Boann Single Pot Still P.X. Cask Irish Whiskey Review

By Alex Southgate

Rating: A

I’m a firm believer in not having too much of a good thing. That being said, it’s nice to be able to get two expressions from the same distillery in one go. This is great for a number of, but the main one is that it gives us a good idea of the variety of whiskey that is being brought to the market. So after my previous acquaintance with Ireland’s Boann recently, I was eager to see whether I liked their triple distilled P.X. cask expression just as much. I have to say that after that last review, I had high hopes.

The Boann Single Pot Still triple Distilled P.X. Cask Irish Whiskey we’re trying today was initially matured in Oloroso Sherry hogsheads from Bodegas Garvey of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. These American Oak hogsheads were chosen alongside George Espie and Ventura Nunez from the famed cooperage in Jerez. These were filled with a mixed mash bill, single pot distillate which included locally sourced malted and un-malted barley, oats and rye.

PX butts which had been in the PX Solera system for 60 years were sourced for the finishing. These butts came from Malaga and a portion of them were made exclusively of chestnut, which is a very rare variety of wood when it comes to maturing whiskey in Ireland. Mind you, after six decades in use for making Sherry, it is open to question just how much influence the chestnut itself has. The Oloroso-aged Single Pot Still was finished in these vintage Solera PX casks to create a product that is truly special and decadent. The cask strength of this Irish whiskey is 47%.

The Whiskey
The Boann PX Cask expression struck me the moment it hit the glass. The whiskey is a deep honey in hue but aside from the appealing color what really jumped out at me was the scent. The nose from this
whiskey was apparent immediately on the pour and filled the air with delicious aromas. I hadn’t placed the glass anywhere near my nose and I already couldn’t wait to see what this whiskey had in store.

The nose begins with creamy toffee notes that are rich in buttery caramel. These softer notes deepen into sticky molasses which is paired with juicy raisins. These juicy, fruity tones then lift for a finish of leather.

To the taste we begin with a gooey honey sweetness that is cut beautifully with a background of white pepper. These flavors shift into decadent dark chocolate. This is beautifully rich and long lasting on the palate. The savoury peppery notes return for the finish and carry to the end.

This is a fabulous whiskey. I really enjoy expressions that aren’t trying to be too many different things at once. Too often we end up with a multitude of flavors that, while working well on their own become confused when mixed together. Everything in the P.X. cask rendition from Boann has a place and does its job perfectly.

I think I mentioned in my last review that the Sherry cask expression was clever because it left the palate clear so you could keep going back for more. I think it’s important to note this again. In that instance mint was being used to do this, in this case its pepper. Both of these flavors have the desired effect in being an excellent carry so that you can keep going back for more.

All in all this is a very tasty tipple and not only am I going to be adding this bottle to my own collection but I think Boann, a company that was completely new to me, is going to be one that I’ll be exploring a lot more in the future.

The Price
The Boann Single Pot PX Cask Irish Whiskey is coming it at €69.95, which is roughly £59 for those of us in the UK and $79 in the US.