Boann Distillery
A family-run distillery on the Boyne that ended Drogheda’s 160-year whiskey drought.
Boann is a family-run Irish distillery on the Boyne at Drogheda, and the first to distil whiskey in the town in more than 160 years. Here is who owns it, the history, the range and how to visit.
At a glance
House style & flavour profile
Irish single pot still and single malt, plus gin.
Visiting the distillery
The distillery tour is listed at €25 a person (about £21). Check the website for current times and availability before you go.
History
The full guide to Boann Distillery
Drogheda went without a working whiskey distillery for more than 160 years. Then a family with decades in the Irish drinks trade installed some copper pot stills on the Platin Road and put an end to the drought. Boann Distillery sits on the banks of the Boyne, it is independent and family-run, and it is one of the more interesting new names in Irish whiskey. There is a fair chance you have not heard of it yet.
Who owns Boann Distillery?
Boann is owned by the Cooney family: Pat and Marie Cooney and their children. It is independent and family-run, and the family comes from the drinks trade, with around 40 years in independent bottling behind them through the Gleeson Group, according to press coverage. Boann does not belong to Diageo, Pernod Ricard or any of the usual suspects, which is a large part of its charm. For the bigger picture, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.
The history of Boann Distillery
The Cooneys began building in Drogheda around 2015; sources date the founding to either 2015 or 2016. The first thing to reach shops was The Whistler, in January 2017, named after Pat Cooney. It started life as sourced Irish whiskey from a third-party distillery, which is how plenty of new distilleries pay the bills while their own spirit sleeps in oak.
The real news arrived in late 2019, when the first spirit ran from Boann’s own copper pot stills, the first whiskey distilled in Drogheda in more than 160 years. Boann’s first single pot still whiskey, Solstice, was unveiled on 21 December 2022, which is the winter solstice, because of course it was. The distillery has since collected awards, including being reported as the first in Ireland to win a World Whiskies Award for best new make, and in late 2023 it announced €5 million of finance from AIB to expand. Our short history of Irish whiskey’s collapse and comeback explains why a new distillery in Drogheda is a bigger deal than it sounds.
How Boann is made
Boann makes its whiskey on copper pot stills at the Platin Road site, and early coverage of the distillery described its own well supplying hard Boyne Valley water. Our guide to how whisky is made covers the basics if distillation is still a bit of a mystery.
Single pot still, with a twist
Boann’s single pot still whiskey uses a mixed grain mash of oats, wheat and rye, which is a long way from the traditional barley-only recipe. Single pot still is Ireland’s own style, and nobody else in the world has a claim on it, so it is nice to see someone playing with the formula.
Gin and beer too
The distillery also makes Silks Irish Dry Gin, which comes from a custom 500-litre copper pot still, and Copper Cloud Irish Dry Gin. It has brewed beer on the same site too, under the Brewhouse name.
The Boann range
- The Whistler, the family range named after Pat Cooney. It includes the 40% Double Oaked and PX I Love You, a 46% single malt finished for at least nine months in PX sherry casks and bottled without chill-filtration or colouring.
- Boann Single Pot Still, the distillery’s own whiskey, made with oats, wheat and rye.
- Boann Legacy, cask strength and single pot still releases.
- Silks Irish Dry Gin and Copper Cloud Irish Dry Gin.
In the UK, The Whistler Double Oaked costs about £37 and PX I Love You about £59, depending on the retailer.
How to drink Boann
PX I Love You is a single malt Irish whiskey finished in PX sherry casks and bottled at 46%, the sort of bottle that is happiest sipped slowly, with a drop of water if you want to open it up. The 40% Double Oaked is the entry bottle of the Whistler range and the obvious place to start. New to the category? Start with our beginner’s guide to Irish whiskey.
Visiting Boann Distillery
Boann is at Lagavooren, on the Platin Road outside Drogheda in County Meath, roughly an hour’s drive north of Dublin. The distillery tour is listed at €25 a person (about £21) on its website. Opening hours are not published, so ring or email before you set off: +353 (0)41 987 8078 or hello@boanndistillery.ie. Prices and times can change, so check first.
Boann Distillery: quick answers
Who owns Boann Distillery?
The Cooney family. Pat and Marie Cooney and their children run it as an independent, family-owned distillery.
Where is Boann Distillery?
At Lagavooren, Platin Road, Drogheda, Co. Meath, A92 X593, in the Boyne Valley and on the banks of the River Boyne.
Does Boann make its own whiskey?
Yes. Its own spirit first ran in late 2019. The Whistler began with sourced whiskey in 2017, and Boann’s own single pot still whiskey, starting with Solstice in December 2022, comes from its own stills.
What is single pot still whiskey?
Ireland’s own style: whiskey made at a single distillery in copper pot stills from a mash of malted and unmalted grain. Boann’s version uses oats, wheat and rye. Our single pot still guide has the full story.
Can you visit Boann Distillery?
Yes. A distillery tour is listed at €25 a person (about £21). Opening hours are not published, so contact the distillery before you go.
How much does The Whistler cost in the UK?
Roughly £37 for the Double Oaked and £59 for PX I Love You at UK retailers. Prices vary, so check before buying.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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