At $41.95, this is officially a bargain, not to mention an excellent way to brace yourself for a night of poetry, bad accents and sheep’s pluck.
Lassies who’ve sat through a Burns Dinner before will know to have a dram in hand before that haggis is piped in, since the “address” can seem to take forever with an empty glass. It’s all those long r-words. The question, as always, (since there’s no distillery in or around the Bard of Ayrshire’s birthplace) is which Scottish whisky do we raise to celebrate his birthday? Fortunately for us, some enterprising folks on Arran, which is relatively close by, have started making some pretty decent liquor—especially given the price. They even had the gumption to persuade the World Burns Foundation to grant them membership and let the Isle of Arran Distillers make a sanctioned Robert Burns Arran Single Malt, replete with a handsome picture of the Scottish poet on the label.
Despite being produced in a place known for peat, smoke, and iodine, this is a very gentle and muted whisky, livened up a little with hints of apple and citrus. And at $41.95, it’s officially a bargain, not to mention an excellent way to brace yourself for a night of poetry, bad accents and sheep’s pluck. By the time “Auld Lang Syne” rears its ugly head, lassies (and laddies, too) may be needing doubles, so make sure to stock up.
Robert Burns Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Vintages 981084. $41.95.
