Scotch whisky is set to be aged in space for the first time as part of a new experiment. Engineers in Scotland and Japan plan to launch a satellite carrying whisky samples and its base ingredients on a five-year mission to orbit the Earth in 2028.
The satellite, nicknamed “Space Puffin”, will be deployed from the International Space Station’s Japanese module. The whisky will experience rapid temperature swings between extreme heat and freezing cold as it circles the planet every 90 minutes, which researchers hope could speed up the maturation process.
Potential for bold flavours and orbital factories
The project could open the door to future production of space-aged whisky, which scientists behind the experiment hope will produce “very bold” flavours. The research is also expected to provide insight into how futuristic orbital factories could work, potentially developing molecules for medications that are difficult to produce on Earth.
Whisky collectors are known to pay hundreds of thousands for some of the rarest bottles, with space whisky predicted to command astronomical prices.
Collaboration and launch plans
Dr Gilles Bailet, of the University of Glasgow, said a number of students have travelled from Scotland to Japan to help co-design the “cubesat” that will contain the tiny whisky samples and ingredients. He told the Press Association: “We want to see what the effect of a space environment is on the aging of the whisky.”
He added: “We’ve got the best people here in Scotland to be able to inform that, with centuries of experience, so we can bring this whisky experience into space.”
The current plan is to launch the cubesat in 2028 on a SpaceX supply mission to the International Space Station, before deploying it into orbit from the Japanese module.
Accelerating the ageing process
The science around the process of whisky “breathing” as it ages in wooden casks is not well understood, Dr Bailet said, but the cycles could happen much faster in space, where temperatures can quickly vary between minus 150 degrees and 200 degrees.
He continued: “We build our spacecraft to be able to get an environment which is better for the whisky, but this wood will breathe faster than on Earth. And so we are hoping that we’ll be able to accelerate the ageing to be able to get something more interesting.”
On Earth, whisky is produced by mixing barley with water and yeast. Yeast breaks down the sugars in the barley, creating ethanol as a byproduct. The team’s system will demonstrate how ethanol, which plays a role in the production of many drugs, can be extracted in orbit.
Dr Bailet said he is keen to scale up whisky maturation in space and develop a system for launching Scotch into space and landing it on Earth after maturation. He said: “We are really keen to be able to actually fly a full whisky-making system, with a full cask, if we’re able to collaborate with investors or other people interested about it. But it’s totally in the realm of possible to bring back something like a litre of whisky within the next three to five years.”
He hopes this process would produce “really bold whiskies” with “extremely complex flavour profiles”. While whisky has previously been into space as part of an experiment to understand flavour, it did not leave the temperature-controlled confines of the International Space Station. Different distilleries in Scotland and Japan are expected to contribute the whisky, though these have not been chosen yet.
