Introduction
Mackinlay's Shackleton replica bottle
Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky is a replica of the whisky found under Earnest Shackleton’s hut in Antarctica, from an expedition in 1907. After some of the original whisky was very carefully thawed out, Master Blender Richard Paterson had the opportunity to try it, after which he created this replica whisky expression. It’s a limited edition of 50,000 bottles, and comes in really cool packaging. Bottled at 47.3% ABV, with no coloring or chill-filtering, it is now available in the U.S. for a pretty steep suggested retail of $200. Shopper’s Vineyard has it for $145, though.
I’ve been dying to get my hands on some of this whisky, but was not having much luck. First, I got an email out of the blue in April from the PR department at Whyte & Mackay saying that a sample was on its way, followed by an “oops” email that they couldn’t ship to the United States. Then I came across an opportunity to split in on a bottle and get 50ml for about $20 (including shipping from Netherlands). Well, I paid the money, but never saw a sample. I guess somebody working for the postal system got thirsty.
The sample I’m reviewing here came from the baddish group, who I believe handles PR for Whyte & Mackay products here in the U.S. Thank you Laura and Patty!
Tasting Notes
This is a blended malt (single malts only…not a traditional “blend”), with no age statement, but is said to contain malts ranging from 8 years to 30 years. The 30 year portion likely comes from Glen Mhor, which was one of the backbone distilleries for Mackinlay’s back in the day, but was shut down in 1983.
Mackinlay’s Shackleton replica whisky; 2011; 47.3% ABV; $150 – $200
Nose: Creme brulee sweetness (vanilla, caramel, and caramelized sugar), light peat smoke (like Highland Park, not Islay), something grassy and a little “wild”, polished wood and dusty books, and little bit of Dalmore chocolate orange. Palate: The sweetness carries through, both caramel and chocolate. There is some nuttiness, and a hint of peat. It has an interesting way of being both easy going and untamed at the same time. Not sure how to describe the untamed part, except that it reminds me of Springbank 10 year. Finish: Sweetness on the tongue, with earthy peat followed by tea and tobacco leaves lingering in the back of the nostrils. A great combination, except it dies off pretty quickly, just leaving some caramel flavor on the tongue.Comments: The Shackleton replica vatting tastes to me like a high quality blend, composed of Dalmore 12, Highland Park St. Magnus, and a little Springbank 10, all laid down on a bed of good column still grain whisky to smooth things out and make it easy to drink. The Dalmore traits especially stand out, from the manner in which the sweet profile presents itself to the library and tea leaf notes. The smoke and grass combination is where HP St. Magnus comes in. Enjoyable from start to [a little disappointingly short] finish, this ranks as a high B whisky in my personal scoring system. 87 points.
Conclusion
I’m really glad I got a chance to try Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt. It’s a special whisky, for sure. While I mentioned a number of familiar components, the way they’re combined results in a unique and enjoyable profile. I hope Whyte & Mackay ends up making a standard release Mackinlay vatting or blend with as much of this flavor profile as they can squeeze in. I won’t be paying $150 for a bottle of this limited release expression (it’s going on my Christmas wish list, though), but I strongly recommend seeking it out in some manner. Whether that be via full bottle purchase, or through a local whisky club or bottle share.
Cheers, Jeff
Scotch Hobbyist's Blog 
[…] What others are saying: Sctoch Hobbist may have figured what malts were used to make up this blend and he has an overall good review. […]
Hi Jeff, I’ve been reading your review because my wife bought me a bottle of this for Christmas (yea! she took notes while I was watching the Nat. Geo. special). I finally cracked it open tonight since I’ve been getting over a cold. Your review is very good, but I gotta say, “wow, what a finish!” For me, the finish is HUGE. It did take a while for the finish to “build up.” Meaning that my first few sips were lacking in finish, but once I had an ounce or so to drink, the finish was there and just stays forever! I have to say, this has the longest finish of any whisky I’ve had that doesn’t come from Islay. I’ve got the earthy peat and sweetness all over the tongue as you describe, and 10 minutes after finishing my dram, I could’ve just had a sip for how strong the finish is. So, if you’re hesitant about going after this because of a short finish, I’d say give it a second chance. If you only had a 30 mL sample, maybe that wasn’t quite enough. Although this was my first night with Mackinlay’s, it grew on me through the whole session, and I must say, it’s VERY good! Oh, and we’re pushing 15 minutes now, and the finish has not diminished. I want to go get a snack, but I don’t want to ruin the finish 😉
Thanks for the update, Ryan! I’m glad you got your hands on a bottle, and that the finish is really working for you!
