Dewar’s New Cask Inspector Comes Straight Out of a Sci Fi Movie

Maturing whisky spends at least three years, and usually much longer, in oak casks. Over time distilleries lose a little to the Angel’s Share, but often a lot more to leaking barrels. To tackle the latter, an eye-catching new inspector has been brought in: a robot dog.

Before whisky ever reaches the bottle, a substantial amount can already be lost during maturation. In Scottish warehouses you’ll find vast stacks of casks, often piled several rows deep.

In between those stacks, spotting a leaky cask isn’t always easy, unless you’ve really got a nose for it.

At Bacardi’s John Dewar & Sons near Glasgow, they’re trialing something that could deliver major savings. Instead of human inspectors spending all day hunting for leaks, a robot dog has been deployed.

The robot dog is an invention of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (MNIS) and carries advanced sensors to pinpoint leaks quickly and accurately. For now, the sensors are mounted on an arm, but in future they could be integrated directly into the robot dog. The initiative is supported by the Scotch Research Institute.

Angus Holmes, Whisky Category Director at Bacardi, says he’s proud of the company’s pioneering role. He’s eager to see the trial results and expand the robot dog’s use. In his view, innovation can sit comfortably alongside the brand’s tradition and craftsmanship.

The dog already has a name: Royal Bark-la. A playful nod to Royal Brackla.

The robot dog is still in the early testing phase. It has only been roaming the warehouses since September, and does so partly autonomously. Before it can operate entirely on its own among the casks, a few things will need fine-tuning, but the outlook is promising.

A human touch will always be required, of course, as someone still has to remove the leaky casks from the racks and transfer the whisky.

One thing is certain during inspections: this inspector won’t be sneaking sips of whisky on the job.