Hot Scotch: the coolest drams for Burns Night

Raising a dram for Burns Night? Make it one of these new-wave Scotches, say Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley

The late 20th century was not a happy time for Scotch whisky. By the 1980s, a thirst for clear spirits, led by vodka, in the neon nightclubs of cities around the world resulted in Scotch falling out of fashion. Weighed down by a dowdy image, the dip in demand for Scotland’s flagship export caused a metaphorical “loch” of unsold whisky, slumbering in warehouses across the country. The result was the sad closure or mothballing of a great number of historical distilleries that contributed to the juggernaut of blended Scotch, the volume sale driver for the drink.

Come the turn of the century and, thanks to cult television series such as Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, coupled with excellent old stocks of single malts, whisky was back in fashion. And how! Between 2002 and 2016, exports of single malt Scotch grew by more than 140 per cent from 47million bottles to 114million bottles.

This rising tide spurred a fresh wave of distillers into action, and new distilleries were being planned across Scotland. Two leading lights of this nuScotch movement were not to be found in the glens of the Highlands, but on the rugged islands of the west coast. There were the forward-thinking folk at the Isle of Arran distillery, who started production against all trends in 1993. Later, plans were afoot for the first new distillery for 124 years on the famous whisky island of Islay; in 2005, Kilchoman started running spirit from its copper pot stills, kick-starting something of a revival for the small Hebridean isle. The number of operational distilleries on Islay at the start of the millennium was just six. Today there are nine, with at least another three in the planning, including the revival of the now legendary Port Ellen, a casualty of the 1980s closures.

The movement for building malt distilleries around Scotland accelerated fast. Between 2000 and 2012, six were opened; by 2018, another 24 were distilling and by 2022 it’s expected that at least another 20 will be producing spirit.

The flag-bearers of 21st-century Scotch distilling are scattered across the country, from the Lowlands, across the islands, and to the extremes of the Highlands. Some, such as InchDairnie in Fife, focus on innovation, using equipment more at home in brewery, and funky copper stills from Portugal. Its pioneering distillers have even made a whisky from oats, something that hasn’t been done for over 100 years in Scotland.

Cereal innovation has also been the watchword at BrewDog, which founded its distillery arm in 2016, and family-owned farm distillery Arbikie, both of which have made a whisky from rye. Keep an eye out too for Nc’nean; founded in 2017, its inaugural release came out late last year and is certified organic.

It seems there is no quenching the thirst of Scotland’s entrepreneurial distillers – nor those who love to drink their whiskies. To join them, seek out our favourite bottles below.