Some ‘space’ for whiskey’s improvement

Having wrested the title of the “world’s best whiskey” away from the Scots, you’d think Japanese brand Suntory would be content to rest on its laurels.

But no. Suntory is all set to better its whiskey — by sending it out into space. The stated intent is to test the effects of zero gravity on the whiskey’s ageing process, and Suntory believes that the mellowness of the spirit will increase in such an environment.

The company will send out six of its finest whiskey samples in glass flasks (a 21-year-old single malt and a fresh distilled whiskey are among the spirits that will be shot into space) on August 16, and they will be studied on board the Japanese Experiment Module in the International Space Station. The whiskey samples will stay in space for two years and are not meant for sale on their return to earth.