Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt (Shackleton, 47.3%)

The eagerly anticipated recreation of the whisky that Shackleton took on his journey to the Antarctic. The nose is honey with a waft of peat smoke in the back ground, there also some green notes (not to imply immaturity) but heather or roses. A really nice interplay between the peat smoke, the honey notes and the heather and rose although after a few minutes in the glass the ‘greener’ notes fade to the back ground. It’s all very good and the honey is more defined now, like warm honey comb. Vanilla bean and toffee. All very rich and very good. The taste is actually a little strong and the heather and rose is more to the fore now with the peat smoke and the honey taking a back seat. Some good moments of leather and tobacco along with some cereals, perhaps some Weetabix. Oak spice also. The finish is as the taste but a shade different with more of the heather and rose followed by the leather and tobacco. It’s quite long and very active, not a quite fade into the distance here. Very malty and more of the Weetabix after a while

This is very good whisky, if it tastes anything like the original it’s a wonder they ever left the hut let alone leave 3 cases unconsumed. Many thanks to the kind person at W&M who forwarded the sample to Whisky Intelligence.

£100 with £5 of each sale going to the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Score 88 points