Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin 750ML

Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin 750ML is a 40% ABV Irish gin distilled with 23 wild-foraged botanicals in small batches of fewer than 250 litres. It earned a Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and its seasonal production approach — capped at roughly 3,000 bottles per run — makes each batch a genuine snapshot of the Irish countryside.

Quick Facts: ABV: 40%  |  Origin: County Wicklow, Ireland  |  Style: Dry Gin, Wild Botanical  |  Distillery: Glendalough Distillery

Production & Heritage

Glendalough Distillery, recognized as Ireland's first modern craft distillery, operates out of County Wicklow in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. What separates this gin from nearly everything else on the shelf is its supply chain: full-time forager Geraldine Kavanagh gathers wild botanicals — including red clover flower, ox eye daisy, bell heather, lady's bedstraw, wild rose, and watermint — and delivers them fresh to the distillery within hours. Those botanicals join a base of juniper, coriander, angelica root, orris root, liquorice root and bark, and fresh organic lemons in Holstein copper pot stills, where slow distillation in batches under 250 litres extracts delicate flavors that industrial-scale production simply cannot replicate. Because the wild ingredients shift with the seasons, each production run carries slightly different characteristics — no two batches are identical.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Freshly felled juniper and pine needles arrive first, followed by resinous eucalyptus and citrus peel. A second wave reveals wildflowers and green apple, with subtle chalky minerality underneath.

Taste: The entry is cool and mellow, opening into a mid-palate of summer wildflowers and sweet woodruff. Wild autumn fruits — raspberry and blackberry — surface alongside spearmint and forest ferns, building toward gentle warm spice at the peak.

Finish: Long and distinctly sylvan, recalling a walk through wet woodland with lingering warm winter spices. The herbal and pine notes fade gradually, leaving a clean mineral impression.

How to Drink Glendalough Wild Botanical

Neat or over a single large ice cube is the best way to experience the full seasonal complexity — the foraged botanicals open up beautifully as the spirit warms slightly. A simple Gin & Tonic with a quality Indian tonic and a sprig of fresh mint showcases the gin's herbaceous character without competing flavors. A classic Gimlet benefits from the gin's natural citrus and green apple notes, creating balance against lime cordial. In a Bee's Knees, the honey syrup amplifies the wildflower aromatics already present in the spirit. For a Martini, the clean juniper backbone and mineral finish hold their own with dry vermouth, delivering a more botanical-forward version of the classic.

Best For

• Gifting a gin enthusiast who already owns the mainstream bottles
• Hosting a gin tasting flight comparing foraged versus traditional London Dry styles
• Marking a seasonal celebration — each batch reflects a different time of year in Wicklow
• Adding a genuinely distinctive bottle to a home bar collection

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Glendalough Wild Botanical taste like? It leads with cool juniper and pine, transitions through wildflowers and forest fruits like raspberry and blackberry, and finishes with lingering warm spice and clean minerality. The overall impression is fresh, herbaceous, and distinctly Irish.

How does Glendalough Wild Botanical compare to Monkey 47? Both are botanical-heavy gins — Monkey 47 uses 47 botanicals and comes in at 47% ABV, making it richer and more intense. Glendalough is frequently described as cleaner and clearer in its botanical expression, with a lighter body and a more floral, seasonal character.

Is Glendalough Wild Botanical good for cocktails? Its 40% ABV and pronounced herbal profile make it an excellent cocktail gin, particularly in drinks where botanical complexity is welcome, such as a Gin & Tonic, Gimlet, or Bee's Knees.

Where is Glendalough Wild Botanical made? It is distilled at Glendalough Distillery in County Wicklow, Ireland, located in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. The wild botanicals are foraged from the surrounding countryside by a dedicated full-time forager.

What foods pair well with Glendalough Wild Botanical? Smoked salmon with dill pairs naturally with the gin's herbaceous pine notes. Fresh goat cheese complements its floral character. Grilled prawns with lemon echo the citrus backbone. A watercress and apple salad mirrors the green, vegetal mid-palate. Soft-ripened brie with honeycomb bridges the wildflower aromatics and warm spice finish.

What sizes does Glendalough Wild Botanical come in? The standard bottle is 750ml, which is the most widely available format.

Is Glendalough Wild Botanical worth the price? It positions in the premium craft gin tier, and the hand-foraged, small-batch production — fewer than 250 litres per run — provides genuine justification for its price point. Multiple competition accolades, including Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, reinforce that the quality matches the positioning.

Why Glendalough Wild Botanical?

Very few gins on the market can claim a full-time forager on staff delivering wild botanicals to the still within hours of harvest. That single fact shapes everything about this spirit — the seasonal variation, the limited batch sizes of roughly 3,000 bottles, and the unmistakable freshness that earned it a Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, IWSC Gold with 95 points in 2019, and International Gin of the Year Gold at the 2023 Italian Gin Awards. Where most botanical gins rely on dried ingredients and consistency across batches, Glendalough leans into impermanence, producing a gin that changes with the Wicklow landscape. For drinkers who want provenance they can actually taste, this is one of the most transparent and distinctive gins available.