Annandale distillery is a whisky distillery producing single malt

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

Annan, Dumfries and Galloway Annan ( ; gd, Inbhir Anainn) is a town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Historically part of Dumfriesshire, its public buildings include Annan Academy, of which the writer Thomas Carlyle was a pupil, and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Annandale Distillery was established in 1836 by George Donald and was later bought by

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sc ...

in 1893 and was closed down in 1924. In 2007 the distillery was bought by the Annandale Distillery Company which is owned by Prof David Thomson and Teresa Church. In 2008, the company received a grant of £150,000 from the Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) support as part of a £10.5m investment which will employ up to 29 people. In November 2014, the Annandale Visitor Centre opened and the first casks were distilled. The first cask of unpeated whisky made the news and was put up for sale for a staggering £1million. The first cask of peated whisky 'Cask 40' was filled by ex-

Scotland Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league ...

player

Doddie Weir George Wilson "Doddie" Weir (4 July 1970 – 26 November 2022) was a Scottish rugby union player who played as a lock. He made 61 international appearances for the Scotland national team and represented the British & Irish Lions. With the ch ...

. Doddie was invited to do this after unwittingly becoming involved in the restoration of Annandale distillery by the distillery's rugby fan owner Prof David Thomson. In November 2017, the first cask was broached, by the two owners David and Teresa. And in December of the same year

returned to broach the first peated cask. 99 of the bottles from the first ever peated cask were sold and auctioned off to raise money for

's charity the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation to help people with

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

and to hopefully find a cure. And in July 2019 the distillery handed over a cheque to Doddie for £27,800 from the money raised from the bottles. In June 2018 Annandale distillery released their first release, twenty 2014 production casks were selected for bottling. Annandale Distillery's single cask, single malt scotch whiskies are branded as (unpeated) Man O' Words named after

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

the once local exciseman in Annan and 'Scotland's national poet' and (peated) Man O' Sword named after King

Robert The Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

the former 7th

Lord of Annandale The Lordship of Annandale was a sub-comital lordship in southern Scotland (Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway, Annandale) established by David I of Scotland by 1124 for his follower Robert de Brus. The following were holders of the office: *Robert ...

and King of Scots, who once had a

motte and bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

local to the distillery. In September 2018, four more casks were selected to be bottled. These were two 2015 first fill Bourbon casks (peated and unpeated) and two authentic

Oloroso Oloroso ("scented" in Spanish) is a variety of fortified wine (sherry) made in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles and produced by oxidative aging. It is normally darker than Amontillado. Oloroso is usually dark and nutty. Unlike the fino and Amontillado ...

Spanish Oak Sherry casks (peated and unpeated). All four were selected by the late Dr Jim Swan. The bottles from these casks were released in late November 2018, under the same Man O' Sword and Man O' Words Trademark made famous by Annandale's inaugural first release earlier the same year. Released in July 2019 is the

Outlaw King ''Outlaw King'', stylized as ', is a 2018 historical action drama film about Robert the Bruce, the 14th-century Scottish King who launched a guerilla war against the larger English army. The film largely takes place during the 3-year period from ...

Blended Scotch whisky in dedicated to the film of the same name. Outlaw King celebrates

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

, King of Scotland, 7th

and tells the harrowing but inspiring tale of Bruce's struggle to lead the Scotland's freedom in the 14th century leading up to the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...

This is the first blend to have any Annandale whisky in it. Single Cask Single Malt bottlings continue at Annandale Distillery with a strong ethos of the more obscure casks with their Founders' Selection range a range of bottlings hand selected by co-owner Prof. David Thomson. Beginning with Sherry-Conditioned Hogshead Casks in December 2019 which sold out within a few months, and the current release the STR(shaved, toasted & re-charred). The original casks were selected prior to filling by the 'Einsten of Whisky' Dr.Jim Swan before his untimely death in 2017 Onwards from the new bottlings

Casks A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...

have been the priority at Annandale distillery, now providing two ways to buy and the widest range in

and being one of only a few distilleries in Scotland that allow you to buy a cask of your own

Whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

With the inevitable growth of Annandale distillery has come accolades, they have won the Jim Murray Best Single Cask Single Malt 10 years and Under for both the Man O' Sword and Man O' Words 2015 Vintage

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

Cask releases and the visitor centre won a 5 star status from

VisitScotland VisitScotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board, is a national tourism organisation for Scotland. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and other ...

. Annandale Distillery has also expanded its operation into the surrounding area, they now own and operate The Globe Inn in Dumfries. A pub/restaurant globally recognised as a favourite haunt of the legendary poet

. The Globe is full of Burnsian artefacts and it is fully endorsed by the

Robert Burns World Federation The Robert Burns World Federation is a literary society based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, aimed at educating the public about the life, poetry and works of the poet Robert Burns.

where Distillery and Globe Inn co-owner Prof. David Thomson is an Ambassador

References

External links

Annandale Distillery
{{Scottish Distilleries Distilleries in Scotland 1830 establishments in Scotland Annan, Dumfries and Galloway

See also

References

External links