In 2011, a distillery in the United Kingdom launched a small vial of its Scottish whisky into space with the help of a space research company in Texas. After nearly four years spent on the International Space Station circling the Earth for more than 15,000 times, the little bottle of whisky has come back down to the ground ready for tasting.

Ardbeg Distillery on the Isle of Islay has revealed what the vial of space-aged whisky tastes like, and the company says it tastes like nothing it has ever encountered on Earth before, which could prove to be "groundbreaking" and open up new venues for the whisky industry and the bigger alcohol industry overall. Pretty soon, space-aged booze could become a big hit, at least, with people who can afford it.

Ardbeg's space-aged whisky isn't just some incredibly unique idea cooked up by the distillery's marketing department. It is actually a bigger scientific experiment that it was invited to participate in by NanoRack, a space research firm in Texas. In fact, Ardbeg has written [pdf] a white paper explaining the process in full detail.

According to the company, the goal of the whole experiment was to determine how zero gravity affects how whisky ages. On Earth, whisky is matured in oak barrels; the alcohol takes its smoky flavor from the oak. However, since Ardbeg couldn't very well send an entire barrel of whisky into space and risk ruining so much of its sweet, smoky concoction, the company placed barrel shavings into its space sample instead. A similar vial remained on Earth as the control sample with which to compare the taste.

"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 flavors which I have not encountered here on Earth before," said Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of distilling and whisky creation at Ardbeg. "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."

For comparison purposes, Ardbeg says its Earth-aged whisky has 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." The taste has "woody and balsamic flavors ... along with a distant fruitiness, some charcoal and antiseptic notes," while the aftertaste is a lingering flavor of "gentle smoke, tar and creamy fudge."

On the other hand, the space-aged whisky has a very different flavor, starting with an aroma that hints at "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." Ardbeg describes its taste as "very focused, with smoked fruits such as prunes, raisins, sugared plums and cherries, earthy peat smoked, peppermint, aniseed, cinnamon and smoked bacon or hickory-smoked ham." The company says it has a long, intense aftertaste that "hints of wood, antiseptic lozenges and rubbery smoke."

Ardbeg says it is considering sending more vials of whisky into space and continuing to explore how zero gravity can help create new booze flavors we've never tasted on this planet before.

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Main Photo: Mikael Leppä | Flickr

In-text Photo: Mikael Leppä | Flickr