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Five crates of whisky and brandy were found by the team underneath the floorboards of the explorer's hut

A team of Antarctic conservationists have unearthed a stash of Scotch whisky that had been preserved in ice under the floorboards of explorer Ernest Shackleton's hut.

The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust made the discovery while carrying out restoration work to the hut, which once belonged to the explorer who abandoned a ski trek to the South Pole in 1907 after running short of supplies.

Miraculously, some of the bottles are still intact and drinks group Whyte & Mackay have requested a sample to carry out tests with a view to re-launching the McKinlay and Co brand that adorns the frozen containers.

The team had originally thought there were two crates of whisky and brandy lying in stasis under the hut, but were amazed to uncover a total of five, the majority of which will stay where they have been for almost a century under conservation guidelines.

Team leader Al Fastier said: "The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labelled Chas. Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited Allandale (Australia) are a real bonus."

The restorers said they were confident the five crates contain intact bottles "given liquid can be heard when the crates are moved". Mr Fastier said the Trust would decide how to approach the delicate task of fully extracting the bottles in the coming weeks.

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