Not that many years ago, Irish whiskey was an endangered species. As recently as the 1980s, Ireland was down to just two distillers. The marketing power behind Jameson’s, however, sparked new interest and rescued a nearly moribund market. Now Irish whiskey is enjoying a renaissance.
Of the more than 40 new Irish distilleries, one of the most exciting is Boann (boanndistillery.ie), named for the goddess of the River Boyne. The firm burst on the scene by winning best ‶new make″ (unaged clear liquor from its pot stills) at the 2021 World Whiskey Awards. After three years in barrels, that same ‶new make″ debuted last summer as Boann Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys. We say ‶whiskeys″ because they are a trio, each aged in a different type of cask. They are just now reaching our shores. Senior distiller Gary Ring came to Boston to introduce them to the trade at Sweeney’s on Boylston (sweeneysboston.com).
Perhaps with tongue in cheek, Ring likes to describe the new whiskeys as a mix of Irish magic and modern nanotechnology. The magic hails from nearby Newgrange, the 5,000-year-old megalithic complex in the Boyne Valley. It’s the traditional subterranean home of the sidhe, or fairies. The nanotech goes into the distilling apparatus. Microscopic pits on the interior of the still and condensor expose the distillate to the cleansing qualities of copper.
There’s an additional magic in the aging process. All of Boann’s whiskey spends some time in used oak bourbon barrels. But the new releases have spent additional time in barrels formerly used for fortified wines: Madeira, Marsala, and Pedro Ximénez (or PX).
Three very different whiskeys with a family resemblance
Ring led us through a tasting of all three with a running commentary that was one part technical information to about 10 parts sheer poetry delivered at a machine-gun pitch. In each case, he linked the flavors to the Irish countryside in different seasons.
We started with the Madeira cask, which Ring likened to an Irish farm in spring. ‶You can pick up just a whiff of barnyard,″ he said. ‶But it’s mostly classic hayloft and orchard at the base. On a second sip you’ll get a little peaches or apricots raised in the hothouse. Then there’s finally a tantalizing scent of forest mushrooms.″ We also detected tones of raw ginger and poached pears or apples. All in all, it was a very satisfying and balanced sipping whiskey from a type of cask known for oxidizing spirits.
The Marsala cask, which began with the same new make, was very different. True to the fortified wine originally aged in the barrels, it had distinct overtones of tamarind. Think of it as a tangy citrus balanced by pronounced caramel. It continued to bloom in the glass, making it a rather big whiskey. Ring felt that it was the Irish summer whiskey.
We concluded with the even bigger PX barrel version, all redolent of Christmas fruitcake spices at first. Most of the barrels had originally held Montilla-Moriles oloroso wine — a mahogany colored wine with distinctive balsamic overtones. The barrels imparted some of those powerful characteristics to the Irish whiskey. Its flavor overtones combined burnt sugar with savory qualities of decaying leaves and powerful mushroom musk. It was autumn in Ireland at the edge of a forest.
Single pot still whiskey also makes good cocktails
As wine drinkers, we tend to take our whiskey neat to enjoy its complexities. We were pleasantly surprised how well theese whiskeys worked as mixers. Sweeney’s on Boylston is part of the Lenox Hotel, where director of outlets Cory Whitt whipped up some terrific cocktails using the Boann whiskeys. He was kind enough to share the recipe for his version of a whiskey sour.
EARL GREY WHISKEY SOUR
- 1.5 ounces Boann Madeira cask Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce Earl Grey simple syrup
- egg white (or Fee Foam)
- lime twist
Add whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white to cocktail shaker. Give it a good shake to develop the froth. Add ice and shake again. Strain into glasses garnished with lime slice.