Review: Skeeter’s Nootkatone Flavored Whiskey

Tamworth Distilling is well known for some crazy spirits — crab-flavored whiskey, anyone? — but its latest innovation might be it’s most bizarre yet. To understand it, first you must understand what nootkatone is. I’d never heard of it, but it turns out in some parts of the world, nootkatone is used as a natural mosquito repellant used in lieu of chemicals. It’s a naturally occurring compound found in grapefruit peel and Alaska yellow cedar, and it’s commonly applied as a spray or balm.

For Tamworth, it’s also a flavoring that can be used with whiskey, though you’re not necessarily intended to drink it straight. Much like a nootkatone product designed for use on the body, Skeeter’s Nootkatone Whiskey (build on top of a 60% abv base of blended whiskey) comes in a spray bottle, designed to be spritzed across the top of your drink — whatever it might be. The flavor of nootkatone is infused into your beverage, while presumably also helping to keep mosquitos away from you in the process.

Skeeter’s Nootkatone Flavored Whiskey Review

Compared to a spraydown of OFF!, Skeeter’s Nootkatone is awfully mild. I sprayed five spritzes into an empty glass and could barely smell anything — just a vaguely fruity and more clearly piney character emerging from the tumbler. Spritzing into a tighter-mouthed Glencairn helped focus some of those aromas, again coming across with notes of evergreen and a spicier lemongrass note. For my nose, the grapefruit notes played second fiddle, though they become more dominant the longer you let them linger in glass.

With some whiskey, the aromas become much stronger, right away, all of the above amplified considerably. The palate showcases those grapefruit notes quite clearly, turning minty as the whiskey develops. The fadeout easily connotes lemongrass and a heady pine-eucalyptus quality. But naturally, all of this will depend heavily on the cocktail or spirit to which you choose to apply Skeeter’s, how much of it you spray, and how concerned you are with being eaten alive while in the great outdoors. It’s a curious product — and not something I think needs a formal rating — but likely more useful as a conversation piece than a cocktail adjunct.

120 proof.

$24 (100ml)

The post Review: Skeeter’s Nootkatone Flavored Whiskey appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.