Space & Astronomy

Whiskey tastes good after being in space

By T.K. Randall
September 7, 2015

Image: ISS Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson in the Cupola (2010)
Credit: Tracy Caldwell Dyson / (PD) NASA Space-matured whiskey could soon be all the rage - at least that is according to a bizarre experiment conducted over the last few years by scientists looking to determine how the drink matures when kept in a weightless environment for an extended period of time.

A vial of unmatured malt produced at the Ardbeg Distillery on Islay in Scotland was sent up to the ISS back in October 2011 while a second vial of the same whiskey was kept at the distillery on Earth.

After spending over 1,000 days in orbit the space whiskey was then returned home where expert tasters declared that it was "noticeably different" after its time off-world."When I nosed and tasted the space samples, it became clear that much more of Ardbeg's smoky, phenolic character shone through – to reveal a different set of smoky flavours which I have not encountered here on earth before," said Ardbeg's distilling director Dr Bill Lumsden.

"Ardbeg already has a complex character, but the results of our experiment show that there is potentially even more complexity that we can uncover, to reveal a different side to the whisky."

Whether this new "space whisky" will ever become a consumer product however remains to be seen.

Source: BT.com

Tags: Whiskey, Space