Still musing philosophically in response to what Frank said above - I can imagine such a machine that could analyse and distinguish all the chemical components making up the tastes of different whiskies. And you could teach it to recognise the kinds you like best. So it could even taste a sample of whisky and say, for example, 'This is a 20 year old Laphraoig, Sir, I think you would like it.' But what I don't think any machine could ever truthfully say would be "This is a 20 year old Laphraoig, I like it myself.'
Well, you are getting into the weeds here. What do you mean by "like"? It's like the debate about "consciousness". Is "like" just brain patterns? Then you have to worry about what it means to say you are "not in the mood" for something you "like" (it could be just a "headache", right?). With enough memory, a machine could learn your brain patterns and know when you "like" something, and based on its monitoring of your past behavior predict what you would "like" by monitoring your brain. If you want to throw in a "soul", you still have problems, because the "soul" acts differently at different times. Does your dear departed teetotaling Aunt Millie impinge on your soul at times and affect what you "like"? You still have the problem of prediction even if you are not a materialist. The alternative is to say that you are "random" and unpredictable--that would not be an attractive option for most people.
As for whether DarkPrincess' claim that an artificial tongue can replace a real one, it all depends on the purpose to which the tongue is put and the design. A friend of mine once played me a song about automation, where the protagonist was relegated to turning the machine off and on. I think the last two stanzas speak to the question of an adequate artificial tongue:
The world's not what it used to be
In love or war or industry.
We face the harsh reality
That this sweet land of liberty
Now contemplates eternity
Plugged into electricity
And programmed by technology
For maximum efficiency.
For instance, see
What happened to me...
When I went down to the factory,
I said, "Hey, you got any job for me?"
They said, "Son, the days of the workin' man
Are dead and gone."
They said, "Computer now does everything
But there does happen to be one opening
For the man who'll turn the damn thing off and on."
Now I'm the man who turns the damn thing off and on.
I give it a twist in the evening like this
And a little bitty flick at dawn.
I know I should be overjoyed.
I'm the only one in town employed.
I'm the man who turns the damn thing off and on.
So, feelin' exhausted from my first day's labor,
I went home to see my baby.
She was lyin' in bed with a smile on her face,
And I heard a buzzin' sound.
She said, "I don't need no mortal men.
This vibrator does the work of ten,
But since you're so in love with me,
I'll let you stick around
And be the man who turns the damn thing off and on."
I give it a twist in the evening like this
And a little bitty flick at dawn.
I know I should be gratified...
She lets me lie here by her side
And be the man who turns the damn thing off and on.
