Today I want to share some classic Scottish drinks with you. Given the success of my blog post about English drinks, it seems only natural to bring you another taste of Britain. Read on for A Lady in London’s guide to the best drinks in Scotland.
Scottish Drinks
These Scottish drinks range from non-alcoholic beverages to traditional spirits. Whether you’re after something refreshing on a warm day or comforting on a long night, Scotland has you sorted.
These drinks will take your taste buds on a tour of the Scottish Hebrides and Highlands, lochs and Lowlands from the comfort of your can, bottle, or glass.
From the distilleries of the Isle of Arran to the breweries of Aberdeen, from the members’ clubs on Edinburgh’s Princes Street to the pubs in the most remote place in the UK, they’ll show you the best of Scotland.
Books about Scottish Drinks
If you want a companion book as you work your way through these Scottish drinks, I recommend A Life in Mouthfuls: Scottish Food and Drink Memories by Helen Welsh.
This memoir delves into Welsh’s culinary tales of good times and hard times throughout her life in Scotland. It’s full of Scottish recipes and wisdom. If you’re in the UK, you can get it here. If you’re in the US, you can get it here.
If you want more inspiration, you can take a look at my list of Scottish fiction books.
1. Whiskey
Given Scotland is best known for Scotch, I’ll start my list of Scottish drinks with whiskey. Whether you’re a fan of single malt or blended, Islay or Speyside, there are a lot of Scotch whiskeys to choose from.
When I first moved to the UK I knew nothing about whiskey except that I didn’t like it. But over the years I’ve attended whiskey tasting events in London and toured many a whiskey distillery in Scotland. I’ve acquired a taste for it, and now it’s a favorite.
If there’s one place that really taught me about this spirit, it was The Scotch Whisky Experience on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
I took a tour once and learned about everything from the 5 categories of whiskey (single malt, single grain, blended malt, blended grain, and blended) to the 5 regions of Scottish whiskey (Campbeltown, Highland, Lowland, Islay, and Speyside).
Best of all, I learned the flavor profiles of each region and got to do a tasting. I discovered I liked the elegant, fruity Speyside whiskeys over the strong, peaty Islay ones.
But the real highlight of this famous Scottish drink is tasting it at the source. From doing whiskey tastings at distilleries in Glasgow to sipping single malts on the Isle of Skye, I’ve enjoyed every experience.
If you want to learn more about whiskey, the book The World Atlas of Whisky is a good place to start. If you’re in the UK, you can get it here. If you’re in the US, you can get it here. It makes a great gift, too.
2. Irn-Bru
If you’re looking for something non-alcoholic, one of the most famous Scottish drinks is Irn-Bru. An orange-colored soda, it’s often referred to as “Scotland’s other national drink” (the main one being whiskey).
Dating back to 1901, Irn-Bru is a carbonated soft drink made to a secret recipe with 32 flavors and lots of sugar and caffeine.
Originally developed as a “healthy” way to boost the energy levels of Glasgow steelworkers, its orange-and-blue packaging is now iconic.
Irn-Bru even has its own tartan. It doesn’t get much more Scottish than that.
This Scottish drink is made in North Lanarkshire by A.G. Barr of Glasgow. It’s hard to go anywhere in Scotland without seeing it.
I’ll never forget my first taste of Irn-Bru. My family was on a tour of Scotland when I was 16 and our guide insisted we try this most classic of Scottish drinks.
Upon seeing it, I thought it would taste like the orange soda I was used to drinking at home in California.
But upon tasting it, I discovered how wrong I was. Far from the sugary, orange-y flavor I anticipated, Irn-Bru had a creamy-yet-metallic taste and a penchant for scraping its way down the back of my throat. And I thought whiskey burned.
Still, it’s worth tasting this famous Scottish drink if you want to make up your own mind about it. If you’re in the UK, you can get it here. If you’re in the US, you can get it here.
It’s the best-selling soft drink in Scotland, and Scotland is the only place in the world where it out-sells Coca-Cola. There must be something in that, right?
3. Drambuie
Back to alcoholic beverages, next on my list of Scottish drinks is Drambuie. This Scottish liqueur is a golden-colored number made from infusing Scotch whiskey with a blend of heather honey, herbs, and spices.
The origins of Drambuie are said to go back to a secret recipe created for Bonnie Prince Charlie by his Royal Apothecary in the 18th century.
The prince brought the recipe to Britain in 1745 and gave it to Clan MacKinnon after they helped him escape Scotland following his defeat at the famous Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Drambuie was enjoyed locally on the Isle of Skye until the early 20th century, when the Drambuie Liquor Company Ltd was established in Edinburgh.
The company was owned by the MacKinnon family for exactly a century before being acquired by William Grant & Sons in 2014.
Made in West Lothian, this Scottish drink can be imbibed on its own or in any number of cocktails. From a fizzy Drambuie Collins to a beer-inspired Hootenanny and a classic Rusty Nail, there are lots of creative ways to enjoy it.
I can’t remember the first time I tried Drambuie, but I remember my Glaswegian grandmother talking about it when I was a child.
For some reason, the name always made me laugh. It still puts a smile on my face every time I hear the word.
In reality, the name Drambuie is derived from Scots Gaelic “An Dram Buidheach”, which means “the drink that satisfies”. At 40% ABV, it’s sure to get you though a cold winter evening. Or a cold summer one. This is Scotland, after all.
4. Scottish Spring Water
Back to non-alcoholic Scottish drinks, spring water is a widely-consumed one. There are many companies offering Scottish spring water, from still to sparkling, highland to hillside.
Highland Spring is the leading bottled water brand in the UK. Its water originates in the Ochil Hills in Perthshire.
Other Scottish spring water brands include Deeside, which is sourced from an ancient spring in the Cairngorms National Park, and Speyside Glenlivet, which is considered one of the more premium bottled water brands in Britain.
While water isn’t the most exciting of drinks, it’s still a staple product and a good one to blend with whiskey (or re-hydrate after a wee dram or three).
5. Scottish Beer
Given the popularity of beer in Britain, I couldn’t make a list of Scottish drinks without including at least one Scottish beer.
And there’s no beer company in Scotland more famous than Brewdog. Their Punk IPA is one of the best-selling craft beers in the country.
Founded in Fraserburgh in 2007, this Ellon, Scotland-based company not only makes famous beers, but also comes with an incredible success story.
Their provocative marketing and innovative crowdfunding model propelled them to super-stardom, and today Brewdog is a multinational company that sells beer all over the world.
Since its founding, Brewdog has expanded into other industries, too. It has its own hotel, The DogHouse, located in its brewery in Columbus, Ohio.
There are city-center mini-hotels called BrewDog Kennels above their bars in places like Aberdeen, too. More are set to launch in the future, so watch this space. And yes, they’re dog-friendly.
Drinks in Scotland
I hope this list of Scottish drinks has inspired you to try some new beverages or rekindle your love of old favorites.
Whether you enjoy classic British cocktails or fizzy sodas, there’s something for you. Cheers (or Slainte Mhath (say Slanj-a-va), as they say in Scotland)!
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