Captain Kirk said space was the final frontier, but we don’t think he was talking about aging bourbon. We’ve seen whiskey aged at the top of a mountain peak, as well as on open waters in the Atlantic Ocean, but never before has a commercial liquor been sent to outer space for production.
North Carolina-based Mystic Farm & Distillery has major plans of sending up five barrels of its own 45% wheated bourbon to age for one year in low Earth orbit before it’s bottled at 100 proof. Prior to leaving the atmosphere, the spirit will have been aged for three years. Mystic is working with companies like SpaceX, Rocketlab, and Bank of America to help bring this project to fruition.
Unlike speculation as to how certain environments will affect the taste of a specific liquor, the properties imparted to the bourbon from spending a year in orbit are unclear to anyone. Back in 2015, Ardbeg Distillery sent whisky samples up to the International Space Station to see how three years in nothingness affected the spirit, but this was for a private tasting that wasn’t available to the public.
As a brand, Mystic has been on the rise for the past couple of years, with two consecutive gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Galactic’s release is expected to produce anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 bottles, which can be reserved by purchasing an ownership NFT for $75,000. Head over to the brand’s website to sign up for the launch.
