A first-of-its-kind scientific study is set to examine how different climates on different continents shape the maturation, chemistry and taste of whisky. Eight single malts, one from each continent, will be analyzed over six months, including the world’s first whisky matured in Antarctica.
The study is being carried out in Brazil, not Scotland, and Europe is represented by Penderyn in Wales rather than a Scottish distillery.
Dr Aline Bortoletto, a Brazilian food scientist specializing in the chemistry and sensory science of alcoholic beverages, is leading the analysis with her team at INOVBEV in São Paulo.
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READ THE STORYThe Antarctic whisky, named Isla Marambio, was created by La Alazana in Argentina. It spent five years maturing there before spending three years at Marambio Base, an Argentine research station, in temperatures that dropped to -35°C.
Penderyn, founded in 2000, sits in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons. It distills in a custom-designed single copper-pot Faraday still found nowhere else, with its whisky-making team led by master blender Aista Phillips. In July 2023, Single Malt Welsh Whisky was granted Protected Geographical Indication status, the first new UK spirit to gain that protection.
The whiskies are drawn from The 8 Continent Series, curated by Daniel Monk through Cask World. The collection follows the eight-continent model, which includes Zealandia, the largely submerged landmass recognized by geologists as the eighth continent in 2017.
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The other distilleries are Union Distillery in Brazil, Shelter Point in Canada, Boplaas in South Africa, Rampur in India, Lawrenny in Tasmania, and Pokeno in New Zealand.
The study comes amid the growth of “world whisky.” India is now the world’s largest whisky market, drinking close to half of all whisky consumed globally.
Scotland remains whisky’s heartland, with more than 150 distilleries and the spirit the UK’s biggest food and drink export. The industry faces challenges after a post-pandemic boom, with fluctuating tariffs, softening consumer demand, oversupply of maturing stock and rising costs.
“We’re proud to be representing Europe in this study,” said Aista Phillips, master blender at Penderyn. “Wales lost its whisky for more than a century, so to stand alongside distilleries from every continent in The 8 Continent Series says a lot about how far world whisky has come.”
Dr Bortoletto said: “This is genuinely uncharted territory. No study has examined how single malt whisky matures across climates this different, from the heat of northern India to the freezing cold of Antarctica. By combining chemical and sensory analysis, we hope to give whisky lovers, and producers, a clearer picture of how different climates and place shape what ends up in the glass.”
Monk, who in 2022 created The Intrepid, the world’s largest bottle of whisky, said: “Scotland, and Ireland, are the spiritual homes of whisky. What this study and collection is exploring is how far whisky has travelled.”
He continued: “If producers know how best to work with their climates, they may be able to look at every step of their production process and find ways to be more efficient and use less energy.”
Over the six months, the team will build a detailed chemical and sensory profile of each whisky, combining gas chromatography with a trained sensory panel. The findings will be recorded in an international scientific report, expected to be presented at food and beverage science conferences.
