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Whisky Aged On NASA's International Space Station Tastes "Different"

Posted by samzenpus on from the space-shots dept.

MarkWhittington writes: Back in October 2011 Ardbeg Distillery on Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, sent a vial of whisky to the International Space Station courtesy of Houston based Nanoracks. The idea was the see if microgravity affects the way that whisky ages, particularly the way terpenes that are the building blocks of food and liquors behave. A similar vial was kept on Earth as a comparison. The BBC reported that the contents of the two vials were sampled and compared. As it turns out, pronounced differences were noted.

124 of 210 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah!!! by Eloking · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's the sort of science that I like!

    --
    Elok
    1. Re:Yeah!!! by ls671 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Chris Hadfield here. I drank the whole bottle and it sure tasted different. But summary has to be modified, strictly scientifically speaking, we aren't sure if the change of taste came from the fact that the whiskey aged in space or from the fact that I was in space while drinking it.

      In phase two, we expect to be able to wait until bottles are back on the planet before taste testing.

      --
      Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
    2. Re:Yeah!!! by GloomE · · Score: 1

      The science of marketing?

    3. Re:Yeah!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      If it was the science of marketing they would have aptly called it "Moonshine"

    4. Re: Yeah!!! by binarylarry · · Score: 4, Funny

      In space its actually called Earthshine

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    5. Re:Yeah!!! by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Not science. Art.

      --
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    6. Re:Yeah!!! by ClickOnThis · · Score: 3, Funny

      But, but ... what was in the bottle that went back to Earth?

      Oh God no ...

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    7. Re:Yeah!!! by gregor-e · · Score: 1

      Speaking as a home-distiller, I have found that no matter how stringently I control the ingredients and process, every batch of whiskey comes out different. Indeed, this is why commercial whisky producers employ blend masters who combine the variations from each cask into a consistent blend that matches their signature flavor palette. Also, commercial distillers age their whisky for years, with the changes in temperature and barometric pressure causing the casks to 'breathe' and thus alter the flavor. The 'aging' process attempted in space could not even begin to approximate the commercial aging process. So it is no surprise that the space batch tasted different. It would have been a much greater surprise if it hadn't.

  2. What a load of nonsense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Whiskey ages in barrels over a period of years, if not decades. A vial in free-fall changes nothing.

    This just shows the kind of desperate marketing space needs now to hold interest. An empty, hostile vacuum can only hold interest for so long.

    What's next? Useless plastic crap 3D printed in space is mysteriously better too I guess?

    1. Re:What a load of nonsense by sjames · · Score: 1, Troll

      Over here everybody, a new /. record. AC here didn't even read the TITLE of TFS.

    2. Re:What a load of nonsense by sjames · · Score: 1

      A vial in free-fall changes nothing.

      So AC says they're no different. Title says:

      Whisky Aged On NASA's International Space Station Tastes "Different"

      That wasn't so hard to figure out, now was it?

    3. Re:What a load of nonsense by sjames · · Score: 1

      AC above apparently thinks they are no different. I don't know if he/she/it would expect toilet aging to make a difference or not.

    4. Re:What a load of nonsense by robi5 · · Score: 2

      Now that you mention, yes, I expect that thin vertical structures and gravity load bearing sections in general hold up better than on Earth. It's possible to print artwork in space that wouldn't be possible on Terra.

    5. Re:What a load of nonsense by jimbolauski · · Score: 1

      Whiskey is aged in wood barrels or in glass containers with pieces of charred wood inside them, putting whiskey in an empty glass container is not aging so unless we are assuming the article is incorrect it's safe to say that there was wood inside the glass containers. It's tough to say if weightlessness had any effect or if the vibrations of the 4 year space flight accelerated the aging process. As for marketing, it costs about $10,000 per pound to put something in orbit so I doubt very much that they will be selling space whiskey any time soon.

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      t=Money
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    6. Re:What a load of nonsense by sjames · · Score: 1

      My objection was the dismissal of the taste difference. This is an opportunity to learn something about the aging process of whisky. Apparently there is something going on here that might be good to know. If we reject all observation that doesn't match what we already believe we know, we never learn.

    7. Re:What a load of nonsense by bingoUV · · Score: 1

      Yes, but at least there are problems with the "observation". The article doesn't even mention about any attempt at a blind test, least of all randomized double blind test. That is a serious flaw, worthy of tossing out the subjective results reported by human beings completely.

      Only chemical analysis of samples is now remaining as a possibility of valid "observation". They can do the double blind tests now - but possibly not enough is left for the purpose.

      --
      Bingo Dictionary - Pragmatist, n. A myopic idealist.
    8. Re:What a load of nonsense by sjames · · Score: 2

      Sure, but that is a distinctly different argument than "There is no difference, I'm not listening, La La La La":.

      However, another article made thinge more clear, both vials included shavings from the inside of a barrel.

  3. Stirring research, or merely shaken? by geek42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I didn't read too far, but how was the impact of aging in space disambiguated from the impact of the transportation process? Shaking and high accelerations come to mind as potentially significantly impacting the whisky. We certainly know these to affect beer...

