Crayfish company creates crustacean gin

The Kennet Crayfish Company in Berkshire, England, has partnered with Sussex-based Hawkridge Distillers to craft a gin using crayfish claw shells and botanicals.

The Kennet Crayfish Company is a sustainable food producer that catches and processes wild freshwater American crayfish, which are considered an invasive species, and found in the Kennet chalk streams in Berkshire. As such, the Thatcham-based company has created a gin that utilises the leftover shells of the crustaceans caught in the chalk stream in a bid to help protect the waters and wildlife found within it. Carolyn Bennett, chief marketing officer at Kennet Crayfish Company, said: “If it takes an original story and original flavour to stand out in the craft gin market, then Kennet’s Crayfish gin hits all the right notes. “Signal crayfish, the ones we eat, are an invasive species imported from America in the 1970s. Unfortunately, they escaped into the wild and proliferated so successfully that they are now found in huge numbers across British waterways and pose a real threat to river wildlife. They damage riverbanks by tunnelling, causing the banks to collapse resulting in siltation of the rivers. They also consume the rivers’ natural invertebrates and predate on fish eggs depleting an important food source for animals such as otters.” By fishing this invasive species, The Kennet Crayfish Company helps to keep the numbers down while producing a premium food product. On the move into the spirits market, Andrew Leech, managing director of Kennet Crayfish Company, explained: “We are proud of our quality crayfish product, however I felt that there were opportunities for us to develop exciting and tasty products from the humble crayfish shells leftover after extracting the meat, and then I had the idea to create a gin. Mad as that sounded, talking to various professionals in the drinks trade I was encouraged to explore this further and so our gin journey began. I am delighted that after meeting, Phil Howarth, managing director of Hawkridge Distillers, he too thought that a crayfish gin could be winner, and I am delighted with the Kennet gin product that has emerged.” Together, the brands have distilled crayfish claw shells along with complimentary botanicals to create a gin that offers the ‘delicate taste’ of the claws of a crayfish. The Kennet Crayfish gin is described as fresh on the nose, sweet on the palate and delivers a citrus and herbaceous complexity. Howarth added: “Hawkridge has been distilling gin for many different companies from hotel groups to luxury brands, clubs and pubs since 2018. When Andrew approached us with the idea of distilling crayfish claws to make a gin, I was intrigued and excited at the prospect and certainly up for the challenge. We created the final product over numerous distillations, macerating and infusing the complimentary botanicals in our 400-litre copper pot still, Victoria. “We are delighted with the final product and very pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful botanical crayfish claws have proven to be.” Bennet added: “From the outset we wanted to create a premium craft gin that not only intrigued but also would delight the gin connoisseur and everyone who tastes it just loves it. We are looking forward to creating even more excitement around our gin by running promotions and events that incorporate Kennet’s gin with delicious crayfish dishes.” The company also wanted to feature their eco credentials as a sustainable and humane food producer and have incorporated a Tails of the Riverbank illustration by Sophie Jonas-Hill, a British award-winning artist and illustrator, into its label design. The Kennet Crayfish Gin is available in 50ml and 700ml formats priced at £6.50 (US$7.90) and £40 (US$48.80) respectively. It will be available for on-trade venues and direct to consumers via www.kennetcrayfish.com. This isn't the first time shellfish has been used in the creation of a gin. In 2019, seafood restaurant chain Wright Brothers turned to oyster shells to create a spirit in partnership with The Ginstitute distillery in west London.