P.X. I Love You is exactly the kind of thing a young distillery does when it has personality and knows it. The name is a pun on the film, the label is one of the better looking things on an Irish whiskey shelf, and underneath both there is a genuinely well made sherried single malt. It comes from Boann Distillery in the Boyne Valley, a family operation founded by Patrick and Marie Cooney and their children, built on four decades in the Irish drinks trade through the Gleeson Group. Patrick is the Whistler the brand takes its name from. Boann fired its stills in 2019 and produced the first new spirit in Drogheda in over 160 years, in a town that once supported eighteen working distilleries. The whiskey here is built from 100 percent malted Irish barley and triple distilled in the Irish tradition, which keeps the spirit light and clean. It spends its main maturation in ex bourbon barrels, picking up vanilla and soft oak, then moves into Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for a minimum of nine months. PX is the sweetest and most concentrated of the sherry styles, made from grapes dried in the sun until they are almost raisins, and casks that held it do not do anything by halves. The finish loads the whiskey with dried fruit, sticky cherry, orange peel and toasted sugar, and gives it a viscous, almost syrupy weight on the palate before the oak pulls it back dry. It is bottled at 46 percent alcohol by volume in small batches, non chill filtered and at natural colour, so nothing has been stripped out or added back. If you like sherry driven whiskey, this makes its case immediately.
ABV / Proof
| ABV |
46% |
| Proof |
92 |
| Size |
750ml |
| Country |
Ireland |
| Region |
County Meath, Boyne Valley |
| Producer |
Boann Distillery, Drogheda, County Meath |
| Brand |
The Whistler |
| Category |
Single Malt Irish Whiskey |
| Expression |
P.X. I Love You |
| Mashbill |
100% Malted Irish Barley |
| Distillation |
Triple distilled |
| Maturation |
Ex bourbon barrels |
| Finish |
Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, minimum nine months |
| Filtration |
Non chill filtered |
| Colour |
Natural |
| Production |
Small batch |
Tasting Notes
Color: Yellow orange amber, natural.
Nose: Richly sherried. Raisin, sultana and dried cherry lead, with orange marmalade, marzipan, fig and toasted sugar, plus clove and nutmeg behind.
Palate: Viscous and sweet on arrival. Maraschino cherry and dried fruit, then oily walnut, golden raisin, leather, dark chocolate and zesty citrus, with brown sugar underneath.
Finish: Medium length and drying, with woody spice, dense oak, nutmeg and dark fruit.
FAQ
Q: What is a PX cask?
A: A cask that held Pedro Ximénez, the sweetest and most concentrated sherry style, made from sun dried grapes. PX casks impart heavy dried fruit and syrupy sweetness.
Q: How long is the finish?
A: A minimum of nine months in PX casks, following main maturation in ex bourbon barrels.
Q: Is it chill filtered or coloured?
A: Neither. It is bottled non chill filtered at natural colour, so the texture and the amber tone are both genuine.
Q: Who makes it?
A: Boann Distillery in Drogheda, County Meath, a family run operation in the Boyne Valley founded by the Cooney family. The Whistler is their whiskey brand.
Q: How should I drink it?
A: Neat, where the sherry character shows best. Boann's own house cocktail stirs it with bianco vermouth, a touch of apricot liqueur and two dashes of bitters.
Q: Where can I buy The Whistler P.X. I Love You online?
A: Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.
