Whisky to boldly go where no whisky has gone before (but is it Scotch if made in space?)
Five-year whisky mission may be a precursor to the development of distilleries and factories in space
“Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Scotch. Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds (well, kind of), To seek out new life and new civilisations (OK, probably not), To boldly go where no whisky has gone before (definitely).”
Engineers in Scotland and Japan are planning to put samples of whisky and its base ingredients on a miniature satellite that will orbit the Earth for five years – the length of the original Star Trek mission.
In space, temperatures change dramatically, from as low as minus 150 degrees to 200 degrees. It’s hoped these conditions could speed up the maturation process and create some “really bold” flavours.
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Alas, while data will be sent back to Earth, we will not be able to actually taste the tiny sample of whisky exposed to these harsh conditions. This is, unfortunately, a one-way mission.
However, it could shed light on the possibilities, not just for whisky, but the whole idea of orbital factories. And, of course, there’s the really big question: could ‘space whisky’ ever be truly considered Scotch?
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