The story about Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's "whiskey on ice" got even better when explorers found more of the century-old whiskey than they were looking for.

Explorers struggled to find a way to get to the whiskey without upsetting the historic explorer's hut above the ice. They said it was less than enjoyable.

"We were lying on our stomachs on the permafrost completely under the hut removing the ice enclosing the boxes; to say it was a pleasant job would be untrue," said Al Fastier, of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust.

For three days, they chipped their way through the ice toward the crates. Their efforts were more than rewarded.

"We got the two boxes out and were very excited and pleased with ourselves and then we looked through the layer of ice behind the second box and could see through the opaque ice the words 'whiskey' again," says Fastier.

Fastier said they found not only the extra crate of whiskey, but two crates of brandy.

The liquor cache is believed to be what's left of 25 cases donated to Shackleton on his first expedition to the icy, unforgiving continent.

The biggest proponents of the expedition were from faraway Scotland. The makers of the original whiskey said they want a sample so they can attempt to recreate the old recipe.