Tamworth Distilling’s Crab Trapper whiskey is made using the invasive green crabs that are caught off the coast of New Hampshire. Indigenous to Europe, the species came to the U.S. in the 1800s by latching onto ships, and have been damaging domestic marine ecosystems ever since, reports NPR.
Although the abundance of green crabs is too much for one distillery to meaningfully affect, the company hopes to bring awareness to the issue and open the door for creative solutions.
"They are probably one of the most successful invasive species that we have in North America, at least in the marine world," Dr. Gabriela Bradt, a marine biologist at the University of New Hampshire, told NPR. "They can eat about 40 mussels a day, just one crab. And so you multiply that by a bazillion, and you have no more clams."
Each whiskey bottle uses approximately one pound of green crabs. The crabs are first used to make crab stock, then the liquid is distilled, mixed with spices, then combined with a bourbon base.
When asked about the use of crab in the whiskey-making process, product developer Will Robinson told NPR, "People are going to hear crab whiskey, and I'd venture to say three-quarters of them are going to go, 'No, absolutely not'… But if you can get them to taste it, they totally change their tune for the most part."
NPR notes that there are no commercial incentives for crabbers to harvest the green crabs on a scale that can evoke change, but new products, like fishing bait, whiskey, sauces, and more hope to fix that. Full Story
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Image: Tamworth Distilling