We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
Region: Lowlands
Owner: Annandale Distillery Company
Founded: 2014
The original Annandale distillery was built in 1830 by a former excise officer called George Donald. He ran the distillery until 1883 when it passed into the hands of John S Gardener, which embarked upon a modest expansion of the distillery, increasing its production capacity to approximately 10,600 litres, which by any standards is pretty small.
For example two of Scotland’s smallest distilleries, Edradour and fellow Lowland distillery Glasgow produce just over ten times as much and the current iteration of the distillery produces around 500,000 litres of spirit annually.
In 1896 the distillery was purchased by John Walker & Sons, whoever by 1919 the company had decided that it was surplus to requirements and proceeded to strip out all the kit. By 1921 the distillery was pretty much a shell and could have easily ended up as a foot note in the annals of whisky production, but that was not about to happen, although it took a bit of a detour first.
The buildings were purchased by the Robinson family, who were the producers of the well known breakfast cereal ‘Provost Oats’. Thus the distillery was converted into a production line for said cereal and the warehouse were used to store cattle. The remainder of the buildings lay unused and fell into disrepair.
Barley, however was back on the menu come 2007, when the site was purchased by the Annandale Distillery Company, which had been founded by husband and wife, David Thomson and Teresa Chruch.
The company raised around £10.5 million and set about restoring the distillery to its former glory.
Seven years late production started again at the distillery and the first cask was filled on the 15th November 2014 They decided that the distillery would produce both unpeated and peated spirit. The unpeated spirit would be called Man O’ Words, after the poet Robert Burns and the peated spirit would be called Man O’ Swords, after King Robert The Bruce.
The distillery opted for a reasonably long fermentation time of between 66 and 96 hours, with tall slim necked 4000 litre spirit stills which feature a boil ball. After tasting their new make spirit it would appear that they have created a spirit more in the ‘old fashioned/ Bladnoch’ style of spirit produced in the Lowlands, with an emphasis on a straw-like barley character as opposed to the overt estery type of spirit that some of the other new Lowland distilleries, such as Glasgow, Lindores Abbey or Kingsbarns.
Gift Ideas & Vouchers
Explore our handpicked selection of unique and exquisite gift ideas and customisable vouchers, that are sure to delight any wine or spirit enthusiast. From luxurious bottles to personalised experiences, let us help you discover the perfect gift to leave that lasting impression.
Latest Offer's
Introducing our latest wine and spirits offers! Keep an eye out for our limited-time deals on exceptional bottles & mixed cases from our beloved & highly renowned domaines and distilleries, as-well as exclusive first come first serve En-Primeur offers from the latest vintages.
Private / Corporate Tastings
Whether you are organising a corporate event, team building activity, or an intimate celebration with friends and family, let us at Gauntleys help enhance the occasion. With decades of expertise in the industry, we can help curate an exceptional tasting tailored to your preferences and requirements.
Events Calendar
Whether it is wine or whisky that whets your whistle, you will not want to miss our regular tasting evenings, often held in our store in the center of Nottingham.
Be the first to hear about new releases, offers, bottlings, limited editions and our tasting events
Join thousands of other wine & whisky lovers & subscribe to get all the news from Gauntleys, our latest offerings & tasting events
© 2025 Gauntleys of Nottingham Ltd
Company No: 00547227
