AI IN THE WORLD OF WHISKY

 The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Whisky Production

The use of AI within beverage alcohol has grown out of its infancy and the technology, mostly used in new product formulation, often linked to marketing activity and driving increased efficiency across company operations, is now seen as a research tool and an aid to new product development with the potential to deliver additional benefits across company operations, from revenue and real time supply chain management to production efficiency.

How Will AI Impact Spirits?

A June 2023 seminar ‘The Nature of Sensorial AI’ held in partnership with Preferabli, a prominent B2B2C discovery and recommendation software for the wine, spirits and food product industry, looked at how AI was being used in the wine and spirits industry and how the technology might develop, given its propensity for rapid self-multiplication. As its use spread, artificial intelligence (AI) was found marching into various industries to help with new product development, marketing and in the improvement of business operations. It wouldn’t be too difficult to assess how it could benefit companies in the alcohol sector. The unasked question was: Would it a pose a risk to creativity and jobs?

Labelled food and drink have a specification linking the product to the experience. Vodka or water was defined by being tasteless, and if a premium experience was to be delivered there, it had to be connected to a sort of physical seasoning or some other kind of multi-sensory experience that went beyond the drink. Only then would one deliver more, building a differentiated product while more tastes converged.

The prevailing ambience was another important element in a service setting, as it influenced the obtaining mood greatly. Simply changing the lighting or playing music had a profound impact on taste. One had to go beyond the normal range of experience to deliver extraordinary tasting experiences. For instance, Glenmorangie had created three short films some time back which focussed on three frontline whiskies, The Original, Lasanta and Signet and 'communicated the sensorial nature of whisky' using 'pioneering online techniques' to test extraordinary tasting experiences with whisky using Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)* triggers, so that consumers could ‘feel’ the taste of Glenmorangie. Evidently, the world was redefining what constituted a luxurious experience.

Generative AI, which can produce text, images, or video, could be applied in the industry. Brand owners could use generative AI to market their products, using several AI opportunities in the market like customisation to take personalisation to the next level to an unprecedented scale. Creativity followed suit. When humans worked with AI, benefits increased and made the interactor more creative. Soon there would be AI tools that would do a task themselves, doing away with the current need of a lot of human input and building increased context windows… tools that could actually keep much more in their memory.

The role that AI plays in informal gatherings like Cocktails led to a consensus that the aim should be the widest reach and diversity as possible. It was for the players concerned to think about how AI could be employed in a way that didn’t lead to AI writing the menu. That would be self-defeating because that meant the replacement of the players by AI; what was required was implementation in a way that was both satiating and interesting. Thus the AI platform was to be given menus based on core ingredients and allow the AI generating software to generate the imagery for applicable menus and coasters. Ideally, this would be interactive, examining the AI- created imagery and punching in a few more ingredients to just see what the software visualised - a neat playful way of integrating [AI] without it taking away our agency creativity. 

Diageo’s recent collaboration with AI Palette had revealed key flavour trends for 2024 including umami, spicy, tropical and ‘bloom harvest’. Creativity was essential in gathering the ingredients, flavours and drinks, at a time where everyone had access to just about every ingredient on the planet. Trends were usually manated by macrocultural events like movies, art or fashion. In 2023,  Barbiemania saw everyone going to pink drinks; this year Starbucks collaborated with Pantone, an iconic brand in fashion and design, to introduce an exclusive Pantone-inspired merchandise collection available at select Starbucks stores across Asia Pacific. Quite evidently, drink trends follow macrocultural movements.

Software Development

Besides Preferabli, another software tool Proofworks was included in the discussions. The response to the query whether AI could replace roles in the industry met with the response that the AI kits were not replacing anyone, but broadly optimisation of production and supply chain in the wine and spirits industry while combating counterfeiting. There are elements of software that are replacing some jobs but at the same time creating others, but in the narrow field of wine and spirits software machine learning, there is no eradication of jobs. This is all amplification and expansion.

From a consumer perspective, not everyone has access to go to a whisky tasting or visit a distillery or be guided on their wine journey. Digital tools can thus be used to do the switching and re-scaling, leaving them more accessible to bigger audiences. In terms of actual distilleries themselves, the processes there are being optimised. But it’s to free up distillers to do things that they’re great at: creating new recipes, innovating in other ways.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in whisky production marks a bold step into the future while respecting and preserving the past. Distilleries, both venerable and new, harness AI to refine their craft, ensuring consistency, enhancing flavours, and even creating new blends that challenge the very notion of what whisky can be. To begin with, the most significant impact of AI in whisky production is in the creation of flavour profiles. Traditional whisky making relies heavily on human expertise and intuition to develop flavours. However, AI introduces a new dimension to this process using historical recipes, sales data, and customer preferences to generate a recipe that promises to be both popular and innovative.

Next, AI is also playing a critical role in ensuring consistency and quality in whisky production. Distilleries like Macallan take advantage of AI-driven sensors and data analytics to monitor and control every stage of the whisky-making process. From fermentation to ageing, AI tools help in maintaining the optimal conditions needed for producing consistent, high-quality whisky. Moreover, to maximise the value from this enhanced process, Macallan is also leveraging AI to train its staff in optimised distilling processes, thereby embracing the people, process and technology aspects of any good innovation.

AI is being used to advise new product development and guide subsequent marketing campaigns; for instance, online drinks retailer The Whisky Exchange used AI to design labels for a luxury collection of 12 bottles of The Glenlivet 50-year-old single malt, sold for €40,000 a bottle to mark the distillery’s bicentenary in 2024.

Sustainability stands out as a crucial area where AI is making great strides. Distilleries are increasingly leveraging AI to enhance resource efficiency and cut down on waste. Take Glenfiddich, for instance; they've begun implementing AI to reduce energy consumption and streamline the management of by-products, ultimately fostering a more sustainable whisky production process. Amazingly enough, this has allowed them to even fuel their trucks with whisky waste.

The Art and Science of AI-Blended Whisky

AI-created spirit reflects the potential of AI in crafting unique flavour profiles to boost quality enhancement. Distilleries like Jameson are exploring AI to monitor the ageing process. Sensor-equipped AI systems can analyse the chemical composition of the whisky as it ages, thereby guaranteeing batch standards as projected. The next step could well be customised whisky, wherein a batch of whisky is specifically tailored for the tastebuds of a specific customer. This goes a step beyond flavour profiles, which is essentially matching new make output to historic profiles. With AI, whisky producers can now manage whisky making at nanoscales without incurring a cost penalty, enabling an entirely new brand of premiumised services within the industry. Such an approach will offer a markedly personal and taste-specific experience, transforming consumer interaction with whisky brands radically.

Enhancing the Digital Distillation Era

The constants in whisky production were easily digitised, leaving only the imponderables, like weather, olfactory and sensory inputs, mash bill variations to human intervention. However, this was one area Artificial Intelligence (AI) could play a major role, the very prospect of which could be both exhilarating and profound. The combination of AI with traditional distilling methods is not just about creating better whisky; it's about re-imagining the entire whisky experience. For whisky enthusiasts, distillers, and innovators, AI is an invitation to join a journey that respects tradition while boldly embracing the future. For whisky producers, AI unlocks product efficiencies, a new set of blends, and level of precision flavour that distillers only dreamed about.

Proponents of AI maintain the spirits industry can enhance operations efficiency, innovate with new products and recipes, improve customer experiences, and stay competitive in a dynamic market.

* ASMR is a tingling sensation that some people experience in response to audiovisual stimuli. The response usually starts as tingling or warmth in the head and moves throughout the body. Some people report feelings of well-being and relaxation when experiencing this.