Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Rises Again

The legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton once said, "if I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard." His storied adventures in the South Pole speak to the scope of the man's willpower but, make no mistake, Shackleton also enjoyed his whisky.

In 1909, severe weather conditions and dwindling supplies forced Shackleton and the crew from the Nimrod to abandon their two-year quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. In their haste to get the hell out of there with unfrosty nads, they left behind a few provisions including -- and we can only assume this was inadvertent -- three crates of fine Scottish whisky. One hundred years later, the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust found the abandoned booze, perfectly preserved in the ice beneath Shackleton's hut. It was later identified to be whisky from Chas Mackinlay & Co., produced at the Glen Mhor distillery in Inverness.

And since we live in an age when no good marketing opportunity goes unexploited, the Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt has been reborn. Of course! Now, there's an interesting story surrounding the Mackinlay's brand, the company that has owned it since 1995, and the palingenesis of the Shackleton whisky. Rather than recap all that here, I'll direct you to Tim F's blog at TheWhiskeyExchange.com, in which he lays it all out quite succinctly.

I'm here to tell you how the stuff tastes: Really, really good. So good, in fact, that I am prepared to bestow the coveted Imbiber Imprimatur© upon it DESPITE what I would normally consider a prohibitive suggested retail price of 200 bones. It's a blend of whiskies ranging in age from 8- to 30-years-old, and the most seductive aspect of the finished product is the sweetness. Not cloyingly sweet, mind you, but smooth and delicious -- certainly as dessert-like as fine whisky comes. Caramel. Apple. Nutmeg. I tasted all of that right up front, with some pear and lemon on the finish. All of it balanced perfectly, a credit to master blender Richard Paterson, who hailed the discovery of the whisky under the ice as “a gift from the heavens.” Indeed it is.

Oh, and you're going to need a cigar to accompany this spirit, as I'm sure old Shackleton would have wanted it that way.

For more visit http://www.enduringspirit.com

During a recent visit to Glasgow I dropped by a pub called Lebowski's, where they serve 19 different versions of the White Russian. This simple yet utterly delicious cocktail - consisting of Kahlúa, vodka and cream - has yielded some inspired reinterpretations. The following recipes "reconstruct" the original cocktail in innovative ways, teasing out the original recipe's finest assets. I think the Dude would dig 'em.

Max's White Russian
Created by Mixologist Fred Dexheimer for Max Brenner
Available at Max Brenner in New York City and Philadelphia

1 part Kahlúa
1 part Absolut Vodka
2 parts white chocolate (served on the side in a shot glass)

Directions:
Pour Kahlua and Absolut Vodka over ice and shake. Transfer chilled mixture to a rocks glass. Serve with a side of melted white chocolate. Pour chocolate to taste.