Garrard County Distilling Co. in Lancaster has remained in receivership since April 2024. Now, Truist Bank has sold all of its loans—valued at about $27 million—to a company owned by Sazerac.
A spirits giant that owns several major Kentucky brands, including Buffalo Trace Distillery, Blanton’s and Weller, has taken steps to acquire a high-profile, shuttered Kentucky distillery.
Court filings in the receivership proceedings for Garrard County Distilling Co. show that a company called Tom Collins Distilling LLC purchased most of the debt owed by Garrard County, which closed and entered receivership in April 2025.
The Kentucky Secretary of State’s website does not list Tom Collins Distilling, but a spokesperson for Sazerac confirmed that the New Orleans-based company owns Tom Collins Distilling.
“As a privately owned company, we cannot divulge further information,” Sazerac said in a statement.
The filings relate to a key March 6 hearing for Garrard County Distilling. Truist Bank, the primary creditor of the closed distillery, has asked the court to substitute Tom Collins as the plaintiff.
The bank filed its motion last Friday, stating that on Feb. 11, Truist sold, assigned and transferred all its rights, title and interest in the loan to Tom Collins Distilling LLC, located at 10101 Linn Station Road, Suite 400, in Louisville—the site of Sazerac’s Kentucky headquarters.
The purchase price was not disclosed. In a filing last April, Truist claimed that All Nations, the parent company of Garrard Distilling, owed the bank more than $26 million in loans.
What’s next in Garrard Distilling receivership?
Judge Hunter Daugherty is scheduled to hear the motion at 9 a.m. Friday in Garrard Circuit Court.
Garrard County Distilling opened in January 2024. General contractor Doss & Horky later sued the company, and more than $2.5 million in liens were placed on the property over unpaid debts and taxes.
However, the largest debt was owed to Truist, and that obligation now rests with Sazerac.
In addition to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Sazerac owns Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown and Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro. The company has also announced a $1 billion expansion that includes new production and aging facilities in Campbellsville and Laurel County.
The newly built Garrard County Distilling Co. spans 50,000 square feet and sits on 210 acres in Lancaster, about 30 minutes south of Lexington. The facility includes 18 fermenters and three rickhouses.
The distillery began filling new barrels in 2024. Its rickhouse also holds about 17,000 barrels sourced from another distillery.
Garrard County Distilling planned to produce bourbon and other whiskeys on contract for sale, along with its own branded products, but internal turmoil followed.
Master distiller Lisa Wicker was fired less than two weeks after the company announced her hiring. Company founder Ray Franklin left in 2023.
Garrard County Distilling was among several high-profile whiskey companies that entered receivership or bankruptcy in the past year, including:
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Uncle Nearest, which is in receivership in Tennessee, reportedly insolvent and carrying $200 million in debt;
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Luca Mariano Distillery, which filed for bankruptcy in Michigan, owing $34 million, with bids to purchase it due in March;
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Kentucky Owl and Stoli U.S.A., both in bankruptcy proceedings in Texas where trustees are being appointed.
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