 Annandale Distillery | |
| Region: Lowland | |
|---|---|
| Location | Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway |
| Owner | Annandale Distillery Company |
| Founded | 1836 |
| Status | Active |
| Water source | Bore Hole on site |
| No. of stills | 1 wash still 2 spirit stills |
| Capacity | 260,000 L |
| Website | https://www.annandaledistillery.com/ |
Annandale distillery is a whisky distillery producing single malt Scotch whisky in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Annandale Distillery was established in 1836 by George Donald and was later bought by Johnnie Walker and Son in 1893. It was closed down in 1924 but was very well preserved. [1]
In 2007 [2] the distillery was bought by the Annandale Distillery Company which is owned by 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 [3] investment which will employ up to 29 people. [4] [5]
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 £1million. [6] The first cask of peated whisky 'Cask 40' was filled by ex- Scotland Rugby Union player Doddie Weir. Doddie was invited to do this after unwittingly becoming involved in the restoration of Annandale distillery by the distillery's rugby fan owner David Thomson.
In November 2017, the first cask was broached, [7] by the two owners David and Teresa. [8] And in December of the same year Doddie Weir returned to broach the first peated cask. [9] 99 of the bottles from the first ever peated cask were sold and auctioned off to raise money for Doddie Weir's charity the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation to help people with motor neuron disease 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. [10]
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 the once local exciseman in Annan [11] and 'Scotland's national poet' and (peated) Man O' Sword named after King Robert The Bruce [12] the former 7th Lord of Annandale and King of Scots, who once had a motte and bailey castle local to the distillery. [13]
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 Spanish Oak Sherry casks (peated and unpeated). All four were selected by the late Dr Jim Swan. [14] 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. [15]
Released in July 2019 is the Outlaw King Blended Scotch whisky in dedicated to the film of the same name. Outlaw King [16] celebrates Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, 7th Lord of Annandale 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 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 [17] 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 [18]
Onwards from the new bottlings Casks have been the priority at Annandale distillery, now providing two ways to buy and the widest range in Scotland [19] and being one of only a few distilleries in Scotland that allow you to buy a cask of your own Whisky [20]
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 [21] 2015 Vintage Bourbon Cask releases and the visitor centre won a 5 star status from VisitScotland. [3]
Annandale Distillery has also expanded its operation into the surrounding area, they now own and operate The Globe Inn [22] in Dumfries. A pub/restaurant associated with the poet Robert Burns. [23] The Globe is full of Burnsian artefacts and it is fully endorsed by the Robert Burns World Federation [24] where Distillery and Globe Inn co-owner Prof. David Thomson is an Ambassador [25]
Scotch whisky, often simply called whisky or Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Islay single malts are the single malt Scotch whiskies made on Islay or Ìle in Gaelic, one of the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. Islay is one of five whisky distilling localities and regions in Scotland whose identity is protected by law.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
Royal Brackla distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery on the Cawdor Estate, near Nairn in Scotland.
Laphroaig distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery on Islay, Scotland. It is situated on the south coast of the island, near Port Ellen, at the head of a small bay known as Loch Laphroaig. The Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries are close by.
Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Dufftown, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons.
Springbank distillery is a family-owned single malt whisky distillery on the Kintyre Peninsula in western Scotland. It is owned by J & A Mitchell & Company, which also owns the Glengyle distillery, the oldest independent bottler, William Cadenheads, and several blended scotch labels.
Lowland single malts are single malt whiskies distilled in Scotland's lowlands. The region is home to distilleries such as: Annandale in Annan; Auchentoshan near Clydebank; Bladnoch in Galloway; Daftmill in Fife; The Girvan Distilleries near Girvan; and Glenkinchie distillery near Edinburgh.
Kilchoman distillery is a distillery that produces single malt Scotch whisky on Islay, an island of the Inner Hebrides. Kilchoman Distillery is in the northwest of the island, close to Machir Bay. Kilchoman was founded by Anthony Wills and remains an independent, family run distillery. It is the smallest on the island but since obtaining Rockside Farm in 2015, is in the process of expanding.
Auchentoshan distillery is a Lowland single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dalmuir, Scotland.
Tobermory Single Malt is a Scotch whisky distilled by the Tobermory Distillery, Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, a Hebridean island in western Scotland, north of the isle of Islay.
Aberlour distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery, in Aberlour, Strathspey, Scotland, at the confluence of the Lour Burn and River Spey near Ben Rinnes.
Tomintoul distillery is a distillery in Kirkmichael, between Ballindalloch and Tomintoul in the Speyside region of Scotland, producing malt whisky for blends and bottled as single malts.
Douglas Laing & Co is an independent bottler of Scotch whisky. Based in Glasgow, Scotland and established in 1948, the company has a number of brands including its "Remarkable Regional Malts" range, encompassing The Epicurean, Timorous Beastie, Scallywag, Rock Island and Big Peat, as well as Old Particular, Provenance and Xtra Old Particular, which they collectively call their "Exceptional Single Casks". The firm also creates and sells King of Scots Blended Scotch Whisky, Clan Denny Single Casks and Premier Barrel.
Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky, manufactured by Amrut Distilleries. It is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. Amrut (अमृत) or amrit is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as "nectar of the gods", "nectar of life", or "drink of the gods". The company translates it as "Elixir of Life". The brand became famous after whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010 Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky – that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good".
Paul John Whisky is a brand of Indian single malt and single cask whisky, manufactured by John Distilleries. The brand launched in London, England on 4 October 2012. Paul John Whisky is made from Indian 6-row malted barley and, for some variants, imported Islay and Aberdeen peat, distilled in traditional copper pot stills and then matured in charred American Oak casks at the company's distillery in Goa, India.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
Ardnamurchan distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the Ardnamurchan peninsula of Lochaber in the Highlands, Scotland. The distillery is considered one of the remotest distilleries in Scotland and takes its name from the peninsula.
Nc'nean distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Drimnin on the Morvern peninsula of the Highlands, Scotland. The distillery is beside the Sound of Mull, opposite the Isle of Mull. The distillery name Nc'nean, comes from "Neachneohain", a Gaelic legend which translates as the Queen of Spirits.
55°00′06″N3°15′21″W / 55.001681°N 3.255708°W
