Tanqueray, the unmistakable

It is one of the best known brands in the world, yet throughout its long history it has managed to retain the artisanal character of the small producer in its gins. Founded in 1830 by brothers Charles and Edward Tanqueray, the distillery was located in Bloomsbury, one of London's most beautiful areas, famous for the quality of its spring water.

The timing was favourable, as in 1832 the continuous distillation method was invented, allowing the production of better quality gin. Until then, the most popular style of gin had been Old Tom, in which sugar was used to cover imperfections. With continuous distillation, it was no longer necessary to add a sweetener: Tanqueray was therefore one of the first distilleries to create the new style London Dry Gin.

Then, in 1898, Tanqueray joined forces with its then rivals, Gordon's Gin, increasingly asserting its leadership in the gin world and moving production to Cameronbridge, Scotland: one of the largest distilleries in Europe. During the heavy bombing of London in the Second World War, the original distillery was completely destroyed; only one still, Old Tom, was saved and is now preserved in Scotland.

An anecdote tells of the great popularity achieved by this gin: when Prohibition ended in 1933, the first drink drunk at the White House by President Roosevelt was a Tanqueray and Tonic.