Boann Distillery has announced that it will receive €5 million in finance from AIB to support its expansion plans in its distillery in Drogheda and its cream liqueur and bottling facility in Clonmel.
‘Expansion Ambitions’
“Ireland is the home of whiskey, and Irish whiskey remains a key driver of growth in the drinks sector, with exports estimated at [approximately] €1 billion in 2022 – up [by] 25% on 2019 levels,” said Joanna McFadden, AIB’s head of new business team, Dublin and East.
“Boann Distillery has had significant growth since it first commenced distilling its pot still whiskey in 2019, and we are delighted to support its expansion ambitions, as it seeks to grow its distillery further and welcome new visitors from home and abroad.”
Family-Run Business
Boann Distillery is run by Patrick and Marie Cooney, along with their family, including members Sally-Anne, Peter, Patrick and James.
The distillery produces malt and pot still whiskey, but it is specially set up for the production of single Irish pot still whiskey.
The business uses specially designed and distinctive nanocopper pot stills and a wide range of casks, to ensure that it produces a whiskey of unique flavour.
‘Healthy Pipeline’
“The distillery has a capacity of 800 litres of pure alcohol – LPA – per year, which will grow to 1.6 million LPA with this expansion,” said Patrick Cooney, managing director of Boann Distillery.
“At the moment, we have [approximately] 10,000 casks in maturation, which ensures a healthy pipeline for the future.”
Visitor Centre
In 2024, Boann will complete a visitor centre at its site on the Platin Road, in Drogheda, to include a restaurant, a bar, a microbrewery, retail space, meeting rooms, tasting rooms, and a visitor experience.
Boann Distillery is a Gold Member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green and focused on its sustainability credentials.
100% Natural
As part of this commitment, every raw ingredient sourced is 100% natural and 100% local, every drop of water is drawn from a Boyne Valley well, and every grain of barley is provided by Irish farmers.
The distillery operates a closed-loop system for water, recycling all its input water and maximising energy recovery from the distilling operations to include heating the outdoor dining area.
‘Very Excited’
“Construction of our new visitor experience will be completed by the end of 2024,” said Patrick Cooney.
“We’re very excited about our next phase of growth, supported by AIB.”
