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Author Topic: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm  (Read 344 times)

Offline Newsposter

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Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« on: February 05, 2010, 06:55:46 pm »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8499931.stm

Quote
Five crates of Scotch whisky and brandy belonging to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton have been recovered after more than 100 years in the ice.

They were buried beneath Shackleton's Antarctic hut, built in 1908 for a failed expedition to the South Pole.

Some of the crates have cracked and ice has formed inside, which means experts will face a delicate task in trying to extract the contents.

The ice-bound crates were first discovered three years ago.

The master blender at whisky company Whyte and Mackay said the find was a "gift from the heavens" for whisky lovers.

Richard Paterson, whose firm supplied the Mackinlay's whisky for Shackleton, said: "If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated.

"Given the original recipe no longer exists this may open a door into history."

The alcohol was removed from the ice by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, which had initially believed there to be just two crates.

Al Fastier from the trust said: "To our amazement we found five crates, three labelled as containing whisky and two labelled as containing brandy.

"The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labelled Chas Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited, Allandale, are a real bonus."

Mr Fastier said the trust was confident the crates contained intact alcohol, given that liquid could be heard when the crates were moved.

The smell of whisky in the surrounding ice also indicated full bottles of spirits were inside, albeit that one or more might have broken.

Shackleton's expedition ran short of supplies on their long trek to the South Pole from Cape Royds in 1907-1909 and they eventually fell about 100 miles (160 kilometres) short of their goal.

Shackleton's expedition sailed from Cape Royds hurriedly in 1909 as winter ice began forming in the sea, forcing them to leave some equipment and supplies, including the whisky, behind. However, no lives were lost.

The pole was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
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Offline Synth

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Re: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2010, 09:29:45 pm »
Once they confirm the contents, they're going to have to taste it to see if it's aged properly....where do I sign up?
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I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not...I believe that mankind's destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it's aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewhere who's alive and dead at the same time (although if they don't ever open the box to feed it it'll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself...I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive...I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.

Offline elspaniard

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Re: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2010, 12:27:38 am »
I'm shocked, stunned, and somewhat mortified that carl hasn't made an appearance to this thread.
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Offline Jad

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Re: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2010, 10:46:58 am »
is he master drinker 'round those parts?
« Last Edit: February 08, 2010, 10:27:32 pm by Jad »
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Offline elspaniard

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Re: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2010, 10:08:00 pm »
I think the last time I saw the Faces of Carl was BB King.  Maybe.  That was June.
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Offline Jad

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Re: Century-old whisky from the South Pole, mmm
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2010, 10:27:41 pm »
oh wow
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...and no, I don't have all the answers. I don't know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become. But I do know one thing: the solution doesn't involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of some day easing my fit into a mold. It doesn't involve tempering my life to better fit someone's expectations. It doesn't involve constantly holding back for fear of shaking things up.
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