Celebrating Scotland's Bard with Whisky & Good Cheer

Andi Healey

Andi Healey
Web Manager

 

Burns Night celebration with whisky glasses, tartan and thistle decorations

Tomorrow is Burns Night and a great excuse to celebrate, whether you're a Scot or not!

So, whether you're addressing the haggis or toasting the lassies, here's a little guide to all things Rabbie.

Key Takeaways

  • Burns Night falls on Sunday 25th January 2026, celebrating Scotland's national poet Robert Burns (born 1759)
  • Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne, one of the most widely sung songs in the English language, and died at just 37 years old
  • Traditional celebrations include piping in the haggis, the Address to a Haggis, neeps and tatties, and plenty of whisky
  • The first Burns supper was held in 1801, five years after the poet's death, by nine of his close friends
  • Modern Burns Night 2026 sees creative twists like Dishoom's haggis pau alongside traditional suppers across the UK
  • The right glassware genuinely enhances whisky appreciation, from neat drams to classic cocktails like the Bobby Burns
  • Burns Night is "gloriously, defiantly analogue" – a celebration of poetry, community and shared experience

In This Guide

Why Celebrate Robert Burns?

Portrait of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet

Born in Ayrshire in 1759, Robert Burns is Scotland's national bard, and far more than just a poet wheeled out once a year in January. An astute social commentator with strong political views, Burns was a major influence on early Liberalism and Socialism, and a genuinely radical voice of the 18th century.

Auld Lang Syne, perhaps Burns' most famous work, is one of the most widely sung songs in the English language. It has acted as the national anthem of Korea and the Maldives in the past, and is the tune for a graduation song in Japan, 'Hotaru no Hikari'.

It's even used to signal closing time in some Japanese stores.

🎵 As well as being integral to Burns Suppers, 'Auld Lang Syne' was a favourite of Union forces in the American Civil War and was sung by troops in the First World War during the famous Christmas truce of 1914 (the one with the football match!)

Together with "Ae Fond Kiss", "To A Mouse", "A Red, Red Rose", "Tam O Shanter", "Address To A Haggis" and many more, it's no wonder he was voted the "greatest Scot of all time" in 2009.

Even more impressive when you consider that he died at just 37 years old.

Interesting fact about Robert Burns and his children

Burns Night 2026: A Sunday Celebration

This year, Burns Night falls on a Sunday, which means many celebrations are spreading across the weekend. If you can't make it to Scotland itself (where the Big Burns Supper in Dumfries will host over 150 events, including the world's first underwater Burns Supper – yes, really), there's plenty happening closer to home.

From grand hotel dinners with bagpipers and ceilidhs, to more relaxed pub gatherings, the 2026 celebrations show how Burns Night has evolved while keeping its heart intact. Some restaurants are even putting modern twists on tradition – Dishoom (modern Indian restaurants in London and the South East) is serving haggis pau (think spiced pork haggis in a soft bun with fried eggs and chilli chutney) throughout late January and early February, while others are offering Burns Night roasts with all the Scottish trimmings.

The First Burns Supper

The first Burns supper was held in July 1801 when nine of Burns' close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of their friend's death. Taking place at Burns Cottage in Alloway, the night included a tasty meal (haggis, of course!), performances of Burns' work and a speech in honour of the great Bard (now known as the Immortal Memory).

The night was such a resounding success they decided to hold it again – this time in honour of Rabbie's birthday – beginning the tradition we still enjoy to this day.

Celebrate Burns Night January 25th with haggis and whisky

Burns Night Traditions

Piping In The Guests

Large-scale Burns Night celebrations begin with a piper playing as a welcome to guests. But if you don't have a piper to perform at your front door as friends and family arrive (and, let's face it, most decent bagpipe players are probably busy!) some traditional music will work just as well.

To get the festivities started, you could offer a whisky cocktail once guests have settled. Something suitably Caledonian, like the Full Scottish Marmalade, would go down a treat.

Full Scottish Marmalade Cocktail

  • 50ml Scotch Whisky
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 15ml White Port or Ruby Port
  • 5ml Simple Syrup
  • 15ml Orange Marmalade

Method: Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake hard. Strain into a tumbler filled with ice. Garnish with thin strips of orange zest similar to those found in marmalade.

The Selkirk Grace

After the host has welcomed everyone and revealed what the evening's entertainment will be, The Selkirk Grace is recited. This is a short but important prayer that Burns was said to have delivered at a dinner party, held by the Earl of Selkirk in 1794, and is said before the Supper commences.

