The Whistler Triple Oak (40%)

The Boann Distillery is a recently arrived, family-owned operation located in County Meath about halfway between Dublin and the Northern Ireland border. The distillery opened in late 2019 and it appears that its first non-sourced, entirely distilled in-house whiskies were released five years later.

Boann produces two lines of whiskeys, the single pot still, specialty cask-finished Boann Distillery line and the more diverse The Whistler series. This is obviously of the latter, and as near as I can tell is the most recent release in the line-up. According to the distillery website, it is composed of 50% single grain whiskey, 20% single pot still whiskey, and 10% each of sherry cask-finished single malt, bourbon cask-finished single malt, and sherry cask-finished single pot still whiskey. The sherry casks in play are a mix of Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez.  

The distillery doesn’t make clear how much if any of the whiskeys used are sourced, although Irish Whiskey magazine implies that the single grain whiskey comes from elsewhere. All the component whiskeys are said to be triple distilled, making this a true celebration of threes in terms of distillation, type of whiskey, and barrel varieties.

Rich but lightish gold in colour, there is a good amount of honey and vanilla immediately apparent on the sweet and fruity aroma. As the nose is explored in greater depth, oaky caramel and dried fruit notes appear, the latter mainly a mix of light and dark raisins, but also fig and some apricot. A few more swirls and dark chocolate notes join the mix, along with hints of brown spice and a whisper of grainy lemon.

The palate entry is sweet and quite vanilla-y, with an almost nectar-ish mouthfeel and notes of honey, light caramel, and canned apricots in syrup. The mid-palate adds some almondy nuttiness, not quite marzipan but a bit candied nonetheless, along with fig and date notes, a toasted woodiness, and towards the finish a more profound and drying oak presence with faint orange marmalade and some lingering brown spice.

For the price, this is a surprisingly full, rich, and frankly tasty Irish whiskey that highlights Boann’s impressive use of finishing casks.

88 ($46)