Jun 1, 2021 03:51 AM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliewu/20...481e3e7feb
EXCERPTS: . . . Now, an 18-month old pup named Rocco is giving a new connotation to nosing whisky: he’s helping associate global brand director (and human) Chris Wooff sniff for flaws in the Grant’s Whisky Distillery in Girvan, Scotland. “The sense of smell of a dog like Rocco is 40 times stronger than a human’s, and we’ve specially selected and trained Rocco to pick up the scent of anything that’s not quite right as the whisky matures,” Wooff told The Daily Record.
“Mechanical ‘noses’ are widely used in the wine-making industry, but we wanted to maintain the tradition of our craft skills by using a dog’s natural super-sense of smell in our quality control process.”
According to trainer Stuart Phillips at B.W.Y Canine Training in Wales, the process took over eight months using cask samples and other methods [...] “Should Rocco identify any casks then Rocco's new handler will inform staff at the cooperage, who can place the casks to one side and not be used in the whisky making process,” reads the B.W.Y website. “What exactly Rocco and Bran have been trained to sniff out remains confidential, but Whisky drinkers can be assured that the dogs are helping to identify imperfections in the wooden casks, ensuring that the quality of whisky produced remains at the exceptionally high standard expected by the whisky maker and the consumers purchasing bottles of whisky.” (MORE - details)
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WNQ5GtAihIk
EXCERPTS: . . . Now, an 18-month old pup named Rocco is giving a new connotation to nosing whisky: he’s helping associate global brand director (and human) Chris Wooff sniff for flaws in the Grant’s Whisky Distillery in Girvan, Scotland. “The sense of smell of a dog like Rocco is 40 times stronger than a human’s, and we’ve specially selected and trained Rocco to pick up the scent of anything that’s not quite right as the whisky matures,” Wooff told The Daily Record.
“Mechanical ‘noses’ are widely used in the wine-making industry, but we wanted to maintain the tradition of our craft skills by using a dog’s natural super-sense of smell in our quality control process.”
According to trainer Stuart Phillips at B.W.Y Canine Training in Wales, the process took over eight months using cask samples and other methods [...] “Should Rocco identify any casks then Rocco's new handler will inform staff at the cooperage, who can place the casks to one side and not be used in the whisky making process,” reads the B.W.Y website. “What exactly Rocco and Bran have been trained to sniff out remains confidential, but Whisky drinkers can be assured that the dogs are helping to identify imperfections in the wooden casks, ensuring that the quality of whisky produced remains at the exceptionally high standard expected by the whisky maker and the consumers purchasing bottles of whisky.” (MORE - details)