22 additional locally foraged plants (including lemon balm, heather flowers, creeping thistle, thyme, and three kinds of mint) are hung in the still and infused into the gin. It’s also got a significantly higher alcohol content — 46 per cent as opposed to the 40 per cent usually found in gin. The result is a drink that is surprisingly tasty on its own (even better with a drop of water) and, because of the sheer number of flavours, suitable for a number of sweet, citrusy, spicy, or savoury cocktails.

The Botanist is made in fairly small batches and if you do get your hands on it, it retails for around $50 (look for the new rounded bottle with the Latin names of the 22 Islay botanicals embossed in the glass). This week the brand provided a master class for a number of local bartenders to extol the virtues of The Botanist and partnered with local favourite Porters Tonic to create a tonic syrup to pair specifically with the gin (sorry, the limited edition tonic syrup is not available commercially, but if you sweet talk a friendly mixologist they may have some hidden behind the bar). Try it in a martini or a cocktail, or don’t try it at all — but next time you order a gin and tonic or a Tom Collins, keep in mind that not all gins are created equally and put a little thought into what spirit you ask your bartender to measure out.