Sazerac Co has added to its Irish whiskey presence, confirming the acquisition of the Lough Gill Distillery as well as the Athrú single malt brand.
The transaction, from eight-year-old private company Hazelwood Demesne, will see US-based Sazerac use the production facility, in the northwest of Ireland, as a “homeplace” for its Paddy and Michael Collins Irish whiskies. Financial details around the purchase were not disclosed.
The Buffalo Trace brand owner also announced plans to increase production volumes and warehousing at the distillery, which has a capacity of around 3m bottles annually, while Athrú, pronounced ‘Ah-Roo’, will benefit from “global distribution”.
Athrú Small Batch Release #1 debuted late last year and is available online for EUR85 (US$89) per 70cl bottle.
Sazerac bought Paddy from Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers unit six years ago. As part of the transaction, Irish Distillers, which is responsible for the Jameson Irish whiskey brand, agreed to continue producing Paddy for New Orleans-based Sazerac.
