The Japanese are well known for settling only for the best, and now Suntory, more than once the winner of the world’s best whisky title, is sending samples of its best whisky into outer space. The reason? To see if it gets even better!

Suntory announced today that it will be sending samples of its whiskies and other alcohols to the International Space Station (ISS) next month to see what effect zero-gravity has on the aging process. The taste of alcohol mellows over time, though why exactly that happens is unknown. Suntory wants to observe the effect of zero-gravity and a temperature-stable environment on its whisky. A Suntory spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that samples being sent include a 21 year old single malt as well as a recently distilled drink.

The drinks will be launched from Tanegashima space center in mid-August. The first samples will return to earth after a year while others will stay two years.

Unfortunately there are no plans to sell the stuff after it returns to earth, so Suntory fans thirsty for Japanese space whisky are probably going to have to wait awhile before sipping on something like this. We are however looking forward to hearing Suntory announce the results from this adventure.