THE SCOTTISH DISTILLING FIRM William Grant & Sons has purchased Tuthilltown Spirits in Gardiner, marking the company’s first move into the American whiskey distilling sector. Citing the “authenticity” and quality of the distillery’s spirits as well as the “possibilities within the American whiskey category,” the company purchased the entire 36-acre Tuthilltown Spirits property, including the historic grist mill, distillery, visitor center and the on-site, farm-to-table restaurant, Tuthill House at the Mill.

William Grant & Sons (which owns well-known scotch whiskey brands Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Drambuie) has owned Tuthilltown’s signature Hudson Whiskey brand since 2010. Company officials say Ralph Erenzo, who founded Tuthilltown Spirits alongside Brian Lee in 2006, will still be “very much involved in the business on a day-to-day basis” to collaborate and experiment with the firm’s distilling experts.

“William Grant & Sons is a company that holds true family values and is home to a number of spirits brands we respect and admire,” Erenzo said in a press release. “We’ve been working with [them] for a number of years and look forward to building on that relationship to help Tuthilltown fully achieve its potential.”