Charles Mackinlay & Co

A hidden treasure in Antarctica

Perhaps the most endearing story of Mackinlay is one that some of you may remember from February 2007. Staff from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, attempting to restore Sir Ernest Shackleton's cabin in Antarctica, came across three cases of Scotch labeled 'Rare old Highland malt whisky, blended and bottled by Chas. Mackinlay & Co'. They were preserved in permafrost, as they were destined for what Shackleton would call the Endurance Expedition, but eventually became known as the Nimrod Expedition of 1907.

In 2011, Richard Paterson secured three of the bottles for analysis, resulting in the original whisky being restored as a blended malt. Mackinlay's Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt - The Journey and Mackinlay's Shackleton Blended Malt are the fascinating and delicious result.

The old recipes have been preserved

Mackinlay's is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay, following Scottish Newcastle Breweries Ltd, Waverley Vintners Ltd and Invergordon Distillers, all of which have owned Mackinlay's since 1961. But the brand is 140 years old and has been a family business up to this point. Charles Mackinlay, originally an agent for Macfarlane's whisky, set up as a wine merchant in Leith in 1815 before registering "The Original Mackinlay," the backbone of the burgeoning brand, in 1847. In 1892, Mackinlay's included "Leith & Inverness" in its labeling after helping to build the Glen Mhor distillery in Inverness.

By the early 1980s, the brand was the 11th best-selling Scotch brand in the UK, led by Mackinlay's Legacy and Mackinlay's Original Blended Scotch Whisky. The same recipes are still followed today by Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, for the single malt, blended scotch and vatted malt editions bottled under the brand.