On a question, what whisky it is better, nearly a half of respondents will surely answer – Scottish, as much again will tell – Irish. Anybody also does not challenge powerful advantages of drinks from Ireland and Scotland, whose high qualities were formed for eyelids. But times change. 
The space Konotori-5 truck reached "Santori" the Source
For the last decade Japanese company "Santori" (Suntory Holdings Ltd.) surely "grows", winning one prestigious award for another. At last at the end of last 2014 the barrel of one-malt Yamazaka whisky (Yamazaki) received for the first time a prestigious prize «The whisky bible» (Whisky Bible) that gave to experts the grounds to approve that "Santori" makes the best whisky in the world. Rich, deep, mysterious, indescribable – with all these epithets descriptions of tastes and aromas of products of the company abound.
The history of Japanese whisky began in 1918 when somebody Masatak Taketsura (Masataka Taketsuru) went to Glasgow to study organic chemistry. Study ended with that to Taketsura fell in love with scotch whisky, and having come back home, based the first Japanese винокурню.
The history in length of 90 years does not impress if to compare to century traditions of production of whisky in Ireland or Scotland. Even more amazingly that Japanese reached good results, operating with insignificant resources. If it is possible to find hundreds initial components in Scotland for mixing of commercial grades of whisky, on hand "Santori" only two malt винокурни and one distillery.
In what secret of success of Japanese whisky? Representatives of the company, certainly, do not hurry to open the secrets, evasively referring to hot damp summer and cold winters of Japan. But the main reason – in a scientific approach. The company does not feel sorry for money for researches.
On August 19, 2015 started the Japanese space Konotori-5 truck (HTV-5 Kounotori). Together with six tons of other payload it is lucky on the International space station of Santori whisky. The purpose of sending of expensive and prestigious drink in space at all in pleasing cosmonauts with an unexpected gift. Whisky in this case – object of scientific researches.
Not a secret that taste and aroma of the majority of alcohol drinks, excluding, unless, beer, with endurance becomes deeper and softer. But why and as it occurs, scientists yet do not know.
Without being content with that their whisky is already called the best in the world, винокуры from "Santori" together with researchers from several Japanese scientific institutions are going to check, how gravitation influences processes of aging of noble drink. The scientific team plans to carry out a series of experiments with whisky to understand alcoholic secrets.
The program of researches called «Identification of the mechanism of mitigation of alcoholic beverages». The samples delivered to an orbit, will divide into two groups. The first will spend on ISS year while the second will be studied in the conditions of zero gravity within two years, probably, and more long.
By the way, Japanese whisky – not the first space drink. In 2009 in Japan, and this spring – and in the USA, put on the market the beer made by means of yeast which has visited an orbit.