In 2017, his research yielded an interesting discovery: When American whiskey is diluted with water, it creates what he has termed “whiskey webs.” Read more below.

UofL News: How did you become interested in “whiskey webs?” What is a whiskey web?

Williams: My great uncle worked for Brown-Forman distillery and, when I was a young professor looking at all the avenues of research, I reached out to Brown-Forman and learned that there were colloids in bourbon. When I went on sabbatical in 2017 at North Carolina State, I took a case of bourbon to study its colloid science. We were motivated by a Harvard study where they evaporated Scotch droplets onto a slide, where it formed a uniform film.

For our experiment, we took whiskey at about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV) and diluted it with water to 20% ABV and evaporated it. We discovered, by accident, that the resulting patterns looked like webs, nothing like the Scotch results. We liked the term whiskey webs to describe this result and decided to investigate the governing colloid science. We wondered if you could differentiate different bourbons through investigating their whiskey web patterns. Could it be used as a counterfeit measure or for quality control?

UofL News: How is this both an art and a science?

Williams: It crosses different thresholds. If you show people a picture of a whiskey web, they’re drawn to it, it has vibrant color and nice contrast. When you tell them it’s a whiskey droplet, they’re intrigued and can’t just walk away. They want to know more. One of our whiskey webs was actually accepted into an art gallery in Texas in 2019 and it won the visitor’s award because people were so intrigued by it. Once people are interested, then they want to know how it formed. They ask, “What’s the science behind it?” It’s nice that it crosses all those boundaries and produces a nice story when everything is brought together.

UofL News: Is it possible to identify different brands of whiskey by their webs?

Williams: Yes, but the caveat is that it’s sensitive to a fault. We found out that if the humidity changes in the lab, or if we change our water source, the pattern changes. We are working on ways of making this test robust enough to generate a consistent library, for example, such that Buffalo Trace always looks like this. Can we do it? Yes. Is it feasible to do it? Perhaps. We would have to have very precise controls in order to say “yes” to your question. We are still working on ways to make it more robust.

UofL News: What is your favorite whiskey web and why?

Williams: I am intrigued by Pappy Van Winkle. It’s a sample where I have different ages – 10, 20 year variations so it gives me a way to compare and contrast. What we’ve noticed is that Pappy is one that has webs in the middle but not on the perimeter. We’ve noticed with some of our other 20-yr bourbons that the patterns only form on the interior. Why is that? What’s going on in the physics that gives us indication of age? It’s a web that looks neat, too, but at the same time there’s a science-driven reason behind it.

UofL News: What research applications and new knowledge do you expect to glean from this study?

Williams: With whiskey webs, we consider it an engineering problem we are actively pursuing to get to that identification and characterization stage. One possible research application is quality control.

Will this replace high tech applications like liquid chromatography that can really get down to the molecular level? No, but once we get that portable robust testing methodology panned out – could it be used for a quick drop quality control? I think so. From a counterfeit perspective, it might work to tell us if it is bourbon or not. You could take moonshine and add colorant and call it bourbon, but we have found if it is not a bourbon, it won’t create a web.Ěý Using the physics that guide this, can we apply it to other things besides whiskey? We are looking at that.

People are interested in creating a whiskey web for their personal favorites so we’re also working to develop an at-home kit. The challenge is to get the light just right, and not everyone has access to highly filtered water. While you need a microscope to get a really good artistic image, you can actually visualize a web with your smart phone at home. We have a kit that can make that happen.

UofL News: What’s next?

Williams: Doing outreach and education on this has been great. Whiskey webs was one of the display projects in Washington, DC in spring of 2019 selected to present to the Smithsonian. 60,000 people viewed it at the ACCelerate Festival.Ěý Outside of Kentucky, most people don’t know what bourbon is. They think it’s just whiskey, so it’s great educating the public on what bourbon is. The difference, in case you don’t know, is American whiskeys, inclusive of bourbon are aged in newly charred, never used, oak barrels. Whiskey webs form for any American whiskey, so for us at least it’s that new barrel that is the key to making these structures from what we’ve studied so far. (In addition, bourbon specifically, as opposed to other whiskeys, is made from a majority of corn in the grains within its mash.)

This makes for a nice evolving conversation with interested viewers – this is bourbon, this is colloid science, this is how things evaporate. We enjoy telling that narrative to whoever is willing to listen. Once the pandemic allows, we are willing to go to different local and regional events to have people talk about science, talk about bourbon, talk about art, all of the above.

That’s one thing we’re excited about and looking forward to doing in the future, as well as, of course generating proposals and scientific ideas and trying to get the fundamental science going at the same time.

Read the full article on the .Ěý

The partnership will award five full-tuition scholarships for UofL’s , with preference given to Black students, women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented groups. The certificate is a graduate-level, online program to prepare individuals for careers in business operations of the distilled spirits industry.Ěý 

“The KDA and its members recognize that there are too few diverse voices in our industry and we must do more to build a workforce more reflective of our population and culture,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “The KDA/UofL Scholars Program is part of our commitment to create an industry and a community that are more diverse, equal, welcoming and inclusive. Moreover, these students will be the foundation for historic and necessary change – a permanent legacy that will last for generations and forever transform our timeless craft.”

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association will fund these and other scholarships through its new Lifting Spirits Foundation.

“At the University of Louisville, we are committed to empowering our communities by improving equity and access in all areas of education and achievement,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “The KDA/UofL partnership is a shining example of how we can work hand in hand with industry to create a more equitable society for all in one of our state’s essential industries.”

