Counterfeit whiskey, sensor found with 99.7% accuracy

A small sensor has been developed that can detect counterfeit whiskey just like a human tongue. It is said that this sensor not only detects that it is not whiskey, but also determines the aging period and aging difference of the whiskey with high precision.

According to a survey by Rare Whiskey 101, a rare whiskey evaluator and seller, 21 out of 55 Scotch whiskeys among the vintage products on the market were counterfeit whiskeys distilled from different age groups than the age on the label. In this investigation, radioactive carbon dating was used.

However, a research team at the University of Glasgow in the UK has developed a technology that can determine the type of whiskey or the maturation period with a small portable sensor. The sensor surface, called the bimetallic nanoplasmonic tongue, has microscopic grooves measuring only 100 nm on one side and 2 million pieces of aluminum in a grid. When a sample such as whiskey is dropped on it and exposed to light, a piece of metal or a chemical substance applied to the surface reflects light with a slightly different wavelength depending on the type of sample molecule. It analyzes these wavelengths of light and checks them against a database to determine which liquid it is.

The artificial tongue cannot detect certain chemical substances, but it detects differences in substances contained in the nucleus with high accuracy. As a result of comparing three types of whiskey that are distilled, but different from those used for maturation or maturation, it is said that the GLENFIDDICH 12, 15, and 18 years were all distinguished.

The human tongue doesn’t know the composition of coffee, but it knows the difference in coffee taste. It is explained that this sensor is the same principle. It is possible to detect small differences in the type or amount of aromatic compounds contained in whiskey.

Since the artificial tongue can accurately detect liquids that have already been registered, it is expected to be applicable for a wide range of applications ranging from whiskey analysis, food quality inspection, poison identification, and river water quality inspection. Related information can be found here .