Product: Tanqueray 10: Believe the Rumors Producer: Tanqueray Approximate Retail Value: $36.99 per bottle Category: Gin Country of Origin: Great Britan Reviewer: SexHerald Staff The F Words: Flavor – Slight juniper - not overwhelming Feel – Slightly heavier than water, lighter than vodka Finish – Intense at the back of your mouth and down your throat

Rating:

I prefer drinks that are off the beaten path. I could stick to the staples of most bar shelves and never have to worry, since I’d always get reliable booze. But the real fun is in exploring some of the booze that you don’t see as often.

Tanqueray 10 is starting to show up in more and more bars, but it hasn’t been mainstreamed completely yet. It still is exciting to find it at a restaurant or bar. After having a great afternoon, I wanted a great martini. Tanqueray 10 was the restaurant’s most unique gin, so I gave it a try.

My decision was a good one.

Tanqueray 10 is among the smoothest gins I have consumed. Gin’s “pine needle” smell usually lets you know it is coming –- sometimes a few miles away. Tanqueray 10 does not have the abrasive pine needle odor. Instead, the small hint of pine recedes into a mild aroma. I took a sniff, and my gin-only martini (absolutely no vermouth) had a “distributed” smell. It didn’t jump into my nose all at once. Tanqueray 10’s aroma wafted upward.

The first step was spectacular. The juniper taste intensified as the gin worked its way along my tongue to the back of my mouth. Rather light on the tip of my tongue, Tanqueray 10 became fuller. The tingling sensation that comes with lesser gins is absent here; instead, Tanqueray 10 is all taste. It is a lighter gin with a robust, complete taste.

Tanqueray 10 is how gin is supposed to taste. I was blown away.

Tanqueray 10 clearly deserves 4 ½ stars. It could easily be a 5-star vodka, but I am reluctant to give anything five stars. There are still more gins to review, and until I have had them all, it’s unlikely that any will get a five.

Until now, vodka has been the alcohol that you keep around the house. Right? Everybody drinks vodka. Tanqueray 10 gives you an alternative. Do you want to give your guests a choice? Tanqueray 10 can make that happen; it's smooth enough that just about anybody can drink it.