Whisky, Buried in Antarctic Ice for 100 Years, is Finally Ready for You to Drink

By Eric Rogell

From:  http://dsc.discovery.com/

The original 100 year old Shackleton expedition whisky and the recreation (Photos: Whyte & Mackay Distillery)

A little ice in your whisky may open up the flavor and enhance the drinking experience, but having 100 years of ice on top of your whisky can mean “a gift from Heaven for whisky lovers.” At least that’s what Richard Paterson, Master Distiller and Blender at Whyte & Mackay, called it when a long lost case of rare whisky was uncovered in the Antarctic in 2009. Two years later, he’s painstakingly recreated that whisky so the rest of us can enjoy a glass.

Failed Expedition, Abandoned Whisky

Members of the failed Shackleton Antarctic expedition

In 1907, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set off for an Antarctic expedition to the South Pole. To fortify the men of the “Nimrod” during the long, cold journey, Shackleton ordered 25 cases of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt whisky with commemorative labels marking the whisky as specially selected for the “Endurance expedition.” (Shackleton had intended to rename the “Nimrod” as the “Endurance,” but never did.)

In 1909, three wooden crates containing the rare whisky were abandoned to an Antarctic winter after a failed attempt to reach the South Pole. Buried deep beneath the ice for over 100 years, a team from the New Zealand Antarctic Trust was able to recover a single crate.

Thawing 100 Years of Deep Freeze

After a flight to the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand for careful thawing and stabilization, the crate is slowly defrosted from -20 C to 0 C over a two week period. 10 bottles survived, still wrapped in their protective paper and straw, with the precious liquid inside perfectly intact.

Ten bottles survive

Three of those bottles are flown, on a private jet, to Scotland where it is delivered to the Whyte & Mackay distilleries, the owners of the Mackinlay brand, where it undergoes extensive scientific analysis so Paterson and his team can attempt to recreate it. They find the whisky’s strength at 47.3% alc/vol, that it contained peat from the Orkney Islands, and that it had been aged in American white oak sherry casks. (Look for a documentary on the entire recreation to air on the National Geographic Channel at the end of this year.)

Painstaking Recreation

Richard Paterson and one of the original bottles

Since average whisky lovers would be unable to get their hands on one the rarest bottles in history, Paterson took on the challenge of recreating the 100 year old Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt. “It was a real privilege getting to handle, nose, and taste such a rare and beautiful bottle of whisky,” he said.

Paterson spent weeks of blending and marrying malts from the Glen Mhor and Dalmore distilleries with others from Speyside and beyond, varying in age from eight to 30 years, to get it just right. The result is recreation that is a perfect duplicate of Shackleton’s original. They’ve even reproduced the original bottle and packaging to complete the experience. And drinking this whisky is definitely an experience. As you can imagine, being in a bottle for 100 years creates a light, mellow whisky that’s a joy to sip.

And you can experience it, if you get your hands on one of the 50,000 bottles that are in the limited run. Expect to pay about $160 per bottle for the privilege, with 5% of the proceeds going to the expedition’s Heritage Trust. To learn more, head over to EnduringSpirit.com

World's oldest whisky goes on sale -- Feeling rich?

From http://www.asylum.co.uk/

By Tom Cullen

It is older than Chuck Norris and was laid down in a small Scottish distillery the year before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Behold, the world's oldest whisky ever to go on general sale. A cool £10,000 and a bottle of this malty goodness is yours.

The Mortlach 70-year-old Speyside was sampled by a select group of tasters at a ceremony in Edinburgh Castle, yesterday.

And bottles of the rare piece of Scotland's ''liquid history'' have now hit the market.

The Spanish oak hogshead cask – formerly for bodega sherry – which was on display at the castle yesterday yielded 54 full-size and 162 small decanters bottled at cask strength.

However, collectors (or wealthy boozers) will need to dig deep – a 70cl decanter will sell for £10,000, while the 20cl version costs £2,500.

It was filled into its cask on October 15 1938 on the order of John Urquhart, the grandfather of the firm's joint managing directors, David and Michael Urquhart.

Exactly 70 years later, the decision was made to empty the cask and bottle its contents.

A bottle of Mortlach was piped into Edinburgh Castle today and tasted by guests in the Queen Anne Room. David and Michael Urquhart today described it as a malt ''without comparison''.They would though, wouldn't they?

Michael Urquhart said the company had presented a bottle to the Queen but the vermouth drinker requested that it should go on display at the National Museum of Scotland.

Whisky writer and connoisseur Charles MacLean described the world's oldest single malt as "a delicate, fresh, vital, fruity whisky, with unusual attributes of waxiness and smokiness". That's everything then, surely?

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Each bottle will be presented in a slick, tear-shaped Glencairn crystal decanter with a silver stopper. Keep reading to see some of the other rarest, oldest and most expensive whiskys ever.

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Some of the world's most expensive and oldest whiskys.

