Highland Park 17yo John Rae Arctic Explorer
- Detaljer
- Publiceret: Fredag, 5. august 2022 12:05
- Skrevet af MacNiels
Ny aftapning fra Highland Park på 17 år, der primært har ligget på ex-bourbon og refill casks, sammen med nogle få sherry seasoned american og european oak casks.
Aftapningen er produceret i 2004 og aftappet i 2021 i forbindelse med fødselsdagen for John Rae den 30. september.
John Rae er født og opvokset på Orkey og har udforsket det arktiske område i 1800 tallet.
Born in Orphir on 30 September 1813, Rae went on to study medicine in Edinburgh and joined the Hudson Bay Company as a ship’s surgeon on HMS Prince of Wales before settling in Canada. The boy who grew up in these islands, and whose curiosity and resilience was shaped by our wild weather, tempestuous seas and unforgiving terrain, became the man who mapped over 1,750 miles of uncharted Arctic coast, on foot or alone in a small boat. In 1845, he discovered the last elusive navigable link in the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific, known today as the Rae Strait. Yet for many years, his story was not told.
Rae developed a great love for the wild and windswept northern territories where he made his home, and a deep respect for the culture and traditions of its indigenous people – the Cree Indians and the Inuits. Defying Victorian convention, he befriended these people and keenly adopted their hunting, trekking and survival skills. In fact, John Rae was believed to be the greatest snowshoe walker of his time, reputedly covering over 1,200 miles on foot over a two-month period during 1844 and 1845. This earned him the Inuit name ‘Aglooka’ or ‘he who takes long strides’.
However, Rae was not only appointed to complete the mapping of the Arctic coast but, between 1848 and 1951, to take part in the search for the lost Royal Navy expedition of 1845, led by Sir John Franklin. Although awarded the Founders Gold Medal by the Royal Geographical Society in 1852 for his endeavours, Rae’s establishment of the grisly fate of Franklin and his crew relied solely on Inuit evidence and this ruffled many influential petticoats in Victorian Britain. As a result, Rae’s important expedition discoveries were largely written out of history at the time. His report, however, proved to be completely accurate and today he takes his rightful place in history as one of our greatest explorers.
Following his death in London in 1893, John Rae’s body was brought back to Orkney and buried in the grounds of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. A statue in Stromness, erected in 2013 (the 200th anniversary of the year of his birth) recognises his achievements and the John Rae Society is committed to enhancing public knowledge of Rae’s life and work. Through proceeds from the sales of this commemorative whisky, we are delighted to support their ambition to restore John Rae’s childhood home – the Hall of Clestrain in Orphir, Orkney – as an internationally renowned visitor centre.
Highland Park 17yo John Rae Arctic Explorer er aftappet ved 54,8% og der er kommet 1212 flasker af denne, med noter af: "deliciously bold and complex flavour profile of toasted vanilla, caramelised grapefruit and honeyed peat smoke."
Pris: £125,00
Kilde: Highland Park