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Pernod Ricard advances American whiskey ambitions
French drinks firm Pernod Ricard has created a global brand company called North American Distillers (NADL) for its American whiskey portfolio.
The new company is said to form ‘the next phase’ in Pernod Ricard’s commitments to its American whiskey portfolio, in which it has invested ‘substantially’.
Pernod Ricard’s American whiskey brands include Jefferson’s, TX, Rabbit Hole and Smooth Ambler and peanut-butter flavoured Skrewball.
One of NADL priorities will be overseeing the opening of Jefferson’s new carbon-neutral Bourbon distillery, which is under construction in Kentucky and is estimated to cost around US$250 million.
Richard Black has been named CEO of NADL and will oversee the company’s full American whiskey portfolio and North American operations sites. Black has been at Pernod Ricard for 23 years and is a seasoned executive at the company, having spent time at Chivas Brothers and most recently as global marketing director for Martell Cognac in Paris.
On the new company and his role, Black said: “American whiskey is a dynamic spirits category, and our portfolio shows immense potential for future growth. Our investments made in Jefferson’s, Rabbit Hole, Smooth Ambler, Skrewball and TX, underscore our ambitious commitment.
“My mission is to harness this potential and drive a singular focus on these brands and our operations, driving us towards our goals and creating a top-tier marketing and sustainable operations team on the back of our peoples’ deep-rooted expertise.”
Supporting Black in operations will be Pierre Joncourt (current senior vice-president of operations for Pernod Ricard North America), and for whiskey and marketing, Kaveh Zamanian (founder of Rabbit Hole whiskey).
NADL will follow a similar structure to that of Pernod Ricard’s Irish whiskey and Scotch divisions, Irish Distillers and Chivas Brothers, and will be responsible for global marketing strategy and production of its premium American whiskey brands.
Doors are opening for American whiskey overseas as seen by recent masterclasses hosted by Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) in the UK.
In 2023, US spirits recorded export numbers with American whiskey leading the push, with the category accounting for 63% of all US spirits exports. In the US, last year, American whiskey also grew its value by 3.8%.
Previously in 2022, Pernod Ricard established a subsidiary, The American Whiskey Collective, which was dedicated to driving growth of the company’s American whiskey brands.
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