Annandale
Pair Annandale with a round
Founded in 1836, mothballed in 1918, and resurrected in 2014 by Professor David Thomson. Unusually produces both unpeated (Man O' Words) and heavily peated (Man O' Sword) single malts from the same site — named after the two sides of Robert Burns' character.
Annandale is Dumfries & Galloway's revived distillery — founded 1836, closed 1918, reopened 2014 by Professor David Thomson. It unusually produces two completely different styles from the same site: Man O' Words (unpeated, named for Robert Burns) and Man O' the Sword (heavily peated, named for Robert the Bruce). Both are good; the peated version is more distinctive.
Visiting Annandale
Contact distillery
Northfield, Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
DG12 5LL
- Shop
- Café/Restaurant
- Parking
Core range
Man O' Words (single cask, cask strength)
Single casks — bourbon, sherry and STR; bottled at cask strength (typically 58–62%)
Annandale doesn't do standard-strength core bottlings — Man O' Words is released as vintage single casks at cask strength, from around £80 (the first 10-year-olds, March 2025, carried a £110 RRP). Unpeated, named for Robert Burns.
Man O' Sword (single cask, cask strength)
Single casks — bourbon, sherry and STR; heavily peated; bottled at cask strength (typically 58–62%)
Heavily peated Lowland — an unusual category — released as vintage single casks at cask strength from around £80, not as a fixed-strength core bottling. Named for Robert the Bruce.
Food pairings
| Whisky | Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Man O' Words | Mild Dumfriesshire cheese or oatcakes | Light, unpeated character suits gentle dairy. |
| Man O' the Sword | Smoked game or venison | Heavily peated expression suits bold Highland game. |
Getting there
Car. Annan on the B6357, near the English border — 1.5 hours from Edinburgh.
Where to eat nearby
- Annan town centreArea
Basic facilities in Annan.
- Dumfries restaurantsArea
Better dining in Dumfries, 20 min west.
Where to stay near Annandale
Annandale distillery is in Annan in Dumfries and Galloway — the first Lowland distillery in the region for over 90 years when it reopened in 2014. Annan is on the A75 between Carlisle (18 miles) and Dumfries (15 miles). Gretna Green is 8 miles east — a natural addition for visitors crossing from England. Dumfries has the best hotel range in the area.
Near Annan — coastal hotel.
Dumfries — larger town options, 20 min west.
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of Annandale.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Location
Northfield, Annan, Dumfries & Galloway, DG12 5LL
View on map →Frequently asked questions
+Who are Man O' Words and Man O' the Sword named after?
Man O' Words is named for Robert Burns (born in Ayrshire, died in Dumfries). Man O' the Sword refers to Robert the Bruce — both have strong connections to south-west Scotland.
+Where is Annandale distillery?
Annandale is in the Lowlands. Postcode DG12.
+When was Annandale distillery founded?
Annandale was founded in 1836, making it roughly 190 years old.
Compare with similar distilleries
The two-style approach is similar to BenRiach or Ardnamurchan. The peated Lowland is genuinely unusual.
Ardnamurchan
The most westerly distillery on the British mainland, run by renowned independent bottler Adelphi and powered by 100% renewable energy. Produces both peated and unpeated spirit which is then blended in the flagship AD bottling.
BenRiach
One of the most experimental distilleries in Speyside — making peated, unpeated and triple-distilled spirit on the same site, and famous for adventurous wine-cask finishes.
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