Annandale | Whisky Lady

At London’s Whisky Show, some stands we did a quick pit stop… others we found ourselves lingering… exploring as much as we could. That’s what we did at Annandale with their unpeated “Man O’Words” range, intending to come back for the “Man O’Swords” peated range later.

For those not familiar, this Lowland distillery has a checkered history. Tracing its origins to 1836, it changed hands in 1893 and then struggled post-World War I, closing in 1924. It was then revived by David Thomson and Teresa Church from 2007 to 2014, when it laid its first cask.

As for what we sampled?

Annandale Ex Bourbon Cask 812 (2018/2023) 59.5%
Annandale 10 year Cask 125 58.8%
Annandale Double Oaked Ex Bourbon Cask 504 (2018/2025) 59.8%
Annandale STR Ex-Red Wine Cask 335 (2017/2025) 59.6%
Annandale Olorosso Cask 1022 (2017/2023) 61.1%
Annandale Ex-Fino Cask 396 (2018/2025) 61.1%

Next up, was a special bottle aged for 10 years. It had the same fun fruit as the 5 year, however, everything was amped up. On the palate, it was robust and yet also more balanced and smooth than its younger expression, with a nice sweet spice tail.

Annandale Double Oaked Ex Bourbon Cask 504 (2018/2025) 59.8%

Pronounced old fruits and sweet spices on the nose. Deeper palate, with toast, almost like having “meat on the bones’, some tannins closing on a woody note.

Annandale STR Ex-Red Wine Cask 335 (2017/2025) 59.6%

What a difference the STR made! It was bursting with juicy red berries and baked bread, then shifted into a forest. On the palate, there was so much going on with a huge finish.

Annandale Olorosso Cask 1022 (2017/2023) 61.1% Bottle 487

Lots of fruits, all the lovely sherry elements of dried fruits, sweet spices, and more. On the palate, it was heavy with Christmas plum cake and spices. The finish was equally powerful. We added a few drops, and it transformed the whisky! From being almost overwhelming to joyful, juicy fruits – delicious!