Diageo, possibly the world’s second-largest supplier of hard liquors, on June 30 announced the acquisition of Vivanda, owner of the FlavorPrint artificial intelligence technology behind several Diageo projects aiming to match consumers with the right Diageo-owned alcoholic product. 

The price was not disclosed. Diageo has used Vivanda’s system since 2019 in the former’s “What’s Your Whisky” platform and more recently in the Journey of Flavour experience at a Johnnie Walker sampling location. 

“This acquisition will enable Diageo to expand FlavorPrint technology to other categories. And it will support the continued development of our advanced analytics and digital marketing capabilities, providing a deeper understanding of consumer taste preferences and helping to unlock further opportunities in innovation and personalised consumer experiences,” the company’s news release said. 

Through a series of questions, FlavorPrint analyzes and maps consumers’ flavour preferences against a large proprietary sensory database of foods and aromas to generate a digital representation of their unique “flavor print.” It then recommends Diageo brands and variants whose flavour profiles consumers are most likely to enjoy. 

Launched in 2019, “What’s Your Whisky” has been rolled out across 21 markets and is available in 16 languages. It has been integrated into the physical stores and e-commerce platforms of a number of Diageo’s key customers in Europe and North America, as well as across direct-to-consumer channels such as malts.com to enable purchase recommendations. 

The Journey of Flavour experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh tailors the drinks that visitors sample during their 90-minute tour to their palates. There are more than 800 flavour combinations available in a dispensing system.