The Sazerac Company, the owner of brands such as Paddy Irish Whiskey and Southern Comfort, has acquired Hazelwood Demense Ltd, the owner of Lough Gill Distillery, with plans to upgrade the Sligo distillery and turn it into a visitor attraction.
Sazerac has in the past done the same for historic sites such as the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky and its own Sazerac House in New Orleans, and the company now plans to fully develop the 100-acre Lough Gill site in the hopes of making it into an important tourism centre for the west of Ireland.
The firm said it hopes to welcome up to 150,000 visitors annually to Lough Gill and make it into the home for its Irish whiskeys, Paddy and Michael Collins.
Sazerac will increase the capacity of the distillery, add warehousing capacity, and expand production and bottling lines while retaining all the current staff and expanding employment at the site. It will also continue the development of the Athrú luxury single malt Irish whiskey brand, including global distribution.
Commenting on the announcement, Mark Brown, president and chief executive officer of Sazerac said, “With its rich history of distilling and storytelling, Ireland is an ideal homeplace for our whiskey business to flourish.
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"In particular, the history of the Lough Gill Distillery, dating back to the 18th century, will be an integral keystone in the restoration and storytelling of this site. We look forward to preserving the history, delighting our future visitors by the stories we share, and further expanding the growth opportunities for Paddy, Michael Collins and Athrú Whiskeys.”
David Raethorne, founder of the Lough Gill Distillery said: “This is a major announcement for Sligo and a vote of confidence in the potential for Sligo to become a major player in the booming global Irish whiskey market.
"The acquisition will enable Lough Gill Distillery to fully develop as a world-class visitor destination and will have significant long-term economic and tourism benefits for Sligo, which, for me, was always a personal goal. In addition, the maintenance and preservation works undertaken to date on Hazelwood House (a house of national importance) have played an essential part in saving it from dereliction.
"This acquisition will ensure that Hazelwood House will be enjoyed and appreciated by generations to come, another key objective of the project."
Raethorne added that the acquisition was the culmination of seven years' work by the board of Lough Gill Distillery, making good on the vision laid out on 2015 when Hazelwood Demense acquired the site.
Cllr Michael Clarke, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, said the deal is "one of the most significant Sligo investments in recent times" and that it would have a similarly significant impact on the local economy in terms of both employment and tourism.
Martin Lydon, CEO of Sligo County Council, said the deal and Sazerac's pledge to invest in, restore and expand distiller was "heartening" and "proof of the positive and sustaining eco-system for companies to invest in Sligo, supported by Sligo County Council."
Former Bushmills master blender Helen Mulholland will join Lough Gill Distillery, with responsibility for election and management of the casks for Athrú single malt whiskey and new product development.
Mulholland became the first woman to be inducted into the International Whiskey Magazine Hall of Fame in 2018, and recently became the first woman to receive a Chairman's Award for her outstanding contribution to the development of the Irish whiskey industry.
Of her appointment, Raethorne said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Helen Mulholland as Master Blender at Lough Gill Distillery. In her stellar career as a master blender Helen has become one of the heroes of Irish whiskey, and we are confident of even better things to come”
Mulholland said: “It's a really exciting time for Lough Gill Distillery. I am very honoured to be joining the team as it becomes the home of Paddy, Michael Collins and Athrú whiskies.
"The distillery, its location and the incredible team already in place made this a very easy decision. I look forward to bringing my knowledge as a Master Blender to the table to enable us to make some really world-class Irish whiskeys.”
Lough Gill Distillery last year secured €15m in debt financing from US lender PNC Bank to expand production of Athrú, which retails for €8,000 to €12,000 for a cask and €95-195 per single cask bottles.
Photo: A bottle of Southern Comfort, the New Orleans whiskey brand owned by Sazerac Company. (Pic: Getty Images)
