100-Year-Old Whisky Reveals its Secrets
Whyte & Mackay has recreated the century-old whisky buried under the Antarctic ice by famous 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 100-year-old Mackinlay’s liquid.
The Shackleton replica will cost GBP100, with 5% from every sale being donated back to the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the New Zealand charity responsible for finding and uncovering the original whisky. If all 50,000 bottles sell out the Trust will receive GBP250,000.
[ Also Read: Team Italy Wins the Cocktail World Cup ]Trust chief executive Nigel Watson said: “From start to finish it’s taken almost four years to safely extract the whisky crate from site and then Antarctica, thaw it in museum conditions, secure permits and complete scientific analysis in Scotland. I am delighted that Whyte & Mackay recognise the hard work and value of the Trust’s conservation mission in Antarctica by making this very generous and welcome donation.”
Richard Paterson said that matching the whisky really tested his blending skills, but it was a true labour of love.
“It was a real privilege getting to handle, nose and taste such a rare and beautiful bottle of whisky. The quality, purity and taste of this 100-year-old spirit was amazing. The biggest surprise was the light flavour and the clear, almost vibrant colour of the liquid. I hope I have done our forefathers and Ernest Shackleton proud with the replica.
“I would like to thank the Trust in particular for their patience, their expertise and their hard work. They fully deserve the substantial funds this special bottle will generate.”
[ Also Read: Glenmorangie Makes Finealta with a 1903 Recipe ]Three bottles of the original Shackleton whisky were flown by private plane from New Zealand to Whyte & Mackay’s Glasgow base by the company owner Vijay Mallya (pictured above).
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 47.3% ABV whisky has a light honey and straw gold colour with shimmering highlights.
[ Also Read: Only 100,000 Pounds for a Whisky Bottle ]The nose is soft, elegant and refined with delicate aromas of crushed apple, pear and fresh pineapple. It has a whisper of marmalade, cinnamon and a tease of smoke, ginger and muscovado sugar.
The generous strength of the 47.3% whisky, believed to be high to stop the alcohol freezing, gives plenty of impact, but in a mild and warming way. It has whispers of gentle bonfire smoke slowly giving way to spicy rich toffee, treacle and pecan nuts, explains the company.
[ Also Read: Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Says Drink Responsibly ]The whole replication process has been documented exclusively for National Geographic Channel for a documentary due to air at the end of this year, says Whyte and Mackay.
The announcement was made today, April 4.
