This Whiskey Is Being Shot Into Outer Space 'For Science'

Whiskey is about to go where you (and Lance Bass) never will: to space.

Japanese whisky distiller Suntory is sending different samples of its popular whiskeys (think Yamazaki and Hibiki) to the International Space Station "for science," Forbes reports.

The launch is set to take place on August 16th, and apparently, Suntory's not just sending it so astronauts have something to pair with their freeze-dried ice cream and tubes of beef. There really is science behind it. Suntory is studying the role gravity plays in "mellowing," the aging process by which whiskey gets smoother.

For the study, five whiskies that have been aged for different lengths of time will be broken into two different groups -- one will be on board the Space Station for 13 months, the other for two years minimum. There will be control samples kept on Earth in the same conditions. The research team will then run a series of tests that, unfortunately for them, do not involve tasting the whiskey.

Ultimately, the research team is looking at whether "the formation of high-dimensional molecular structure consisting of water, ethanol, and other ingredients in alcoholic beverages contributes to the development of mellowness." Basically, they think the makeup of the whiskey is related to how it mellows. And who doesn't love super-smooth whiskey?

According to Forbes, this isn't the first whiskey to make it to the final frontier. Scotland's Ardbeg previously sent samples of "unaged whisky mixed with pieces of oak" in 2011 for a similar study.

We'll just be here drinking our regular Earth whiskey.

Lucy Meilus is a staff writer for Thrillist and thinks about Lance Bass daily. Like, how IS he? Follow her on Twitter at @Lucymeilus and send news tips to news@thrillist.com.