WD O’Connell Whiskey Merchants, an independent whiskey bottler in Waterford, has launched a funding round potentially worth €1.5m as it targets further expansion of brands into new markets.

Speaking with the Sunday Independent, Daithí O’Connell, founder of WD O’Connell, said the round had already attracted interest from potential investors. It had primarily focused its efforts overseas, particularly in Hong Kong and the US.

“It’s going to be a gamechanger for the business,” said O’Connell. “We would be looking to lay down stocks, expand the business and shore up any gaps.”

The investment is set to help O’Connell grow the brand internationally. WD O’Connell’s whiskies are available in Northern Ireland, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Africa and some states in the US. It plans to expand further in Europe and the US, as well as into South-East Asia.

O’Connell said the funding would also help WD O’Connell enhance the company’s new headquarters – the old Union Workhouse in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford. It is looking to bring as much of its operation in-house as possible and is currently installing its own maturation house, bottling line and blending facility.

“We won’t be up and running there probably until early next year, though all the equipment will be put in place,” he said. “I imagine we will kick off doing everything in-house early in the first quarter next year.”

WD O’Connell Whiskey Merchants sources premium new-make spirit and already-aged whiskeys from multiple distilleries in Ireland and abroad. It also sources its own casks, maturing and bottling the finished whiskeys when they are ready.

The firm has plans to  launch three new single-cask whiskeys this year and will also be launching bottlings of two of its most popular brands – the Bill Phil and the 10-year-old single grain from their ‘Bourbon and Rye’ series.