Hawk's Rock Distillery
Hawk's Rock Distillery — formerly known as Lough Gill Distillery — is a whiskey distillery on a 100-acre site in Hazelwood, County Sligo, on the southern shores of Lough Gill. Established in 2015 and home to the Athrú Irish whiskey brand, it was acquired by the American spirits company Sazerac in 2022. In April 2025 Sazerac rebranded the entire operation as Hawk's Rock Distillery, retiring the Lough Gill name.
The new identity is named after Hawk's Rock, the dramatic outcrop near the Ox Mountains that inspired W.B. Yeats' 1917 play At the Hawk's Well — a connection to Sligo's deep literary heritage. Master Blender Helen Mulholland, who brings approximately 30 years of experience at Bushmills distillery, leads the team. The first Hawk's Rock expression, Garavogue (named after the river flowing from Lough Gill through Sligo town), was unveiled in June 2025.
[!warning] Rebrand 2025 Lough Gill Distillery was fully rebranded as Hawk's Rock Distillery in April 2025 by Sazerac. The URL loughgilldistillery.com now redirects to hawksrockdistillery.com. The Athrú brand is superseded by Garavogue as the flagship. The distillery is not currently open to visitors.
Tours
Not available
On-site Shop
No shop
Online Shop
Not available
History
The distillery was established in 2015 in Hazelwood, County Sligo, with Head Distiller Ollie Alcorn — originally from Australia's Barossa Valley wine region — as the first key team member. The distillery produced the Athrú range of Irish single malt whiskeys (Athrú is Irish for "change" or "transformation"), building a reputation for quality single malt while the wider craft Irish whiskey scene expanded rapidly.
Sazerac, the New Orleans-based spirits company known for Buffalo Trace Bourbon and other major American brands, acquired the distillery in 2022. After a period of integration and strategic planning, Sazerac announced the complete rebrand in April 2025: the distillery became Hawk's Rock, the Athrú brand was retired, and Helen Mulholland was appointed as Master Blender to reshape the portfolio around her extensive blending expertise from Bushmills.
The inaugural Hawk's Rock expression — Garavogue — was launched in June 2025, marking the beginning of the new chapter for the Sligo site. The distillery is not currently open to the public.
Production
The distillery occupies a purpose-built 100-acre site at Hazelwood on the shores of Lough Gill, with the clean waters of the lough contributing to the spirit's character. The site was designed with whiskey production as its primary function. Production details for the Hawk's Rock era (still count, capacity) were not publicly confirmed at time of writing.
[!question] Gap — production specifications for the Hawk's Rock era need verification
Tasting Character
The Athrú single malt range was the distillery's principal expression before the 2025 rebrand — an Irish single malt showing clean, fresh character with the soft fruitiness associated with the style. Under Helen Mulholland's direction, the Hawk's Rock portfolio is being shaped around her expertise in blending and innovation, with an emphasis on Sligo's heritage and landscape. Garavogue, the inaugural expression, represents this new direction, though full tasting notes were not publicly available at time of writing.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Athrú Irish Whiskey£179.39 — Former flagship; Irish single malt range; various expressions including aged variants
- Garavogue — Inaugural Hawk's Rock expression; launched June 2025; named after the Sligo river
Visiting
Not currently open to visitors per the official website. For updates, see hawksrockdistillery.com.
Official Website
