Distillery Botanica Gin has partnered with the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in creating the ‘Rather Royal Gin’, the proceeds of which will go towards the Garden’s conservation programs.

Distillery Botanica’s Master Distiller Phillip Moore and the Garden’s Director of Horticulture Jimmy Turner teamed up to select botanicals from the Garden’s iconic landmarks, such as the Rose Garden and Spring Walk. 

Moore used the technique of enfleurage to cold-extract the perfumes of the botanicals, producing a highly aromatic gin that bottles the essence of the iconic destination. The botanicals include mandarin leaf, horehound, chamomile, curry leaves and lemon verbena.

Of the gin, Moore said, “The botanicals that give our gin its unique flavour were grown in the soil of the 200-year-old Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. So when you drink it, you’re literally drinking part of the Garden, and for that matter Sydney itself. 

“The Garden is Australia’s oldest living scientific institution, and if through this limited release gin, we can help raise awareness of their critical conservation work then we’re honoured to support this project”. 

The Garden’s conservation programs involve seed collection, seed banking and conservation research and training to preserve biodiversity.

Executive Director of the Royal Botanic Garden and Centennial Parklands Kim Ellis said, “Here in Australia, 10 per cent of our native plant species are listed as endangered, with a number of threats to our unique plant life, including climate change, invasive pathogens and habitat destruction. 

“We saw a method by which to raise awareness and money for the important conservation we’re doing at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: Taking Distillery Botanica’s Garden Grown Gin philosophy and making it gin that grows the Garden.” 

1000 bottles of the limited edition Rather Royal Gin are available from distillerybotanica.com, selected stockists and over the bar at the Botanic Garden Restaurant at RRP $129.

Image: Distillery Botanica’s Master Distiller Phillip Moore (left) and the Royal Botanical Garden’s Director of Horticulture Jimmy Turner (right)