Thawing an icy tipple

Canterbury Museum is slowly thawing out a crate of Scotch whisky which was found in Antarctica earlier this year beneath the floor of a hut built by British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. The New Zealand-led team discovered the crate along with four others containing whisky and brandy under Shackelton’s hut which he had left during his 198 Antarctic expedition. Four of the crates were left in the ice, but one labelled Mackinlay’s whisky was brought to the Museum, where officials said yesterday it was being thawed in a controlled environment. Executive director of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust Nigel Watson said the whisky might still be liquid. “When the guys were lifting it, they reported the sound of sloshing and there was a smell of whisky in the freezer, so it is all boding pretty well,” Watson said. Drinks group Whyte & Mackay, the Scottish distillery that now owns the Mackinlay’s brand, launched the bid to recover the whisky for samples to test and potentially use to relaunch the defunct Scotch.