Colliers & McKeel Whiskey Brands Sold to California Group

01 May 2014 --- The owners of the Tennessee Distilling Company and the Collier and McKeel Whiskey brand announced the sale of their brands. Collier and McKeel is made about a mile from the Tennessee State Capitol in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee in its own dedicated distillery.

"Finding the right partner to carry on this historical legacy of these brands was hugely important to me," Mike Williams, President of Tennessee Distilling Company said "I really wanted to find a partner that could take Collier & McKeel forward and carry on the Tennessee tradition of this company".

In the 1790's, after the Whiskey Rebellion President Washington sent troops to Pennsylvania to put down an uprising of whiskey makers who refused to pay a new federal tax. Distillers in every state were afraid the same the same thing would happen to them, and they moved west. William Collier and James McKeel came to Tennessee from Virginia and North Carolina and brought the tradition of making handcrafted sour mash whiskey they learned from their Scottish and Irish ancestors.

Darek Bell, owner of the award winning Corsair Distillery commenting on the sale said "In a time when there are so many knock off whiskeys made in Indiana with a Tennessee sounding label, it is great to have an authentic 'getting your hands' dirty distiller like Collier and Mckeel in Nashville. They are making authentic spirits true to Tennessee's great spirits heritage. This deal should be no surprise as Collier and McKeel makes great whiskey, crafted right here in Nashville".

Full integration will take place over the next few months. The transaction is between the two privately-held companies no details will be disclosed. Brindiamo Group acted as the exclusive advisor on the transaction.