How The 'World's First Molecular Whiskey' Gets Made (HBO)

The conventional image of whiskey brands evokes scenes of bucolic homesteads, a banjo or two, and usually some white guy waxing poetic about heritage. But a startup in San Francisco called Endless West is trying to change that by making an aged style whiskey in a lab, in the span of about 24 hours.
The first bottles of ‘Glyph’ recently hit the shelves and retail for around 35 dollars, billed as ‘the world's first molecular whiskey… that's never seen the inside of a barrel.’ Or a banjo.
The process begins by studying existing popular aged whiskies at the molecular level, to understand and map the flavor profiles. Endless West then builds Glyph from scratch by adding a plethora of different chemicals to medical-grade alcohol. Thus mimicking the desirable elements of other aged whiskies and tailoring it to create a distinctly familiar, but entirely unique whisky - overnight.
VICE News took a tour of the lab where the alchemy happens, and had an exclusive tasting before Glyph went to market.
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[@VICENews]

The first bottles of ‘Glyph’ recently hit the shelves and retail for around 35 dollars, billed as ‘the world's first molecular whiskey… that's never seen the inside of a barrel.’ Or a banjo. NEXT: Vape Influencers Don't Care About The FDA's Ban On Juul - bit.ly/2qUkm1E

[@JMSherrill1983]

This needs to be corrected when said some white guy waxin poetics....that man talking is no white thats Jeffery Wright and the whiskey he is talking about is Uncle Nearest....should look that up hes the slave that taught Jack Daniels.....

[@GScottChaosnaut]

"Smells like cheese puffs and someone who hasn't had a bath in a while." - Call of Duty Gamers have a chemical signature!

[@SpecialAgent-zn1vv]

Nooo!!! I'm sooo dead!!

[@MoxieBeast]

Not a huge whiskey fan but that packaging is on point! Would even buy it as decor.

[@bobbaghead3150]

Totally agree

[@brokenbstring]

If I drop a deuce in a box and wrap it nice would you be interested? I'll even give you a late black Friday deal. Let me know

[@MrSimmer17]

How much?

[@dextachris2970]

The bottle is the exact same as dalwhinnie

[@brokenbstring]

@@rokuthedog I dont want to get her the same thing twice

[@crl_alex6280]

Of course its in san Francisco

[@cloutxatlas9343]

Shithole capital since 2016

[@crl_alex6280]

@@cloutxatlas9343 exactly filled with gays to ..im just joking

[@bobbaghead3150]

Wher re else

[@badhollywoodscience]

"molecular" whiskey? All organics are made of molecules. I guess it sounds better than Synthetic Whiskey, which is what this really is.

[@PlantsPupsPaintball]

Far from a "tincture" also...all marketing.

[@a2pabmb2]

All whiskey is synthetic whiskey. You don't just scoop it up out of a river.

[@Zaptruder]

Why is it synthetic? If you end up with something that's the same eventually, then what's the point of labelling it differently? Because of marketing and because of economic power play through legislation and politics. Pull on the emotional heartstrings of consumers to sell the same thing, but so one can be labelled as 'real', and the other 'synthetic'. We know this works, because the diamond industry has proven it so. Luckily, consumers are starting to wisen up and not give a rats ass about 'authenticity'.

[@christianterrill3503]

For a while synthetic psilocybin was going around and they called it molecular mushrooms... should have called it 4-HO-DMT

[@badhollywoodscience]

@@Zaptruder (of a substance) made by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product. Its literally the definition of the word synthetic. No, it's not 100% synthetic, there are some natural ingredients, but there are many synthetic ingredients. Words have meaning.

[@Tainomontana]

“Just because something smells like ass”

[@whushaw]

Doesn't mean don't stick your nose in it

[@Tainomontana]

whushaw doesn’t mean it won’t taste good & bring much pleasure

[@bobbaghead3150]

My arss

[@Anita_Bath]

@Mycel Lol, you have swiss cheese for brains

[@rickc2102]

@@Anita_Bath Lol, you believe lies the government tells you.

[@emangaming254]

Whiskey - Just some white guy

[@KodakKid]

leave white people alooooooooooooooone!!!!!

