By Hamish Clark
New Zealand's premier whisky connoisseur got a whiff of what may lie inside a crate of century-old whisky belonging to explorer Ernest Shackleton.
The frozen bottles from Antarctica are being thawed out at the Canterbury Museum as everyone waits to find out what's inside the case of liquid history.
Expert Michael Fraser Milne couldn't stop smiling at his first glimpse of the whisky.
"Look at it – it's liquid history, it is absolutely fantastic and the association with Shackleton makes it even better for some reason – well, to me anyway," says Mr Milne.
"I wonder what it is like – it's a pity there is a padlock on there."
The crate of McKinlay's Highland Malt Whisky is 114 years old. It was discovered beneath Shackleton's Hut at Cape Royds, encased in ice and in desperate need of restoration.
"If I got a whiff of it, it would be just heaven," says Mr Milne. "I don't know, we will have to wait and see – I may get an idea."
He didn't have to wait long for his first sniff.
"Floral," says Mr Milne. "It's quite floral – it's not a smoky smell. Nice, floral."
It was then moved from the freezer to be weighed and taken inside a cool room to thaw.
Watching its every move was Charles Usher, a descendent of the MacKinlay's whisky family, now living in Christchurch.
"It would be fascinating when they open on it and see what is on the bottle, and if the bottles are intact that would be marvellous," he says.
"If it is a full, untouched crate, I expect to find 12 bottles, but that is still a bit of a mystery," says artefact manager Lizzie Meek.
The secrets of what lies inside the crate that now spans three centuries could be unlocked by the end of the week.
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