Annandale 2015 (North Star Spirits)

“Leaving Only Ash-Filled Ashtrays”

Whisky Review # 1082

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Region: Lowlands

Brand: Annandale - Distilled: November 2015

Bottled By: North Star Spirits (NSS) - Cask Series 021

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Bottled: November 2022

Age: 7 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 54.9% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt - 458 Bottles 
Chill Filtration: No

Price Range: US$ 70-120 (January 2026)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍 Okay at max. US$ 80

Buying Advice: 😐 Very interesting but not for everybody. Try a sample first!

Colour:

Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose:

There's a Dirty feel to the Nose of this Annandale. It's not unlike Campbeltown but not as refined. It's very Earthy as well. In fact it's like smelling dirty factory smoke while standing on a muddy track after a long downpour. The Sherry influence is discrete. There is some Sulfur around though. This certainly isn't mainstream Malt and that's a plus in my book. This isn't for everybody though.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Demerara Sugar, Treacle, Yeast, Burnt Buttered Toast, Dirty Factory Smoke, Forest Floor after a Rain shower, Wet Earth, Grass and Mud, Musty Old Wood, Dried Fruit like Sultanas, Plums and Prunes, Pork on the BBQ, Charred Casks, Unripe Berries, Cinnamon and Aniseed 

    

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Caramel, Struck Matches, Wet Asphalt, Tar, Rubber Tires, Tobacco, Cooked Vegetables, Worn down Leather, Cigar Butts in a full Ashtray, Scottish Fruitcake, Dark Chocolate, Ginger and Mint. 

Palate:

Quite close to Campbeltown now but slightly Thinner. On the Palate we find a mix of Sweet, Bitter, Muddy and Burnt notes. There's still some Sulfur around and the Alcohol is a bit more noticeable. I would have liked a bit more Sherry influence.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Burnt Buttered Toast, Oil, Factory Smoke, Forest Floor, Wet Mud & Straw, Matches, Cigar Ashes, Dried Fruit like Sultanas, Plums and Figs, Charred Oak, Salted Pork on the BBQ, Cinnamon, Pepper, Cloves and Nutmeg.   

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Toffee, Vanilla, Tobacco, Old Leather, Asphalt, Tar, Rubber, X-Mas Cake, Ginger and Dark Chocolate. 

Finish:

Middle-Long and Dirty. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. Burnt notes here too. After a while you feel like you've licked an Ashtray. My least favorite part of this Annandale. I also find Toasted Malt, Toffee, Caramel, Treacle, Wet Forest Floor, Wet Mud/Grass, Cigar Ashes, Factory Smoke, Sulfur, Rubber, Tar, Asphalt, Charred Oak, X-Mas Cake, Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Pepper, Aniseed and Ginger. A hint of Dry-rubbed Pork on a very smoky BBQ.  

Drinking Advice:

Added Water does not improve this Annandale in my opinion.

Rating: 7 (*******)

Nose: 7.5 - Taste: 7.5 - Finish: 6.5 

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat: 

Weird but interesting.

Conclusion:

Annandale was originally founded in the 1830's. It was owned by Johnnie Walker from 1895 to 1918 when it closed. Naturally the distillery ground was in a poor condition when it was bought by David Thomson and his wife. It was a huge task to transform the place into a working distillery but finally the first spirit saw the light in 2014. The distillery specializes in Single casks. The main whiskies are the un-peated Man O'Words and the peated Man O'Sword. A 10 Year old was released last year. North Star Spirits is an independent bottler founded in 2016 and located in Glasgow.

It's my first Annandale and for sure I will try to get more samples of this Lowland distillery. This expression by North Star is certainly interesting. It's dirty in the style of Campbeltown but it misses balance. I blame the cask for that. It does not provide sufficient Sweet Fruity notes to soften up the dirt. In fact while reviewing the Finish I had to think of a specific line from the song Homburg by Procol Harum that thus became the title of this review. But I certainly see the potential of this distillery and am looking forward to taste additional expressions. 

Cheers! 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                    January 31, 2026