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Best whisky for Burns Night

Which Scotch to pour on Burns Night, for the toasts, with haggis and for guests who are new to whisky, plus the order of a Burns Supper, at live UK prices.

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Any Scotch suits Burns Night, and there is no official bottle. A practical plan is a single malt for the toasts, such as Arran 10 Year Old or Aberlour 12 Year Old, and a blend for the table. If you want a link to the poet, Isle of Arran Distillers makes a Robert Burns Blend and a Robert Burns Single Malt. With haggis, a sherry-cask malt or a peated malt such as Talisker 10 Year Old are the usual choices.

Burns Night in brief

Burns Night is 25 January, the birthday of the poet Robert Burns, born in Alloway, Ayrshire, in 1759. He died in Dumfries on 21 July 1796, aged 37. His friends held the first Burns Supper at his cottage in Alloway in 1801, on the anniversary of his death; later suppers moved to his birthday.

Robert Burns and the first Burns Supper. On 25 January 1759, Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Ayrshire. On 21 July 1796 he died in Dumfries, aged 37. In 1801 his friends held the first Burns Supper at his cottage in Alloway, on the anniversary of his death. Later suppers moved to his birthday, 25 January, which is Burns Night.

A formal Burns Supper usually runs in this order:

  1. The Selkirk Grace, often attributed to Burns, though a version is older.
  2. The haggis is piped in, the host recites Burns’s “Address to a Haggis”, and the haggis is toasted.
  3. The meal: haggis, neeps (swede or turnip) and tatties (potatoes).
  4. The Immortal Memory, a speech about Burns that ends in a toast to him.
  5. The Toast to the Lassies and the Reply from the Lassies.
  6. Songs and poems, ending with “Auld Lang Syne”.
The running order of a Burns Supper, in six steps. First, the Selkirk Grace, often attributed to Burns, though a version is older. Second, the haggis is piped in, the host recites Burns's Address to a Haggis, and the haggis is toasted. Third, the meal: haggis, neeps (swede or turnip) and tatties (potatoes). Fourth, the Immortal Memory, a speech about Burns that ends in a toast to him. Fifth, the Toast to the Lassies and the Reply from the Lassies. Sixth, songs and poems, ending with Auld Lang Syne.

Whiskipedia’s Burns Night guide covers the tradition in more detail.

The Robert Burns bottles

Isle of Arran Distillers, which runs the Arran and Lagg distilleries, uses Burns’s name on two bottlings.

Robert Burns Blend: £26.95 at Master of Malt. A blended Scotch at 40% ABV.

Robert Burns Single Malt: £29.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. An Arran single malt at 43% ABV.

A single malt for the toasts

Pick something most guests will like: unpeated or lightly peated, at 40% to 46% ABV.

Arran 10 Year Old: £43.14 at Master of Malt. An unpeated single malt from the Isle of Arran at 46% ABV, non-chill-filtered.

Aberlour 12 Year Old: £45.00 at The Whisky Shop. A Speyside single malt at 40% ABV from traditional oak and sherry casks.

Glenkinchie 12 Year Old: £47.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A Lowland single malt at 43% ABV, made near Pencaitland in East Lothian.

With haggis

Haggis is peppery, savoury and rich from the oatmeal and suet. Two styles are common pairings, though neither is a rule.

Sherry-cask malts tend to bring dried fruit that suits the pepper. GlenDronach 12 Year Old £49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky is matured in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso casks.

Peated malts have the weight to stand up to it. Talisker 10 Year Old £39.15 at Master of Malt is a peated single malt from Skye at 45.8% ABV.

Whiskipedia has more ideas on whisky and food.

A blend for the table

A blended Scotch is a sensible choice for a larger supper, and works with water or in a highball for guests who prefer a longer drink.

Chivas Regal 12 Year Old: £29.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A blended Scotch at 40% ABV.

Dewar’s 12 Year Old: £39.00 at The Whisky Shop. A blended Scotch at 40% ABV.

Monkey Shoulder: £30.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A blended malt, made only from malt whisky, at 40% ABV.

Offer water and a soft drink alongside the whisky, and keep measures small for the toasts.

Sources and review

Questions

What whisky is served on Burns Night?
Scotch, but no particular bottle is required. Many hosts pour a single malt for the toasts and a blend for the table. One blend is named after the poet: Robert Burns Blend, from Isle of Arran Distillers, the company that makes Arran single malt.
What whisky goes with haggis?
Haggis is peppery and savoury, so two styles are common choices: a sherry-cask malt such as Aberlour 12 Year Old, whose dried-fruit notes suit the spice, or a peated malt such as Talisker 10 Year Old, whose smoke and pepper stand up to it. Neither is a rule (Whiskipedia on whisky and food).
When is Burns Night?
On 25 January, the birthday of Robert Burns, who was born in Alloway, Ayrshire, on 25 January 1759. Burns Suppers are held on or around that date (Whiskipedia on the Burns Supper).
What is the Burns Night toast?
A Burns Supper has several. The haggis is toasted after the ‘Address to a Haggis’ is recited, the main speech ends with the Immortal Memory toast to Burns, and the Toast to the Lassies is followed by the Reply from the Lassies. The everyday Gaelic toast ‘Slàinte mhath’ means ‘good health’.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.