I've spoken to A LOT of professional linguists about that distinction. The majority term Scots and Doric as distinctly different from English but a few claim them only as a severe dialect.

I'm inclined to think of them, spoken in their truest and thickest form, as a different language.
My wife often jokes I have a Scottish accent and a 'Speaking to an American' accent.


I recently gave World of Warcraft a go and have been having fun seeing the various accents that the Dwarves on there have.