Munya Vomo

IMAGINE walking into your favourite bottle store and there’s a selection of whisky that you haven’t seen before. You probably see a beautiful, young, promotions woman on the corner somewhere with disposable cups filled with the product. And, you know people with freebies, we never pass up that free shot.

If we can help it, we talk our way into getting another sip. Right on cue, she will give you the jargon about how the drinks came to be, what they will taste like and maybe a bit more about their origins.

But what if there is no promotional young woman or any of that? What if you could just flip out your phone, scan the label and voila, a whole world of information comes out? Sounds like magic?

Well, it certainly feels like it. Introducing Whizzky, the South African app that will help whisky lovers with all they need to know about any bottle they may have in hand.

The app uses optical character recognition and pattern recognition technology to get you the information instantly.

“This is a one-of-its-kind app which helps whisky lovers learn more about any particular whisky they come across,” says Emily Stockden from Whizzky.

“With the use of their smartphones, they can scan the label and immediately learn more about the product – from its origins and the whisky-making process to sometimes even the expected flavours that come with the product.”