During my travels through southern Scotland, I visited Annandale Distillery in Annan while exploring Scotch whisky distillery tours. It is a historic whisky distillery once owned by Johnnie Walker and now revived as a modern single malt producer.
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This visit gave me rare access inside the whisky-making process and a first-hand look at one of Scotland’s most carefully restored distilleries.
TL:DR
I visited Annandale Distillery in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, a historic Scottish whisky distillery once owned by Johnnie Walker. After a major revival, it now produces exceptional single malt whisky and offers one of the most informative distillery tours in Scotland.
Scotch Whisky Distillery Tours at Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway
Annandale Distillery has operated across four distinct eras of whisky production, separated by long periods of silence and renewal. This layered history shapes both the site and the spirit produced today.
Foundations and Early Whisky Production
Construction of Annandale Distillery began in 1830 and finished in 1836 under George Donald’s direction. The location offered reliable water sources, local peat, and strong maturation conditions.
The distinctive pink sandstone buildings defined the site and still shape its character today. In 1836, Annandale began legal whisky production, making it one of Scotland’s early licensed distilleries.
Production relied on traditional equipment and manual labour. Workers produced peated whisky using methods that demanded time, strength, and experience.
Ownership Changes and Victorian Expansion
After George Donald’s death in 1883, John Sykes Gardiner took control of the distillery. He modernised operations while maintaining peated single malt production for the following decade.
In 1893, Johnnie Walker and Sons purchased Annandale Distillery. They used its peated spirit as a component within their blended whiskies.
During this period, the distillery gained several defining architectural features. These included the Charles Doig pagoda roof kiln, a tall brick chimney, and expanded warehousing. All remain visible today.
Closure, War, and a Long Silence
Annandale Distillery halted production in 1918 following the First World War. The site then entered a prolonged period without whisky production.
For nearly ninety years, the distillery remained silent. Buildings survived, but whisky-making ceased entirely during this hiatus.
Restoration and the modern distillery era
In 2007, Professor David Thomson and Teresa Church acquired the site with plans to restore full production. Their goal focused on authenticity rather than large-scale industrial output.
Dr Jim Swan joined the project in 2008 to design the modern production plant. Renovation work began in 2009, stabilising historic structures and sourcing matching slate and pink sandstone after they located the original quarries.
The Charles Doig pagoda roof required minimal repair and remains one of only five original examples still standing. Archaeological excavations followed, led by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD).
When I visited, I saw a fenced viewing area of the exposed brickwork showing the original pot still bases from the earlier distillery layout. The exposed masonry looked consistent with the older still-house footprint from the Johnnie Walker era. For official site records, Historic Environment Scotland lists Annandale in its Trove database.
Production Returns and The Fourth Whisky Era
On 9 November 2014, Annandale Distillery produced its first spirit of the modern era. This marked the beginning of the site’s fourth phase of whisky production.
The distillery produces both unpeated and peated Scotch Whisky alongside some special blends and private casks.
Each matures across a range of cask types. Annandale also produces private and shared ownership casks which I can be curated from bourbon casks from Kentucky whiskey distilleries. These include barrels which once held coveted Wild Turkey, Pinhook or Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskeys and they are selected for flavour development.
Wine barrels are sourced from a variety of prestigious vineyards across France, Spain, Italy and others including the likes of Chateau Pere Verge Pomerol, Chateau Latour, Sauternes in Bordeaux and Sassicaia in Tuscany.
Annandale also offers Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks, as well as a variety of Sherry casks and specialist casks such as Spanish, Greek or Columbian virgin Oak.
The visitor centre officially opened on 10 September 2015 following a £10.5 million restoration. HRH The Princess Royal reopened the distillery to the public.
In 2018, Annandale released its first legally matured bottlings. The event marked a full return to commercial whisky production after nearly a century.
What to Expect on Scotch Whisky Distillery Tours at Annandale
I joined a scheduled group tour booked directly through the distillery gift shop. The tour takes visitors through original buildings and carefully restored production spaces, blending heritage with modern distilling practice.
You see the mash tuns, washbacks, stills, and filled cask areas while learning how each stage shapes flavour and character. The guide explains the process clearly and without rushing, making the experience accessible to all levels.
I was granted permission to film most parts of the whisky-making process during my visit. Some stages were intentionally edited out at the distillery’s request. At the time of filming, no other YouTube creator had documented the production process on site.
Touring the Historic Annandale Distillery Site
Annandale produces two distinct single malt styles that define its modern identity. Man O’Sword is the peated expression, while Man O’Words is unpeated and lighter in character.
