Get to know botanical vodka: 10 bottles to try

As botanically flavoured spirits go, gin is undoubtedly the most ubiquitous of recent times. But another is nipping at its heels: botanical vodka.

Botanical vodkas are flavoured via distillation with plant-based botanicals including fruits, herbs, flowers and spices. These could be distilled with the spirit itself, or used to create botanical essences that are blended with it.

It’s important to note the distinction between botanical vodkas and the broader category of flavoured vodkas; the latter are generally flavoured after distillation through maceration, infusion, or by adding extracts and sweeteners.

While botanical vodkas are very similar to gin, one crucial requirement separates them: gin must have a primary flavour of juniper. Without this stipulation, botanical vodka producers can spotlight other elements, be it locally sourced ingredients or delicate flavours that would struggle against juniper’s piney might.

Freedom of expression

William Lowe MW, a Master Distiller and co-founder of Cambridge Distillery, says its Meadow Mist botanical vodkas provide a ‘different framework for expression’ compared with its gins. ‘Without juniper as the structural backbone, it allows a single ingredient or idea to sit completely at the forefront.’

Sloemotion’s Hedgerow Botanical Vodka is designed as an expression of the Yorkshire countryside that surrounds the distillery. Founder Joff Curtoys (below) sought a ‘purer taste of the hedgerows’, using botanicals including crab apple, elderflower, rosehip and nettle leaf.

Finding flavour

For Hugh Lambert at Shanty Spirit, the style offered a blank canvas for the coastally inspired vodka he wanted to produce. His Seaweed Botanical Vodka contains five native varieties of its namesake plant. ‘The flavour we wanted [was] crisp and fresh, like jumping in the sea,’ he says.

Hepple Spirits also heroes one botanical in its Douglas Fir Vodka, but uses three methods to capture its aromatic character. There’s traditional pot distillation; a lower-temperature rotary evaporator; and a supercritical fluid extractor, a machine normally found in perfume houses.

A conscious choice

While botanical vodka doesn’t command the public profile of gin, it is gaining traction amid the trend toward more conscious consumption. Sebastian Bunford-Jones, global marketing manager at The Glasgow Distillery Co, believes both drinkers and bartenders are becoming more receptive to spirits that ‘prioritise provenance, natural ingredients and production transparency’. Those values sit at the heart of the distillery’s G52 Botanical Vodkas.

Gemma Standeven, founder and director at Gattertop Drinks Company, which makes Gattertop No7 Botanical Vodka, feels they are a natural next step for gin drinkers. ‘Gin has educated consumers to expect botanical complexity, and some drinkers want that flavour but in a smoother, less juniper-forward format,’ she says.

How to drink botanical vodkas

The nature and flavours of botanical vodkas make them ideal for mixing. For a simpler serve, pair with tonic or soda water or stir down in a Martini.

When using in more highly flavoured cocktails, let the botanicals guide your choice. Use a more savoury vodka for a Bloody Mary, a citrussy spirit for a Cosmopolitan, or a richer one for an Espresso Martini.

Silver Circle’s Black Garlic Vodka was developed with a particular cocktail in mind. ‘As Bloody Mary fans, we were excited to explore a botanical vodka which would complement tomato juice and spice,’ explains distillery co-founder Nina Howden. ‘The black garlic deepens the drink, adding richness and savoury sweetness.’

Whatever your preference, there’s sure to be a botanical vodka that ticks the right flavour boxes.

Botanical vodkas: 10 to try

Assaranca Vodka

Made by Sliabh Liag Distillers in Donegal, Ireland using native botanicals gorse flower and rowan berry. Creamy cereal aromas alongside gentle grassiness and citrussy herbs. Plump mouthfeel, with additional red berry flavours. Its gentleness wants a minimal serve: with soda or in a Martini. Alcohiol 41%

Blackwoods Botanical Vodka

Heroes botanicals that reflect its home in Inverkip, Scotland, including sea buckthorn, sea mint and kelp. Sweet cereal, citrus peel and washed mint aromas lead to a balanced citrussy, sweet and herbal palate. Try it in a Cosmopolitan for added zing. Alc 40%

Cambridge Distillery Meadow Mist Verbena Vodka

Produced via vacuum distillation to preserve the delicate flavours of its hero botanical, lemon verbena. Tart, citrussy aroma with accompanying sweet cereal notes. Superbly round texture. The botanical profile crescendoes into the finish, clear and crisp. One for a Martini. Alc 40%

Dunnet Bay Distillers Holy Grass Vodka

Distilled with native holy grass, which has a vanilla-like aroma, alongside cinnamon and Scottish apple juice. Aromas and flavours of crisp raw apple, creamy vanilla and powdered cinnamon, with gentle grassy notes. Serve long with apple juice or ginger ale. Alc 41.5%

Gattertop No7 Botanical Vodka

An English vodka created with a concentrated distillate of elderflower, rosemary, nettle, basil, damson leaves, apple blossom and coriander. Fragrant and softly herbaceous with citrussy coriander, plummy fruits and sweet florals. Keep the serve classic with a Martini or Vodka Tonic. Alc 38%

G52 Fresh Citrus Botanical Vodka

Distilled with fresh lemons, limes, ginger and lemongrass, alongside vapour-infused orange and pink grapefruit. Big, bright citrussy character – the flesh, juice and oils – accompanied by notes of fresh ginger and creamy sweetness on the palate. Mix long with soda or tonic. Alc 40%

Hepple Douglas Fir Vodka

Three distillation methods are used to capture the flavour of its lead botanical, Douglas fir shoots. Refreshing aroma with pine needles, lemon peel and saline hints. Oily palate with citrus and herbaceous notes. Made for Martinis, however you have them. Alc 41%

Shanty Seaweed Botanical Vodka

The botanicals include five hand-foraged British seaweeds alongside galangal, wasabi, yuzu and bergamot. Balanced maritime aroma combining oily, herbaceous, citrus and vegetal notes. Mouthfilling, with sweet salinity and herbal flavours. Mix long in a Mule, or use it to supercharge a Dirty Martini. Alc 40%

Sloemotion Hedgerow Botanical Vodka

Featuring botanicals from its Yorkshire home including rosehip, nettle leaf and elderflower. Sweet, concentrated hedgerow fruit aromas with rosy florals and underlying spice. Herbaceous nettles on the palate with elderflower sweetness and lingering rose. Try it in a Martini or Vodka Tonic. Alc 40%

Silver Circle Black Garlic Vodka

Featuring Isle of Wight black garlic, toasted bread and lapsang souchong tea. Potent garlicky aromas, from deep umami to sweet cooked cloves, with gentle smokiness. Silky palate with underlying sweetness and spice. A savoury serve calls: maybe a Bloody Mary or Dirty Martini. Alc 40%

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