About a hundred years ago, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and his team packed away a couple of crates of whisky. And recently, researchers found them again and opened them up. The question "Is it still drinkable?" which I think is the first thing that comes to mind for most normal people, may not be answered, as the spokesman for the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust thinks it would be too disappointing should the whisky turn out to have spoiled. The company that originally made the whisky was bought out, and the new owners are interested in getting their hands on a bottle so they can perhaps recreate it - the particular blend is no longer made and the recipe is unknown.
It's not surprising that the crates are still around - other explorers' huts and supplies are still there, complete with canned goods. Antarctica's cold, dry environment can preserve things pretty well. It's why, even though there aren't very many people there, that it's important to take extra precautions to prevent pollutants and contaminants from entering the environment.
1 comment:
Wow. I went into that hut. As you say lots of canned goods. Heinz tomato ketchup springs to mind. As was the dead emperor penguin that was lying on the table cut open. I was told that they did this just before they left. I didn't see any whisky though.
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