Review: Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale Gin
You’ll need to travel across the pond to find this special edition Tanqueray, called Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale Distilled Gin, as it’s not sold in the U.S. The recipe is simple: Take the classic four ingredients of Tanqueray — juniper, coriander, angelica, and licorice — and add in French blackcurrants and vanilla. Boom: You’ve got yourself a light purple gin that’s loaded on the nose with fruity aromatics.
The currants dominate the aroma here, but more traditional juniper and coriander are still present, if just under the surface. The palate’s got plenty of fruit and a piney punch from juniper, but here the vanilla really becomes apparent, increasingly dominant as it lingers on the tongue. A light citrus punch arrives on the finish, but it never comes close to knocking the vanilla and fresh berry notes off their powerful perch. Slightly boozy on the back end, but you won’t much notice the heat in the types of long drinks for which Royale is intended. Think soda, sparkling lemonade, and anything that can let the dramatic purple hue show itself off.
82.6 proof.
A- / £25 / tanqueray.com
Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale Gin
£25
