Annandale Man O Words & Man O Swords - Whisky Reviews 184 & 185
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Annandale Man O Words Ex Bourbon Cask 152 (59.7%)
& Man O Swords Oloroso Sherry Butt 776 (60.3%)
Whisky Reviews 184 & 185
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• Annandale Man O'Sword ...
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Thanks for reviewing these, Shane. I've been curious about these for a while, but as you mentioned there's a shortage of reviews out there, and the price does deter. Still, I'm now quite intrigued! Cheers. 🥃
Funny how £85+ puts a dampener on people's enthusiasm... Shows lots of promise though. Especially the peated sherried release which really surprised me. Cheers Geoff 🥃
I’m a real fan of Annandale. I find both man o words and swords absolutely cracking. Very complex even tho it’s young, not too over the top with smoke, rich, oily, and long after taste. Man o words, is really special. Sweetness , no saccharine aftertaste, very robust and delicious. Very rustic feel. I love their whisky. Great video. Slainte mhath 🥃👍
Thanks! It's great to see that others are appreciating Annandale's efforts too. I expected these to just be young and wildly overpriced... but I was very pleasantly surprised. You can taste the care and attention to detail and commitment to quality. Now I'm just hoping for a 46% version for around £50 that retains as much of that as possible. I don't know if that kind of thing is in their plan but I'd buy it. Cheers 🥃
Just got the swords sherry butt for $90 USD all in with shipping. For cask strength and shipping, I think it’s decent value for what you get and it’s definitely a good bottle. I’m impressed so far and will keep them in mind in the going forward
That's a good price. Far better than we pay here in the UK. Having tried their peated and sherried stuff I would buy a bottle at that price 👍
Thanks for reviewing another distillery under my radar, which I'm now not in a hurry to check out myself 😅, this is really such useful knowledge distribution for the overextended whisky nerd!
I'd love to hear a lecture someday by a sharp professor of marketing picking apart the various marketing strategies of Scottish distillery start-ups. I feel it is at least as important, if not more so, than the actual product in today's complex global-digital retail environment.
That's what it's all about! Spreading the word and sharing opinions 👍 I know exactly what you mean about 'overextended'. There's simply so much to try these days.
That would be interesting indeed. And I feel that marketing and market position may be very critical for Annandale going forward. If there's a distillery that will need to rely on being able to convince the customer of their quality it will be Annandale.
Thank you for your thorough review! I’m on the watch for this to be available in Boston USA for a friend named Annand.
Great idea! Perhaps look for a half bottle if he's not a whisky drinker though 🤑🙂
Distilled cinnamon jelly beans! I will look for that note :) Thanks for the review Shane I'm curious about Anandale and I did buy the sample pack with the new make but somehow managed to lose it and I have no idea where it is 😅 but yeah sample packs are awesome I wish all the new releases come out with a 5cl sample as well. Cheers my friend🥃
Chances are somebody has actually distilled cinnamon jelly beans 😂 I get that same strong fruity, spicy note on 9/10 STR whiskies. Which is why I'm not a fan. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has more samples than they can keep track of 😒 Cheers 🥃
Super thorough as always👍 And thank you for the shout out 😊
You're very welcome guys. Just sending some views your way before your big return 😉 Hope you're well 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Haha - we have talked about it a few times after enjoying a good dram too many😉 Don't really see it happening though😬
Thanks, hope you are good too🙂
Brilliant review Shane. I remember you mentioned this sample pack a while ago and i kept it in mind. Funny thing is: exactly same sample pack is in my shopping bag at MoM. I found couple of bargains and decided to left it for later. But i definitely go back to buy them. Full bottle as you said is far more too expensive. Cheers and slàinte 🤠🥂🙋🏻♂️
Thanks PB! For whatever reason, this review got pushed back again and again. When I was editing yesterday I was shocked to see that it was actually recorded over a year ago 😬 so yeah, been a while!
The sample pack is well worth getting. You get a good amount (6x50ml) and the quality is very good. It's just a shame that I can't justify the price of a full bottle. A distillery to keep an eye out though. Cheers 🥃
I think there is much to be learned from this model of single cask & cask strength bottlings, but sadly it is uneconomical. One can also bottle single casks at 46% like the IB Hepburn’s Choice which has lots of different options all NCF and NC and at a fair price. But I learned a lot thanks for sharing this Shane. Cheers, S.
