Medicinal gin was a big business before and during American prohibition. Dr. C. Bouvier was not a real doctor— and unlikely even a real person, but the name nonetheless was spread far and wide. With an aggressive national ad campaign centered around the spirit’s purported medicinal qualities, it found its way into many a home. And many a prohibition stash. But I’m sorry officers, “my Buchu Gin is purely medicinal.”

And you’d have a point. Real doctors would write real prescriptions that real pharmacists would fill for spirits during prohibition.

This Buchu Gin has not been produced by prohibition. At the time of trying, this sample was in the vicinity 100 years old. As with our other vintage spirit reviews, keep in mind that Bouvier Buchu Gin is not at it’s peak and its extremely likely there’s been significant changes in the time it spent in the bottle— no matter how well stored.

Buchu Gin was made from a base of “double stamp gin,” indicating that it was of high medicinal quality. It was sweetened with sugar and colored with caramel. Though procedural notes are sparse, the Buchu was likely macerated in the double stamp gin rather than distilled.

Buchu has been heralded as a “miracle herb” by the holistic medicinal press. Native to South Africa it has been an important part of native South African medicinal cultures for centuries. The plant is an evergreen shrub with potent aromatic leaves that on their own have a mentholic, almost peppermint like aroma.