Smells very bright and packed full of flavor, like most gins. The initial taste hits you with a bit of a spicy profile after a clean first sweep, which was odd to me, and then moves into a black pepper vibe. I don't drink gins often, but I recognize that this isn't the standard juniper talking with this one. I was surprised to have what I felt was a lack of fruit flavors, after reading about the additions in this version of Tanqueray. I suppose the most evident is a bit of grapefruit bitterness, and perhaps some lime pith, if you really search hard. This certainly isn't a bad gin, but it's also not my favorite. I've been noticing that craft distilleries choose more and fresher botanicals for their gins, and that is what seems to win time after time for me.