Boann Distillery
In the heart of the Boyne Valley, the Cooney family is reviving the time-honoured traditions of Ireland’s master distillers. It is here, in Boann Distillery, that we have set about creating the finest whiskeys.
Boann Distillery is a family company, born and believed in by Patrick and Marie Cooney, along with their family; Sally-Anne, Celestine, Peter, Patrick and James.
With a combined wealth of experience, including forty years in the Irish drinks industry building up the Gleeson Group from a small independent bottler to a company with a turnover in excess of €300 million per annum, the Cooney family understands what it takes to create successful, premium brands.
It has always been a family dream to craft and distill our very own Irish whiskey. Distilling is an art. At Boann we combine traditional brewing and distilling methods with modern technology to create the most unique of whiskeys.
The production of the highest quality Single Pot Still distillate requires a considered effort to not only efficiently process the un-malted grains contained within the Single Pot Still mash bills (recipes), but to also maximise the flavour and mouthfeel of Ireland’s signature style of whiskey.
It is the inclusion of these unmalted grains in the mash bill that not only garnered Irish Single Pot Still whiskey its global fame, but it’s also what separates the category from its cousin, Single Malt (100% malted barley).
The Boann Distillery brewing system is specifically designed to produce single pot still spirit by utilising both a mash conversion vessel and lauter tun. This makes it one of the only purpose-built single pot still brewing systems in the country specifically designed to process un-malted grains, and efficiently activate crucial enzymes that make brewing with un-malted grains possible. This makes us uniquely positioned to produce some of the finest and highest quality single pot still spirit in the country.
Our Italian made copper pot stills utilise pioneering nano-technology in the lyne arms of each still which allows six times more copper contact with the new make spirit vapour. Copper has long been used in distillation for both its catalytic effects and ability to remove undesirable sulphuric compounds, such as mercaptans and disulphides, ensuring we produce the purest of spirit. Reflux control in the necks of the intermediate and spirit still give us the flexibility to vary our distillations from light to heavy distillate.
Ultra-modern condensers with sub-coolers ensure the spirit is drawn off at ten degrees Celsius preserving the delicate flavour profile of our unique spirit.
Every raw ingredient sourced is 100% natural and 100% local. Every drop of water is drawn from our Boyne Valley well. Every grain of barley is provided by our native farmers.
We operate a closed loop system for water, recycling all our input water and maximising energy recovery from our systems. The heat generated helps run our packaging lines and will heat the restaurant, visitor centre and offices. Rainwater harvesting will be utilised to minimise our footprint and also water our gin botanicals.
All bi-products of distillation, pot ale and spent grains are very high in protein and used as animal feed.
From milling to mashing, maturing to bottling, every elegant mouthful of Boann malted pot still whiskey and craft gin is created within the quietude of our family distillery.
Boann is also the home of the The Whistler collection. ‘The Whistler’ is a range of creative explorations into whiskey finishing, specialising in limited release batches of Irish Whiskeys with a depth and craft others can only dream to achieve.
In 2020, Boann teamed up with whiskey historian Fionnan O’Connor on a unique and interesting project. Fionnan discovered a collection of long-lost Irish whiskey recipes using recipes – or mashbills – which date back to the 1800s.
Using various percentages of malted barley, oats, wheat and rye, the experiment is not only a study of Irish whiskey history, but also one of flavor. 144 of these special casks will be released to the public after 5 years of maturation in an assortment of bourbon, rum, French red wine barrels and sherry casks.
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