Mystic Farm & Distillery recently announced the launch of Mystic Galactic, a bourbon whiskey aged for one year in space.
Mystic plans to work with SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Rocketlab, Inversion Space, Firefly, and Bank of America, as well as the coopers at the West Virginia Great Barrel Co. to finance, design, test and build vessels to send five barrels of 90 proof wheated bourbon to Low Earth Orbit for one year of additional aging.
The barrels will be selected from Mystic’s stock that is at least three years old. The Durham, NC-based distillery makes bourbon, crafted from the North Carolina Piedmont’s superior grain, water and aging climate. It has pioneered the field to glass movement in North Carolina, winning two consecutive gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021 and 2022. The barrels will be re-coopered by the West Virginia Great Barrel Company, with special features designed to survive the rigors of launch, orbit and re-entry.
“We’re redefining what it means to make a rare spirit,” said Jonathan Blitz, Co-Owner of Mystic Farm & Distillery. “Only about 1,300 people on the planet will ever have the opportunity to taste and own this piece of whiskey history. It’s the height of luxury and exclusivity, not to mention the first commercial product manufactured in space.”
Most of the bottles will be presold for a $75,000 purchase deposit. Each buyer will receive an NFT to prove authenticity and their right to ownership, and the purchase deposits will be held in an FDIC-insured account until the bourbon returns to Earth for bottling. Mystic is planning to provide the bottles for pickup at the distillery. Remaining bottles will be sold at a market price after pre-orders are fulfilled.
Buyers will also have exclusive access to an app that displays real-time mission data, as well as admission to exclusive launch and reentry parties. The hand-crafted glass and machined aluminum bottles will be packed into a custom fitted aluminum flight case with a piece of the actual oak barrel that flew in space. Purchasers will also get a 50-ml sample of the bourbon, so owners won’t have to break the seal on their bottle to taste.
Mystic launched in 2013 with their first product, Mystic Bourbon Liqueur, a blend of bourbon, wildflower honey and spices. A woman owned business, it now operates the largest solar powered bourbon distillery in the world.
