Tanqueray's New Alcohol-Free Release May Be a Game Changer

We’ve seen plenty of “booze-free spirits” in the last few months, but most of those hail from new and/or independent producers.

Tanqueray’s new product, however, brings a big name to the zero-alcohol club. Their just-announced Tanqueray 0.0% promises “all the taste, zero alcohol” while still being crafted from the same distilled botanicals as their signature London Dry.

In a press release, the gin brand notes that alcohol-free and low-alcohol choices are expected to deliver 23% of adult drinks growth over the next three years; given that the new Tanqueray is also low-calorie, it’s going to appeal to a wide market of mindful drinkers.

“The botanicals are individually immersed in water, heated and then distilled before being expertly blended together to capture the essence of Tanqueray in a delicious alcohol-free alternative,” says Tanqueray Master Distiller Terry Fraser, who suggests the “juniper and citrus” notes you’d expect from the brand’s gin will be front and center.

Our initial foray into the alcohol-free space found a lot of very nice liquids that didn’t necessarily wow us, but did offer a nice alternative to boring, no-booze standbys like flavored soda. Honestly, while the new Tanqueray 0.0% will probably make for a decent G&T alternative, it’s really going to be up to mixologists to offer up something more than spirits-free takes on classic drinks.

This actually isn’t the first spirits-free entry for drinks giant Diageo — they also debuted an alcohol-free version of Gordon’s in December. Meanwhile, Pernod Ricard recently launched low (20% ABV) variations on their Beefeater gin and, more interestingly, Ballantine’s blended Scotch releases. Perhaps keeping a bit of the boozy content will provide some needed flavor backbone.

Tanqueray 0.0% is scheduled for release in the U.K. and Spain in March.