Although we’re serious about spirits, not every bottle is meant to be taken super-seriously. With that in mind, here’s the latest in an occasional series of reviews of the weird, wild and whimsical spirits that sometimes cross our desk.
These casual reviews aren’t intended to replace the more rigorous tasting standards we employ across the year. But sometimes, we just want to have a little fun—and we bet you do, too.
The most curious bottle to recently come across my desk? A craft brandy infused with smoked trout.
To be fair, we knew what we were getting into. After all, New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling has made a name with its “House of Tamworth” line of experimental, game-y spirits, including Eau de Musc (made with beaver castoreum), the venison-infused Deerslayer Whiskey and Crab Trapper, a bourbon infused with green crab. This one, which debuts November 17, features brook trout, the New Hampshire state fish.
It has a noble purpose: $1 from each bottle sold will benefit Trout Unlimited, which protects the nation’s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds from environmental threats. (Of note, the Tamworth distillery abuts the Swift River, home to a dwindling trout population.)
The petite 200-ml bottle arrives with a bristly fish lure wrapped around its neck and the closure encased in soft, salmon-hued wax. It takes a minute to realize the label is cleverly shaped like a fish.
What’s in the bottle is a distillate infused with sustainably-farmed smoked and brined Riverence Trout (via a rotary
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
