Annandale 10 year old Man O Swords Cask 39 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 58,6%

Cask number 39 was filled in the first year the distillery ran after nearly a century of silence. Ten years later it has been emptied again: 239 bottles of the peated style Annandale named after a king who beat the English.

The Expert's Description

Annandale 10 Years Old Man O' Sword Cask 39 is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a refill ex-bourbon cask and bottled at 58.6% cask strength. Cask 39 was distilled in 2014 and bottled in 2025, yielding 239 bottles.

Man O' Sword is the distillery's peated range, named after Robert the Bruce, Scotland's warrior king and the seventh Lord of Annandale. The unpeated style is called Man O' Words after Robert Burns. Two Roberts, two entirely different whiskies, and it is the peated one in this bottle.

A refill bourbon cask is a more restrained choice than a first fill. The wood gives less vanilla and less sweetness, letting the smoke and the spirit’s own fruitiness come through more plainly across ten years. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and the colour is a pale clear gold precisely because the cask gave little.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet peat smoke first, mixed with dark syrup and soft butter. The smoke is present but restrained rather than overwhelming. Ripe apples and a drier cereal note sit behind.

Palate

Fresh and rounded at the same time. Apples and pears open with clear fruitiness, quickly followed by the smoke and a green grassy freshness that tells you the whisky comes from the Lowlands. The texture is oily and carries the flavours well.

Finish

Long, warm and persistent. Wood, spice and smoked malt in balance, where the smoke lengthens the experience rather than shouting over the finer nuances.

Specifications

Name: Annandale 10 Years Old Man O' Sword Cask 39 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 58.6%
Distillery: Annandale
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 58.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill ex-bourbon cask, cask no. 39
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2014
Bottled: 2025
Number of bottles: 239
Edition: Man O' Sword

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Fresh · Spiced · Cask Strength · Grassy

Investment Potential

Medium. The cask was filled in the distillery's first year of production, and only 239 bottles exist. Ten year old releases from revived distilleries are a one-off performance: once that vintage is emptied, it cannot be repeated.

Did You Know?

Annandale fell silent in 1918 and was later used as a production line for Provost porridge oats. The buildings stood decaying for decades until David Thomson and Teresa Church began a thorough restoration. The first spirit ran from the stills on 9 November 2014, and cask number one was filled six days later, in the original 1830s warehouse.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Annandale 10 Years Old Man O' Sword Cask 39 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 58.6%

What is the difference between Man O' Sword and Man O' Words?

Smoke. Man O' Sword is the distillery's peated style, named after Robert the Bruce. Man O' Words is the unpeated one, named after Robert Burns. Same distillery, same stills, two entirely different malts.

How peated is it?

Moderately. The smoke is sweet and restrained rather than medicinal, and it sits as a floor beneath the fruit rather than filling the whole glass. If you are used to heavy Islay peat, this will read as measured.

What does refill bourbon cask mean?

That the cask has held whisky before. It gives less vanilla, less colour and less sweetness than a first fill cask, but lets the spirit’s own character and the smoke come through more clearly. The colour in the bottle is therefore paler than ten years would otherwise suggest.

Why are there only 239 bottles?

Because the whisky comes from a single cask. After ten years of evaporation there is nothing more left, and no other batch of this exact cask exists. The next cask from the same year will taste different.

What characterises Lowland whisky, and does this fit?

Traditionally Lowland is lighter, softer and grassy with no peat smoke. Annandale breaks with that last part, deliberately making peated whisky in a region not otherwise known for it. See our full range of Lowland Whisky.

Does it need water?

Try it neat first. At 58.6% a few drops of water can loosen the smoke and draw the fruit forward, but it will not take unlimited amounts. Add slowly and taste as you go so you do not drown the green freshness.