    1. Re:Stirring research, or merely shaken? by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 4, Informative

      It would probably impact beer more since beer is carbonated. Because adding CO2 to a liquid turns it acidic, it adds a sour flavor. When you shake carbonated liquid, the CO2 is going to be more likely to combine and turn into a gas, floating to the surface and raising the pH, making it less sour.

    2. Re:Stirring research, or merely shaken? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      I would love to know more as well, can't seem to find much in the article though. e.g. did they account for light and temperature as well?

    3. Re:Stirring research, or merely shaken? by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      it's a vial supposedly.
      one would assume sealed glass vial.

      which would make the one's doing the experiment pretty keen on wasting money for some reason or another.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  4. Flawed premise... by mizkitty · · Score: 1

    Whisky is aged in wooden barrels...they just put it in glass bottles to sell it...

    1. Re:Flawed premise... by pz · · Score: 4, Interesting

      To assume that all chemical interaction stops merely because you've put a liquid in a glass container is perhaps somewhat naive. Whiskey, wine, and essentially everything else, continues to age in the bottle, albeit at different rates. Given the profound changes that are evident in a matter of days-to-months when wood is included in the ageing process, it is easy to dismiss the changes that happen when it is not included, but that is a mistake.

      I make a sour cherry infusion from brandy. It matures significantly in sealed glass, changing color from bright cherry to deep maroon, and peaking in flavor at 5-8 years. The biggest change in color comes after the first year, but the taste continues to develop, significantly, over many years. After about 15 years, the flavor starts to lose it's depth, and it becomes less interesting.

      I have no doubt that a difference could be detected between a whiskey aged in vial that in microgravity would lack convective currents versus the equivalent on Earth if vibration were adequately controlled such that convection would be the major mixing force on Earth versus diffusion in space. I do not, however, think anyone could predict what the differences would be. An interesting follow-on experiment would be to age whiskey in a centrifuge at 2g, 5g, 10g, and beyond. In an ultra-centrifuge, convection also essentially ceases as a mixing mechanism, but now diffusion would in addition be limited.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    2. Re:Flawed premise... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Whisky is aged in wooden barrels...they just put it in glass bottles to sell it...

      I bought several of those cheap bottles of Macallan from Costco back when that was a thing and I can tell you personally that the stuff gets smoother the longer you leave it in the bottle. I usually have six or seven 18+ year old single malts going at once, so sometimes one or more of them is around long enough to age substantially after purchase.

      All quality scotches are corked, as in with a cork. The cork breathes. And that doesn't even account for the effects of what amount of air is sealed into the bottle with the booze to begin with, the reaction of constituents of the mixture with others... That stuff doesn't magically stop because you take it out of the barrel. It just stops taking on the flavor of the barrel itself. Some of those compounds have been breaking down all along, and will continue to do so.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Flawed premise... by Schmorgluck · · Score: 4, Informative

      Whiskey is a distilled beverage, basically "dead" so to say. Some wines (granted, not all) still have some micro-organisms when they're bottled. Not really countering your point, mind you, just adding in some precisions.

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    4. Re:Flawed premise... by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The amount of change in a scotch whiskey is absolutely tiny after it has been put in a bottle. There are almost no reagents available in a normal bottle with there being a tiny amount in the air trapped under the lid / cap / cork and the tiny tiny tiny amount of tannin that was leached out of the timber during ageing. If this was a glass vial I expect the air quantity to be even lower.

      The only real changes you may get are where the bottle goes through too wide a heat range and as a result pushes and pulls air past the seal.

      Note this is different from say Bourbon which does age in the bottle, in particular because it still has a high tannin level when bottled. Taking the example of your cherry infusion you have introduced a significant amount of sugar to the mix and a number of reagents so it is much more inline with a wine then a distillate spirit at the time you bottle it.

    5. Re:Flawed premise... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1, Insightful

      All quality scotches are corked, as in with a cork

      Utter rubbish. Cork is not inherently better than a simple screw-cap (each has their own disadvantages). These days pretty much every brand and bottler I know of (plenty...) uses screw-caps, except for special editions that are meant as expensive gifts or for collectors. Perhaps it was more common in the past, but if you buy an 18, 35 or 50 year old whisky today, chances are that it has been bottled only very recently.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    6. Re:Flawed premise... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      These days pretty much every brand and bottler I know of (plenty...) uses screw-caps

      I buy a bit of scotch, and I have never ever seen any of the single malt brands I buy use a screw cap. Bourbon of the same age, sure. But not scotch.

      It's a fact that screw caps and corks behave differently, though. Even plastic corks and natural ones are different, if you don't design them correctly. But they actually do; good plastic corks are deliberately designed to mimic the properties of natural ones. Screw caps, not so much. Even Wikipedia can educate you here. Go forth and read it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:Flawed premise... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I think you'll find it's whisky, not whiskey. :)

    8. Re:Flawed premise... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

      Actually, I stand corrected. I went into the whisky cabinet and as it turns out quite a few bottles are indeed corked. Interestingly though, many of the best whiskies in there (20+ years) do have screw caps.

