Edrington has completed the divestment of blended scotch The Famous Grouse to William Grant & Sons, with the new owner looking to “evolve” the brand.
The transaction, financial details of which were not disclosed by either privately-owned party, was initially announced ten months ago. Now closed, the acquisition by William Grant sees the full Famous Grouse portfolio, as well as the The Naked Malt blend, sit alongside Grant’s and Monkey Shoulder in the group’s blended scotch stable.
“I am delighted to welcome The Famous Grouse into our portfolio,” said CEO Søren Hagh. “Over the coming years, we will … work to evolve the brand into a true global icon.
“We also see a lot of potential in Naked Malt, which will be a great addition to our portfolio. Together, these brands perfectly complement our vision for growth, and we look forward to investing in their future … .”
According to William Grant, Grouse, which was launched in 1896, has annual sales of around 2.7m nine-litre cases. About 45% of these sales come from the UK, which is joined by Sweden, Poland, the US and the Netherlands in the brand’s top five markets.
The Naked Malt, meanwhile, has annual sales of approaching 50,000 cases.
Three months ago, the group named James Casey as the next MD and Vérane de Marffy as CMO of its US operations.
