This New Whiskey’s ‘Secret Ingredient’ Comes From A Beaver’s Butt
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Have you ever wondered what beaver-flavored whiskey tastes like? Us neither. But for those with more adventurous taste buds who might be wondering, the opportunity to solve this enigma has finally arrived.
Tamworth Distilling, a New Hampshire-based luxury spirits brand, is offering a beaver excretion-flavored whiskey called House of Tamworth Eau de Musc for $65 a bottle.
The “secret ingredient” responsible for Tamworth’s new limited-edition whiskey is castoreum, a secretion that comes from a beaver’s castor anal sac, a yellowish liquid that beavers use in combination with urine to scent mark territory. Yummy.
Although it may seem weird to some, castoreum is a Food and Drug Administration-approved flavoring additive that has been commercially used for quite some time. Tamworth Distilling chose to flavor their new spirit with castoreum because of its “fruit qualities” like raspberry and its “creamy vanilla aroma.”
Steven Grass, the head distiller at Tamworth Distilling, grew curious about the use of castoreum as an additive in food and luxury products and decided to test the flavoring out in one of Tamworth’s new bourbons. “The result is a rich, full-bodied two-year bourbon that bolsters a vanillic nose and fruity, floral finish — a medley of charming flavors that are sure to impress,” Grass told Food & Wine.
In addition to being used as a natural flavoring additive in food and spirits, castoreum was also used as an ingredient in luxury perfumes through the early twentieth century. The inclusion of castoreum in foods and cosmetics has declined over the years, not because it sounds gross to much of the public, but because it’s really expensive.
Other commercial products that might use castoreum as an additive include baked goods, gelatins, puddings, soft and hard candies.
Interested to find out what all the castoreum hype is about? You can buy your very own bottle of beaver whiskey by paying a visit to Tamworth Distilling, a visit that you can combine with a distillery tour. Cheers!
[h/t Food & Wine]
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