Absolutely. We have to give them credit for the extreme craft and prestige presentation. Because it really is.
But not really economical, or logical, for young whisky. Cheers Sandro 🥃
Thanks for the review - I love tasting these new distilleries and really enjoyed your series last year. I've not tasted these and now I'm curious. As old as Ardnamurchan, but so little is drunk - I wonder if they are mainly just putting down stock, selling a bit to enthusiasts just to test the market, and we'll soon see vatted 10 year olds. I'm sold on the sample pack to taste it before that happens! Another whisky I'm really curious to try, but haven't seen many reviews of, is the Wolfburn 10. Might try to find a sample of that too!
I hadn't thought of that but I hope you're right. I'd be very interested in an affordable release from them.
I've only had good things from Wolfburn. I will certainly cover the 10yo soon. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLockI just got the sample pack (with STR so I could get to know the profile better). I really liked the spirit - reminds me of a slightly less sweet Glenturret. Decent price at just over £30.
Hi Shane, Thanks for this great review, this was not a distillery that was on my radar.
Hi Andy. It is very strange that they've been around for so long yet aren't talked about. It can only be the prices...
I enjoyed these samples quite a lot... but those prices 😬
I fully share your strategy for trying a new distillery for the exact same reasons.
If only all distilleries sold packs of 50ml samples! If they believe in their products then why not...
@@WhiskyLockAgreed... I like the 100ml packs a bit better (Glenmorangie's, for example) but that's neither here nor there. A way to explore the range without collecting 6 liters of spirit in the process would be fantastic.
Thanks for that i fancy a bottle of the sherried peat cask
As a pricey splurge it's a good dram 👍 I was surprised how much I liked it. Much better than the bourbon and STR.
I really like the peated sherry meikle tor 😀
Thanks for this review Shane. I tried a similar mini of the Annandale Sherry Cask Man O Swords while visiting Scotland this year. I think you're right that the sherry cask hides its youth well. I didn't find, for the price, anything compelling enough to purchase a full bottle. Keenly watching for what the future has in store though. Thanks again man. Probably the most comprehensive take on Anandale on RUclips. Cheers 🥃
Thank you very much. The whisky is very promising but I agree, not interesting enough for the prices being asked. I'm sure they could do great things with the right guidance though. Cheers 🥃
Great review of a distillery that's so far gone totally under the radar. The Whisky Barrel have a cask strength 6 year old peated Annandale that you can pick up for £42 which I was very impressed by. As you identified on the sherry cask Man O Swords, it possesses the same meaty sherry quality which borders on umami for me, alongside plenty of warm spice and coffee notes, all very well integrated as you say.
That sounds like a really great buy. Nice to hear that we picked out some similar notes too. Cheers 🥃
I picked up a tasting pack a few years ago whilst stopping off the M6 southbound. Im not a sherry guy at all but i agree that the best expression of the 3 peated and 3 unpeated are the sherry butt. The best out the 2, being a peathead? The unpeated 🤯 i forget what cask no it was but was listed online to purchase. I forget the absolute price but it was over £200, i had to make a hard pass.
Shocking! 😳 I didn't initially pay much attention to the peated and sherried but it really surprised me too and became my favourite. Very unexpected.
Like you, the price prevented what would've been a purchase for me too. Maybe they're producing such small volumes that they don't need many sales? I don't know. I hope they come out with more affordable options though.
Good review as always Lock but back to you is it worth 2 x Ardbeg 10's ;-). near as dam it.
As a few of the early posters have stated you can have 2 good 12,or 10yr stuff for the same money that you know is a no risk purchase for you're hard earned.
I wish then all the luck in the world.
Absolutely!... not... 😒
It's clear that Annandale in its current form just isn't a good value buy. It is very good though and shows as much promise as any of the current crop of new distilleries. I hope they figure something out and continue to succeed.
I found one retailer selling Annandale in NZ, the fresh ex bourbon cask and the double oak. Price is mid $160s NZD for 70cl bottle. I won't be buying it at that price and the miniatures don't seem to be available here. For comparison Ardnamurchan Cask Str. I can get for approx. $110 NZD. Cheers!
