This Whiskey Tastes Like Green Crabs, and That's a Good Thing for Our Ecosystem
The out-of-the-box whiskey was created to curb the invasive green crab species from further ecosystem damage.
Earlier this year, martini savants were treated to the country's first-ever oyster-flavored vodka for an incredible briney booze experience. But now, the Industrious Spirit Company's Ostreida is not the only seafood-infused bottle on the market.
A New Hampshire-based distillery has unveiled an all-new whiskey concoction flavored with green crabs. The brew, dubbed Crab Trapper, also features notes of maple, vanilla oak, clove, cinnamon, and allspice, AP reports.
Tamworth Distilling created the innovative new flavor to help curb the wreckage of this invasive crab. According to the outlet, the tiny crustaceans have decimated the area's marine ecosystem, robbing native species of food and shelter sources.
The crabs are "so numerous that they have really impacted shellfish habitats and fisheries because they are also voracious predators," University of New Hampshire's fisheries extension specialist Gabriela Bradt told the AP.
The crabs are reportedly boiled to create a "stout crab broth" that is then fortified with alcohol and distilled to remove unwanted smells. The byproduct, which evokes a subtle flavor of the sea, includes coriander, cinnamon, bay leaf, and mustard seed tossed into a bourbon cask and aged for several years.
"Crab Trapper is made with a bourbon base steeped with a custom crab, corn, and spice blend mixture, best likened to a Low Country Boil," Tamworth Distilling wrote on its site. "The crab is present lightly on the nose, accompanied by coriander and bay to smooth out any high notes."
You can snag a bottle at Tamworth Distilling & Mercantile in New Hampshire.