Mackinlay’s Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt - The Discovery

Lovely idea. But pricing it as they did cries out for the reviews below. If you want to con your friends and say that this is a bottle of whisky discovered in the Arctic then go for it. If you want to say anything else then why pay nearly £100 for a bottle? It's a blend, an average blend. Nothing more. If you want to pay that amount for this then go for it. You may as well buy a bottle of Teachers and bury it for a hundred years, see how much you get for it then.

28th December 2014

N: Conjuring farm yards and country walks in hot summers, dry cowpats, diary, glycerol, milk of magnesia, hints of apple/pineapple, pepper, ginger, some meatiness, ham in particular, shnapps, french bangers [light sulphur and cardboard - in a good way], sweetcorn, melon, butter, all-spice. Wow this is a pictorial nose - its conjuring images and places of my childhood! Amazing nose
T: Fairly innocuous arrival, honey, spice, wood, malt, buttery, most reminiscent of speyside but with a highland edge, [I'm guessing]. Long and lingering with some peaty notes emerging.
F: Some herbal notes, sweet and sour, good balance. Peppery aniseed and potato vodka at the death and later - cherry cough sweets and faint wood smoke.
C: The nose is a winner, the rest is only nice. Happy to drink this at £40 a bottle, after all Shackleton took standard fair on expeditions - but at £100 absolutely not!

Scores a B

3rd March 2014

First of all this is a recreation of the Whisky Shackleton took with him on the expedition, he took a average Whisky with him back in 1907 not several hundred bottles of high end quality single malt.
So the effort out into creating the exact blend of Whisky he took over 100 years ago was very extensive.
You buy This to experience a bit of history not to expect a 30yr old single malt taste.
It's not designed to be like that.
So those slagging it off get a grip and stop comparing cheese and chalk because this is about a recreation and an experience.
If you don't get that then it's wasted on you anyway.

30th January 2014

I've seen this particular bottle in many whisky shops and was kind a tempted to buy it..however recently I've had a chance to taste small sample of it for free and I was really shocked by it's quality especially when you look at the price tag.I would say that in the same league as Ballantines Finest,Bells or Famous Grouse. Basically four times overpriced crap!!!
I'm glad I had only a sample...same applies to the Macallan 1876 Replica


Szarik

26th January 2014

Bought this bottle for my partner, excellant gift for any whisky lover. He had tried it at Chester Whisky Festival and loved it so was very happy when he opened it on Christmas day.

29th December 2013

Had stopped drinking scotch over forty years ago (wife complained about breath the next day). Got a bottle (in the wooden box)from a favorite nephew as a gift. Was quite satisfied with the smoothness, taste and next day affects. Will purchase the next bottle myself!!

22nd December 2013

As it is a Scottish product it is WHISKY not whiskey.

17th November 2013

I'm honored to have been apart of OPERATION DEEP FREEZE, and the first thing we did after our first mission South was toast over a glass of Shackleton. Whenever I get to taste those special flavors I feel as though I'm toasting history....not something usually found in a bar glass. Worth every penny!

5th November 2013

Bought this as a present for my mother....she loved it. It's a nice gift, well presented, and she really enjoyed the flavour of the whiskey and the Shackelton novelty....that's what makes it special, and may I say, worth every penny.

2nd November 2013

I HAVE THE 2 DIFFERENT PACKED BOTTLES IN MY COLL. FOUND HERE IN NORWAY !! THE REPLICAWHISKY MUST BE RARE BUT I WILL TRY HARD TOO OPEN THEM BEFORE 2019.

11th October 2013

wonderful whisky bought for first grandchild!!!

22nd September 2013

oh and by the way, i feel privileged to have drank this historic whiskey, oh and for the record it suits me.

12th September 2013

How can anyone say any whiskey is shite, all we can say is not for me, with such a vast range of tastes, i mean howay lets not turn into pretentious wine snobs As for overpriced, your paying for a bit of history here and limited bottles, if its too pricey dont buy simple.

12th September 2013

This blend while retailing at an outrageous price is still leaps and bounds above for example JWalker high-end blends. The price is not a reason to disparage the obviously high standard of craftsmanship displayed by the blender and calling this stuff shit is completely unfounded. I won't buy a bottle but a glass of it was a pleasant surprise for a bitter cynic.

7th September 2013

Wonderful taste with an excellent aroma. Great for those special occasions.

31st August 2013

People who write "over priced and tastes like shit" are probably no more than dog manure in the gutter themselves. Do you even begin to know how much research and sheer effort were involved in this? And how levely the presentation is? THAT'S why some people find it worthwhile to pay the amount asked. GET A LIFE!

25th August 2013

This is a fantastic whiskey, given as a present and have enjoyed it to the last drop (don't collect it drink it)

14th July 2013

A wonderful drink for special occasions. I wish those who rated this poorly or as overpriced would share what they are comparing it to, so that others can have a better idea of what their basis is. This is definitely not a peatey whiskey- it's very slight peat that brings depth.

21st June 2013

This current run of whiskey has now finished, bought to bottles one to keep, one to drink! More than confident that I will make a few pounds in 10 yrs, better than an isa!

6th June 2013

A blended whisky that contains 8 to 30 yo whisky they say.
Nothing special imo - forget about quality here.
At 30 £ it might be ok and at 100.000 bottles its not rare.

20th May 2013

For me this whiskey was nothing special , Over price for nothing...

13th April 2013

over priced and tastes like shit

1st April 2013

Tried a drop at Aberdeen duty free - a good whisky, complex with lots of flavor as described above but nothing special and you can buy a similar quality for less than half this price...

21st March 2013

Not usually one to drink Scotch, but I had a sip at an event I was at and I am quite impressed with how smooth and flavorful it was.

18th March 2013

Mmmmmm. Very nice dram. Dry, fruit an a very small but nice hint off smoke.

22nd July 2012

After it sat on the tongue for a few seconds, it reveiled it's taste. And it was wonderful and warm. The fruits and toffee tastes were a thing of beauty...Thank you for the reprise. Mackinlays Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt.....worth every the wait.

6th June 2012

Over priced for what it is - nothing special

5th February 2012

Tastes like peat moss

25th December 2011