Waterford Distillery Sold to Tennessee Distilling Group

Nearly 18 months after Ireland’s Waterford Distillery closed, the plant and Waterford’s intellectual property have been purchased for €6 million by Tennessee Distilling Group, which owns a contract distillery in Columbia, Tennessee. According to the Waterford News & Star, the new owners are not buying the distillery’s existing stockpile of whiskey, estimated to be worth around €100 million.

Waterford entered receivership in November of 2024 after failing to raise a fresh round of equity capital. The distillery, founded by maverick Mark Reynier, opened in 2015 with a goal of producing terroir-based single malt Irish Whiskey. Reynier persuaded farmers to grow barley exclusively for Waterford, then distilled and matured each farm’s grain separately to maximize the impact of the local terroir.

Waterford’s receivers have set up Prestige Casks, which will sell the remaining Waterford whiskey inventory alongside casks from the ill-fated Powerscourt Distillery. Reynier has expressed interest in buying around €13 million worth of Waterford casks, but will not be able to sell the whiskey under the Waterford brand name. He had tried to buy the distillery and inventory from the receivers, but was unable to raise enough capital to do so.

Tennessee Distilling Group plans to set up a retail operation at the distillery in the coming weeks, and will gradually resume distilling – both for the Waterford whiskey brand as well as contract clients. The new Waterford whiskey is expected to be more “approachable” than the original and be priced lower as well.

WhiskyCast is reaching out to Tennessee Distilling Group executives for more details on the acquisition. This story will be updated as necessary.