An innovative method of testing Scotch whisky
Scientists from the Scottish St. Andrews University have developed an innovative technology that uses lasers to determine the authenticity of Scotch whisky without opening the bottle. New research has led to the development of a method whereby registering the laser signal by the glass of a bottle will no longer be a challenge to accurately analyze its content.
The research was published in the Analytical Methods journal.
The team used laser spectroscopy - a process in which laser light is directed at whisky and a sample diffuses the light into different colours. Accurate color analysis of the scattered light allows the chemical composition of a substance to be determined and can therefore be used to identify substances. Until now, this method required taking a sample of the tested whisky. The new solution proposed by the researchers allows laser analysis to be carried out through the glass of the bottle.
This approach does not require complex optical configurations and can be easily used. Alcohol counterfeiting costs the UK economy more than £ 200 million a year, according to the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Scotch whisky is a particularly frequently counterfeit alcohol. The solution of Scottish scientists could be a big step in the fight against counterfeit whisky.
Source: The National Scot
