Concern having been expressed about the welfare of our dear cask, a party of ten cronies set out from Balerno early on 11th October 2025 to visit the Annandale Distillery followed by lunch at the Globe Inn at Dumfries.
On arrival at the distillery, a breakfast of bacon rolls (or similar) with tea/coffee provided sustenance in preparation for the rigours of the day which lay ahead.
Ali Carlyle & Ron Grigor
While some joined in intellectual conversation, Ken dispatched what looked like a significant number of drams to a better place, while Alan knelt with his pride and joy in a moment of quiet reflection.
We visited the distillery shop where several bottles were purchased in case of emergency later in the afternoon. The group returned to the bus and drove the relatively short distance to Dumfries where half had a wander in town while the other half had a wander in the ‘snug’ of the Globe Inn.
Lunch at the Globe was excellent, the food was first-class, the drink plentiful and the service highly attentive.
right: Angus Swan, Iain McSporran, Ali Carlyle,
Aidan Walsh (guest) & Charlie Boyle
Once fed and watered, we were joined by one of the Guides at the Inn who took us to visit the rooms frequented by Robert Burns in years long gone.
Club President, Iain McSporran, sat on the Bard’s chair and treated us to a song from his repertoire. Sadly, being seated in such a famous chair failed to improve the quality of his singing but everyone likes a trier.
Time caught up with us and the driver was keen to get on the road. So, it was back to the newly refurbished “Grey Horse Inn” or “Henderson’s” as it was known in 1881 when ‘Let it Blaw’ was founded.
“An each took aff his several way,
Resolv’d to meet some ither day.“