Texas-based Milestone Brands is adding Canadian gin Empress 1908 to its portfolio through the purchases of both the brand’s parent, Victoria Distillers, and its US importer, Azzurre Spirits Corp.
The transactions, for an undisclosed sum, will see the “super-premium” gin join the Campo Bravo and Dulce Vida Tequilas and American Born Whiskey brands in six-year-old Milestone’s stable. Funding for the acquisitions comes from private equity investor BDT Capital Partners, which has bought a “significant minority stake” in Milestone this week.
Launched five years ago, Empress 1908 has become, according to Milestone, “the #1 super-premium gin in Canada and the #2 super premium-gin in the US”. Produced by Victoria Distillers in British Columbia, the violet-coloured gin, which retails at around US$40 in the US, posts annual volumes of around 200,000 cases
Included in the deal is the brand’s distillery as well as a recently-opened packaging facility in Vancouver.
Milestone was co-created by Eric Dopkins, who left Deep Eddy Vodka owner Deep Eddy Spirits in 2016 to set up the business with the vodka’s co-founder, Chad Auler.
