Forget humans, 'Ginette' is the world's first AI gin maker
Just when you thought the gin industry couldn't surprise you any more...
Have you ever taken a sip of gin and thought to yourself, ‘honestly, I bet this would taste so much better if it was created using artificial intelligence.’ No, us either.
But now - in what sounds like the perfect set up to a joke - a gin and a tech company have walked into a distillery and created ‘Ginette’ - the world’s first AI programme capable of crafting the perfect gin.
The technology - which is described as a neural network - was launched at the Bristol Technology Festival and has been trained to analyse hundreds of botanicals, understand gin recipes and ‘learn’ a database of more than 500 gin names in order to create the in-demand spirit.
The result is a gin named Monker’s Garkel (we’re not going to lie, it sounds like some sort of Star Wars character) and is a brand new collaboration between Circumstance Distillery and two tech companies - Tiny Giant and Rewrote Digital.
The gin itself is created using juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root, raspberry leaves, gooseberries, prunes, clementine zest, orange zest, and marigold, and has a punchy ABV of 40%.
It also seems that ‘Ginette’ is more than a one trick pony - having contributed to the marketing of the gin through the creation of the bottle’s labels, using an algorithm that combined various styles, colours, fonts and textures.
‘Ginette’ even takes charge of the bottle’s copywriting and runs the official Twitter account @GGinmaker. Now, we’re sorry ‘Ginette’, but you’re starting to sound like a bit of a control freak.
Fret not though, as there are more than a handful of humans involved in the overall process - including artist Tim Sutcliffe that then formulated ‘Ginette’s design.
"At present they are not a substitute for the skill of the distiller, but we have clearly shown that they can make a valuable contribution to all aspects of the development process, from the recipe to the naming and labelling.” notes Liam Hirt, co-founder of Circumstance Distillery.
"We trained Ginette well, and with a little human help and guidance, her product is interesting, attractive and, most importantly, delicious.”
With a first batch limited to 1,000 bottles and will cost £42 - which are available to purchase through the Circumstance Distillery store. Moniker’s Garkel will be served up at MAD//FEST London.
- Still in search of the perfect gin? Discover our pick of the best gin in 2019.