      I suppose I need to stick my nose in there a bit more often before opening my big mouth, though my wife might disagree with that.,,

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    9. Re:Flawed premise... by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      Doh the shame is killing me....

  5. Re:but is space whiskey better? by phantomfive · · Score: 2

    "Its intense aroma had hints of antiseptic smoke, rubber and smoked fish,

    I can understand where the smell of antiseptic and rubber came from in the space station.......but wherefore the smoked fish???

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  6. Was it a Double Blind Test? by Gamer_2k4 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've heard of studies where wine tasters offered different opinions based on what they THOUGHT the wine was (including white wines dyed red), so I'm curious how this test was performed. Did the tester know which one was from the ISS? Was there more than one tester?

    1. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      From the article:

      The Isle of Inner Hebrides sent a "vial of whiskey" to the space station, and one vial was kept on earth. No mention of the volume or makeup of the two vials (assuming they were both the same). Here is how the two samples were described:

      For the earth sample: "The sample had 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." ... with some more about the flavours on the palate,

      For the space sample: "Its intense aroma had hints of 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."

      So, all around a whole load of arrogant connoisseur bullshit. And then the article states the true purpose of the "experiment": "Whether the experiment will ever have practical applications remains to be seen. At the current costs of space travel, “space aged whisky” would be the most expensive “bit of the dram” that has ever been distilled. Such a product might find a niche in the luxury market. Anyone lucky to taste space whisky would be able to boast about it until his or her last day."

      In other words. No science was performed in the creation of this blatant attempt to exploit dumb rich people.

    2. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Schmorgluck · · Score: 2

      You completely missed the point of the GP. It's about testing protocols, not the results. The results are totally unreliable and therefore completely uninteresting without some amount of blind-testing.

      --
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    3. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      In other words. No science was performed in the creation of this blatant attempt to exploit dumb rich people.

      That is what I thought at first. Then I went looking for more details and found the paper: The impact of micro-gravity on the release of oak extractives into spirit in which they claim:

      Organoleptic Assessment -- multiple micro-gravity and control samples were compared in the sensory laboratory using Ardbeg 'tulip' shaped nosing and tasting glasses, for both triangle tests (in which three 'blind' glasses are compared, two of which contain one sample, and one the other sample) and for detailed aroma and flavour descriptions.

      They don't say if it was double-blind or not, but even if it was just single-blind, that's at least passable science.

    4. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by MyAlternateID · · Score: 1

      You completely missed the point of the GP. It's about testing protocols, not the results. The results are totally unreliable and therefore completely uninteresting without some amount of blind-testing.

      It's good to know they've tested and worked out a protocol designed to produce unreliable results.

      /sarcasm

    5. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Schmorgluck · · Score: 1

      Your sarcasm isn't biting enough. They didn't even bother to have a protocol! At least according to TFA.

      --
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    6. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Cytotoxic · · Score: 2

      They don't say if it was double-blind or not, but even if it was just single-blind, that's at least passable science.

      I disagree - using the words "sensory laboratory" adds nothing. Neither does the naming of the type of wine glass used for tasting whiskey. The 'triangle test" might at least add something of a protocol, but we are still talking about a very soft end point - a subjective taste test. This is at most an adjunct to a more rigorous examination. And a real taste test would include many other samples and would have the requirement of being reproducible - something that has been called into question repeatedly in the world of wine tasting.

      If you were really going to do "science" on this topic, you would be examining the differences in the chemical makeup of the samples. The materials and methods would involve words like "gas-liquid chromatography" and "mass spectrograph" rather than ""Ardbeg 'tulip' shaped glasses".

    7. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 4, Informative

      Real science would have been if they put the two samples in a mass spectrometer and found a significantly different chemistry.

      Apparently they did, but that doesn't make sensational headlines.

      --
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    8. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      As I replied to the AC, they did do 'Real Science (tm)'.

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    9. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by TMB · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They show differences, but they don't show what the typical bottle-to-bottle dispersion is in the concentrations for Earth-aged bottles, without which there's no way to judge whether the difference is significant.

      [TMB]

    10. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Convector · · Score: 2

      Well, depending on the quality of the finished product, the tasters might have gone double blind AFTER the experiment.

    11. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by ultranova · · Score: 1

      No science was performed in the creation of this blatant attempt to exploit dumb rich people.

      And for all that it still helps push demand for launch capacity, which in turn helps fund the research necessary to bring down the price of space travel to where you or I can afford it.

      --

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    12. Re:Was it a Double Blind Test? by Cytotoxic · · Score: 1

      Nope.... read the stupid press summary. Should have known better.

  7. NASA's station? by palemantle · · Score: 1

    In what way is that ISS Nasa's (as the headline [and the article] claims)?

    It's one thing to say that this idiotic experiment was run on the United States Orbital Segment but the headline seems to imply NASA's ownership and right of use.

  8. Re:I support space research. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I support space research......but couldn't they find anything more important to study?

    MORE important than WHISKY?

    That sound you just heard was my head exploding.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  9. Re:I support space research. by 50000BTU_barbecue · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, cognac.

