Glenlivet Distillery Mixes Ethereum NFTs and AI Into Whiskey Collection

By Jose Antonio Lanz

The Glenlivet, a celebrated distillery in Speyside in northeastern Scotland, has launched a 50-year-old whiskey collection to commemorate its 200th anniversary. Additives to this pristine liquor, however, include blockchain technology via NFTs and utilizes generative AI for label design—checking all the hype boxes from the last few years.

The collection, titled "The Twelve Elements," pays homage to the twelve essential components that shape Glenlivet's renowned single-malt whiskey. Cask expert Kevin Balmforth explained that the whiskeys composing the collection are among the brand’s oldest official releases.

Balmforth also pitches the release as innovative, highlighting the distillery's embrace of technology while honoring its rich heritage. “This ultra-rare collection represents a look to the future and offers whiskey enthusiasts worldwide a foray into the evolution of luxury investments,” he said, as reported by Decanter.

One of the bottles being sold by The Glenlivet

Each bottle in "The Twelve Elements" collection is paired with a unique NFT on the Ethereum blockchain, available through The Whisky Exchange's Cabinet marketplace. These NFTs serve as digital certificates, ensuring irrefutable proof of ownership—reinforcing its appeal to whiskey collectors. And generative AI was tapped to design unique labels gracing each bottle, with one-of-a-kind designs based on the respective element.

The release extends a wider shift in the NFT landscape, where experts anticipate a growing emphasis on utility and real-world applications. As Decrypt previously reported, experts like Pedro Herrera, Head of Research at DappRadar, believe there’s an ongoing change in the dynamics of the NFT space.

"Collectibles that we were so used to in 2021, like Bored Apes and CryptoPunks, have slowed down,” Herrera told Decrypt in a previous interview. “People are starting to grasp the real concept behind NFTs, which is proving ownership, authenticity, and so on.”

Other major brands like Mastercard, Budweiser and Nike are also exploring this potential. Besides the appeal of NFTs as unique digital items, businesses have been exploring ways to leverage decentralized solutions to increase transparency and traceability and fight counterfeit and forgeries.

An auction for The Glenlivet “The Twelve Elements” collection begins on February 21, where prices are expected to surpass $43,000 (or 16.4032 ETH). Each bottle will be shipped later this summer with a digital certificate.

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.

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