Address To A Haggis

The haggis is the star of any Burns Night meal, and it's usually brought in on a silver platter (or a big, fancy plate) by a procession of people including the chef.

During the haggis' journey to the table, guests clap in time to the music. Once placed down, the music stops, and everyone takes their seats.

A chosen speaker – an esteemed Scot or simply someone brave enough – performs the "Address to a Haggis" with as much gusto as possible, so as not to bore everyone with its eight verses of hard-to-understand Scots dialect.

The haggis is theatrically pierced with a ceremonial knife and then held above the head at the end of the speech. The entire affair is delivered dramatically, being an apology to the haggis itself.

The first dram of the night and a communal chorus of "the Haggis" is your signal to tuck in to the "great chieftain o the puddin' race", accompanied by mashed neeps and tatties.

Many more whiskies may follow, by way of toasting each speech. Rabbie, who penned that "Freedom and whisky gang thegither", would surely approve.

Traditional Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

Ingredients

  • 400g of haggis
  • 4 baking potatoes
  • 50g butter
  • 50g cream
  • 1 turnip
  • 10 shallots
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 50g of sugar
  • Salt
  • 200ml of red wine
  • 80ml of port
  • 500ml of chicken stock
  • 10ml of whisky
  • 200ml of cream

Method

Follow the butcher's instructions for the haggis based on size.

Scrub the potatoes and bake them whole in the skins in the oven at 180°C until cooked. Remove from the oven and scoop out the flesh of the potatoes and pass through a fine sieve or potato ricer. Add in the 50g cream and butter, season and mix.

At the same time, peel and dice the turnip and cook in salted water then mash.  

Make a stock from the port, red wine, sugar, garlic, thyme and salt. Simmer in a pan together with 8 whole shallots and 2 finely chopped shallots, until tender. Add the chicken stock and cream, simmer, before adding the whisky at the end to taste.

Use a round metal ring and layer with one third of haggis layer followed by a third of mashed turnip before adding the mashed potatoes to fill the ring.

Serve the timbale of haggis with 2 shallots and the whisky sauce. Yum!

What To Drink: Beyond the Dram

Yes, whisky is the traditional choice, and you should absolutely have some on hand. But here's the thing about a modern Burns Night – it's become more inclusive and creative with its drinking options.

The wines of Bordeaux have had favoured status north of the border since the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France began in 1295, with Scots merchants enjoying the pick of the best barrels over their English rivals. If you're serving haggis, a fuller-bodied red wine can stand up beautifully to those rich, spiced flavours.

For something more celebratory, Champagne pairs surprisingly well with the creaminess of the neeps and tatties. Veuve Clicquot Extra Old Extra Brut NV is an outstandingly graceful blend of older wines, from a producer with a slightly tenuous Scottish link (you know I love a tenuous link): its oldest existing bottle (an 1893 vintage) was found locked in a cupboard in a castle on the Isle of Mull in 2008.

Interesting fact connecting Burns Night to Coca-Cola

Whisky Cocktails For The Modern Burns Night

After the meal, if you want to offer something other than neat drams, whisky cocktails are having a moment currently. You can't go wrong with classics like a Whisky Sour or Old Fashioned, but why not try the Bobby Burns to finish the night?

Bobby Burns whisky cocktail with lemon peel garnish

Bobby Burns Cocktail

  • 60ml Whisky
  • 22ml Sweet Vermouth
  • 15ml Benedictine
  • 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters

Method: Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake hard. Strain into a tumbler (or Nick & Nora Glass) filled with ice. Finish with a lemon peel garnish.

The Glassware Matters

Since we're The Riedel Shop, it'd be remiss of me not to mention that how you serve your whisky can genuinely affect the experience. A proper whisky glass helps concentrate those complex aromas. And yes, adding a drop of water to open up a single malt is perfectly acceptable, despite what the purists might tell you.

For your wine pairings, a good all-rounder like a Riedel Vinum Cabernet glass will handle both your Bordeaux and any fuller whites you might serve with the starter. Whilst a smaller white wine glass (Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier) will work for those, as well as keeping those bubbles lively throughout the toasts if you're going for the full Champagne service.

🥃 Pro tip: For whisky appreciation, the bowl shape really does matter. A tulip-shaped glass concentrates the aromatics at the rim, letting you appreciate the complexity of a good single malt. Even if you're serving simple tumblers for cocktails, consider having a few proper whisky glasses on hand for those who want to sip neat drams.

