Anyone interested in joining the Infinity and Evolution series projects can join without meeting specific criteria. Professional tasters, representatives of the HORECA industry and experienced whisky enthusiasts are invited to join the Paradigm projects.
The main difference is the use of artificial intelligence and crowd sensing to create blends in the Whisky Project as opposed to traditional methods based mainly on the experience of master blenders.
Yes. An account is made available to project participants where it is possible to track the progress of optimisation in each generation.
The main methods are randomised surveys and double-blind trials involving different tasters.
The results of the sensorics evaluations are standardised based on the reference blend that scored best.
A dramset is a tasting kit containing a test and control blend that is used to explore the solution space. Tasters are given dramsets to sample different blends and give their opinions on the aroma, taste and texture of each whisky. This feedback is then used to assess the quality of the blends and to further optimise the blending process.
A genetic algorithm is used to optimise the whisky blending process by simulating evolutionary processes in nature, such as selection, crossover and mutation.
The main steps include generating a starting population of blends, assessing their quality based on selection criteria, applying genetic operations (crossover and mutation) to generate new blends and iteratively repeating these steps to find the optimal solution.
The genetic algorithm makes it possible to explore a huge number of possible combinations of whisky ingredients in order to find the optimal flavour composition. Furthermore, by using evolutionary processes, the algorithm can effectively refine blends in successive iterations.
The main parameters are the diversity of aromas and flavours, the harmony of the composition, and the tasters' preferences expressed through sensorics evaluations. The algorithm tries to maximise these criteria when generating new blends.
The genetic algorithm is often used in combination with other technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analytics, to create a comprehensive system for optimising the whisky blending process.