At the end of last year, the brand launched its first ever complete collection of single-cask malt whiskies from the leading 27 distilleries with a serious session at the subtly branded House of St Barnabas. Labeled The Managers' Choice, the rare limited-edition series for connoisseurs will be released in batches over the course of 2010. Each of 27 distilleries has been represented by a bottling of a single malt drawn from one single cask that’s been nosed and tasted to the nth degree by a judging panel of whisky aficionados.

And with Burn’s Night falling on a Monday, north of the border is going to be one big hangover come Tuesday morning. However, you don’t have to be Scottish to celebrate. In fact you needn’t even go north of the park. The cocktail crowd will love The Athenaeum Hotel's boutique whisky bar which opened last year and offers a whopping menu of over 270 whiskies. Brought to life by the designer Martin Hulbert, this destination bar serves up some of the world’s best whiskies ranging from the usual suspects to more unusual Japanese blends. However, to line the stomachs of lily-livered southerners, the Hotel has created some mouth-watering nibbles and food-pairing menus designed to enhance the flavours of the whiskies. Try a smooth and creamy 14 year old Highland with home smoked rib-eye and honey glazed onions or a rich 10 year old Skye with smoked carpaccio of tuna, hot smoked salmon and dill croquette.

But if it’s pub life that you prefer, Talisker is running events across the capital featuring its unique limited edition tipping glass – perfect when you’ve necked a dram too many. The nautical themed design allows the glass to tip on its side without spilling a drop of the amber nectar and has been tried and tested by the hundreds of visitors who sail to its distillery on Isle of Skye every year.

Bringing the celebration well and truly up-to-date as we’d expect from the quirky Monkey Shoulder Whisky, it’s throwing a party with a difference at London’s tallest members’ club, Paramount. We’re talking rock ‘n’ roll bagpipes courtesy of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, beat poetry, cocktails from the Bobby Burns with vermouth and Benedictine to Pink Scotch with cream and raspberries plus simian snacks galore from mini haggis hors d‘oeuvres to whisky trifle and even deep fried mini Mars Bars.

Rather more traditional if not more sober affairs are taking place at Ranald MacDonald’s venerable Boisdale, Vinopolis is swapping its habitual grapes for whisky and over at St Pancras Grand, it’s 50% off your Burn’s Night dinner if you tip up in a kilt.

Let’s hope the weather’s warmed up by next week eh, it’s a mite draughty around King’s Cross of an evening ...

www.malts.com
www.athenaeumhotel.com
www.taliskerburnsnight.co.uk
www.monkeyshoulder.com
www.boisdale.co.uk

www.vinopolis.co.uk
www.searcys.co.uk/stpancrasgrand