Brown-Forman creates European distribution arms

Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman has formed distribution businesses in Belgium and Luxembourg, and opened a new office in Brussels.

The company launched the two subsidiaries on 1 January 2022, bringing distribution in-house for the first time since Brown-Forman entered Belgium and Luxembourg.

Marshall Farrer, president of Brown-Forman’s Europe division, said: “Belgium and Luxembourg are important markets for us in Europe to drive the growth of our Jack Daniel’s family of brands and our broader super-premium brand portfolio.

“We strongly believe this move will offer us increased consumer focus and prioritisation of our brands. With a great, talented new team, we believe we are well positioned for a bright future.”

According to Brown-Forman, Belgium and Luxembourg have a substantial whisky market, and are among the top 10 EU markets for premium-plus whisky by volume. The company said American whiskey, particularly the super-premium segment, continues to grow and attract new consumers to the category.

At the start of this year, the Woodford Reserve producer opened its Belux office in Brussels city centre.

Christophe Courboin, general manager of Brown-Forman Belux, added: “With our own dedicated team in place now, we will further the growth of our brands across all channels in both markets.”

Brown-Forman directly sells its brands in several European markets, including Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the UK.

Last month, a tribunal ruled that Bacardi must pay its former distribution partner Brown-Forman a sum of more than £51 million (US$67.6m).

The 17-year alliance between the two companies was officially severed in April 2020, and the next month, Brown-Forman formed its own UK distribution company.

The UK distribution of Brown-Forman’s entire portfolio was brought in-house in May 2021.