PRINCESS ROYAL OFFICIALLY OPENS ANNANDALE DISTILLERY
Written by author on September 12, 2015
IT was a big day for the Annandale Distillery complex when Princess Anne arrived to perform the official opening of the new £10.5 million facility..
On Thursday 10th September 2015, HRH The Princess Royal visited Annandale Distillery and Visitor Centre. The historic distillery was established in 1836 and reborn in 2014 following an extensive £10.5million restoration project.
Distillery Founder and Owner, Professor David Thomson was presented to HRH by the Deputy Lieutenant of Dumfries, Lady Eileen Duncan. Professor Thomson presented Owners, Teresa Church and Doctor Stephen Green, Distillery Manager, Malcolm Rennie and Visitor Experience Manager, Linny Oliphant.
During the visit HRH toured the distillery and met Mashman, Mark Trainor, Stillman, Darren Irving and Warehouse Operative, Jordan Holliday before officially opening Annandale Distillery and Visitor Centre by unveiling a plaque in the spectacular Maltings Coffee Shop.
Commenting on the visit, Professor David Thomson said: “The visit is a great honour and memorable occasion for us all at Annandale Distillery, recognising the work and achievements of all who work here and those involved in the mammoth restoration project.”
Professor Thomson and Teresa Church presented HRH with a cask of peated spirit and invited HRH to hammer in the bung. This cask is now on display and held in maturation in the Annandale Distillery bonded warehouse for the next 10 years.
HRH signed the Visitor Book and 5 year old Lockerbie schoolgirl, Falon Oliphant presented a posy. On her departure, 16 year old piper, Jack Cowan of The Royal Burgh of Annan Pipe band played ‘Mist Covered Mountains’ in the courtyard.
VIP guests included The Rt Hon David Mundell MP, ex Scottish Rugby Union player, Doddie Weir and delegates from Historic Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Enterprise, Visit Scotland, Forsyths of Rothes and MMR Research Worldwide Ltd.
Guests enjoyed a celebratory lunch which included haggis burgers supplied by J.B. Houston of Dumfries served with New Make Malt Spirit ‘Rascally Liquor’ relish, luxury Stewart’s shortbread and handmade chocolates supplied by Abbotts of Langholm. The vast crowd spectating the event included Elmvale and Hecklegirth Primary Schools.
1)Annandale Distillery is the ‘first’ and ‘last’ distillery in Scotland, situated only a few miles off the motorway network.
2)Annandale, a former ‘Johnnie Walker’ distillery, ceased production in 1918. Never before has a Scotch Whisky distillery awoken from such a deep sleep.
3)Robert Burns, Scotland’s national bard, worked as an exciseman in Annan and doubtless visited the site when it was an elicit distillery.
4)Established in 1836, Annandale is one of the oldest operational distilleries in Scotland, pre-dating Glenfiddich by 50 years.
5)Annandale Distillery makes ‘super-smooth’ spirit by splitting the 8000 litre spirit still charge between two parallel 4000 litre copper spirit stills.
6)Annandale is one of few Single Malt Scotch Whisky distilleries in Scotland that can switch from peated to unpeated and back to peated on a batch-to-batch basis.
