Ardbeg Whisky Experiment Returns To Earth After Four Years Aboard The International Space Station

For Some, The Greatest Space Experiment In History Has Come To An End

We realise that headline might not be relevant to everyone, but then when you're talking about a subject as divisive as whisky, it's all subjective.

Samples of Ardbeg whisky were sent to the International Space Station in 2011 as part of a four year experiment to find out what would happen to whisky if it was matured in a zero gravity environment.

Well the results are finally in and according to the experiment's creator Dr Bill Lumsden, the samples have come back with a flavour that can only be described as out of this world.

Suntory (pictured) and Ardbeg have both sent samples to the ISS for testing.

In a white paper on the experiment, Dr Lumsden described the remarkable differences between their Earth-bound sample and the space-aged whisky.

"The difference in simulated maturation conditions has resulted in a dramatically different flavour profile, which will give rise to the potential development of new flavours, and in particular new Ardbeg whisky expressions."

Dr Lumsden went on to say that the difference between the two was "so marked, that further analysis will be carried out to elucidate the creation of the different flavours."

So is space whisky better? Well if you like your whisky to have a 'very focussed flavour profile' along with with featuring 'smoked fruits (prunes, raisins, sugared plums and cherries), earthy peat smoke, peppermint' and then a dash of 'aniseed, cinnamon and smoked bacon or hickory-smoked ham.', then this is the whisky for you.

Ardbeg distillery in Scotland made whisky history back in 2011 when it decided to start an epic four year experiment by sending some samples of its single malt up to the International Space Station.

The samples returned on the 12 September last year and have spent the last year being meticulously studied by the distillery.

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