Edrington has sold its controlling interest in Wyoming Whiskey to a group led by one of the brand’s founders, marking a return of the distillery to hands with deep local ties. The deal hands control back to WW Partners, led by co-founder David DeFazio, while the financial terms remain private. This move follows a period of expansion and consolidation by Edrington in the American whiskey scene and a recent stretch of tougher trading results. The change promises a renewed focus on Wyoming Whiskey’s original identity and regional character.
The Scottish spirits group, known for global names including The Macallan, has agreed to transfer its 80% holding in the craft distillery. Edrington first acquired a minority position in 2018 and then increased its stake until it became the majority owner. Now that majority control has moved away from the international group and back toward leadership with direct, historical involvement in the brand’s founding. For fans and trade partners, that signals a shift in priorities and a potential pivot in how the whiskey is marketed and produced.
WW Partners is the investment vehicle headed by David DeFazio, who helped found Wyoming Whiskey in the mid-2000s. The company started in Kirby in 2006 and began distilling three years later, building a reputation as Wyoming’s first legal distillery. Its range includes bourbon, rye, and straight American whiskeys, all wrapped in the Rocky Mountain identity the founders cultivated. Ownership returning to those roots is being framed as an opportunity to lean into what originally made the brand stand out.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, leaving observers to infer motives from corporate behavior and market conditions rather than numbers. Edrington’s recent moves have included rebalancing its international portfolio and divesting certain labels in the face of challenging sales. That context helps explain why the company might choose to step back from a smaller, craft-focused American brand in favour of core priorities elsewhere. Yet the lack of public figures means the specifics of the exchange will remain matters for the parties involved.
“Moving forward, Wyoming Whiskey will re-commit to its roots and return to the culture and constitution that made it the whiskey of the West and a staple of the Rocky Mountain whiskey category.
“We are proud to honour the contributions of our partners at Edrington and look forward to introducing the trade and consumers to a Wyoming Whiskey that represents the very best of what this brand has always been capable of.”
The return-to-roots message is practical as well as rhetorical. Under founder-led ownership, decisions about production, barrel programs and distribution are likely to lean more heavily on local narrative and regional authenticity. That can matter in a crowded whiskey market where provenance and a clear story can tilt buying decisions. For independent bars and retailers that stocked Wyoming Whiskey for its local provenance, the news will be read as a reaffirmation of that selling point.
Edrington’s broader portfolio is anchored by well-known Scotch names and a rum brand, which shaped its global strategy during the period it held a majority in the US craft label. Over recent months the company has adjusted that strategy, selling some Scottish brands and reshuffling its focus. Those moves came amid a year in which Edrington reported a dip in revenue and profit, factors that often prompt asset sales and reshuffles in brand lineups across the drinks industry.
For the year ending 31 March 2025, Edrington reported a 10% decline in core revenue, defined as total revenue from sales of continuing branded products, to £912m on a constant currency basis. Rising production and employment costs hit margins, driving a 28% fall in core contribution, which the company describes as profits after overheads, down to £291.4m. Pre-tax profit dropped by 26% to £274.4m, figures that help explain a tighter focus on brands that deliver higher returns at scale.
Wyoming Whiskey’s own trajectory has been more modest and craft-focused compared with global Scotch names, but that position can be an advantage in a market where authenticity sells. Returning control to founders and local backers could accelerate initiatives tied to tourism, tasting experiences and region-specific releases, areas where a smaller operation can outmaneuver a large corporate owner. It could also mean a sharper emphasis on the distinctiveness of Wyoming’s climate, water and landscape as part of the whiskey narrative.
For consumers and the trade, the practical takeaway is that ownership has changed but the product lineup remains familiar, at least for now. Bourbon, rye and straight American whiskeys will still form the core of the offering, with the new majority owners signalling an intent to preserve and deepen the brand’s Western character. Whether that will translate into new expressions, changes in distribution or shifts in price positioning will unfold as the company reasserts its strategy under WW Partners.
