Ahead of Burns Night on January 25th, the Aberargie Distillery has partnered with acclaimed writer Miriam Gamble to commission a new poem marking the countdown to the launch of its inaugural Aberargie Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Traditionally a celebration of Scotland’s National Bard, Burns Night is a moment to reflect on language, craft and cultural heritage. This year, Aberargie Distillery is honouring that tradition by collaborating with a contemporary female voice to unveil a new poem that celebrates patience, provenance and the heritage barley at the heart of its first release.

Titled Golden Promise, the poem reflects on the quiet virtues of waiting, skill and care — themes that mirror Aberargie’s own journey. Nine years after laying down its first casks in 2017, the distillery is now preparing to unveil its first barley-to-bottle single malt Scotch whisky.

Written by Miriam Gamble, Golden Promise takes its name from the heritage barley variety used in Aberargie’s inaugural whisky. The poem explores how time, repetition and restraint shape what is most worth having, from friendships and love to the slow transformation of grain into spirit.

Golden Promise by Miriam Gamble

Good things don’t necessarily
come to those who wait, but being capable

of waiting helps: the right skills, the right
water source, the scoop nestled

in the right barley. And everything worth
having, is it not, is a thing gained

in this way: a satisfying story,
or home-grown veg. The joy of dance

steps mastered, repeated till they’re worked
into thoughtlessness that swills around the room like whisky

swilling round the ice in the centre
of a glass. Friendships which are mellow now,

but still conjure up new notes when,
at length, we sit, uncork the bottle.

And — yes, a ghràidh — love itself.
Steady does it — slow and sure — as we traverse

this life together: the way a plough horse
turns a field, the way a good dram

travels the mouth. Still learning — always —
but not changing anything we needn’t.

Learning to let alone what is thriving
in the still, bright corners of us, facing south.

Aberargie, which is owned by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, is one of the few distilleries in Scotland to operate a true barley-to-bottle philosophy, using heritage Golden Promise barley grown in the fields surrounding the distillery, alongside Laurette barley from two other family farms. Although lower-yielding than modern strains, Golden Promise is cultivated at Aberargie for its flavour benefits, producing a full-bodied, malty new-make spirit with notable oiliness and depth.

Commenting on the news, Niel Hendriksz, Managing Director of Aberargie Distillery, said: “Burns Night invites reflection on what we choose to value and preserve. Working with Miriam felt like a natural way to honour Scotland’s literary heritage while also reflecting the values behind our first single malt. Commissioning a poem felt like an honest way to mark this moment — not just as a distillery approaching a first release, but as custodians of land and whisky traditions. Patience, care and provenance have defined our journey from the very beginning.”

Aberargie’s inaugural single malt Scotch whisky will be available from specialist whisky retailers from March 2026.