Tanqueray Gin was initially distilled in 1830 by Charles Tanqueray in the Bloomsbury district of London. When Charles died in 1868 his son Charles Waugh Tanqueray inherited the distillery, which operated until it was severely damaged in World War II. Only one of the facilities survived the Axis bombing. The remaining one, now known as "Old Tom", has since been moved to Cameron Bridge, Scotland.

Tanqueray is a London Dry Gin, so called because of the distillation process, not the origin of the product and is primarily produced in Scotland for export to its largest market, the US. London Dry Gin is made through double distillation of a neutral grain spirit with botanicals added during the second distillation.

Tony Sinclair (his motto at the end of every advertisement being "Always in moderation," followed by a manic laugh), a fictional, highly esteemed socialite, was Tanqueray's spokesman in the U.S.A. for several years.[1] Created by Conor Sheridan, Glenn Porter, and Fred Liedtke for Grey Advertising, he made his physical debut in commercials, portrayed by Rodney Mason as a madcap socialite of Black British descent.