Words and Sword review: Annandale comes of age with superb 10-Year-Old single cask whiskies

Annandale Distillery, the independent single malt specialist, has just unveiled its first 10-year-old age statement whiskies: the Annandale Man O’Words 10-Year-Old and its peated stablemate, the Annandale Man O’Sword 10-Year-Old. 

The bottlings mark a major milestone for the restored distillery, and the team responsible, and they’ve been well worth the wait.

Each of the two 10-year-olds has been matured in a fresh ex-Bourbon cask from Buffalo Trace and bottled at natural cask strength, with no chill filtration or colouring added. What you taste is exactly what the cask gave, undiluted and unblended.  

The Luxe Review was invited to an exclusive London tasting of the two 10YO expressions, at Fortnum & Mason, alongside a carefully curated menu from the historic Globe Inn.

The expressions were contrasted with their respective new makes and younger double oak ex-bourbon unpeated and sherry butt peated iterations, matured in Woodford Reserve and STR red wine casks respectively. 

As with all Annandale whiskies, these are true single cask expressions: what you taste is exactly what the cask gave…

Annandale Man O’Words 10-Year-Old  Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #125 tasting notes

Bottled at 58.8% ABV, this unpeated whisky is limited to 234 bottles. A decade in fresh ex-Bourbon oak has led to vanilla and indulgent caramel on the nose, with a palate rich in orchard fruits, apricot, raisins, sweet toffee and coconut shreds. Complex and moorish, the mouthfeel of this 10YO is delightfully creamy.

Annandale Man O’Sword 10-Year-Old  Fresh Ex-Bourbon Cask #69 tasting notes

Bottled at 57.9% ABV, this peated expression is a surprisingly subtle, smoky dram (at least when compared to the original distillate), in a light, fruity style; it smoulders sweetly on the nose, rather than crackle like a bonfire.  On the palate, green apples, caramelised sugar and baked custard are enlivened by a dash of warming spice, with hints of sticky toffee, and floral parma violets. 

If you think you don’t like peated whiskies, you should definitely give this one a go! The release is limited to 224 bottles.

10-Year milestone for historic distillery

Located just 8 miles north of the border, Annadale was originally founded in 1836 and was one of Scotland’s first legal distilleries. 

When Professor David Thomson and Teresa Church revived the long-dormant distillery in 2014, after acquiring the buildings in 2007, they set out with a vision: to bring world-class single malt production back to the south of Scotland, and to do it their way: uncompromising, characterful, and true to tradition.

Built on a foundation of scientific precision and historical reverence, the distillery was designed with one goal in mind: to craft expressive single cask, single malt whiskies, one cask at a time.

To help realise this vision, the duo enlisted the late, legendary whisky consultant Dr Jim Swan. His influence, from the copper-rich distillation process to the focus on fresh ex-Bourbon casks from revered Kentucky producers, has resulted in a house style that’s bright and fruit-forward.

Man O’Words, which takes its name from Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, represents the distillery’s unpeated range, while Man O’Sword, inspired by Robert the Bruce, the 7th Lord of Annandale, is its peated sibling. 

The latter continues the distillery’s legacy of peated single malt production, a style for which it was famed as early as 1887.

Says Thomson: “One of the things we’re trying to do is make sure both our peated and unpeated expressions have what we call Annandale-ness, a characteristic which pervades our sensory profile – orchard fruits, green apples, conference pears.” 

Annandale Man O’Words 10-Year-Old and Annandale Man O’sword 10-Year-Old are available now, from Annandale Distillery and selected outlets, priced at £110.