William Grant finalises Famous Grouse purchase
Scottish spirits firm William Grant & Sons has completed its acquisition of The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt whisky brands from Edrington.
The Macallan maker Edrington reached an agreement with William Grant to sell its blended whisky portfolio, comprising The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt, in September 2024.
However, the sale was put in jeopardy in January when the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it was launching an investigation to decide whether the merger would result in unfair market dominance or hurt competition in a significant way.
The CMA gave the green light for the deal to go ahead in March.
William Grant said The Famous Grouse is Scotland’s best-selling whisky and one of the leading Scotch brands worldwide.
According to NIQ data, The Famous Grouse was the largest Scotch whisky brand in UK supermarkets, with sales of £173.7 million (US$216.1m) recorded in the 52 weeks to February 2024.
Meanwhile, Scotch whisky Naked Malt is said to have ‘significant growth potential within the blended malt segment’.
Søren Hagh, CEO of William Grant & Sons, said: “I am delighted to complete this acquisition and welcome The Famous Grouse into our portfolio. It is a remarkable Scottish brand with rich history and a strong market position in a number of countries.
“Over the coming years, we will build on this strong foundation and work to evolve the brand into a true global icon. We also see a lot of potential in Naked Malt, which will be a great addition to our portfolio.
“Together, these brands perfectly complement our vision for growth, and we look forward to investing in their future and sharing their stories with whisky lovers around the world.”
The brands join the William Grant portfolio, which includes the Glenfiddich and The Balvenie single malt whiskies, Sailor Jerry rum, Hendrick’s Gin and blended Scotch Monkey Shoulder.
In April, Naked Malt launched a campaign that aimed to challenge the conventions of whisky drinking.
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