Antarctic explorer’s whisky found

Three crates of Chas Mackinlay & Co Scotch whisky, along with two crates of brandy, have been extracted from the icy Arctic camp of Ernest Shackleton. A team of investigators from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, extracted the crates and other artefacts and food stuffs. They are hoping to recreate the conditions in the remote Cape Royds hut as the Shackleton team left it. The story of the explorer’s unsuccessful and fatal attempt to reach the South Pole in 1907, and his team's bravery are marked in history. Distiller Whyte & Mackay (who now own Mackinlay & Co distillery in Glasgow), hope to be able to recreate the preferred blend of the great man.

Richard Paterson, Master Blender from Whyte & Mackay said on his blog that the whisky inside the long forgotten bottles could be contaminated, but with luck a sample will can be extracted. He also hinted that the blend that Shackleton favoured, the discontinued ‘Rare Old’, might not suit today’s more refined taste buds. “Whiskies back then – a harder age – were all quite heavy and peaty as that was the style.”