We share a few anecdotes and talk about Nicolas CAUCHOIS (from DISTILL SPIRIT, who distributes the brand in France and introduced us to it) before leaving the warm atmosphere of the pub.

My dear ‘BradPeat’ is waiting for us at the corner along the Liffey. Ludo took a seat next to me, and we set off for Drogheda, home of the BOANN distillery, nestled in the heart of the Boyne Valley.

On the way, Ludo tells me more about this family distillery.

He explains that the owners, Patrick and Marie Cooney, have always dreamed of making and distilling their own Irish whiskey. 

The story really began in 1974 when Patrick Cooney and his brother Nicholas bought the Gleeson company (a soft drinks manufacturer and stout bottler) before selling it later. It was with over 40 years' experience in the Irish drinks industry and with their 5 children (Sally-Anne, Celestine, Peter, Patrick and James), that in 2015 they founded Boann Distillery.

As we enter County Louth, Ludo enthusiastically explains to me the legend of the goddess Boann, from whom the distillery takes its name.

Boann is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne in the province of Leinster. According to legend, she was also the wife of Nechtan, a very powerful character who ruled over vast tracts of land and in particular over the ancient well of Segais (whose crystal-clear waters were magical and gave access to knowledge).

Legend has it that one day, the goddess Boann was out for a walk with Dabilla (her wolfhound) and, despite being forbidden to do so by her husband, approached the ancient well. She challenged her husband's power and leaned over, causing the waters to rise violently (thus creating the River Boyne).

Legend also has it that, in the process, she was swept away by the tumultuous waters and lost an arm, a leg and an eye (no less!) and, ultimately, her life.

The River Boyne has since become known for its historical importance in Irish culture and for its mystical virtues. The distillery uses its waters to produce its whiskey.

As we approached Drogheda, Ludo explained that the decision to locate the distillery in the town was no accident, but rather because the town is steeped in the history of Irish whiskey.

First of all, he explains that one of the first written records of whiskey production in Ireland appears in the Act of Parliament of Drogheda in 1556.

He went on to tell me that in 1774, Drogheda was home to no less than eighteen distilleries, but that the number of distilleries slowly declined to just one by 1822. He also explains that the walls of the latter distillery (closed in 1850) housed a whisky bonding company in 1886, gradually linking the town of Drogheda with Bow Street (in Dublin) and the famous Jameson brand.

Finally, he explains that in 1812, it was in the town of Drogheda that the famous Aeneas Coffey officiated as Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Internal Taxes, made famous by his invention of the Coffey still of the same name, which is often found... in Scotland.

After 160 years, the Cooney family moved here and opened a distillery in 2015.

Aeneas Coffey and his famous alambic

After about an hour's drive, we arrived on Platin Road in Drogheda in front of Boann Distillery and its modern architecture, which contrasts harmoniously with the historic landscape of the Boyne Valley and the surrounding fields.

Ludo takes me on a tour of the premises, from the majestic entrance hall to the sophisticated tasting room, now bathed in the sunrise over the Irish Sea. I'm struck by the balance between tradition and modernity, the passion palpable at every stage of production.

In the distance, I hear a whistling sound that makes me wonder. He explains that it's none other than Patrick Cooney, who is in his office practising his art, in which he excels.

As we make our way to the back of the large room towards the stills, my host explains that the BOANN distillery is proud to be one of the ‘Origin Green’ members, thanks to the concrete commitments it has made to become a more sustainable producer. Every raw ingredient is 100% natural and local. Every drop of water comes from the Boyne Valley. It even operates a closed-loop system for water, recycling all the water consumed and maximising energy recovery.

It's hard to miss the 3 chubby copper babies reflecting the Irish sun that sit at the back of the room for all to see. The house pot stills. Before telling me about them, Ludo points out the little brother that precedes them and produces the house gin.

He tells me to look up and note the long tube that connects the swan neck and the condenser. He explains that it houses one of the distillery's world-famous specialities: high technology and even nanotechnology.

