The Whistler Story

In the heart of the Boyne Valley, the Cooney family brings to life the time-honored traditions of Irish distillers. It is here, at Boann Distillery, that they set out to create the finest whiskies.

Boann Distillery is a family-owned company founded and trusted by Patrick and Marie Cooney along with their family: Sally-Anne, Celestine, Peter, Patrick, and James.

With their combined rich experience, including 40 years in the Irish beverage industry, during which they built the Gleeson Group from a small independent bottler to a company with annual revenues exceeding 300 million euros, the Cooney family understands what it takes to create successful premium brands.

It has always been their family dream to produce and distill their own Irish whiskey.

Their specially designed and distinctive nano-copper stills and cellars with fine oak casks ensure that they produce whiskey with a unique character and a true sense of place.

The Boann Distillery is located in Drogheda, Co. Meath, in the heart of the Boyne Valley in Ireland. The distillery is part of the Origin Green initiative and operates a closed water system, recycling all its input water, and the generated heat helps run the packaging lines, restaurant, visitor center, and offices.

Boann is more than just whiskey. It draws inspiration from the past and gathers knowledge from the present to breathe new life into the ancient Irish craft. From milling to mashing, distilling, aging, and bottling, every elegant sip of The Whistler whiskey is created in the quiet of a unique family distillery.

They select only the finest casks for aging the whiskey. Knowing what to use for aging and when to bottle is key to ensuring that whiskey The Whistler plays the right notes.

Boann is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne, a river in the province of Leinster in Ireland. According to legend, she was also the wife of Nechtan, the then leader of the Tuatha dé Danann.

Nechtan was a very powerful figure who ruled over a vast territory and particularly over the ancient Well of Segais. This well is surrounded by nine sacred hazel trees of wisdom, all of which bloom and bear fruit at the same hour. It is said that anyone who tastes the hazelnuts that fall into the well or drinks its crystal-clear water will gain knowledge and poetic language.

One day, Boann went for a walk with her Irish wolfhound Dabilla, and although her husband forbade her, she approached the ancient well, challenging its power by walking around it in a wide arc, causing the water to rise violently and flow into the sea, thus creating the River Boyne.

In this catastrophe, she was swept away by the raging waters and lost her hand, foot, and eye, and ultimately her life.

The River Boyne has been known since ancient times and despite its short course, it has immense historical, archaeological, and mythical significance that is deeply rooted in Irish culture.

From the goddess of the River Boyne, the Conney family took their name. From the goodness of the Boyne Valley, they take its pure ingredients.

Every ingredient is 100% natural and 100% local. Every drop of water comes from a well in Boyne Valley. Every grain of barley comes from local farmers.

For water, they use a closed-loop system, recycling all input water and maximizing energy use from their systems. The heat generated helps operate the bottling lines and heat the restaurant, visitor center, and offices. Rainwater harvesting is used to minimize the carbon footprint.

All bioproducts from distillation, beer brewing, and spent grains have a very high protein content and are used as animal feed.

From milling to mashing, aging to bottling, every elegant sip of Boann malt pot still whiskey, Whistler whiskey, and craft gin is created in the quiet of the family distillery.