    --
    Mostly random stuff.
  10. Mmmmm mmmmm mmmm ... space whisky by Darkling-MHCN · · Score: 1

    With "antiseptic smoke, rubber, and smoked fish"

    I love a hint of fishiness in my whiskey...

    Here's a picture following the tasting....

    http://previews.123rf.com/imag...

  11. The description of both flavors is identical by penguinoid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Earth sample: "The sample had 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.

    "On the palate, its woody, balsamic flavours shone through, along with a distant fruitiness, some charcoal and antiseptic notes, leading to a long, lingering aftertaste, with flavours of gentle smoke, tar and creamy fudge."

    Space sample: "Its intense aroma had hints of 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.

    "The taste was very focused, with smoked fruits such as prunes, raisins, sugared plums and cherries, earthy peat smoke, peppermint, aniseed, cinnamon and smoked bacon or hickory-smoked ham. The aftertaste is intense and long, with hints of wood, antiseptic lozenges and rubbery smoke."

    From the given descriptions, I can make no prediction as to how the flavor of one would differ from the other. The description contains only differences that I would expect from two booze tasters tasting the same booze, or from one booze taster tasting the same booze twice but thinking it's different. Or perhaps someone could translate it to English for me?

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    1. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by Schmorgluck · · Score: 1

      I concur. There's no mention of any attempt to neutralize bias, which is the most important thing to expose in such an article.

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    2. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by Schmorgluck · · Score: 1

      I mean, I know that good whiskey tasters can make an expository appreciation of a drink with just a sip, but precisely, the articles say it was a vial of scotch that was sent. I understand that there are payload issues at play, but a vial is too small a sample to set up a significant blind-test, that would neutralize both the biases, and the styles of the tasters. Not enough sips in a vial.

      --
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    3. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by Threni · · Score: 2

      It is English. There's nothing to translate. If someone says something tastes of raisins then it tastes of raisins. I've seen this sort of criticism before and I don't understand it. When someone says something tastes like something else, why not take it at face value that it is at least their opinion?

    4. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      furthermore it's not enough time for anything to happen it anyways. add to that it spent minimal time in space anyways.

      you would expect them to have lab tested it, but no.
      it's basically just an advertisement for (japanese iirc) whisky(furthered by claiming the earth base sample to have 'aarberg' taste. the space one is probably the more honest review.. 'fishy').

      -lassi

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    5. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From the given descriptions, I can make no prediction as to how the flavor of one would differ from the other. The description contains only differences that I would expect from two booze tasters tasting the same booze, or from one booze taster tasting the same booze twice but thinking it's different. Or perhaps someone could translate it to English for me?

      First off, I will say that I agree to some extent with your implicit skepticism. There have been a lot of double-blind tests that have shown tasting rates, even by professional judges, to be highly flawed.

      That said, have you ever tried to describe the difference in taste of two different whiskies to someone else? You need to come up with some way of characterizing the taste -- and while I often am skeptical of these long descriptions, I frequently find that there's something in the flavor profile that often matches my experience pretty well -- "Wow... yeah, I actually DO taste the 'toffee' " or "The 'plum' note really does stand out here." These things are particularly notable when you're sampling a number of different drinks at the same time.

      Also, note that these tastings were done blind, and there were three glasses with two having the same whisky, so there were several ways to discount those characteristics which were apparently just "random" variance with "one booze taster tasting the same booze twice but thinking it's different" or whatever.

      Anyhow, there's no way to "translate" this exactly, because it's already English. To me, these descriptions tell me that I'm likely to hate the space sample, which sounds positively awful -- "antiseptic smoke, rubber, and smoked fish" are all things that generally are BAD qualities in a scotch nose. Do you want to drink scotch that smells like rubber and fish? "Antiseptic" is a clue that the taster probably thought the alcohol notes were out of balance. There's also the word "curious" in "curious perfumed note" which again hints that something seems out of place or weird. The actual primary taste sounds okay, though very fruity, but the aftertaste again sounds horrible: "intense" is rarely a good thing in aftertastes, and when you pair it with more "antiseptic" and "rubber" -- it sounds to me that whoever drank this stuff HATED it.

      The earth sample, on the other hand, has a nice nose, perhaps bourbon-like from the description. The "antiseptic" is downplayed in the taste (though it probably has a little "burn" given the mention), and the "long lingering aftertaste" is not "intense" but rather a blend of "gentle" and "creamy" pleasant flavors like smoke and fudge.

      In short, you might think these are similar descriptions, but the basic effect I get is that the earth-based sample was fairly balanced and pleasant overall, with perhaps a little bit of "bite," but the space sample was wildly out-of-balance and, frankly, terrible. I know some people who like "extreme" whiskies that taste pretty weird, and maybe they'd like the space sample. But I imagine the more interesting conclusion (if anything, from such a small, short study) is that space aging can change which notes are brought out in whisky, and perhaps some sort of combination of aging processes could result in something better. But this study was fairly limited.

    6. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Feeling a bit insecure? There is a common vocabulary used to describe the various aspects of whisky flavour. You stumbling across it and calling it arrogance is indicative of arrogance, but in you and not them. Don't judge things you don't understand.

