Irish rye whiskey is still a rarity, and that alone makes the Two Stacks x Boann Origins 2022 worth paying attention to. This is a collaboration between Two Stacks — the independent Irish whiskey outfit known for cask-strength releases — and Boann Distillery in County Meath, one of the newer players pushing Irish whiskey into less familiar territory. Rye grain was once a staple of Irish distilling before it was largely abandoned in favour of barley. Seeing it come back in a release like this, bottled at a punchy 58.2% ABV with no age statement and no chill filtration, tells you these producers aren't playing it safe.
What drew me to this bottle is the category itself. Irish rye whiskey barely exists as a commercial product right now. Most drinkers associate rye with Kentucky or Canadian distilling, but Ireland has its own history with the grain, and releases like this are reclaiming that ground. The Origins 2022 designation suggests this is drawn from relatively young stock — Boann only began distilling in 2019 — but the decision to bottle at cask strength rather than watering it down to a polite 40% shows real confidence in what's in the barrel.
At 58.2%, this is not a whiskey that hides. It arrives with the kind of intensity you'd expect from a cask-strength rye — assertive, grain-forward, and unapologetic. A few drops of water open it up considerably and I'd recommend experimenting with dilution rather than drinking it neat straight away. The high ABV means you're getting more flavour per pour, and it also means a bottle at £74.95 stretches further than you might think. In terms of value for a cask-strength, single-category Irish whiskey from a craft distillery, the pricing sits in fair territory.
Tasting Notes
I'm holding off on detailed tasting notes for now — this is a whiskey I want to revisit with a fresh palate and proper time. What I will say is that the rye grain character comes through clearly, and the cask-strength delivery gives it a weight and texture that lower-proof Irish whiskeys often lack. If you've enjoyed rye-forward American whiskeys and wondered what an Irish distillery could do with the same grain, this is your answer.
The Verdict
The Two Stacks x Boann Origins 2022 earns an 8.1 out of 10 from me, and most of that score comes down to ambition backed by execution. It's easy to release a young whiskey at cask strength and hope the proof does the talking — what's harder is making something that actually rewards the drinker for paying attention. This does that. It's a genuinely interesting bottle from two producers who are clearly invested in expanding what Irish whiskey can be. The rye grain gives it a character that sets it apart from the endless parade of single pot still and single malt releases coming out of Ireland right now. For collectors of Irish whiskey or anyone who appreciates rye as a category, this is well worth the price of admission.
Best Served
Try this in a Manhattan. The cask-strength ABV means it won't get lost behind sweet vermouth the way a 40% whiskey can, and the rye grain character will give the cocktail real backbone. Use a 2:1 ratio — two parts whiskey to one part vermouth — with a couple of dashes of Angostura and a Luxardo cherry. If cocktails aren't your thing, pour it neat with a small jug of water on the side and add drops gradually until it opens up to where you like it. Either way, don't rush this one.
