FDBusiness.com

Independent Scottish distiller, William Grant & Sons, has completed the acquisition of C&C’s spirits and liqueurs business for Eur300m. The deal gives William Grant ownership of a portfolio of Irish spirits and liqueur brands, including Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey, Carolans, Frangelico and Irish Mist.

The newly acquired business will operate as William Grant & Sons Irish Brands with immediate effect and a total of 63 employees plus other support from C&C will join the new company including 42 employees from Clonmel and 15 from Dublin.

Stella David, chief executive of William Grant & Sons.

As a result of the deal, Tullamore Dew, which at 600,000 cases is the world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand, will become William Grant & Sons’ sixth core brand in a portfolio which also includes Glenfiddich and The Balvenie single malt Scotch whiskies, Grant’s Scotch whisky, Hendrick’s gin and Sailor Jerry spiced rum.

“This acquisition provides us with a complementary portfolio of brands and a unique opportunity to accelerate our growth in non-Scotch and enter the dynamic Irish whiskey category,” comments Stella David, chief executive of William Grant & Sons. “We shall invest significantly in the Irish operations and are committed to building a strong business in Ireland and to maintaining and developing current operations in Clonmel.”

She adds: “One of our key strengths is the ability to nurture brands so we are excited about the future of these brands and are very confident that we can maximise their potential.”