Distillery has new bourbon flavoured by beaver secretion

TAMWORTH, N.H. – Beaver-flavoured whiskey, anyone?

A New Hampshire distillery has a new bourbon, Eau De Musc, flavoured partly by the secretion from a beaver’s castor sacs.

Tamworth Distilling says the secretion, called castoreum, has a history of being used as a flavouring and is on a small list of FDA ingredients called “generally recognized as safe.”

The distillery says on its website castoreum “exhibits bright and fruit qualities (raspberry) and rich leathery notes along with creamy vanilla aroma,” common among barrel-aged spirits.

Other ingredients are raspberry, Canadian snakeroot, fir needles, birch bark (tar oil and regular oil) and maple syrup.