Forget the ice, or the dash of water. What you really need to make that glass of whisky taste just right is a bit of zero gravity.
According to a study done by a Scottish whisky distiller, the earth’s gravity is weighing down the taste of your whisky.
Ardbeg Distillery sent two vials of its unmatured malt whisky to orbit the earth in the International Space Station, and after three year in space and much scientific research, the distillery concluded that the effects of low-gravity changed the taste and smell of its scotch.
Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of distilling and whisky creation for Ardbeg said the space whisky taste was “noticeably different,” than its Earthling counterpart, according to a BBC report.
According to Lumsden, the space whisky’s had a more intense and smoky flavor after experiencing low gravity for several years.
NanoRocks, a space-oriented research firm in Webster, Texas, invited the Scottish distillery to ship the booze up to the space station in order to investigate the effects of low-gravity on terpenes, the organic compounds that give whisky and other foods their flavor.
As a laboratory that orbits the earth, the space station frequently takes on experiments that require the station’s low gravity for experiment, albeit rarely ones that involve scotch.
“It’s hard to find companies willing to be pioneers,” said NanoRocks Chief Executive, Jeffrey Manber told the BBC. “To have a partner like Ardbeg that is willing to make this sort of commitment augurs well for the future of commercial space research into flavourings and what it changes for consumer products in general.”
For now, it seems whisky lovers will have to wait a while before they can get their hands on some intense, extra smoky, zero gravity alcohol.