A New Hampshire distillery has come up with a product that sounds like a gimmick but has some genuine science behind it: a citrusy whiskey finishing spray designed to keep mosquitoes away from your camp chair while you sip. Skeeter's Nootkatone Flavored Whiskey, from Tamworth Distilling, comes in an atomizer bottle that adds a bright, grapefruit-like note to mixed drinks — and, the makers hope, sends bugs packing at the same time.
The active ingredient is nootkatone, a naturally occurring compound found in cedar and grapefruit peels. It's not a fringe idea: a 2024 study in Current Biology found that nootkatone at five percent potency worked about as well as five percent DEET, the standard mosquito repellent. The researchers also noted it's non-greasy, doesn't damage plastic, smells pleasant, and is safe to consume — a rare combination for an insect repellent. That said, the spray in your drink is a flavouring, not a registered repellent, so nobody should be skipping the topical DEET just because they sprayed their Old Fashioned.
Outside Online's writer put the bottle to the test on a camping trip north of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in early September — still peak mosquito season in warmer states. The verdict was split between the glass and the campsite. As a cocktail ingredient, the fresh spray was a hit: easy to use, it added complexity to a round of camp-stove Old Fashioneds (kept away from the kids' non-alcoholic versions, since the spray is 120-proof) and made drinking from enamel camp cups feel a bit more special. As a bug deterrent, the results were less conclusive — no mosquitoes showed up during sunset drinks, but the writer had already slathered on repellent, so the spray couldn't take the credit.
For travellers, it's still a fun addition to a camping kit. The idea of a bar accessory that might double as a bug shield fits neatly into the growing market for natural alternatives to DEET, and nootkatone is one of the more credible candidates out there. Think of it as a camp cocktail upgrade first, with a possible side of insect deterrence — the marketing slogan is "spray a little, sip a little," which is about the right expectation level. If you're camping in the American Southwest in early autumn, or anywhere mosquitoes outlast the summer holidays, it's a conversation-starter worth packing alongside the stuff that actually keeps them off your skin.
Tamworth Distilling has a track record of playful, niche spirits — this is a distillery that leans into oddball ingredients — and Skeeter's Nootkatone sits comfortably in that lane. Whether it becomes a camping staple or a novelty gift, it's one of the more unusual meeting points of bartending and backcountry gear we've seen lately.
Story via Outside Online.