Sazerac rebrands Lough Gill Distillery
Buffalo Trace owner Sazerac has renamed the Lough Gill Distillery in Ireland as Hawk’s Rock Distillery, following its acquisition in 2022.
Lough Gill Distillery, home of Athrú Irish whiskey, was established in 2015 in County Sligo, Ireland.
In June 2022, the Sazerac Company acquired the distillery, which will now be known as Hawk’s Rock Distillery.
The distillery will continue to produce and age Irish whiskey under former Bushmills master blender Helen Mulholland, on a site that is more than 100 acres in size.
Since the acquisition, Sazerac has upgraded and tripled the distillery’s warehouse capacity, expanded production, and modernised the distillery, ensuring continued growth.
According to Sazerac, the name change reflects the company’s vision for the future of Irish whiskey, ’emphasising the art and science of blending, innovation, and respect for Sligo’s heritage’.
Named after an outcrop in the Ox Mountains that inspired Nobel Prize-winning poet William Butler Yeats’ play At the Hawk’s Well, Hawk’s Rock Distillery aims to become a global hub for Irish whiskey. It also seeks to provide a gateway for exploring the rich traditions of Sligo and the surrounding region.
Jake Wenz, president and CEO of Sazerac, said: “The renaming of Hawk’s Rock Distillery marks a new, yet familiar, frontier for us.
“Sazerac is known for its balanced approach to honouring tradition while embracing change in constant pursuit of crafting the world’s best spirits at our distilleries in America, India, Canada and France. Our mission holds true for Ireland, and we are excited to reveal how we are blending time-honoured traditions with bold innovation to advance the art of Irish whiskey-making.”
The distillery will be led by Mulholland, the first female master blender in Irish whiskey history, chair of the Irish Whiskey Association and a Whisky Hall of Fame inductee.
Mulholland and her team have been tasked with creating and blending Hawk’s Rock’s Irish whiskey brands, the first of which will debut in June 2025.
Wenz added: “This rebrand is just the beginning for Hawk’s Rock Distillery. Throughout the changes at Hawk’s Rock, our vision remains the same – creating a track record for the ageing and blending of award-winning whiskeys – and this name change brings us one step closer to bringing that vision to life.”
Hawk’s Rock Distillery is currently closed for renovations, but Sazerac has received planning permission to create a new visitor experience in Sligo.
Last month, Sazerac renamed its Australia and New Zealand spirits distributor Sazerac AUNZ.
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