Ernie Button’s skillfully composed photographs transform the remnants of a glass of scotch into brilliantly colored celestial settings. The Phoenix-based photographer captures the wondrous natural beauty of crystallized residue of single malt scotch at the bottom of a glass in a series titled Vanishing Spirits. After first noticing this silty layer left in his glass one night, he started comparing and photographing different Scotches from other makers. Adding colored lighting to the ambient background, Button brings out the textures and grains of the crystals.
Button skillfully blends these intricate shapes and dazzling colors with the aim of evoking surreal, interstellar imagery. The concentric, tree-like grain results from the natural process of the alcohol around the edge of the pool drying more quickly and pulling the rest of it outward. The seven-year-old project, containing a portfolio of dozens of images, is still ongoing.
Above: The Macallan 150
Dalwhinnie 125
Bunnahabhain 140
Bruichladdich 109
Aberlour Abunadh 122
Ardbeg 124
Laphroaig 122
Glenlivet 177
Lagavulin 170
Glengoyne 116