Neat Physics: Whisky’s Lovely Residues

For some, as it’s long been told in song, whisky in a jar leaves a trail of woe, but for one artist-scientist pair, what they found at the bottom of a whisky jar was a trail of beauty…and a scientific quest.

Drink in photographer Ernie Button‘s enchanting images, and what’s often called to mind are other worlds—beautiful, vaguely psychedelic landscapes full of exotic colors and terrain. In fact, in this series of photographs Button has captured the residue of dried-out dregs of Scotch (we’re big fans of microphotography at the World Science Festival by the way).

Intrigued by the patterns and what was causing them, Button reached out to Princeton University researcher Howard Stone to see just what was shaping them. Stone’s lab started investigating the fluid dynamics behind whisky drying and the residues it leaves behind; they presented their first findings at a meeting of the American Physical Society last November.

“The science behind the imagery provides that extra added layer of thought and complexity,” Button told Smithsonian Magazine.

See Button’s spirited microphotographs for yourself…and find out what kind of pictures your favorite Scotch makes.