Master Distiller Richard Paterson Takes A Nose To Shackleton's Whisky

When you want to recreate a whisky from over a hundred years ago you want to have one of the best noses in the business doing the testing. Master Distiller Richard Paterson, the man behind some of the world's most exclusive whiskies including some of the pricey Dalmore blends we've covered in the past, is analyzing some of the whisky found in a crate in the Antarctic hut of renowned explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The whisky was first discovered in 2006 but some of it was removed last year and carefully thawed at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. The bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky had been wrapped in paper and straw to protect them. The whisky is believed to date back to 1896 or 1897.

According to BBC News, three of the bottles were returned to the Scottish Highlands on Whyte and Mackay's billionaire owner, Vijay Mallya private jet for analysis. Whyte and Mackay bought Mackinlay years ago and is considering creating a new whisky to honor the Shackleton find. Paterson has said that the whisky has a beautiful rich golden color and that his "initial reaction is very, very interesting but I must wait and see."

The Glenlivet: 1973 Cellar Collection Out in June

Highlands single-malt Scotch producer The Glenlivet will release its latest Cellar Collection in June, a limited bottling from its three best 1973 casks. This is the eighth release of Glenlivet's Cellar Collection, and will be bottled at cask strength, 49% ABV.The casks selected include one ex-sherry butt and two refilled American hogsheads. Out of the total bottling, 240 will be available in the U.S. at $1250.00.

This release, helped by its 36 years of aging, is incredibly smooth with big sweet orange and gingerbread flavors. The best way to obtain a bottle is to special order it through one of the better spirit retailers such as Spec's Liquor in Austin; Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston; Park Avenue Liquogrs in New York or The Whisky Shop in San Francisco.

As always, though, age and price is no guarantee of quality. The Malt Advocate, for example, rated the 1969 Cellar Collection a 96, but gave the 1972 release just an 89.