Burns Night Whisky Tasting

"O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune." - Robbie Burns

Burns Night Whisky Tasting

Burns Night is one of those special occasions that you don’t really find out about unless you’re super literate or you’ve lived in the U.K. January 25^th, the birthday of the infamous Scottish poet Robbie Burns, is used as a grand excuse to ingest excessive amounts of fine Scottish whisky and that strange and wonderful culinary delight known as haggis. Haggis is a uniquely Scottish phenomenon, consisting ofsheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs), onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, salt and stock – and all this goodness is traditionally boiled in a sheep’s stomach prior to consumption. The haggis is such a hallowed dish that before it may be eaten, a poem (written by Burns) must be recited, in a fine scottish brogue, in its honour. Often the revels are followed by a ceilidgh (pronounced “kay-lee”), which is much like the country dancing one encounters in grade school or at line dancing events.

I did not end up dancing this year, but have enjoyed such pleasures in the past, which are only enhanced by the abundance of kilts and fine scotch legs. Instead I enjoyed a good range of the following alcoholic delights:

A Lowland, Bladnich 1991, Provenance

The nose on this was peach, honey and buttered toast, and I was delighted to discover cardamon and nutmeg on the palate. Very smooth and mellow, for a chilled out evening.

A Speyside, The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old

This was all about caramel and burnt toffee, wet wood and walnuts, and when “nosed” (water added to bring out volatiles) gave off a nice honey lemon odour. The palate was quite sweet, but tended to focus on the back of the tongue and was less than satisfactory.

A Highland, Old Pultenery 12 Year Old

This is known as “the Manzanilla of the north”, and most certainly lives up to its name – apples, pears and sawdust on the nose and a bitter pungent palate that smoothes out quite nicely for a quality finish.

An Orkney, Highland Park 8 Year Old

A very simple, straightforward whisky, vanilla and almonds with hints of smoke on the nose lead to a woody, heathery palate.

A Springbank, Longrow 14 Year Old

This was one of my favorites, very smoky with smells of oranges and pecans mingling with a BBQ chicken note. A beautiful sweet full palate, very pungent and peaty.

An Islay, Bowmore 12 Year Old

This was another simpler one, with all the heather and peat one comes to expect of an Islay whisky. Hints of walnuts and a nice, smooth palate.

Another Islay, same distillery, Bowmore 17 Year Old

This was my other fave, toffee intermingling with oranges and pecans; the smoke and peat onkly came out on the palate, which was amazingly complex and finished with a breath of salty sea air, made me think of the salt water taffee one can buy at the shore.

So, overall, a nice spread, covering all the major Scottish regions (Lowland, Speyside, Highland, an island – Orkney, Springbank, and Islay). Of them all, I would recommend 1 and 5 for novices of whisky tasting, as these two will allow the beginner to get a feel for the differences between regions and styles…and for the discerning adept, get yourself some Bowmore 17 and find a friend and a smoky fireplace and settle in for an evening of philosophy and inspiration.