Old drinkables Century old Scotch

 It caught my eye, the news item yesterday about the discovery of 100 year old scotch, buried in the  Antarctic by noted explorer Ernest Shackleton, of the British Antarctic Nimrod Expedition in 1907.  Three of 11 found bottles of the Mackinlays scotch were flown to Scotland by private jet, for lab analysis and tasting.  The stash was found under the floorboards of Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds on Rose Island. I do not like Scotch nor whiskeys  but this might  be of great intrigue and appeal.  That the  extreme frigid  temperatures at 22 below and deeper did not damage but preserved the bottles.

 Here are two of many links to this tale
 http://www.newser.com/story/109938/100-year-old-scotch-back-from-antarctic-depths.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35259897/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

The article I read mentioned that $80 a glass cognac is common in some of London's "look at me " bars; likely the same here in the states at the high priced venues in New York, Chicago, DC, etc .  I do not drink cheap liquor, but $80 a glass is something I've not nor am likely to experience. 

Further readings indicate that there was Brandy as well but it is not being mentioned as the owners of Whyte and Mackays. which bought out Mackinlays  are considering whether or not to bring it back to market. 

This news is timely as we experience  the  siege of another cold winter, not yet  being able to head south as winter roams the country and one thing and another keeps us put.  Although our temperatures have been somewhat  moderate at  the teens and balmy at the twenties until this week where we have predictions of single digits, this news affirms the benefit of a nip in the winter at night. If it is taken along on scientific explorations to the ends of the earth, what more can be said? Around these parts old timers say we remain healthy because the wintry freezes wipe out germs and in comparison to moderate temperatures or equatorial, we do have fewer diseases and a healthier stock of folks.

I store my favorite Polish Belevedere vodka in the freezer where  it  does not freeze but thrives; who drinks warm vodka?  We have an accumulation of  old  boozes, moved from CA with us;  left overs from Ca days of  entertaining where so many drank so many different things that we maintained a rather fully stocked bar for parties and hospitality. Some of those whiskeys, gin and scotch are ten to twenty years old and still  good.  I did finish a bottle of 20 year old Drambuie last winter one evening visiting with a friend and sipping.  Wonder why I can enjoy Drambuie, from scotch,  but not scotch or whiskeys.  I have noticed lately in my magazines even the likes of Martha Stewart are promoting recipes enticing women to drink Bourbons, whiskeys, and yes scotch.  This might be an attempt to recapture customers,  like me who prefer wines and vodkas or to entice the uninitiated to the realm of whiskeys.  I even saw a recipe for a whiskey cosmopolitan, but I turned up my nose as I am fond of those and quite satisfied with vodka.     

I can see the ads for whiskeys now, "drink Scotch--it is well preserved at 100 years of age and you can be too!"  Watch for that ad during half time commercials this Super Bowl! That cold  preserves, think cyrogenics while the heat destroys might be reflective of faith based heat of demons and hell. That Shackleton or someone in his crew brought such  essentials to Antarctica is reflective of what is important in cold weather, a nip of the favorite does good things.  Long ago, alcohol was considered medicinal, or perhaps that was the excuse, "a sip for purely medicinal purposes ya' know."  I am not thinking about the ravages of alcohol on those who cannot handle it and  have no business drinking but how after trudging around the bleary landscape the Nimrod'ers surely enjoyed their sips.

Endurance or survival despite the trials of the cold must be an indicator of  something good.