Will whiskey aged in space taste smoother? Suntory is set to experiment this month

21:09 cherishe 0 Comments

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Japanese brewing and distilling company Suntory Holdings Limited recently announced their plans to send samples of whiskey to the International Space Station in order to investigate the effects of zero gravity on the aging process.

Osaka-based beverage company Suntory is largely credited, along with fellow whiskey-producing company Nikka, with raising the status of Japanese whiskey in the world market after winning several international competitions over the past 15 years. Japanese whiskey is now often considered to be on par with some of the best varieties in the world.

Among their efforts to continually improve upon their prized beverage, Suntory will be sending six varieties of whiskey, aged for 10, 18, and 21 years, along with recently distilled beverages, to outer space as part of an experiment. Their theory is that the weightlessness of space will result in a smoother aged whiskey than is possible to attain on Earth. Employees at JAXA’s Tsukuba City Space Center in Ibaraki Prefecture recently prepared glass flasks that will be used to transport the spirits when Konotori Vehicle 5 (HTV-5) launches from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center on August 16.

The whiskey samples will be left on the International Space Station for an unspecified number of years before being brought home to be inspected. Unfortunately for drink connoisseurs, Suntory has already stated that they have no plans to sell space whiskey as a product to the general public.

Source: Asahi Shimbun
Top image: Wikipedia/Mikael Leppä