In a giant leap for ‘dramkind’ The Glenlivet, the original Speyside single malt, is welcoming visitors to The Glenlivet Distillery in Speyside to ‘Space’-side*. Signage appeared overnight to mark the return to Earth of barley seeds sent to space by The Glenlivet in collaboration with the University of Guelph, Canada. The seeds were put to test last year as part of a study to see if they could withstand the effects of extreme conditions at the International Space Station and still be used to create a stellar new expression of The Glenlivet single malt.
Known for originality and breaking convention, this is the latest way The Glenlivet continues to shape the future of single malt. In collaboration with the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph and technology company Aegis Aerospace Inc, the barley seeds were sent into space in May 2021 on a SpaceX rocket. During the testing period, the seeds were subject to extreme conditions, including zero gravity and the vacuum of space. The results are now being analysed against the conditions the seeds were exposed to, which will help determine which deep space conditions they could survive.
The experiment was led by School of Environmental Sciences professor and Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility director, Dr. Mike Dixon as part of the university’s ongoing research into growing crops in space. The goal of the trial is to ensure access to fresh produce for astronauts on long-term missions, as well as providing clean water captured from the transpiration process, providing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.
