Annandale Man O’Swords Fino Cask
Single Cask Official Bottling | 61% ABV
Score: 5/10
Average. In a Good Way.
TL;DR
The nose promises, but an aggressive palate doesn’t encourage a second pour
Lost bottles.
I’ve had two suitcases of clothes ruined by whisky.
I’ll refine that statement; one suitcase ruined and another spoiled. The first occasion was entirely my fault. On two counts.
First was a whiskey I had already opened prior to packing and secondly, I packed it with all of my Angel’s baseball shirts, which just happened to be white. The bottle in question was Wild Turkey Rye, and as it was almost entirely full, I was not going to leave it in the US. Despite taping up the cork, it unloaded almost 70cl of whiskey all over my white shirts and that was the end of their usefulness as attire.
The second bottle was a little more alarming. Again, travelling back from the US, I had three bottles: two Bourbons and a Scott’s Selection 1968 Longmorn – an exceptional dram that had cost north of $500 - and this was over ten years ago. These were sealed in bags before being put into one of those plastic blow-up three-packs. Wisdom told me the safest one would be in the middle. So much for (my) wisdom.
Some of you may have gone through this, and there is a moment when you stand in the baggage retrieval area of an airport and notice that part of the carousel is wet. For just a split second, you think ‘some poor sod…’ before you grimace at the realisation that it’s your suitcase unloading the remainder of that special bottle. As the carousel gets closer and you unmistakably recognise your belongings, it is everyone else that collectively sighs, before letting out a muted chortle.
Remarkably, and I must tip my hat to the ingenuity and skill of the baggage handlers, my bottle of 1968 Longmorn was smashed to smithereens whilst the two bottles on either side were completely untouched. So accomplished was the crushing of my expensive bottle that the broken glass tore open the sealed bag and the bubble packaging, allowing the contents to properly disperse throughout my luggage and onto the baggage carousel.
You didn’t need to be Hercule Poirot to realise that a) this had only just happened – in fact moments before the suitcase had been placed on the carousel (if not at that exact moment) and b) an incredible force had been applied – likely by someone either running over the suitcase, jumping on it or throwing it with such ferocity and accuracy that say a trailer bumper or carousel leading edge could find its way deep into the suitcase and explode the vintage Scotch.
Useless to complain, by the way. Baggage handlers are not responsible for contents – a get out of jail card that they seem to go above and beyond to explore. The airline waves you away, as baggage handlers are airport staff, and therefore have nothing to do with them. The airport waves you away because, frankly, you are one of millions and they couldn’t care less. The response of ‘Well, you clearly didn’t pack the bottle well enough’ just brings a red mist, and you realise the next thing you want to say could get you removed smartly and swiftly from the premises. Remember, airport staff are only one step away from Customs Officials – born with the empathy and humour of a Stalinist list compiler. Nihilism doesn’t quite capture their attitude, certainly not regarding your life and troubles.
I’ve heard worse stories (feel free to share), so I count myself relatively lucky to have only lost two bottles. My solution was brought about by luck. I bought a couple of bottles from someone out of state in the US, and when the bottles were delivered, they came in a three-pack polystyrene case (worth noting that it was clearly evident an official had opened the package to inspect and resealed with government tape – just so I’d know. Nothing was taken). This three-pack was so sturdy you could almost stand on it, and it has travelled to and from the US (and beyond) for almost a decade. Sadly, I no longer have it, but then I don’t travel as much as I used to.
I’ll leave you with one of the most distressing airport baggage failures (not a guitar – these are too heavy to retell). During the 1990s and early 2000s, Stephen Hendry was the best snooker player in the world. He blitzed out the old guard of snooker’s sleepy elite and paved the way for a new level within the sport that wasn’t matched until Ronnie O’Sullivan took over as the best player to ever wield a cue. Hendry’s career was cut tragically short when, on a flight back from Thailand, the only cue he had ever owned (a childhood gift from his parents) was destroyed. Hendry was never the same and retired not long after.
Puts my bottles of whisky into perspective.
Review
Annandale Man O’Swords, Cask 342 ex-fino, 2018, bottled 2023, 61% ABV
£95 paid. Single cask releases
I recall the above woes due to me nearly dropping this bottle before it was even open. I take my photos in the small patio/garden area out of the back of my house, and, as is so often the case in January, it is wet. Jostling my phone camera, carton and bottle, I momentarily lost control of the bottle but managed to flick it back up with my foot and catch it under my arm. Phew!
Score: 5/10
Average.
TL;DR
The nose promises, but an aggressive palate doesn’t encourage a second pour
Nose
BBQ flavours. The nose is sweet, but the peat is evident under that sweetness – and is surprisingly coastal. Despite the 61% there is no, or at least little burn (remembering I am an old git and my olfactory senses are perhaps a little more immune than others). I’m getting a little waft of vanilla under those sweet BBQ notes, and whilst no expert on Sherry, I would never have guessed this had anything to do with a Fino Sherry. With a bit of air, the peat becomes more peppery and slightly more enticing – this is the peated version after all. No point in small measures.
Palate
Immediately sweet but also quite ashy. It is a full-on, frontal attack of the palate with the 61%; this needs some water (it is either four or five years old after all). Ah, water definitely makes it more palatable, but it also highlights the youth – in quite a big way. There’s an aggressiveness to this that frankly stings the tongue. From the nose I had expected - hoped - for more.
The Dregs
I’ve tasted more than a dozen Annandale expressions (there are a lot to choose from) and this is one of the better ones. Having said that, I still don’t know what Annandale whisky is; I couldn’t explain it to anyone. Without a core release or any attempt at repeating a ‘style’, it is hard to understand - and even harder to recommend. At this price point, there is simply no way I am recommending this bottling over, say, fifty other whiskies currently available at the price. Maybe more. Maybe a lot more.
We all love single cask whiskies, but we also love the identity of a distillery, while Annandale continually release everything as single cask it’s really very difficult to connect with, or recommend their malt.
It is time Annandale admitted this. They are over ten years old now. They need to convey the style of whisky their distillery makes by producing a couple of core releases allowing drinkers to get to grips with what they are about. If, for nothing else, getting their currently nonsensical price points to a retail sweet-spot place where 95% of drinkers will actually take a risk.
Until that happens, for most of us who care, in many ways a once-lost distillery is still lost.
Score: 5/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. FF
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