Boann Distillery marks Summer Solstice 2025 with historic cask strength whiskey
Boann Distillery marked this year's Summer Solstice with a limited-edition Irish whiskey that blends historical recipes with modern distilling innovation.
Released at a customer event in its distillery in Meath, Ireland on June 20th, the whiskey is the latest in Boann's annual Solstice series and the first to vat two casks.
Boann Summer Solstice 2025 VM #7 is a cask strength, triple-distilled mixed mash bill whiskey bottled at 59.6% ABV, drawn from two distinctive casks - French Oak and Oloroso - and yielding just 554 bottles.
Both were filled on December 9, 2020, and matured at Boann's distillery.
Behind the spirit lies a historically inspired mash bill - 30% malted barley, 40% unmalted barley, and 30% wheat – all locally sourced and based on a recipe that reflects Ireland's wheat boom in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The surge in wheat cultivation followed a series of geopolitical shifts, including Foster's Corn Laws (1784), the Act of Union (1801) and Napoleon's blockade of British cereal imports.
Cask No. 2301 is an Oloroso hogshead from Montilla-Moriles, coopered by J.L. Rodriguez using seasoned butt staves with virgin American oak heads. Cask No. 2291 is a rejuvenated French oak barrique sourced from a Premier Cru Classé château on Bordeaux's Left Bank.
The whiskey itself is triple distilled in Boann's custom-built copper pot stills, made in Siena, Italy. The distillery uses cutting-edge nano-copper coatings inside the lyne arms to maximise copper contact, and ultra-modern sub-coolers draw the spirit off at just 10°C - lower than typical industry practice - helping preserve delicate flavour.
The result is a rich and expressive whiskey. On the nose, dried fruits, milk chocolate, caramel, and toasted oak lead into fresh floral notes. The palate delivers depth and texture, with pine nuts, hazelnuts, orange zest and baking spices. The French oak adds structure, while the wheat element brings softness and warmth. The finish is long and dry, with peppery spice and earthy tannins.
Boann is a family-owned distillery operated by the Cooney family, whose Vintage Mashbill Project aims to preserve and reinterpret traditional Irish whiskey recipes.
Each Solstice bottling in the series offers a distinct expression, made entirely on site from mashing to maturation.
Boann Summer Solstice 2025 VM #7 is priced at €120 and available to order online via boanndistillery.ie. Bottles come in a custom cloth bag with a fan-shaped booklet outlining the distillation process and the whiskey's historical roots.
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