Liquid Sunshine: Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey
George Bernard Shaw famously called whiskey "liquid sunshine." But what does it really take to bottle sunshine? Join Notre Dame chemistry professor Ken Kuno and Ron C. Runnebaum ‘96, associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis, as they uncover the chemical mysteries behind Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey and answer the age-old question of how one spells it correctly.
Meet the Faculty
Ken Kuno is a professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and concurrent professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame where he teaches the Chemistry and Fermentation and Distillation course. He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998. This was followed by a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at JILA/NIST, University of Colorado, Boulder. He then worked for the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC before joining the University of Notre Dame as an assistant professor in 2003. Professor Kuno is also the author of the nanoscience textbook Introductory Nanoscience, Physical and Chemical Concepts and the upcoming Introductory Science of Alcoholic Beverages.
Meet the Faculty
Ron C. Runnebaum, ’96 is associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. He is also an assistant professor in their Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. His research program aims to combine his interests in sustainable winemaking with his research background in nanomaterials, adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and reaction engineering. Winemaking-related projects include developing materials to capture CO2 and volatile organic compounds, especially from fermentation; developing fundamental understanding for the production of chemicals from winery waste streams; and designing solid-state materials for the replacement of solution-based treatments, particularly those that could improve sustainability. In addition, Dr. Runnebaum continues to investigate fundamental structure-activity relationships in chemical adsorption and reaction by nanomaterials, including zeolites and supported organometallic clusters.
Additional Resources
Check out this primer video Whiskey 101: Know Your Stills to Know Your Whiskey from Whiskey Advocate.
View the Live Event
Thursday, August 31, 2023 12:00 pm
George Bernard Shaw famously called whiskey “liquid sunshine.” But what does it really take to bottle sunshine? Join Notre Dame chemistry professor Ken Kuno and Ron C. Runnebaum ‘96, associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis, as they uncover the chemical mysteries behind Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey and answer the age-old question of how one spells it correctly.
The Secret Life of Spirits, from the Notre Dame College of Science and Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business is presented in collaboration with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine & Food Science at University of California, Davis. The Secret Life of Spirits is co-sponsored by Notre Dame Family Wines, YoungND and Notre Dame Senior Alumni.