Boann Distillery - 5 yo Irish single malt, triple distilled, 46% ABV, Natural colour, unchillfiltered, 2020 release
Seeing how my previous review on The Busker did bugger all in terms of exposure, I pondered on the thought of altering course a bit. Add more hashtags? Ask the 19 year old babysitter from down the street to pose with my bottles on my socials? Maybe add in some dick jokes? I don’t know… But enough with the self-pity, you sad pathtic winker. Please know, I really value all of you who take the time and effort to read or comment on my reviews and blogposts, regardless of ‘gratuite’ nudity or profanity. (*insert virtual fistbump here).
I will be sticking to my guns, however, in putting the focus of attention to some of the new wave of Irish distilleries during March, so this week, I’m setting up virtual camp at the Boann Distillery in Drogheda at the east coast of Ireland, halfway between Dublin and the border with Northern Ireland.
Boann Distillery – named after the Irish river goddess of the nearby river Boyne, might not ring a bell immediately. The distillery has only been up and running since 2020, which implies that this 5 year old expression under the name of The Whistler is indeed a sourced whisky, matured and finished in their own casks. If anything, they don’t do things halfway at Boann, as there are an impressive number of expressions flying under ‘The Whistler’ brand, so I was really spoiled for choice here: currently, a number of different cask finishes, a whiskey liqueur, an Irish honey, single grains AND a range of triple distilled single malts are all part of the core range. All at natural colour and without chill filtering. Which is nice.
Boann is also very much a family run business, with the Cooney family at the heart and centre of things. With decades of experience in the Irish Drinks Industry, they sold their business in 2012, generating all necessary funds to help make the family dream come true: crafting and distilling their very own Irish whiskey. And while relying on sourced spirits to get the brand up and running, they have a keen eye on the future when it comes to producing their own spirit, embracing new technological possibilities as well, as their lyne arms are equipped with a special nano-crystal coating, said to further enhance the copper contact with the distillate. Not only that, but they brought in the expertise of John McDougall as well, a man laden with all the necessary credentials when it comes to whisky. Bringing in experience from working at Springbank, Laphroaig, Balvenie and over 2 dozen other distilleries in Scotland, Europe and the US, there are probably very few people better qualified to advice you on how to run a distillery. Did I already mention they don’t do things halfway at Boann? So while we’re yet to taste the results of those investments, Boann’s future looks promising to say the least. For now, on to the whiskey…
The nose
Lots and lots of baked and stewed fruits, raisins, spices (clove), yet also something herbaceous like sage is shining through. A whisper of a ‘dirty’ meaty-leathery-tobacco note, with perhaps just a tiny hint of sulphur. A toasted note of wood, cereal, with a creamy-oily sensation. A drop of water accentuates the sweetness, with notes of strawberry jam, brown sugar and a bit of chocolate. Quite good for a 5 year old youngster. If there’s anything to criticize here, it might be that it’s a bit predictable, perhaps?
The palate
Sweet red wine, almost going into cola cubes. Effervescence sensation. Again a bag of spices is dropped (allspice, clove, a hint of ginger and even a faint note of star anise). Raisins, plums, some oak going into a drying mouthfeel with that dirty note. It’s on the mouthfeel however, that it starts to struggle. It’s surprisingly light, yet not in a good way. That oily thickness that was suggested on the nose hardly translates into the palate, which is a bit of pity. A drop of water and it bounces back a little, adding in some richness and sweetness, although it still remains a bit thin.
The finish
Medium long and quite nice. Sweet, dry and rich on spices, reminiscent of mulled wine.
For a 5 year old this is quite rich and sweet. The mouthfeel is a bit of a let-down, if I’m being brutally honest, but that’s a minor ‘flaw’ (if you can call it that at all). Then again: this will set you back some €35, so value for money wise, this is pretty decent whiskey. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how things evolve when Boann is ready to release their own whisky, but for now: enjoyable, and overall good value, easily accessible, and, dare I say, lovely presented with its warm colours and artwork on the packaging. 81/100
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