A crate of Scotch whisky that has been frozen in Antarctic ice for more than a century

Thu Jul 22, 10:20 am ET


WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A crate of Scotch whisky that has been frozen in Antarctic ice for more than a century is being slowly thawed by New Zealand museum officials — for analysis, not to be tasted.



The crate of whisky was recovered earlier this year — along with four other crates containing whisky and brandy — beneath the floor of a hut built by British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton during his 1908 Antarctic expedition.



Four of the crates were left in the ice, but one labeled Mackinlay's whisky was brought to the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island, where officials said Wednesday it was being thawed in a controlled environment.



Nigel Watson, executive director of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, said the whisky might still be liquid.



"When the guys were lifting it, they reported the sound of sloshing and there was a smell of whisky in the freezer, so it is all boding pretty well," he said.



An Antarctic Heritage Trust team that was restoring the explorer's hut found the crates in 2006 but couldn't immediately dislodge them because they were too deeply embedded in the ice.



Drinks group Whyte & Mackay, the Scottish distillery that now owns the Mackinlay's brand, launched the bid to recover the whisky for samples to test and potentially use to relaunch the defunct Scotch.



Watson said the whisky may still be drinkable but would probably not be tasted.



"This was a blend so they are hopeful if there is enough alcohol left and it is in good condition they may be able to analyze and hopefully replicate the liquid so in fact everyone could partake in this," he said.



"It has been put on ice for 100 years so I don't think it is too unromantic a suggestion. The reality is that it is very limited quantities and our focus is on the conservation and not the drinking."



Shackleton's expedition ran short of supplies on its long ski trek to the South Pole from the northern Antarctic coast in 1907-1909 and turned back about 100 miles (160 kilometers) short of its goal.



The expedition sailed away in 1909 as winter ice formed, leaving behind supplies — including the whisky and brandy.

NORM

Woody: Can I pour you a draft, Mr. Peterson?


Norm: A little early, isn't it Woody?

Woody: For a beer?

Norm: No, for stupid questions.

Australian drunk survives attempt to ride crocodile

A drunk man who climbed into a crocodile enclosure in Australia and attempted to ride a 5m (16ft) long crocodile has survived his encounter.
The crocodile, called Fatso, bit the 36-year-old man's leg, tearing chunks of flesh from him as he straddled the reptile.
He received surgery to serious wounds to his leg and is recovering in hospital, police say.
He had been chucked out of a pub in the town of Broome for being too drunk.
The man, who was not named by the police, climbed over a fence and tried to sit on the 800kg (1,800lb) saltwater crocodile.
Continue reading the main story If it had been warmer and Fatso was more alert, we would have been dealing with a fatality
"Fatso has taken offence to this and has spun around and bit this man on the right leg," Sgt Roger Haynes of Broome police told journalists.
"The crocodile has let him go and he's been able to scale the fence again and leave the wildlife park."
Malcolm Douglas, the park's owner, said that the crocodile was capable of crushing a man to death with a single bite.
"The man who climbed the fence was fortunate because Fatso was a bit more sluggish than normal, due to the cooler nights we have been experiencing in Broome," said Mr Douglas.
"If it had been warmer and Fatso was more alert, we would have been dealing with a fatality."
"No person in their right mind would try to sit on a 5m crocodile, Saltwater crocodiles, once they get hold of you, are not renowned for letting you go."
The man staggered back to the pub bleeding heavily.
Pub manager Mark Phillips said staff told him that the man reappeared at about 11pm with bits of bark hanging off him and flesh gouged out of his limbs.
"They said he had chunks out of his legs and things like that," Mr Phillips told The West Australian news website.
An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by aggressive saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m (23 ft) long and weigh more than a tonne.

Cops clip Madrid driver in mower case

 It may have been how Robert Grimstad was driving that caught people's attention. He was all over the road.
Or the fact it was after midnight and the 38-year-old didn't have headlights on.
Most likely, though, it was the fact he was riding a lawn mower down the highway.
When authorities caught up to Grimstad just before 1 a.m. Thursday near Madrid at the intersection of 300th Street and Iowa Highway 17, he told them he was out picking up cans.
Grimstad's blood-alcohol concentration was .190, though authorities do not know what he was doing, or drinking, earlier.
Grimstad could not be reached for comment.

Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr said he wasn't sure how fast Grimstad was going on the six-speed Bolens lawn tractor.
"I don't know," Fehr said. "How fast can a lawn mower go?"
Maximum speed for a six-speed Bolens lawn tractor: about 5 mph.
It's not the Madrid man's first alcohol-related run-in with law officers.

He's been charged with drunken driving twice, along with public intoxication and driving with a revoked license.
In Iowa, it's illegal to drive any motor vehicle anywhere while intoxicated, Fehr said. Grimstad could have been charged while mowing his own lawn, the sheriff said.

Beaver sculpture prompts controversy in Bemidji

Some say the fiberglass sculpture's removal was censorship. Critics say it seems to depict genitalia.
By JIM ADAMS, Star Tribune
That question came up last week for strollers along downtown Bemidji's Sculpture Walk, which this year features nine painted fiberglass beavers, including one with -- to some eyes -- a suggestive painting on its belly.
After about 20 callers complained to City Hall that artist Deborah Davis' painting appeared to be of female genitalia, City Manager John Chattin on Thursday ordered Davis' sculpture removed from the Sculpture Walk, officials in the northern Minnesota city said this weekend.
Al Belleveau, president of the Bemidji Sculpture Walk, said that at Chattin's request, he moved the sculpture to his yard until the City Council decides what to do with it when it meets Tuesday.
That prompted a protest during Sunday's July 4th parade. "A crowd" of people gathered near where Davis' beaver sculpture had stood, some carrying signs that read "Censored," Davis said Sunday afternoon by phone. In addition, some of the other beaver artists veiled their own works in solidarity with Davis.
Davis, of Blackduck, Minn., called her work "Gaea," which she said can mean "Mother Earth" or "God is gracious." The beaver has female figures painted on its sides and a tree on its back. Its belly features a painting in which some see praying hands and some see woman's genitalia.
"My intent was to paint Mother Nature, Mother Earth," Davis said. "I didn't understand that some people saw genitalia. ... I understand people see different things in art, and they need to be free to do that. ... My intent was to paint a praying woman."
Bemidji City Council Member Barbara Meuers said she saw a photo of the Gaea sculpture in the local paper and "it was not enough to raise eyebrows." She said she believes Davis, a former kindergarten teacher, "didn't intend for it to be a sexual thing. ... I did not find it offensive."

THE TITLE IS CLINCHED

Great job again on the win last night 2-1! First place is pretty much clinched for us!
Just a reminder, there is no game this coming Thursday, 07/08/10. We have a bye, so enjoy your week off!
The game for Thursday 07/15/10 is at 7:15. I will send an e-mail next week on that one.
Take care everyone, and have a great holiday!