In addition to completing coursework, UofL and the KDA are exploring opportunities for the scholars to participate in a series of industry immersions such as internships and mentorships. Through the commitments of the KDA and its members, these experiences would give participants an unparalleled and rich exploration of the industry and the distinct Kentucky firms that lead it.

“At the end of a year, each KDA UofL scholar will understand the business and management principles of the industry, said , College of Business executive-in-residence and director of the Distilled Spirits Business Certificate Program. “They will have enhanced their resume with real-world experience, develop meaningful relationships with leading industry executives, and learn the unique culture of these KDA member distilleries. All in all, there could not be a better way to open the gateway to success than these skills, perspectives and relationships. Our shared vision is that in 20 years, there’ll be a cohort of senior-level leaders in the industry, creating similar opportunities for others, who started their careers as KDA/UofL Scholars.”

Jessica Pendergrass, chair of the KDA board of directors and a UofL alumna, said the association is committed to increasing diversity by expanding opportunities in the bourbon industry for traditionally underrepresented populations.

“The member companies of the KDA are working together with universities to build a better future for the Kentucky bourbon industry and the Commonwealth,” said Pendergrass, who also is general counsel and chief compliance officer for Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. “We are expanding our support of distilling programs to ensure inclusion and opportunity in our industry for all and to better reflect the cultural diversity of the consumers we know and love. My hope is these efforts focused on long-term, sustainable change in our industry create near-term accessibility to everyone who wants to be engaged in this thriving, unique industry in Kentucky.”

Kentucky bourbon is one of the Commonwealth’s most historic and treasured industries, accounting for $8.6 billion in annual economic impact and more than 20,100 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1 billion each year. The industry is in the middle of a $2.3 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism centers to expanded production facilities, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky bourbon.

“The Distilled Spirits Business Certificate exemplifies UofL’s strong, reciprocal relationship with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the regional economy,” UofL College of Business Dean Todd A. Mooradian said. “We create programs like this certificate, our Equine Industry Program and our Family Business offerings that tie to the distinctive strengths of the region and the state. In turn, our programs contribute to those sectors and help shape their future.

“We gladly share responsibility for making that future more equitable and more just,” Mooradian said. “We commit ourselves, our resources and our energy to building excellence, addressing legacy disadvantages and systematic bias by building inclusive opportunities and creating a welcoming culture that embraces, invests in and is open for business to all.”

The UofL online Distilled Spirits Business Certificate provides broad-based knowledge about business operations within the industry for current or future distilled spirits professionals. It offers a one-of-a-kind curriculum that features the most relevant knowledge, skills and awareness for accelerating success in the spirits industry. Instructors are UofL College of Business faculty and  from KDA-member companies like Brown-Forman, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam and others. Graduates of the certificate program will be well-suited for leadership roles from operations and finance to supply-chain management and marketing. The certificate program includes nine graduate credits delivered entirely online and earns students one-fifth of the credits needed to complete a University of Louisville MBA.

For more information, visit the .Ěý

These researchers are studying the molecular make-up of whiskey, including Kentucky’s signature bourbon. UofL engineering professor, Stuart Williams, calls their discoveries “whiskey webs.” Williams is looking at different bourbon brands under microscopes to see what their unique web looks like, something like their own DNA.

“We have 66 American whiskeys that are commercial and 65 of them produced a web… and of course, the scientific question is why?” Williams said.

Williams believes this research could lead to better counterfeit identification. By examining the bourbon, researchers are able to tell if it is actually a cheaper bottle being sold as a higher-priced knock off.

“What we are also finding out, and we’re still investigating, is maturation. There are a lot of companies that are trying to rapidly age their bourbon or products, whatever it may be, not just restricted to whiskey,” Williams said.

Check out more information about this research below.Ěý

After a Denver brewery tour, Andy realized there was nothing in Louisville tailored for tourists wanting to walk to and sample the city’s numerous bourbon establishments.

“You can take a bus to bourbon country and you can go to these distilleries which are beautiful,” Danielle said. “But we wanted to offer something a little more personal and a little more local.”

The group created a guided walking tour during which visitors can sample a variety of bourbons available from different bars and restaurants.Ěý

“It has been a lot of work. We are not so busy that we are going to quit our [other] jobs and work full time, but we are also busy enough that it takes up a lot of our time. Right now, it’s in a good spot where we can have the best of both worlds,” Danielle said.

Danielle adds that she enjoys every aspect of her side hustle, from the bourbon tasting to showing off Louisville, and especially the people she meets.

“We love the groups we have,” she said. “When they ask us to have a drink with them after, or they book another tour, that is truly the best compliment we can receive.” 

Standard tours are offered on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m., but the group can customize group tours at additional times. The three-stop walking tour typically lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. Mini tours and special events are also offered. .

Read more and connect to Louisville Alumni.

“Fermentation science goes beyond the microbiological aspects related to yeast, lactic bacteria used in the sour mash process and the control of microbial contaminants. Other biological processes we must wrangle are grains, grain quality and the enzyme systems in malted barley, which are critical to breaking starches in grain down to metabolizable sugars,” said Smith, a Louisville native who earned a master’s degree in environmental microbiology from UofL.Ěý

Smith will explain how modern yeast handling practices and industrial equipment for distillery sanitation allow for improved consistency, quality and sensory character of new whiskey. He also will describe how individual yeast strains affect a whiskey’s flavor.

The event begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.

For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Upcoming dates: 

• May 17 – Gerard Williger of UofL – The coming solar eclipse and mapping asteroids
• June 14 – Jacquelyn Graven, Graven and Assoc. – How to work less and play more
• July 12 – Lee Dugatkin of UofL – How to tame a fox and make a dog