Sensory and Chemical Analysis of 'Shackleton's' Mackinlay Scotch Whisky

Sensory and Chemical Analysis of 'Shackleton's' Mackinlay Scotch Whisky

ABSTRACT Three cases of Mackinlay's Rare Highland Malt whisky were excavated from the ice under Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1907 expedition base camp hut at Cape Royds in Antarctica in January 2010. The majority of the bottles were in a pristine state of preservation and three were returned to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Institute of Brewing Vol. 117; no. 2; pp. 156 - 165
Main Authors: Pryde, James, Conner, John, Jack, Frances, Lancaster, Mark, Meek, Lizzie, Owen, Craig, Paterson, Richard, Steele, Gordon, Strang, Fiona, Woods, Jacqui
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011
Subjects:
Antarctica
Chemical analysis
Congeners
Distillation
Expeditions
GC-MS
Glen Mhor
HPLC
Malt
olfactometry
qualitative descriptive analysis
Whisky
Wines
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT Three cases of Mackinlay's Rare Highland Malt whisky were excavated from the ice under Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1907 expedition base camp hut at Cape Royds in Antarctica in January 2010. The majority of the bottles were in a pristine state of preservation and three were returned to Scotland in January 2011 for the first sensory and organoleptic analysis of a Scotch malt whisky distilled in the late 1890s. Sensory analysis and the higher alcohol and maturation congener profiles describe a lightly peated malt whisky matured in American white oak sherry or wine casks. Analysis of process related compounds together with combined gas chromatography (GC) mass spectrometry and GC‐olfactometry analysis of fermentation related congeners show a distinctly ‘modern’ style of malt whisky. While Scotch malt whisky at the end of the 19th century was generally regarded as heavily peated and harsh in character, Charles Mackinlay & Co. Distillers were producing a malt whisky with an altogether more subtle character at their Glen Mhor distillery near Inverness. The sensory and chemical analysis of this unique whisky artefact significantly changes our understanding of the quality and character of Scotch malt whisky produced by our distilling forefathers.
Bibliography:istex:BB16474BEBDF7CC5B52E6392465BED8DE5A2B350
ArticleID:JIB455
ark:/67375/WNG-2LMCT1KN-Z
Antarctic Heritage Trust, Private Bag 4745, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand Administration Building, International Antarctic Centre, 38 Orchard Road, Christchurch, 8053, New Zealand.
The Scotch Whisky Research Institute, The Robertson Trust Building, Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, Scotland.
Whyte & Mackay Ltd, Invergordon Distillery Laboratory, Cottage Brae, Invergordon, Ross‐shire, IV18 0HP, Scotland.
ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0046-9750
2050-0416
DOI:10.1002/j.2050-0416.2011.tb00455.x