On Wednesday, 25th January all over Scotland people will be celebrating the life of Robert Burns.
Burns is our national poet, known to Scots and fans as Rabbie Burns, born on 25th January 1759.
Indeed, celebrations are far-flung happening across the world from America to Europe, and Russia, and what better excuse for a wee dram (a shot, or a nip of whisky) than Burns Night?
Did you know Robert Burns used to be an Excise Officer for Dumfries?
In 1781 making whisky for your own consumption was banned by the British government, and despite his role as excise man, (alongside being a farmer, a poet, a lady’s man), Burns stood for freedom and was a fervent nationalist and took umbrage at the new whisky taxes which were subsequently introduced.
In response, illicit whisky stills sprung up all over Scotland, but mainly in the Highlands with whole communities often involved in making whisky in an attempt to evade the tax. The rugged landscape of the Highlands camouflaged the bothies and the land provided all that was needed – the barley, the water, and the peat and turf. Indeed, thousands of illicit whisky stills lie undiscovered to this day.
Time for a splash of whisky, and a dash of Rabbie Burns’ poems.
“Freedom and whisky gang thegither
Take aff your dram”
By 1823, the British government had found a workable tax system to end the illegal whisky trade – the 1823 Excise Act.
Burns, although a Lowlander from Alloway, preferred the Highland spirits, and is known to have enjoyed a dram or two.
Ready for a wee dram? What better excuse than Burns Night… (you can think about the 31st January online tax return on the 26th of January!)
Whatever your malt of choice, whether or not you’ve completed your tax return, whatever you decide to drink on Burns Night, don’t forget to first of all line your stomach with plenty of haggis, neeps (turnip) and tatties (potatoes) in preparation for a Happy Burns Night!
Raise a glass and shout: “The haggis!”
