Annandale

United Kingdom

All about Annandale

They are producing two styles of Whisky at Annandale: A sweet, and a peat. The sweeter Whisky will be called "The Man of Words" -- named after the famous Sottish poet Robert Burns. The peaty Whisky will be called "Man of the Sword" after the Scottish hero Robert the Bruce.

These relases are not yet available for sales since they are still aging. But you can taste their new-make version of both under the name "Rascally Liquor" in both styles. As you would expect, both are very youthful and sharp and one is more malty while the other is more peaty. Their spirit is also mixed into their signature Nation of Scots Blended Scotch Whisky.

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All about Annandale distillery

It wasn't purely entrepreneurial nor (just) the Whisky fever that brought together David Thomson and Teresa Church ― the first a Scottish expat who was searching for a connection with his homeland, the second super-passionate about restoring old buildings. What brought them together was entirely irrational, a "love at first sight" that took them over when seeing the historic Annandale buildings back in 2006.

They couldn't quite wrap their minds around the reasons behind the distillery lying dormant for nearly a century. And neither would they let its position in Southern Scotland define their Whisky. Yes, it's the Lowlands, but hey ― why limit yourself to the light, mellow, and fruity style that the local barley supposedly imparts when transportation is such a non-issue in modern times?

With no artificial constraints, they decided on peated as well as unpeated Whiskies that would carry a unique and recognizable Annandale signature, while still fitting into the sensory world of Single Malts. They went about it the scientific way, with a team dedicated to mapping the sensory profiles of 60 Single Malts. On it, they found just the right spot for their unique Whisky. Then they called up Dr. Jim Swan, the best kind of chemist ― the kind that deals in Whisky.

Both the peated and non-peated Whiskies would need to have a fruity/estery, sweet, and vanilla-focused profile, which is achieved with limited agitation of the grain bed during the mashing process and two specific yeast strains. Then Swan designed a twin Spirit still with a copper wash still and 2 copper Spirit stills. The resulting liquid? Incredibly smooth. Once the first Single Malts had matured in 2018 and the reviews and accolades began rolling in, it became clear ― they'd succeeded.

The distillery now pours its love into 6 different brands: the 1st-tier Annandale Distillery, Man O' Sword & Man O' Words prestigious Single Malts, Vintage and Founders Selection, Rascally Liquor clear malt Spirit, and Nation of Scots blended Whisky.

Distillery info

  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Region: Lowlands
  • Address: Annandale Distillery, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG12 5LL United Kingdom
  • Phone: +44 1461 207817
  • Website: https://www.annandaledistillery.com