Pirates owner Bob Nutting buying Wigle Whiskey

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting is buying Wigle Whiskey and its sister company Threadbare Cider & Mead.

Wigle and Threadbare co-founder Meredith Meyer Grelli said they wanted to keep ownership in western Pennsylvania and found Pittsburgh Spirits after an "exhaustive" search for partners who could continue to grow the two companies. 

"We know that Bob (Nutting), his family and the team at Pittsburgh Spirits will be owners devoted to quality, innovation, regional story-telling, and cultivating our team and Wigle and Threadbare's regional and national footprint," Grelli said in a press release. 

Wigle Whiskey said it was the first direct to consumer craft distillery in Pennsylvania since Prohibition. It opened in 2011 and makes rye whiskey, bourbon and cocktails. 

"With every conversation I had with the Meyer-Grelli family I had a deeper appreciation for how much they care about this company and the team of great people behind the growing success of these brands," Nutting said in a press release. "Their passion is infectious."

Pittsburgh Spirits is a sister company of Highlands Ventures, which the Post-Gazette reports Nutting owns. 

"We are honored to be selected as the steward of these brands and proud to remain true to what they stand for, an authentic Pittsburgh-based, family-owned company that cares deeply about the product and community," Nutting said.