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The World's Best Whisky Is Being Sent to the Space Station

The samples—which will depart on August 16 on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s spacecraft Kounotori—will include a 21-year-old single malt and the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, which was voted the best whisky in the world last year.
Hilary Pollack
Los Angeles, US
Photo via NASA on Flickr

Some whisky is terrible, and some whisky is decent. Some whisky is great, and some is phenomenal. And now, some Japanese whisky is about to be out of this world—literally.

We've all been quivering with anticipation about the upcoming influx of commercial space travel, but it looks like Suntory's whiskies will be getting a headstart.

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The Japanese brewery-distillery announced this week that it plans to send six of its whiskies and brews to the International Space Station to perform a two-year-long study on how zero-gravity environments impact the process of aging. Contained within glass flasks, the samples—which will depart on August 16 on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's spacecraft Kounotori—will include a 21-year-old single malt and a just-distilled whisky, according to The Wall Street Journal. Also present will be its Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, which was voted the best whisky in the world last year by the Whiskey Bible 2015.

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Some of the samples will be returned to Earth for examination after one year, while others will remain for an additional year before making the long journey back.

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A selection of Suntory whiskies from the past few decades. Photo via Flickr user Mikael Leppä

Previous research has suggested that when aged in highly consistent environmental conditions—with little temperature change and jostling, for example—its resulting flavor is more mellow. And the space station, with its lack of gravity and unique setting, could ostensibly be the key to unlocking new even better flavor in its whisky. At least, Suntory thinks so. Can you really improve upon the best whisky in the world with a whirl around the stars? Guess we'll have to wait to find out.

But don't plan on sipping space-aged whisky anytime soon. All of the samples will have to undergo testing when they touch down, so the only lips they'll be passing through anytime in the next couple of years are those of master whiskey blenders.

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Engadget estimates that it costs $10,000 per pound to send goods to the International Space Station, so let's hope that it's worth it for the booze's extraterrestrial vacation.

But after its big win last year, maybe the stuff deserves a getaway. After all, for relaxing times, make it Suntory times. And what's more relaxing than a break from Earth?