This quiz asks for your flavour preferences and then tells you what whisky to buy

The company that owns Johnnie Walker whisky has created a website to convince consumers to develop a taste for single malts.

Called What’s Your Whisky, the site, which can also be accessed via QR codes, takes consumers through a series of simple questions asking them about their favourite flavours.

It analyses the user’s preferences for a variety of sweet, fruity, spicy and smoky flavours found in Single Malt whiskies to create their personal “Flavour Print”

The website asks people to rate their preferences for dishes like vanilla ice cream and cinnamon apple pie, as well as their feelings about ingredients like fresh ginger, and their tolerance for spice.

The end result is a striking piece of data visualisation that maps the user’s individual tastes, and a selection of whiskies from Diageo’s portfolio they might like to try.

Dr Adeline Koay, principal R&D scientist for Diageo, said the spirits giant is calling on its “extensive consumer knowledge, whisky expertise gathered over hundreds of years and cutting-edge AI to help consumers discover, explore and enjoy Scotch in new and exciting ways.”

Andy Parton, senior regional manager for Diageo, said the quiz “allows consumers to explore a wide range of our single malts in a personalised and completely new way.

“We’re excited to roll this out at scale and help many thousands of people find their perfect Whisky based on the innovative FlavorPrint® AI technology.”

Single malt whiskies are predicted to be key growth drivers for spirits producers in the coming years. In its annual Whisky Yearbook, Edrington Beam Suntory predicted the single malt Scotch category will grow in value from £394 million in 2018 to £439 million in 2022, while American whiskies are set to grow from £688 million to £742 million in the same period.

Interactive experiences online have become powerful tools for whisky producers like Diageo to monitor consumer behaviour and recruit new drinkers to the Scotch category.

Diageo trialled a campaign with Amazon Alexa Skill in December last year that used voice technology to promote its Scotch whisky brand, Talisker. Alexa-owners can ask their device to open “Talisker tasting”, and will then be asked to name one of three whiskies under the brand they want to learn more about; Talisker Skye, Talisker Storm or Talisker 10-year-old Single Malt.

And in October, distillery group John Dewar & Sons hoped to attract a new audience of young consumers by steaming a live whisky tasting on Amazon.

Online retail is more important for drinks brands than ever before, and it is companies with deep pockets that can pay for unique digital marketing tools that will benefit most from the sector’s growth.

The UK’s online alcohol market sales hit nearly £1.4 million in 2018, according to IWSR figures.