By Andy Young
The Sazerac Company has continued its acquisition program with the purchase of exclusive spirits brand The Last Drop Distillers Limited.
The Last Drop Distillers was founded by spirits industry pioneers James Espey and Tom Jago, who created brands including Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Chivas Regal 18 Year Old, The Classic Malts, Malibu and Baileys Irish Cream.
Last Drop said that the investment by Sazerac will enable the company to continue with its growth plans and that the team will continue to run the business autonomously with the small, family-run operation remaining intact. Today, the company is run by the founders’ two daughters, Beanie Espey and Rebecca Jago.
Espey said: “This acquisition marks the next stage of The Last Drop Distillers story that will see us take the brand into the next phase, while retaining and building on our core values of exclusivity, craft and excellence. The existing team of passionate and experienced spirits pioneers will continue to steer the direction of the brand, while the investment allows us to grow our international footprint and broaden our opportunities to search for the rarest spirits in the world.”
Mark Brown, president and CEO of The Sazerac Company said: “We are very excited to be partnering with such industry legends as Tom and James. Equally, we are looking forward to working alongside their daughters Rebecca and Beanie as well as the rest of The Last Drop Distillers team in bringing some of the rarest spirits available to the global consumer market.
“As a family owned company we fully appreciate the value of a small, engaged and passionate team in a venture such as The Last Drop Distillers and look forward to continuing the excellent progress the business has made since its inception.”
Last week TheShout reported that Sazerac is looking at growing its brands and portfolio in Australia and Brown said that the company has “been acquiring brands since 1989, so we have no plans to slow down anytime soon”.