In a statement from the Annandale Distillery, the whiskey maker described Storyman as a blend of their single malt whiskies Man O’ Words and Man O’ Swords, along with a hand-selected grain whisky.
Cosmo, known more recently for his role as “the Old Bear” on HBO’s Game of Thrones, launched the new blended Scotch at Annan’s Lonsdale Cinema in late April during a red carpet premiere event.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to create my own whisky,” Cosmo said. “The kind of whisky that is delicate, complex and with a warmth that grows on you. I always believed it would be just a dream until production and filming of Outlaw King, a film about the King of Scotland Robert the Bruce.”
He said it was then that he became aware of Annandale Distillery, steeped in history and located in the heart of Bruce’s land.
“I met the team and was impressed by their passion for whisky, the creation of a good dram, and that spoke to me, it really hit home,” Cosmo added. “Whisky has always been part of my life, since I was a boy, sitting on the knee of my maternal grandfather. He was a miner and his treat at the end of a hard day was a dram of whisky. I was always fascinated by the golden liquid he held in his rough hands and slowly sipped, his bantam chickens at his feet.”
The actor then proclaimed, “I love whisky. I love the tradition and the craftsmanship, mostly I love the way whisky brings people together. There’s always a point in the night when the pace slows down and the conversations get deep and meaningful. We all have stories, stories that bind us and tell tales of our experiences. Storyman premium blended Scotch whisky is my story, and I want to share it with you.”
“The blending process took a great deal of time to get right,” Law said. “It was a process that involved speaking with James, having in-depth conversations to identify the types of whisky James likes to enjoy. What we created is a smooth and complex whisky, with notes of vanilla, honey, citrus and smoke. What we wanted to do is capture the essence of James’ whisky memories and make it tangible and that’s what we have done with Storyman.”
Thomson, the distillery’s co-founder, said he was delighted to see the project come to fruition, and that the project included not just Annandale Distillery, but the work of the entire MMR Research family.
MMR Research is the company founded by Professor Thomson and his wife and business partner Teresa Church, as they were involved in many aspects of the project including consumer research on audience demographics, concept design and testing the whisky with consumers, using their expertise and innovative methods.
Thomson said, “This whisky is a tribute to the actor and his iconic role, as well as to the craftsmanship and quality of Annandale Distillery and MMR Research. We are very proud of this collaboration and hope that whisky lovers and fans of James Cosmo will enjoy it as much as we do.”
Storyman single malt Scotch is available for pre-order now at www.storymanwhisky.com, and it has a suggested retail price of £55 per bottle.