[@bobbaghead3150]

Racesk

[@bobbaghead3150]

White flower

[@bobbaghead3150]

Jack Daniel's old #7 or

[@mathewpadgett559]

Inb4 but hurt kid comments

[@nullnull7089]

I'm surprised they didn't go into the fact that they were immediately able to single out the synthetic whiskey from the rest, doesn't this mean the product failed at the main thing its supposed to do?

[@choppedandbobbed9729]

This isn't whiskey, this is artificially flavored ethanol.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

i.e. Whiskey flavored vodka.

[@krishnanunni6347]

Look up how whiskey looks before it goes into the barrel.

[@mariosalazar7896]

@@krishnanunni6347 damn never knew that xD looks like wata

[@ferretsmiles]

Krishnan Unni right that is called moonshine the legal definition for whiskey changes by country but they all agree that it has to be aged in wood barrels for some time

[@Ratseeker]

Wouldn't that make this Absinthe?

[@jacobmendacious1092]

20 seconds into ot, and already they've brought up race. This is gonna go well.

[@NihilisticChimera]

I'd definitely try it. Always remember the best way to drink whiskey is how you like it.

[@tacamo21]

I love how she watches the expert thinking "Am I doing this right?" when they're trying out the whiskey/

[@JogBird]

seems like its easier to just make the real thing

[@ToasterStud]

No, because real whiskey takes a lot of time.

[@ToasterStud]

@@phillylove7290 I don’t know who “they,” are that wants to replace their whiskeys, but EndlessWest only makes Glyph for now. The bottle of “hipster” whiskey is only $35 compared to other “premier” whiskeys I’ve paid $50 for. It’s not really that expensive, if that was your argument. Also, the ethanol was food grade not medical grade. That might have been were your confusion was.

[@ToasterStud]

@@phillylove7290 Still cheaper than other whiskeys. So what's your argument here?

[@davidwatson8118]

@@ToasterStud Thats why good stuff tastes good, its an art mixed with science, not nerd science done by people with no art.

[@davidwatson8118]

@@ToasterStud For a good reason.

[@Cyrribrae]

"If whiskey is a product, then yea, what we make is whiskey. But if whiskey is a process, then no, we don't. And that's ok too." Makes sense and interesting to think about. Many cultural products, especially well-marketed/histor-ied food stuffs, definitely fall into this category. Or lab-grown diamonds.

[@wesleyyoung4063]

Anyone know what commercials were referenced at the beginning?

[@rustzz8]

Why would you not put a link to thier website in the description? I want to try it now.

[@ToasterStud]

Ikr, where you able to locate it elsewhere?

[@bobbaghead3150]

Because google is real

[@kurdaitcha5806]

Because its vice, they don't like to support anything that has anything to do with white skinned people.

[@ToasterStud]

endlesswest.com/glyph/

[@Calyx]

As a true scotch enthusiast I am intrigued to taste a few different bottles because there are flavor profiles in 30+ year old batches that are too expensive for me to taste let alone drink that could atleast be experienced if you can create that specific note and include it in something that isn't €2000 - €20,000. But still the whole process and traditions behind traditional whisky making and aging contributes to the Scotch's drinking experience and intrigue. TL:DR new experiences are always a plus.

[@RexHu100]

Fantastic! Where can I get some?

[@chaseurban4611]

Where do I obtain a bottle?

[@fulanitoflyer]

after the apocalypse maybe... But I'm guessing it's costing the same as regular aged whiskey... This company is going to go bust soon.

[@brianhennebeul1854]

For $35? HAH, not even close. Try $60 for the cheapest "aged" whiskies, and hundreds, or even thousands, for anything even slightly above 4 years. $35 is peanuts, but it just seems like it's doctored Vodka at best. If it has any semblance of flavor, and is NOT akin to drinking straight mouthwash blended with isopropyl alcohol, then maybe they have a real contender there at that price. Whisky? No. But something that might be cheap, AND not paint thinner? Well, that's something alright

[@fulanitoflyer]

@@brianhennebeul1854 yeah 35 bucks is pretty cheap, thought it would be more like 60

[@TheGrumbliestPuppy]

Long story short: we aren't there yet. It isn't really a lab made perfect chemical copy of aged whiskey, it's alcohol with a bunch of flavor extracts that tastes pretty close to whiskey.

