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Rebellious releases for Burns Night
By Tessa Crowley | 22 January 2025 | Food & Drink, Indulge
With Burns Night fast approaching, whisky is front of mind. Rather than turning to your traditional tipple, why not try something new?
The whisky world is ever-evolving, with its popularity and variety showing no signs of abating. 2024 was a big year for historic Scottish distilleries, seeing Port Ellen’s reawakening, 200 years of The Macallan, and collaborative editions such as Glenmorangie and Azuma Makoto bringing a wealth of complex drams to market. With Burns Night fast approaching, January is a great moment to take stock, and consider which additions or destinations to try in 2025.
While Scotch is the traditional tipple for Burns Night, why not try an unexpected option instead? Read on to discover three worldwide whiskies worthy of consideration, with these lesser-known labels we love.
That Shelter Point is the first Canadian whisky ever to be selected for the prestigious Scotch Malt Whisky Society speaks volumes, and having had the chance to try a few whiskies from the 14-year-young distillery, we can see why. Founded on an old family farm on Vancouver Island, near Campbell River, unbound by convention, each Shelter Point whisky offers a distinct flavour or influence. For fans of classic Scotch, its Classic Single Malt is a worthy tipple, while Smoke Point is comparable in essence to an Islay, with notes of toffee, campfire, and iodine — thanks to Shelter Point’s coastal positioning and surrounding salty air.
For a truly Canadian dram however, if you can get your hands on a precious bottle, the Montfort is our firm favourite. Billed as a ‘field to flask’ whisky, its ingredients are sourced within a two-kilometre radius for a true taste of the island.
Pioneering organic whisky distillery, Nc’nean recently released the fourth expression in its Quiet Rebels series. Each crafted by one of the Nc’nean team – from Founder Annabel to Distiller Lorna – the latest award-winning expression, comes from Head of Sustainability Amy. Finished in ex-Maury casks from a small organic vineyard in France, it’s moreish, creamy and jammy. Aligning with Nc’nean’s sustainable and eco-conscious approach, the French vineyard maintains 60-year-old vines through sustainable farming methods, including agroforestry, and biodynamic principles, following the lunar calendar.
Not afraid of doing things differently, Nc’nean’s Quiet Rebels is an example of its determination to shake up the industry. Creating whisky selected and named by their own team members, the majority new to the industry, is undoubtedly a risky strategy. But its paying off with Nc’nean’s unfussy and non-traditional approach – and excellent whisky – attracting a new, eco-conscious generation of Scotch drinkers.
Denmark isn’t known for its whisky-making legacy, a fact Lasse Öznek and the Copenhagen Distillery team celebrates. Unbound by convention, they’ve embraced the opportunity to experiment and set the bar for Danish whisky. Öznek brings a background in cutting-edge science and passion for innovation, which he combines with a respect for Scottish and Irish whisky-making traditions. The result? A non-conformist whisky range, with different flavour profiles per batch. With only 300 bottles, the first batch of core range Raw promised a spicy whisky with floral touches. By contrast, Raw’s fourth batch features ripe stone fruits, heather, honey, coconut, cloves, and cinnamon buns.
With batch five set to be released in the coming weeks, whisky enthusiasts and brand fans will be watching closely to see what the latest offering from this trend-setting Danish distillery brings.