TIME Food & Drink

Conservationists Revolted by Icelandic Brewer’s Whale Testicle Beer

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David McNew—Getty Images A fin whale spouts off the southern California coast on January 29, 2012 near Long Beach, California.

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Environmentalists have urged beer drinkers to resist the temptation to drink a new flavor of beer from Iceland, spiced with hints of smoked whale testicle.

“This is a calculated move,” read a statement from Whale and Dolphin Conservation society, “not only to dishonour a beautiful and endangered creature by using its most intimate of body parts as a marketing tool, but also sends a clear ‘two fingers’ to the conservation community and those who love and respect whales.”

Brewery co-owner Dabjartur Arilíusson told Beverage Daily that the testicles from the fin whale, an endangered species according to the World Wildlife Fund, were legally obtained from local fisheries, which were granted whaling rights this year following a two year moratorium.

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Arilíusson also framed the brew as an homage to the country’s culinary past. “We work the testicle by the old traditional way” Arilíusson said, adding that each testicle was smoked with dried sheep manure.

Read more at Beverage Daily.

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