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Whisky may not be the first industry to come to mind when you think of university innovation, but for the University of Kentucky — based in a US state known around the world for its bourbon industry — it’s an obvious next step in its tech transfer activities.
UK Innovate, the institution’s commercialisation arm, is spearheading a new organisation called Estate Whiskey Alliance (EWA) that will allow members to access and help guide research in areas such as sustainable whisky production and regenerative farming.
Run by director Landon Borders and operations manager Alexa Narel, the alliance builds on the university’s expertise through its James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. But it’s not just for Kentucky: there’s already one co-founder from Canada (spirit producer Black Fox Farm and Distillery), and Estate Whiskey Alliance plans to expand into other whisky-producing nations such as Scotland and Japan.
There will be a highly visible benefit for consumers, too: the Estate Whiskey Alliance will authenticate and certify whisky made to strict, high standards — from milling to fermentation to barreling and ageing, everything has to occur on the distillery’s estate, and at least two-thirds of the mash bill grains have to be grown on estate-controlled land.