Japanese beverage giant Suntory Holdings Ltd. has plans to send six samples of its whiskies and other alcoholic drinks to the International Space Station (ISS). The samples will be sent as part of a study that aims to know the effect of zero gravity on the aging process.

A company spokesman said when whiskey is stored in an environment having stable environment and little movement, it makes alcohol mellower. Now, it has to be seen that what the effects of zero gravity will be on the taste of alcohol.

The whiskey will be kept at the ISS for at least one year and other products could be kept for a longer time period. On August 16, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's transfer vehicle, Kounotori, will take the spirits into space.

Once aged in space, company whiskey blenders will assess the samples and will then compare them to the whiskey aged on earth. Suntory has made it clear that it will not provide these specimens to public. The whiskey to be included in the study has been aged for 10, 18 and 21 years.

Suntory stated that alcoholic beverages are known to develop a mellow flavor after being aged for a long time. "Although researchers have taken a variety of scientific approaches to elucidating the underlying mechanism, we still do not have a full picture of how this occurs", said Suntory.