[@gromzen]

If I was making this "molecular" whiskey, I would change my name to Walter and tint it blue

[@kellykernaghan4381]

When I think whisky, I think bloody knuckles and vomit.

[@danfield6030]

Kelly Kernaghan .......my diary thoughts are that , It's due to low quality whiskey AKA Jack Daniels, etc AND it's the type of person you are / and / or its the type of people you drink around. I been drinking whiskey for 25 years and I've never seen a fight in ANY drinking situation I've been involved in .......I worked at bars and clubs for over ten years and had many drunken after hours get togethers at my place after the club closes

[@MrMorganwatch]

Is this a re-post? feel like i've seen this before.

[@mikderoost9261]

Correct me if im wrong, but ur not allowed to smell wiskey cus it will numb ur smell n taste buds ruining the taste of drinking it

[@Ratseeker]

Does this Glyph whiskey give less of a hangover since it is pure ethanol and no wood barrel byproducts? The specilist description makes it sound more like an Absinthe.

[@timothyfreeman12]

Picked up a bottle this evening, and I love it! Very smooth for bourbon and kinda fruity!

[@valliantcampagne8761]

Fav vice reporter doing the thing she does best

[@choochdrews]

The drunken stammering of the whisky expert was the best part.

[@Youtubehandle9000]

“I taste....apricot pit”.... OK right because that’s a flavor.

[@andreivalentin4007]

they say that they feel a lot of smells only to feel fancy, i feel only the alcohol and the hangover the day after

[@SuperHoneyOil]

So it isnt whiskey its artificial. Seagram's and thompson also make their liquor taste like good whisky by adding certain flavor chemicals. It's just not real whiskey. The art is in the time and nuance between each batch and bottle.

[@JohnDoe-ss7wu]

what i want to know is how is the hangover? the better the whiskey the less severe the hangover.. artifitial ones = killer hangover

[@Ratseeker]

@@JohnDoe-ss7wu Well the wood seeping stuff gives the hangover. Alongside methanol. If the flavors added are exactly those wood stuff, then there should be a hangover. But if it is only the flavour, then there might be no hangover.

[@jerryjackson2885]

I finish a bottle and get behind the wheel . See yall on the road !

[@richardalexander3963]

Corporate plans..to get businesses cut down cost from ageing whisky. Probobly a bad idea. i dont know.

[@bobbaghead3150]

There will always be a $5,000 bottle of hundred year whiskey

[@juanyunes]

@@bobbaghead3150 more like 4 milion dolar

[@SnowWhiteProduction1]

She really didn’t wanna spit it out lmao

[@harishr5449]

3:15 "Never used alcohol as a mouthwash" I think you should check the label of your MOUTHWASH

[@MrWillyfred]

So you’re basically just adding a whiskey essence to ethanol

[@orion10x10]

So they extracted the flavors then reassembled and added concentrated Ethanol? Cannabis users do the same thing! (Sort of) They extract the terpenes and can be added to other products much like this whiskey to make a potent but flavorful oil of your choosing.

[@TheMontegonian]

That's cool. I'll try it one day soon.

[@broimpeccable4219]

It's simple, I see whiskey, I drink...click I meant click...I drink alot.

[@zahardtheconqueror350]

It's like Mr incredible saying "Maths is Maths".....same analogy, "Whiskey is whiskey....Whskey is whiskey. When did it change"

[@KaleighMacKay]

cool. id try it

[@richie6549]

Very Cool, but I’d rather have a nice batch of real aged whiskey made the old school way knowing it wasn’t made in a lab.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

Yeah, but why? Because feelings?

[@LazloVimes]

So how much $?

[@MechaBorne]

"Spirit Whisky with natural flavors" is definitely more accurate, even better they could call it "Whisky-flavored Moonshine" since whisky is a term only given to distilled alcohol that's been aged in barrels, this is not whisky but it sounds interesting, I'd give it a try.

