Japan Is Going to Try Aging Whisky in Space

The Japanese distillery company, Suntory, announced that it is partnering with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the worldwide Space Station to launch its world-class whiskey into space. The experiment, meant apparently to ascertain “development of mellowness in alcoholic beverage through the use of a microgravity environment” will witness the connoisseurs’ spirit mature in the space.

Suntory hypothesizes that zero gravity will help make the whisky “mellower”, with its research on earth indicating that an environment with little temperature change, convection of fluids and shaking tends to make better booze.

Japanese whiskey distillery Suntory is planning on sending ten samples of their wares into space to track the effects of aging in a zero-gravity setting.

Alas, as mentioned by the press release, the point of the mission is not to provide astronauts with fine whiskey, but to test the way zero-gravity affects the ageing and taste of the liquor.

The reason behind carrying out the insane experiment is the company’s hypothesis that “the formation of high-dimensional molecular structure consisting of water, ethanol, and other ingredients in alcoholic beverages contributes to the development of mellowness”. A Suntory spokesperson tells The Wall Street Journal that the samples being sent to space include a 21-year-old single malt and a drink that has just been distilled.

Although researchers have taken a variety of scientific approaches to elucidating the underlying mechanism, it is not clear how this occurs.

The whisky will be stored at the ISS in two groups, with the first returning in a year and the second in at least two years.

As a part of the experiment, various alcoholic beverages will be stored in a convection-free state in Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on the worldwide Space Station.