Entertainment

Entertainment is a key part of any Burns Night celebrations. Often it will be a singer or musician performing Burns songs like A Red, Red Rose or Rantin', Rovin', Robin. There may also be moving renditions of his poems such as To a Louse or Tam o' Shanter.

If you and your guests aren't up to putting on a concert, there are plenty of wonderful versions available online. The Burns Night with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and friends (featuring Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson and Robyn Stapleton) is particularly good, as is Eddi Reader's Big Burns Supper with KT Tunstall and many more, both on YouTube.

For 2026, Celtic Connections is hosting several Burns Night events across Glasgow, including an outdoor "strip the willow" down Sauchiehall Street and a Burns Night concert at Kelvingrove Art Gallery – if you can't attend, keep an eye out for recordings.

Get Yer Kilt On!

Kilts are a popular choice at Burns Night Suppers, though you're just as likely to see people in smart casual with a tartan scarf as in full Highland dress. The kilt is a really flexible outfit and can be formal or informal, traditional or modern. The pattern of the kilt and the choice of jacket, shoes and socks can make a real fashion statement.

The pattern of a tartan is often linked with a Scottish surname, but tartans have been designed for cities and businesses too. Some surnames have more than one pattern linked with them, in different colours.

If you don't have a connection with a Scottish name then don't worry – there are no rules stopping you wearing whichever tartan you like.

Tips For Wearing A Kilt For The First Time

  • Try to practice sitting, standing up and even getting in and out of a car.
  • When you sit down, make sure the front of your kilt falls between your legs to avoid embarrassment for anyone facing you.
  • When you stand up, sweep your hand over the back of your kilt to make sure the pleats are flat.
  • It is a good idea to make sure your sporran is weighted down.
  • Most importantly, have fun and enjoy all the attention you will get!

Auld Lang Syne

Last but not least, the evening culminates with all guests belting out Auld Lang Syne as they join hands and form a circle. The tradition is to cross your arms and join hands at the line 'And there's a hand, my trusty fere!', creating an unbroken circle of connection and camaraderie, and usually a few wobbly harmonies.

And here's something to think about: this song, written by a ploughman from Ayrshire who died at 37, has become one of the most universal expressions of human connection. It's sung at New Year across the world, it united soldiers in trenches during WWI's Christmas truce, and it still brings strangers together at Burns Night suppers from Dumfries to New York. Not bad for a poem about old friends and shared cups of kindness.

Why Burns Night Still Matters

In 2026, you might wonder why we're still celebrating an 18th-century Scottish poet. But Burns Night has endured because Burns himself endures – his work spoke truth to power, celebrated common humanity over aristocratic pretension, and found beauty in everyday life. "A man's a man for a' that," he wrote, arguing for human equality at a time when that was genuinely radical.

The fact that we gather to eat haggis, drink whisky, recite poetry and sing together is itself a small act of resistance against our increasingly digital, isolated lives. Burns Night is gloriously, defiantly analogue – no screens, no scrolling, just food, drink, words and company.

So whether you're Scottish or not, whether you're hosting a formal supper or just having some friends round for neeps and tatties, Burns Night is worth marking.

It's a celebration of poetry, community, and the revolutionary idea that we should take time to honour friendship and beauty.

Sláinte Mhath!

