Meath's Boann scoops five awards at Irish Whiskey Awards

Meath distillery Boann scooped five awards at last night’s (Nov 10) prestigious Irish Whiskey Awards, making it one of the biggest winners.

The family-owned distillery won across several categories for its whiskeys, gin and whiskey liqueur.

Now in its ninth year, the awards celebrate the very best of Irish whiskey and Irish craft spirits across 19 categories.

The awards took place in the Pearse Lyons Distillery in the Liberties, Dublin.

Boann, run by the Kilmessan-based Cooney family, clinched Best Irish Gin for Silks Gin and Best Irish Newmake Spirit/ Poitín for the Boann ‘New Born’ New Make Spirit – a big winner at last year’s World Whiskies Awards, where it won World’s Best New Make Spirit.

Adding to the haul were three golds for The Whistler PX I Love You nine-year-old single cask release, its 1848 Apple Brandy and The Whistler Irish Honey liqueur.

“We are absolutely delighted with Boann’s success at the Irish Whiskey Awards, given the awards’ reputation amongst industry and consumers,” said Boann co-founder, Sally Anne Cooney.

“Our whole team have been working extremely hard to produce top quality products that can compete on both the national and international stage.

“It’s even more rewarding to me, personally, to see Silks Gin recognised.

“My mother, Marie, and I have poured our hearts into developing the distillery’s first gin and we are bowled over to see it recognised as the Best Irish Gin in such a competitive category.”

Launched last year and named after the jockeys’ silks worn at the famous Bellewstown racecourse in Co Meath that can be seen from the distillery, Silks Gin is distilled by hand in small batches in its 500-litre custom copper pot still.

It contains 14 botanicals hand foraged from the family’s apple orchards, including apple blossom, honey, elderflower and hawthorn blossom.

Soon after launching, it won gold at the Beverage Testing Institute awards in the US.

Its “New Born’ New Make Spirit made history last year by becoming the first whiskey in Ireland to win a prestigious award for the best new make whiskey in the world at the World Whiskies Awards.

The Single Pot Still is a mash of 40% malted barley, 55% green barley, 3.75% oats and 1.25% rye.

Judging for the Irish Whiskey Awards took place over the summer with hundreds of ballots cast from members of the Celtic Whiskey Club, Irish Whiskey Society — Dublin & Dingle, Cork Whiskey Society, Ennis Whiskey Society, Kilkenny Whiskey Guild, Waterford Whiskey Society and Belfast Whiskey Club as well as industry professionals.

Boann employs 70 people between its €20 million state of the art distillery outside Drogheda in Co Meath and its cream liqueur facility in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

For further information, visit www.boanndistillery.ie