Homecoming Scotland marks the anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet (and lover of whisky!), Robert Burns and to mark the year, over 100 events on 4 key themes (Robert Burns, Whisky, Golf, Great Scottish Minds and innovations and Scottish ancestry) have been developed. A Scottish Government initiative, Homecoming Scotland 2009 is managed by Scotland’s national events agency, EventScotland in partnership with the country’s tourism body, VisitScotland.

For whisky lovers the choice is diverse. The year kicks off over the weekend of Burns night (January 25th) with a Scotland-wide celebration of Robert Burns in a Burns 250th Anniversary Weekend. Traditional Burns suppers (at which whisky is always an integral part), live music and general merriment abound to mark this international cultural icon whose message of friendship and Auld Lang Syne lives on. Homecoming 2009 aims to create the world’s biggest (virtual) Burns supper so it’s not one to miss!

May is a great time for whisky lovers to visit Scotland as it is declared Whisky Month, giving visitors to Scotland a unrivalled opportunity to explore the whisky regions of Scotland: the Lowlands, the Highlands (including Speyside and the islands), Campbeltown and the island of Islay, as well as get behind the scenes to experience the creation of this iconic drink. Including events as diverse as unique whisky tastings to festivals and 3-day whisky courses, the month long programme will conclude with Feis lle, Islay’s annual Malt and Music Festival.

As part of this month, the Sprit of Speyside Whisky Festival celebrates with a series of distillery open door days, smugglers’ trails, whisky/food matching dining opportunities and whisky lovers’ workshops. There’s never been a better time to follow the way-marked Malt Whisky Trail around the region which produces some of the most famous malts in the world.

For those who are sure of their sea legs, the Classic Malts Cruise is a totally unique way to combine world famous whiskies and some of the UK’s top coastal scenery by boat. Sailors join a cruise taking in Talisker on the Isle of Skye, the famous whisky isle of Islay and Argyll distilleries like Oban. Sailing through such rich scenery also has the added bonus of including top wildlife-watching opportunities with whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds a-plenty.

As autumn comes around local events like the first ever Isle of Barra Whisky Galore Festival celebrate in lively style. The famous tale of how a group of Scottish islanders raided a shipwreck off the island of Eriskay (later fictionalised as Todday in the 1949 film, Whisky Galore) for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky has grown into a legend. With a weekend of events celebrating the story and its place in Hebridean history, the 60th anniversary of the film promises to be a great opportunity for those who want to explore this serene part of the world and whisky lovers alike.

With the nights drawing in, the week from October 30th to November 6th is Whisky Week. Events across Scotland will give visitors and locals alike a real taste of the quality and variety of Scotch whisky, starting with Whisky Live in Glasgow and leading into dedicated gala whisky dinners held in venues across the country.

The celebrations draw to a close on the weekend of St Andrews night (30th November) in Homecoming Scotland’s Finale Weekend (a truly unique, major celebration of Scottish Music, ) with festivities across Scotland: a good time for participants to raise a toast to Scotland’s national drink, uisge beatha, the water of life.