Ludo explains that the Boann distillery's brewing system is unique in that it is designed to produce alcohol from malted and unmalted grains (from the pot still) in a single batch. Using a wort conversion vessel, combined with a Full Lauter tun, the brewers precisely control temperatures to activate natural enzymes and optimise the fermentation process.

This innovative system makes the Boann distillery particularly efficient and capable of producing high quality single pot still spirits.

He also explains that the Boann distillery innovates by using a nanocrystalline coating in the lyne arms of their stills (the famous tubes) to increase contact with the copper. This technology improves the purification of spirits by eliminating undesirable sulphur compounds more effectively. This technology has already proved its effectiveness in other distilleries around the world, but Boann is the first Irish distillery to adopt this technique, aiming to produce purer, higher quality spirits.

We finished our tour of the distillery with a visit to the cellar, which houses not only bourbon casks but also a large number of Spanish Pédro Ximenes, Portuguese Madeira and Italian Marsala casks.

We then return to the tasting room, where a large tasting of BOANN and THE WHISTLER awaits us in glorious sunshine.

Let's begin our discovery of BOANN whiskeys with the work of the cellar master on a Portuguese wine base: MADEIRA

This Single Pot Still, made from malted barley, unmalted barley, oats and rye, was matured in old charred American oak bourbon casks from the famous Brown Forman company.

It was then transferred to 350-litre Madeira casks from Justino's (Tinta Negro, Boal and Sercial casks). Ludo tells me that before containing the whiskey, the Portuguese casks underwent an ageing process known as canteiro (ageing wine in barrels at high temperatures in the barrel storage room to reproduce the maritime ageing of the Portuguese galleons of medieval times during sea voyages).

On the nose, this first single pot still takes us first to an orchard with sweet aromas of ripe peaches.

The second passage is more marked by a smell of baked apples caramelised with honey and spiced with sweet spices, giving it a certain freshness but also a certain mellowness.

The third passage is more focused on notes of barley and burnt wood, which warm up the atmosphere with a vanilla base. 

On the palate, it is quite mellow on entry. The first notes are of almond, before quickly moving on to spicy, sweet and even chocolate notes. It then reveals fresh, woody notes, with a hint of wine from the Portuguese wine cask.

The finish is long, with vinous, slightly spicy notes of liquorice and a lemony undertone.

The interest of the MARSALA version of BOANN's whiskey here is to show the impact of the change in cask type for the final ageing of the company's single pot stills.

The distillate and the primary ageing process are the same as for the Madeira cask. Only then, in collaboration with the Marsala house, Cantine de Vinci, did the distillery select French oak casks for Marsala Superiore and Fine.

The nose of this second whiskey is rounder than the previous one. It reveals woodier notes with a background of encaustic.

The second passage is more on the slightly bitter marmalade that would have clung a little to the bottom of the cauldron.

The third passage has notes of acacia honey and a very discreet spice base.

The palate is thicker than the previous one. The spices arrive much later and in a restrained way, but bring a hint of bitterness. It then calms down, leaving a velvety-smooth sensation on the tongue. It's only at the end that the spices return, but always in a restrained way.

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The finish lingers on notes of sweet spices, cinnamon, cloves and liquorice.

For BOANN's 3rd whiskey, the approach is slightly different. While the base distillate is still a pot still made from malted barley, unmalted barley, oats and rye, here it will be aged entirely in sherry casks.

It begins its ageing in 250-litre Oloroso hogshead casks from Bodegas Garvey's in Jerez da la Frontera. The distillate was then transferred to large 500-litre casks of PX from an old solera in Málaga, soaked in the sugar and aromas of the Spanish wine.

Finally, the distillate was aged in Oloroso solera sherry casks.

This overall ageing makes this whiskey a single pot still aged entirely in sherry, giving it a more pronounced golden hue than the other two.

