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One of the world’s most famous whiskies
has been returned home to Scotland after
spending more than 100 years untouched
by human hand and encased in Antarctic
ice.
Three bottles of the Mackinlays whisky
which accompanied Ernest Shackleton on
his 1907 expedition have been returned
to brand owner Whyte & Mackay for
scientific analysis.
The liquid is so rare and valuable that
the Antarctic Heritage Trust and New
Zealand authorities refused to let it
travel unaccompanied and in the hold of
any plane.
So Whyte & Mackay company owner Dr Vijay
Mallya, the renowned Indian business
mogul, stepped in to personally collect
and fly the bottles back to Scotland
using his private jet.
Whyte & Mackay’s master blender Richard
Paterson will spend up to six weeks in
full laboratory conditions analysing,
nosing, tasting and “deconstructing” the
whisky before reporting back to the
Antarctic Heritage Trust.
Once the analysis is complete, the
bottles will be transported back to New
Zealand by private plane for their
eventual return back to Shackleton’s hut
on the Antarctic, unlikely to ever leave
the ice again.
Dr Vijay Mallya, owner of Whyte & Mackay
Speaking at Glasgow Airport this
morning, Dr Mallya said: "I have taken a
personal interest in this project from
the very start. When I heard that we
could not use commercial airlines to get
the whisky home and into the hands of
our own whisky experts, I had no
hesitation in offering the use of my
private plane."
Dr Mallya added: "Shackleton made
history with his travels and adventures,
and I am sure we will make history
ourselves when we unlock the marvels of
these unique 100 year old time
capsules."
Richard Paterson, Master Blender, Whyte
& Mackay
"Never in the history of our industry
have we had a century old bottle of
whisky stored in a natural fridge and
subjected to some of the harshest
conditions on this planet,” enthused
Paterson. “It is an absolute honour to
be able to use my experience to analyse
this amazing spirit for the benefit of
the Trust and the whisky industry."
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