For Biochemists & Scientists

What results from the customization process, limited in the AGC and complete in the ACC, is a diverse sample set of whiskies. With the AGC, for example, we are able to obtain 4000 elements in our dataset. with 3 parameters for each. By the end of the AGC, we should have an understanding of how char level, aging time, and finish impact the chemical composition, and thereby, the character of the whiskey. After the Connoisseur collection is available, we would be able to gather data related to the various changes in the character of many mash bill products based on various conditions. We also test the market with so many products that we can begin to gather data related to the preferences of our customers. If a particular barrel produces a highly desirable whiskey, we can look back at the composition of that whiskey, informed by mass spectrometry of a sample of the whiskey, and then identify the compounds related to the most prominent and acclaimed notes.

CAD illustration of DAPCI-MS analysis of Scotch. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44456-0)

Over time, we should be able to develop a workflow that can allow for whiskeys to be customized purely based on note selection with details related to barrel type, mash bill, aging, and finish all calculated for you at mint, if you so choose. For any options you may modify yourself, we would also be able to predict the flavor profile for you. Moving forward, we would identify the biosynthetic pathways that build such compounds through a high-throughput bioinformatics workflow, catalog the genetic information required to transplant such pathways into yeast using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system, and potentially be able to craft a spirit that can give you the experience of any whiskey you may desire, no matter how old, or by which meticulous process manufactured. In the far future (or in the near), we may be able to provide anybody with any whiskey they choose, whenever they choose. We believe that the only way to ensure that we are producing the best whiskey is to make ourselves capable of producing any whiskey.

DAPCI-MS spectral ‘fingerprints’ from 3 authentic brands of whisky and 3 counterfeit samples (after post-processing to remove ethanol clusters). (a) Mean spectra of Brand 1. (b) Mean spectra of Brand 2. (c) Mean spectra of Brand 3. (d) Individual counterfeit sample S16-0226. (e) Individual counterfeit sample S16-0810. (f) Individual counterfeit sample S16-0940. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44456-0)