For months, whisky lovers have watched in thirsty anticipation following the discovery of the whisky taken to Antarctica by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1909. Imagine it! Whisky preserved for a century. Could it be so? The answer is yes! Despite more than ten decades of sub-zero temperatures, the whisky endures. A dram for the ages, as it were.
The question now: Who might be among the lucky few who could sample such a brew? Alas, it seems no-one will.
Instead, samples of the whisky will be used by the current owner of the distillery to recreate this now legendary spirit. The bottles themselves will then be returned to Shackleton's hut in Antarctica to preserve their historic significance.
As laudable as this goal might appear, we are talking about a whisky for which the recipe has long since been lost. Would it not be wise--again for historical reasons--to reserve one of the eleven bottles of this ambrosia for tasting? How else to ensure the replica whisky is true to its 100-year-old sire?
Two crates of the whisky still remain in deep freeze near the South Pole. Would it be such a disservice to history to hold back a single bottle? Perhaps it could be part of a fundraiser to aid in the care of Antarctic historic sites or the Shackleton Scholarship Fund. Whisky lovers around the world could buy lottery tickets for a chance to take part in a comparative tasting. Whisky experts might bid for the opportunity to host such a rare event.
Who's with us? Free The Mackinlay Eleven!
