A New Chapter Begins…

Boann Distillery begins an exciting new chapter with the first whiskey spirit distillation in Drogheda in over 160 years. As the winter solstice sun rose over the Boyne Valley, the first spirit produced in the Boann Distillery was laid down in cask on Saturday 21 December, 2019.

On the sunrise of the winter solstice every year for the last 5,000 years, dawn’s bright light has flooded the inner chambers of Newgrange, in the Boyne Valley, the world’s oldest astronomically aligned structure. As the sun rose on the 21 December 2019, another momentous event was happening in the Boyne Valley. Michael Walsh, our Head Distiller, was flooding the inner chambers of 9 specially hand selected casks with whiskey spirit from our inaugural distillation.

Our home Drogheda has more than just a passing link with distilling as there were once 18 distilleries in the town, with the last silencing its stills in the late 1850s. The first spirit flowing through our handmade custom copper pot stills in December 2019 marked a return of distilling to Drogheda in over 160 years.

Irish Pot Still whiskey is uniquely Irish and it is a fitting nod to the traditional art of Irish whiskey distilling that the first spirit laid down is this unique combination of triple distilled malted and un-malted barley. This single pot still distillate was filled into 9 different types of wine and spirit casks to showcase the distillery’s dedication to experimentation and quality, while also allowing us to push the boundaries of flavour expectations of pot still distillate.

The Irish whiskey spirit was laid down in NEOC, PX, Armagnac, Sauternes, Moscatel, Chardonnay, Bordeaux, Rum and Marsala casks and will be laid to rest in the solitude of the distillery for a minimum of 3 years. When the casks reach the perfect maturation levels, as judged by Michael Walsh, Head Distiller and the family, these casks will be released as annual single cask Solstice releases. It has always been our family dream to craft and distil our own Irish whiskeys. Every bottle will tell a story – the story of our land, our people and our family. The Renaissance of Irish Whiskey has truly begun.