This month one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions will be the “first-ever” to marry the worlds of art, AI and whisky in a new collaborative venture.
First opened in 2021, Johnnie Walker Princes Street is the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185 million investment in Scotch Whisky tourism, attracting 359,000 guests last year alone.
In their latest bid to introduce more people than ever to the world of whisky, the eight-storey Edinburgh venue has partnered with renowned artist Scott Naismith, known for his bold and colourful depictions of Scottish landscapes, in a cutting-edge project which allows customers to create a fully personalised bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
Rob Maxwell, head of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: “When we opened Johnnie Walker Princes Street, one of our main aims was to make whisky more accessible to everyone.
“It can be such an intimidating drink, and there’s so much of it out there that it can be hard to know where to start.
“We started to utilise some of the innovation and technology that Diageo was using for a process called flavour mapping which allowed them to categorise whiskies based on their flavour profile.
“Our idea was to introduce personalisation on a mass scale which is something that had never really been done by a brand before.”
And so, paving the way for their new artistic partnership, this is how Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s now world-famous Journey of Flavour came to be.
Those who have tried it for themselves will be familiar with a concept which asks visitors to answer a few simple questions before matching them with the perfect whisky serve to accompany their tour.
Its success has been a welcome boost for Edinburgh tourism and encouraged the team to push the boundaries of AI technology further still with experiments like the Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith project which will run exclusively in the city until Saturday, August, 31.
Maxwell continued: “We’re really excited to be working with Scott Naismith, an artist who was also commissioned to create a painting for each of our ‘Four Corners’ at the Glenkinchie, Cardhu, Caol Ila and Clynelish distilleries.
“His work captures the essence of a place rather than just the landscape and that’s something we can easily relate to whisky when you start to look at the stories and community behind it all.
“Aside from his obvious talent, what really shines through when you talk to Scott is his enthusiasm and willingness to embrace new technologies like the ones we’ve implemented at Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
“Exploring these connections is a new path for us and something that we think will really appeal to people who are passionate about art.”
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While Maxwell is the first to admit the intricate work which goes into programming an AI system of this calibre is difficult to comprehend, he speaks excitedly of an end result which is both user-friendly and engaging.
Throughout August, visitors will have the opportunity to book with a guided tasting or create their own Johnie Walker Blue Label bottle in the venue’s retail section as a stand-alone experience.
They will answer up to three questions across four categories influencing the specially developed AI’s generation of colour, location, artistic style and even time of day.
This will determine the eventual look of their one-of-a-kind bottle, which is then processed real-time, colour-managed and printed in a matter of minutes using “cutting-edge digital direct-to-shape print technology”.
Maxwell said: “We know that AI has huge potential in today’s world and it’s something that’s growing exponentially.
“Our Journey of Flavour experience has been hugely successful so far and has received some great feedback.
“Now, with the Scott Naismith project, we’re allowing people to collaborate with someone who might just be their favourite artist to create this one-of-a-kind design.
“It’s crazy what can be done with AI now, but for us, it always comes back to this idea of showing people that there is a whisky out there for everyone.
“It’s a great industry to work in and this summer in particular we’re witnessing the strong return of tourism to Edinburgh.
“The fact that we’re able to offer so many different experiences to suit every level of expertise is amazing.”
With his artwork now set to be printed on hundreds of limited edition bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue over the next four weeks, Scott Naismith added: “I believe creativity takes courage and boldness in risk-taking.
“The project new project shows this throughout and as a such has been an honour to be a part of.
“With a brave exploration into the cutting-edge world of AI, this latest project is bound to surprise and impress in equal measure.
“I am excited to be part of it and am again impressed at the continued creative vision from the team at Johnnie Walker.”
The Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith experience can be booked now for a chance to co-create a one-of-a-kind personalised bottle with a guided tasting.
The AI label generation also available as a standalone experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street with every bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label purchased at a price of £240.
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