The Haggis Match: What to Drink (as opposed to sip) on Burns Night

For just a moment—horrors!—the wine geek within had me pondering what to drink with Haggis. A crisp, clean BC Riesling perhaps? Or, how about a rustic red, maybe a budget Syrah, to pick up on all those gamey sheep bits?

Thankfully, at this point, common sense (or my Scottish grandmother, from the Great Beyond) prevailed.

“Sassenach!”, I’m sure I heard her hiss …

First of all, it wouldn’t be a true Burns dinner without a decent Haggis, which these days is getting harder to find. However, we’ve done well by North Van’s British Butcher’s Shoppe in the past, which just happens to have Haggis available year round—should you feel inclined to make it part of your regular diet.

Then you’ll need some serious whiskey for the address and the various toasts.

We like some hefty peat—and it definitely has to be single malt, by the way—so we tend to steer to one of our lifelong faves, such as shy and retiring Lagavulin or Talisker. On the other hand, we could easily be swayed towards some Egan’s Fortitude.

As to what to actually drink with your Haggis, it might sound like heresy but if you plan to be able to stand, not only for all the toasts but also still be standing at night’s end, a good beer chaser makes sense.

The distant Scot in me has me headed for a deal, of course.

Right now you can pick up the Belhaven ‘Merry Christmas’ gift pack is currently on special at BCLS $14.27.

You could easily match your haggis (or chase your whiskey) with Belhaven’s Wee Heavy or their Oat Stout—and save the rest for later.

Any and all of these should be just the ticket with the ‘Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!”

Happy Burns Night!

And if you’re wondering about the origins of Haggis …

Related: Majestic haggis of the glens proves elusive for US tourists

“The poll of 1,000 US visitors to Scotland found 33% thought haggis was an animal; 23% said they came to Scotland believing they could catch one.”