Will whiskey sent to space taste different? In Depth with Dan shares the science

One slight step for man, one giant leap for North Carolina’s space booze.

Durham-based Mystic Farm & Distillery is selling bottles of Mystic Galactic, a bourbon whiskey aged for one year in space for $75,000.

It comes as state Sen. Tim Moffitt, R-Henderson, has proposed a tax cut. Moffitt argued that the state’s 7% tax on liquor sales would have made the whiskey too expensive. Senate Bill 327 includes a tax break for whiskey shot into outer space, allowing it to be taxed at a flat rate. Lawmakers could consider the proposal during the 2023 session.

Each purchaser of a bottle of space whiskey will receive a nonfungible token (NFT) to prove authenticity and their right to ownership. The deposits will be held in an FDIC-insured account until the bourbon returns to Earth for bottling.

Here's a look at the cost:

• $75,000 price for a bottle of space whiskey
• Plus, a 7% sales tax
• Plus, a 30% excise tax

It would cost an additional $27,750 for a $75,000 bottle. However, if the bill passes, the tax would be a flat $1,000.

Mystic Galactic has been around since 2013. The distillery has won national awards, including the Worlds Spirits Competition’s 2023 best of class.

The distillery’s owners are working with SpaceX and N.C. State engineers to launch a few barrels into low orbit. The whiskey will be aged three years on Earth and one year in space.

What will a year in space do to the taste? No one really knows. Probably nothing – based on what we know about how flavors develop in whiskey – but we'll see.

Either way – according to science – you’d probably never know the difference anyhow.

An April 2016 study published in Science Daily found drinkers couldn’t tell the difference between Bourbon and Rye in a blind test.

In 2011, a university outside of London found that “expensive and inexpensive wines taste the same” after 600 random people took a blind taste test.

For people who claim they can tell the difference due to their refined palettes, there’s a possibility they could what’s considered a super taster.

A July 2017 study by the Yale School of Medicine’s Dr. Linda Bartoshuk estimates 35% of women and 15% of men can experience flavor in a more pleasurable, vivid way.

Scientific America found the rest of us are made up average tasters with 25%-30% considered “non-tasters.”

Perhaps $75,000 for a bottle of space whiskey is a deal considering a bottle of Pétrus 2000 sent to space had a listing price of $1 million.

In Depth With Dan

Dan Haggerty is a reporter and anchor for WRAL. He’s won four regional Emmy awards for his anchoring and reporting in Fort Myers, Florida; Cleveland; San Diego; Dallas; Portland, Oregon and Raleigh, North Carolina. He is proud to call the Triangle home.

Anyone who has an idea for In Depth with Dan can email him at dan@wral.com.