GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR DRAM
Whisky Exploration held to commemorate the return of Ardbeg’s bold experiment in space. Next stop: The Ardbeg Scottish distillery for testing
In honor of the revolutionary experiment that was embarked upon in 2011, Ardbeg presented a night of Whiskey Exploration. On last Thursday, October 23, 2014 at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a diverse group of whisky enthusiasts welcomed back the Ardbeg vials that spent three year in space.
The returned vials were revealed for the first time as Jeffrey Manber, Managing Director of NanoRacks officially returned the vials to Dr. Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation. The $1Million insured vials will now return to the Ardbeg distillery in Scotland where Dr.Bill Lumsden will continue to study the effects of microgravity on the compound and produce a whitepaper on the results.
White paper findings from this bold and dynamic experiment will be revealed sometime in 2015. The vials will then commence a tour of the United States and other countries around the world before one lucky buyer will have the chance to bid and purchase at auction.
The Whisky Exploration was the perfect setting for Dr.Bill along with fellow whisky connoisseurs, to come together and celebrate this innovative and ground breaking experiment. The night concluded with a toast of Ardbeg’s newest expression; Supernova 2014- the limited edition malt that was released to commemorate the return of the Ardbeg vial from space.
About the Ardbeg Space Experiment
Only one whisky brand has ever been to space: Ardbeg. For the past three years, a single vial orbited the earth, circling the planet at 17,227 miles per hour, 15 times a day for 1,045 days aboard the International Space Station. This pioneering research experiment was a partnership with US-based space research company, NanoRacks, whish used samples from the inside of a new American Oak barrel, along with samples of a special liquid containing a number of Ardbeg crafted molecules such as terpenes, aldehydes, and fatty acid esters*.