We all know January–the time of the year when holiday delights have faded into the snow and the dark cold nights of winter threaten despair…

Come push against the darkness, and join us for a seriously silly celebration of the words and song of the Ploughman Poet, Robert Burns. Indulge your whimsey, and join in the revelry as we enjoy the smoky taste of great whiskey, the play of candlelight against silver, the wail of the bagpipes and a feast, a great feast of the Hallowed Haggis… Hilarity will ensue.

What the hell is Haggis, you ask?  It’s liver, tongue and other unmentionable bits together with Scottish oats, onions, stock and herbs all cooked together into “the great chieftain o’ the pudding race.” Put away your mocking thoughts, and know that this is one delicious bit of pie.  And, for those who dare not, we’re also concocting a vegetarian version o’ the great and powerful Haggis. 

Wear a kilt, yourself,  and get a special deal on the weekend.  Bring on the kilts! 

Join us as we push back winter’s dark cloak with games, verse, drinks and superb food, all invoking – and evoking – your inner Highlander.

And as with all Mythic Catskills weekends, you can join us for the entire weekend, or just for Saturday’s festivities and dinner…

The Hallowed Haggis at Spillian. It’s Mythic. Local. Real.

Mythic Catskills Weekends

Spillian’s Mythic Catskills Weekends are an intersection with the essence of the Catskills: the forests, the mountains, the people, the deep stories that make this place so compelling.

Each weekend celebrates a facet of this gem-like place: its food, its fish and streams, its ringing summer, its snow-spangled winters, its flowing creative life force.

Come for a weekend of grand adventure. Feast. Explore. Hear the great stories and share your own.  Revel in the mythic possibility of the Catskills and find where it sings in your life – and then bring that song back home with you.

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The Hallowed Haggis: A Mythic Catskills Weekend | What’s Included

Friday
The Highland Catskills

• 6 PM: A highland charcuterie
• The story of whisky (and whiskey) and a tasting.
• Tales, real and mythic, about the history and lore of the Scotch-Irish in the Catskills in front of the blazing fire.

Saturday
The Haggis Games and Robert Burns Supper

• 9 AM: A Catskills breakfast featuring eggs from Spillian Farm’s ridiculous chickens.
• 10 AM: A moving meditation with Spillian co-founder Leigh Melander, going deep into images of the mountains and metaphors from the poetry of Robert Burns for those who'd like to stretch their minds and muscles a bit.
• Noon: Lunch, featuring cock-a-leekie soup, salad, and bannocks.
• 1 to 5 PM: Introducing the Spillian Haggis Games, a superbly silly array of activities and competitions to get your inner Highlander primed for the Robert Burns Dinner. Learn, compete, laugh...including:
  • A Burns-inspired poetry writing session with our friend, wildman and The Poetry Society of New York Poetry co-founder Nicholas Adamski (what do you want to write a paean to?...we'll vote on the winning poem after dinner).
  • An instant musical ensemble - we've got harps and tin whistles and tambourines. Bring your instrument if you've got one! We'll raise the rafters. Want to solo? We'll add that in to the evening's festivities as well.
  • A Scottish accent lesson from our friend acclaimed actor, director, and playwright Robert Smythe,(who is leading a playwrighting workshop with us this summer!) For those with a talent for accents and/or a touch of moxie, we welcome your best efforts in our supper celebration. Click here for a list of Robert Burns poems you can practice on!
  • A bonniest knees contest for those brave enough to don a kilt (and bribery is welcome, of course).
• 5 PM: Cocktail hour featuring the Spillian Highland, with local Catskills whiskey, a whisper of the heather on the hills, and a curl of smoke.
• 6 PM: A full-flown Robert Burns Supper, with family-style multiple course feast from Spillian’s chef Christian Van Etten around our feasting table, featuring traditional and vegetarian haggis, and his creative takes on the evocative flavors of Scotland; and all of the glorious pageantry of a traditional Burns Supper, featuring acclaimed bag piper Kevin Grace, poetry, speechifying, and awards for the winners of the Haggis Games. Featuring Robert Smythe as our official leader of the Address to the Haggis.

Sunday
Rumbling the Rumbledethump

• 9 AM: A Spillian breakfast.
• 10 AM: A cooking class with Chef Christian, learning to make traditional Scottish Rumbledethump (a seriously fine comfort food, worthy of its name), finishing with a tasting of your masterpiece around our table.
• 12 PM Farewell to the Highlands - we send you back out into the real world, filled with wit and wisdom. Or at least lunch.

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The Saturday Robert Burns Feast

A family style feast around our extraordinary mahogany dining table, all dressed for the occasion. This table is a true place of convivium, where tales are topped, ideas are birthed, and friendships created. We will toast, dine, share stories, poetry, the music of the pipes, and announce the winners of the Haggis Games.  Chef Christian Van Etten's seven-course planned menu:

• Amuse Bouche: Cullen Skink Risotto, A Creamy Taste of House-Smoked Salmon from Hookline Fish Company
• Green Salad with Roasted Beets, Chestnuts, and Leeks
• The Mighty Haggis: Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin’ Race
• Vegetarian Haggis in Savoy Cabbage with Cinnamon and Nutmeg
• Roasted Hubbell Family Farm Highland Beef
• Neeps and Tatties: Glazed Rutabaga and Potatoes with Chive Whiskey Sauce
• Raspberry Cranachan: Toasted Oats, Raspberries, Whipped Cream and a Dash of Whiskey
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Pricing

Full weekend fee includes all sessions including the moving meditaiton, games, four meals, one featured cocktail per evening, cooking class, and lodging at Spillian. Evening cash bar, tax and gratuities not included. Click here to learn more about our splendid guest rooms!

Full The Hallowed Haggis Weekend For One: $425
Per person, single room occupancy. Check in any time after 3 PM on Friday.

Full The Hallowed Haggis Weekend For a Couple: $745
For the couple, double room occupancy. Check in any time after 3 PM on Friday.

Saturday Haggis Games, Robert Burns Supper & Festivities: $65 per person
Join us for the Haggis Games, cocktail hour, supper, and festivities. Begins at 1 PM.

Saturday Robert Burns Supper & Festivities: $55 per person
Join us for the cocktail hour, supper, and festivities. Cocktail hour begins at 5 PM, dinner at 6 PM.

Wearing a kilt? Get 10% off! Use coupon code: KILT when you register.
Note: Click here for kilt maker who rents kilts in Highland NY