William Grant’s acquisition of C&C completed

Premium spirits business and independent family distillers, William Grant & Sons is the new owner of a portfolio of Irish spirits and liqueur brands, including Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Carolans, Frangelico and Irish Mist, following today’s completion of its acquisition of C&C’s spirits and liqueurs business for €300 million. 

The newly acquired business will operate as William Grant & Sons Irish Brands Ltd 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*. 

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.

Speaking from the company’s production facility in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, William Grant & Sons’ CEO, Stella David commented:  “Today is an historic day for William Grant & Sons as 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.

“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 here in Clonmel.  We look forward to working with the team in Ireland to ensure a successful integration of the two businesses. 

“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,” she said.

William Grant & Sons Irish Brands will be based in Dublin and Clonmel.

* The number of new employees also includes 4 in the USA and 2 in Italy

About William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the UK and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, the range of Grant’s as well as other spirits brands such as Hendrick’s gin, Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum, and Milagro tequila.

1 July 2010 - Felicity Murray