WHISKY ON ICE

Whisky enthusiasts the world over must be salivating. Whyte & Mackay has finally recreated the century-old whisky buried under the Antarctic ice by explorer Ernest Shackleton. The company’s Master Blender, Richard Paterson, spent eight weeks marrying and blending a range of malts to get an exact replica of the 1OO-year-old Mackinlay’s whisky. It will cost £1OO (US $167), with five percent from every sale being donated to the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the New Zealand charity responsible for finding and uncovering the original whisky. If all 5O,OOO bottles sell out, the Trust will receive £25O,OOO (US $418,OOO). “It was a real privilege getting to handle, nose and taste such a rare and beautiful bottle of whisky,” Paterson said. “The quality, purity and taste of this 1OO-year-old spirit was amazing. The biggest surprise was the light flavor and the clear, almost vibrant color of the liquid. I hope I have done our forefathers and Ernest Shackleton proud with the replica.” The replication process was documented for the National Geographic Channel for a documentary due to air at the end of the year. The replica Mackinlay contains whisky from a range of Highland malts including Glen Mhor, which was the original Mackinlay’s distillery before it closed in 1983. The final product is 47.3% ABV. Three bottles of the original Shackleton whisky were flown from New Zealand to Whyte & Mackay’s Glasgow base by company owner Dr. Vijay Mallya. Three cases of whisky and two cases of brandy were found in the Antarctic in 2OO7. One case was removed from the ice and thawed under laboratory conditions to preserve the bottles.