An Irish distillery has won a top prize at the prestigious Whisky Magazine’s 2022 Icons of Whisky (Ireland) Awards.
Paddy Cooney (left), with Peter Cooney, Pat Cooney, founder, James Cooney and Sally Anne Cooney celebrating the world's Best New Make award earlier this year, alongside Max the dog.
At a ceremony in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens on Thursday night, November 25, Peter Cooney of Drogheda-based Boann Distillery was on hand to collect the award for Best Brand Innovator 2022. The family-owned distillery was recognised for their vintage mashbills (recipes) campaign, which were recreated from long lost distilleries of the late 19th and early 20th Century. These mashbills were revived as part of a collaboration with historian and author, Fionnan O’Connor, who discovered them while completing his Technological University of Dublin (TUD) thesis. “The mashbills have been a groundbreaking development for the company and have played an important part in our development since they were distilled in December 2019,” said Mr Cooney, Boann’s co-founder. “The recipes for our new single pot still ‘New Born’ spirit came out of the mashbills project and it went onto win the Best New Make and Young Spirit 2021 at the World Whiskies Awards last April." “Weeks earlier we won six prizes in the national category of the same awards including Gold for our Whistler Bodega Single Malt (12 years and under) and our Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish (Blended Whiskey), a silver for the Single Malt Whistler PX I Love You and two bronze awards for our Whistler Calvados Cask Finished Blend and Whistler Mosaic (Single Grain)."
“The New Born spirit is available for sale on our website now.” The Whistler range is exported to more than 25 countries across the world.
Boann employs just over 20 people at it's €20million plant on the Platin Road in Drogheda. Another of it's recent achievements was rolling out a new gin, Silks, named after the nearby Bellewstown Races.
It's ingredients include honey and apple blossom from the family’s beehives and orchards in Kilmessan, Co Meath.
For more information on Boann Distillery visit boanndistillery.ie
Slán go fóill,
Danny