Charity to benefit from first release of Polar Explorer Single Malt

Limited edition Islay whisky containing Arctic iceberg water will appeal to collectors with nose for adventure.

Sunday 23 July saw the launch of a limited edition 12 year-old Port Charlotte single malt Islay whisky that includes drops of pure blue, millennia-old iceberg water from the Sermilik Fjord in Eastern Greenland and is certain to appeal to the international whisky collector with a nose for unique expressions and adventure.

From Friday 28 July, bids with an expected starting price of £100 can be placed through Whisky Auctioneer for one of ten individually numbered bottles of the Polar Explorer single malt whisky.

All monies raised from the auction of each bottle will directly benefit the work of The Polar Academy – a Scottish charity.

Following the auction, donations can also be made directly to the charity for one of an additional 190 bottles of the limited edition single malt whisky.

Craig Mathieson, Scotland’s greatest living polar explorer and one of only 12 polar explorers in the world to have skied to both the south and north poles, founded the charity in 2014.

Its life-changing work helps young people afflicted by low self-esteem to unlock their potential and redefine their physical and mental limits through expeditions to the Arctic. The charity has already engaged more than 50,000 young people across Scotland.

Mathieson’s remarkable journeys have also inspired the Polar Explorer. It is the first single malt whisky from Scotland to reduce its natural cask strength to 50% ABV by incorporating water from Scotland and melted pure blue iceberg water from Greenland.

In the summer of 2016, while exploring by sea-kayak, Mathieson carefully collected samples of iceberg calved from the ancient glaciers and now adrift in the stunning and remote Sermilik Fjord. Meaning ‘place of glaciers’ in Greenlandic, its serene waters form one of the largest fjords on the south-eastern coast of Greenland.

Whisky expert Charles MacLean described the Polar Explorer as ‘a cracking dram’ and went on to explain: “It is a very interesting whisky with real depth and a very good texture. It’s an exceptionally good Port Charlotte with a base note of smoked honey glazed ham and salty seaweed. It was a real honour to meet Craig and learn more about his Polar exploration. I have scored the Polar Explorer an impressive 8.1 out of 10.”

Mathieson, who is also the first Explorer in Residence of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 129 years, has signed each individually numbered bottle of Polar Explorer. Designed by Wolffe in Edinburgh, Polar Explorer is presented in a wooden box and wrapped in an eye-catching sketch map of Arctic Greenland. The necktie and beautifully illustrated label tell the story of the explorer’s bonds to both the wild waters and landscapes of the Isle of Islay and Arctic Greenland.

Commenting on the launch of the Polar Explorer, Craig Mathieson said: “Supported by Trustees of The Polar Academy and private donors, today I am immensely proud to announce the first release of individually numbered and signed bottles of the Polar Explorer limited edition single malt whisky.

“The Polar Explorer is truly unique, a bottle that reflects both its spiritual home in the Isle of Islay and bond with the wild Arctic landscape. Both are close to my heart. To support the work of The Polar Academy, I invite purveyors of this fine single malt Scotch whisky to bid at auction, or subsequently make a donation to the charity for a bottle of the whisky and share my taste for a fine malt and adventure. Slainte!”