Mystic Galactic will be the first bourbon aged in outer space. (Photo: Mystic Farm and Distillery)

On Thursday, North Carolina whiskey producer Mystic Farm and Distillery took a major step in its mission to producing the first bourbon aged in outer space with the selection of an orbiting vendor.

TEC will be the orbiter Mystic Farm and Distillery partners with to age its outer-space bourbon.

“While there are several companies in the sector who were willing to provide us with launch services, we are excited to announce that we are beginning the contracting process with TEC, whose Nyx orbiter has the ideal payload capability for our mission,” Mystic founder Jonathan Blitz said in a news release. “We were impressed with TEC’s ability to accommodate 10 full 53-gallon barrels, and they were also willing to provide us with exclusive use of their orbiter for the full year we require for the orbital aging process.”

The whiskey, Mystic Galactic Bourbon, is limited to 1,500 bottles. The first 1,000 entered pre-sale last week, priced at $75,000 each.

The bourbon will age at least four years. The first three-plus years of maturation will be on earth, but the whiskey will spend year 4 in orbit around earth. Each 750-milliliter bottle will be packed in an aluminum flight case and will be joined by a 50-milliliter sample and a piece of one of the barrels that aged in orbit.

Mystic partnered with West Virginia Great Barrel Company to modify barrels for the journey.

While barrels are typically made with carbon-steel hoops, Mystic will replace them with titanium since carbon-steel is prone to rusting. The interior of the barrels will also be fitted with stainless-steel baffles to prevent sloshing.

“It’s just incredible to see barrel making, one of the oldest technologies in the world, creating a state-of-the-art barrel fit for spaceflight,” Blitz said. “The combination of classic techniques like pot distillation and oak barrel aging with our most cutting-edge endeavors in the exploration and habitation of space is just one amazing aspect of this project.”

Mystic also said a TV project chronicling the pre-launch process is in the works.

Mystic earned a Double Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Mystic Broken Oak bourbon.

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