Whiskey making across the world is rooted in heritage and tradition. But whether you’re a whiskey drinker or maker, sometimes it is important to try something new. That’s certainly what Denver craft distillery Mile High Spirits have done with Strato Whiskey, the first whisky that has spent a portion of its maturation period at the boundaries of space.
Understanding Whiskey Better At The Edge Of Space
“Whiskey and space are my two biggest passions, but I knew that in order to combine the two we would have to pull off something that has never been done before,” explained Wyn Ferrell, founder of Mile High Spirits in an email exchange with me. Ferrell has worked with World View to create the first commercially available whisky that has been sent to the edge of space.
Ferrell and his wife Chelsea, a project manager in the aerospace industry, are passionate about space exploration. To the point that in their spare time they have helped NASA and UAE with asteroid mapping in order to ensure space missions have the information needed to flyby or to land on asteroids. For them, aiming to create the first whiskey part matured in space was the next logical step.
Chelsea made the introductions to the team at World View, who specialize in Stratospheric exploration. In July 2021 a single barrel of Mile High Spirits signature Fireside Whiskey was launched.
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How High Did Strato Whiskey Go?
The barrel’s journey lasted over four and a half hours, with around 90 minutes of the trip spent at the edge of space. The whiskey barrel’s journey peaked at 106,627 feet (which is around 20 miles above sea level)—and yes, that is technically still the mid-stratosphere.
Space technically starts at around 60 miles up (100km) and as the cask was some way off that mark the first inclination may be to dismiss it as a marketing ploy. However, the experiment was effective for the purposes of exploring the effects of space on whiskey thanks to the changes in temperature, humidity and ultraviolet radiation experienced at these heights. Exposing the whiskey to these extremes of temperature and environment has had a distinct and measurable impact on the spirit.
“The barrel experienced temperatures as cold as -94℉, which encouraged additional interaction between the whiskey and the wood. Those effects increase the richness of flavor and complexity,” said Ferrell.
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It’s not just temperatures either. Outside of the protective bubble of Earth’s atmosphere the cask was exposed to far more ultraviolet rays than a standard barrel would experience. “The additional ultraviolet rays developed compounds that result in notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak tannins.”
Uncovering The Importance Of Cask Maturation
Ferrel intends this release to be the first of many and to push the boundaries of what we understand about cask maturation. “The first launch was a passion project, and it’s fantastic to be the first distillery to sell whiskey that has been aged at the edge of space. Future launches will be more focused on research.”
We often see a lot of emphasis put on the types of cask used. We already know that different wood types and previous finishes all have an impact on the eventual flavor of the whiskey or whisky produced. The whiskey industries of the world also know that climate plays a big role in creating different compounds and notes. What is difficult to isolate is exactly how much these factors influence each other.
For example the cool damp climate of Scotland results in relatively slower rates of evaporation and a drop in alcoholic strength over time. At the other end of the climate scale, the hotter climates of Kentucky generate higher evaporation and an increase in alcoholic strength over time. This is part of the reason why you have different minimum maturation periods in different countries—at least three years in Scotland compared to two or more for American Whiskey and as little as one in hot arid areas of India.
Heat encourages interactions with the cask and develops different compounds faster. Similarly fluctuations in temperature also stimulate changes as the spirit and the wood expand and contract. Lots of extreme changes in temperature speeds up maturation.
The cask will have cooled as it rose through the atmosphere, but in the stratosphere temperatures start to rise again with altitude. As it returned to earth those changes would have happened again in reverse. The changes in temperature like this cask experienced over its journey to and from space are extremes but they will have a specific impact on the development of the whiskey itself. Being able to study these effects is interesting and also potentially important for the spirits community as a whole.
It is fascinating stuff and you can sense Ferrell’s enthusiasm. “We plan to use these details to send a variety of spirits and various expressions of whiskey up to the edge of space to better understand the impact on whiskey at a molecular level and to better understand the complex flavors that are introduced to the whiskey through various processes.”
Heritage Versus New Frontiers For Whiskey
New brands and a productive market are beneficial for all industries. Emerging brands can help to push boundaries and bring innovation, but heritage industries like whiskey can often feel restrictive.
“The spirits industry is rooted in tradition and can often feel like it offers little area for creativity,” said Ferrel. For all small producers and new brands, it is about striking the balance between respecting traditions and establishing yourself as something new. Yes, people may still choose to think of Strato as a gimmick, but personally I think it’s a fantastic combination of research and fun whiskey geekery that happens to bring a great marketing angle.
“We have historically obsessed over our ingredients and grain bill at Mile High Spirits, but after distilling for 10 years, we wanted to do something groundbreaking while still showcasing the traditions of the whiskey process. Our stratospheric whiskey defies gravity, transcending tradition. It beckons us to explore beyond the ordinary, to taste the effects of the universe itself.”
Strato Whiskey is available for $350 online, or if you’re local pop in for a discount at the distillery. There was just a single cask sent up on the inaugural journey so just 500 50ml units are available. I think it’s an amazing combination of passion for whiskey innovation, fascinating insight and impressive packaging; it’s a really cool piece of whisky history.
The original version of this article was written by me for Forbes.com
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