    7. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by camperdave · · Score: 2

      Saying one thing tastes like something else is fine when that something else has only one taste, like salt. The taste of raisins depends on the type of grape the raisin is from, where the grape was grown, how that grape was grown, when it was picked, how it was dried, how it was stored, how long it has aged, and a whole plethora of variables. Does "taste like raisins" refer to the sweetness to savory-ness ratio? the saltiness? Is there an emotional bias to this? If the taster hates raisins, is this "tastes like raisins" thing provoking a similar emotional response, or is it a true reflection of the underlying chemistry?

      "Tastes like raisins" is as meaningful as "heavy as a dog" or "long as a fish" or "the color of this dress"

      --
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    8. Re:The description of both flavors is identical by Threni · · Score: 1

      Huh? Raisins have a flavour, as do apples, mangoes and pineapples. "It tastes like a mango. Any questions?".

  12. Re:but is space whiskey better? by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 1

    "Its intense aroma had hints of antiseptic smoke, rubber and smoked fish,

    I can understand where the smell of antiseptic and rubber came from in the space station.......but wherefore the smoked fish???

    Ohh. That so begs ab abswer, but I lack the balls to post it. Or maybe it's that I do have balls...

  13. Re:I support space research. by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

    "One of the things they do for science up there is to see if normal things end up different simply because of the microgravity."

    Which is precisely why, as the previous poster indicated above, a precise analysis of the returned vial would have been more helpful than some guy tasting it.

  14. Re:but is space whiskey better? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    I can understand where the smell of antiseptic and rubber came from in the space station.......but wherefore the smoked fish???

    Some of the same chemicals that turn up in one place turn up in other places. I can usually only taste the stronger flavors in scotch myself, possibly because I don't do the proper mystical breathing bullshit. You know, you're not supposed to breathe in the fumes of a hard alcohol you're tasting, etc etc. But that's part of the fun of it to me, and if I can't do that and enjoy it, I know I need something of higher quality.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  15. Re:I support space research. by Schmorgluck · · Score: 2

    The article doesn't even mention if the tasting was a blind experiment. If it wasn't, even the tasting's results are totally insignificant.

    I'd be interested in a study about beer brewing in micro-gravity. Specifically, how yeasts handle such atypical conditions. Would have some practical purposes, besides the booze.

    --
    There's nothing like $HOME
  16. in soviet russia... by ecloud · · Score: 2

    Seriously, 3 years of unfulfilled temptation? Such a vial wouldn't survive very long on the Mir.

    But then, vodka doesn't benefit so much from aging.

  17. Re:I support space research. by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

    Maybe the god-knows-how-many-G launch acceleration and/or the travel back down had some impact as well.
    Did they also include vials to test right after arrival and right before departure?

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  18. Re:I support space research. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    I saw no mention of double blinding in the taste test, to eliminate the placebo effect, notorious for affecting evaluation of alcohol, expensive audio cables vs. cheap, and StradIvarious violins vs. modern.

    --
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  19. Analyzis required by aepervius · · Score: 1

    Chromatography or similar would be required. Human can delude themselves into seeing different taste. A chromatography much less so. Although it would be probably difficult as the terpene are in very small quantity, the pronounced different taste should lead to some differences.

    --
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  20. Einstein's whisky by GrantRobertson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course they tasted different. Due to relativity, the one on the ground aged longer.

    1. Re:Einstein's whisky by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      Of course they tasted different. Due to relativity, the one on the ground aged longer.

      Love the joke, but actually it's the other way around.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    2. Re: Einstein's whisky by GrantRobertson · · Score: 2

      But I was thinking about the velocity of the ISS. Isn't their time slowed down more due to velocity than it is sped up due to greater distance from Earth's gravity well?

    3. Re: Einstein's whisky by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      Good point. The two effects compete with each other. And you're right: in the (low) ISS orbit, velocity wins. Gravitational effects dominate in orbits with altitudes greater than 5,900 miles.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    4. Re:Einstein's whisky by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      No, GrantRobertson was right. You accounted for gravitational time dilation but forgot relative velocity time dilation. The one on the ground aged longer because the ISS is moving so quickly.

      A discussion of the two, and which one outweighs the other:
      http://ideonexus.com/2009/02/1...

      Other links:
      https://www.quora.com/Why-is-t...
      http://www.wired.com/2014/11/t...

    5. Re:Einstein's whisky by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      I already conceded, per my reply above. Thanks for the extra info.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    6. Re:Einstein's whisky by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      Is there any easy way to see the entire posting tree for a thread? Right now, it shows me my post, and all the parents and children of it. But if I expand your post, I don't see other replies. The two ways I know to find those replies are either go back to the original story and find this thread, or to click on your name and find your post. At that point it shows me the replies to your post. Surely there is a better way.

    7. Re:Einstein's whisky by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      I know what you mean. It happens if you open your post from your comments page. Along with the methods you mentioned, you can click on "Show all Posts" and it should show other threads in the discussion. I doubt it would have helped in this case though, because you posted only 2 minutes after I did.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    8. Re:Einstein's whisky by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      Gaah, make that "Load All Comments."

