Sazerac Co has reportedly inherited the use of Kentucky-based Garrard County Distilling Co, which closed last year.
The Buffalo Trace American whiskey brand owner is said to have paid off US$26m of Garrard County Distilling Co’s debt to Truist Bank, the main creditor of the shuttered whiskey distillery. The full details of the transaction, however, were not disclosed in court filings and statements seen late last week by local news outlet the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Global Drinks Intel has contacted Sazerac for confirmation of the report.
Sazerac is said to have purchased the debt through a business called Tom Collins Distilling, which is registered to the same address as the group’s Kentucky headquarters.
In a hearing last week, Truist Bank reportedly requested that it be replaced as the distiller’s plaintiff by Tom Collins Distilling. The bank said it had sold, assigned and transferred all of its rights, title and interest in the loan to Tom Collins on 11 February.
Garrard County Distilling Co was opened in 2024 but closed and entered receivership last year, amid lawsuits from contractors and liens reportedly exceeding $2.5m. The business owned a 50,000-square-foot distillery south of Lexington in Kentucky.
In other recent American whiskey M&A moves, bourbon Four Roses welcomed a new owner in Gallo, after Kirin Holdings agreed to sell the brand.
