Shackleton set in sail in 1907 on a ship packed with 25 hand-selected cases of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky. He and three companions became the first to set foot on the South Polar Plateau in January 1909 – but abandoned pursuit of the South Pole as the team was close to starvation and suffering from severe exhaustion.

In 2007 three cases of the whisky were uncovered, frozen into the ice beneath Shackleton’s base camp. Whyte & Mackay’s master blender, Richard Paterson, analysed and re-created the whisky, and has used this as the foundation to create Shackleton.

The new expression was launched at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London through a presentation led by environmental scientist, explorer, and Shackleton’s global brand ambassador Tim Jarvis.

In 1914, Shackleton undertook an expedition aboard the Endurance to cross the Antarctic continent from one coast to the other via the South Pole. When the ship become stuck in thick ice and eventually sunk, Shackleton’s men were isolated hundreds of miles from civilisation.

He and his crew realised they would have to make the journey to the nearest inhabited place – South Georgia, 800 miles away – on just a lifeboat. When they reached land, they had a further 22-mile mountain range to cross on foot before they could call for help.

Four years ago, Jarvis and his team emulated the journey Shackleton undertook, ensuring the conditions were as closely matched to the original expedition as possible – from the type of boat, to the clothing they wore.

“It’s wonderful to have an association with Whyte & Mackay, and I mean that very sincerely,” said Jarvis. “I think that this whisky is a wonderful product and a wonderful way of paying homage to Sir Ernest and also celebrate the kind of leadership that he stood for.”

Read More At source: The Spirit Business