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  21. Re:Radiation by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    No, it was due to the earth sample being aged in a cask, while the ISS sample was in a glass container with some wood savings.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  22. Try again by jklovanc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    To be a valid they would need to have at least three sample tested by each person. Some would be given 2 Earth whiskies, some 2 space whiskies, some 3 Earth whiskies and some 3 space whiskies. That way it is easier to weed out biases in this very subjective test. Presenting someone with two samples and asking what are the differences biases the tester towards finding differences when none exist.

  23. NASA's? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since when does the ISS belong to NASA? The headline is misleading - other countries own the majority of it, and Russia is already planning to recycle their bits when the ISS is scrapped.

    --
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  24. Hair of the dog by seoras · · Score: 1

    Let's send a case of Lagavulin on the next re-supply and a box of Advil to see what else might be different in space. If anything...

  25. Re: I support space research. by MenThal · · Score: 4, Funny

    Star board aged port? You'll have your hands full with confused seamen.

  26. Re:I support space research. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I support space research......but couldn't they find anything more important to study? If that's the best they can do, they might as well shut the station down.

    They article doesn't even mention whether they did a chemical analysis. Why not run it through a spectrograph? That seems like a normal thing to do. Instead, they just had some guy taste it.

    It's the first step towards creating a proper Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster.

    Actually, when people say "Couldn't they find anything more important to study?" it makes me itch. It's in studying the so-called "unimportant" things that we often get the most benefits. Read some of Einstein's idle musings and see how geniuses gain insight into the Universe.

    And whisky is intended to be experienced by the senses. A spectrometric analysis can tell about chemistry, but it's not going to be a very good guide about how people will react to the differences.

    Someday someone is likely to become a billionaire selling "Space Whiskey". Or it might turn out that orbitally-aged potables become a vital part of anti-nausea therapy for cancer patients. Or something completely unimaginable.

    But if we leave it to the people who only want to study "important things", we'll never know.

  27. Re:I support space research. by dwywit · · Score: 1

    Probably worthwhile in terms of how to confine potentially dangerous substances, and the benefits to fermented foods in space.

    I *really* wouldn't like to experience a vigorous wort fermentation in a confined space. You know it produces CO2 and ethanol?

    OTOH, kimchi would be a BLAST!

    --
    They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
  28. Re: I support space research. by fisted · · Score: 1, Troll

    I...guess I meant to post that as AC.

    HEY! What's over there?!

    --
    CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
  29. Re:but is space whiskey better? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

    Those are common tasting notes. Unlike their wine-sampling colleagues (or the whisky tasters in marketing), whisky tasters often use such words to describe the taste and smell of a whisky. They may sound odd and a bit nasty, but I find that notes from a good taster are usually pretty much in line with the memories invoked when tasting the whisky myself.

    I'm surprised the whisky aged differently (or at all) up there; sitting in a glass vial doesn't do much for whisky, it's the barrel that matters. Perhaps they used a sealed vial with some wood from a typical barrel in there.

    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  30. I love tasting notes by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 3, Funny

    They never say the thing tastes like what it is. Never does wine have a "distinctive note of fermented grapes". I also love to read a couple tasting notes about the same thing. One will say "citris, vanilla and anise" another "watermelon", "bacon", "chocolate". Without fail they seem to have complete different components. Then you get in the room with a wine or whiskey snob and watch them discuss the "peach note" in the drink. Fantastic.

  31. Thank goodness for the Romulans by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    You and your puny Earthling beverages!

  32. Whisky doesn't age once its left the barrel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/understanding-scotch/faqs/

    How should I store my Scotch Whisky?

    Unlike wine, whisky does not mature in the bottle. So even if you keep a 12 year old bottle for 100 years, it will always remain a 12 year old whisky. As long as the bottle is kept out of direct sunlight, the Scotch Whisky will neither improve nor deteriorate, even if it is opened. Whisky that is stored at very low temperatures can become cloudy, but the cloudiness should disappear when the whisky is returned to room temperature.

    1. Re:Whisky doesn't age once its left the barrel by omnichad · · Score: 1

      And the barrel shavings were in the vial.

    2. Re:Whisky doesn't age once its left the barrel by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      There will be impurities in the glass, which may be absorbed into the whiskey. Likewise the cork / sealant. Any porosity in the sealing system may allow chemicals in the atmosphere to enter the bottle. Over the course of decades, even slow processes will have some effect.

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  33. Re:I support space research. by Rainbow+Nerds · · Score: 5, Informative

    They actually did a precise chemical analysis, in addition to tasting the whisky.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/science/space-whisky-glass.html?_r=0

    The article says that the whisky had lower amounts of compounds that are typically extracted from the oak. Most of what I could find online is pretty light on the details of what's different chemically, but there was definitely more done than tasting.

    --
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  34. Re:but is space whiskey better? by war4peace · · Score: 1

    Bever say bever!

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  35. What sort of science is that? by popo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is it the goal seeked science originated by marketing departments that you like?

    Did you really think that after oodles of money was spent on this "experiment" that the answer would be "it tastes the same"?

    This is reminiscent of the space souvenir industry in the 1970's, where trinkets that had been "in space" possessed some fetishistic value for collectors.

