In January 2010 the Trust's team of conservators excavated five crates from beneath Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1908 base in Antarctica.  Three were labelled as containing Mackinlay's whisky and two labelled as containing brandy.

One of the whisky crates was flown back to New Zealand and in collaboration with Canterbury Museum, the crate was thawed and eleven whisky bottles revealed.

In January 2011 three of the bottles were flown to Whyte & Mackay (the owners of the Mackinlay's brand in Scotland) for scientific analysis.  Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, recreated the century-old whisky, marrying and blending a range of malts to get an exact replica of the original enjoyed by Shackleton and his men 100 years ago. A percentage of sales will benefit the Trust's conservation programme in Antarctica.

In January 2013 New Zealand Prime Minister John Key returned the three bottles to the Trust in Antarctica.  The bottles were then conserved and returned to Ernest Shackleton's 1908 base, Cape Royds, Antarctica.

Read the summary of this remarkable story and the conservation of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition base.