Canadian Club whisky treasure hunt is still going

September 05, 2024

If you've got an adventurous spirit, then a whisky treasure hunt that has been going on for more than 50 years might inspire you to grab your map, compass and a tumbler - just in case.

Back in 1967 Canadian Club launched its Hide A Case campaign, with 25 cases of booze dropped in remote locations all over the world.

Adverts run to coincide with the alcohol-themed hunt gave readers vague clues as to where the boxes of whisky could be found with hard-to-reach spots including Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and at the bottom of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Over the years, many of the wooden crates were found but there are still some remaining, in places including the North Pole and Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile.

One of the adverts, obtained exclusively by MailOnline Travel, tips readers off about a case that was hidden in the heart of the Yukon territory in northwest Canada on September 7, 1969

In 1967 Canadian Club launched its Hide A Case campaign with 25 cases of booze dropped across the globe

One of the adverts, obtained exclusively by MailOnline Travel, reveals that on January 23, 1968, a case of Canadian Club was flown to Venezuela and placed under Angel Falls - the world's highest waterfall at just over 3,200 feet.

Another tips readers off about a case that was hidden in the heart of the Yukon territory in northwest Canada on September 7, 1969.

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Offering inspiration, one advert focuses on David and Diana Mattoon, a couple who found the Angel Falls case seven months after it was deposited.

They found it while on their honeymoon, which David decided should be in Venezuela after he saw an ad about the hidden cases of whisky.

Recalling the expedition to track the case down, David said: 'We had to hack our way through ancient rain forests and cross through 79 different sets of rapids.

'And leaving right in the middle of the rainy season made the journey even tougher.'

After clambering through forests and over giant boulders, David found the case of Canadian Club wedged under a huge rock.

WHERE DID CANADIAN CLUB HIDE ITS STASH OF WHISKY?

Back in 1967 Canadian Club launched its Hide A Case campaign, with 25 cases of booze dropped in remote locations all over the world.

Adverts run to coincide with the alcohol-themed hunt, gave readers vague clues as to where the boxes of whisky could be found with hard-to-reach spots including Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and at the bottom of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Over the years, many of the wooden crates have been found but there are still some remaining in spots including the North Pole and Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile. Here's a rundown of what's been found and what still remains undiscovered...

FOUND CASES

1. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa

2. Angel Falls, Venezuela

3. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

4. St Helena Island

5. Death Valley, California, U.S.

6. Bigfoot Feeding Ground, Pacific Northwest

7. Thousands Islands , between northern New York State and south eastern Ontario, Canada

8. New York City, U.S.

9. Bonnie and Clyde's 1934 hideout near Gibsland, Louisiana

10. Devil’s Backbone Reef, Bahamas

11. Lost Dutchman Goldmine, southwestern U.S.

12. Chicago, U.S.

13. Hawaii, U.S.

14. San Francisco, U.S.

15. Washington DC, U.S.

16. Lewis & Clark Trail, Montana, U.S.

STILL MISSING

17. Yukon Territory, northwest Canada

18. Loch Ness, Scotland

19. Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

20. 110 feet from where Stanley met Livingston in Ujiji, Tanzania

21. North Pole

22. Lake Placid, New York, U.S.

THREE LOCATIONS REMAIN UNKNOWN...

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Offering inspiration, one advert focuses on David and Diana Mattoon, a couple who found the Angel Falls case seven months after it was deposited while on their honeymoon

He said he was so close to the Falls that his 'face felt its cool spray' which 'whetted his thirst for something else'.

The case dropped on Mount Kilimanjaro was found accidentally ten years after its burial in December 1977 when Dutch journalist Peter Juul was trying to search for his two children.

Similarly, a couple of prawn fishermen stumbled across the case sunk on the floor of the Barrier Reef in 1979, 11 years after it had been hidden, while sailing off the northern coast of Australia.

The last find was in 1980, when a case hidden in Washington DC that year was unearthed.

But according to Travel + Leisure, nine cases have never been found.

Their locations include the Yukon territory in Canada, Loch Ness in Scotland, Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile, Ujiji in Tanzania, Lake Placid in New York and the North Pole.

In 2010 the Hide A Case campaign was revived with a $100,000 cash prize providing further incentive.

The company called for contestants to find a stash that was secretly hidden in the wilds of Tonga in 1991.

No clues around its location were ever released to the public as Canadian Club ended the promotion shortly after it was hidden and the accompanying ad campaign ceased.

However, an intrepid treasure hunter by the name of Kristina Beall, from Virginia, managed to locate the boozy booty.

A spokesperson from Beam Suntory, the manufacturer that owns Canadian Club, told MailOnline Travel that there aren't any plans to revive the campaign but that treasure hunters thirsty for some adventure are welcome to plan their own expeditions.

Canadian Club ended its Hide A Case campaign in 1991 and the accompanying ad campaign ceased

A spokesperson from Beam Suntory, the manufacturer that owns Canadian Club, told MailOnline Travel that there aren't any plans to revive the hunt but treasure hunters thirsty for some adventure are welcome to plan their own expeditions

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WHERE DID CANADIAN CLUB HIDE ITS STASH OF WHISKY?