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. Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin launched in 2006. At the time, it was a bit of a bold and unusual move. Signature botanicals gin were rare. Gins that higlighted unusual botanicals in their name were even rarer. 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. 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.

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. I like that, with this version of their gin, the folks at Tanqueray went with the clear glass. Their normal bottle sports a green colored glass bottle which is stylish and interesting, but in this case I feel like it might have been a bit confusing and offputting for folks. With a standard gin you expect it to be crystal clear, but with this variant there might be a question about whether it was actually colored green in addition to the lime flavor. The clear glass removes all doubt. Gin isn't just from England and the U.S. Distilleries all over the world produce versions that try to capture the character of where they're made. There are three main categories. Distilled gin is produced from a mash of grains in the same way that whiskey might be. Redistilled gin is a neutral grain spirit that has been distilled a second time. And compound gin is a neutral grain spirit that’s been infused with flavors (this is the least common style). While you can use nearly any botanical you can think of to flavor gin, juniper is the key ingredient. There are two ways to infuse the botanical flavors into gin—either by macerating them in the spirit, or suspending them in what is essentially a large tea bag above the spirit and infusing the gin with vapors. Then there are a few different styles of gin to consider. Another example of where I think the gin has been superseded is in the Martini. It’s a little heavy-handed and some of he duller ethanol notes on the finish make for an acceptable, but ultimately underwhelming drink. I recommend Tanqueray 10 instead. 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).That being said, I was less of a fan of it in heavy spirit forward drinks such as the Martini. There’s a certain harshness and heat that doesn’t work as well here as it does in longer drinks. Overall

Sharp, zesty and wonderfully aromatic, the gimlet really pulls out the bittersweet flavors of the Rangpur Lime. What you need: Old Tom Gin: There are no set guidelines for this style of gin, but it is sometimes sweetened with a bit of sugar or other botanicals, licorice is occasionally added, and it can be barrel aged (which is another style of gin in and of itself). Current examples of Old Tom gin come from Barr Hill in Vermont, Ransom in Oregon, and Hibrimi in Iceland.Gin is now definitely a global spirit, with excellent examples being made everywhere from the U.S. to Mexico to Southeast Asia, and even the UK has seen an infusion of new gin distilleries. The best thing about this is that each spirit is an attempt to capture some essence of its geography, often using locally sourced botanicals to flavor what otherwise would essentially be, well, vodka. With so many bottles to choose from, we’ve broken down some of the best gins out there to try now by highlighting stellar examples of the new and old school. Here are some of the best gin brands available now, from traditional London dry to brand-new innovations.

Charles Tanqueray was born in 1810 to a third generation member of the clergy in Bedfordshire, England. But at the age of twenty, he decided that the church wasn’t really his scene and started experimenting with spirits production instead, making the first run of what would become his famous gin in 1830. He and his brother Edward learned about the spirits business at the Curries Distillery and, less than a decade after striking out, they had established a retail outlet named Edward & Charles Tanqueray & Co on Vine Street in London. 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. 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 NotesIn describing the flavor of some gins we often use metaphor. While some are obvious, like the tasting note “lemon curd.” We all know there’s no lemon curd in a gin. Other tasting notes often get misinterpreted. One time I reviewed a gin and said there was a strong licorice flavor. The distiller was outraged. “There’s no licorice in here!” But alike when a sommelier might say that a Riesling invokes “stone fruit,” when reviewing a gin I sometimes have to use botanicals that are not present in the gin to describe the impression a gin invokes. The flavor can contain notes of licorice without the gin itself containing licorice. 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. Nose: Lime dominates the fore— and although the rangpur is not a lime, the nose is decidedly lime-like. Juniper and a hint of traditional Tanqueray licorice and spice lie beneath. Quite nice. The gin tradition of Charles Tanqueray began on Vine Street in Bloomsbury in 1830. A pastor’s son who broke with tradition, his creation would certainly be a first ballot Gin-Hall-Of-Fame entrant (if ever there was such a thing). Continuously distilled since its invention, the brand has been owned by several big companies, and while it has been passed around it never lost any of its luster. To many people, Tanqueray London Dry Gin is London Dry Gin; its signature green glass is gin.