A Japanese brewing company has received sake fermented aboard the International Space Station, with the ultra-rare spirit already pre-sold for approximately 100 million yen ($620,000) per 100ml bottle.
Dassai, the Japanese sake brewery, received the fermented liquid at Kansai International Airport on Monday evening after it returned from the ISS Japanese experiment module, according to Yomiuri Shimbun, Kyodo News and other local media outlets.
The company had sent sake ingredients and brewing equipment to the ISS aboard the HTV-X 1 cargo resupply spacecraft, launched from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kyushu in October last year.
Astronauts aboard the ISS then assisted with the brewing process in the station's experiment module.
"Alcohol has already been detected," Dassai Chairman Hiroshi Sakurai told reporters. "We didn't know if fermentation would be possible in space, but now we're somewhat relieved."
The fermented material returned to Earth in frozen state on May 27 and was subsequently shipped from the United States to Japan by air.
Dassai launched the project with the goal of enabling humans to enjoy sake even after establishing settlements on the lunar surface.
The company plans to filter out sediment and complete additional processing before delivering approximately 100ml of finished sake to the final buyer.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Japan's space development programs, the company said.
