Molecular whisky, artificial tongue

A true whisky, connoisseurs would aver, comes from the prolonged spirited interplay between barley, rye or wheat, and barrels. But the recent advent of the first ‘molecular’ whisky from California whose ingredients have never seen the inside of either a still or a barrel threatens the very identity of the spirit(ual?) leader that allegedly has more devotees in India than in Scotland. More the result of a spirited but speedy interplay between science and alcohol, it involves identifying and isolating specific molecules that give whisky its characteristics, acquiring them in their purest form from only natural ingredients and blending them with a neutral grain spirit to make ‘molecular’ whisky in a single day. This speed and familiar flavour — not to mention its very trendy ‘all natural’ constitution — could put traditional distillers over a barrel. More so as even Scottish tongues have apparently been fooled into thinking it’s the real thing.

Given the economic ramifications of lab-made whisky, it cannot be coincidental that scientists in Scotland have promptly unveiled an artificial ‘nano tongue’ that can identify ‘counterfeit’ whisky. But as recently revised rules for barrels used for ageing have led to whisky being put into former tequila casks and vice versa, can the fake whisky problem really be licked by this invention?