In 2007, whilst carrying out conservation work on the Shackleton's expedition hut, members of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust discovered the crates of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt. One was flown to Canterbury Museum in New Zealand for careful thawing.

The conservation team recovered ten bottles intact, and the whisky they contained, now well over 100 years old, was described as 'a gift from heaven' by Richard Paterson, the master blender at Whyte & Mackay, owners of the Mackinlay brand. In 2011, three of the bottles were flown back to home to Scotland for detailed scientific analysis.