Rabbie Burns
Wi’ tippenny, we fear nae evil;
Wi’ usquabae, we’ll face the devil!
– Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns, 1790.
Isle of Arran Distillers are Patrons of the ‘Robert Burns World Federation‘ and as a result, are the only distiller or bottler with the right to put his name on a bottle of whisky. There’s a Single Malt and a Blended Scotch but in this review, I’ll be covering the former. The whisky is produced at Arran Distillery in Lochranza, matured in American Oak Casks and bottled at 43% ABV.
Before we get to the whisky, let’s first have a look at the man himself…
Burns was born into a farming family in Alloway in 1759. From an early age he was an avid reader and the writing of Alexander Pope, Henry Mackenzie and Laurence Sternie encouraged him to try his hand at Poetry. He wrote whenever there was a break in the workload on the family farm.
Robert’s father passed away in 1784 and he was left to look after the farm, a role that ill-suited him. Not long after the loss of his father, Burns met Jean Armour, the two began a relationship but Jean’s father strongly objected to a union and the couple were forced to separate.
It wasn’t long before Burns was in the arms of another woman, however. He made plans to emigrate to Jamaica with Mary Campbell and published some of his poetry to raise funds for their journey. Tragically, Mary took ill and passed away but the critical acclaim afforded to his poetry encouraged Robert to move to Edinburgh, where he could mingle with the great and good of literary society.
Financial security continued to elude him throughout his time in the capital and in 1788, Rabbie returned to Dumfriesshire. Soon he rekindled his love affair with Jean Armour. Jean’s father, upon learning of Burns’ success as a poet, became more receptive to their coupling and the two were married within the year.
When not writing, Burns continued to live as a farmer but at one point, he sought a steady wage and took a job as an exciseman, bringing him into conflict with the illicit distillers of the day.
Robert Burns’ life was one of passionate affairs, drinking, poetry and song. He died in 1796, aged just 37, from Rheumatic Fever but his memory, and his work, will live on forever. He is viewed as Scotland’s National Poet and his birthday on the 25th of January, is marked all over the world with readings of poetry, suppers of Haggis and of course, a wee dram or two…
The Whisky
Smell: The nose is malty and a wee bit gristy. There’s a little touch of pepper with some vanilla and shortbread. Apples, pears, oranges and peaches.
Taste: There’s quite a dollop of peppery spice, suggesting it may be quite a young spirit. There’s also vanilla, honey, caramel and tinned fruits.
Thoughts: The Burns single malt usually comes in around £30. I definitely felt it came across a wee bit hot at first but it mellowed with time in the glass and the addition of water brought a nice malty note through. It’s certainly reasonably priced but it’s worth noting that the standard Arran 10-year-old will usually cost about £35. For me, there’s a big jump in quality between the two that makes paying the wee bit extra more than worth it. Still, if you know Arran well and you’re looking for another spin on the single malt, the Robert Burns might be worth a wee look.
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