UK distillery in space whisky experiment finds 'space brew' noticeably stronger

A UK distillery that sent unmatured malt whisky into space to study how near-zero gravity affected flavour has described its findings as "groundbreaking".

In October 2011, Ardberg Distillery in Scotland's Isles of Islay sent a quantity of Ardbeg distillate (the liquid resulting from distillation which is normally filled into oak barrels for maturation), along with oak wood shavings from the inside of a charred American White Oak barrel  were carefully packaged and sent to  Kazakhstan to be loaded on to the Soyuz booster rocket destined for the International Space Station.

Three days after launch, the packages were passed over to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. After an initial period of acclimatisation to the conditions aboard the ISS, in January 2012, the experiment was initiated, as the astronauts broke the separating walls, allowing the distillate and the oak wood shavings to come into contact with each other.

At the same time on Earth, the control experiment was similarly initiated on Islay

The vials remained on the International Space Station until September 2014, finally returning to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 12th September 2014.

The vials were in conditions of micro-gravity, with the distillate and oak wood in contact, for a total of 971 days, orbiting the
Earth 15 times a day during this period.

The content was delivered back to Ardbeg in November 2014, after which the distillate from both the micro-gravity and Earth control samples was carefully extracted.

A range of comparative analyses were then carried out, to determine if there were any differences between the two sets of sample

According to the distiller, its space samples were "noticeably different" in terms of aroma and taste.

The  experiment was set up by the company to investigate how micro-gravity would affect the behaviour of terpenes, the building blocks of flavour for many foods and wines as also whisky spirits.

It had now identified "major differences" in its analysis of the two sets of samples.

The following are tasting notes from experiment:

Earth sample: "The sample had a woody aroma, reminiscent of an aged Ardbeg style, with hints of cedar, sweet smoke and aged balsamic vinegar, as well as raisins, treacle toffee, vanilla and burnt oranges.

"On the palate, its woody, balsamic flavours shone through, along with a distant fruitiness, some charcoal and antiseptic notes, leading to a long, lingering aftertaste, with flavours of gentle smoke, tar and creamy fudge."

Space sample: "Its intense aroma had hints of antiseptic smoke, rubber and smoked fish, along with a curious, perfumed note, like violet or cassis, and powerful woody tones, leading to a meaty aroma.

"The taste was very focused, with smoked fruits such as prunes, raisins, sugared plums and cherries, earthy peat smoke, peppermint, aniseed, cinnamon and smoked bacon or hickory-smoked ham. The aftertaste is intense and long, with hints of wood, antiseptic lozenges and rubbery smoke."

According to Ardberg, the maturation experiment paved the way for  "unprecedented flavour profiles".

Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg's director of distilling, said, "The space samples were noticeably different. When I nosed and tasted the space samples, it became clear that much more of Ardbeg's smoky, phenolic character shone through - to reveal a different set of smoky flavours which I have not encountered here on earth before.

"Ardbeg already has a complex character but the results of our experiment show that there is potentially even more complexity that we can uncover, to reveal a different side to the whisky.

"Our findings may also one day have significant implications for the whisky industry as a whole.

"In the future, the altered range of wood extractions could lead scientists to be able to detail the ratios of compounds expected in whiskies of a certain age."

Ardberg took part in the space experiment at the instance of US space research company NanoRacks, which praised the distillery for being ''pioneers.''