From: Youtube / Shackleton Whisky
Posted on 11/27/2015 3:31:17 PM PST by NYer
In 2010, researchers and conservators from the Antarctic Heritage Trust of New Zealand made quite the interesting discovery. Hidden beneath the hut legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton used during his 1908 Antarctica expedition (known as the Nimrod) were five crates covered in ice: three containing whisky and two containing scotch! This wasn’t the only discovery made by the Trust either; they also found a notebook and photos from similar expeditions on the continent.
From: Youtube / Shackleton Whisky
After the whisky was discovered, one crate was sent to New Zealand where it was thawed and displayed for the public at Canterbury Museum. Three of the bottles from the crate were given to the owner of Whyte & Mackay, the maker of the brand of whisky found in Shackleton’s hut. There, Whyte & Mackay’s master blender was able to create an exact replica of the whisky, giving whisky connoisseurs a chance to taste the historic booze and helping to fund the Trust’s work (a share of the proceeds from the whisky were donated to the Trust).
Shackleton’s hut where the whisky was found is quite historic. It was the home base during Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition from 1907-1909, where a party of five was the first to climb the world’s southernmost volcano (Mt Erebus). Shackleton also lead a group of four on a trek to reach the South Pole, making it further than any explorers had previously.
It’s understandable that, when you’re making history in the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration,†you need a way to unwind every now and then! Find out more about this incredible discovery here, and get a closer look at the whisky in the video below.
Mackinlay's Shackleton The Journey
Ping!
The video evokes a liquor of the Gods! Liquid gold if not more valuable!
Frozen? How cold does it have to be to freeze whiskey?
Believe me, an alcohol-sugar solution WILL freeze, but it has to be about -80 degrees or so.
I understand it gets that cold and even colder in Antarctica.
But a little “frostbite treatment” comes in handy a times, even if whiskey does not actually work on real frostbite.
After a few minutes of googling, it appears that 80-proof spirits freeze in the vicinity of -25°C.
The freezing point of pure ethanol is much lower (-114°C), so a higher-proof whiskey will freeze somewhere in between, presumably.
I've put bottles of vodka in the freezer to chill them, and some brands will start to crystalize while others will become noticeably more viscous, but I've never managed to freeze a bottle solid.
It depends on the proof of the alcohol.
100 proof would be hard to freeze...
Say perhaps -40F
If the crates were underground I don’t think it would get that cold... obviously it did not or the bottles would have burst.
Got this from a question and answer site I don't know where the ice-bound whiskey fits in.
"It will depend on what whiskey you're specifically referring to and is especially dependent on the alcohol content. Crown Royal (80 proof) freezes at approximately -13F. Something stronger like Wild Turkey, and God help you if that's your drink of choice-will freeze even lower than that, perhaps -30 or -40F."
Smash it all with hammers just like our DEA would do with ditch weed growing in the back forty.
To remain Pure, we must remain without.
I know the freeze point of scotch is roughly -30 or 30 below zero. Depending on proof. The lower the proof the quicker it freezes.
I wonder how that affects the taste of a good scotch.
Maybe I don’t want it back after all.
Wild Turkey comes in 81 proof and 101. I assume you are talking about the 101. Turkey is very smooth.
The way I read it the cases of whiskey was found beneath the floor of a hut, the cases were “covered” in ice, so the whiskey itself may not have been frozen.
Try it! You'll like it!
“Endurance”
I used to keep mine in a very cold refrigerator. Not freezing, but close.
I was sadly forced to give up my Scotch habit a few years ago.
Who knew Scotch and epileptic seizures don’t like each other!
So have an extra for me!
I thought this sounded familiar. This one is dated 2007.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2378827/posts
I Googled and found this old one. It just sounded familiar, I mean how many cases of whisky have been lost in Antarctica?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2378827/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
