Whisky and Its Role in Ceremonies, Rituals, and Celebrations

Here at Great Drams, we love a good celebration. Life’s been pretty gloomy for so many of us over the last few years, so any chance we get to have a right good knees up, we embrace with open arms.

Now, when you think of a celebration, there’s probably a booze that immediately springs to mind, and for many, that booze is champagne. Don’t get me wrong, both myself and Kirsty love a flute of champagne, especially during a party or celebration. As you can probably guess, though, it’s a dram or two of whisky that we’d prefer.

As it turns out, whisky has actually played a prominent role in a number of ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations across Ireland, Scotland, and other whisky-drinking nations for hundreds of years. But what exactly are some of these ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations, and just how big of a role did/does whisky actually play?

St. Patrick’s Day

Primarily celebrated in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the liveliest celebrations in existence. The Irish certainly know how to party, and if you’ve never attended a St. Patrick’s Day celebration before, you simply must, trust me on that.

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday that is celebrated on the 17th of March every single year. It is a celebration which commemorates Ireland’s patron-saint, Saint Patrick, and the introduction of Christianity into Ireland.

As with many predominantly religious celebrations and ceremonies however, it has grown and expanded over the years and is now seen as a celebration of Irish heritage, Irish history, Irish culture, and the people of Ireland in general.

Because the holiday celebrates a great feast held by Christians in Ireland, in which Lenten food and drink restrictions were removed temporarily, alcohol consumption is often associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Some people believe that Patrick was the first to introduce whiskey to Ireland, though historians believe that this is inaccurate.

Generally, there are two drinks that are synonymous with the festival. The first is Guinness (of which I’m a huge fan of) and the second is Irish whiskey. A true St. Patrick’s Day celebration is not complete without a toast of Irish Whiskey to the patron saint himself.

Burns Night

Burns Night is a hugely popular Scottish celebration, held in honour of Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns, one of the finest poets to ever live, and a proud Scotsman.

Burns Night is held each January on the 25th, which was the date of Burn’s birthday. He was born in 1759 and passed away in 1796. It is customary for households up and down Scotland to prepare a traditional ‘Burns Supper’ of haggis, neeps (mashed turnips or swedes) and tatties (mashed potatoes), all washed down with a wee dram or two of a fine single-malt Scotch whisky.

A key element of the Burns Night festivities is the ‘Address to a Haggis’ which is a recitation of Burn’s famous poem of the same name. This is followed up with the pouring of the whisky, and a toast to the famous poet.

Whisky is of course a key element of Scottish culture. Not only that, but Burns was also a huge fan of the stuff. So much so in fact, that he wrote a poem about it entitled ‘Scotch Drink’. Because of this, along with the haggis, whisky is synonymous with Burns night festivities.

As well as a wee dram or two, people will also often incorporate whisky into the meal, using it to make a whisky cream sauce, and adding it to desserts such as cranachan. Cranachan is a Scottish dessert made from whisky and honey infused whipped cream, toasted oats, and berries such as raspberry and strawberry. This delicious dessert is quintessentially Scottish and is perhaps comparable to an English Eton Mess.

Weddings

Weddings, which many consider to be the ultimate celebration, are also often associated with whisky/whiskey, especially in Scotland and Ireland.

A popular Gaelic wedding tradition for example, is one known as a ‘Whiskey Unity Ceremony’. A whiskey unity ceremony, also known as a whiskey blending, is a tradition forming part of a wedding whereby the couple will each pour separate bottles of whiskey into a cask, jug, or blending vessel. This process is symbolic as it represents the joining of two lives in creating a new one. Usually, this ceremony takes place during the wedding, before the pronouncement.

Another way in which whisky is incorporated into weddings is through the drinking from the Quaich. The quaich, also known as a ‘love bowl’ or ‘friendship bowl’ is typically a decorative bowl made from silver, pewter, wood, with two or more handles that newlyweds will drink whisky from at the same time. Again, it signifies unity as the newlyweds drinking whisky from the same vessel represents the new life they will share together.

Historians can’t say for certain how the quaich originated. Some believe that Highlanders would pour a dram of whisky into a seashell, drink from it, and pass it around a fire. It could even stretch back further in time, as some believe Celtic druids may have used a similar-shaped bowl for ceremonial purposes.

Independence Day

Whiskey isn’t exclusively enjoyed here in the UK as part of rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations either. Our friends overseas also often consume whiskey on special occasions, particularly during Independence Day celebrations.

Each year on the fourth of July, millions upon millions of Americans celebrate the day America gained its political Independence from Great Britain.

As it is a summer celebration, it isn’t uncommon for Americans to break out their BBQs and smokers, and cook up a feast outdoors as part of their celebrations. As you may be aware, bourbon whiskey, and to a lesser-extent, rye whiskey, are often associated with BBQ as their smoky, sweet, and spicy flavour profiles compliment the taste of barbequed food perfectly.

While whiskey holds no historic significance when it comes to Independence Day, each year hundreds of thousands of litres of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, including Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, are enjoyed across America as part of their Fourth of July celebrations.

As you can see, whisky plays an important part in countless celebrations, festivities rituals and traditions and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

If you’re looking for a selection of rare, award-winning, limited-edition, and delicious Scotch Whiskies for your very own celebration, be sure to head on over to our Greatdrams.com website and check out the huge selection of amazing drams we have available.

Tags: CelebrationsCeremoniesRitualsWhisky

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.