Cask World and La Alazana Distillery complete world’s first whisky maturation in Antarctica, with the spirit spending three years at Argentina’s Base Marambio research station.
The eight-year-old single malt, named Isla Marambio, was initially aged for five years in virgin oak at La Alazana Distillery in Chubut Province, Argentina, before being transferred to ex-bourbon casks for Antarctic storage.
The whisky endured temperatures ranging from -35°C to +10°C in an uninsulated hut at Base Marambio on Seymour Island. The extreme conditions caused frost to form on the cask exteriors.
The project was conceived by Daniel Monk, founder of Cask World, as part of his planned 8 Continent Series – which aims to be the world’s first whisky collection matured on all seven continents plus Antarctica.
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“We already know it’s different,” said Lila Serenelli, co-founder and distiller at La Alazana. “When I was decanting it there was a very special floral note that is not so strong in our whisky usually.”
Serenelli suggested the sub-zero temperatures may have allowed extraction and oxidation while reducing ethanol evaporation.
The casks were transported to and from Antarctica aboard Argentine military Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, with support from the Argentine Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces.
“They’re pioneers who, like me, believe in doing something that’s never been done before,” Monk said of his La Alazana partners. “I was in their garden in Argentina when I shared the idea of maturing whisky in Antarctica – they didn’t hesitate.”
The bottled whisky will be released in 2026 alongside other expressions in the 8 Continent Series, including whiskies from India, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Wales.
