There’s never a bad time for a dram! But there’s arguably no better time to raise a glass than Burns Night which takes place this year on Tuesday 25th January 2023. We’ve compiled some suggestions of the best whisky and liqueurs to celebrate Burns Night this year.
Read more about our favourite whisky here
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
The unique double maturation of Laphroaig Quarter Cask creates a delightful balance of intense and rich flavour. American oak barrels are used to mature whisky before it is transferred to smaller quarter casks and left to mature in the seaside warehouses. The smaller cask size increases contact with the oak, creating a smooth, rich edge to the signature Laphroaig peatiness.
Bowmore 15 Year-Old
After maturing in bourbon barrels, Bowmore 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is finished in Oloroso sherry casks, offering a fine example of a sherry cask finish. The final three years in these casks gives the whisky its rich, deep colour and robust, warming finish. With its award-winning flavour, Bowmore 15 Year Old features notes of raisins and gentle smoke, leading to a delicious chocolaty centre.
Macallan Double Cask 18 Year Old
The Macallan Double Cask Single Malt Scotch whiskies are aged in two types of hand–crafted oak casks: American oak and European oak. The American oak imparts sweet and light flavours like vanilla, citrus, and butterscotch, while the European oak adds a subtle spiciness. After the two whiskies are matured, they are combined to create a single malt with a sweeter and more robust taste, further enhanced by seasoning the casks with dry Oloroso sherry.
Highland Park 18 Year Old
Highland Park 18–Year–Old is renowned for its remarkable smoothness, due to a high ratio of exquisite, first–fill sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks. This exceptional single malt is a perfect balance of over-ripe cherries, bitter dark cocoa, sweet marzipan, untamed winter spices, floral heather honey, and smoky peat. When enjoying this unique whisky, pair it with dishes such as monkish or swordfish cooked with Indian spices, cold meats with ginger chutney, or citrussy puddings.
The Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut
This whisky from The Soleo Collection, part of Glenrothes‘ range of five whiskies aged from 10 to 25 years, has no age statement. Matured entirely in first–fill sherry casks, it has a red label to signify the unripe colour of the grapes used to make some sherries, such as Pedro Ximénez. Its flavour profile contains notes of orange, vanilla, nutmeg and oak.
anCnoc 12
anCnoc 12-year-old is an award–winning single malt whisky from the Highlands of Scotland. It is complex yet smooth, with a nose of citrus fruits and sweet honeycomb, a creamy mouthfeel, and a long, fruity finish. Matured in a combination of second-fill American oak, ex–bourbon, and ex–sherry casks, it is the perfect whisky for any occasion.
Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
The ideal dram for a rustic winter’s day, Glenfiddich’s Fire & Cane is the fourth concept in the Experimental Series and marries whisky with non-peated malts that have been matured side-by-side in bourbon casks. Providing an explosion of campfire smokiness, the Latin finished rum leaves a lingering woodiness on the palate with a surprising long-lasting flavour of sweet toffee, soft spice, and toasted marshmallow.
Glenfiddich 15 Year Old
Glenfiddich 15 Year Old exemplifies Glenfiddich’s family tradition of innovation. Aged in European oak sherry casks and new oak casks for at least fifteen years, this warming, spiced liquid carries sweet aromas of sweet honey, vanilla fudge and chocolate. With silky-smooth tastes of sherry oak, cinnamon and ginger, this whisky is full-bodied with a lingering sweet finish.
Singleton of Dufftown 12 Years Old
A relaunched Singleton, this time from Dufftown, to replace the now-retired Singleton of Auchroisk. This smooth, mellow dram is ideal for new whisky drinkers to the malt category with flavours of polished wood and nuts (toasted hazelnut), rich fruits, both stewed (baked apples) and dried (sweeet dates) intertwined with soft brown sugar.
Talisker 10 Year Old
A classic whisky from the Isle of Skye. Aged for a minimum of 10 years in American oak casks, this welcome member of Diageo’s Classic Malts series has been recognised numerous times for its excellence. Immensely satisfying stuff, with whiffs of warm peat blending with coastal air, balanced by orchard fruit and juicy barley. A spectacular whisky for Burns Night.
Aberlour 14-year-Old
Distilled and bottled in Speyside, this single malt undergoes a maturation process using a combination of oloroso sherry casks and first-fill American oak casks. With a nose of cloves, cardamom, toffee, milk chocolate and orange zest, it provides a palate of black cherries, mocha coffee and mint, for a fresh, yet smooth and rich whisky that’s perfect for wintertime.
Cotswolds Reserve Single Malt Whisky
Cotswolds Reserve Single Malt Whisky is made from 100% locally grown floor malted barley and is aged in specially selected first-fill ex-Bourbon and STR ex-red wine casks at a ratio of 80:20 – 80% Bourbon and 20% STR. This expression showcases the influence of the first-fill ex-Bourbon casks which provide classic notes of vanilla, honey, butterscotch and a hint of coconut, resulting in a smooth, elegant and well-balanced dram. A touch of whisky from the STR ex-red wine casks has been blended in to enhance the richness, fruitiness and sweetness of this whisky. Bottled at 50% ABV the whisky is both naturally coloured and non-chill filtered.
