‘All of that data is
captured by our
applications and
recorded on
the blockchain
Drew Lyall, arc-netWIRED PARTNERSHIP | AILSA BAYPHOTOGRAPHY:CHARLIESURBEYTrack your Ailsa Bayon the blockchainThe data collected throughout this tech-forward whisky’s
production is now digitally captured and certifiedCutting-edge technology and data
analytics enable Ailsa Bay to push the
limits of making whisky to create a
perfectly balanced sweet and smoky
flavour that’s 22 parts per million peat
and 19 parts per million in sweetness.
But the innovation doesn’t end once the
bottles of Ailsa Bay 1.2 Sweet Smoke are
on shelves – thanks to the blockchain.
Sprung from a “hackadram” event
held in 2017, the Ailsa Bay blockchain
was built by experts at arc-net,
including its general manager Drew
Lyall. “It was clear Ailsa Bay was
doing innovative work, and this was
another clear path for some interesting
innovation,” he says. Blockchain is the
distributed ledger at the heart of bitcoin,
but while the digital cryptocurrency has
its ups and downs, the tech platform is
designed to be stable and secure. Any
entries on the ledger are held publicly –
meaning it can’t be tampered with.
That makes a blockchain useful
for tracking the provenance of food
such as fish, to ensure it comes from
sustainable sources as claimed, as well
as to ensure a high-value product hasn’t
been meddled with or counterfeited.
Estimates suggest as much as a third
of rare whisky is counterfeit.
For Ailsa Bay, the blockchain not only
ensures authenticity by letting whisky
drinkers track their bottle from source to
store, but also shares the detailed data
that’s collected on every bottle during
production, from the malt suppliers to
the amount of yeast added to the batch,
all of which informs the high-tech
distillation process. “That data is
captured by our applications and
recorded on the blockchain,” says Lyall.
That includes sources of raw materials,
cask types, filling dates and bottling
details, all accessed by scanning a QR
code on the label with a smartphone.
Alongside fermentation duration,
bottling data, blending date and more,
there’s digitally created art generated
by the information gathered throughoutthe whisky-making process. “It’s what’s
called generative artwork, a data-led
graphic,” says Lyall. This highlights how
data is at the heart of Ailsa Bay, with
analytics allowing for precision chemistry
to achieve a perfect balance of technology,
data and passion, creating a work of art.
Ailsa Bay is available on Amazon
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