best scotch whiskies

Brilliant Scotch whiskies for Burns Night (as chosen by an actual Scotsman)

21 Jan 2025 | | By Zoe Gunn

Whether you’re new to a wee dram or like them as smoky as a bonfire, these are the bottles to buy in honour of the bard

All products are chosen independently by our editors. Luxury London may earn commission on items purchased.

The modern calendar may be full of ‘national’ and ‘international’ days celebrating everything from pizza to alien abductions (20 March, in case you were wondering) but, as far as poets go, Robert Burns is really the only one who gets a look in. Yes, 23 April is technically National Shakespeare Day, but I don’t see anyone hosting special dinners or writing rousing speeches in his honour  – and herein lies the enduring success of Burns Night. Commemorating the birth of the most convivial of Scottish poets on 25 January, like St Patrick’s Day and all of December, Burns Night is really about two things: eating and drinking. There should ideally be some bagpipes and poems thrown in, but I’m pretty sure the bard himself would agree that no celebration is complete without good haggis and great Scotch whiskies.

While the former is up to your local butcher to provide, when it comes to a wee dram, the sheer breadth and depth of the whisky world means choosing a bottle can be a little overwhelming. Blended or single malt? Sherry or oak-casked? And how old is old enough? Panic not: help is at hand.

Having done a quick poll of the Luxury London office and discovered that no one hails from anywhere further north than Derbyshire, I decided to call on a real expert: my dad – an honest-to-God, whisky-swilling Scotsman raised mere moments from Burns Cottage and the Brig o’ Doon. Being, by his own admission, more than a little biased, you won’t find any ‘new world’ whiskies from the likes of Japan or Scandinavia here (although he does give an honourable mention to Goa’s John Distillery), and there will certainly be no bourbons making this list. But if it’s a brilliant Scotch worthy of the bard you’re after, look no further. Here are the best whiskies for Burns Night 2025.

Best whisky for beginners: Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Trying whisky for the first time can be a risky business. Buy a bland blend or, at the other end of the scale, something powerful and peaty and you can put yourself off the amber nectar for life. What you want is something smooth, medium-bodied and with just a touch of sweetness — the Dairy Milk or Bon Jovi of the whisky world. And, while I’m not convinced Dalwhinnie will appreciate either of those equivalencies, its 15-year-old single malt is a fine example of an introductory whisky. Completely devoid of the smoky notes that put many people off, its light, fruity palate is characterised by flavours of toffee, honey, cinnamon and heather.

£54.25
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Best easy drinking whisky: Auchentoshan 21 Year Old

I’m highly unsurprised to see this on the list given my dad once took our entire extended family on a day trip to the Auchentoshan distillery and it’s been a favourite of his ever since. He is, seemingly, not alone with the basic Auchentoshan 21-year-old pretty much sold out everywhere, meaning you’ll have to choose an older (read: rarer and more expensive) bottling or a limited edition to get your hands on it. This bottle, from The Nectar of the Daily Drams series, was put in sherry casks in 1997 and bottled in 2019 and, even with its advanced aging, offers a light, citrusy and mildly complex drinking experience.

£260
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Best peaty whisky: Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Probably best known outside whisky circles as the favoured dram of Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation, Lagavulin creates the quintessential Islay whisky – which means big, smoky, heavily-peated spirits which are absolutely not for beginners. If you’re ready to dip your toe into something more challenging, however, Lagavulin’s 16-year-old is a great place to start. Mark Gibson of The Whisky Exchange calls this a ‘gateway whisky’ thanks to its solid integration of the peat, meaning that instead of being hit over the head with the taste of bonfire, when given some time in the glass the whisky’s accompanying notes of orange, brine and pineapple are able to come to the fore and offer a more rounded experience.

£88.95
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Best whisky for cocktails: Speyburn 10 Year Old

Three rules I’ve absorbed from my whisky-loving father: never serve Scotch on the rocks, water (ideally Highland Spring) is to be added a tiny dribble at a time, and good whisky should never be used for mixed drinks. Far be it from him, however, to deprive you of your Old Fashioned or Manhattan. When pressed, he recommended something younger, gentler and more friendly to outside flavours, such as Speyburn’s 10-year-old Speyside single malt. With a nose of mandarin and spice, and flavours of malt, barley and liquorice on the palate, its very lightly smoked finish makes it the perfect base for classic whisky cocktails.

£29.99
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Best blended whisky: Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Many whisky aficionados will turn their noses up at blended whiskies. While it’s true that ‘blended’ can be a byword for brands that prize consistency in flavour and price over experimentation and interesting bottlings, there are some that break the mould – and if someone were to offer you a dram of Johnnie Walker Blue Label you’d be a fool to turn it down. Blended using rare casks, including some painstakingly sourced from ‘ghost’ or defunct distilleries, Johnnie Walker’s most premium offering is anything but mass produced. With a sophisticated but crowd-pleasing palate of hazelnuts, citrus, vanilla and honey, and a luxuriously long, smoky finish, this is a blend – but not as you know it.

£220
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Best whisky for connoisseurs: Glenfarclas 25 Year Old

If you consider yourself something of a savant when it comes to fine whiskies then use the excuse of Burns Night to treat yourself to what my father affectionately calls a ‘special occasion’ whisky. Right now he has his eye on a Glenfarclas 25-year-old: an exceptional bottling from the eponymous Highland distillery which has remained family-owned and run since 1865. Rich, silky and brimming with full-bodied flavours of fruit cake, dark chocolate, coffee and hazelnut thanks to a quarter-century spent in sherry casks, this is a perfect demonstration of the virtues of patience.

£275
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Best whisky for food pairings: Talisker 10 Year Old

While whisky is traditionally sipped as a digestif, its complex flavour profile, not dissimilar to red wine, is making it an increasingly popular choice for food pairings. As with wine, your whisky should be dependent on the dishes you’re planning to pair it with, and when it comes to a traditional Burns Supper of haggis, neeps and tatties, Talisker 10-year-old is an excellent option. Sustainably produced on the Isle of Skye, the distillery’s proximity to the ocean gives this whisky a distinctive briny flavour, rich, smoky palate and peppery finish ideal for matching with the bold flavours of haggis (or oysters and blue cheese if offal isn’t your thing).

£47.25
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