I think my sample was in the 50-60ml range, but it’s possible my approach limited my experience on the finish. When I just have a relatively small sample of something, I try to extend it out over several sessions, especially for nosing, as I want to make sure my whole opinion isn’t based off of one session. I usually drink it as a few smaller sips at first. I do try to get at least one good sized dram down, though, to really get a feel for it in the mouth.
For this one, I did some comparisons with Highland Park 12 and Dalmore Cigar Malt, and I felt like even with small sips, both of those were much bolder on the finish.
I did really enjoy the Mackinlay’s, though. I’m looking into possibly splitting in on a bottle with a friend, so hopefully I’ll get to spend some more time with it. 🙂
Thanks again for the great feedback!
Cheers,
Jeff
Night two with the Mackinlay’s and I payed a little bit more attention to what was going on, and the same thing happened. I had to have half my drink before the finish started building up (I do big pours – like 2.5 ounces – then only have one drink per evening). I can see why after a few sips you’d think that the finish is short, but this building up of the finish is pretty unusual. I’m pretty sure Highland Park 12 didn’t do anything comparable, although I wasn’t really looking for the finish at the time, and I finished my HP12 a couple months ago so I can’t check.
I judge whisky based on miniatures whenever I can find a new one, and I’ve thought about whether it’s better to have a miniature over two nights or one. The answer is “it depends.” But for me, I found that my thoughts are more likely to change over the course of one large drink than they are between two evenings, although there are exceptions. I’m certainly no expert at figuring out whisky, and it usually takes me over an ounce to figure something out if it’s new.
Well, I’m intrigued. I’ll definitely have to check this one out again. Though, it’s not like I hated it the first time. I really, really liked it!
I did do a full 1oz pour for my last dram of the Mackinlay’s. Not a huge dram, but enough to really coat the tongue. As for multiple tasting sessions, I just don’t fully trust my nose on any given night, even after 3 years of enthusiast-level dramming. If I only get 30ml of something, I likely won’t even give it a numeric rating…maybe a ballpark letter grade, so I have a reference for the future.
Glad you’re enjoying this whisky! It’s great to have one that tastes great AND has an interesting story behind it. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to share with some friends and marvel over the taste of early 20th century Scotch.
Cheers,
Jeff
Where can I find this in the USA
Some CostCo’s carry it.
I’m from Australia, but I tend to order the limited whiskies that I can’t readily source “in country” such as this and the Glenfidditch Age of Discovery through websites such as singlemaltdirect.com and thewhiskyexchange.com, although I’m not sure how they go with customs in America. I personally haven’t had an issue with customs here in Australia though, so you might want to give that a try?
If you are in Australia Dan Muphys is selling this now at $199 a bottle
I guess I must be missing something in the marketing hype. It’s a replica of a Scotch from on of the Shackelford Antartic expidition. The original bottle was a 15 year old scotch. They got this Scotch in 2010, copied it, aged it 15 years and it’s for sale in 2012? They obvioulsy blended a bunch of different aged scotches to try to replicate the taste. I hope in 15 years we will have an authentic “Shackeford” Scotch (and I’m in on that one!)
I agree that this is a great whiskey and that the finish is full and fine. I got to try it, twice, at a tasting yesterday, and I immediately bought one of the three bottles available. Richard Paterson has blended another winner here. I like some of the Dalmores, the Castle Leod in particular, but this is my favorite dram yet from the hand of Paterson. A “second edition” will be released soon, I hear.