Lough Gill Distillery — County Sligo Single Malt Whisky

Lough Gill Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery located at Hazelwood, on the shores of Lough Gill near Sligo town, County Sligo, Ireland. It was founded in 2019 and is currently owned by the Sazerac Company, which acquired the site in 2022 and renamed it Hawk's Rock Distillery in 2025. Built on the grounds of the historic 18th-century Hazelwood House, the distillery produces triple-distilled single malt whiskey, released mainly under the Athrú brand.

History

The venture behind Lough Gill Distillery began in 2015, founded by Pat O'Brien and David Raethorne. The distillery building itself was conceived in Ireland and constructed by craftsmen in Italy before being commissioned in 2019 on a peninsula site surrounded by water on three sides, behind Hazelwood House, a Palladian-style country house about two miles south-east of Sligo town, with views toward Ben Bulben. The site and its whiskey brand, Athrú (Irish for "change" or "transformation"), drew on the folklore and mythology of the surrounding region. Renowned Scottish distiller Billy Walker, twice named World Distiller of the Year, was closely involved in shaping the distillery's whiskey-making approach, while Ollie Alcorn, who joined in 2014, served as head distiller. At full capacity the site can produce over one million litres of pure alcohol a year from purpose-built pot stills dedicated to triple distillation. Early Athrú releases, including the flagship Annacoona, drew in part on whiskey sourced from other Irish distilleries while Lough Gill's own spirit matured in warehouses on site.

In 2022 the American spirits group Sazerac Company, owner of Buffalo Trace and the Irish brands Paddy and Michael Collins, acquired Lough Gill Distillery. Sazerac tripled the site's warehouse capacity, expanded production and began a broader modernisation programme. In April 2025 the company rebranded the site as Hawk's Rock Distillery, a name inspired by a rock formation in the nearby Ox Mountains associated with W.B. Yeats's play "At the Hawk's Well." Master Blender Helen Mulholland, the first woman to hold that title in Irish whiskey history and Chair of the Irish Whiskey Association, now leads whiskey development at the site, with new whiskey brands under her direction beginning to launch from June 2025. At the time of the rebrand the distillery was closed to visitors during renovation work, though planning permission has reportedly been granted for a future visitor experience.

Quick Facts

• Region: County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland
• Founded: 2019 (venture established 2015; commissioned 2019)
• Owner: Sazerac Company (since 2022)
• Status: Active (operating as Hawk's Rock Distillery since April 2025)
• Stills: Purpose-built copper pot stills for triple distillation

Core Range

Whiskey from the distillery was released under the Athrú ("change") brand, including Athrú Annacoona, Athrú Keshcorran and Athrú Knocknarea, alongside limited small-batch and single-cask bottlings finished in a variety of cask types such as ex-bourbon, sherry, port, madeira, Pedro Ximénez and Tokaji (including an Athrú 6 Year Old Oloroso Sherry single cask). Standard releases are bottled at typical single malt strengths of around 40-46% ABV, though this varies by batch and cask finish. Following the 2025 rebrand to Hawk's Rock Distillery, new Irish whiskey brands developed under Master Blender Helen Mulholland began launching from June 2025 onward.