Frequently Asked Questions About Burns Night

When is Burns Night celebrated?
Burns Night is celebrated annually on 25th January, marking the birthday of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, who was born on this date in 1759. In 2026, it falls on a Sunday, with many celebrations taking place across the weekend.
What is the traditional Burns Night menu?
The traditional Burns Night menu centres on haggis, neeps (mashed turnip or swede) and tatties (mashed potatoes), often served with a whisky cream sauce. The meal typically begins with Cock-a-Leekie soup and ends with Cranachan (whipped cream with raspberries, toasted oats and whisky) or bannocks. Whisky is the traditional drink throughout.
What is the Address to a Haggis?
The Address to a Haggis is an eight-verse poem by Robert Burns that's recited whilst the haggis is ceremonially brought to the table, usually accompanied by bagpipes. The speaker theatrically pierces the haggis with a knife during the performance. It's both a tribute to and an apology to the "great chieftain o the puddin' race".
Do I need to be Scottish to celebrate Burns Night?
Absolutely not! Burns Night has become a celebration of Scottish culture that welcomes everyone. Burns himself wrote about universal human experiences and equality, making his work accessible to all. Whether you have Scottish heritage or simply appreciate good food, whisky and poetry, you're welcome at the table.
Is Burns Night a public holiday in the UK?
No, Burns Night is not a public holiday in the UK, even in Scotland. It's a cultural celebration rather than an official bank holiday. Most businesses follow normal Sunday opening hours on 25th January 2026, though many restaurants and venues hold special Burns Night events.
What is the Selkirk Grace?
The Selkirk Grace is a short prayer traditionally said before the Burns Night meal begins. Burns is said to have delivered it at a dinner party hosted by the Earl of Selkirk in 1794. It gives thanks for the food and asks for blessings, setting the tone for the evening's celebration.
Why is Auld Lang Syne associated with Burns Night?
Auld Lang Syne is perhaps Robert Burns' most famous work, traditionally sung at the end of Burns Night celebrations as guests join hands in a circle. The song, which reflects on old friendships and shared memories, has become one of the most widely sung songs in the English language and is also traditionally sung at New Year.
What whisky should I serve at Burns Night?
Any Scotch whisky works well for Burns Night – both single malts and blends are appropriate. For serving with haggis, consider something with character that can stand up to the rich, spiced flavours. You might offer a selection so guests can taste different regional styles. Adding a drop of water to single malts is perfectly acceptable and often enhances the flavours.
Can I serve wine at Burns Night instead of whisky?
Yes! Whilst whisky is traditional, wine pairs beautifully with Burns Night food. Fuller-bodied red wines like Bordeaux complement the rich haggis, whilst Champagne works surprisingly well with the creamy neeps and tatties. Scotland and France have had strong wine-trading links since the Auld Alliance of 1295, making wine a historically appropriate choice.
What does "neeps and tatties" mean?
"Neeps" is the Scottish term for turnips or swedes (what Americans call rutabaga), served mashed. "Tatties" means potatoes, also served mashed. Together with haggis, they form the traditional Burns Night main course. The combination provides a hearty, warming meal perfect for a January evening.
How long does a Burns Night supper typically last?
A traditional Burns Night supper usually lasts 3-4 hours, including the meal, speeches, poetry recitals and singing. However, home celebrations can be as long or short as you like. The key elements – haggis, whisky and Auld Lang Syne – can be enjoyed in a simpler, shorter format if preferred.
What should I wear to Burns Night?
Dress codes vary depending on the event. Formal Burns Night suppers may call for Highland dress (kilts for men, tartan accessories for women) or black tie. More casual celebrations welcome smart casual attire, often with a nod to Scotland through tartan scarves, ties or accessories. When in doubt, ask your host.
Who was Robert Burns and why is he important?
Robert Burns (1759-1796) was Scotland's national poet, known for his astute social commentary, political views and celebration of common humanity. Despite dying at just 37, he created an extraordinary body of work including Auld Lang Syne, A Red Red Rose and Tam O'Shanter. He was voted "greatest Scot of all time" in 2009 and influenced early Liberalism and Socialism.
What glass should I use for whisky at Burns Night?
For neat whisky, a tulip-shaped glass (like a Glencairn or similar design) concentrates the aromatics and enhances the tasting experience. For whisky cocktails, a simple tumbler works perfectly well. The key is that the glass should be clean and appropriate for the drink – even at an informal celebration, proper glassware shows respect for quality whisky.
Can children participate in Burns Night?
Absolutely! Burns Night can be a wonderful family celebration. Children can enjoy the haggis, neeps and tatties (minus the whisky sauce), participate in reciting shorter Burns poems, and join in singing Auld Lang Syne. The theatrical elements like the Address to a Haggis and bagpipes often delight young people. Just skip the whisky toasts for the younger attendees.

Celebrate Burns Night with the Right Glassware

Whether you're enjoying a fine single malt or a classic Bobby Burns cocktail, serve it in glassware that does justice to this remarkable Scottish tradition. From whisky tumblers to wine glasses for your Bordeaux pairings, we've got everything you need.

Shop Whisky Glasses Shop Wine Glasses

About The Author

Andi Healey is the Web Manager at The Riedel Shop with over 10 years of experience helping customers understand and appreciate quality wine glassware. Based in Surrey, UK, Andi combines practical retail experience with a genuine passion for wine culture and the stories behind the traditions we celebrate.

 

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