One fateful morning, photographer Ernie Button picked up the Scotch glass he had left out overnight and noticed something — a pattern in the film of dried liquid at the bottom of his cup. So began Vanishing Spirits: The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch, an ongoing project, which we first spotted over at NPR, in which Button experiments with photographing Scotch residues, shining different lights through them, manipulating the dry patterns, or letting them run hog wild. The result looks like miniature magic planets or puddles of gold or oil — pretty gorgeous for something accidentally left on the counter. Check out a few of our favorite photographs from the series after the jump, and then be sure to head on over to Button’s website to see many more.
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button
Photo Credit: Ernie Button