A guide to the perfect Burns Night
The Christmas leftovers are - finally - done with. You’ve linked arms and sung in the New Year with Auld Lang Syne. And, no doubt, you’ve seen through the festive season with a few servings of your favourite whisky.
Once the echoes of the departing year are over, settling into the new one can feel pretty anticlimactic. But, fortunately, there’s one unmissable reason to enjoy your favourite Scotch, fire up the ovens and gather your nearest and dearest in January - Burns Night.
Whether you’ve got Scotland in your blood, or your heart just beats for all things Caledonia, anyone and everyone is welcome to celebrate Scotland’s finest poet, Scotland’s finest dishes and Scotland’s finest whiskies all on one magical evening.
When is Burns Night 2025?
You’ll want to be stocked up on your favourite Scotch whiskies by Saturday, January 25, Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns’ birthday.
Burns Night has been celebrated across Scotland for centuries now, with the tradition starting shortly after Burns’ death in 1796, when his friends made a pact to celebrate his life every year on July 21 – the date of his death.
The first Burns Supper was held in 1801. However, over the years it became tradition to celebrate the Scots poet on his birthday instead, which is why we now toast away the cold January weather with warming whiskies, hot Scottish food and the coming together of a community.
How is Burns Night celebrated?
Don’t be confused if you hear Auld Lang Syne on Burns Night - the song traditionally associated with New Year’s Eve may play out as the lyrics are taken from a Burns poem.
Recreations of Burns’ poems, Scottish music and plenty of community spirit is at the heart of your typical Burns Night celebrations, culminating in the Burns Supper.
What to eat on Burns Night
Haggis is typically a big part of a Burns Night feast as Burns, true to his patriotism, was a fan of the national dish, describing it as the ‘great chieftain o’ the puddin-‘race’ in his ode to the dish, titled Address to a Haggis.
Any stereotypes of Scotland usually involve mention of haggis, a dish which boasts such ingredients as the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (usually, but it could be another animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. This mixture is packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled.
If you like the idea of doing something steeped in Scots history, but haven’t the stomach for traditional haggis, you can modernise the recipe.
Vegetarian haggis can be served up for a more inclusive Burns Night supper.
You can also serve up simpler dishes, including:
Neeps and tatties (also known as turnips and potatoes)
Roast beef
Steak pie
Salmon
Soups
A cheeseboard.
Saying the Selkirk Grace
If you really want to impress any guests, as well as serving up some fine Scottish whiskies like Glenkinchie (a Lowlands whisky which is a nod to the time Robert Burns spent living in Edinburgh), serve it up with the Selkirk Grace, a traditional speech ascribed to the famed poet.
Before you feast, raise your rocks glasses or whisky cocktails and say,
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be Thankit!
Beyond Burns Night - discover Scotland for yourself
At the heart of any great malt is legacy. From families to local communities and traditions, every drop tells a story of Scotland.
What Burns Night really encourages us to do - all of us, whether we have roots to the country or not - is to appreciate the heritage and history of Scotland, through his poems and his love of the national flavours.
Spend Burns Night 2025 toasting with your nearest and dearest, but consider coming and tracing some of Burns’ footsteps with the gift of a distillery tour - and the gift of connecting with Scotland.
As the great man said himself, ‘My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.’
The final word
For whisky lovers, Scotland has a special place in our hearts. Whether you’re planning a big Burns Night or just savouring the flavours of the whisky regions, shop our bestsellers and enjoy.
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