“O thou, my muse! guid auld Scotch drink!”

While many writers throughout history are known for their love of whisky, the prolific Scottish poet Robert Burns might just top the list. As evidence to his devotion, consider the verses of “Scotch Drink,” a lively ode to his preferred tipple, penned in 1785.

Burns didn’t live to see his 40th birthday, but he made the most of his limited years, fathering at least 12 children and producing hundreds of songs and poems. His outsized legacy endures in an estimated 900 living descendants; an expansive portfolio of 500+ written works; and a colorful reputation involving an abundance of both whisky and women; all of which are honored (along with the man himself) each year on his birthday, the 25th of January.

Traditional Burns Night fare includes a hearty supper of haggis, neeps, and tatties, but we’re skipping straight to dessert with a wee dram of whisky — Glenmorangie’s poetic single malt Tale of the Forest in particular. Developed by innovative master distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden, the whisky draws on a bygone practice of burning natural botanicals like moss, heather, and pine needles to dry the malted barley. #plantlife, meet whisky.

The result is an earthy, gently smoky whisky with notes of citrus and pine and an unexpected pepperiness. It’s full, complex, and layered, a poem of many verses and a felicitous toast to Scotland’s forests and its National Bard too.

Sláinte, y’all!

In My Glass

Glenmorangie Tale of the Forest
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
No Age Statement; 46% ABV
Scotland (Highlands)

On My Desk

1961 Olivetti Lettera 22, Made in Scotland