The final piece of a century-old puzzle has been put into place in Antarctica. Bottles of whisky from Ernest Shackleton's 1907 expedition were returned to his hut after a journey around the world.
A helicopter delivered the priceless cargo – preserved bottles of MacKinlay's whisky that have survived the test of time.
"Lizzie, I've got something for you,” said Antarctica New Zealand chairman Rob Fenwick as he presented the liquor to Antarctic Heritage Trust programme manager Lizzie Meek.
“Great to see it back,” she responded. “It’s still got the lock on it! It's come a long way."
The whisky has travelled from Antarctica to Christchurch then Scotland and back, and Ms Meek was anxious to make sure the 106-year-old bottles arrived intact.
"[I'm] very, very relieved and satisfied that everything has gone well and the objects are safe," she said.
It's the last puzzle piece of a multi-million dollar restoration of Shackleton's 1907 expedition hut, where he fell short of reaching the South Pole.
But the bottles' final resting place will remain secret.
“For some reason the whisky attracts so much attention, and it would be naive to think all the attention was whole-heartedly innocent and good, I think,” said Ms Meek.
A privileged few have had a taste, but Scotch whisky company Whyte and Mckay analysed the artefact in Scotland and, thankfully, made a replica.
But why Shackleton wanted 300 bottles for his South Pole attempt remains a mystery. His diaries suggest he wasn't a big drinker. In fact, he picketed against alcohol consumption outside bars in his youth.
But perhaps he knew that a good drop would be essential to keep his men happy over the long, dark winter months.
3 News
source: newshub archive
