It's the age old question, which usually crops up around Burns night - what whisky or whiskies pair well with haggis?
As it's almost Burns night, we've spoken to some experts to get their advice on what whisky to pair with your haggis, neeps and tatties on the 25 January, or whenever you're enjoying this traditional meal.
Stephanie Macleod’, director of blending Scotch whisky at Bacardi said: "Burns Night is a great favourite of mine; when we celebrate the work of Robert Burns through rousing recitals and enjoying the best of Scottish food and drink at Burns suppers.
"Scotch whisky plays a big part in the celebrations and some of the bottles I’ll be pouring this year include Dewar’s 38 Year Old, an exceptional choice to serve neat with delicate floral and citrus aromas, creamy vanilla, and a finish of dried figs and dark chocolate.
"For something truly distinctive, Aberfeldy 26 Year Old Languedoc Red Wine Finish is a newly-launched, limited-edition liquid from Aberfeldy’s Exceptional Cask Series that offers sweet notes of red berries, ripe plum, and toasted oak, balanced with hints of vanilla and dark chocolate.
"Burns night brings light, warmth and laughter to the cold, dark month of January in Scotland, so make the evening bright and with some beautiful glassware to enjoy your Dewar’s or Aberfeldy dram neat, on the rocks, in a hot toddy or refreshing highball."
Michael Henry master blender at Loch Lomond Group had this advice for choosing a whisky for Burns night: "Whisky is a complex and diverse drink, with a variety of different flavour profiles, often influenced by the region in which it was produced.
“Scotland has five whisky making regions – Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown - with each area having a signature style.
“Broadly speaking those looking for a bold and heavily peated whisky should explore Islay, while a more soft and smooth single malt is likely to come from the Lowlands.
"Scotland’s smallest whisky producing region, Campbeltown, which is home to our Glen Scotia distillery has a distinctive maritime influence on its whiskies, often with smoky, salty, and fruity notes. Speyside, the most populated region, tends to impart strong fruit flavours, and the Highlands has the most diverse offering.
“Our Loch Lomond distillery is a classic Highland producer. The region is characterised by its creation of a broad spectrum of flavours that will appeal to every palate, with Loch Lomond Whiskies’ imparting a signature style of fruit, honey and soft smoke.
“One of our most popular expressions is Inchmurrin 12 Year Old (£34) with delicious orchard elements it is the perfect accompaniment to the peppery spice flavor of a haggis this Burns Night.
“Whisky novices may also consider exploring something approachable like a blended malt which can be easily enjoyed as part of a longer drink, served with soda water or ginger beer."
On a Burns night Scran podcast, we spoke to Peter Holroyd of Kingsbarns distillery in Fife, and he recommended a rich sherried whisky, which will stand up against the spices in the haggis.
He said: "With whisky you're either going to go for something that's a contrast or something that is similar to the food. I'd probably go with something that's a bit rich and fruity."
From their collection, the Balcomie sherry cask, £49.95, is ideal for pairing with haggis.
If a sherry influenced whisky sounds up your street, Glenmorangie Lasanta is another one to try.
Gaelic for “warmth and passion,” the 12-year-old single-malt Lasanta is extra-matured in Spanish sherry casks.
Priced at £51, Glenmorangie Lasanta is a smooth, sweet whisky which works well with haggis.
In our 2020 Burns night Scran podcast, Mark Thomson Glenfiddich's former Scotland brand ambassador, recommended the Glenfiddich 15 year old, saying: "it's one of the whiskies I always go for.
"It has the balance of sweet and spice and it's put together in an unusual solera vat system. It cuts through the richness of the food, and doesn't overpower."
Or why not head to Campbeltown for a classic dram from Glen Scotia?
The award-winning Glen Scotia Victoriana, £71 is finished in deep charred oak, offering a smooth single malt whisky where aroma and flavour work in harmony.
Bottled in the traditional way, straight from the cask and without filtration, its subtle wood and vanilla flavour is enhanced by a full-bodied spicy fruit aroma and mildly smoky aftertaste.
Master Distiller at Glen Scotia distillery, Iain McAlister, said: “Full of flavour with lots of smoke, Glen Scotia Victoriana is the perfect dram to pair with a traditional Burns Supper as the haggis is piped into the room. Enjoy with a drop of water, or neat.”
If you'd like to try a blend this Burns night, then Master of Malt recommends Outlander star, Sam Heughan's The Sassenach whisky, £77.95. You can buy a bottle here.
We reckon this light, sweet yet spicy dram would be an ideal toast to the haggis.