    This isn't science at all. The determination of "it tastes different" was made by those with the profit motive to declare as much.

    This is the sort of "science" that nobody should like.

    --
    ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
    1. Re:What sort of science is that? by Penguinisto · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I wouldn't be that quick to condemn it. It's not like they're going to sell off microscopic droplets for $500 each or something stupid like that, else they'd send a whole bottle up and auction that off when it returned.

      Distillation and aging of alcohol is actually a very interesting hobby in addition to a huge business. Even if you don't do it yourself, for those who actually enjoy the taste of good whisky (as opposed to chugging a mass-marketed bottle of honky-tonk juice), it's not hard to see that this can be done for perfectly scientific reasons (and food chemistry is only for starters). IMHO, the timespan involved was the bare minimum at best for aging a drinkable whisky in the first place (and the quantity tested way too low given the typical barrel size, no accounting for venting-off of higher-level spirits through a typically semi-porous container, etc), but when every cubic centimeter of ISS has to be accounted for, I get it. Not something I would design, but I get the limitations.

      Overall, if it was all about marketing, why didn't one of the mass-marketed spirits makers do it? Ardbeg only has two main stills and only moderate output as far as Scottish distilleries go, if memory serves. It has a recognized name among the glass-sniffing crowd, but it's not exactly a mass-market brand.

      Certainly I'll admit that the whole "in spaaaaace!" aspect is there, no doubt. On the other hand, I doubt they'll be slacking off when it comes to analysis, either.

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    2. Re:What sort of science is that? by budgenator · · Score: 2

      I'm actually surprised it did taste different, makes me wonder how it would taste if a sample was centrifuged at 10G for two years.

      --
      Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
    3. Re:What sort of science is that? by gregor-e · · Score: 1

      They might have been able to find actual space-related differences if they had an identical control batch left on Earth to compare it with.

  36. Re: I support space research. by umghhh · · Score: 1

    That is how it works dude. If you have ever tried to describe taste to another person you could understand what the problem is. Besides it becomes less ambiguous when trained people talk with each other - they do seem to travel on the same speed, platform and can exchange opinions about beverages that have some meaning to each other. Mortals like us should just concentrate on drinking. Some of use after gaining some experience can start distinguishing differences in descriptions also with a taste buds but the rest recognizes the taste by looking at the receipt.
    They still should have done spectral analysis just to see what differences in aging processes are.

  37. Re: I support space research. by Gadget_Guy · · Score: 4, Informative

    GO (fuck yourselves) NASA!!

    What's NASA got to do with this?

    This was the result of Ardbeg Distillery being invited by a company called NanoRacks to send a vial of whiskey up in a Russian rocket to the International Space Station - which is run by five participating space agencies, only one of which is NASA.

    You want to damn an entire agency because a single vial of liquid was taken into space? I'm sure there have been plenty of experiments on different food stuffs in space, but you think that on this occasion this one example shows them to be a sham. Sorry, but that is a textbook case of overreaction. I bet you are still hurt from having your crayon-written application to be an astronaut denied. Or maybe you are just mad that NASA keep producing findings of studies that are at odds to your beliefs about global warming.

  38. Re:I support space research. by Muad'Dave · · Score: 5, Informative

    Plus, FINALLY, they tell us exactly how they 'aged' the whisky (normal aging entails long-term storage in 'previously used' charred oak barrels).

    In the Ardbeg experiment, 32 vials, each with six milliliters of unaged whisky, were sent to the space station in 2011 and then mixed with oak shavings. After 971 days of aging, the whisky returned to Earth last year to be compared with samples that had been aged on the ground. Dr. Lumsden and a panel of experts sniffed and tasted, and he ran them through a battery of chemical analyses.

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  39. Re:I support space research. by phantomfive · · Score: 2

    You read the Stradivarius conclusion incorrectly. Here is a discussion. Educate yourself.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  40. Re:Radiation by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

    Both of TFAs say that a similar vial (presumably also with wood shavings) was kept on Earth for comparison. So, apples to apples.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  41. Re:Conclusion: by craighansen · · Score: 1

    Try that in re-purposed Iranian centrifuges.

  42. Re:Heavily flawed experiment, reporting, or both by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

    Whatever criticisms one may have of the experiment (or the reporting,) aging the samples differently is not one of them. Both of TFAs say that a similar vial (presumably also with wood shavings) was kept on Earth for comparison. So no, they didn't compare the space-sample to earthbound oak-barrel-aged whisky.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  43. Re:Lining up at the bottlo! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    I .... *hurps* shhhtill cannot make a dec... desh... deshishon. Needs more *hick* shamplin'.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  44. 99% marketing by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    Sorry, but considering that tens of thousands of pages have been written on the subtle nuances of wine flavors, yet blindfolded wine experts couldn't actually distinguish between red and white varieties, I'm guessing the fine distinctions of whiskeys are pretty much the same.

    http://www.theguardian.com/lif...

    It's certainly credible that a chemical reaction taking place in an environment without convection or gravity, etc might proceed differently in some respects, but I'm going to file this one down around "monster sound cables give you cleaner sound" in the authenticity-file.

