Annandale Double Oaked Man O Swords Cask 1437 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 61,1%

A cask already used twice in Kentucky gets a third turn in Scotland. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is made by moving finished bourbon into yet another freshly charred barrel. That barrel then came over here, with peated Scottish malt inside it.

The Expert's Description

Annandale Double Oaked Man O' Sword Cask 1437 is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an ex-Woodford Reserve Double Oaked cask and bottled at 61.1% cask strength. The cask was filled in 2017 and emptied in 2023, giving six years.

Man O' Sword is Annandale's peated range, named after Robert the Bruce. The combination of peat smoke and a double-charred bourbon barrel is unusual: the cask has already given up most of its bourbon character in Kentucky, but the extra char released fresh sugars in the wood, and it is those that meet the smoke here.

The result is powerful and full of character. At 61.1% there is nothing cautious in the bottle, and the whisky is non-chill filtered. Annandale sits in Dumfriesshire in the far south of Scotland and has run both peated and unpeated production since reopening in 2014.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Charred pineapple first, a note you do not meet often, alongside peat smoke and crisp biscuits. Behind them come burnt sugar and a warm, almost resinous wood note from the double-charred cask.

Palate

Black pepper and fire embers open, quickly followed by caramel and a thick sweetness from the wood. The smoke sits in the middle of it all rather than beneath, and the 61.1% gives a full, insistent mouthfeel. There are no soft edges here.

Finish

Long and warm. Smoke, spice and burnt sugar hold on for a good while, with a dry ash note right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Annandale Double Oaked Man O' Sword Cask 1437 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 61.1%
Distillery: Annandale
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 6 years
ABV: 61.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Woodford Reserve Double Oaked cask, cask no. 1437
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2023
Edition: Double Oaked Man O' Sword

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Spiced · Burnt Sugar · Cask Strength · Oaky · Powerful

Did You Know?

Double Oaked is a bourbon technique, not a Scottish one. Woodford Reserve takes fully matured bourbon and moves it into another new charred oak barrel for an extra spell. When that barrel is later shipped to Scotland it arrives with two layers of char and has already given up most of its bourbon sweetness, which produces a very different cask influence from a standard ex-bourbon barrel.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Annandale Double Oaked Man O' Sword Cask 1437 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 61.1%

What does Double Oaked mean?

It is an American technique where finished bourbon is moved into another new charred oak barrel for an extra maturation. This cask was used for that process in Kentucky before Annandale filled it with Scottish malt whisky.

How does a double-charred cask taste different?

The extra char caramelises the sugars in the wood a second time, giving more burnt sugar, more spice and a drier wood edge. In return there is less of the soft vanilla you know from a standard ex-bourbon cask.

How smoky is it compared with other Annandale releases?

The smoke reads more clearly here than in a typical Man O' Sword from a neutral cask, because the double-charred wood pulls in the same direction with its burnt sugar and dryness. The two elements reinforce each other.

Is six years a short time?

On paper yes, but the cask has worked fast and cask strength gives concentration. The whisky carries more wood character than many older releases from refill casks. See other styles in our range of Lowland Whisky.

Who is Man O' Sword named after?

Robert the Bruce, Scotland's warrior king and the seventh Lord of Annandale. The distillery's unpeated range is called Man O' Words after the poet Robert Burns. The sword and the word, smoke and fruit.

Does it need water?

Yes, try it. At 61.1% the whisky is dense, and a few drops of water can open it noticeably without killing the smoke. Taste between each addition, as there is a long way from too little to too much.