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“Drambuie is a natural fit for our portfolio; it has a very rich history and a great story to tell“ |
Stella David, Chief Executive Officer, William Grant & Sons |
William Grant & Sons today announced that it has acquired the Drambuie Liqueur Company Limited which owns the Drambuie whisky liqueur brand.
A blend of aged Scotch whisky, herbs, spices and honey, Drambuie has long held a strong position in travel retail’s liqueur segment. According to the drinks industry’s leading analysts IWSR the brand sold nearly 64,000 nine-litre cases in duty free last year.
The independent drinks producer said: “Drambuie is a very natural addition to our company’s portfolio of premium consumer-led brands, which include Glenfiddich and The Balvenie single malt Scotch whiskies, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey, Grant’s blended Scotch whisky, Hendrick’s gin and Sailor Jerry spiced rum.
William Grant & Sons Chief Executive, Stella David commented: “We have a passion and a reputation for nurturing and building brands. Drambuie is a natural fit for our portfolio, it has a very rich history and a great story to tell and we are delighted to be in a position to start to re-engage with existing drinkers and to connect the brand with an entirely new generation of consumers”.
Drambuie CEO, Michael Kennedy commented: “We are pleased to complete this process with William Grant & Sons, a company who holds true those family values which will help nurture Drambuie to begin its next chapter of growth. As part of the William Grant & Sons stable of brands, we believe that Drambuie can truly achieve its potential as it will benefit from being part of a larger and more diverse organisation. I look forward to working with the William Grant & Son’s team as we smoothly integrate the acquisition and help realise the benefits for both companies.”
A family spokesperson for William Grant & Sons commented: “We have always been secret admirers of Drambuie. We are very grateful to the MacKinnon family for entrusting the future of this iconic brand to our family, and we will do our best to make them proud in the decades ahead.
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Drambuie is one of the world’s most famous liqueurs and will fit neatly into William Grant & Sons’ Scotch-whisky-led portfolio |
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In recent years the company has extended the brand in travel retail with gift sets, limited-edition bottlings and ultra-premium expressions. Drambuie will preview a new limited-edition litre bottle at the 2014 TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes next month, ahead of its exclusive release into major airports worldwide.
