This American Distillery Is Flavoring Whiskey With Deer Meat

Flavored whiskey is a tricky thing to nail – and for many people, there’s no point in it in the first place. For a lot of whiskey aficionados, the whole joy of the drink is that its complexity is derived from its traditional production methods, not by anything else being added into it. That hasn’t stopped plenty of whiskey producers from making their own flavored versions, though, and sometimes they can get pretty out-there. We can just about take Fireball and its ever-increasing range of flavors, but Costco’s hot dog bourbon? That one was tough. 

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A similarly meat-infused whiskey recently came to our attention from Tamworth Distilling, too – and this one might be as left-field as they come. Deer whiskey? Sure, why not. 

The Deerslayer

New Hampshire-based distillery Tamworth Distilling puts innovation at the forefront of its mission. This whiskey producer has been called “the northeast’s answer to Willy Wonka” by Food & Wine, and amongst its flavors sits The Deerslayer, which is flavored with…venison. Yep, that’s right: To make this 49.5% ABV whiskey, which comes in 200ml bottles, Tamworth Distilling combines hand-chopped red deer venison with porcini mushrooms, cranberries, juniper berries, and green peppercorns, fermenting and then smoking the mixture – and then combining it with aged rye whiskey. The finished product is, Tamworth says, savory and smoky, with an undertone of spiced fruit. 

If it weren’t for the venison (and the porcini mushrooms), this whiskey might sound pretty tame – but that meat changes everything. Surprisingly, though, reviews have noted that The Deerslayer has a surprisingly delicate, nuanced flavor. Yes, it tastes meaty, as you’d expect – but it’s not totally overwhelming, and the other flavors manage to shine through. Naturally, though, vegetarians need not apply.

A Wild World Of Flavor

Would you believe me if I said that Tamworth Distilling’s Deerslayer whiskey wasn’t the strangest of its flavors? Because for my money, it isn’t. Some of the distillery’s other whiskey and brandy infusions are seriously pushing the boat out in terms of palatability. Case in point: It has a whiskey flavored with castoreum (a secretion from the castor sacs of mature beavers), a whiskey infused with green crab, and a brandy flavored with durian and indole. The last one is called Corpse Flower Durian Brandy, just FYI. 

Look, I’m going to be totally honest: I’m probably going to stick with regular whiskey, which I really don’t drink that often anyway. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the boundary-pushing here. Someone’s got to innovate!