Digging for aged liquid gold

It always amazes me as archaeologists dig up many ancient artifacts. This Yahoo story outlines a New Zealand based exploration searching for a past cache that might cause future hangovers. Drilling for 100 year old scotch whiskey in the antarctic! Now, why would someone dig in the frozen south for a potent potable that could be found in your local liquor store?

The drillers will be trying to reach two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey that were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition.

Whyte & Mackay, the drinks group that now owns McKinlay and Co., has asked for a sample of the 100-year-old scotch for a series of tests that could decide whether to relaunch the now-defunct Scotch.

They claim in the story that the main reason for traveling hundreds of miles though extreme conditions is to later replicate the recipe for modern sale. The lead explorer does not want to taste the buried whiskey. I have a little skepticism with this comment from the explorers though.

"It's better to imagine it than to taste it," he said. "That way it keeps its mystery."

Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, said the Shackleton expedition's whiskey could still be drinkable and taste exactly as it did 100 years ago.

Using this logic, if I dig in my fridge for a forgotten beer does that count as true exploration?