The Glenlivet Unites AI, Blockchain, and Whisky
In an announcement on Feb. 13, the distributor announced that it would be selling 12 bottles from a special whisky collection with custom labels created by AI, and a blockchain-based marketplace to guarantee provenance and traceability.
For each bottle of whiskey they sell, digital certificates of authenticity and ownership will be created through a marketplace called The Whisky Exchange Cabinet, which uses NFTs and blockchain technology.
According to The Drinks Business, The Whisky Exchange CEO Nicolas Oudinot said that many projects have come into the market focused on NFTs, but The Whisky Exchange is selling rare bottles of whisky through artificial intelligence.
The Glenlivet Push Whisky, AI, and Blockchain
The Glenlivet‘s cask expert, Kevin Balmforth, said the collection represents a “look to the future” as the distillery celebrates 200 years in business.
‘’As we commemorate 200 years of The Glenlivet, this ultra-rare collection represents a look to the future and offers whisky enthusiasts worldwide a foray into the evolution of luxury investments,’ he said.
The combination of blockchain and alcohol may be an intriguing one, but it’s not the first time the industries have interacted. On July 5, 2019, beer brewery BrewDog enabled investors to buy shares using cryptocurrencies as part of its crowdfunding campaign
As of 2022, Munich-based MetaBrewSociety offers voting rights on business decisions of a physical brewery using NFTs and a decentralized autonomous organization, with “beer share” certificates providing different levels of governance rights.
Through the use of augmented reality, brewery tech lab researchers in Australia worked together with researchers from a facility in Germany to develop metaverse use cases.
The Whisky Exchange Cabinet will launch with the whisky as its inaugural release, and anyone who purchases it will receive a transferable digital certificate, which proves ownership irrefutably.
As a bonus, buyers receive a digital certificate upon purchase, which they can redeem for samples of 48, 49, and 50-year-old whisky, plus the full bottle as soon as it becomes available.