As a result, both whisky names draw directly from Scottish history and national identity. Man O’Sword references Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s warrior king during the Wars of Independence. He led Scotland through prolonged conflict and secured victory at Bannockburn in 1314. His legacy represents strength, resolve, and leadership forged through warfare. Accordingly, the peated character of Man O’Sword reflects that heritage through bolder flavour, smoke, and intensity associated with battle and resistance.
In contrast, Man O’Words honours Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet and cultural voice. Burns shaped Scottish literature, language, and identity through poetry rather than force. His work explored politics, love, social justice, and everyday life using powerful language. Therefore, the unpeated style of Man O’Words mirrors that clarity, balance, and expressive subtlety. Together, these whiskies link Scottish whisky production with history, storytelling, and national heritage.
Storyman by James Cosmo Featured on Scotch Whisky Distillery Tours
During the tour, I also learned about Storyman, a whisky blend created by Scottish actor James Cosmo. James Cosmo is best known for his role as Campbell in Braveheart and Jeor Mormont in Game of Thrones.
That television role continues to draw interest from fans of the series, adding a layer of pop-culture recognition to the Storyman whisky without overshadowing its Scottish roots.
Storyman reflects Cosmo’s deep connection to Scottish storytelling, history, and culture. The blend takes its name from that tradition and aligns closely with Annandale’s heritage-led approach to whisky. Including Storyman within the visitor experience adds cultural context rather than celebrity novelty. It reinforces how Annandale links whisky production with Scottish identity and narrative.
The tour balances historical storytelling with technical detail, which places Annandale among the Best Scotch distillery tours for visitors seeking depth rather than spectacle.
Whisky Tastings and Designated Drivers on Scotch Whisky Distillery Tours
The tour includes tastings of four to five whisky’, including both core single malt expressions produced on site. These tastings allow visitors to explore the contrast between peated and unpeated styles.
Flavour profiles range from gentle smoke to clean, malty sweetness, reflecting careful distillation and maturation choices. The tasting session provides context for how production decisions influence character. Every visitor experiences the full whisky selection without compromise.
Designated drivers receive the same tasting allocation as other guests. Staff provide sealed 15ml tot-sized branded miniature bottles to take away instead. This approach respects Scotland’s strict drink-drive limits, which are among the toughest in Europe. The legal limit is 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. This threshold is so low that even small tastings risk breaching the limit. This allows everyone to participate fully in the tasting experience without risking prosecution.
@aspietravels YouTube video from the day:
Visitor Facilities and Accessibility
I also stayed at a nearby former asylum hotel while visiting Annandale Distillery, and if you’re planning a trip yourself, you can also book a stay at the same hotel.
Annandale Distillery offers ample free parking near the visitor centre, with bays suitable for cars and disabled parking is located opposite the bonded warehouse, closer to the main buildings for easier access. Upon first entry to the site, there is a large gravel parking area where touring caravans and motorhomes can also park, there is a flat surface to the entrance and around the ground floor of the buildings and cafe.
Well-maintained male, female, and accessible toilets are available on site. The layout is straightforward and clearly signposted, making the visit stress-free from arrival to departure.
The Maltings Café at Annandale Distillery Visitor Centre
The Maltings Café on-site serves freshly cooked meals, cakes, hot and cold drinks throughout the day. I found the service friendly and efficient, with plenty of seating inside and outside for tour groups and casual visitors. A visit to the café works particularly well before or after a tour and adds value for those travelling longer distances.
Annandale Distillery offers free Wi-Fi in the Maltings Café, although I never use public networks without a VPN, which I explain in more detail in my post on why I use a VPN when away from home.
Transparency and Filming Acknowledgement
I paid for my place on the group distillery tour. The Annandale Distillery Company team kindly allowed me to film on their premises to create my YouTube video. Their cooperation made the project possible. I was not remunerated in any way, and all opinions remain my own.
As I was creating content at Annandale Distillery with multiple cameras and my DJI Mini drone, having a dedicated tech bag to keep everything organised and secure was a real advantage, which I explain in more detail in my review of the Stubble & Co tech bag
Planning Your Visit to Annandale Distillery
Annandale Distillery is located at Northfield, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG12 5LL.
If you are exploring Scottish whisky distillery tours in the south of Scotland, Annandale is well worth visiting. Its combination of history, production access, and thoughtful storytelling genuinely stands out.
Full tour information is available at http://www.annandaledistillery.com
