On the trail of whisky counterfeiting

Whatever is expensive is often counterfeited - whether Montblanc pens, Rolex watches, perfumes or designer bags. Unfortunately, the market for pirated goods is flourishing. So it is not surprising that the whisky industry is not immune to fraudsters either. After all, a bottle does not always contain what the label says it should. This is particularly costly for collectors when they pay a fortune for a supposedly fine drop that has been diluted with cheap booze. To thwart counterfeiters, retailers come up with all sorts of ideas, such as labelling bottles with a code or a special cap to prevent attempts at tampering.

Artificial tongue 2.0

The Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow have been working on a method to distinguish genuine whisky from counterfeit whisky for some time. Researcher Alasdair Clark and his team have now succeeded in developing an artificial tongue. The sensor is based on a glass plate on which tiny metal plates made of gold and aluminium are attached in a checkerboard pattern. These can differentiate between liquids due to different waves. Different flavour profiles can also be trained, just like a real tongue.

Artificial tongues are nothing new. However, this one is the first to work with two different metals. This enables not only faster, but also even more precise whisky analysis. The only catch: the test cannot yet be carried out without opening the bottle. This is likely to be problematic for collectors in particular, as the fine drop loses value when it is opened. However, the technology could be groundbreaking in terms of food quality control in the future, as the artificial tongue can be used for more than just spirits.

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