Super Easy Whisky Sauce Recipe (For Haggis)

I'm Scottish and I don't drink - or even particularly like - whisky. But I still adore this whisky sauce recipe! So if you're browsing recipes for Burns Night and you need a whisky sauce to convert even the haters or the dubious, then make this. It's the perfect pairing with your haggis, neeps and tatties.

The pairing of homemade Whisky Sauce for Haggis, Neeps and Tatties is a Scottish match made in heaven. Its quick and simple to make - you can even prepare it in advance - ready to be poured generously over your plate whilst reciting Address To A Haggis.

What Whisky Should I Use In My Whisky Sauce?

Much like wine in a recipe, the type of whisky you use to make whisky sauce matters a lot. Because it translates straight into the flavour profile (except it won't burn the mouth off you like it would if you had a neat dram. A huge part of this sauce is whisky, so make sure to choose wisely!

If there is a particular whisky you like to drink, then opt for that.

If not, just make sure it's a halfway decent one - the resulting sauce will thank you for it! I opted for this lovely MCDXCIV from Lindores Abbey Distillery.

Ingredients for Whisky Sauce for Haggis

• Salted Butter: you may find it ironic I'm using Irish butter with Scotch whisky, but Kerrygold is a great quality butter! Use any salted butter you like the taste of.
• Whisky: I've already mentioned this above, but use something you like the taste of already or is good quality. We use 150ml of whisky in this recipe, so we want it to taste nice!
• Beef Stock: I've used OXO here but a good quality Beef Bone Broth would be great to use too.
• Mustard: I use dijon mustard as it provides a subtler heat than its yellow English cousin. So reduce the volume by half if using English mustard.
• Cream: double cream (heavy cream) provides the richness we need to balance out the whisky. Substitute with single cream at your peril!
• Salt + White Pepper

Optional Thickener: if you like a thicker sauce, you can either soften ½ brown onion (finely chopped or blended) in the butter or simmer it for longer at the end to reduce and thicken.

How To Make Whisky Sauce for Haggis

Melt salted butter in a frying pan (and soften finely chopped or blended onion if you want a thicker sauce) then pour in the whisky 

Set whisky alight with either a long lighter or match and wait until all the alcohol cooks off. When the flames are dying down, shake the pan a bit, as you'll find more of the alcohol catches alight when you do.

If you don't want to light the whisky, then simply cook the whisky off for a few minutes on high heat. This isn't as effective at burning off the alcohol; it will result in a less glossy sauce, with a bit more of a punch of whisky still present. However, it will reduce the risk of burnt eyebrows.

The sauce should look like the first photo below after the whisky has cooked off. Add dijon mustard and pour in good quality beef stock.

Whisk a little to distribute the mustard evenly, then pour in the double cream.

Simmer for a few minutes, season with salt & pepper, and then simmer until the sauce reduces a bit more (5 minutes). The longer you reduce the whisky sauce, the thicker it will be.

If you allow the whisky sauce to ‘sit’ and cool slightly for a few minutes after you’ve turned the heat off it will thicken some more.

How To Thicken The Whisky Sauce

It's worth noting that whisky sauce for haggis is traditionally thinner than you would expect some other sauces to be - thats just a fact.

However, there are two options if you do want to thicken the whisky sauce:

• add finely chopped (or blended) onion to the melted butter and allow to soften before adding the whisky - this adds a thickener to the sauce similar to my Peppercorn Sauce recipe (which is also great with haggis)
• simmer the sauce for longer at the end to reduce and thicken it

Storage and Reheating

Whisky sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can make it in advance, keep it in the fridge then reheat when needed.

To reheat: add the sauce to a pan on the hob and heat gently until piping hot throughout. Add a little extra milk, cream or stock to loosen if necessary (as the sauce thickens as it cools). 

Tasty Tip: if you've made chicken balmoral, steak or fried anything in a pan, then you could use the whisky sauce to deglaze and soak up the additional flavours which will further enhance the sauce.