[@diGritz1]

Hipster whiskey....... Richard Paterson just had a stroke. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

[@racoonzattack]

I’d pay to see them go down south and tell an old timer this is whisky!

[@stormyj14]

thats really cool.

[@sandwich2473]

The way they described it makes it sound very interesting. Probably very expensive, too.

[@Warmwalnutslayer]

Sandwich247 $35/bottle is a pretty average price so not very expensive at all.

[@sandwich2473]

@@Warmwalnutslayer To import it to Scotland, though...

[@NightNurseMike]

I can already hear the vegans saying “I’ll never GMO whiskey”

[@jamils4013]

Would this prevent Hangover. If so I'll buy it

[@gaiusjuliuscaesar7761]

Anyone here had the chance to try glyph whiskey? Sounds like a good Xmas present for whiskey lovers.

[@polaroidsofpolarbears365]

That's quite interesting.

[@MichaelStephenLau]

It's the processed cheese square of the whiskey market.

[@siamean1]

...now someone figure out a molecular cigar to pair up with this!

[@ronaldedwards507]

? Why ethanol

[@tilak231]

If Whiskey is a product, then we make it, But If it’s a process then we don’t!! Actually it’s a way of life to the heaven(temporary)!! 😁😁😁

[@GastenX]

It bet his party name is Whiskey-Sheldon!

[@davidwatson8118]

He is deffinatly on the profile.

[@Godunderscor]

dope label

[@dominictriolo2305]

Its the barrel aging process that makes whisky whisky. I don't think one can legally call this whisky

[@PlayMoGame]

Whiskey... now with even more science!

[@samkessler1111]

This is the Asian Sheldon Cooper of whiskey.

[@alvinoflys7504]

Whisky is most certainly the process. You love it because it tastes great but also because it is drinkable history. That being said it doesn't mean Glyph isn't whisky - its actually whiskey because it is American - it just means it doesn't have history yet. If they were to be sourcing their 'flavours' from actual famous types of casks used in aging that might make it more interesting. Say they were to get their hands on a cask used for aging Glenkinchie or an interesting sherry cask used for whisky aging and took a slice of the inside and broke it down into its molecular flavour.

[@odedgvr1]

More Charles Dufoc please, a great reporter

[@JustinHoutz]

So, basically, the cubic zirconia of whiskey.

[@mkcirederf]

Damnit, Charlet is so damn foxy.

[@RatzBuddie]

Quite a cool idea for a spirit. Thinking that it's cheap or fake doesn't detract from the ability of the makers in crafting a new style of liquor. And at the end of the day, ethanol is ethanol, you'll get drunk

[@GMoneyChuck89]

So this is like . . . cloned whiskey??

[@austinthrowsstuff]

Love this host.

[@phantomcreamer]

Had the wrong person doing the interview, she's entirely ignorant on the subject matter, which made the story shallow and less informative.

[@koolk404]

Totally agree, she’s unbearable

[@NckNck-pu9vb]

For what is just a 5 minute video, I found her ignorance made video quite approachable and even enjoyable. Further more, I can't help but find your remark as sexists. By conventional wisdom, Whiskey is considered a drink only for men. God forbid we let a women present a short video about Whiskey.

[@erichgreenfield3361]

N1ckN1ck100 Jesus Christ, alright, well as someone who is a whisk(e)y drinker, my whole reason for watching this video was to gain a better knowledge of the video to think about buying a bottle of this stuff. Well, when a reporter is sent to go investigate “x” you hope that thy have a basic understanding of the subject matter. That’s why joe blow pics news reporter usually isn’t sent off to another country to report on the dichotomy between the peoples living there. Why? Because they likely would not have the perspective of someone who has a more intimate knowledge of the culture there. So, for people who would actually drink this product, we want to know the skinny of it. The best information I got was from the second person they introduced to taste with her. It’s easy to assume sexism but by turning this into an argument about sex rather than knowledge you discount the person who wants to know about “x.”

[@michaellyden2580]

Should've had some white guy do the interview.

