About the Spirit
Mystic Galactic is handmade by North Carolina’s premier bourbon distillery, Mystic Farm & Distillery. The bourbon is a 45% wheat mash bill made with Mystic’s own grain produced on leased acreage in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The water for the bourbon is drawn from the Triassic Basin Aquifer, an exceptional formation running below the distillery. The water is naturally pure and has the perfect mineral content for delicious bourbon with no treatment required. Mystic does a long, slow, 13-day fermentation. This extra-long fermentation is followed by two pot still runs, and all cuts are done by hand using smell and taste. Our distillers have won two consecutive gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, signifying that Mystic “set the standard for bourbon” in 2021 and 2022 and a coveted Double-Gold in 2023 signifying that Mystic's bourbon is "among the finest spirits in the world." Mystic's Broken Oak was named "Best Small Batch Bourbon Under 5 Years" at the 2023 SF World Spirits Competition in June 2023. Mystic is fortunate to use the Piedmont’s superior grain, water and aging climate as key inputs to our process. These elements, along with the skill of Mystic’s distillation team, produce the best bourbon in the world, and now, the best in the solar system.
How Will Galactic Compare To Earth Aged Bourbon?
There’s only one way to find out. We’re as excited as you are to taste it. Only a few people will ever know. We will have barrels of the same spirit that will remain on earth, aging conventionally. We plan to release this bourbon under the label “Ground Control” at 100 proof, making it possible to compare Mystic Galactic with our conventionally aged bourbon in as close a comparison as possible.
What's Special Besides Orbital Aging ?
Like most of our bourbons, we are using a 45% wheat mashbill with the balance being corn. The water is drawn directly from the aquifer below our distillery and needs no treatment before use. Mashing was done in small batches with two distillations in pot stills with four plate columns. All cuts were made by hand using smell and taste.
The barrels are made from Appalachian oak that was seasoned in the stave yard prior to being dried and coopered into 53-gallon barrels. They were given a medium toast and #4 char. We are blending several barrels together and rebarreling this bourbon into lots for orbital aging. The original barrels are being re-coopered prior to launch to install baffles and to ensure integrity during launch, orbit, and reentry. We are very proud that virtually every component of this spirit reflects the unique climate and terrain that is North Carolina - even if our process was replicated elsewhere, the bourbon would lack the distinctive character imparted by the place we are proud to call home.
Why Age in Outer Space?
In every generation a product sets the standard for exclusive luxury. Now that commercial production of space manufactured products has become attainable, we want to be the first into that new frontier. Mystic Galactic is the expression of our collective desire to rise above the bonds of earth and gravity. It is a liquid expression of the spirit of discovery.
What Will North Carolina State Be Doing?
There is a massive amount of engineering that goes into any space launch. Add the complexity of bringing the payload back through a fiery reentry and landing it; this mission becomes almost as difficult as human spaceflight. The physics of a barrel in orbit and on reentry present interesting questions of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, orbital mechanics and virtually every aspect of aerospace engineering. While we’re fascinated by this, we know that every detail will need expert analysis and engineering. In addition to working with the a group of the world's top spaceflight contractors, we are very fortunate to have one of the world’s top aeronautical engineering programs literally down the road from our distillery. We will also benefit from the outstanding electrical engineering and computer science programs at N.C. State. Finally, we will maintain our own mission control center in N.C. State Centennial Campus. We are proud that North Carolina’s resources are being brought to bear on virtually every aspect of this endeavor.
How Many Bottles Will Be Produced?
Our barrels routinely lose between 10 and 15 gallons due to angel’s share losses. We expect that while we will send full barrels up, we expect the barrels will come down at least 7% less full than at launch. We feel comfortable selling 1000 bottles, with the expectation that the entire release will not exceed 1500 of the 750ml bottles.
The Experience in Detail
By buying the Mystic Galactic Mission One NFT you are putting a purchase deposit on a 750ml bottle of 100 proof Mystic Galactic bourbon and a 50ml sample of Mystic Galactic Bourbon, the first commercial product ever manufactured in space, and the most unique bourbon ever created. Mystic Galactic is aged for a minimum of 4 years - 3 years on earth and 1 year in orbit. You are joining our mission experience which will feature two ultra-luxury events featuring music and world-class food and beverages. You will also receive exclusive access to an app providing real-time video and data from the orbiters as well as content created during each phase of the mission. Finally, the bourbon will be packed in a unique bottle protected by a flight case along with a piece of one of the barrels that flew in space and two tasting glasses to commemorate the mission. You can enjoy your 50ml sample at pickup or take it with you in a small bottle.
We will be making charges against your deposit as the events are scheduled and the app is made available. The remainder the purchase price will be due when the bourbon returns from space and your bottle is ready for pickup. A detailed itemized list of the charges and their amounts is included in the Mystic Galactic Bottle Deposit Agreement.
Please note that we are NOT using your deposit as working capital for the mission. If we are unable to deliver the bourbon, you will receive a refund of the deposit funds (less any event admissions and app access charges incurred up to that point).
Why are you using NFTs?
We struggled initially to create a system for tracking the ownership of the bourbon and how to know to whom we are handing this stupendously rare and expensive asset. We would face a severe loss if we gave even one bottle to the wrong person. If more bottles were misappropriated, we would be unable to fulfill our obligations. The blockchain provides authentication of the bourbon purchase from the moment we take the deposit. Just as importantly, verifying ownership of the NFT at the time of pickup ensures that only the proper party (or their authorized agent) is given possession of the spirit once it returns to earth.
An asset this expensive is virtually certain to spawn counterfeits and confusing transfers of ownership before, during, and after release. The NFT based on the Ethereum blockchain represents the best current technology for assuring the bourbon's authenticity at purchase and during subsequent transfers, while also allowing traceability and transparency of all transactions. While no system is perfect, and some purchasers may not have a strong understanding of blockchain, we found this to be the best option. By requiring the buyer to validate their ownership of the NFT, we can quickly verify that we’re not handing a precious asset to the wrong party.
The NFT also provides access to the launch and reentry celebrations and the exclusive app.
Please also note that we do not require you to place your deposit payment through the blockchain. Mystic will assist buyers in obtaining the NFT after a traditional payment is made using a credit card, ACH or wire transfer. For more details please see our Purchase page.
Is Delivery Available?
The high cost of securing this bourbon and the irreplaceable nature of the spirit means that bad actors could try to exploit any weakness in security as the bourbon is transferred. The risk of loss is substantially reduced by requiring validation of the NFT by you or an agent of your choice at our facility. You are welcome to send an agent to take delivery of your bottle, but the NFT record owner will need to validate the release of the bourbon (remotely or in-person) at the moment of transfer.
Capstone Logistics, a $2B transportation and logistics provider is available to assist NFT holders with pickup and shipment of your bottles. To contract directly with Capstone Logistics, please reach out directly to Capstone by email.
NFT Details
The Mystic Galactic Mission One NFT is built directly on the the Ethereum blockchain. The smart contract is transparent and the Bottle Deposit Agreement is public. Mystic Farm and Distillery was established in 2013 and operates a licensed spirits production facility holding federal DSP Permit DSP-NC-21054 and North Carolina ABC permit 00246769CM - 999. The NFTs are fully tradable with no royalties or other restrictions on sale, and the proceeds of the NFT sales are immediately converted to US dollars which are held in an FDIC member bank pursuant to the terms of the Bottle Deposit Agreement.