Boann distillery revives 140-year-old Preston’s mashbill

The distillery now offers the winter solstice Preston’s vintage mashbill whiskey for €150

Boann Distillery in Co Meath has revived a whiskey recipe dating back to the late nineteenth century. The distillery has bottled a 140-year-old ‘vintage mashbill’ once used by the Preston’s whiskey bonders of Drogheda, Co Louth.

The new spirit, winter solstice Preston’s vintage mashbill, was fully matured in an Oloroso hogshead cask of 250ltr.

This single cask release is Boann’s third cask to be bottled and comes on the fourth anniversary of the distillery laying down its first spirit in 2019. Its first was bottled on the winter solstice 2022, six months before the summer solstice single cask was bottled in June 2023.

Pat Cooney, founder, Boann Distillery, said: “This is, effectively, the ghost of whiskey’s past. Preston’s was world famous and synonymous with Drogheda and it is incredible to think we have resurrected and distilled, to the letter, one of their mashbills to make our new spirit.

“Ireland has such a rich history and relationship with whiskey and it’s great to have the opportunity to keep these old recipes alive. Every mashbill tastes different, depending on whether there’s more barley, less malt, more wheat, less rye.”

Bottles are retailing at €150 and have been on sale since 22 December, with delivery also now available at www.boanndistillery.ie.