    --
    -Styopa
  45. Re:Radiation by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I was wrong about that -- misread the El Reg article. What a maroon.

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  46. It was a good experiment, right? by Sloppy · · Score: 1

    I suppose that if you get to send stuff up into space for experiments like this, everyone involved makes sure that you have your ducks in a row when it comes to basic science. Nevertheless, I have to ask: they kept both samples at exactly the same temperature, right?

    And the microgravity one didn't have the whiskey frequently coming into contact with a stopper or cap, with the Earth gravity one having a constant layer of gas (air or CO2 or something) in between, right?

    Right? I ass/u/me so.

    (I do think think it's plausible they would taste different from gravity alone, but for some reason, it's hard for me to ignore fears of a botched experiment. There's something about the photo of two different containers, that makes me wonder if they were really stored the same way. I have to be wrong, though. Please, someone tell me I'm wrong.)

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  47. We need More Results... by bobbied · · Score: 1

    The results where inconclusive, so I suggest that we organize additional experiments which include public taste testing up to and including intoxication and long term experiments which address the long term affects of light to moderate "Space Aged Spirits" consumption.

    Too expensive you say? Not so, sell raffle tickets for a chance to be part of the study to varying degrees with the grand prize being a lifetime supply of Space Aged Spirits to offset the costs. Heck, it the stuff is good enough, you could make enough money to fund the launch of a couple of barrels a year with a bunch of extra space for things like replacement parts and crew members... Heck, if it's good enough, we might be able to fund all of NASA doing this...

    Drinking Whiskey enters the space age..

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  48. Re: I support space research. by omnichad · · Score: 4, Funny

    You want to damn an entire agency because a single vial of liquid was taken into space?

    Only if it was over 3 ounces.

  49. Re:I support space research. by ExekielS · · Score: 1

    That was what I was looking for the entire article, too bad they didn't. As for the space whiskey, it sounds atrocious.

    --
    ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
  50. Re:but is space whiskey better? by robi5 · · Score: 1

    Didn't it arrive on Russian spacecraft?

  51. Re:Heavily flawed experiment, reporting, or both by dave420 · · Score: 1

    You seem to be far more interested in condemning this than understand it, it seems :)

  52. Re: I support space research. by fisted · · Score: 1

    formerly

    I don't think this word means what you think it means.

    --
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  53. Who Pays The Bill for $10,000/Lbs? by BrendaEM · · Score: 1

    Who are we going to send the bill to?
    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ma...

    --
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  54. Re:It's spelled "Whiskey" by omnichad · · Score: 1

    Since it comes from a distillery in Scotland, it's spelled whisky. Generally, whiskey is used for what's made in the US.

  55. They did exactly that by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 1

    , if you bothered to RTFA, they analyzed the samples using GC, HPLC, and GC/MS, and found various quantitative differences to explain the qualitative differences found via taste testing.

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  56. Local climate by zaibazu · · Score: 1

    Doesn't the local climate also contribute to a whisky ripening in a cask ? For example whisky ripening in peat areas have a distinct touch. Might be hogswash from the whiskey makers though, just thought this might be relevant

  57. Re: I support space research. by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 1

    Ardbeg? Well no wonder it tasted funny.

    --
    They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
  58. Re:I support space research. by Schmorgluck · · Score: 1

    Having tasted kimchi recently, I'll stand with sauerkraut personally. Although the kimchi I tasted was exceedingly spicy. For my taste anyway.

    --
    There's nothing like $HOME
  59. Re:I support space research. by budgenator · · Score: 1

    What would be more important to Ardbeg Distilleries than the ageing of a single malt scotch whiskey? Why should NanoRacks care what a company sends to space as long as they pay their bill and don't jeopardise other payload?

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  60. Re:I support space research. by budgenator · · Score: 1

    I support space research......but couldn't they find anything more important to study?

    MORE important than WHISKY?

    That sound you just heard was my head exploding.

    These Millennials just don't have an appropriate values system, I blame the educational system.

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  61. Re:I support space research. by budgenator · · Score: 1

    Beer doesn't work in micro-gravity, the sediment doesn't settle out of the wort, and what happens to the head when you pour a glass is just obscene.

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  62. Re:I support space research. by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

    So, did they have any "mixed with oak shavings" whisky aged on Earth as a control?

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  63. Re:I support space research. by Muad'Dave · · Score: 2

    I think they imply that when they mentioned they broke the glass on their MixStix(tm) on Earth: From the PDF, emphasis mine:

    ... in January 2012, the experiment was initiated, as the astronauts broke the glass separating walls in the individual MixStix(TM), thus allowing the distillate and the oak wood shavings to come into contact with each other. At the same time on Earth, we initiated the control experiment by breaking the separating wall in my MixStix(TM) on Islay (which had been sent back to me at Ardbeg Distillery from NanoRack’s laboratories in Houston, USA).

    So it looks like Ardbeg sent hooch and shavings to NanoRack in Houston, they created two (identical?) MixStix, and sent one to Russia to be boosted and the other back to Islay.

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  64. Yuck by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

    The space whiskey tastes like burnt rubber. At least we now know they practice safe sex.

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