Dram Good!
Tamdhu
Whisky for Hogmanay and Burns’ Night By Gavin D Smith
Facts and figures
Winter brings with it two of Scotland’s greatest traditional celebrations, namely Hogmanay and Burn Night (25th January), and neither would be complete without a dram or two of fine Scotch whisky.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association, 36 x 70cl bottles of Scotch whisky are shipped from Scotland to 166 markets around the world each second, totalling over 1.14bn every year, and in 2019, Scotch accounted for 75% of Scottish food and drink exports, and 21% of all UK food and drink exports. More than 10,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch whisky industry across Scotland.
Happily, for those looking to raise a glass, there is more choice than ever before within the realms of Scotch, from longaged, sherry casks-matured and peaty full-bodied drams to young, fruity, light expressions, ideal perhaps for mixing. At the close of 2020 there were no fewer than 134 Scottish whisky distilleries in production and, of those, more than 30 have opened in the last decade alone. Whether relaxing at home, celebrating in a bar, at a Hogmanay party or at a Burns Supper, whisky is a wonderful social lubricant, bonding friends and strangers alike, and all the while paying homage to one of Scotland’s greatest commercial successes.
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Choose your drams Clearly, it would be unpatriotic not to support our wonderful industry, and this is the perfect time of year to indulge yourself and your friends in some fine whisky without breaking the bank. So why not explore beyond your usual choices using the suggestions below? In terms of whisky styles, winter occasions such as Hogmanay and Burns Night may call for some fuller-bodied single malts, perhaps with the influence of sherry cask maturation and/or an element of peatiness.
Isle of Rasaay
@tastemagscot
