Boann Single Pot Still Marsala Cask Irish Whiskey Review

By Alex Southgate

Rating: A

I’ve always been a huge fan of Irish Whiskeys. I’m painting with a very broad brush here, but I tend to find them smoother than many Scotch expressions. That may be because I am not a fan of overtly peaty flavors, so I find that a lot of Irish Whiskeys suit my palate better. This being said, I was excited to take a metaphorical trip over the Irish Sea for today’s review: to Drogheda and the Boann Distillery, with their Single Pot Still Marsala Cask Whiskey, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.

Boann is a family run company founded by Patrick and Mary Cooney and their family; Sally-Anne, Celestine, Peter, Patrick and James. They bring a combined 40 years of experience in the Irish drinks industry, having built the Gleeson Group from a small, independent, bottler to a company bringing in an impressing €300 million per year. With this in mind we can safely say they know what they’re talking about with respect to the creation of premium whiskey.

The Marsala Cask expression was initially matured in ex-Kentucky bourbon barrels from Brown-Forman (so either Old Forester or Woodford Reserve) with a heavy charring. These casks were filled with a mixed mash bill Single Pot distillate which included locally grown, malted and un-malted barley, oats and rye. The whiskey was then finished in Marsala Butts made from French Oak, sourced from the famous Marsala house Cantine de Vinci. This Marsala Cask expression is coming out at a cask strength of 47% ABV.

The Whiskey
The Boann Marsala Single Pot Still is a beautifully clear, soft honey to the eye. This is a very light whiskey, leaving only faint legs on the pour and barely clinging to the sides of the glass. The enticing scent of this expression greeted me before I raised the glass to my nose and this coupled with the appealing visuals made for something I couldn’t wait to taste.

The nose is immediately thick with honey. Sweet notes that are paired with juicy raisins are the first aromas to greet you. These honey notes deepen and are met with toasted orange backed by just a hint of char.

The first thing that I notice when tasking this expression is a sweet and sour citrus punch coming from a mix of candied orange and lemon peel. These punchy notes lift to reveal the freshness of peppermint, something that carries on the palate and remains to the finish. The finish is one of soft spices with an undercurrent of oak.

The Boann Single Pot Marsala expression was a really interesting experience for me. The prevalence of mint as one of the main flavours of this whiskey was something that was new to me and a very pleasant surprise. This whiskey is very fresh and clean on the palate and as such is one that you can keep going back to. With this being said, this is the sort of whiskey that you wouldn’t get tired of after a glass or two and this is something that, for me, earns it a lot of points.

The other thing that I think is important to note is that this isn’t an expensive whiskey in the grand scheme of things. I’ll come to the price in a moment but this is a very affordable tipple and as such on that could, (and will,) be finding a permanent home in my liquor cabinet. This is definitely one that I think I’ll be recommending to my friends and a whiskey that I would absolutely try if you are able.

The Price
The Boann Single Pot Marsala whiskey is coming in at €69.95 or roughly £60 for those of us here in England.