The global producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, Amber Beverage Group (ABG), announced this month that it has acquired the Irish Whiskey company, Walsh Whiskey, for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition took effect from 11 November 2021, with the existing management and staff remaining in place.
Walsh Whiskey, founded in 1999 by husband-and-wife team Bernard and Rosemary Walsh, has two critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning brands: The Irishman and Writers’ Tears.
The brands are sold in over 50 countries.
The company anticipates that, with ABG’s current reach into 185 countries, there will be further expansion of these super-premium brands.
Combined Strengths
Both companies have strong marketing capabilities and the move combines complementary strengths - Walsh Whiskey’s expertise in crafting fine Irish whiskey, combined with strong distribution partners, and ABG’s marketing and distribution strength across the world.
ABG said that this is a 'strategically significant move' for the company as it continues its successful growth as a global spirits company.
The acquisition is also the Group’s first entry into the fast-growing Irish whiskey sector – a category which has outstripped all other spirits categories for over a decade, enjoying buoyant sales growth of 140% (2010-2020).
Jekaterina Stuģe, CEO of Amber Beverage Group, commented, “This is a major step for us as a company. We already own and bottle 100 brands as well as distributing and selling more than 1,300 third-party brands.
"This is the first time we have entered into the whiskey sector and we are particularly pleased that ABG is now part of the consistently high-growth story that is the super-premium end of the Irish whiskey market."
The Irishman, the company’s original brand, is a suite of nine single malt-led whiskeys. Writers’ Tears is a range of eight pot-still-focused whiskeys. Both brands will join the ABG core brands portfolio.
Managing Director
The co-founder of Walsh Whiskey, Bernard Walsh, will continue as managing director.
Commenting on the new opportunities to grow the reach of both brands as part of Amber Beverage Group, he said, “Given the underlying strengths of our brands and of the long-term trajectory of Irish whiskey, this is a logical next step for us, providing a means of scaling up the business so that a greater number of consumers have the opportunity to participate in the search for the perfect drop or ‘taoscán’ of whiskey.
“I will continue to oversee all aspects of the business and in particular the development and production of our whiskeys, ensuring continuity of the same flavour profiles and high standards that have been the foundation of our success."
© 2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more Drinks news click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
