Name change marks a new dawn for Sligo distillery, while plans to develop visitor experience progress
Leading global spirits company Sazerac, which owns and operates award-winning distilleries and homeplaces worldwide including Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky; Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac in Cognac, France; and Paul John Distillery in Goa, India, announced the renaming to Hawk's Rock earlier this week.
Hawk's Rock will continue to produce and age Irish Whiskey under the watchful eye of Master Blender Helen Mulholland on the over 100-acre site located at Hazelwood, which includes the nationally listed historic landmark Hazelwood House.
The distillery is currently closed to the public during renovations, but it has been confirmed that Sazerac has received planning permission to develop 'a future visitor experience' at the site.
The name change reflects Sazerac Company's vision for the future of Irish Whiskey – the art and science of blending, innovation and respect for Sligo's rich heritage. Named after a prominent outcrop in the Ox Mountains that inspired Nobel Prize winning poet WB Yeats' play 'At the Hawk's Well', Hawk's Rock Distillery aims to become a global hub for Irish Whiskey, while offering a gateway to explore the rich traditions of Sligo and the surrounding region.
'The renaming of Hawk's Rock Distillery marks a new, yet familiar, frontier for us,' says Sazerac President and CEO Jake Wenz. '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.'
Leading the Hawk's Rock distillation team as Master Blender is Helen Mulholland, the first female Master Blender in Irish Whiskey history, Chair of the Irish Whiskey Association and a Whiskey Hall of Fame inductee.
She and her carefully-selected team have been entrusted with leading the creation and blending of Hawk's Rock's innovative new-to-world Irish whiskey brands, the first of which will debut in June 2025.
Sazerac Company acquired Lough Gill Distillery in 2022, drawn by its historical significance and the cultural richness of Ireland. Since then, the team has upgraded and tripled its warehouse capacity, expanded production and is modernising the distillery, ensuring continued growth while maintaining its commitment to quality.
'This rebrand is just the beginning for Hawk's Rock Distillery,' says Wenz. 'Throughout the changes at Hawk's Rock, our vision remains the same – creating a track record for the aging and blending of award-winning whiskeys – and this name change brings us one step closer to bringing that vision to life.'
While Hawk's Rock Distillery is closed to the public during renovations, Sazerac has received planning permission to develop a future visitor experience in Sligo. To ensure an honest restoration of Hazelwood House, Sazerac has hired a Grade 1 Conservation Architect from Howley Hayes Cooney Studio to lead its restoration. The phased delivery of this plan is being established, and Sazerac looks forward to welcoming visitors in the future.
For more information, please visit hawksrockdistillery.com.
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