Ben Lomond Botanical Spirit

ABV: 0.5%

Calories per 100ml: 23

Ben Lomond’s Botanical Spirit, the Scottish brand’s first foray into the alcohol-free drinks market, has been inspired by its full-strength Ben Lomond Scottish Gin.

The drink was launched in 2024 and debuted at the 152nd Open Golf Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire. So, our reviewers were intrigued as to whether it represents a hole-in-one or a double-bogey!

First things first, this doesn’t really taste like a gin – but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That’s because it still has a “grown-up” feel to it – the bitterness of the locally foraged rowan berries adds a nice tartness, pleasantly offset by the sweetness of the Scottish blackcurrants. In fact, there are all sorts of interesting flavours going on beyond the obvious fruitiness, with red peppercorns adding some welcome spiciness to the mix.

The bottle is beautiful too, which contributes to a feeling that this is a premium product. We were impressed!