Waterford

Type: Distillery

Waterford is an Irish distillery on Grattan Quay in Waterford, where the company dates the start of distilling to 2015. Following receivership in 2024 and a sale agreement announced in March 2026, its website now places it within Waterford Distilling Group Ltd, owned by Tennessee Distilling Group, and says that it is producing Waterford Irish Whiskey. [1][2][6]

Fact box

What Waterford is known for

Waterford’s present identity remains tied to a particular place: the distillery on Grattan Quay. The current company describes making Irish whiskey there, rather than merely presenting Waterford as a brand name detached from its production site. Its statement, “We make Irish whiskey here, on the quay”, is the clearest description of how it presents that relationship today. [6]

For someone researching the name, however, the distinction between the distillery, its brand and its owning company matters. The receivers’ sale announcement separately identified the Waterford Distillery, the Waterford Whisky brand portfolio and associated intellectual property. Those were the assets covered by the agreement, not simply a company name changing hands. [2]

The names in the records also reflect different contexts. The receivers referred to “Waterford Whisky”, while the current website identifies the whiskey made at the site as “Waterford Irish Whiskey”. Both forms therefore appear in this account where they identify the relevant business or brand accurately. [1][2][6]

This is a distillery profile, not an assessment of a particular release. Its most useful starting point is the documented sequence connecting the site’s earlier production, the receivership and the ownership now stated by the company.

The documented story

Story box: A quay-side distillery changes hands

The important break in this story is between the distillery’s production history and the corporate events surrounding it. Interpath’s November 2024 notice did not say that appointing receivers stopped the stills. It explicitly placed the cessation of distillation before the invitation to appoint receivers. That sequence should not be reversed when summarising what happened. [1]

Nor should the 2015 date be read as evidence of uninterrupted production. It is the company’s stated starting year for distilling at the site; the receivers’ later account establishes a subsequent interruption. Keeping those two statements together gives a more accurate history than treating either one as a complete account on its own. [1][6]

Production and ownership timeline

Ownership after the receivership

The previous owner was Spirit of Waterford Distillery Limited, trading as Waterford Whisky. Interpath reported that HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) Limited appointed the receivers at the directors’ invitation. The appointment date was 27 November 2024, also recorded in the company filing information reproduced by Solocheck. [1][5]

The next firm milestone is the receivers’ announcement of 23 March 2026. Its wording was specific: a binding agreement had been reached, with completion expected in the following weeks after regulatory requirements. An agreement announcement and a completed transfer are therefore different events in this record. [2]

Current ownership rests on a separate piece of evidence. The Waterford website states: “Waterford Distillery is part of Waterford Distilling Group Ltd, owned by Tennessee Distilling Group.” This supports the present ownership description, although the precise legal completion date is not reliably established. [6]

That distinction matters when reading older coverage. The March announcement explains what the receivers had agreed to sell and to whom. The current company statement establishes how Waterford describes its ownership now. Neither needs to be stretched into evidence for a date it does not supply.

There is a further distinction between the site and the previous company. Solocheck’s reproduction of Irish Companies Registration Office data records a receiver’s abstract for Spirit of Waterford Distillery Limited effective 26 May 2026, received on 21 September 2026. The old company’s continuing receivership should not be presented as the business status of Waterford Distilling Group Ltd. [5]

What the sale included

Interpath’s announcement covered three connected elements: the physical distillery, the Waterford Whisky brand portfolio and associated intellectual property. That scope explains why an ownership account needs to discuss both the production site and the name attached to its whiskey. The receivers expressly included both in their description of the agreement. [2]

Maturing stock was a separate matter. WhiskyCast reported that existing stock was excluded from the purchase. This is a trade-press report rather than a statement in the receivers’ announcement, and it should be read with that attribution intact. [4]

For readers following Waterford across the ownership change, the practical consequence is to keep the subjects separate. Ownership of the distillery, ownership of the brand portfolio and ownership of previously distilled stock are not interchangeable descriptions of this transaction. The sources establish different parts of the story, rather than one document supplying every answer. [2][4]

Production and visiting today

Waterford’s current website uses present-tense production language: “We distil Waterford Irish Whiskey here.” This is the basis for recording the distillery as producing in November 2026, with the qualification that the statement comes from the company and has not been independently confirmed. The date production restarted is not reliably established. [6]

Visitor access needs a different reading. The specific Visit page says that tours and tastings are “coming soon”, so this guide records the site as closed to visitors at the November 2026 check. A general welcome on the About page is not treated as confirmation that a visit can currently be booked. [6]

Before making plans, consult the official Visit page for an explicit opening announcement and any booking instructions. Check accessibility arrangements and tour age rules directly with the distillery rather than assuming that a future visitor programme will have the same conditions as another site.

Where to go next

• Dingle: continue exploring individual Irish distilleries.
• Teeling: read another Irish distillery profile.
• Bushmills: follow a different distillery history.

Sources

[1] Interpath. Joint Receivers appointed to Spirit of Waterford Distillery Limited, 29 November 2024.
https://interpath.com/?p=5738

[2] Interpath. Interpath agrees sale of Waterford Whisky distillery to Tennessee Distilling Group, 23 March 2026.
https://interpath.com/media-hub/articles/interpath-agrees-sale-of-waterford-whisky-distillery-to-tennessee-distilling-group

[4] WhiskyCast. Waterford Distillery Sold to Tennessee Distilling Group, undated.
https://whiskycast.com/waterford-distillery-sold-to-tennessee-distilling-group

[5] Solocheck, reproducing Irish Companies Registration Office filing data. Spirit of Waterford Distillery Limited, 548210, record checked November 2026.
https://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Spirit-Of-Waterford-Distillery-Limited-548210

[6] Waterford Distilling Group Ltd. Waterford Whiskey: home, About us and Visit pages, company statements, 2026.
https://waterfordwhiskey.com/
https://waterfordwhiskey.com/about/
https://waterfordwhiskey.com/visit/

This desk-researched profile uses the supplied verified fact sheets, distinguishing receivers’ statements, reproduced company filings, company claims and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026