Tanqueray is an English brand of

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...

produced by

Diageo plc Diageo plc () is a multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweichow Moutai of China in 2017 ...

. It originated in London. In 2016 it displaced Beefeater as the number one global seller. While it does not command a sizable market share in its native market, its largest market is the United States, where it is the highest-selling gin import. Tanqueray is a London dry gin, reflecting its distillation process and origin in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, London. London dry gin is made by double distilling grain, with select botanicals added during the second distillation. While the Tanqueray recipe is a closely guarded trade secret, it is known to contain four botanicals:

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

coriander Coriander (;

angelica root ''Angelica archangelica'', commonly known as garden angelica, wild celery, and Norwegian angelica, is a biennial plant from the family Apiaceae, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. Like several oth ...

and

liquorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liqu ...

, all common botanicals in gin productions overall. It is one of Diageo's sixteen "strategic brands" earmarked for prioritisation in promotion and distribution worldwide.

History

Tanqueray gin was initially

distilled Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

in 1830 by Charles Tanqueray in the

district of London. The retail outlet of Edward & Charles Tanqueray & Co was established on Vine Street, London, in 1838. When Charles died in 1868, his son Charles Waugh Tanqueray inherited the distillery, which continued to operate until it was severely damaged during World War II. The only facility to survive the Axis bombing, now known as "Old Tom", has since been moved to Cameron Bridge, Scotland. According to one report, Tanqueray became the highest selling gin in the world for the first time in 2016, with nearly three million nine-litre cases sold.

Products

Tanqueray London Dry Gin is the original product that was launched in 1830; its key botanicals are

coriander Coriander (;

and

. It is variously sold as: * IMPORTED 47.3% ABV (United States, Canada, Germany and European duty-free shops) * Export Strength 43.1% ABV (United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden) * 40% ABV (Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) Tanqueray No. Ten Gin (47.3%) was introduced in 2000 and is targeted at the martini market. It is distilled four times with whole fresh

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The interior flesh is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark pink. Grapefruit is ...

, orange, lime and chamomile flowers Tanqueray Sterling Vodka was introduced in 1989 and is available in both neutral and citrus flavours. Its main market is the United States. Tanqueray Rangpur Gin was introduced in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2006. It has a strong citrus flavor, the result of rangpur limes,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

, and

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

added during the final distillation process. It is produced at 82.6 proof (41.3% abv) and is now available throughout the United States and Canada. Tanqueray Malacca Gin was introduced in 1997 as a "wetter" alternative to the London Dry, with more sweetness and a stronger fruit palate (most notably grapefruit). Discontinued in 2001, Diageo announced on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12) that a 16,000-case limited edition of Tanqueray Malacca would be relaunched in the US, Great Britain, Canada and Western Europe for February 2013. Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale Gin was introduced in 2021. It has a rich fruity flavor with taste of French

blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...

, vanilla and exotic floral notes. In 2021 Tanqueray launched a non-alcoholic variety of the original called Tanqueray 0.0 , bottled at 0.0%abv. Past offerings from Tanqueray also include both orange and lemon gins, produced from 1937 until 1957, when both were phased out. Notable spirit ratings for Tanqueray included a string of Double Golds (for its basic London Dry) for 2005–2007 from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Later years' competitions saw Tanqueray win a string of silver medals and then another double gold in 2012.Awards Summary Page for Tanqueray London Dry
/ref> Wine Enthusiast rated the London Dry in its "96–100" category in 2007 but gave it a "90–95" in 2011.

Advertising

Tanqueray introduced "Mr. Jenkins", a white-haired, well-dressed spokes-character, in print ads in 1994. He was retired a few years later. In 2004 Tanqueray introduced "Tony Sinclair", a younger, foppish hipster

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

spokes-character in television ads created by Conor Sheridan. Sinclair's catchphrase at the end of every commercial was "Ready to Tanqueray?" followed by a manic laugh. He was portrayed by Rodney Mason as a madcap socialite of

Black British Black British people are a multi-ethnic group of British citizens of either African or Afro-Caribbean descent.Gadsby, Meredith (2006), ''Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration, and Survival'', University of Missouri Press, pp. 76–7 ...

descent. In the 2008 '' Mad Men'' episode " The Jet Set",

Duck Phillips This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Mad Men'', all of whom have appeared in multiple episodes. Overview ;Cast notes: * Maxwell Huckabee and Aaron Hart have split the role of Bobby Draper in the first season, whil ...

receives a crate of Tanqueray from his British former advertising colleagues as enticement for Duck to initiate their firm's purchase of Sterling Cooper.

References

Works cited

* *

External links

Official website of Tanqueray ginTanqueray
on thebar UK, owned by Diageo {{Gin distilleries in the United Kingdom 1830 introductions British Royal Warrant holders Diageo brands Gins 1830 establishments in England