2021 has gotten off to a pretty rotten start, and the cold, dark month of January will leave many of us feeling a little glum.
Thankfully, the Scots have given the world one event to look forward to this month - January 25th is Burns Night.
A celebration of Scotland's favourite bard, Rabbie Burns, it's the perfect excuse to crack open a dram of whisky and enjoy some great food.
To help get the party started here are a selection of great Scotch whiskies - with a Burns twist - that are perfect for any Burns Supper.
Great Scottish whiskies to enjoy on Burns Night
Arran Distillery's Robert Burns whisky
Bottled by Arran Distillery to honour the bard himself, the Robert Burns single malt is honey sweet with a touch of spice, making it the ideal dram to enjoy alongside your haggis.
Endorsed by the World Burns Federation, it'll definitely get you into the spirit of the occassion.
Balvenie 14-year-old Caribbean Cask
It's perhaps not that well-known that Rabbie Burns almost left Scotland for the Caribbean to be a sugar plantation clerk before he made it big, and we are sure he'd find some fun in our next choice.
A blend of Scotland and the Caribbean, this intriguing Balvenie is finished off in a rum cask to give it a deliciously sweet hit of flavour - great for a wee taster to enjoy before the main meal.
Glenkinchie 12-year-old
Burns may have began life in Ayrshire, but like many aspirational young people at the time, he headed to the country’s capital to make his name.
Though Edinburgh doesn’t have its own single malt (yet – the Holyrood and Crabbies Distilleries, along with the new Port of Leith will change that soon) it does have a cracking little neighbour in Glenkinchie that is well worth checking out.
Light, sweet and dangerously drinkable, it's a great beginner's dram.
Ailsa Bay Sweet Smoke
Born in Alloway in Ayrshire, Burns wouldn’t have far to travel these days for his nearest dram, just along the coast in fact.
Located near the village of Girvan, within sight of the iconic Ailsa Craig - a view that Burns himself would have often enjoyed in his own lifetime - lies the excellent Ailsa Bay Distillery.
This exciting new whisky is the second batch of the Ailsa Bay single malt, vanilla and toffee competes with subtle smoke for your attention, creating a dram that's great for sharing.
Kilchoman Sanaig
Although at one point in his life Burns was an exciseman, he often spoke out against the taxation of our national drink.
This fun little farm distillery on Islay, Kilchoman (pronounced Kil-ho-man), harkens back to a time before taxes when whisky was very much a more rustic affair.
Their sherry cask matured Sanaig has plenty of flavour with peat wrestling with soft fruits for dominance and providing the ideal accompaniment for the cranachan dessert.
