Over two years, Diageo used AI and algorithms to analyze different Scotch whiskies.
Alcoholic drinks company Diageo has invested $230 million in a portfolio of whiskey tourism projects. More than $44 million of this lump sum went toward his exploration of aging whiskey using a technology called SmokeDNAi.
The team used SmokeDNAi to test and analyze the flavor profile and mouthfeel of non-identical twin whiskies, distilled in different casks (remaining casks and original casks). This rare pair of whiskeys is named Port Ellen Gemini and each bottle costs $50,000.
The purpose of the analysis is to better understand the aging of whiskey in barrel.
SmokeDNAi’s announcement follows the reopening of Port Ellen in Scotland. Forty years later, this “ghost” distillery has welcomed tourists back with modern advances in both construction and whiskey production.
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SmokeDNAi technology is used by Diageo to test and analyze the mouthfeel and flavor of liquids from different casks. (Diageo)
“What we want to do is have this nice, slow aging in barrel while controlling the flavor,” said Ewan Morgan, national luxury ambassador and head of whiskey promotion for Diageo North America on FOX. He told News Digital. “We now have a better understanding of why they taste the way they do, why they smell the way they do, or why they taste the way they do.”
Vanillin, the signature character of vanilla, was transformed between two whiskey casks at Islay distillery Port Ellen. One barrel contained about 3%, while the other contained more than twice as much, about 6%. The remaining barrels contained booze from the 1960s and 1980s, Morgan said.
“It gives us a better understanding of what the final product is going to look like,” Morgan said.
Port Ellen can leverage the dataset to maximize production, flavor and sales of its whiskeys and new blends in the future.
Using a sample of whiskey, the liquid is subjected to a chemical analysis process, gas or liquid chromatography, and an algorithm classifies the dataset of individual components.
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“It basically takes the characteristics of that liquid and gives you measurements or spike measurements of the different compounds that are in it,” Morgan said. “And that doesn’t mean much, unless you’re an organic chemist or really interested in that kind of thing. So what we wanted to do was demystify it and It was about making it easy.”
Diageo also sought to provide consumers with taste and flavor through sight.
From the ether, an “algorithmic machine-generated work of art powered by SmokeDNAi technology” generates images of whiskey smoke over time, according to Diageo.
Design experts worked with Bose Collins to create visuals that were easier for consumers to understand than datasets.
“There’s an overlay there that has a chemical name like vanillin, for example, and it smells and tastes like vanilla,” Morgan said.
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Here, whiskey lovers can gaze at flavor combinations, aromas and distinct profiles invisible to the naked eye.
“In the visuals, you can see a small amount of one particle moving around,” Morgan said. “Then there’s a bigger cloud out there, and it shows you the percentiles of these compounds that are there.”
The visual profile may include combinations of coconut, smoky, earthy, medicinal, floral, and sweet flavors.
“This gives you a very visual view of what’s going on inside the barrel at a glance,” Morgan said. “This will give us a clearer understanding of our whisky.”