So far, they reckon the formation of a “high-dimensional molecular structure consisting of water, ethanol and other ingredients in alcoholic beverages contributes to the development of mellowness”.
Advertisement
According to a spokesman at the company, the samples, which will be carried in glass flasks, will include both a 21-year-old single malt and a beverage that has just been distilled.
In 2014, Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, from Japan’s history Suntory distillery, was named the best whiskey in the world by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
The experiment will be conducted in the Japanese Experiment Module – nicknamed “Kibo” – in the worldwide Space Station, and the samples will be fired in to space on 16 August.
In its press release, Suntory explains: “With the exception of some items like beer, alcoholic beverages are widely known to develop a mellow flavor when aged for a long time”.
The company’s study shows that whisky, when within an atmosphere where convection that is fluid is suppressed helps you to create “mellowness”. The alcohols will be divided into two groups.
Advertisement
While the whiskey is being aged aboard the ISS, Suntory will also be aging another of identical samples in Japan to later compare and contrast the two groups. At the end of the experiments, Suntory will determine the results through simple taste test. The researchers launched a sample of Ardberg Scotch Whisky into orbit for more than 1,000 days, but the research has not yet been published to date.
