Rare whiskey casks crafted from storm-felled Irish oak

A 1,000-year-old Irish oak tree, which was brought down by a storm, has been crafted into three rare whiskey casks.

The ancient tree fell during Storm Elin in December 2023 on the Preston estate in Kilmessan, Co Meath.

Now, thanks to a collaboration between Drogheda-based Boann Distillery and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel in Co Kildare, it has been given a new lease of life.

"Storm Elin knocked over this very large tree - it was about 10 metres in girth," Boann's Peter Cooney explained.

"We took the first piece from the base to the first branch, and we sent it to the Vosges region of France for log splitting and stave preparing.

"The oak then underwent around two years of natural outdoor seasoning before returning to Ireland.

"It is now being turned into three casks - the first time in over a century that complete Irish oak whiskey casks have been coopered by Irish hands on Irish soil."

Irish oak casks are exceptionally scarce.

Most casks used by the Irish whiskey industry are made from American oak and were previously used to mature bourbon.

Thousands of these barrels are piled high at the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel cooperage in Newbridge.

For head cooper Ian Leonard, working with native Irish oak of this age and provenance represented a unique opportunity.

"To be the first Irish person in over a century to rise an Irish oak cask is something else," he said.

"It's a big privilege as not many people get to do projects like this."

Over several hours, Mr Leonard shaped the staves and secured them with hoops using tools that are over 100 years old.

"I love everything old-school," he joked.

Indeed, everything about this project has its roots in the past.

The new casks will be filled with matured whiskey based on a late-19th-century recipe.

"The Preston family are descendants of the renowned Prestons of Drogheda, Co Louth," explained Peter Cooney.

"They were operators of a prominent whiskey bonding business for almost a century from 1886.

"Using the Irish oak to mature Preston's Irish Whiskey creates a direct connection between the Preston family’s land, its historic whiskey-bonding legacy and our work to revive old Irish whiskey recipes."

It is hoped the whiskey will be bottled and launched next year.

"Irish people love telling stories. So, hopefully this story will go around the world," Mr Cooney said.