Great hooch is made from a good sugar source. Just about anything high in sugar — like corn and potatoes — can be distilled to make alcohol like vodka and beer. But according to a researcher in the UK, elderly, diabetic pee, which is also high in sugar, can make a great single malt whiskey.

Maybe that should be Whizky?

James Gilpin, a researcher who focuses on new biomedical technologies, has created the system which distills diabetic urine into high-end single malt as a "public engagement tool" to bring focus to water reuse issues.

Apparently, older type-2 diabetic patients excrete a boat load of sugar as they relieve themselves each day, and Gilpin wanted to know — is it "plausible to suggest that we start utilizing our water purification systems in order to harvest the biological resources that our elderly already process in abundance.”

The diabetic patients, including Gilpin’s own grandmother, donate their urine for the process. The urine is purified in the same way as mains water is purified, with the sugar molecules removed and added to a mash stock to accelerate the whiskey's fermentation process.  Gilpin then distills it, blends it and gives it that personal touch by naming each batch after the patient whose donation made it possible.

And then people drink it.

Yes, they do.

Ewwwwwww!

But, Gilpin does give it away for free. And in my experience, most people will drink anything if it’s free, so...

The whiskey, as you can guess, probably won’t ever be widely marketed. But you can taste test the spirit yourself at the Abandon Normal Devices festival in Manchester in October.

Bottoms up!