I know which one I'd go for at those prices. It's worth keeping an eye out for Annandale but their current price point is a problem.
Price wise, no different in Australia Double it for currency conversion & add some extra for taxes. I accept these new distilleries need cashflow, but Gin & gimmicky new-make usually ticks that box, & I'm happy for them to do that, coz it doesnt appeal to me haha. The samples are indeed a smart idea.
Samples are always welcome with me! If they're confident in their product then why not?
I think Billy Walker understands youthful spirit the best in releasing his 5 year range of peated Meikle Tòir.
Too many/most new distilleries are forced due to financial pressure to release way too young spirit… to their potential detriment.
Cheers 🥃
I haven't tried Meikle Toir yet. Along with Thompson Bros it's on my red hot, must try list.
I do think that peat, especially when there's lots of it, is a good way to hide youth though. In fact there are several 5yo peated malts that I miss because they've been replaced by older, 'better' things... Cheers John 🥃
I bought the sample with the new make spirit included about a year ago. I really like their peated and unpeated whiskies both, once you proof them down to a lower ABV. There’s an Annandale signature there, though I can’t describe what it is. I mixed both peated and unpeated new make spirits together and dropped a couple of oak chips in the blend. We’ll see what comes out of that experiment.
Creating a distinctive style is no mean feat and I agree that Annandale has done it. I think their spirit has very good body and that may be part of it. Wish you luck with the experiment!
Thank you mate!
Interesting. Have to try it
Totally worth it to get the sample pack, Gert 👍
What happened to my two comments from the 15th February? I see them in my Comments history but they don't appear below your video. Have they been shadow banned or put in a SPAM folder somehow?
Hi Reb. I don't have anything in my 'held messages', which should be kept for 60 days. RUclips does regularly do odd things though.
🥃👍🏻😁😁
I had a sample of the Man of Words - expensive, spirit forward (putting it politely) and poor cask integration, neither water nor time made the situation better - I won't be going back for more in a hurry.
It'd really help if they put vintages on the samples so we knew what we were comparing but I thought what I had was fairly well integrated for the age. Except the STR expressions which just aren't for me.
There will certainly be lots of others making this same judgement though. Bold move to go young and cask strength...
@@WhiskyLock I've found the sample bottle I had, Man of Words, Fresh Ex Bourbon, Cask 488, Distilled 2015 bottled 2023, 57.3%. As I recall it was about £12.75 for 5cl.
Have you seen the news about Bimber?
Wow... no I hadn't. I hope this doesn't affect Bimber, Dunphail or their staff.
Yeah shocking news
Single cask is not necessary for a new whisky.
Sadly I have to agree. Or at least it shouldn't be the only option. These guys need to get their name out their with a 46% version for around £45-50...
Good to hear your take on these. They're just too expensive for me. By the way Chris Goodrum reviewed the lot about a year ago. I left a comment about the suitability of the sample pack. I'll leave the links. Cheers. WT
ruclips.net/video/9LKuokQWPfQ/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/seUy2rvFAYM/видео.html
The price is certainly a glaring issue with what is otherwise a very promising distillery. I would've been very happy to buy a bottle of the peated and sherried one if the price were more in line with other distilleries. I'll hold out for one hell of a discount 🤞 Thanks for the links. Cheers 🥃
If this is released in the US, you would be paying twice what you pay for even the sample pack.
Sad times...
£85 sorry not for me.
I imagine that's the reaction that most will have. Which is a massive shame because the whisky shows a hell of a lot of promise. I can see them making amazing, artisan whisky that's some of the best in the world once they have older stock.
But with their prices so high you have to worry if they'll get that far. I mean, I loved the peated and sherried version but even I'm not going to pay the asking price. What does that tell us? 😕
One to keep an eye out for.
As you suggested in your video, you could buy two very good bottles (Deanston 12, Glencadam 10, Arran 10 etc.) for the same price. As a relatively new whisky drinker if I had that kind of money I would be looking for a 15/18 year old rather than a nas from a new distillery. It will be interesting to see how they develop in the next couple of years. Another good review 👍