Two crates of Scotch whisky which belonged to explorer Ernest Shackleton are to be dug up after a century buried in the Antarctic ice.

The McKinlay and Co whisky was buried under a hut during Shackleton's unsuccessful South Pole expedition between 1907 and 1909.  New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust now plans to use special cutting tools to remove the crates from the ice where they were found three years ago.  The crates and bottles are expected to undergo conservation work in New Zealand before being returned to the remote hut at Cape Royds, which the trust is to restore to how Shackleton left it.

Trust spokesman Al Fastier said he would not be tempted to sample the Scotch, saying he preferred to allow the century-old spirits to retain their mystique.  "It would be terrible to sample it and find that it was off," he told Radio New Zealand.  Distillers Whyte and Mackay, which owns the McKinlay brand, are keen to get hold of a bottle, or at least a sample of the now-extinct blend.

The company's master blender Richard Paterson said: "We might even get enough to be able to take a stab at recreating it."  Shackleton turned back after running short of supplies on the long trek to the South Pole. His ship left Cape Royds hurriedly as ice began forming in the sea, leaving behind equipment and supplies, including the whisky.  "I personally think they must have been left there by mistake, because it's hard to believe two crates would have been left under the hut without drinking them," Mr Fastier said.

Funny... I always imagined them taking boxes of corned beef rather than scotch!


The planned ceremonial at the pole was short but heart felt.

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