First Impressions
Colonsay — a tiny island in the Southern Hebrides, population around 130 — is home to Wild Island Botanic Gin. The concept is straightforward: take ten classic gin botanicals as a base, then layer six hand-foraged botanicals growing wild on the island — bog myrtle, heather flowers, meadowsweet, lemon balm, wild water mint, and sea buckthorn. The foraging is done by hand on Colonsay itself; the distillation happens in a century-old copper still at Langley Distillery using 100% British wheat spirit.
Tasting
Sixteen botanicals total. The nose is remarkably fragrant — lemon balm and floral heather sit front and centre, with wild meadow freshness. On the palate at 43.7%, citrus leads with fresh mint and hints of black tea coming through. Bog myrtle adds moorland depth, sea buckthorn provides a distinctive tart brightness, and meadowsweet contributes its characteristic honey-almond sweetness. Juniper structures everything at a well-judged strength. The finish is clean and herbal with wild water mint freshness lingering. Gold Medal in the contemporary gin class at the 2017 IWSC.
The Bottom Line
Wild Island earns an 8 — the six Colonsay-foraged botanicals genuinely transform the classic base into something distinctive and place-specific. Sea buckthorn's tartness and meadowsweet's honey-almond sweetness are not flavours you encounter in many gins, and the IWSC Gold confirms the quality. Best in a G&T with light tonic and a sprig of mint, or neat where the island's meadows and shores reveal themselves sip by sip. At £38, exceptional value for a hand-foraged Hebridean gin of this calibre.
