Boann creates Irish whiskey for M&S
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has partnered with Boann Distillery in Ireland to launch its own-label Irish whiskey brand, Stillness.
The whiskey was created following two years of close collaboration between M&S product developers and Boann’s team. There were multiple visits to Boann’s distillery in Lagavooren, on the outskirts of Drogheda, which involved on-site blending and tasting sessions until the final blend was agreed.
Stillness was made exclusively for M&S customers, and is now available in the grocer’s locations across Ireland and the UK.
Boann Distillery also supplies M&S’ Irish Cream Liqueur.
Family-run and based in the Boyne Valley, with two sites in County Meath and Tipperary that now employ more than 90 people, Boann was founded by the Cooney family, whose experience in the Irish drinks industry is said to span more than 60 years.
Peter Cooney, export sales director at Boann Distillery, said: “Working with M&S has pushed us in the best possible way. They’re meticulous, they’re demanding in all the right ways, and we absolutely love working with them.
“To see Stillness Irish Whiskey on M&S shelves after two years of development is an absolute honour.”
The River Boyne inspired the brand’s name and takes after the ‘stillness’ of an Irish winter solstice on the morning of 31 December 1967.
Boann distiller Gary Ring said it was “when Professor O’Kelly sat alone and silent in the inner chamber of Newgrange and made a discovery for the ages. The first person to witness the Newgrange winter solstice phenomenon in thousands of years”.
“The ‘stillness’ of the older-than-time deep eddy pools of the magical Boyne River. That held the Salmon of Knowledge for eons until captured by Finegas the Poet and Irish warrior hero Fionn MacCumhaill,” he continued.
“The ‘stillness’ of the mighty copper pot stills of Boann Distillery. On a dawn Solstice Sunrise just before they are charged into life, to create one of the World’s great single pot still whiskeys. Stillness, the one-time-only, sacred moment, just before discovery.”
The whiskey is a triple-cask blend bottled at 40% ABV and presented in a 700ml bottle.
Its tasting notes feature gentle vanilla and honeyed sweetness, balanced by soft oak and a warming finish. It is designed for both easy sipping and mixing.
Eddie Murphy, country director for M&S Ireland and Northern Ireland, added: “Stillness is a delicious addition to our spirits range and a real showcase of what Irish producers do best. Boann is a family business with deep roots in County Meath, and the great quality and craft that goes into every bottle really comes through.
“We’re proud to bring our customers a whiskey they can trust for both great taste and great value.”
In other Irish whiskey news, the country’s producers are being invited to submit their thoughts on the category’s geographical indication (GI).
In February last year, Boann made its debut in the US.
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