Host a night of whisky tasting and discover the pleasure of Scotland’s best export.

Being Scottish in a foreign land has its problems—no deep-fried Mars bars or black puddin’ ‘n’ chips. Culinary shortcomings aside, the biggest problem is that around January 25th, when all good Scots celebrate the birth of legendary poet and author of Auld Lang Syne, Robert Burns, the price for a bag piper goes through the roof! Fortunately, most displaced Scots quickly discover that if you fudge the date a little, you can save bundles. We call it our own wee Robbie Burns day and it’s inevitably after January 25.

Regardless of the date, Robbie Burns is a great reason to gather friends and sample some of Scotland’s finest national export. To make the experience more interactive and easier on the pocketbook ask your friends to bring a bottle—we’ve pulled together everything you need to know to select a good range of samples.

More and more women are discovering the joys of whisky and showing men that they can compete in the bar as well as the boardroom.

Ann Miller has a table of eager food writers and liquor aficionados captivated. We’re holding on to every word spoken as she walks us through a Scotch-tasting lunch at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in Maple, Ontario, just north of Toronto.

Miller is the brand ambassador for some of the best whiskies on the planet, including The Glenlivet, Aberlour and Chivas brands—and is the only woman with such a high profile job in her industry. Today she takes us through a tasting of several of The Glenlivet whiskies—each paired with a lunch course that includes Scotch as an ingredient.

The group is split down the middle with six men and six women, all with different levels of whisky sophistication. One of the men at the table finds it curious that there are so many women at such an event. Whisky tends to be associated with old stodgy men tucked away in a parlor, sucking back a few drams while smoking cigars.