Flavor: Slightly sweet in impression and quite citrus forward. The citrus is complex and could be described as having hints of lemon, tangerine and even grapefruit. Green juniper with slight pine facets comes in late. Hints of laurel, coriander and licorice round it out. For this Rangpur Lime edition, though, there are three additional components added to the mix: bay leaves, ginger, and something called a “Rangpur Lime” (which isn’t actually a lime but instead a hybrid citrus fruit made by combining a mandarin orange and a citron).

Which is why it’s so surprising that this gin actually does a fantastic job not only making an appearance, but actually bringing something delicious to the table. Edward did not live long enough to see the business take off, but Charles continued alone and eventually hit on a winning flavor combination for their gin by using just four ingredients: juniper, angelica root, liquorice and coriander seeds. Charles subsequently died in 1865 leaving the business to his son, who decided to merge with Alexander Gordon & Co (another gin producer) to better compete with the wave of gin distilleries popping up all over London. The two companies split their focus: Gordon’s Gin aimed at domestic tastes in London, and Tanqueray focused on the export market (specifically, the United States).

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Overall, there are moments that feel slightly traditional and call-to-mind Tanqueray; however, it is very citrus forward. One thing that is interesting though is how this gin’s position in the market has aged. Flavor: The palate begins with juniper, but finishes with rich hints of baking spice including angelica root, cinnamon and coriander seed. The finish on the palate captures angelica/coriander in a way that suggests that top note of Bombay Sapphire to me. That clementine orange flavor is the first thing that passes your lips as well and seems to last pretty much the entire length of the flavor profile, laying a good foundation for the other flavors. Immediately following it is a slight burst of bright lime zest and then some pine needles for the juniper. As the flavor develops the ginger root comes into focus and adds some spicy or tangy characteristics to the spirit, and that tangy ginger and clementine combination is what lingers on the finish.

It feels like, with the added ice, there’s a touch of bitterness that has crept into the mix. I feel like it’s either the Rangpur lime or the ginger root being a little too loud, and the licorice has been attenuated to the point where it just can’t balance things out that well anymore. Otherwise the flavors are all still on point and delicious, just with that one caveat. Fizz (Tom Collins) The zestiness of the exotic Rangpur Lime shines through in this simple, but elegant serve with a touch of warmth from the ginger and aromatic bay leaf. What you need: A Rangpur Lime isn’t really a lime. It’s known as a Canton lemon in some parts of the world— but it’s not a lemon either. It’s a hybrid of a mandarin orange and a citron. ( Citrus × limonia). Its flesh is orange, the fruit highly acidic and the flavor is perhaps closer to a citron than any of the above. It’s used in place of a lime in some culinary applications because its high acidity; however, to summarize it’s best simply stated: a Rangpur Lime is truly its own thing. Nose: Juniper is the predominant character on the nose. I find that the juniper note in Tanqueray London Dry is perhaps the most signature characteristic of it, no other gin quite has that singular juniper note. There’s an intriguing intimation of citrus zest (intriguing because citrus is not a botanical) along with candied angelica stalk and licorice. The folks at Tanqueray don’t make their own base spirit, and instead use a wheat-based neutral spirit made by the same distillery (and reportedly from the same source spirit) as Smirnoff vodka. Once that spirit arrives at their facility, they directly add to the liquid the same four botanical components that have been used since the 1830’s: juniper, angelica root, liquorice and coriander seeds.London Dry Gin: The old guard brands mostly distill London Dry-style gin in the UK, although it does not actually have a geographical indicator. The main rules of this designation are that juniper must be the dominant flavor (as it is for all gin) and botanicals must flavor the gin during distillation, with no flavor or color added afterwards. Brands like Beefeater and Tanqueray are classics for a reason, but the world of gin has expanded enormously over the past 20 years as new distilleries tinker with the formula. Bartenders would be advised to treat Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin as a specialty citrus-forward gin. Mixed, its citrus profile complements fresh citrus quite well. Try it in a Gimlet, Tom Collins or an Evans style Gin and Tonic.

Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin features the four signature botanicals of their Tanqueray London Dry Gin as a base. They then add three new ones: bay leaves, ginger and the aforementioned Rangpur Lime. Tasting Notes

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Finish: Only slightly dry with sour citrus remaining dominant, although above a spice-led accord that feels distinctively Tanqueray like. New Western Gin: This is really a catch-all term for newer gins that don’t fit into the previous categories. But the through line is that these gins, while still using juniper as a key ingredient, are flavored with a wide range of botanicals, and often use ones that are grown locally to showcase the flavors of where they are made. It’s at this point that the Tanqueray process diverges from the traditional gin distilleries. Some folks believe that leaving the botanicals to rest in the spirit over a longer period of time will improve the flavor. The folks at Tanqueray don’t agree and immediately add water and begin re-distilling the spirit into gin in their copper pot stills. Tanqueray also uses a one-shot distilling method in which all of the components are distilled together, rather than individually distilling each ingredient and blending together later.

No, I meant intimation. It’s not an “imitation,” a la a deliberate attempt to replicate the flavor of something although not using an ingredient.

With such long lasting success (and it’s still among the top 6 selling gins worldwide) comes some of the perils of being seen as “default.” In recent years, Tanqueray has marketed their flagship gin as something of a hyrbid of “prestige brand” (bringing it in competition with Tanqueray’s high end Tanqueray No. 10 Gin) and a “party with your friends gin.” Despite being on the market for over fifteen years, Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin endures because the popularity of citrus-forward gins has remained high. Overall, while it loses marks for balance, it’s a solid mixing gin for fans of citrus-forward gin.