Century-old spirits found in Antarctic

The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust team working to restore Sir Ernest Shackleton's 100-year-old hut at Cape Royds said they discovered three crates of whisky and two crates of brandy left behind by the explorer and his team when they left the Antarctic in 1909, The Times of London reported Friday.

"The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labeled Charles Mackinlay & Co and the other labeled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited Allandale are a real bonus," trust official Al Fastier said. "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."

Richard Paterson, master blender at Scottish distillers Whyte and Mackay, said the Mackinlay's whisky found among the spirits is "a gift from the heavens."

"If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analyzed, the original blend may be able to be replicated," he said. "Given the original recipe no longer exists this may open a door into history."

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