Take a shot at Burns night

Scottish or not, we all like a good excuse to celebrate Burns Night with a wee dram. Burns himself — whose passions were poetry, nature, drink and women — would have approved. There's a new crop of super-glam whisky bars in town, with a wide selection of quality tipples and a good-looking young crowd. Some venues are genteel and elegant, others throb to cutting-edge music. Here we round up London's best whisky joints. Burns would have loved them.

Slim Jim's Liquor Store
A little bit of LA plonked in the middle of Upper Street, this new whisky joint manages to feel both upmarket and a little bit seedy — but in a good way. Based on popular American "dive" bars, its dark, gritty atmosphere gives it a trendy yet debauched feel and, if you add strong spirits to the equation, Slim Jim's founding principles of "hard liquor and good times" suddenly become extremely appropriate. Expect a crowd of good-looking twenty- and thirtysomethings fighting over jukebox tracks.
112 Upper Street, N1 (020 7354 4364, slimjimsliquorstore.com). Mon-Wed 4pm-2am, Thurs 4pm-3am, Fri-Sat midday-3am, Sun midday-2am. Whisky from £2.95 for a 25ml shot

St Pancras Grand
In the station itself it might be 2009, but step into this elegant open-plan bar and brasserie and you're right back in the golden age of genteel rail travel. The menu boasts 111 different Scotch whiskies chosen by the suave assistant manager Bertrand Lienafa, a walking encyclopaedia of the Scottish spirit. A bar for real whisky connoisseurs, who'll want to try the 1948 Glenlivet costing £150 for a 50ml shot.
Upper Concourse, St Pancras International, NW1 (020 7870 9900, searcys.co.uk/stpancrasgrand), Open daily 11am-10.30pm. Whisky from £5.50 for a 50ml shot

The Lexington
So new the paint is only just dry, this King's Cross boozer serves 50 bourbons and more than 40 whiskies, plus the usual beers, wines and other spirits. Most whiskies are reasonably priced. The dearest, £20 a shot, is a bourbon so rare it is no longer made.

But despite its distinctly American drinks menu, The Lexington is very much a pub rather than a bar, graced with high ceilings, antique sofas and (joy of joys) table football. For whisky-loving party animals, upstairs is a 200-capacity gig space where the music goes on until 4am.
96-98 Pentonville Road, N1 (020 7837 5371, thelexington.co.uk). Sun-Thurs 11am-2am, Fri-Sat 11am-4am. Whisky from £3.10 for a 25ml shot

Albannach
Witith unbeatable views over Trafalgar Square, this Scottish restaurant and bar has become a central London institution.

Kilt-clad bar staff serve a wide range of Scotch whiskies as well as a food menu from over the border, including haggis, Ross-shire crayfish and Ayrshire beef. Large deer-shaped lamps and a central chandelier made from antlers complete the Monarch Of The Glen vibe.

Kick back and look out over the city with a 50-year-old Balvenie Cask 191, an eye-watering £760 per 50ml shot. Or perhaps try a bottle of Albannach's more affordable own-brand whisky beer, made by ageing the beer in oak casks which previously held whisky.
66 Trafalgar Square, WC2 (020 7930 0066, albannach.co.uk). Mon-Sat noon-1am, closed Sunday. Whisky from £6.50 for a 50ml shot

Boisdale of Belgravia
Anotother venue dripping with Scottishness, Boisdale describes itself as an embassy of Highland hospitality. Venture through the tartan-tabled restaurant and on to the MacDonald bar out the back. It's themed as a gentlemen's jazz bar and plays host to the Boisdale Blue Rhythm Band, 10pm-midnight Monday to Saturday.

The Burns Night celebrations here will be going on until next Wednesday, so you've plenty of time to pop down and enjoy a wee dram to the sound of the bagpipes.
15 Eccleston Street, SW1 (020 7730 6922, boisdale.co.uk/belgravia). Mon-Fri noon-1am, Sat 7pm-1am, closed Sunday. Whisky from £3.90 for a 50ml shot