Annandale Distillery has announced the first public release of two 10 Years Old age-statement whiskies. The single-cask bottlings are Annandale Man O’Words 10 Years Old Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #125 and Annandale Man O’Sword 10 Years Old Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #69, both due to be released later this month.
Originally founded in 1836, Annandale Distillery was closed in 1924. It was revived in 2014 by Professor David Thomson and Teresa Church, who worked with the late Dr Jim Swan to design the updated distillery using Swab's signature twin copper spirit stills.
The distillery produces two types of whisky in single-cask releases: Man O'Words, its unpeated range named for poet Robert Burns; and Man O'Sword, a peated spirit which pays homage to King Robert the Bruce, the seventh Lord of Annandale.
Thomson reflected: “Our primary motivation when restoring Annandale Distillery was to reintroduce the tradition of single malt scotch whisky to the south of Scotland. The ambition became to not only revive the distillery but to elevate it beyond its former glory, producing world-class single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies.
“Ten years into our journey, we are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. We’re excited to have the flexibility to release remarkable age statement single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies, each offering true distinction across a variety of casks. Some may call single cask, single malt the simplest way of making whisky but, for us, it is the most honest. And that’s exactly how we like it.”
The new 10-year-old releases were both matured in ex-bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, and are bottled at cask strength. Annandale says the unpeated Man O'Words has notes of stewed apple, pears, coconut, and toffee, while the peated Man O'Sword has flavours of vanilla, cream soda, parma violets, and woodsmoke.
Annandale Man O’Words 10-Year-Old Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #125 (58.8% ABV, RRP £110) and Annandale Man O’Sword 10-Year-Old Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #69 (57.9% ABV, RRP £110) will both be available from 27 March 2025.
