2021 Award Winners DRINKS AWARD 2021

Boann Distillery Drogheda Co Louth

Named after the river goddess of the Boyne Valley, Boann Distillery was established in 2016 by the Cooney family, who have a long history in the Irish drinks industry. It’s an ambitious project and is already making its mark thanks to the vision and hard work put in by Pat, his wife Marie and four of their children, who are also involved in running the business. Impressive early successes include a number of national awards at the World Whiskies Awards, and also a top honour, Best New Make and Young Spirit 2021, for the single pot still 'New Born' spirit. A first for Ireland and a great achievement by any standards, it promises a long run of success for Boann whiskeys - and the Cooneys have plenty of other plans afoot too, including a programme of cask sales, a visitor centre and a new gin, Silks, named after the nearby Bellewstown Races. Silks Gin is an interesting product and it underlines the family nature of the business. Marie Cooney and daughter Sally Anne are among a very few mum-and-daughter beekeepers in Ireland, and they can now thank their bees for producing honey and pollinating the family’s apple trees - key local ingredients in Silks Gin, which contains 14 botanicals. The aim is for Silks to replicate the family’s success in the World Whiskies Awards – and the Cooneys have also converted a horsebox into a gin bar - the Ginbox - to use when crowds can return to sporting events, including Bellewstown race meetings