This Cheer is for Real

Three Indian researchers in Scotland have designed a laser test to distinguish genuine Scotch whisky from counterfeits.

A hand-held device developed by Praveen Ashok, Kishan Dholakia and Bavishna Praveen, physicists at Scotland’s St Andrews University, tests for the origin, cask type and age of a whisky by firing a micro-laser beam through a drop of alcohol to establish its alcohol content and color clarity.