A Spirited Couple

When David Thomson discovered an unknown distillery a stone’s throw from his home town was about to be lost for ever, he decided to step in. Together with his wife Teresa, David rescued Annandale Distillery and put it firmly on the Scottish whisky map. He explains why and the legacy the pair are building as they continue to rescue heritage buildings around Dumfries to our food writer Cat Thomson.

David Thomson’s family has been linked with Dumfries for generations, but growing up he did not always appreciate his hometown. “When you’re young, you just want to get away,” he admits.

Although David has not lived permanently in Scotland since 1972, he has always felt a personal and emotional connection to Scotland. He says, “Whenever anyone asked me where home was, I would say Dumfries.”

Despite reopening Annandale Distillery, unbelievably David has not always enjoyed whisky. “As a teenager,” he says, “I thought it was the most repulsive drink I’ve ever had.” But as an expatriate Scot living in England, he felt duty-bound to learn how to appreciate it and has taken a keen interest ever since.

In addition to running his primary business, David secretly harboured an ambition to do something in Scotland with whisky. His wife played an instrumental role in getting this started.  “Teresa gave me a book called Scotch Missed, which lists Scottish distilleries that have closed. Annandale Distillery was one, and despite growing up nearby, I was unaware it existed.” The couple decided to step in to save the distillery buildings from redevelopment and reestablish Scotch whisky production in the South of Scotland.

The previous owner had planning permission to convert the buildings into holiday accommodation. David realised that if he didn’t act quickly the buildings would be lost forever. He stresses, “I wouldn’t have done it without Teresa’s encouragement. You can’t go into something and commit yourself in every sense, without it being something we both wanted to do.”

The whisky did not interest Teresa – her ambition was to breathe new life into the beautiful sandstone buildings. David says, “She wanted to make the most beautiful distillery in Scotland. How it looks today is testimony to her input. My ambition was to make exceptionally good whisky, I didn’t want it to be second-rate, it had to be up there with the best of the best. I wanted to be sure that our whisky, made in the South of Scotland, was as good as everyone else’s and maybe a bit better. I am a bit of a perfectionist.”

Whisky Journey

They used their company, MMR’s research capabilities to identify specific whisky flavours and sensory profiles for the whisky they wanted to make. Then they employed the late Dr Jim Swan to design their new distillery. David describes him as being a genius, “He was one of the first people I called when we bought the distillery.”

David wanted to make both peated and unpeated whiskies with a unique but unifying taste. The distillery reopened in 2014, swiftly followed by their award-winning visitor centre in 2015 with their first whisky bottling happening in 2018.

Taking on a distillery project from scratch is not for the fainthearted: the project cost around £20 million. David admits, “It pushed us. We were at the limit of what funds we could raise, but we are very glad we did it.” Annandale Distillery makes Man O’Sword, a whisky which is named after King Robert the Bruce, Man O’Words, named after Robert Burns, and Storyman which was created to reflect the character of actor, James Cosmo.

Whisky lovers visiting the distillery can book a tour or a tasting. They can also visit the Maltings Coffee Shop where you can soak up the atmosphere. David says, “People from around here can enjoy the place and value it, which is good motivation for doing anything. We also get tourists and the whisky hardcore, who are always good fun.”

David hopes to retire from MMR in the next few years, although he stresses, “I will never retire from Annandale Distillery.”

Robert Burns Heritage

Indeed rather than slowing down, the couple are creating a legacy for the area as they continue to rescue buildings and with them, local heritage. They bought the Henry Duncan Savings Banks Museum and Comlongon Castle. In 2018 they stepped in to buy The Globe Inn, the historic pub and favourite haunt of Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns, which was built in 1610.

David explains how the sale came about, “I knew the owners Maureen and Gordon McKerrow well. Maureen was in my class at school. It was the McKerrows’ wish that The Globe wasn’t sold to a foreigner, meaning somebody from outside Dumfries!” After a visit the couple wanted to buy it to preserve the Burns rooms, which have significance for the local area, Scotland and for Burns fans around the world.

Teresa gave The Globe a stylish makeover sympathetically renovating the pub and turning it into a fine dining restaurant, keeping intact the important Burns heritage. David explains their philosophy is, “To make every project we undertake commercially viable, so it has a future outside our finances and our lifetime.”

They have acquired a building opposite The Globe Inn, which they hope will become the focus of a new Burns quarter in Dumfries. To do this they are working collaboratively with Robert Burns House, the Mausoleum, where the bard is buried, Theatre Royal, where Burns wrote several pieces for the stage, Ellisland Museum and Farm and The Robert Burns Centre to maximise Burns tourism. David says, “I think we can bring more tourism and money and jobs for people into the area and breathe some real life into the centre of Dumfries.”

The Dumfries and Nithsdale areas have a wealth of connections to Scotland’s national poet. While living in the area, Robert Burns wrote over 130 poems and songs, including Tam o Shanter and Auld Lang Syne. David suggests, “Come to the area, visit the Burns rooms and sit down, where it feels to me like you are in the presence of the great man.”

David also adds, “Having travelled the world all through my career going to busy places it is nice to be able to come back to the quiet of the South of Scotland. It is a lovely part of the world, a place of great natural beauty with the seaside, hills, and nature all around. We want more people to come and enjoy the peace and quiet.”

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