Diageo is piloting a new Amazon Alexa Skill to inspire consumers to ‘think, talk and try’ Scotch at home this festive season.

The Talisker Tasting Experience is a voice-activated skill that is designed to make the heritage of Scotch more accessible to more people than ever before.

Adults will be able to explore the colour, smell and taste of Talisker by asking Alexa to open ‘Talisker tasting’. Alexa will then ask them to name the whisky they would like to explore: Talisker Skye, Talisker Storm or Talisker 10-year-old Single Malt.

Selecting the whisky will then kick-start an audio journey that will educate them on how to taste Scotch and get to know the complexity of flavours in the Talisker range. The final stage invites the taster to ask questions about the story behind their drink, or flaovurs of Scotch they might like to try in the future.

Diageo said that in September the Baileys Almande voice activated ‘send me a sample’ campaign generated more than 6,000 sample requests in its first week of the campaign.

Diageo has also launched ‘The Bar’, for the Amazon Echo Show, which enables consumers to master mixology techniques and shop for ingredients through voice-led practical advice. The company also launched the Happy Hour Amazon Alexa Skill earlier this year, which provides cocktail recipes and recommends bars in which to enjoy a Diageo cocktail.

Benjamin Lickfett, head of technology and innovation at Diageo, said: “Talisker is a brand with an extremely rich heritage, produced by the sea on the Isle of Skye. We were looking to bring elements of this location and the fantastic tasting tours at the Talisker Distillery into people’s homes.

“Voice is the perfect technology to do just this and provide an enhanced brand experience by putting the consumer, product and brand at the centre of a tasting, in a completely seamless and non-intrusive way.

“Scotch is at the heart of our business and a product we are passionate about, but we realise that whisky can often be perceived as a complex category to access. Through the Talisker Tasting Experience Skill we’re able to bring the history and traditions associated with Scotch to a new generation of drinkers.”