[@MrEtherShot]

N1ckN1ck100 stfu soyboy go hide in a safe space

[@WhiskyWhistle]

Whisky. Scottish Highlands. Neat.

[@feldwa7144]

They should apply the same technology to make really old beer. Mmmmmm, sounds good. Drink that down warm with tacos with extra sour cream.

[@Munden]

I'd buy Glyph, but I'm a weirdo that would rather dilute Everclear than buy Vodka.

[@starrychloe]

Cool, I'm cheap too.

[@AlqGo]

I want one.

[@TheFlaptrapper]

Anyone try it yet?

[@aaronyox6319]

Wow she had to throw in the race card

[@davidwatson8118]

What race card?

[@QualityQontent]

The sexual tension is thicker than a finely aged whiskey.

[@knamel420]

Lost Spirits has been doing this for the last ten years.

[@TheAlexwilhelm]

Legally cant call it scotch whiskey

[@TubersAndPotatoes]

They need to get perfumers to formulate the aromatics. I understand what he's trying to do, it's just breaking down the chemical (molecular) profile of what makes a Whisky, Whisky. For example, wine can have maybe around 900 chemical components that gives it its unique taste. But beers (not your Bud Light type) like ale can have very complex components of up to 2,000 components. It's very difficult to have a complete breakdown of each individual chemicals even if you're using a 5D TOF MS (joke), you still need to identify and have a reference of what each chemical is. Another thing is, even if you do identify each components, and put them together at the exact same quantity and ratio, it may not be the same qualitatively. It can still taste very different. This is where sensory specialists come in. Many master perfumers are trained in formulating these things, they have the best noses in the world.

[@gjerushootingatyou]

Innovation baby

[@MegaGamerscast]

"I've never used alcohol as mouthwash before"

[@xaviergonzalez9549]

Eff this whiskey Thunderbird for life!

[@mediawolf1]

Well, that and the fact that your product didn't pass the whisky Turing test...

[@bobbaghead3150]

I mean alcohol no matter what it taste like still helps my clothes fall off.

[@cmcdermott85]

3:18 then you haven’t been to college lol

[@rob1248996]

Why not just buy a bottle of Everclear and mix it with orange juice and dispense with all the extra stuff.

[@AriVovp]

When counterfeit merchandise goes start up

[@Amberpawn]

I see that yes, packaging is on point, but if it stands out so neatly from other whiskeys due to the notes that exist inside of it then it wouldn't be whiskey. Alcohol, like cheese, in general is very much a process/location artifact in the ways that they are called and created. If Glyph... which I love the name of by the way... could blend in neatly with the traditional whiskeys to be unrecognizable as itself then I would think it would be whiskey, but toting it as a molecular whiskey works because it is closest to being whiskey. Something in the mix ratio or the way we experience it due to its compounding is not there, but I do look forward to what it will become and also what will happen if you actually were to age this, to homogenize the component parts to work reactions internally.

[@dbg9]

Walk in to any wine or beer makers supply store and you will find essences to add to vodka to turn it into whisky, rum or whatever. They also sell oak extract, glycerin, caramel and many of the other additives that are commonly used. There are also several distilleries that “artificially" age their products. So I don’t get the point of this report. What they are doing is not new.

[@XxRestlessGamerxX]

I wouldn't have clicked if I knew it was going to turn into some buzzfeed video.

[@redneckpyromania6965]

Its only 35 dollars?

[@wesd7432]

So I just watched a 5 minute ad?

[@MattCraneIsHere]

"artificial" is not spelled "molecular"

[@disciprine]

Worlds first my ass. Lost spirits has been doing it for years

[@BlueDiamondsAuthor]

Fauxskey for my broskey

[@MrDrProfessorDeth]

Vice Producer: "Don't forget to mention something about race"

[@gammaman6988]

Fennel Cartwright.

[@indyslimshady]

Alcohol is typically produced by biological fermentation process and any notes you get in it from either infused during fermentation or during maturation process. When you extract those notes and add them to plain alcohol, the resulting product will be a synthetic whiskey not “molecular” whiskey!

[@mikedestructive]

It's'a fugaze!!