For the first time in the history of mankind, space will get a taste of whiskey. It is owing to an experiment being conducted by Japanese and Scottish scientists planning to send just 10 milliliters of whisky into space. The project, dubbed Space Puffin involves monitoring with an artificial tongue and investigating whether orbital conditions can produce bolder flavors. The nanophotonic tongue was developed by Dr. Alasdair Clark, a tasting instrument capable of distinguishing flavor subtleties and barrel-aging differences with over 99% accuracy.
Gone are the days when patience was a virtue; now, waiting is simply part of the craft, and Scotland’s national drink will be matured in orbit for the first time to measure how the spirit develops in the harsh environment beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Indeed, it is a setting that a conventional warehouse cannot replicate, especially the faster breathing of wood. Before connoisseurs get overexcited, it should be noted that this experiment taking place over a period of five years won’t bring back any space whiskey, only data that may decide the further course.
According to the Daily Mail, scientists believe that the fluctuating temperatures, extreme heat, and freezing cold as the satellite circles the planet every 90 minutes could speed up the maturation process. To make this experiment a success, students from the University of Glasgow travelled to Japan to help co-design the CubeSat which will contain the tiny whisky samples and ingredients.
Project Space Puffin will launch the CubeSat in 2028 on a SpaceX supply mission to the International Space Station, before deploying it into orbit from the Japanese module of the space station.
The experiment will open several possibilities for the industry if all goes as per plan. However, the most important element, even more important than sending whisky to space, is recovery. As the CubeSat will not be recovered at the end of its five-year mission, there needs to be a system for launching Scotch into space and landing it on Earth after maturation.
Dr. Gilles Bailet, the scientist behind the project, said, “We want to see what the effect of a space environment is on the ageing of the whisky. 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.” In the past, a range of objects, including beer, have made it to space. For instance, Budweiser sent barley seeds to the ISS to study how microgravity affects malting. The most outlandish thing, however, was Elon Musk’s very own, cherry-red, Tesla Roadster launched into deep space aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018 with a dummy named “Starman” sat in the driver’s seat.