The nose of this aged Pédro Ximenes is much rounder. It's hard to imagine this being a whiskey. It reveals warm notes of red fruit and sultanas.

On the second pass, notes of strawberry sweets and even Malabar arrive.

The third passage returns to more usual scents of caramel and tanned leather.

The palate is smooth and mellow. Initially warm and sweet, it then takes on a spicier, tauter flavour. Here, at last, we find fresher ‘pot still’ notes. It finishes on a spicy, peppery note.

The finish is longer than the other two, with notes of spiced caramel and citrus fruit.

This will be my favourite!

In addition to its single pot stills, the BOANN distillery offers blends, single grains and single malts under its THE WHISTLER brand. 

As well as BOANN's single pot stills, the distillery also offers BLENDED IRISH WHISKEY made from malted barley and single grain.

The DOUBLE OAK is made from a 20%/80% blend of these two ingredients. The single malt is then aged in ex-fut de sherry oloroso, while the single grain is aged in bourbon casks. Once blended, the two distillates are aged for a further 6 months in Oloroso sherry casks.

This ageing tints it slightly but leaves it with a less pronounced golden hue than the full sherry ageing of BOANN.

Logically, as this is a blended whiskey, the nose is markedly round. The first impression is sweet and vanilla with a hint of soft caramel. There's almost a hint of treacle.

The second passage is a mixture of woody, earthy and citrus notes, giving it a fresher feel.

The third passage leads us on to honey and the flower that forms the basis of the latter.

The palate is very soft, with notes of honey and vanilla. Then there's a burst of spice and bitterness that wakes up the taste buds that have been curled up in the soft notes of the first part of the finish.

The finish is long, with notes of honey and lemon.

BOANN also produces single malts (100% malted barley).

WHISTLER PX I LOVE YOU is a good example. It is produced from malted barley and then transferred to bourbon casks. It then spends 9 months in the ex casks of the sweet Pedro Ximenes.

On the nose, it's easy to understand why this single malt is called this. It exacerbates what we're looking for with xeres ageing. Warmth and sugar. You can clearly detect the sweet, woody and red fruit notes of Pedro Ximenes.

On the second pass, we find notes of ripe kumquat accompanied by hints of sweet spices that intensify as the nose lingers in the glass.

The third passage mellows out and returns to more familiar notes of orange marmalade.

On the palate, it's soft and even very sweet on entry, but quickly becomes tautly woody with a medicinal undertone. It then softens and becomes mellow with notes of fruit and honey. At the end, notes of leather and fresh walnut dry out the palate.  

The finish is shorter than its predecessors, leaving velvety notes of nuts in the mouth and drier notes in the throat.

To finish, Ludo let me taste one last of the company's original creations, an example of the cask finish offered by THE WHISTLER: the beer cask finish.

Here, the pot still and single grain distillate is stored for 4 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to old BOANN casks seasoned with stout beer.

Here, the distillery works with the Boyne Brewhouse in the same town, supplying them with 7-year-old Whistler Single Malt casks and asking them to fill them with its Imperial Stout.

This latest tasting shows the fairly marked impact of the choice of casks on the BOANN distillery's distillates. 

With a stout cask, the nose takes on very pronounced notes of fruit, cocoa and even roasted coffee.

The second passage is a little less pronounced, but reveals notes of spice.

The third passage is also discreet, returning to notes of chocolate.

On the palate, there are more woody than sweet notes. It's easy to find the gentle bitterness and almost mouthfeel of a stout, but with a caramel background and a few citrus notes. 

As dominated by the beer, the finish is a mixture of mellowness and the slight bitterness of a stout.

It was on these stout notes that my meeting with Ludo ended. I regretfully left him in his beautiful modern distillery and set off across the fields to make new Irish discoveries.

If you'd like more information about the distillery and would even like to make some new discoveries (because I'm far from having given you a taste of all THE WHISTLER's products), don't hesitate to use the map of Ireland that I've included in these pages to find out more (you'll find BOANN of course, but also a host of other distilleries).