Bacardi moves William Lawson’s bottling to Russia

Bacardi has teamed up with Russian spirits producer Synergy to move some of its bottling operations for William Lawson’s Scotch whisky to Russia.

Stocks of William Lawson’s set to be sold in Russia will now be bottled in the market

Under a new deal signed this month, William Lawson’s Scotch whisky sold in the Russian market will be aged and blended in Scotland according to Scotch whisky regulations and then shipped to Synergy’s plant in the Moscow region for bottling.

Stocks of William Lawson’s – the best-selling Scotch whisky brand in Russia with 16.8% volume market share (IWSR) – will be bottled at a new line in the facility, set to launch on 26 April. First Russian bottled and packaged William Lawson’s whisky will be available in stores this autumn in 0.5-litre, 0.7-litre and 1-litre sizes.

This is thought to be the first time an international spirits brand has moved bottling operations to Russia.

“Localisation of the number one whisky in Russia is a big step for us that underlines our commitment to Russia,” said Alejandro Ouziel, vice president, head of Eastern Europe for Bacardi.

“Partnering with Synergy and bottling at their state-of-the-art facility outside Moscow will mean that Russian consumers will be able to continue to enjoy the high quality of William Lawson’s that they love.”

Bacardi stressed that the new bottling operations for the brand comply with Scotch whisky regulations, since the spirit can be bottled and packaged anywhere in the world. The group said it would perform “regular and detailed checks” of every product batch bottled in Russia to “ensure product’s full compliance with high quality standards”.

“This project is unprecedented for the Russian spirits market,” said Alexander Mechetin, CEO of Synergy. “In Russia’s modern history it is the first example of a global spirits producer launching bottling of its international brand in the country.

“As a result of this project realisation federal and regional budgets will generate two billion rubles of excise tax. I am sure that by combining professional expertise and experience, Bacardi and Synergy marked the beginning of a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

Mechetin added that Synergy has made “significant investment” in the installation of equipment for bottling Bacardi products.

In September last year, Bacardi’s Scotch whisky arm John Dewar & Sons opened a new blending and ageing facility in central Scotland as part of its £500m investment in the sector.