Whisky Hidden in Antarctica by Explorer Shackleton 100 Years Ago Discovered

1. Overview

In a post on an online community about “restoring lost technology,” the author introduced what they called the most absurd restoration case, ending with a final line about taking alcohol to Antarctica. The line said that the expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1909 had brought whisky made by Whyte & Mackay to “fucking freezing Antarctica.”

After listing forgotten technologies such as Greek fire, battleship gun manufacturing, and Damascus steel, the post builds anticipation by saying that one of the restoration attempts to date involved the most “insane process,” then moves on to this line. The joke works because the line refers to a real event. Whisky left behind in Antarctica by Shackleton’s party was discovered more than 100 years later, and efforts to analyze it and recreate the old whisky followed.

2. Structure of the post

The post on theqoo reproduces an image captured from a post on FM Korea. According to the screenshot, the original post was published on FM Korea on December 17, 2024, under the title “The Most Insane Lost Technology Restoration in the History of Poten.” It received around 440,000 views and 1,651 recommendations. The post begins by defining lost technology as technology that was used in the past but has since been forgotten. It explains that such technologies usually disappeared because they were impractical or because social upheaval interrupted their development, and that attempts to restore them are still being made.

It then lists Greek fire—a kind of ancient flamethrower and the equivalent of napalm—battleship gun manufacturing, and Damascus steel as representative examples. The post says that, given enough determination, restoration is possible somehow, but that the example below involved the “most insane process,” building anticipation. Beneath a black-and-white photograph of an expedition party standing on a snowy plain is a line about Shackleton’s 1909 expedition and whisky. The sudden appearance of alcohol is the punchline, especially after the preceding examples dealt with weighty subjects such as weapons and steel. The theqoo post carries this contrast over in its title, adding “feat. alcohol.”

3. Whisky discovered in Antarctica

The whisky behind the line was left in a hut Shackleton built while exploring Antarctica from 1907 to 1909. According to a World Journal report citing the Associated Press, the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust discovered five wooden crates containing whisky and brandy while restoring the hut in 2006. The crates were buried deep in the ice, however, and could not be retrieved at the time. The Trust’s archives also list “Shackleton’s Whisky” among the key artifacts associated with Shackleton’s Nimrod Hut.

Reports differ on when the whisky was discovered. A China News Service article republished by Naeil Shinmun reported that an expedition team had found wooden crates containing alcohol in an abandoned hut “in early February last year.” A Reddit post summarized the story as a crate of Scotch whisky discovered in 2007, left behind by Shackleton in 1909. World Journal reported that the whisky had been in the ice since 1908.

The crate was retrieved in July 2010. Canterbury Museum in New Zealand removed one crate bearing the Scotch whisky brand name “Mackinlay” and began thawing it. The work was funded by the company that owned the brand. A Trust representative said that workers heard liquid sloshing and smelled whisky as they removed the crate, adding that they were optimistic about its condition. World Journal reported that the whisky appeared not to have frozen despite the passage of 100 years. Naeil Shinmun likewise reported that although the wooden crate had frozen and cracked, the whisky inside was perfectly preserved and gave off its distinctive aroma.

4. Analysis and restoration efforts in Scotland

The thawed whisky was expected to be too limited in quantity for immediate tasting. World Journal reported that all of the recovered whisky would be used for research. Researchers and the company hoped that, if they confirmed that enough alcohol remained and that it was in good condition, they could recreate the taste of whisky from 100 years earlier and produce an “old whisky” that anyone could buy.

The plan took shape the following year. According to Naeil Shinmun, on January 17, 2011 (local time), several bottles of whisky were sent to their country of origin, Scotland, and the manufacturer said it planned to analyze them and restore the production techniques that had been lost. New Zealand scientists had carefully thawed the whisky over several weeks, and the president of Whyte & Mackay had brought it to Scotland on a private jet. The bottles’ labels named Whyte & Mackay as the manufacturer and indicated that they had been sold in either 1896 or 1897. Experts would then analyze the ingredients in a laboratory over six weeks and taste the whisky, with the results to be shared with the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

The result of those efforts appears to have led to Whyte & Mackay’s “Shackleton” brand. The company’s website says that Richard Paterson spent a long time refining a new whisky inspired by Shackleton and his story. The blended malt was made by combining Highland malt whisky with a spirit created to recreate the old Mackinlay whisky. In 2022, Chosun Ilbo published an article in its weekend section titled “Is This What the Whisky Drunk in Antarctica 110 Years Ago Tasted Like?”

5. Authenticity debate

The central questions are whether this case can be called a “restoration of lost technology” and how accurate the post’s account of the 1909 story is.

5.1. The case that it was genuinely restored

This side argues that the basic outline of the story is supported by media reports and company materials. A crate of Mackinlay whisky was indeed discovered in an Antarctic hut, the crate was retrieved with the support of the brand’s owner, and the president of Whyte & Mackay even used a private jet to take the bottles to Scotland. The company also announced plans to restore lost production techniques through analysis, and its website now features Shackleton whisky. They argue that bringing 100-year-old alcohol out of the ice and trying to recreate its taste is about as “insane a process” as one could imagine.

5.2. The case that it was exaggerated

The opposing side argues that the post blurred together several facts. According to the company’s description, Shackleton whisky is a blended malt made by combining Highland malt with a spirit created to recreate the old Mackinlay whisky, so it is difficult to say that the whisky from 100 years ago was restored exactly as it was. Nor is it possible to tell from the published reports and company descriptions how much the analysis actually contributed to the restoration. Even Naeil Shinmun’s article only speculated that a new chapter in history “could” be written if the recipe were uncovered.

There is also a more fundamental question about whether “lost technology” is the right framework. The reports describe the whisky’s production technique as having been lost. The dates also conflict: the post gives 1909, while World Journal gives 1908, and the discovery date is variously reported as 2006, 2007, and 2010. Shackleton’s nationality is also given differently: Naeil Shinmun describes him as Irish-born, while World Journal calls him British.

Both sides have a point. The line is clearly a humorous premise grounded in real events, but the reports alone do not make it possible to determine exactly what level of “restoration” was achieved.

6. Trivia

• World Journal’s article combined the news about Antarctic whisky with a story about Kafka’s literary estate being retrieved from a Swiss bank vault.
• The screenshot of the original FM Korea post also includes text from another post that appears unrelated to the main content.
• In addition to the whisky, the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s archive entry for key artifacts from Nimrod Hut separately lists “Shackleton’s Beer Barrel.”