A Good Age for Whisky

The spirit was originally made by MacKinlay and Co but the original recipe has long been lost. Although the bottles are buried in the ice, making extraction rather tricky, drinks group Whyte and Mackay are hoping to safely remove the bottles from their icy home.

Whyte and Mackay were the original suppliers of MacKinlay''s whisky for Shackleton and they are hoping to ascertain the original recipe through scientific testing. If this whisky goes on sale, the value will be hard to determine and could fetch a mighty sum.

Whisky''s are a complex mixture of flavours so figuring out the original recipe won''t be an easy task. Whisky is made by distilling fermented grain mash and different grains are used for different varieties.

Malt for example is made from malted barley. Single malt is made by a single distillery, but unless described as ''single-cask'' it may have come from several barrels or casks and years. The distillery can then blend their own flavours so certain tastes are associated with certain distilleries.

Bourbon is an American whisky made from mash that has a minimum of 51% corn grain. It must also be aged in new, charred oak barrels and has to be aged at least two years.

Ireland has a long history of whisky making. It the only place to use the pure pot still method which refers to whisky made from 100% barley and distilled in a pot still made of copper. It uses a mash of mixed malted and un-malted barley.

Scotch whisky''s are generally thought of as the oldest (along with Ireland''s) and some of the best. They are usually distilled twice, although some go through three distillation processes. Under international law, anything that is labelled ''Scotch'' must have been distilled in Scotland for a minimum of three years and at least one day in an oak cask.

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Tania Gannaway has been tasting whisky for over 20 years and recommends Master of Malt''s 50 year old whisky for a truly indulgent experience.

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