Name: Bruichladdich 40 Year Old
From: Bruichladdich cellars, Islay Island, Scotland
Age: Guess...
Price: £1,020 a bottle
This is the oldest ever bottling by Bruichladdich and the most expensive to come from Islay. The whisky was distilled in October 1964 and filled into fresh bourbon casks before four decades of slow aging on the coast. The result is probably the most complex Bruichladdich ever produced. It'll get you pretty hammered, too. Which is nice.
Name: Glen Garioch 1958
From: Glen Garioch is found outside Aberdeen in the farming town of Old Meldrum.
Age: 46 years when removed.
Price: £1,250
An ancient bottling from a fine distillery. A limited edition of 336 bottles, with only 60 being released in the UK makes this one of the most expensive Highland whiskys. At 46 years old this is the oldest Glen Garioch ever released. Presented in a 'Rose' hardwood box with velvet lining (ooh fancy!). Glen Garioch is a distillery with a comparatively low profile, and quality has varied over its lifetime under a succession of different owners - but real aficionados will tell you that the older expressions are some of the best malts in Scotland. Or so says the oldest, wisest bloke in the office. He smells like whisky too and it's only 11am.

Name: Chivas Regal Royal Salute
From: Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland.
Age: 50
Price: £6,000
Released in 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, its lead malt is the superb Strathisla, which accounts for the exceptionally rich and creamy character. Only 255 bottles of the Scottish whisky were released worldwide, which helps account for the high price. We reckon you'd fine this bad boy in Darth Vader's drinks cabinet.
Name: Macallan Fine & Rare Collection, 1939
From: Macallan Distillery near Easter Elchies House, at Craigellachie in the Speyside
Age: 40
Price: £6,000
The 1939 was first bottled in 1979, hence its designation as 40 years old. Then, in 2002, the entire Fine & Rare Collection was rebottled for the sake of consistency. Macallan describes it as having rich peat and powerful wood flavors overlaid with sweet toffee and dried fruits. We can't confirm or deny that, because we don't have £6,000 to spare. We have £6 and it's all going on Peroni.
Name: Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937
From: Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland
Age: 69 years when sold.
Price: £12,000 for one bottle.
This exceptionally rare spirit was auctioned on April 4, 2006 in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, New York City. The spirit was slowly aged in cask for 64 years and bottled in 2001, resulting in a liquid of deep, robust character. With a rich walnut colour, nose of toffee, cinnamon and cloves and sweet, cedar-y palette. That's what we thought when we necked the stuff after 4 hours in the Dog and Duck, anyway.
Name: Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky
From: Glenavon Distillery, Banffshire, Scotland.
Age: Upwards of 150 years (didn't go on general sale)
Price: Auctioned for £14,850
Experts believe this is the oldest single bottle in history and was owned by an Irish family for generations, before eventually being sold in auction to an anonymous bidder. We'd like to think the mystery man sunk the lot in one booze-fuelled night of debauchery. The green bottle is unusually small in size and holds about 14fl oz (about 400ml) and was bottled in the 1850s. Yes it's older than the Mortlach but it really is just a one off find and as such doesn't get the crown of wrinkliest whisky.
Name: Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, 1926
From: Macallan Distillery near Easter Elchies House, at Craigellachie in the Speyside
Age: 60
Price: £25,000
The oldest and most sought-after of Macallan's revolutionary Fine & Rare Collection is now sold out. It is still possible to taste this totally unique Scotch whisky at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. However, it sells for $3,300 (£2,000) per dram. In 2007, a bottle of 1926 vintage The Macallan was sold at a Christie's auction for $54,000 (£36,000), making it one of the most expensive bottles of liquor ever sold.

Name: Dalmore Oculus
From: Glasgow based distillers Whyte & Mackay.
Age: Blend of whiskys as old as 140 years
Price: Auctioned for £27,600
Blended from some of the most exceptional whiskies of the past 140 years, the single bottle had been expected to reach up to £20,000. Instead, it raised the largest amount of money ever paid for a Dalmore whisky. The buyer asked to remain anonymous.The oldest whisky in the blend was distilled in 1868, with others from 1878, 1922, 1926, 1939 and 1951.

England's only whisky is hit in Japan

The only whisky distillery in England is exporting its spirit 6,000 miles to Japan.

Andrew Nelstrop, managing director of the English Whisky Company at St George's Distillery in East Harling Photo: ARCHANT SYNDICATION

Japan makes more single malt whisky than Scotland but has developed a taste for the tipple from St George's Distillery near Thetford, in Norfolk, and is importing 400 bottles every month.

Andrew Nelstrop, 37, owner of the English Whisky Company, which produces the 18-month-old Maison Du Whisky, said orders had been steadily growing.

Mr Nelstrop said: "We have been quietly selling the 18-month-old whisky spirit for some time, but we are now exporting it by the pallet-load. Japan makes more single malt whisky than Scotland. They love their whisky.

"France have only just taken it on, but they are also big whisky drinkers and it looks like we have finally broken into the European and world market."

The £1m distillery opened its doors to the public in the summer of 2007 following a visit from Prince Charles.

Mr Nelstrop said that initial tastings of their whisky spirit, which has been made with locally grown barley, had been well received by the industry and he aimed to sell about 100,000 bottles a year by the time of the London Olympics in 2012.

The company is also looking to market its products in other EU countries and India.

"People say they love it. It has been well received by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and at various trade shows," he said.

"There is no question that the whisky is good. As it gets older, the whisky gets more colour and the flavours merge more."