The Ardbeg Distillery on Islay blasted compounds of unmatured malt - known as new make spirit - to the International Space Station (ISS) in an unmanned cargo spacecraft on October 30 last year.
It also sent up particles of charred oak and, once the spacecraft docked at the ISS, the two sets of molecules were mixed.
Scientists want to understand how the two sets of compounds interact at close-to-zero gravity.
The molecules are tiny parts of the two substances known as terpenes - a set of chemicals which are often aromatic and flavour-active.
It is believed the experiment is the first time anyone has ever studied terpenes and other molecules in near-zero gravity.
The molecules will stay on the ISS for at least two years so scientists can understand how they change in a near-zero gravity environment.
The experiment, unveiled at the Edinburgh International Science Festival today, is led by US-based space research company NanoRacks LLC.
The results could be used for different industries, including future generations of Ardbeg whisky.
"At the same time it should help Ardbeg find new chemical building blocks in their own flavour spectrum."
Dr Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation at Ardbeg, who unveiled the experiment, said: "This experiment will throw new light on the effect of gravity on the maturation process. We are all tremendously excited by this experiment - who knows where it will lead?"
Below is a short video of Bill Lumsden describing his introduction to Ardbeg whilst hosting a tasting event.
Posts
