“Hauf an a hauf, hen.”

A common enough order in Scotland for people over a certain age, and completely unknown anywhere else.

The hauf an a hauf (half and a half) is a Scottish cultural institution, and one worth a little bit of interrogation. When ordered this way it usually refers to Tennent’s Lager alongside a Bell’s or Famous Grouse whisky. The first “hauf”—half, for my non-Scots speakers—is easy enough: it refers to a half-pint of beer. The second hauf refers to a dram.

Jen Laird, co-owner of The Grail—a specialist off-license in Doune, a historic village on the outskirts of Stirlingshire—explained: “From what I can gather the standard whisky measure was a quarter gill, which would make it close to a modern standard measure (35ml).” The Dictionary of Scots Language suggests that the phrase “a wee hauf” meant half of a half gill, so whichever way we look at it, it is poetic beauty.

The more I look into the measurements of yore, the more I lament the loss of them. How I would love to pop into my local and ask for a mutchkin (¾ imperial pint) or chopin (about one and a half imperial pints) of beer alongside my quarter gill of whisky.

When the UK’s Weights and Measures Act of 1824 came in, these terms started to disappear for good. “Gill”, pronounced jill, is about 142ml. A fifth of a gill was the standard measure of spirits in England, while in Scotland the usual was a quarter.

Scotland had its own set of standards measurements prior to the union in 1707 and held on to many of them for at least a century more. In 1661 a parliamentary commission allocated responsibility for certain standards to different burghs (towns or cities with autonomous legal and trading rights). Edinburgh kept the ‘ell’, Linlithgow the ‘firlot’, and, my personal favourite, Stirling the ‘pint’ or ‘joug’.

This was a Scots pint, equivalent to sixteen gills, four mutchkins, two chopins, or three imperial pints. Which is a bit of a challenge by any measure.

The hauf an a hauf is not a boilermaker, which is a similar order with a different intent.

I asked my American friend Arian if he’d ever had one. “Sure,” he said. “It was a drink special that was, ideally, a shot of whisky and a 16oz tallboy as a chaser.” For Arian, a common pairing was a Jameson and a Rainier (a domestic lager brewed in Seattle). From what I understand, the boilermaker is a quick way to get tipsy, shooting the spirit with gritted teeth, following with a glug of lager to wash away the taste.

All across the world, there are beer cocktails, where either two beers are poured together or perhaps a spirit is dumped into a three-quarters-full pint glass. A kopstootje (a "little head butt" in Dutch) is an old ritual involving a tulip-shaped glass and no hands, at least to start. A Russian yorsh is a mixture of beer and vodka downed in one go. A herrengedeck (German for “gentlemen’s menu”) is a beer and a shot of schnapps or korn—not the band, though by the sounds of it the liquor is no less metal.

The similarities all these pairings have is that they are a way to increase the amount of alcohol being poured into the drinker’s body. Much like the American boilermaker, ordering a beer and a shot together is a means to an end, going from sober to 60 in the quickest time possible. That isn’t the case for the Scottish hauf an a hauf. It is slower; a way of enjoying two drinks at once, improving both.

““It is a Scottish cultural institution we can be proud of: a combination in which to luxuriate, rather than down in pursuit of a buzz.””

Beer and whisky start off the same way—by mashing and fermenting grains. Perhaps this has something to do with why they go so well together. Though the process diverges early on, the foundations are the same. A great beer sipped slowly, can highlight complex notes in the accompanying whisky.

Experimentation is key to discovering what works best for each individual drinker. Stuart Wright is owner and founder of The Whisky Embassy in Bordeaux, and is involved in training bar staff and holding tastings. Their hauf and a hauf events are very well received, offering something a little different from the multitude of wine tastings across the city. “Choosing a whisky can be a lot of fun,” he said. “We don’t give out tasting notes. We have a discussion first because everybody has a different palate.”

Stuart sometimes thinks contrasting flavour profiles are the way to go, and sometimes prefers complementary ones. “It’s about adding another element.” His example is a salty island whisky, which may work equally well with a clean lager or heavy stout. “There’s no real correct answer.” His preference is for an IPA and a Kilchoman. “I find the bitterness and hops go well with a hint of smoke!”

The Grail hosted a virtual tasting of various half and half pairings in August. The beers were from Seven Kings Brewery in Dunfermline, the whiskies were provided by independent bottlers, Morrison & Mackay.

Of the three pairs given to us, I most enjoyed the 7 year old Caol Ila and King’s Bane, a ruby IPA. The whisky—which was aged in a sherry butt—was smoky and dark, and the combination brought out notes of treacle in the beer. When we went rogue and tried each of the drams with each of the beers I found I liked everything better alongside a pale ale, while my husband’s highlight was the peaty whisky, no matter what it was drunk with.

I’m partial to a hauf an a hauf in my local when I’m out for a couple of quiet drinks and a chat. It encourages slowing down and enjoying each sip. “I always knew a hauf an a hauf as the drink the old regulars would get at the end of the night when they were full of beer,” says The Grail’s Jen Laird. “Then when they get down to the last wee bit of each, the end of the whisky gets tipped into the beer and downed. Then they usually order another one!”

The hauf an a hauf is traditional and modern at the same time. It’s a Scottish cultural institution we can be proud of: a combination in which to luxuriate, rather than down in pursuit of a buzz. The hauf an a hauf is about savouring both, two halves coming together to create something new, whole, and wholly wonderful.