PREVIEW

Scotch On The Rocks! Scientists Plunder Shipwreck's Extinct Rye Cargo To Resurrect Lost Michigan Whiskies. Scientists plan to use rye found on a 145-year-old shipwreck in Lake Huron to resurrect traditional Michigan whiskies that has been lost to the world for a century. The James R. Bentley, a wooden schooner loaded with rye, sank in heavy seas in November 1878. While the crew survived, the rye cargo was lost - until now. In September 2024, a team of divers retrieved rye seeds from the wreck using a specially designed tube, and taken to the lab at Michigan State University (MSU). The seeds are incredibly special because they are a variety of rye - a key component of whisky - that is now extinct. In the early 20th century Rosen rye, a hardy variety developed from seeds brought from Russia took over. Later that too was brought to the brink of extinction due to farmers ditching it for more lucrative crops. Rosen rye has already been brought back from the brink thanks to a seed bank. Now the scientists plan to sequence the genes of the rye from the Bentley wreck to see if they can recreate it or incorporate traits into rosen rye. They hope their efforts could resurrect Michigan's once powerful whisky industry by providing distinct rye varieties that flavour the spirit.