Whisky

We're all familiar with the cliché of the wine aficionado who is able to tell where a wine's grapes were grown, based on its flavor. Well, new research indicates that a similar thing can be done with whisky, according to where its barley was grown.

A team of scientists at the University of St Andrews has developed a laser spectroscopy technique that can determine the authenticity of expensive vintage whiskey without having to open the bottle to retrieve a sample for analysis.

Aston Martin and Bowmore have linked brands to create a limited edition whisky that incorporates an Aston Martin DB5 piston along with 700 ml of Black Bowmore 1964 single malt, one of the rarest and most sought-after single malt whiskies ever created.

Three bottles of whisky that had once sold for a world record price appeared at a Sotheby’s auction last Thursday, none of them near the current record, but all demonstrating that rare whisky is one of the most rewarding investments currently available.

A tiny artificial tongue which can identify individual whiskies by taste has been invented by a team of Scottish engineers . The device could mean big things for drink makers wanting to ensure a consistent product, and protect their precious brands from counterfeiters at the same time.

The Macallan New Distillery and Visitor Experience, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, boosts production for the Scottish firm known for its single malt whisky. It's a remarkable looking building, and is defined by a large undulating timber roof that's topped by greenery.

A cask of 1987 Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky fetched HK$2,928,00 ($375,064) at a Spinks auction in Hong Kong on October 4, setting a new record for a whisky cask at auction and raising the previous record of $251,864 by a staggering 50 percent.

​Bikes with wooden frames are often thought of as being fine and classy … not unlike single malt Scotch whiskies. With that in mind, Renovo Hardwood Bicycles has partnered with distillery Glenmorangie to create the Glenmorangie Original – a limited-edition bike made from reclaimed whisky casks.

For many people, adding anything to a single malt whisky is close to sacrilege, but adding a drop or two of water to lesser blends enhances the flavor. The question is, why? At Sweden's Linnaeus University, researchers have come up with an answer from a molecular perspective.

​Different types of whiskies can be chemically very similar, to the point that standard tests sometimes can't tell them apart. With that in mind, researchers have developed what's being described as a synthetic tongue – it scientifically differentiates between whiskies via their "flavor."

In a move that Star Trek's Mister Scott would approve of, Scottish distiller Ballantine’s has developed a glass for sipping whisky in zero gravity. The cleverly conceived Space Glass might well be a more attractive proposition for astronauts than plastic bags and straws.

Scottish start-up Celtic Renewables, based in Edinburgh, has achieved proof of concept in producing biofuel and other useful products from the waste by-products of the country’s £4.3 billion (US$6.8 billion) whisky industry.